Chapter 8

"Ji Tan Yin, a craftsman." She responded quickly

The high monk looked at her coldly, the night wind was strong, her hair was tousled by the wind, and her two eyes under the dark hair shone brightly, like black jewels

Although the barrier of the fox is formidable, it can be shattered in an instant by the simultaneous assault of six battle demons. No matter how thick the barrier is, it would still be easily broken. If it were to encounter a perfect battle demon like Li Chaoyang, who is rarely seen in a century, the barrier would be no harder than porcelain.

Who needs your care

I have long stopped using a car. The monk's voice was indifferent

Elder Xinchou handed him a bronze wine goblet filled to the brim with a fine wine named "Drunken Life, Dreaming Death." The rich and potent liquid made his blood boil, gradually easing the burdens of his troubled mind, and the guilt and sorrow over the death of Zifei slowly faded away.

"Do not deny it, women are most fond of saying one thing while meaning another." The great monk laughed heartily, "You have seen my true face and my body; you have a secret crush on me, what is there to be embarrassed about?"

He hurriedly found the Paradise Bird, which was eating. It was evident that this beautiful and proud avian was quite unwilling to be disturbed during its meal, and it screeched at him in evident displeasure

Elder Xinchou laughed heartily: "There is! Follow me."

Tan Yin racked her brains and thought: "I ... ... " She could no longer come up with any favorable conditions

He looked towards Elder Xinchou and said with a bitter smile: "If I am unable to make it in time, does the Elder plan to strengthen the barrier to defend against that group of battle demons?"

He was silent for a moment, then suddenly spoke: "Who exactly are you?"

The grand monk seemed not to have heard; his keen eyes had already spotted a slender figure in white behind Elder Xinchou. He immediately broke into a beaming smile and floated over like a flower, sticking to the young lady like a twisted doughnut, repeatedly saying: "Sister Ziqing, it has been many years since we last met, you have become even more beautiful, have you missed me?"

"I am not asking about that," he said with a sarcastic smile. "You are quite good at playing dumb; you know what I am asking about."

Tan Yin continued to ponder and replied: "Take care of you?"

What was the once-glorious Fox Clan like? The great monk did not know, and the historical records were merely hollow words.

*

Tan Yin shook her head gently, quietly watching him with clear eyes

The grand monk smiled as he looked at the young women around him. The fox clan is renowned for its beauty, and beneath the bright pearl, the beauties possess an even more enchanting charm. He too loves beautiful women; who does not? His greatest pleasure is to frolic among the crowd of beauties

He had just jumped down from the back of the bird of paradise when a group of people in white robes had already approached him. The elder at the forefront had hair and beard that were completely white, with a long beard nearly reaching his waist.

Indeed, these are the tricks of the fox clan from Orange Lake. Unlike the clansmen of Fangwai Mountain, the people of Orange Lake are more reclusive and do not have much contact with mortals. In fact, even the great monks have not come here for nearly a hundred years

The grand monk laughed and said, "Xinchou Elder, how many years ago was that name? Let's not mention it now, shall we?"

The grand monk exclaimed, "Oh dear," both sighing and laughing, "I am truly moved; it is the first time a woman has said this to me."

Elder Xinchou clasped his hands in greeting, his demeanor quite intimate: "Xiaoyuanzhong, thank you for dealing with the provocation from the battle demon."

I am leaving. His face turned pale.

Suddenly, there was a faint commotion outside. The grand monk, with a hazy sense of intoxication, turned his neck to listen. A gatekeeper was reporting to Elder Xinchou: "Someone has breached the barrier, but it is not a war demon; it appears to be a mortal woman."

"But with so many beautiful sisters, I would regret marrying anyone." He made a tasteless joke, resting his head on the thigh of a young woman from his clan, so soft, so fragrant. He looked up into the beauty's eyes, which shone like stars, gentle and affectionate

The flowers before him were as splendid as brocade, enveloped in a delicate fragrance, and the halo of the night pearl cast a glow on the young ladies' faces, making them appear as pure as white jade. The melodious sounds of the sheng and xiao, along with the gentle singing, were faintly discernible, blurring the line between reality and illusion. Countless enormous lotus flowers fell from the sky like rain, and he felt that perhaps the legendary fox clan of the past should have been like this, carefree and at ease. This was a scene that would not appear in the Fangwai Mountain.

