Chapter 126: A Way Out

The night was vast and chilling. Suddenly, snowflakes began to drift down, and within the blink of an eye, an endless cascade of goose-feather snow descended upon the Suzhou River. The wide, expansive river was now enveloped in absolute silence; even the pleasure boats that nightly echoed with songs and music had vanished, all moored tightly beneath the willow trees on the banks, not daring to venture out.

On both sides of the river section outside Jinshan Temple, many willow trees were planted. Tied to the stump of one was a small, flat-bottomed skiff. It was modest, with a half-circle of black bamboo covering, and lacked a boatman. Instead, it held only a monk with a tall, upright posture, his pristine white robes snapping in the icy wind. Yet, any snowflake that drifted within three feet of him seemed to strike an invisible force, scattering and bouncing away in a truly exquisite display.

Fuxiao sat at the bow, holding a fishing rod with effortless grace. A line hung from the tip, trailing into the cold, rushing water. He was a monk, yet he was fishing—or perhaps not fishing for fish at all, but rather, as the poem says, "fishing alone in the cold river snow."

A moment later, Fuxiao looked up at the sky and murmured, "This heavenly tribulation comes at just the right time. Could it be... the will of Heaven? Under Heaven's will, there is no distinction between the elephant and the ant, the poor and the high-born... Amitabha. May the Buddha have mercy. A boundless tribulation is approaching, and so I must grant that scholar a favor and forge a bond of kindness. Yet, Heaven's will cannot be defied; some things simply cannot be avoided or suppressed. The more one suppresses, the greater the energy of the eventual eruption. That little... fox spirit's tribulation will surely not be easy to endure. Still, I am curious to see what choice the scholar will make..."

*Splash, splash...*

The once tranquil waters of the Suzhou River suddenly churned with turbulent waves. Beneath the falling snow and amidst the surging currents, a long, sinister shadow flickered in the water. A short while later, with a gurgling sound, a massive snake head, as large as a millstone, slowly rose from the depths and appeared before Monk Fuxiao.

The giant snake’s body, of unknown length, remained hidden beneath the surface, with only the upper portion exposed, looking formidable. On its forehead, a diamond-shaped red patch resembled a vertical eye.

"Master, you summoned Erqing. What are your instructions?"

The massive snake head opened its mouth to speak, its tongue flickering in and out. Had an ordinary person seen this, they would have been frightened out of their wits. Though the snake's speech was somewhat unrefined and stiff in its modulation, it was clearly the voice of a young woman.

Fuxiao said indifferently, "Take on human form."

"As you command!"

The great snake shook its head and tail, and with a splash, transformed into a human shape, leaping from the water onto the skiff. She was a beauty with a tall figure and hair like a waterfall, cascading all the way to her feet like a piece of smooth, black satin. Her features were delicate, with a high nose and red lips, and her watery, peach-blossom eyes were overflowing with allure; a single glance seemed enough to steal a person's soul.

What was even more lethal was that she was completely unclothed. Her serpentine waist, full breasts with two rosy peaks, and the deep valley between them revealed a landscape of infinite beauty that would make any man's blood boil. Looking further back, a tail over a yard long still trailed behind her, swaying playfully—it was a bewitching and eerie sight. Her human form was incomplete; a section of her tail had yet to shed.

Fuxiao watched her calmly and suddenly asked, "Are you trying to seduce me and disturb my Zen heart?"

Erqing lowered her head quickly. "I dare not."

Fuxiao said, "If you ever dare to be naked in front of me again, I would not mind having you spend some time on the eighteenth floor of the Dawn Pagoda."

Erqing trembled, and with a gentle puff of breath, a red dress instantly appeared on her body, covering her captivating form.

Fuxiao continued, "A heavenly tribulation is coming tonight. Go and absorb some of that thunderous, masculine energy. After this, you should be able to shed your tail completely. Remember, you are only permitted to stay three miles away; you must not get any closer."

Erqing was stunned. "Master, why not let me intervene directly?"

Fuxiao waved his hand, his expression stern. "That is not a question you should ask, Erqing. Let me reiterate: if you dare to defy my orders and act on your own whim, your destination will not be the eighteenth floor of the Dawn Pagoda, but the first."

"Yes!"

Erqing bowed respectfully, performed a ritual, and leaped into the river, disappearing in an instant.

Fuxiao gazed at the rippling water, his expression peculiar. "Was I wrong to take this snake demon as my disciple? Impossible. I cannot be wrong..."

*Boom!*

Amidst the falling snow in the sky, the sound of thunder rolled down.

"Liuxian, please, I beg you to save Na'er!"

In the main hall, after dismissing the servants, Elder Huangfu suddenly knelt before Chen Jianchen. He then turned his head and said to Jiaona, "Na'er, why have you not yet knelt and paid your respects to the master!"

Jiaona had never seen her father so solemn, his attitude brooks no argument. She hesitated, but obediently knelt before Chen Jianchen, side by side with her father.

Seeing this, Chen Jianchen was greatly startled and quickly stepped aside. "Elder, Miss Huangfu, why are you doing this? Please, rise quickly."

