I am Jinshan Youxia

As the rat monster gave away more and more gold, it became known not only in Musashi Province but also in other regions, and many people from other places came to join in the fun and catch the gold-giving rat.

It's all turned into a gold rush!

Under these circumstances, the young master became increasingly anxious about the task of capturing the Golden Rat. That useless monk Mengxin even dared to return and report that he had failed to capture it. In a fit of anger, the young master expelled the monk Mengxin and even demolished Mengxin Temple.

If he can't be caught soon, he'll probably be the second person to be expelled.

Thinking of this, the middle-aged man gritted his teeth and respectfully said to the man next to him, who was wearing a white robe and had bulging muscles, "Lord Yamabushi, I'm entrusting this to you."

The term "Yamabushi" is a general term for practitioners of Shugendo, a type of person who enters the mountains to cultivate themselves. Its ancestor was the Onmyoji En no Ozunu, but Yamabushi includes not only Onmyoji, but also monks, priests, and ordinary people. This kind of mountain cultivation has no requirements regarding faith or profession.

In an era where monsters roamed freely, one had to be able to exorcise monsters to climb mountains, otherwise one would die after climbing a mountain. The mountain ascetic emphasizes cultivating one's mind and body through hardship. It is a fusion of a large number of religions such as Taoism, Buddhism, Shamanism, and Shintoism. However, in this era, the faith aspect has been removed, and it focuses solely on the hardship of cultivation.

Whether it's mountain climbing or exorcising demons, it's a way to temper one's mind and body. So the folk legend that mountain bandits are people who specialize in exorcising demons is actually a misunderstanding and completely reverses the logic.

The vast majority of mountain demons don't care about others; all they want is their own transcendence. Exorcising demons is just a form of cultivation on the path to transcendence.

"I've killed a lot of monsters, but this is my first time catching one."

The muscular man grinned, put on the Tengu mask from his waist, gripped his staff tightly, and said in a deep voice, "I'll help you if I take your money, but I can't guarantee whether I can catch him."

"Don't blame me if I kill him."

"I'm counting on you for everything." The middle-aged man bowed again.

The young master once said that even if they couldn't catch the Golden Rat, they would kill it and not let anyone else catch it.

In this era, there are two major factions among the mountain abbots. One faction worships mountains and is relatively easy to talk to, with mostly gentle personalities. They are rarely seen by the world because they usually stay in the mountains they worship. They are more skilled in strange magic, such as using conch shells to summon gods and using headbands engraved with incantations to seal demons.

Another is to worship Tengu, because the legendary Tengu are dressed in the attire of Yamabushi and live in seclusion in the deep mountains. This is equivalent to the yearning and following of predecessors and stronger people. The Yamabushi of the Tengu faction are much simpler and more straightforward. There are no fancy tricks. They are just strong muscles and well-honed martial arts skills. They are extremely good at using blunt weapons, staffs or sticks.

Furthermore, because they have undergone arduous training, they can ignore most spells and curses, and live very self-centeredly. They often inexplicably seek out powerful demons to commit suicide, claiming it is to challenge stronger beings. Not only are their numbers small, but they also have a bad reputation among the supernatural.

But it is still very strong.

This is a sure thing.

"Squeak~"

Wearing a tengu mask, Yamabushi roughly pulled open the kitchen door, looked at the field mouse inside slowly wiping the grease from its mouth, and said with a smile:

"This is the first time I've ever seen a monster without any demonic aura."

Chapter 164 Small Punishment and Big Commandment

"and many more!"

The monk Mengxin's voice rang out from behind, and then he forcefully squeezed through the crowd, saying with a serious expression, "The one who delivers the golden rat is not a monster."

Despite his fat appearance, alcoholism, and various vices, he was a genuine high monk. Underneath his big belly was not only a large stomach but also solid muscles. He was not as good as a demon, but he was definitely much stronger than an ordinary person.

