Chapter 232: Reincarnated Spirit Child
"Who's there?"
One of the escorts couldn't help but call out toward the door.
Hearing this, the head escort's expression instantly changed. He immediately spoke up, "Silence! Have you forgotten what I always teach you?"
The escort quickly shut his mouth in shame, bowing his head. The head escort often reminded them never to respond to any sounds outside when camping in the wild at night.
But in his nervousness, he had completely forgotten. Damn it, I deserve a beating!
Just then, a gentle voice came from outside.
"A humble monk passing through your lands, caught in the wind and snow—may I intrude for shelter without offending you?"
As soon as the voice fell, the door was pushed open from outside. A mendicant monk stepped in slowly.
The moment he entered, most inside the temple let out a breath of relief. The monk had an aura of kindness, his every movement exuding a sense of calm Buddhist presence that made one instinctively want to bow in reverence.
"Master, please feel free."
The head escort stood up first and saluted the mendicant monk with clasped hands.
"Thank you."
The monk replied, then casually found a spot to sit down and began chanting Buddhist scriptures.
Before long, the entire mountain deity temple was filled with a soothing chant that relaxed the mind and body.
The child beggars and escorts gradually drifted into sleep as they listened.
Chu Feng, meanwhile, continued to enjoy Bing Yan's massage. As for the chanting, he treated it like background music.
About half an hour later, a beam of Buddhist light suddenly appeared within the temple. Everyone immersed in the chanting instinctively turned their attention to its source.
They saw a child beggar, around eight or nine years old, bathed completely in golden Buddhist light.
His previously filthy and messy appearance instantly became pristine. His shabby clothes were also cleansed and made tidy by the light.
"Little Wu! Big Sis, what's happening to Little Wu?"
Lao Liu asked in astonishment.
The eldest sister stood frozen, unsure what to say. Though she came from a good background, she was too young and had never seen such a sight. She only knew that their Little Wu was about to leave them.
The head escort muttered under his breath, "This... this is a reincarnated spirit child."
"Amitabha."
The monk intoned deeply, "This benefactor has keen insight. Indeed, this child is a reincarnated spirit child of the Buddhist path. As I passed by this place, I sensed faint traces of Buddhist light within the temple, which led me to enter and confirm."
The child beggars turned their gaze toward Little Wu in the crowd.
Little Wu himself looked utterly confused. He had only just woken from a dream and found all eyes fixed on him.
Instinctively, he moved closer to the eldest sister. "Big Sis, I'm scared."
The eldest sister held Little Wu tightly. "Don't be afraid. Nothing will happen to you."
Feeling the trembling in Little Wu's body, she subconsciously looked toward the monk not far away. Then, she stood up and asked, "May I ask, Master, are you going to take Little Wu away?"
"Amitabha."
The monk smiled and said, "Please rest assured, young benefactor. I will not let your younger brother suffer. I will ensure he is well cared for, with food and clothing provided. When this spirit child completes his cultivation, all of you will receive merit in return."
The eldest sister said nothing, instead looking down at Little Wu. Seeing his frail, helpless form, her heart ached at the thought of letting him go. But she also understood that staying with them would offer him no future.
She asked softly, "Little Wu, do you want to go with the master?"
Little Wu clung tightly to her clothes and whispered, "Big Sis, can you not make me go?"
Hearing this, her heart surged with sorrow. She gritted her teeth. "Big Sis won't force you to go. As long as you want to stay, you can live with all of us forever."
The escorts, witnessing this deep bond, instinctively turned their eyes toward the monk.
"Amitabha."
The monk said, "Little Wu, you are a reincarnated spirit child. If you do not enter the Buddhist path and sever worldly attachments, disaster will fall upon those around you. Within three years, the Buddhist nature within you will fully manifest, and when that happens, all manner of demons and dark cultivators will come for you.
Even if you don't go with me, they will still take you. Whether you go or not—it's your decision to make."
Little Wu's face showed a look of conflict upon hearing those words. He didn't want to leave everyone.
Life here was tough, but he was happy with his companions.
Yet if staying meant bringing danger to them, that was something he couldn't bear.
No one—not even the monk—spoke to interrupt the child's decision.
Both the Golden-Winged Eagle King and Bing Yan turned their gaze toward Chu Feng. After all, apart from traveling for leisure, one purpose of this trip was that Chu Feng hadn't found a suitable disciple in Wendao Academy.
Now, with a reincarnated spirit child before them, would Chu Feng be moved?
Chu Feng's eyes lingered on the child for only a moment. Though the boy did have some Buddhist aura, he was still lacking to become his disciple.
Besides, the Buddhist aura had been awakened by the monk. Chu Feng had no habit of snatching others' disciples.
After a long pause, Little Wu finally spoke. "Master, I'm willing to leave with you, but please give me a few days. I want to properly say goodbye to Big Sis and the others… and I hope they can find a proper place to go."
The monk smiled and said, "Naturally. I'll make sure you leave with peace of mind."
Bang!
Suddenly, the temple doors were kicked open from outside.
Whoosh…
A gust of wind and snow blew in through the door, accompanied by an arrogant, thunderous voice.
"In my opinion, none of you are leaving!!!"
Everyone in the temple changed expression upon hearing the voice. The escorts shouted in alarm.
"Who's there?!"
"Such strong demonic qi!"
"…"
"Noise!"
A cold voice echoed through the temple, and in the next instant, the escorts were sent flying backwards, slamming hard into the walls.
Seeing this, the corners of Chu Feng's mouth lifted into a subtle, intrigued smile. As expected, strange things always happened in ruined temples.
He had only casually stopped for the night, and already so much chaos was unfolding.
"Amitabha."
The monk chanted deeply, and a wave of Buddhist light radiated from him.
In an instant, the wind ceased and the snow vanished inside the temple.
He turned his gaze to the temple entrance and said calmly, "Since you've come, benefactor, why not show yourself? Or do your demonfolk only know how to prey on the weak?"
"Hahaha…"
A maniacal laugh erupted from outside the temple, chaotic and disorienting. It made everyone inside dizzy and confused.
Even with the Buddhist light from the monk's body, most faces inside the temple twisted in pain.
"Bald donkey of Du'e Temple, since you think this general is bullying the weak, then today, I'll bully you, the weak one!"
Before the voice had even faded, a toad-headed, human-bodied demon general entered the temple, flanked by demon soldiers.
The overwhelming demonic qi radiating from him terrified everyone inside. Some with weaker nerves fainted on the spot.
Du'e stared at the creature and instinctively exclaimed, "Xuechan Demon General! Why are you here?"
The Xuechan Demon General laughed and said, "Surprised, aren't you? Before you monks at Nanwu Temple even sensed the presence of a reincarnated spirit child, my king already knew. He sent me here to capture the child.
Running into you is just a delightful bonus.
I've long wanted to taste the flesh and blood of you Nanwu Temple monks. Today, this general finally gets the chance. Prepare yourself, Du'e, you bald donkey!"
Hey readers! If you're eager to dive into advanced chapters, consider joining our Patreon. By joining, you'll get access to 20 chapters ahead and enjoy 8 new chapters per week. Plus, we have 2 more exciting fics with the same chapter release rate, giving you a total of 32 chapters per week! Join now and keep the adventure going!
Patreon: https://patreon.com/Alex_Cruise