So Even You, with Those Thick Brows and Big Eyes, Betrayed the Buddha

"Awoo~! Xiuling, girl, move faster! Give this bastard's turtle shell a proper welcome with that big axe of yours.

That's right! Hit it like that—swing the axe and keep smashing the same spot! Smash!"

In an empty valley, Jinjiu Master, newly appointed gold-medal martial arts instructor, enthusiastically gave on-site guidance on the question of "how a Level Three Spiritual Body girl in the Spiritual Road could swing an axe to beat a High-level Spirit Beast, a Myriad Longevity Stone Turtle, to death," while offering an immense amount of moral support from the sidelines.

Ye Kong, who was usually adept at controlling his expression, finally broke character. He covered his face with his left hand, turned away because he could not bear to watch, and popped a red Blood Pill into his mouth.

Three days ago, after reaching an agreement with the two women, he and Wen Qingxuan had stood guard for Xiuling while she refined the Fire Cloud Tiger's essence soul. She had lived up to expectations, using the energy of the Level Five essence soul to break through to a Level Three Spiritual Body. Afterward, the two women had jointly refined the travel payment Ye Kong had given them.

With their strength improved, the two women were brimming with fighting spirit. They brought Ye Kong and Jinjiu Master here, and then the scene before them unfolded.

Ye Kong truly had not expected Lion Bro to have such a penchant for teaching others. Seeing that he could eat meat without lifting a paw himself, the fellow had simply started instructing someone else to kill spirit beasts.

Though it was commonplace for spirit beasts to slaughter one another, the sight of a Lion Dog shouting instructions at a human girl on how to swing an axe and kill an old turtle somehow had the beauty of a lackey leading an invading officer through the streets...

"May I ask, Master Shi Luo, has your Golden Lion's... disposition always been this unconventional?"

Wen Qingxuan felt that ever since meeting this pair of living treasures, her worldview had been constantly changing. The Great Thousand World truly was full of wonders.

"Life on our mountain is rather dull. We are accustomed to arduous cultivation, unlike the Wen Family's descendants, who have everything they could need and countless pleasures in life. It is only natural for things like this to happen."

Although Ye Kong had long cursed Great Spiritual Mountain—a place that was practically an entertainment desert and did not even allow people to eat meat openly—eight hundred times in his heart, he naturally had to retort a little in front of outsiders.

After all, one could not eat from the bowl and then curse the person who served the meal.

But looking at it this way, staying on Great Spiritual Mountain for too long really could drive one mad. Even a Golden Lion whose roots were far from proper had become strange and bizarre.

It was perfectly normal that he had turned out this way after spending so long with his improper master and senior brother.

"I suppose that's true. I can see it now—you all possess extraordinary talents!"

Wen Qingxuan did not understand, but she was deeply shaken.

Suddenly, she twisted her fair neck around. Her incomparably beautiful face was filled with suspicious question marks.

"Why do I feel like you were mocking the Wen Family's descendants for indulging in pleasure and neglecting cultivation, saying we cannot compare to the hardworking monks of Jialan Temple?"

A trace of surprise flashed through Ye Kong's eyes. He gave her a serious once-over as though looking at a normal person, then said innocently, "I wasn't mocking you. Where we come from, even my lion brother has to sneak around to eat meat. His life is far more bitter than yours. As for me, I wouldn't have been able to become a Lay Disciple who had left the secular world without some skill."

He truly had not wronged Jinjiu Master with those words. Back then, this fellow's left and right heads had drooled whenever they saw a spirit beast and encouraged him to kill spirit beasts. One look was enough to tell they were repeat offenders.

The middle head only ate cooked food, not that it did not eat meat. Had it become a monk? It might as well have.

"Awoo! Wonderful! Xiuling, girl, you did great! Hahaha, this turtle has finally fallen!"

Jinjiu Master pushed off with his hind legs and leaped onto the turtle's back. The Myriad Longevity Stone Turtle had already been smashed half to death by Xiuling's axe. He raised his claws and struck its head, ending the poor creature's life.

"Little Luo, don't just stand there! Hurry and help clean it up! Into the pot, into the pot!"

Seeing the incomparably expectant expression on Jinjiu Master's face, Ye Kong was certain that the last head that had remained devout had also fallen. In the future, it would probably become a lay lion just like him.