"You old codger, how dare you show your face here! You've already been expelled. If you don't get out of here soon, the young master will definitely chop off your head!"

The middle-aged man shouted angrily, "Arrest him!"

Several soldiers surrounded them.

With a serious expression, the monk Mengxin held the wine pot and said, "Excuse me." As he spoke, he opened his palm and pushed one person down, then flung the wine pot at another, knocking him down as well. In no time, he rushed to the kitchen door.

"what?"

Tengushan Fu let out a soft, rising sound, then his gaze fell on the thick prayer beads hanging around the neck of the monk Mengxin, and he said, "Are you going to stop me?"

The middle-aged man yelled, "Old ghost Mengxin, you—"

"Shut up!" Tian Gou Shan Fu shouted, his voice like thunder, startling the nearby soldiers and shaking the dust off the wooden house. The middle-aged man murmured, but dared not speak again.

The mountain bandits are all lawless bastards; if you anger them, you might really lose your life.

The monk Mengxin looked grave; the creature he had attracted was far more troublesome than he had imagined.

Tenguyama Fushi said unhurriedly, "I never expected to meet a senior in such a small place."

Monk Mengxin had no intention of exchanging pleasantries or trying to get on their good side. He said, "You should know that these people are only trying to capture and deliver the golden rat for the sake of the gold. They're not exorcising demons, and they don't even have that..."

"Heh," Tenguyama Fushi laughed, "Senior, aren't you being too naive?"

"When have we ever acted on behalf of monsters?"

"Didn't you just take their commission for the money too?"

Knowing that words wouldn't persuade the other party to back down, Monk Mengxin sighed, gripped his prayer beads, and glanced at Zhang Chengyi, who was beside him, munching on a grape and watching the commotion. He said with a hint of helplessness, "Shouldn't you be running away as fast as you can at a time like this?"

"I?"

Zhang Chengyi took another bite of grapes, a contented expression on his face, and said, "Don't worry about me, you guys chat."

No wonder grapes are a specialty of Kai Province. They are juicy, sweet, and plump. Were grapes from ancient Japan really this delicious?

Or is it because there are monsters in this world?

Monk Mengxin was both amused and exasperated. He had worked so hard, yet he was driven out and his home, where he had lived for decades, was demolished. Who was he doing all this for?

However, he was indeed a soft-hearted person, and he made excuses for himself, saying, "That's true, if I fail, you probably won't be able to escape either."

"Honestly, at my age, I have to fight with these young people. What a sin."

"Enough with the nonsense." Tenguyama Fushi stepped forward, charging forward with immense power and a strong gust of wind.

"Whoosh!"

Although the monk Mengxin was a bit talkative, he didn't let his guard down. When he saw his opponent rushing over, he immediately showed a pained expression and threw the wine pot away.

"Snap! Crash!"

Tenguyama Fushi gently poked the solid steel staff, shattering the wine jug. Despite his massive size and muscular build, he nimbly dodged the falling wine, not a drop getting on his body.

A hint of regret flashed in the eyes of the monk Mengxin, then he waved the prayer beads around his neck without hesitation.

Tenguyama Fuku had just painstakingly avoided the wine and barely managed to turn to the side when the prayer beads seemed to come alive and tightly bound him, their magical power gushing out like a floodgate opening.

However, Monk Mengxin showed no sign of smugness. He quickly retreated as if facing a formidable enemy.

"Hmm, so it's an absorption-type technique?" Tenguyama Fushi, wearing a mask that obscured his expression, continued in the same voice as before, "Ordinary yokai, monks, and shrine maidens would probably lose their ability to fight back quickly once they're entangled with it."

"But it's a pity."

“Even without magic power, I still have a body that has been tempered a thousand times. Senior, I am not as weak and incompetent as you, a mountain hermit of the Mountain Sect.”

"Click~ Click~"

"Snapped!"