Elder Huangfu wept, "Liuxian, Na'er's heavenly tribulation is approaching, but she is unprepared and her state of mind is unstable. She will surely not survive this trial. I beg you, in my desperation, to lend a hand and save my Na'er."

Chen Jianchen frowned. "What can I do? If it is within my power, I will certainly not stand idly by."

As Elder Huangfu was about to explain, Chen Jianchen added, "Please, rise first. I am unworthy of such a grand gesture."

Elder Huangfu and Jiaona rose. "My daughter and I are foxes. You have known this for a long time, Liuxian, and you know of the heavenly tribulation. For us, the hardest part of crossing this tribulation is not a lack of cultivation, but an unstable state of mind, which makes us vulnerable to the intrusion of demons, creating fatal flaws."

Chen Jianchen shook his head. "I still do not understand the heavenly tribulation. How could an outsider possibly help?"

Elder Huangfu replied earnestly, "Perhaps an ordinary person could not, but you, Liuxian, are different. You possess Righteous Qi, and Righteous Qi is the ultimate power for slaying evil spirits."

Chen Jianchen asked, "Please, Elder, explain further."

Elder Huangfu said, "During the tribulation, Na'er's soul will leave her body and ascend to the clouds to be cleansed by the thunderous, masculine energy. The interaction of Yin and Yang, when joined, becomes the thunder—the ultimate mystery of life and death. Once her soul leaves, her body will be empty, and her inner demons will inevitably manifest. These inner demons are the most fierce and difficult to handle; they can cause the one undergoing the tribulation to experience all sorts of hallucinations, leading to a loss of focus and an unguarded heart, ultimately resulting in being shattered by the thunder tribulation..."

Hearing this, Chen Jianchen understood vaguely. "Elder, you mean you want me to use my Righteous Qi to guard Miss Huangfu and slay the invading inner demons?"

Elder Huangfu slapped his thigh. "Exactly! Inner demons are formless and intangible, the most elusive of things. Greed, obsession, resentment—a single thought can form an inner demon. They are impossible to guard against. They have always been the greatest fear of cultivators, and no matter how firm one's resolve, one can never truly purge them."

Chen Jianchen reminded him, "Elder, to be honest... my Righteous Qi is not yet strong enough to be projected externally."

Elder Huangfu said excitedly, "It matters not! You have Righteous Qi in your heart, so surely you have it in your brush as well. If you write a piece of calligraphy, it will be enough to stabilize her mind and prevent the demons from growing."

Chen Jianchen sighed deeply. "But since Miss Huangfu is a demon, I fear my calligraphy would affect her soul as well."

Elder Huangfu froze, realizing that in his joy, he had overlooked the most important condition: Chen Jianchen's Righteous Qi was also lethal to Jiaona. This was the main reason why Jiaona had been quickly subdued by him on that day. Jiaona could use tricks to frighten other scholars, but those tactics had no effect on Chen Jianchen; instead, she would be the one to suffer the backlash.

What was to be done?

Falling from heaven to hell, Elder Huangfu felt as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over him. He was a cunning old fox who had spent years navigating the world of men, but because this concerned his daughter's life, he was panicked and unable to maintain his composure.

"Father, do not worry, Na'er will be able to handle it," Jiaona interjected.

Unexpectedly, this drew a sharp rebuke from Elder Huangfu: "What do you know? This is the heavenly tribulation, not a thunderstorm! The power of the thunder is immense! I barely survived my own tribulation, let alone your current situation... Alas!" He let out a long, worried sigh.

Chen Jianchen asked in a deep voice, "Elder, is there no other way?"

Elder Huangfu shook his head with a bitter smile, then seemed to recall something. "There is another way, but... alas, never mind."

"If there is another way, why are you hesitating?"

Elder Huangfu sighed, "Because that method would put you, Liuxian, in great danger. How could I play the villain?"

Chen Jianchen raised an eyebrow. "Please speak plainly, Elder. I shall make my own choice."

Elder Huangfu gritted his teeth. "This method requires you to stand by Na'er's side, holding a special talisman sword. No matter how the thunder strikes, you must not move. When the inner demons appear, you can draw them into your own body, but..."

The method he described was, plainly put, a "substitute for the victim." Through a special technique, Jiaona's inner demons would be drawn into Chen Jianchen's soul, diverting the disaster.

This method could work for others, but an ordinary person could not withstand it—even Elder Huangfu himself could not. If the inner demons entered one's body without the proper countermeasures, it would be like setting oneself on fire, fueling one's own inner demons until they grew out of control. It would not only fail to save Jiaona but would cost Chen Jianchen his life. Only Chen Jianchen, with his inner Righteous Qi, was the most suitable candidate, but even then, once the demons entered his soul, a fierce struggle would ensue, and any slight negligence could lead to irreversible consequences.

That was why Elder Huangfu could not bring himself to say it.

Unexpectedly, after hearing this, Chen Jianchen laughed out loud. "A small matter! Let us use this method!"