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Chapter 120 Lingji Bodhisattva
Inside the Yalong Cave, the rosy glow of the sunset still lingered, but with a touch of stagnation.

As soon as Chen Guangrui, Yuan Shoucheng, and Yinlu Tongzi stepped into the cave, the Dragon-Suppressing Immortal noticed them.

She sat gracefully on the smooth stone bench, her posture as elegant as ever. A hint of allure, etched with the passage of time, lingered in her eyes. As she looked at the three, a knowing smile played on her lips, her voice still carrying that languid, soft tone.
"How is it? You're back so quickly?" Her gaze swept lightly over Chen Guangrui, carrying a knowing understanding of the ways of the world.
"It seems my prediction was correct. That young monk Jinchi is a pure and devoted practitioner who keeps his heart and observes the precepts. You have probably returned empty-handed." Her tone was calm, but her certainty made it seem as if she had already foreseen the outcome.

Yuan Shoucheng put on a smooth, worldly smile, stepped forward, and bowed, saying, "Oh, my old immortal, your eyes are truly discerning. Elder Jinchi does indeed appear to be a highly accomplished monk... but..."

He paused deliberately, a mysterious look on his face, "This person, after all, isn't a true bodhisattva; he inevitably has a few... hehe, minor flaws."

The Dragon-Suppressing Immortal raised his delicate eyebrows almost imperceptibly, seemingly slightly surprised by the term "minor flaw." His gaze swept over Yuan Shoucheng and finally landed on Chen Guangrui's face, signaling him to continue.

Yuan Shoucheng rubbed his hands together, speaking at a measured pace.
"Here's what happened: we took out that precious cassock as planned. Elder Jinchi saw it, but on the surface he remained calm and even pretended to advise us to keep it safe and not flaunt it. Hey! But the moment he turned around, he sent people to set fire to the cassock that very night, trying to burn it and steal it in the chaos! Don't you think that's being two-faced?"

The Immortal Yalong paused slightly in mid-air, the rim of the cup just inches from his lips. After a moment of silence, he slowly placed the cup back on the table with a barely audible sound.

The faint, alluring smile on her face faded, replaced by a deeper, colder scrutiny. "Oh? It seems I underestimated this high monk's resolve."

Her voice remained calm, but the air seemed to grow heavier. "What about the accountant? Have you gotten any news about him?"

"Thanks to you, it's all done!" Yuan Shoucheng immediately replied, his tone carrying a hint of self-satisfaction.

"Elder Jinchi has relented; there really is something wrong with that accountant. He's a Taoist priest from Wuzhuang Temple!"

He emphasized the three characters "Wuzhuang Temple".

"Wuzhuang Temple?!" Even with his profound composure, the Dragon-Suppressing Immortal's eyes flashed with genuine surprise.

"The territory of Zhenyuan Daxian?"

She frowned slightly, disbelief swirling in the depths of her eyes. "That's the Daoist temple of the ancestor of the Earthly Immortals, a place of tranquility and non-action, where immortal energy arises naturally. They cultivate the Primordial Dao and comprehend the workings of Heaven and Earth. How could a Daoist from Wuzhuang Temple go to a Buddhist temple like Guanyin Temple to work as an accountant and secretly plot against a Marshal Tianpeng who was banished to the mortal realm?"

She slowly shook her head, her tone carrying a strong sense of incongruity, "There can't be any connection. There must be something fishy going on here."

She was clearly filled with doubts about the authenticity of the news and its connection to Elder Jinchi.

Just then, the Dragon-Suppressing Immortal's gaze swept over the three people in front of him, and he keenly sensed that something was wrong.

Those clear, naturally alluring eyes swept over the Silver Furnace Boy's lowered head, Chen Guangrui, and Yuan Shoucheng once more, and his voice suddenly deepened.
"Where's Jin'er? Why hasn't Jin'er returned?"

Upon hearing his elder brother mentioned, the boy with the silver furnace immediately looked dejected, his voice trembling with tears and becoming much softer.

"Godmother, my brother! My brother has been kidnapped by a vicious monk!" The Immortal Yalong, who had been lounging lazily in his stone chair, instantly straightened up. His eyes turned icy cold, and though his voice didn't rise, it carried an overwhelming pressure.
"Arrested? By whom? Explain yourself!"

The ferocious aura belonging to the ancient demon, even after being deliberately suppressed for thousands of years, still exuded a sinister aura, and the glow of the entire cave seemed to dim for a moment.

The Silver Furnace Boy shrank back in fright and quickly said,
"The monk we encountered was incredibly fierce. He insisted we'd stolen something from his house... apparently the precious pearl we took from the demon at Black Wind Mountain last time. My senior brother got angry and argued with him for a bit, and without saying a word, the monk took his broken piece of wood and struck it, which conjured a huge, glittering golden dragon that snatched my senior brother away in an instant! It flew incredibly fast; I even took out my bottle, but I couldn't catch up with it..."

"The Flying Dragon Staff, a magical artifact of Bodhisattva Lingji?" Immortal Yalong almost immediately recognized the other party's identity, and his expression instantly turned extremely ugly.

She stood up abruptly, her plain dress fluttering even without wind, her dignified demeanor revealing a resolute ruthlessness.
“I know Lingji Bodhisattva’s temper. How could things go well if Jin’er fell into his hands? What are you waiting for? Go to the Heavenly Court immediately, to the Tushita Palace, and find your master, Laozi! This is a mistake he made while sending you down to the mortal realm on a mission. He has to take care of it! If he doesn’t…”

A fierce glint flashed in her eyes, carrying a chilling intent as if she were about to recapture the storms of her past.
"I'll storm the heavens and demand my life back! I'll just leave this crippled life there!"

"No, godmother!" the Silver Furnace Boy cried out hastily upon hearing that they were going to find Laozi.

"If we go to the ancestor, our mission will be completely ruined. We'll definitely be punished when we get back, and we won't be able to come down here to play anymore. Uh, we can't get anything done!"

He realized he had let something slip, and his voice trailed off.

The Dragon-Suppressing Immortal stared at the Silver Furnace Boy, his eyes flashing with genuine heartache and anger for the first time.

"Nonsense! Your brother's life hangs in the balance, and you're still only thinking about your job? You fool!"

Chen Guangrui, who had been silent all along, stepped forward and interjected in a steady voice.

"Immortal, please hold your anger. The Golden Furnace Boy has fallen into the hands of Bodhisattva Lingji. It is not advisable to directly alarm Laozi. If Laozi directly intervenes to demand his release, Bodhisattva Lingji, knowing that this involves the reputation of the Tushita Palace, may hide the Golden Furnace even deeper, or even... take more drastic measures to protect himself."

He paused, analyzing the pros and cons, and concluded, "It's better to rescue cleverly than to demand it by force."

The Dragon-Suppressing Immortal's gaze shot towards Chen Guangrui like lightning, but the resolute sharpness froze under his calm words.

She had clearly taken this concern to heart. Her initial fervor to storm the Heavenly Court was suppressed by the cold reality, and a heavy and profound sense of powerlessness appeared between her brows. She slowly sat down again, and the air in the cave almost froze.

After a long silence, she finally looked up at Chen Guangrui, her charming eyes now filled with only heaviness and a hint of weariness as she asked, "So, what should we say?"

Meeting her gaze, Chen Guangrui clearly uttered a name, "Find the Yellow Wind Monster."

(End of this chapter)