Even though Jiang Liuer was already aware of Senior Tang Sanzang's notoriously bold methods, the casual suggestion to devour a female demon still horrified him.
This creature appeared half-human, half-monster, yet predominantly humanoid in form.
Eating her would be no different from cannibalism!
However, Jiang Liuer soon noticed something more pressing—
He seemed permanently suspended midair!
Jiang Liuer: "Why hasn't the wind released me yet? I glimpsed Golden Light Temple below earlier."
Jiang Liuer: "This whirlwind holding me aloft... shows no intention of letting go!"
[Great Sage Sun Wukong]: "How should I know your dwelling? I randomly chanted a wind-controlling spell and tossed you via red packet. With my power, you'll descend after half an incense stick's time."
Half an incense stick?!
Jiang Liuer's mind blanked.
The journey from Wolf Ravine Cave to Golden Light Temple had taken mere minutes.
Another half-incense duration would carry him leagues beyond!
In his twelve years of life, he'd never traveled such distances!
Thus...
Jiang Liuer could only watch helplessly as Golden Light Temple shrank to a speck before vanishing entirely.
The tempest swept him over a towering mountain, three great rivers, five villages, and a county seat...
Finally.
The gale weakened as the allotted time expired, depositing him gently on unfamiliar soil.
Though relieved to touch ground, despair gripped him.
Where was this?!
His panicked gaze took in desolate wilderness—no villages ahead or behind, more barren than Golden Light Temple's hinterlands, more unnerving than monster-infested Wolf Ravine.
At least demons could speak! Here, only insect chirps and his own heartbeat broke the silence.
Stranding a twelve-year-old boy here...
Made Jiang Liuer's back drench with cold sweat.
"Ahn..."
A pained whimper broke the stillness.
Jiang Liuer turned to the unconscious fox demon beside him.
Miraculously, her wounds had stopped bleeding.
She showed signs of awakening.
The demoness struggled to open her eyes. Through blurred vision, she discerned Jiang Liuer's silhouette in moonlight. Weakness prevented even finger movement, let alone reaching weapons.
As her sight cleared, shock struck—no wolf demon loomed before her, but a human!
A tender-skinned, living boy!
[Fox Demon]: "You... are..."
Confusion colored her gaze. Wolf Ravine contained only monsters. How did a mortal appear here?
Realization dawned on Jiang Liuer—reverted from serpent form, she didn't recognize him.
Jiang Liuer: "I found you gravely wounded, pursued by the Wolf King. Thinking you unfortunate, I brought you along when fleeing."
(Internally, he amended: 'Unfortunate demon'—humans don't sport tails.)
[Fox Demon]: "...My thanks."
She recognized her rescue. With no trace of Wolf Ravine's foul aura for miles, they'd truly escaped.
Gathering strength, she leaned against a tree, breathless: "This humble one, Hu Yuyu, swears repayment for your mercy once healed."
Hu Yuyu? Her name?
Jiang Liuer: "How did the Wolf King capture you?"
At the title, Hu Yuyu's teeth clenched: "I hunted chicken demons to make soup for my injured sister when that shameless Wolf Wuji accosted me, demanding marriage."
Jiang Liuer studied her—despite bloodstains, her beauty surpassed any he'd seen, fox-like charm undeniable.
(He wondered: Did the wolf demon desire her human form or true shape? Wisdom cautioned against asking.)
[Hu Yuyu]: "Foxes are taught to seek scholarly husbands. I refused, but Wolf Wuji stormed our den, injured my mother, and abducted me."
This confirmed Jiang Liuer's suspicions—the Wolf King practiced forced marriages. Truly vile!
[Hu Yuyu]: "I killed guards to escape Wolf Ravine, but encountered a green serpent demon who struck me down effortlessly."
Jiang Liuer winced—she described his former serpent self! Her collapse stemmed from existing injuries, not his staff's tap!
[Hu Yuyu]: "Next I awoke here, saved by you. How did a mortal breach Wolf Wuji's domain?"
Her words slurred suddenly. With soft thud, she collapsed against a rock, unconscious again.
Jiang Liuer hesitated—Abbot Faming's "no touching women" teaching warred with compassion.
"All life deserves salvation," he rationalized. "Buddha will understand!"
Resolved, he addressed the chat group:
Jiang Liuer: "Seniors, the rescued fox demon is named Hu Yuyu, abducted by a 300-year wolf spirit..."
Jiang Liuer: "She collapsed again. How to heal her?"
[Muscle Monk Tang]: "Thought you'd eaten her already."
Yellow Brow Ancestor: "Having broken so many precepts, why not violate chastity too?"
[Muscle Monk Tang]: "Transfer some Buddha-Subduing Lotus energy. She'll recover."
(Jiang Liuer noted Tang retained compassion beneath gruffness, while Yellow Brow still tempted him.)
Jiang Liuer: "How to transfer energy?"
[Muscle Monk Tang]: "Recall that trash cultivation manual Yellow Brow shared? Its only useful part—energy transfer—is what you need."
Yellow Brow Ancestor: "GOLDEN CICADA! I CHALLENGE YOU TO MORTAL COMBAT!!"
[Muscle Monk Tang]: "Summon Maitreya. Together, you might earn my glance."
......
