Chapter 8: The Fox Spirit

Two guards hurriedly descended from the city wall

Xia Xiaosu is not foolish: "I suspect she is a vixen"

Knock knock knock

As Xia Ji tilted her head, the dawn light just penetrated the oiled paper window of the small building, and the footsteps of the palace maid delivering the meal grew closer.

I was just casually browsing, but after taking a glance, I dismissed the thought of leaving, because those truly are legendary books, and there are even secret techniques hidden within. I looked for a long time and unexpectedly came across a book. Brother, can you guess what book it is

Upon seeing this, Xia Ji felt a genuine joy in his heart; his sister was indeed a lucky star. It was remarkable that such extraordinary matters could be encountered. Truly, one can sit at home while treasures come from the sky. The three hidden treasures of the past, present, and future are evidently interconnected. By obtaining this long-lost technique, one can gain a glimpse into the truth.

Before long, the door opened

Miss Hu Ling was also very happy. She treated me to quite a few exotic fruits from the mountains, saying that these foxes have learned to imitate humans, understanding etiquette, honor, and disgrace, as well as the concepts of good and evil, kindness and righteousness. Their behavior and manners are all very courteous, and they have long ceased to eat raw meat, let alone human flesh, now mostly subsisting on sweet fruits and mountain spring water

This scripture is said to be one of the three secret treasures of the Great Thunder Sound Temple from several hundred years ago, and it is also the most important one. However, the Great Thunder Sound Temple suffered a catastrophe and was destroyed, after which the Lesser Thunder Sound Temple was established near the imperial capital, which is the temple located on Mount Sumeru today

He has now reached the ninth level in both Zen practices, with an exceptionally strong mental power. Not to mention deliberately exploring, even if he were to lie down and sleep, he would immediately sense any evil approaching. However, after taking such a detour, he found no abnormalities at all

Come in

The princess leaned a little closer to him and whispered, "Today I went to offer incense and pray for my brother, and I encountered that little fox again

Xia Ji has completed the carving of the eighteen prayer beads. He holds his right hand up, and the eighteen beads rise into the air, rotating counterclockwise in his palm

Xia Ji's expression shifted slightly, is the fox so spiritually attuned?

Could it be that these vixens have no malicious intent

After teaching some of the Three Character Classic, those foxes were scratching their heads and ears, some were happy, while others were confused, and they actually seemed to understand what I was saying

Creak

Xia Xiaosu saw the corners of Xia Ji's lips curve upward, and she genuinely felt happy. Before leaving for Turkestan, she was able to do something for her elder brother, which made her very happy

Just as I had carved more than twenty prayer beads, there was a knock at the door

The door is open

The power of the mind may not be as direct as the vital energy and strength, yet it can bestow the mysterious power of this agarwood, which can be considered an unexpected gain

Brother, I can only stay in the capital for a little over two more months. Please allow me to explore on my own. The palace has so many restrictions, so you need not worry about me.

One hour later

Xia Ji did not respond; he raised his hand and gently stroked his sister's brow. A soft mental energy seeped into the princess's skin along his fingers, circling around slightly, and surprisingly, it encountered no malevolent aura.

However, this kind of spiritual exhaustion cannot be replenished through vital energy. Xia Ji continuously engraved eighteen prayer beads using the Tathāgata Zen method, and at this moment, he could not help but feel a slight fatigue

The spiritual power was extracted in advance and stored within the prayer beads. Although there has not yet been an opportunity to test it, Xia Ji can sense the terrifying power within the beads, which increases as the number of beads grows.

As he spoke, he took out a set of agarwood prayer beads from his pocket, counted out fourteen beads, strung them into a bracelet, and handed it over, saying, "Wearing this, focus your mind in times of danger, and then press the beads to your forehead."

A swift horse came from the west, its hooves shattering the tranquility. The rider arrived at the west gate of the imperial city, shouting loudly: "Urgent report from the front lines, open the city gates at once!"

Xia revealed a faint smile, for he knew who had arrived

The Future Maitreya Sutra

The little fox's injured paw has healed somewhat, and it ran up to tug at the hem of my skirt, as if wanting to take me somewhere, so I followed it.

The guard was concerned for my safety and wanted to follow me. However, as soon as he did, the little fox refused to leave. Therefore, I instructed the guard not to follow me.

Xia Xiaosu touched her head, stuck out her tongue, and argued: "I treat them well, and they treat me well in return. I teach them about good and evil, and they lend me books. It is a matter of reciprocity, the friendship of gentlemen, which is much better than the relationships with others in the palace.

