Chapter 4: The Red Light Exterminates Demons

Aunt Guihua turned around, walked to the door curtain, and took the wooden basin, softly scolding Chen Youfu: "Get out, you big man, don’t come in, Aunt Cui'e is about to give birth." Chen Youfu replied awkwardly: "I owe it all to the help of the neighbors; I will forever remember this kindness in my heart."

All of this happened in the midst of the flames and sparks. Chen Youfu peered through the crack of the door and saw everything clearly. He did not expect that his child had such great abilities, having defeated the seven-tailed fox. In the inner room, his aunt and uncle came out holding a swaddled baby to congratulate Chen Youfu. Aunt Zhu said: "Congratulations, Chen Dazhang, Cui'e has given birth to a boy, and both mother and child are safe. This child is destined to be a person of great fortune and nobility; from the moment he was born, he exudes an aura of wealth and prosperity."

As the saying goes, one should not strike a smiling face. Aunt Guihua originally had some grievances against Chen Youfu for not inviting a midwife, but now seeing Chen Youfu being courteous to her, she felt it was inappropriate to say much more. She softened her tone and said: "Master Chen, what happened in the courtyard just now? It was truly frightening. I, Chen Guihua, have lived in Chenjia Village for so many years, and I have never seen such eerie weather before"

At that moment, a loud cry echoed from within the inner room, filling the entire space with a brilliant red light that illuminated much of Chen Family Village. Within the courtyard walls, the demon core of the seven-tailed fox was unexpectedly suspended in mid-air amidst the red glow. The demon core emitted a crackling sound, and in no time, the ghastly green core shattered into pieces. The seven-tailed fox screamed in agony within the red light, collapsing to the ground, trembling uncontrollably. In a short while, the seven-tailed fox was engulfed in flames, transforming into smoke and - image - book. The ghastly green core shattered into pieces, and the seven-tailed fox screamed in agony within the red light, collapsing to the ground, trembling uncontrollably. In a short while, the seven-tailed fox was engulfed in flames, transforming into smoke and - image - book.

Apart from the Tian family, who were too preoccupied to notice, the other four individuals also saw and heard the strong light and loud noise from outside. The aunts were equally unaware of what was happening outside. Just as Aunt Guihua, who was holding a large wooden basin of hot water, was about to lift her head to look out the window, she stepped into the inner room and saw Aunt Guihua peering out towards the window by the bed.

As the demon pill emerged, the sounds of ghostly wails and wolf howls erupted. The demon pill was enveloped in a layer of ghastly green flames, soaring towards the green bamboo in the corner of the courtyard. The entire bamboo split open, and a spring of clear water surged forth from its joints to meet the demon pill

The seven-tailed fox had its white fur standing on end, and its seven tails were pinned to the ground by the bamboo branches, which emitted a faint green light in the darkness. The bamboo branches and leaves on the green bamboo had mostly withered, leaving only a bare bamboo pole. The incantation of the Demon-Subduing Vajra Mantra that the green bamboo had been reciting had abruptly ceased.

The seven-tailed fox also heard from inside the house that a child was about to be born, and its pair of crimson fox eyes turned into a deep green. It raised its seven white giant tails, which were the fox's innate magical treasures. In mid-air, the seven tails transformed into sharp blades, swirling and slashing towards the green bamboo. The fox demon shouted angrily: "Those who block my path today shall die; encounter immortals, slay immortals; encounter Buddhas, extinguish Buddhas." Thunderbolts struck one after another beside the seven-tailed fox, but the black mist surrounding the fox was the foul energy it emitted, and the thunder did not strike at impure entities, always avoiding its black aura. The fox demon laughed wildly, saying: "What can thunder and fire do to me? Ha ha." The fox demon shouted angrily: "Those who block my path today shall die; encounter immortals, slay immortals; encounter Buddhas, extinguish Buddhas." Thunderbolts struck one after another beside the seven-tailed fox, but the black mist surrounding the fox was the foul energy it emitted, and the thunder did not strike at impure entities, always avoiding its black aura. The fox demon laughed wildly, saying: "What can thunder and fire do to me? Ha ha."

Chen Youfu hurriedly shouted: "Aunt Guihua, the hot water is ready, where should I put it?"

Chen Youfu listened to the painful cries of the Tian family from the inner room, while a fox demon lingered in the courtyard. His heart was in turmoil, filled with both anxiety and fear. He poured a bowl of tea from the teapot on the table and gulped it down in one go, his clothes already soaked through with cold sweat several times. Despite his fear, Chen Youfu remained uneasy about the fox demon in the courtyard and peered through the door to look outside.

Inside the room, the painful groans of Tian Shi and the urging voice of Aunt Zhu could be heard: "Aunt Guihua, hurry with the hot water, Cuie'er’s child is about to be born. Cuie'er, push harder, the baby is coming soon." Aunt Guihua pushed Chen Youfu aside and entered with a wooden basin.

The seven tails of the fox are the life-bound treasures of the fox demon, cultivated for over seven hundred years. Unexpectedly, today the treasure was actually broken by this green bamboo. The fox demon spat out a bead the size of a pigeon egg, bright green like a small book. As soon as the bead was exposed to the wind, it grew to the size of a fist in the blink of an eye

Upon hearing Aunt Guihua mention the word "ghost," Chen Youfu's face turned pale, and he stammered, "In the yard... in the yard, just now... it thundered, yes, it just thundered."

Chen Youfu, carrying his goods on a shoulder pole, wandered through the streets and alleys calling out to sell. During that time, he also heard elderly people speak of it. There are spirits with their own essence, and demons possess their own vital energy; the vital energy of a demon is where its essence resides. Once that essence is broken, the demon will be reduced to ashes. Today, Chen Youfu has truly opened his eyes, having witnessed the legendary essence of a demon.

Just as the seven-tailed fox was feeling triumphant, a burst of emerald light erupted from the green bamboo, striking against the blade formed by the fox tail in mid-air. The emerald light and the fox tail collided in the air, producing a deafening "boom," accompanied by a brilliant flash that illuminated the courtyard as if it were daytime, scattering the fox tail completely.