With a knife on his neck, he would rather die than leave? Niu Youdao was somewhat surprised.
He did not have a deep understanding of this world, but he had some understanding. The Buddha that Buddhism believed in here was not Sakyamuni, and there was no such person as Sakyamuni. There was someone else. Buddhism was not flourishing in this era. It seemed that there was a period of prosperity, probably during the Wu Dynasty. Later, it was affected by the frequent wars. It was rather similar to the poem '480 temples in the Southern Dynasty, how many towers were in the misty rain'. Buddhism was gradually declining, and temples like Nanshan Temple were sporadic. He did not expect to meet a bear demon with a firm faith in such a declining Buddhism.
If he was a little interested in the bear demon because he had never seen a demon before, now he was interested in the bear demon. He could not help but say happily, "I want to see this demon who would rather die than surrender … Princess, please go back and rest early. There's no need to send me off!"
Shang Shuqing did not argue. He took out an interrogation record from his sleeve, "I have read the 'Record of Unusual Beasts'. After reading this interrogation record, I found that this bear demon seems to be a creature on the list. I don't know if it's correct. Please check it out yourself, Daoye!" After presenting it with both hands, he bowed slightly and turned to leave.
The demon on the Record of Unusual Beasts? Niu Youdao was stunned for a moment and became more interested. He walked to a lantern hanging under the eaves and flipped open the confession of the guards when they interrogated the monks in Nanshan Temple. After reading it, he handed it to Yuan Gang for him to take a look as well. He touched his chin and muttered, "A bear with golden fur and invulnerable. Could it be the Golden King Bear from the Record of Unusual Beasts?" He had also read the Record of Unusual Beasts.
Yuan Gang had not read the Record of Unusual Beasts, but he had a general understanding of the situation through the confession.
Looking at Yuan Gang putting away the confession, Niu Youdao smiled slightly, "This woman is a thoughtful and meticulous person. Let's go and meet that demon."
The two found a guard and asked where the monks of Nanshan Temple were staying and directly barged in.
In a small courtyard, about twenty monks were spread out on the floor. They were squeezed into two rooms. Bear demon Yuan Fang was one of them. There were also personal guards staying in the small courtyard.
After a long and arduous journey, most of the monks were exhausted and fell asleep while snoring. Niu Youdao barged into the room, but the monks were still snoring. Only Yuan Fang, who was sitting cross-legged in meditation, suddenly opened his eyes. When he saw Niu Youdao and Yuan Gang, Yuan Fang immediately got up and bowed, his face full of smiles.
Niu Youdao looked at Yuan Fang from head to toe. Yuan Fang was not tall and looked like an old man. He was thin and slightly hunched. His skin was darker, but he seemed to be in good spirits. He had a white beard and a pair of spirited eyes. His monk robes had been changed into casual clothes and he wore a felt hat to cover his bald head. However, from the edges of the felt hat, one could tell that he was bald.
Looking at the monks sleeping on the floor, Niu Youdao did not disturb them. He waved his hand and called Yuan Fang out of the room to the living room of the small courtyard.
As soon as they entered the living room, Niu Youdao turned around and smiled at Yuan Fang, "Take off your clothes and let me see."
"Ah!" Yuan Fang's eyes widened and he was very hesitant.
Niu Youdao waved his hand and said, "Don't be afraid. I have never seen a demon before. I want to see for myself."
So that's why! Yuan Fang heaved a sigh of relief and sighed as well. Helplessness was written all over his face. He slowly unbuttoned his shirt, revealing the golden fur on his body that had yet to completely transform. He then stood there with his head lowered and his body curled up, allowing the two beside him to circle and admire him curiously. His fur was pulled by Niu Youdao a few times, but he endured the pain.
He had no choice but to resist. He could resist, but the consequences would bring disaster to the monks of Nanshan Temple.
After circling a few times, Niu Youdao suddenly gave Yuan Gang a look. Yuan Gang casually pulled out a dagger from his thigh and swung it with a cold glint.
The sharp blade slashed across Yuan Fang's body. The sound of metal rubbing against each other could be heard. This proved that Yuan Fang was indeed invulnerable. Not a single hair on his body was cut, and his skin and flesh were unscathed.
Yuan Fang was shocked. He suddenly turned around and retreated. His face was full of bewilderment. Why did he use a dagger?
Niu Youdao's interest did not diminish. He cheerfully said, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. Erm, show me your true form." Seeing that Yuan Fang was hesitating, he immediately raised his eyebrows and said, "Mm."
Yuan Fang had seen Niu Youdao's methods before. Song Yanqing and the other two could not even stand a single blow from him. How could Yuan Fang be a match for him? Under the threat, he slowly untied his belt and took off his pants, revealing a pair of loose shorts underneath.
Taking off his clothes was not a big deal. The key was that he was being stared at by two grown men. He had cultivated to a high level and admired human nature. Naturally, he had a sense of shame.
Kicking off his shoes, Yuan Fang suddenly took a deep breath. That breath seemed to cause his entire body to swell up. His limbs became thicker and larger, and so did his face. Golden hair began to grow on his bald head, and the flesh on his face twisted and turned black.
This process looked disgusting and could easily scare people. However, Niu Youdao and Yuan Gang were not ordinary people. They had seen many disgusting things like corpses in tombs, including zombies. This kind of situation did not scare them, but the transformation process was novel to them.
