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Chapter 121 The Golden Rope

When Chen Guangrui uttered the words "Yellow Wind Monster," the already heavy atmosphere inside the cave seemed to grow even colder.

The Immortal of the Dragon Suppression frowned slightly, his once captivating willow-leaf eyebrows furrowing, his eyes revealing a subtle scrutiny.

She took a sip of her now-cold tea, her red lips parted slightly, and her voice still carried that languid charm that had been tempered by time.

“Young friend Chen, I’m afraid you are unaware of the truth. The Yellow Wind Monster of Yellow Wind Ridge is no ordinary wild demon.”

Her fingers, which were twirling the whisk, paused, as if she wanted to elaborate further.
"Many years ago, there were rumors that this weasel spirit's skills were probably due to the enlightenment of Lingji, and some even said that it was half a disciple of the Bodhisattva. You want to ask it to save Jin Lu'er? Isn't that like sending a sheep into the tiger's mouth?"

Her gaze fell on Chen Guangrui's face, carrying a hint of helplessness and admonition, as if she were stating an obvious truth.

Chen Guangrui remained calm, as if he had expected her to say that. Meeting her scrutinizing gaze, he simply replied with three words, "I know."

"You know?" The Immortal Yalong's fingers, which were stroking his whisk, suddenly stopped.

Her captivating eyes, which had held a thousand years of allure, fixed on Chen Guangrui's face. The languid look vanished instantly, replaced by a cold, hard gaze, like a cavernous rock, and a hint of offended anger.
"You know him? Then why are you still going to find him? Do you really think my Golden Furnace is too old? Lingji captured him, and you still want to hand him over to his disciples? What kind of logic is that?"

Her voice was still not loud, but every word was chilling.

The oppressive aura of the great demon that had once stirred up the winds and clouds was no longer deliberately concealed, but instead wafted out in wisps, causing Yuan Shoucheng beside him to shrink back.

Chen Guangrui was not intimidated by this imposing manner; his tone remained calm and composed.

"Immortal Master, please calm down. If Bodhisattva Lingji truly intended to silence or severely injure Jinlu on the spot, given his ability to launch a sneak attack, Yinlu would also be hard-pressed to escape. Why capture only one person? There must be some reason behind this, or perhaps he has other intentions."

He turned to Yuan Shoucheng, "Master Yuan, could you please calculate the current situation of the Golden Furnace Boy? What exactly is Lingji's intention in doing this?"

Yuan Shoucheng, who was huddled to the side, perked up upon hearing this; this was his chance to show his skills.

He immediately pulled out the polished tortoise-shell copper coin from his pocket, not forgetting to give the Dragon-Suppressing Immortal a fawning smile.
"Immortal Master, please do not be anxious. The reputation of this old Taoist for making accurate divinations is truly not a lie. Let this humble Taoist cast a divination for the little immortal official of the Golden Furnace. Whether it is accurate or not, you will know at a glance."

The Dragon-Suppressing Immortal stared intently at Yuan Shoucheng's movements, his face devoid of any smile, only displaying cold distrust.
"Divination? Heavenly secrets are unpredictable, and the sacred sites of Bodhisattvas are shrouded in mystery. Can your divination be accurate?"

"Hey, with the aura of the person involved as a guide, the fact that Bodhisattva Lingji is arresting people is a ready-made opportunity, plus this old Taoist's cooking skills..."

Yuan Shoucheng muttered incantations to himself as his hands moved swiftly, and soon he exhaled, "It's done!"

He stared intently at the scattered copper coins, calculating with his fingers for a few moments, his small eyes gleaming.
"How strange! Although the divination is shrouded in mystery, there is no ominous sign. The Little Immortal Official of the Golden Furnace should be out of danger for the time being."

He looked up and examined the divination result more closely, his tone becoming more certain.

"The divination of the Bodhisattva Lingji taking him away vaguely points to the word 'secret.' It seems that he wants to keep those who know certain things away, so that they won't speak out and reveal anything. This feels more like silencing them, or rather, sealing their mouths."

"Seale?" Immortal Yalong suddenly seized on this word, and a sly glint of cunning, belonging to an old fox, suddenly appeared deep in his cold eyes, even his deliberately flirtatious temperament faded a bit.

She was silent for a moment, her red lips moved slightly, her voice lowered, tinged with a hint of realization.
"Is he trying to advance further? Yes, that must be it. It's said that Lingji once aspired to be one of the Five Elders of the Five Directions, but when that hope was dashed, he went to the desolate Little Sumeru Mountain, using the guise of guarding the Yellow Wind to avoid other matters. Now that Buddhism is powerful and the position is vacant, he naturally doesn't want any information detrimental to him to leak out, especially..."

Her gaze swept over the silver furnace boy, clearly indicating that he had "accepted the gems" or something similar.

"What should we do then?" Yinlu Tongzi asked, holding the clean bottle and looking at his godmother and Yuan Shoucheng.