The grand monk fell silent, slowly straightened his body, and after a long while, finally spoke in a low voice: "I apologize"

Sister Ziqing has changed quite a bit. The monk could hardly resist wanting to cling to her, saying, "You have become so beautiful that I almost didn't recognize you just now"

Tan Yin pondered for a moment and replied earnestly: "Protect you?"

The grand monk transformed into a beam of golden light, vanishing in the blink of an eye to a distance of several zhang, leaving behind a single phrase: "Do not let that woman in"

He saw the high monk hesitating to speak, and he understood what he wanted to say. He calmly replied, "I am different from Ding Xudao; it is impossible for me to submit to Fangwaishan. His ambitions are too great, while I only seek the two words: carefree."

She still does not speak

Zi Fei is the younger brother of Zi Qing. When Zi Qing left with Elder Xin Chou, Zi Fei was still young and was forcibly kept behind by Elder Ding Xu. The great monk has never been able to come to terms with Zi Fei's death, especially with the inexplicable Ji Tan Yin still alive. Thinking of Ji Tan Yin only worsened his mood

Tan Yin shook his head silently for a long time before finally saying: "... ... I will not harm you."

Ziqing, with a generous demeanor, held his hand and said: "This sweet-talking yet bitter-hearted nature has not changed. Well, since you are here, stay a few more days and tell me about Zifei's matters. I have not had the chance to see him this time, and he has already passed away"

Then... then he lost his silver coins

The grand monk was not in the mood for jokes, reluctantly responding with a few words, and followed the crowd around the courtyard. However, he noticed that six high platforms had been built over the small lake, with six clansmen occupying the platforms, continuously casting spells to strengthen the outer barrier.

The grand monk patted his belly, looked at him, and suddenly laughed: "... I just wanted to ask, is there anything to eat? I'm starving."

Elder Xinchou said lightly: "Having followed Dingxu for so many years, you have also learned to engage in this mysterious set of practices."

Ziqing hurriedly grabbed his arm and smiled, saying: "It has nothing to do with you, so there is no need to feel guilty. Stay a few more days this time; my husband has been complaining that there is no one to drink with him since you haven't come."

Tan Yin continued to ponder and finally hesitantly asked, "Can I repair cars?"

The words of Elder Xinchou have also become distant: "Xiaoyuan Zhong, why not settle down here? You are not young anymore; it is time for you to marry a suitable girl and add more members to our clan."

That year, this elder was the first to fall out with Elder Ding Xu, and although he did not experience the event of leading a group of clansmen to migrate to Orange Lake, he was greatly impressed by Elder Xin Chou's determination, as there were indeed very few people in the clan who dared to oppose Elder Ding Xu.

Does she only have these few sentences to say? The high monk's anger was brewing within him, saying that she is scheming, yet she is so foolish, her actions are clumsy, and her words are ungraceful; when he claims she lacks scheming, her identity is concealed so well, he had not noticed at all how formidable she truly is before.

Perhaps this confusion is merely a form of self-comfort

The high monk could only smile wryly; soft persuasion and hard pressure were of no use against her. He could neither kill her nor outrun her. What could he possibly say?

Of course you cannot find it—there is a cold, hollow voice echoing within you. What you see are the celestial beings; how can you possibly find it?

Before the breath had even escaped, Tan Yin took out another palm-sized mechanical bird from the Qiankun bag, which grew larger in the wind, and mounted it to tirelessly continue the pursuit.

Our clan has had generations of discord with the War Demon clan, but if Ding Xu had not provoked us, there would not have been so many issues. Elder Xin Chou sighed and said, These layers of barriers are merely a delaying tactic; if a War Demon comes seeking us in the future, they can also provide our people of Orange Lake with an opportunity to escape.