The thick black rosary beads shattered instantly and scattered all over the ground.

"I am just a monk." Monk Mengxin was not angry. He calmly explained his identity. He had only studied and understood the magic of the mountain hermits, but he no longer considered himself to be the kind of mountain hermit who had nothing to do with compassion and only sought cultivation and liberation.

Since his friend was consumed by the curse and entrusted his son to him, he built the Dream Heart Temple at the place where his friend died, completely severing ties with the past, raising the child, exorcising demons, healing the wounded civilians in the vicinity, and using his magic where it was needed, instead of endlessly cultivating himself.

"Hey." Tenguyama Fushi stretched his body, his broad bat-like muscles making him look like he had grown wings. Combined with the tengu mask, he looked like a legendary monster had descended.

“Then the golden rat is mine.” He glanced at the old monk with disdain.

Killing a guy who has lost his will would only dirty his hands.

Monk Mengxin spread his arms wide, blocking the way, seemingly determined to use his body to shield the other party.

"Giving away the golden rat, giving away the golden rat, I think I've said it many times, I am the Golden Mountain Ranger, Zhang Chengyi, right?"

After finishing the grapes, the field mouse standing behind jumped onto Monk Mengxin's shoulder, wiped its paws with its robe, and said, "You guys are really annoying."

"It's not a monster; it's a mouse that can actually talk."

Tenguyama Fushi's eyes gleamed with a strange light. "I'm becoming more and more interested in you."

"Whoosh!" Zhang Chengyi launched himself into the air.

Tenguyama Fushi's eyes were very relaxed. He reached out and grabbed. For someone like him, even a great demon could not kill him instantly before he could react, let alone a field mouse.

Even the most powerful field mice are still far inferior to humans.

"Snapped!"

Before Tengu Mountain Fu's palm even touched Zhang Chengyi, he felt as if he had been electrocuted, and half of his palm went numb. A look of surprise appeared in his eyes.

Barrier?

Before he could think any further, Zhang Chengyi's little paw was already imprinted on his forehead. Originally, only half of his palm was numb, but now his entire body was unable to move.

This kind of magic, this kind of spiritual power...

The face beneath Tenguyama Fushimi's mask revealed a fanatical expression, displaying an unprecedentedly powerful spiritual energy, a spell so exquisite that even his will could not resist it, and the barrier that had just easily resisted his power.

This golden rat is so interesting!

The Tengu Faction's Yamabushi are practically like wild dogs now...

When the monk Mengxin saw the look in the eyes of the immobilized young man, he shook his head and thought to himself.

Zhang Chengyi had already transformed into a bouncing mouse, paralyzing anyone he touched, until the middle-aged man who had tried to escape was finally left frozen in place, his rear end sticking out. He patted his little paws and said in a somewhat casual tone:

"Although you are only acting under orders, you may be spared the death penalty, but you cannot escape punishment. Well, I will punish you by making you stay here for a day and a night."

"If you run into me again, you're going to be in big trouble."

Chapter 165 Desire Becomes a Demon

"Snap! Sizzle!"

The sound of shattering glass rang out, followed by the sound of clothes tearing.

Zhang Chengyi turned his head and saw that Tengu Shanfu had broken free from Cui Zi's spiritual power restraints. His clothes burst open, revealing his body covered in wounds, with a large, dark purple hole in his chest, which looked like it had been punched through.

With injuries like that, he should have died long ago.

Tengu Mountain Fu Gang took a step, but his soul was extracted by the spiritual power, and his body collapsed to the ground with a thud.

Monk Mengxin looked surprised and put his hands together in prayer.

"Lord Rat God, he died long ago."

Midori said calmly, "As far as I know, the Yamabushi who takes the Tengu mask to challenge the Tengu will either kill the Tengu and become the Tengu himself, or die quietly in some mountain."

"He was just a loser who was unwilling to leave, relying on his willpower and magic to keep himself moving."