ATFBETIBM Chapter 323.2

S419M immediately activated its educational mode: [Lord Host, according to the pet care guide, animals sometimes tend to ignore the presence of their tails. For instance, when they are overly happy or excited, their tails instinctively reflect their mood.]

Bai Lixin: [So what does it mean when I wag my tail?]

S419M was unsure: [Happiness?]

Bai Lixin: [Do you think I ran out in the cold wind in the middle of the night to find joy? Seriously?]

[Um,] S419M tried to salvage its pride, [Is there a possibility that you were swatting mosquitoes? Yes, swatting mosquitoes is an animal instinct. When animals sense mosquitoes around them, they often use their tails to drive them away. Maybe it’s an instinct of this body.]

[That must be it!] It emphasized, trying to sound confident.

Bai Lixin: [Fine, let’s go with that. But how do I put my tail away?]

The young man stood under a tree, staring at his tail behind him with a perplexed expression. He attempted to move it, tucking it under his wide skirt.

It didn’t look strange when he stood still, but when he moved, the position seemed a bit bulky, clearly indicating something was off.

Bai Lixin: [Can’t I just make the tail disappear directly?]

S419M: […]

‘Give up. Did you forget that you are a useless fox?’

However, it only dared to mutter in its mind; saying it out loud was out of the question.

Bai Lixin tried for a while but couldn’t retract his tail. He simply shrugged it off, letting the tail hide inside his clothes, and continued following the sound.

As the sound grew closer, he finally stopped in front of a door.

When he saw this room, Bai Lixin was first surprised, then felt it was within reason.

It was Miss Song’s boudoir.

There was mud in her mouth and under her nails, it didn’t look like a typical suicide, especially considering the finger bone in her mouth.

Bai Lixin didn’t rush in, instead, he pressed his ear against the door and listened.

The faint scratching sound had become quite loud. He finally understood what the sound was.

It seemed to be the noise of nails continuously scratching against wood.

He glanced inside. The room was pitch black, and there was no one on the bed.

His gaze moved downward from the bed, landing under the bed.

He saw a dark shadow moving frantically under the bed. The shadow was shaking violently, and he could vaguely see arms reaching out, desperately scratching the bed.

It was scratching so earnestly it hadn’t noticed an outsider.

After pondering for two seconds, Bai Lixin took out the dagger from his backpack and hid it under his sleeve.

He placed his hand on the door, and with a creak, the door opened.

The harsh, dry sound of scraping abruptly stopped.

In the darkness, a shadow suddenly darted out from under the bed and lunged at Bai Lixin.

Bai Lixin moved swiftly, dodging the attack effortlessly.

The shadow ran into the courtyard and was finally exposed in the moonlight.

It was Miss Song, who had died recently. However, now, her appearance was not only contorted, but her body was also extremely twisted.

She was on all fours, and her limbs were elongated more than a normal human’s. She resembled a beast, crouching on the ground and glaring at Bai Lixin.

“Miss Song?” Bai Lixin tried to communicate with her.

All he got in response was another attack.

Bai Lixin dodged again, then looked thoughtfully at the body of Miss Song, now turned into a monster.

She didn’t respond. Either Miss Song’s soul was still present after her death but had completely lost her sanity, or Miss Song had died a long time ago, and someone else was controlling this body.

The image of the monk he had seen during the day flashed in Bai Lixin’s mind.

He mentioned that there was a demonic aura in the Song family.

Initially, he thought the monk had seen through him, calling him the demon. However, the monk glanced at him but remained silent.

Could it be that the demon he spoke of wasn’t referring to himself but to the monster in front of him?

If that was the case, did the monk know something?

Just as he was thinking this, the monster in front of him suddenly let out a low growl and lunged straight at him.

This time, he didn’t dodge. He twirled the dagger hidden in his sleeve, the blade facing upward, while his other hand transformed into a claw shape.

The monster in front of him might be related to the recent deaths in the town. He wanted to capture it and study it carefully.

The monster’s speed was fast- it was in front of Bai Lixin in a flash.

Just as the monster’s black claws were about an arm’s length away from Bai Lixin, a ringing sound of metal collision rang out.

The sound was ethereal and melodious, with the crispness of metal and the profoundness found only in deep mountains.

With the ringing of the bell, Bai Lixin even had the illusion that the grass on the ground was trembling along.