Yuan Gang, who was usually expressionless, also had a curious look on his face.
In the blink of an eye, a large bear with shiny golden fur stood in front of the two of them. Its body was three times bigger than before. It was tall and majestic, and it looked terrifying. The loose shorts had already burst open, and it was wrapped around his waist like a grass skirt. The bear's paws and face were thick and dark, and its claws were sharp.
They had finally seen something new, and their horizons had been broadened. The two of them circled around the extra-large golden bear to admire it.
The golden bear stuck out its tongue, and its black eyes followed the two of them. It looked innocent and did not know how long the two of them were going to admire it.
After a while, Niu Youdao winked at Yuan Gang again. Yuan Gang waved the dagger in his hand, but it did not break the golden bear's defense. Suddenly, he changed his hand gesture and stabbed the golden bear's thigh with the dagger. This time, the dagger was stabbed halfway into the bear's thigh.
"Ouch …" The golden-furred bear jumped away in pain and begged for mercy, "Can you please let me go?"
Niu Youdao understood. This Golden Fur was indeed impervious to swords and spears, but its density was limited. It couldn't block the stab of sharp weapons. He waved his hand and said cheerfully, "Excuse me, excuse me. Change back!"
The golden bear immediately shrank like a deflated balloon. Soon, it turned back to Yuan Fang. It turned its back to them and tore off the ragged cloth on its waist to simply bandage the wound on its thigh. Then it limped to pick up the clothes and put them back on.
After putting on the clothes, Yuan Fang stood there quietly with a slightly sad look on his face.
Niu Youdao reached out his hand and invited him, "You can't walk properly. Sit down and we'll talk."
Yuan Fang took two steps back and sat down. He began to accept Niu Youdao's detailed questioning. When he talked about what he had done in Nanshan Temple, just like how he had confessed to Song Yanqing, he emphasized how many good deeds he had done to show that he was not a bad person.
Niu Youdao was amused. Whether it was for the revitalization of Nanshan Temple or not, it was for his own benefit. Money was money. How could there be so many excuses? Helping the villagers was considered robbing the rich to help the poor? Did it mean that he could get away with doing some good deeds after doing all the bad deeds? You even said that you were cleaning up the bandits. It was obvious that there was no room for two tigers on the same mountain. There were too many robberies on a piece of land, affecting the Nanshan Temple's income. Therefore, you took advantage of those bandits.
"How much money have you made in the past two years?" Niu Youdao sat on the chair with his legs crossed. He tapped his fingers on the tea table and asked.
Yuan Fang shook his head, "No money."
Niu Youdao raised his eyebrows and sneered, "Why? Are you afraid that I'll rob you?"
Yuan Fang shook his head bitterly, "You've misunderstood. Nanshan Temple's location is too remote, and we can't make much money from it. There are so many people in the temple, and the renovation of the temple after it was destroyed. Occasionally, we even helped the villagers. We only have a few hundred gold coins left. It was all confiscated by the Prince and the others. They said it was our food and drink expenses for the journey!"
Niu Youdao chuckled. It turned out that Shang Chaozong and the others had robbed them. He laughed, "You evil spirit, do you still feel wronged? You're lucky to have met us. How can you not wet your shoes if you always walk by the river? There are bound to be mistakes in shady business. If you hide there and rob, sooner or later, you'll meet a tough opponent. When you meet those cultivators who slay demons, that's when you'll die. How about this, follow me in the future? I'll get you an identity that will allow you to walk around openly. "
Yuan Fang said with a sad face, "Venerable One, please let me go. I promised the old abbot that I would maintain Nanshan Temple and made a great vow in front of Buddha to revitalize Nanshan Temple. If I break this vow, I'll go to hell!"
Niu Youdao laughed, "That's easy. Follow me, and I'll help you build the biggest temple in the world."
Yuan Fang raised his head in shock, "Really?"
Niu Youdao said, "At least I'll give you enough money to build the biggest temple in the world."
Yuan Fang felt that it was not very reliable. More importantly, he did not want to get involved. After some consideration, he said weakly, "There's no need to go through so much trouble. I'll think of a way myself."
Niu Youdao sneered, "You don't want to give me face? I'll give you one last chance to reconsider. Don't force me to turn against you! "
Yuan Fang's attitude changed immediately. He nodded decisively, "Fine! I'll listen to Venerable One's orders in the future. "
Niu Youdao tilted his head and said to Yuan Gang, "If this demon doesn't behave himself in the future, kill all the monks in Nanshan Temple!"
Yuan Gang nodded expressionlessly and glanced at Yuan Fang who was sitting opposite him.
Yuan Fang's expression twitched. He hurriedly waved his hand and said, "No, no, we're all honest people!"
If he accidentally took in this demon, he could slowly study it in the future! Niu Youdao stood up, satisfied. "We've chatted for so long, but I still don't know your name."
Yuan Fang stood up and put his palms together. "I'm Yuan Fang."
Niu Youdao said angrily, "You really think you're real. Are you Yuan Fang? Ask for your real name. "
Yuan Fang reacted, "I don't have a name either. Everyone in the temple used to call me Little Gold."
"Little Gold?" Niu Youdao sized up his old man appearance and pointed at Yuan Gang. "He's a monkey. I'll call you Old Bear from now on!"
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