Xia Xiaosu took the bracelet, rolled up her sleeves, and put it on her wrist. She did not think much of it; her elder brother was devoutly serving the Buddha, and this prayer bead was probably just a thought for psychological tranquility.

The Ninth Princess joyfully ran to her elder brother's side and called out, "Brother!"

Xia Xiaosu carefully took out an ancient scripture from her bosom. The scripture had charred marks at both the beginning and the end, yet overall, its content was complete and intact. The first page of the scripture bore four characters: Future Maitreya

Xia Ji knew that this was the "concern" of Consort Wan

Xia Xiaosu continued, "The little fox brought me to a mountain village, where there was a very beautiful young girl. When the girl saw that the little fox had brought me over, she came over to chat with me. She said her name was Hu Ling, and she lived in seclusion in the deep mountains, accompanied by many foxes. These foxes had already developed some intelligence, but they did not know how to read. She herself also did not know many characters, so she hoped that I could teach them to read.

Thus, Xia Ji was aware that the Leiyin Temple possessed the Sutra of the Tathāgata and the Sutra of the Burning Lamp, but he also knew for certain that it did not have the Sutra of Maitreya, as the loss of the Sutra of Maitreya is something that even those who recite a few Buddhist texts are generally aware of, and it is a significant regret for the entire Buddhist community

The messenger shouted while shaking the agreed signal, continuing to call out: "Urgent report from the front line, open the city gates quickly!"

Seeing that it was still early, Miss Hu Ling took me to a cave in the village. To my surprise, there were many bookshelves inside the cave. She said that the books on these shelves were all out of print, and as a token of gratitude, she would allow me to borrow one to take back.

Elder brother said that she will do it

... ...

Xia Ji flipped through a few pages, and a profound sense of mystery surged in his heart, making him realize that this book was indeed genuine. His curiosity heightened, he stopped flipping through the pages and directly said: "Xiao Su, you have encountered a fox spirit; that girl named Hu Ling should also be a transformed fairy."

Xia Ji's expression relaxed slightly. After pondering for a while, he said softly: "Xiao Su, the next time you encounter Hu Ling, ask her what exactly she wants"

A bowl of plain congee, a plate of boiled greens, and even the seasoned side dishes are gone

Xia Ji gave the girl a sharp slap on the head, "Transgender individuals follow different paths! Do you still want to go?"

The beads are interconnected, giving rise to an ethereal image of the "卍" symbol in eighteen layers. The eighteen layers combine into one, radiating a brilliant golden light, exuding an immense power, the force contained within is eager to break free, yet it remains bound by him

The return of the ominous news

Subsequently, Xia Ji requested more agarwood. As a prince, no one would obstruct him from engaging in the craft of wood carving and making prayer beads. This was akin to a great general retiring to farm, intended to convey to others that he had no interest in the struggle for power. Thus, soon several large pieces of agarwood were transported to the Sutra Repository

The palace maid entered carrying a lunchbox

The city gate guard was momentarily taken aback and hurriedly said: "Open the gate!"

The door is open

In the jarring sound

I was both afraid and curious, but Hu Ling looked at me with great anticipation. The other dozens of foxes seemed to understand, all gazing at me with pitiful eyes. My heart immediately softened, and I thought that teaching a few characters was not a big deal, so I decided to teach them.

All is silent.

His voice trembled and was hurried, revealing a sense of unease

He concentrated for a moment, then suddenly closed his palm, causing the golden "卍" to vanish. The prayer beads fell one after another, and the flowing golden liquid also disappeared, stopping on his palm, which he then clenched tightly to keep it.

A charming little face peeks out.

The concept of spirits and strange beings is not uncommon in Buddhist scriptures, and there are even many tales circulating in villages about monks and Taoists subduing demons and vanquishing evil.

Late at night

Yes, my lord

In the admiring gaze of the palace maidens, he blandly consumed this tasteless breakfast

The character '经' has been burned.

Xia Ji gently touched the princess's soft, long hair and smiled, "What good news has happened again?"

The city gate officer raised the torch, stood at the edge of the city wall, and looked down to see a face filled with fear

Thus, during the day, Xia Ji recited scriptures, and at night or in the early dawn, he began to employ Zen methods to carve prayer beads. These prayer beads could be considered his trump card in addition to his own cultivation techniques.