But that had nothing to do with him. In any case, he had not led the fellow astray; he had merely opened the door to a whole new world for it over the past few days.

Rapidly taking pots, bowls, ladles, and other utensils out of his Storage Pouch and laying them out, Ye Kong turned to call out to Wen Qingxuan.

"If you want to eat, go help gather some firewood. I'll deal with that old turtle's hide and meat."

"Mm-hm, ah? I'm gathering firewood?"

Dazzled by everything she had just watched, Wen Qingxuan responded blankly twice. Once she came to her senses, she pointed at herself, her round eyes full of astonishment.

"Of course. Who else would it be? You've been in the Spiritual Road for so many days—don't tell me you've never even cooked over a fire?"

Realizing that she was also someone who had never done a day of household work, Ye Kong clicked his tongue and pretended to be astonished. "Surely there isn't someone who has been relying on Bigu Pills provided by her family elders to maintain her energy and does not even possess the ability to cook and fend for herself? Could it be that the illustrious Wen Family of the Northern Region, one of the Great Thousand World's Super Powers, actually has..."

"Shut up! I'll go, alright? You deal with your giant turtle! If the food tastes terrible, I'll hold you accountable!"

Unable to endure his teasing, Wen Qingxuan's pretty face instantly flushed crimson. She swung a fist and blasted a hole straight through an old tree beside her, then grabbed her golden spear. After leaving behind that threat, she soared into the air.

Not long afterward, Ye Kong, who was using a small knife to cut away rotten flesh, heard the tremendous crash of a giant tree falling in the distance, a muffled boom like thunder.

Great Spiritual Mountain, Myriad Buddha Hall.

A White-Browed Elder Monk draped in a scarlet kasaya sat in the seat of honor, smiling as he watched an image projected on a curtain of water, looking relaxed and at ease.

The figure in the water curtain was none other than Ye Kong, who was drenched in sweat from processing the turtle.

Glancing sideways at the large pot beside him, where the water had already been brought to a boil, the elder monk smacked his lips and smiled at the burly monk in a golden kasaya beside him. "Junior Brother Shi Luo, what do you think of Little Kong's cooking skills?"

Vajra King Shi Luo looked slightly restrained beneath the elder monk's gaze. After pondering for a moment, he tentatively replied, "In response to Mountain Lord Senior Brother, I observed that Little Kong's control of fire earlier was quite proficient. After the water beneath the pot was mixed with oil, it boiled furiously. He should have used the force of a Demon Subduing Palm. And now... his movements while processing the turtle are incredibly swift, which is likely related to the techniques he has cultivated for the Demon Subduing Pestle. There is also..."

"Stop! Stop! Stop! I asked you to judge his cooking, not discuss cultivation! Who told you to talk about that?"

"You weren't this restrained when you tricked me into taking you to steal the Longevity Wine our master had hidden away! Honestly!"

Mountain Lord Shi Zhen waved his hand in displeasure, finding the matter utterly boring. He took out a jade-green gourd wrapped in thin vines, removed its stopper, and took a small sip. Smacking his lips, he said, "Sigh, ever since I returned from the Endless Fire Domain, I had been thinking of having that boy make me some meat soup. Who would have thought he would run off to the Spiritual Road? All I have is his senior brother's wine. How terribly dull."

At those words, the restraint vanished from Shi Luo's face without a trace. His wandering gaze turned crystal clear, his tiger eyes widened to the limit, and even his face flushed the color of pig liver.

Fuck! The backers who'd let this brat run wild on Spiritual Mountain all this time had jumped out on their own! One was me, Shi Luo, and the other was you, Mountain Lord!

No wonder the Discipline Institute had always turned a blind eye to him. I thought those bald donkeys were taking my relationship with him and your reputation into account, but it turned out you'd directly joined forces with him! Amitabha-fucking-buddha!

If I hadn't been worried that, once you returned, you'd send him off to some terrifying place for training, I wouldn't have been in such a hurry to throw him out. Look at the mess this has become.

Shi Luo, who had long since been won over to Ye Kong's side and occasionally drank and ate meat with him, was stunned to discover that he was not Ye Kong's greatest backer. This brat had actually won the Mountain Lord over to his side as well.

Shocking! So even the thick-browed, big-eyed Mountain Lord had betrayed the Buddha!

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