The bird of paradise reluctantly flapped its wings and slowly took off. Before it had flown very far, the grand monk noticed the figure of Ji Tanyin behind him, who was riding on the back of a peculiar mechanical bird, following along at a leisurely pace.

Oh..." He suddenly elongated his tone, laughed, and with an ambiguous voice asked, "Are you interested in me? Do you like me?"

After speaking, his expression gradually turned cold again as he stared at her, slowly saying each word: "But I don't want you to follow me, stay away, don't let me see you, I don't want to look at you."

The grand monk, both regretful and satisfied, turned over, embraced the beauty's waist, and began to act spoiled: "Sister, I am drunk, I want to eat grapes"

I do not want your protection! The high monk was exasperated; how could a high monk of the fox clan be reduced to being protected by a mere mortal girl? Where would he put his face?

The sound of Tan Yin is as light as a breeze: "Yes, until the end of your life"

Although she tried her best to conceal her emotions, she still choked up a bit when mentioning that Zi Fei had passed away

The grand monk sighed deeply, whistled softly, and the blissful bird quietly hovered in mid-air

Orange Lake was once a body of water, renowned for its shape resembling an orange. Legend has it that the lake dried up overnight, transforming Orange Lake into flat land, and it began to be haunted, with frequent rumors of hunters and woodcutters going missing in the area. Gradually, this place became desolate and rarely visited.

Elder Xinchou was greatly surprised: "Are you leaving so soon?"

Yet in his mind, there emerged a vision from long, long ago, of the pair of eyes he beheld atop the celestial platform. Every spiritual aperture within him opened for those eyes, and he was even unaware of what was happening to him. He could no longer find another pair of eyes like them, could not find them. All the beauties in the world seemed no different; his time appeared to have remained suspended on that platform, never to flow again.

Please allow me to follow you, I will not harm you

"Will you follow me for a lifetime?" he asked

Elder Xinchou, stroking his snow-white beard, looked at him with a smile: "If you can think of it, how could I not? This occasion is to welcome you. Once you go out, it may be difficult to come back in again."

But as he grew up slowly, he gradually gained knowledge and began to have doubts. Was the being that appeared on the high platform that day truly a deity?

Next time, I will treat you to the finest Tianxia Wushuang wine!" The monk, in a moment of desperation, made a hasty promise, "Hurry up and get me flying!"

Hey! He shouted at Tan Yin, who was far behind, "What are you following me for?!"

The grand monk felt as if this nightmare would never end. He threw another silver ingot, hitting the mechanical bird, which fell down. He urged the blissful bird to fly quickly. After flying a short distance, Tan Yin summoned a new mechanical bird, continuing the pursuit behind them. He continued to throw silver ingots.

The grand monk smiled and greeted him with a clasped hands gesture: "Elder Xinchou, it has been a long time since we last met, and your beard has grown even longer."

Ziqing smiled and patted his shoulder: "You really haven't changed at all, still the same as ever"

The monk suddenly sprang up, and the grapes that were brought to his mouth fell onto his clothes and then rolled down to the ground

The grand monk let out a sound of surprise, realizing at that moment that it was not the usual defensive barrier created by the fox clan. It was both real and illusory, dreamlike and ethereal. Rather than a barrier, it resembled more of an illusion. Its nature was somewhat similar to the mist formation surrounding the royal tomb of Wanlan Mountain, yet it was far more sophisticated than the mist formation.

What on earth is going on with her! The grand monk's scalp has gone numb; after groping for a long time in his arms, the jade chess piece is gone, but there are a few silver ingots in the money pouch. Without a second thought, he tossed out one ingot, and sure enough, that strange bird fell down again with a cawing sound.

He whistled, and the lyrebird let out a long call, soaring into the vast sky

The grand monk elegantly brushed his long hair and sighed, saying: "I can only thank you for your feelings, but I am sorry, I am already devoted to someone else. Please seek another."