The Dragon-Suppressing Immortal's gaze shifted to Chen Guangrui, his eyes now holding not just scrutiny but also inquiry. "Are you still going to find that Yellow Wind Monster?"

Chen Guangrui nodded, "Yes."

The Dragon-Suppressing Immortal stared straight at him, and in those beautiful eyes, there seemed to be a faint, ethereal light about to flicker once more.

Just as that alluring power was about to emerge, Chen Guangrui, seemingly oblivious, calmly said...
"What the Immortal Master knows is an old situation from long ago. I have some information that may allow me to glimpse new developments within it."

His tone was firm and unwavering. Yuan Shoucheng, standing nearby, nodded in agreement. He and Chen Guangrui knew roughly the same information; Chen Guangrui's prompting seemed to have given him an idea.
“Master, Scholar Chen is quick-witted; perhaps he truly possesses knowledge we are unaware of.”

The Dragon-Suppressing Immortal paused, staring at Chen Guangrui's calm, unwavering eyes for several breaths.

The cave was completely silent.

Finally, she slowly released her hand from the whisk, the alluring power that had been rising silently dissipated, and her face was once again covered with a layer of cold, hard calm, but beneath this calm was a hint of decisiveness.

"Fine," she said, her voice almost entirely devoid of its former languor. "It's unwise to employ someone you doubt. Now that I've entrusted you with this task, let's see how you handle it."

With a flick of her sleeve, a golden light flew out and landed in Chen Guangrui's hand. It was the legendary Golden Rope that bound immortals and gods.

"I'll lend you this. Yellow Wind Ridge is treacherous; the Yellow Wind Monster's demonic winds can cut through bones and corrode souls. With this treasure by your side, you might find it useful."

She said succinctly, “I said before that if that little monk Jinchi had any problems, I would lend you this rope, and now you can use it.”

Without much small talk, the Dragon-Suppressing Immortal briefly explained how to use the magic weapon.

"Thank you, Immortal Master." Chen Guangrui did not refuse, nodded solemnly, and carefully put away the Golden Rope.

He currently lacks power and is always at the mercy of evil spirits.

Now, with the magical treasure, the Golden Rope, his strength can be increased by at least a step. After all, this treasure can even bind monkeys, so ordinary monsters are naturally no problem.

Yuan Shoucheng watched with his eyes shining; this was a real treasure!
The Silver Furnace Boy, curious, tiptoed to get a closer look at the gleaming golden rope, muttering to himself, "Hmm, this rope looks like..."

Ignoring Yinlu's mutterings, the Immortal Yalong turned his gaze to Chen Guangrui and said only one last sentence, "There's no time to lose, go quickly."

In her view, saving lives must be done as quickly as possible.

Otherwise, if a mistake occurs, it will be extremely difficult to make amends.
Therefore, she almost commanded Chen Guangrui to leave immediately.

Chen Guangrui said no more, nodded to Yuan Shoucheng, and said, "Let's go."

The two quickly turned around and left the Dragon-Suppressing Cave, which was bathed in the glow of the sunset yet suddenly felt somewhat cold.

Once Chen Guangrui and the other person had completely disappeared from the cave entrance, the cold, hard calm on the face of the Dragon-Suppressing Immortal vanished instantly, replaced by a deep, melancholy expression.

She slowly stood up, walked to the cave entrance, and looked out into the deep forest.

"Fortune-telling divination is not always accurate. Lingji is a man of deep thoughts; he is not someone to be trifled with."

She muttered to herself, as if talking to the air, or as if finally revealing some of the worries that belonged to a "godmother": "Jinlu'er's life cannot be entirely entrusted to them."

She turned abruptly, her sharp gaze sweeping over the somewhat bewildered Silver Furnace Boy, her tone resolute:
"Yin'er! Go to heaven immediately! Go find someone!"

The boy with the silver furnace jumped up and immediately stood up straight: "Godmother, who are you looking for?"

"Whoever it is! It would be better if they could alert your master, but if not... any reinforcements that can be moved will do!"

The Dragon-Suppressing Immortal's voice carried an unquestionable command, "Tell him that the Golden Furnace Boy has been kidnapped by Bodhisattva Lingji without cause! His life is in imminent danger! Laozi of the Tushita Palace... he may not be willing to personally intervene for such a trivial matter, but his people must know about this, understand? Go now!"

"Understood! I'll go right now!" Silver Furnace Boy understood now and knew that the matter was of great importance. He grabbed his jade bottle, and without saying a word, his body emitted a burst of light. With a "whoosh," he rushed out of the cave and shot straight into the sky, speeding towards the South Heavenly Gate above the nine heavens.

Inside the cave, silence returned. The Dragon-Suppressing Immortal stood at the cave entrance, the night wind ruffling her plain dress. Her posture still carried the elegance and charm inherent in her bones, but the deep worry between her brows could not be dispelled.

(End of this chapter)