As the bell rang, the monster that was about to pounce suddenly froze in mid-air.

A calm and emotionless deep voice came from nowhere, “Sinful creature, retreat.”

The next moment, a figure clad in white and enveloped in moonlight floated down from above Bai Lixin’s head.

He stood firmly beside Bai Lixin, holding a staff in one hand and Buddhist prayer beads in the other. The vermilion mark between his eyebrows shimmered in the moonlight, resembling a bright drop of blood.

As he landed, the monster regained its mobility. It swiftly retreated and landed on the ground, eyeing the monk warily.

Bai Lixin turned sideways and saw the monk’s hand holding the staff gently pluck at the air. Suddenly, he had a handful of petals that had fallen from the tree.

The monk flicked the petals toward the monster, and they transformed into a bewitching flower sea, enveloping the creature entirely.

The monster screamed and thrashed around in the petals as if struggling to escape.

Though it was just a small sea of flowers, the monster seemed trapped in a labyrinth, unable to break free.

Then, the monk clasped his hands together and began chanting sutras.

The pink sea of flowers gradually became wrapped in golden light. After awhile, the sea of flowers turned into golden Sanskrit characters.

The Sanskrit characters surrounded the monster. At first, it shrieked miserably within, but gradually, it lost its strength. It settled down, crouched on the ground, and eventually lay there, motionless.

Bai Lixin noticed that as the Sanskrit characters moved, the grotesque expression on Miss Song’s face gradually softened. The dark substance in her hands also lightened. By the time the monk finished chanting, Miss Song was peacefully lying on the ground.

She had a smile on her lips, her expression tranquil. Her eyes, which had been unwilling to close, had shut peacefully. At first glance, it seemed as if she were merely sleeping.

Bai Lixin looked at the monk in front of him thoughtfully. The monk stood there with his eyes lowered, one hand gripping the staff and the other clutching the prayer beads. He chanted “Amitabha” toward Miss Song and was about to turn away.

Bai Lixin spoke up, immediately halting the monk, “Master, please wait.”

The monk stopped and turned around. His eyes, reflecting the vastness of the heavens and earth, met Bai Lixin’s gaze. “Young friend, what is the matter?”

Bai Lixin stared into the monk’s eyes for a moment before regaining his senses. He pointed at Miss Song’s body, “Master, were you performing a ritual for her soul?”

The monk replied, “Yes, this female benefactor was entangled with resentment before her death, and her grudges turned her into a demon. If not promptly saved, once she harms others, she will fall into the hell of endless reincarnation.”

*By the way, ‘benefactor’/’shizhu’, a term used by a monk to address people. It’s different from ‘enren’ (also translates to benefactor). Enren is used for someone who has helped you.

Bai Lixin tilted his head, studying the monk in front of him with suspicion. Unconsciously, his tail extended, swaying left and right.

You could say this monk was powerful, but he hadn’t noticed that he was a fox demon.

If you say he is just a swindler, he is capable of exorcising and saving lost souls.

Then, there was this feeling the monk gave him. Why did it feel so familiar?

He had caught a glimpse of the white-haired man at the Tongfu Inn before. He had flowing white hair and a face like Dijia’s.

However, for some reason, when their eyes met, he didn’t feel the joy of finding his beloved. Instead, he felt immense repulsion and disgust.

But facing the monk in front of him, he had a feeling as if they had known each other for eternity.

His heart wouldn’t deceive him. First and foremost, he could be sure that White Hair was most likely fake.

But who would wear Dijia’s face without any reason in this copy?

Could it be the copy master?

If White Hair was the copy master’s disguise, what were his intentions? What was he planning?

Or perhaps that person thought he could approach or deceive him just by wearing Dijia’s face? Did he shallowly believe he recognizes his lover just by appearance?

If he wasn’t Dijia, then who was Dijia?

Was it the monk in front of him, or was it that this copy happened suddenly and Dijia didn’t exist in it?

Although he felt a closeness and familiarity to the monk in front of him, the Buddhist halo around him interfered with his judgment, making him unable to be certain if this person was Dijia.

The monk silently looked at the person in front of him. From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the furry tail behind the person that was swaying non-stop: “…”

What was the deal with this fox demon? Did it have any self-awareness of being a demon? He had never seen a demon that wasn’t afraid of him before.

After pondering for a moment, Bai Lixin tentatively asked, “Master, may I know your dharma name?”

The monk shifted his attention from the furry fox tail to the fox demon’s face, “This humble monk is called Fanjia.”

After he said that, he noticed the fox demon’s eyes brightening. Then he heard the fox demon continuing to ask, “And your secular name? What is it?”

“…” the monk remained silent for two seconds, “Once I entered the Buddhist path, my senses were purified. I have no connections with my past life. I have long forgotten my secular name.”

“Benefactor,” the monk paused, unable to help himself, “your tail is showing.”

The fox demon, who had been smiling, stiffened. He turned in embarrassment, fumbling to tuck his tail inside his clothes.

The monk blinked, and his eyes quickly fell to the grass on the ground.

The next moment, he saw a pair of feet appearing in his line of sight. His gaze subconsciously moved up, and his eyes collided with a pair of dazzling beautiful eyes.

The monk’s heart skipped a beat, but his expression remained neutral. He silently stepped back two steps. “Venerable, men and women should not be too close.”

“I’m not a woman, I’m a man,” the person opposite him grabbed his hand and pressed it against his chest, “Don’t you believe me? Feel for yourself.”

The monk quickly withdrew his hand. His previously neutral expression turned slightly stern, “Even if you are a man, you should not behave so impolitely!”

“Strange, you know I’m a fox demon?” The young man tilted his head. The monk’s stern tone didn’t frighten him, instead, his smile widened, “Then why don’t you arrest me? Am I not the demon you mentioned?”

The monk calmed his expression, “Amitabha, I did not see any killing intent from you. All things in the world have their fate. I only save the demons burdened with killings, not creatures like you.”

Bai Lixin’s eyes curved happily and he looked at the monk in front of him fondly, “Then tell me, what are we?”

The monk’s tone remained calm, “We are both practitioners, nothing more. However, let me make it clear beforehand. If you commit killings in the future, I will come to save you as well.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the fox demon in front of him approached him, his furry tail swaying behind him.

Those clear, crystal eyes stared at him attentively, as if trying to find some flaw or secret from his face.

The large tail behind him swayed faster than before, seemingly very delighted.

“If I kill, will you come to kill me?” The young man suddenly burst into tears, “Won’t you ask me why I killed? Whom did I kill? If I killed those utterly wicked people, those who deserved to die, will you kill me in the name of justice?”

“At that time, will you really bear to kill me?

“My mother gave birth to a unique red fox like me. How could you bear to harm me?”

The monk’s pupils trembled, “If you don’t want to be saved by me, then refrain from killing.”

After saying that, he took a step back.

“But what if I can’t help it?” the young man took a step forward again.

The monk bit his lip, “Even if you can’t help it, you must control yourself. Attaining a human form after a hundred years of cultivation is not easy. Don’t ruin your future.”

After saying that, he stepped back again.

However, his body suddenly hit something hard. The monk turned his head and found himself leaning against a tree, with no room to retreat.

“I grew up in the forest since childhood and I’m accustomed to being carefree,” the young man suddenly smiled, revealing two white little tiger teeth, “I simply can’t stand those arrogant and domineering people. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have replaced Miss Song to marry County Magistrate Lin tomorrow.”

“Since you’ve found me, it means we are destined.”

“Since you know I, a fox, might kill, why don’t you stop me? If that’s impossible, just bind me to your side, or follow me closely. This way, I definitely won’t be able to do anything under your watchful eyes.”

While speaking, the young man had already pressed close to the monk.

Their legs touched, their chests pressed together, and their faces were almost touching.

“Presumptuous!” The monk’s eyes flashed with embarrassment. He slammed his staff onto the ground, and Bai Lixin felt a force pushing him backward until he was several steps away.

“You fox, how can you be so disrespectful?” The monk took a deep breath and regained his initial composure, “I’ve said my piece. You take care. This monk takes his leave!”

After that, the monk struck his staff again, and his body immediately transformed into countless petals.

The petals scattered and flew into the sky in the evening breeze. The monk disappeared from view.

When the monk had completely disappeared, Bai Lixin smiled happily.

While still smiling, he turned around and carried Miss Song’s body back into the room.

Imitating the previous actions of the two maids, he placed Miss Song back on the bed and covered her with a blanket.

After finishing everything, he left Miss Song’s room, closed the door, and departed.

It was as if nothing had happened.

Tonight’s memories belonged only to him and the monk.

And this monk is his man.