Chapter 116: The Samadhi Divine Wind

It was night, and the four foxes had returned to Hidden Mist Mountain to seek his help. Cao Kong did not hesitate; he immediately rode the wind to a position above the Kingdom of Qindao. To remain hidden and avoid disturbing the commoners below, he transformed into a sparrow, fluttering his wings as he flew into the Temple of the True Lord.

Inside the temple stood an elderly man with a haggard face, holding a carrying pole. Beside him was a young man, whose features bore a faint resemblance to the elder's.

"Father, go back. I will keep watch; I will not let the temple's lamp oil be stolen again."

The temple keeper replied indignantly, "No, I must see for myself which petty thief dares to commit such an act of desecration against the True Lord’s temple."

The young man had no choice but to keep him company. Seeing this, Cao Kong was moved. He blew a gentle breath toward the father and son. As the breath entered their nostrils, they were overcome with sudden exhaustion, collapsing onto the table in a deep slumber.

"Sleep well," Cao Kong thought to himself. He then shifted his form again, turning into an ant on the floor, determined to wait for the intruder.

As the night deepened, Cao Kong heard the wind. As a master of the eight winds, he was sensitive to such things, and he quickly realized this was no natural breeze, but a strange, supernatural gust.

'It has arrived,' he thought. While the likes of Hu Yan and his companions were not of the highest cultivation, they were far superior to ordinary demons. That someone could steal oil right under their noses had truly piqued his curiosity. After all, those with such power rarely cared for mere lamp oil—unless, of course, they were the three rhinoceros demons of Green Dragon Mountain, whose greed knew no bounds.

Before long, a wind swept through the temple, making the lamps flicker violently.

"What a waste, what a waste! Such fine oil, used only for light—it would be far better off in my belly," a murmuring voice drifted in.

Cao Kong was slightly taken aback. Through the wind, he saw a sable—a yellow-furred one at that. Could it really be such a coincidence? He watched as the yellow sable, looking pained, blew out the lamps one by one, terrified of wasting a single drop of oil.

Seeing the creature preparing to use magic to siphon the oil, Cao Kong did not hesitate. He summoned a bolt of lightning, condensing it into a single thread of sound that struck directly at the yellow sable.

"Bold thief, how dare you steal the sacred oil!"

The voice was imbued with Daoist energy and the essence of the Seven Mansions of the Azure Dragon. It invoked the power of the Zhen hexagram, striking fear into the hearts of any who harbored malicious intent. The yellow sable shuddered, instantly transforming into a gust of wind to escape.

Cao Kong sensed the depth of the creature's cultivation. Realizing he could not capture it within the Kingdom of Qindao without alarming the populace, he allowed it to flee, following closely behind.

Once clear of the kingdom, the yellow sable headed west. Looking back to see Cao Kong in hot pursuit—and noticing his appearance bore a striking resemblance to the golden statue in the temple—the creature shouted, "You, True Lord! You and I have no feud; I only stole a little oil! Stop chasing me, or don't blame me for being ruthless!"

"You sable, you stole my oil and disturbed my followers for no reason. You owe me an explanation."

The yellow sable recalled the Bodhisattva’s warning that temples in the human realm were under orthodox protection and should not be provoked, but the oil had been too fragrant to resist. 'I cannot be caught,' he thought. 'I am in the wrong; if captured, I shall surely suffer.'

With a hardened heart, he produced a three-pronged spear, thrusting it into the ground to halt his flight. He spun around, faced the Xun position, opened his mouth three times, and exhaled. A fierce yellow wind erupted from the sky.

Cao Kong felt a surge of alarm. He recognized the nature of this wind—it was the Samadhi Divine Wind of the Yellow Wind King. He dared not be careless. He immediately invoked the Eight Winds of the Wood Mansion, positioning them according to the Eight Trigrams to achieve a state of immovable balance. He felt his internal organs and bones become solid and secure. While the wind was biting and cold, it did little more than cool him down.

The yellow sable’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. Terrified, he turned and fled west once more without a word.

At that moment, a general in silver armor appeared before the sable, laughing, "Brother Dongzhen, I am here to help you!"

A blast of yellow wind, exhaled by the sable, rushed toward him. Zhu Gang remained calm. Since consuming the Nine-Turn Great Return Pill, his Three Flowers had gathered and his Five Breaths had returned to the origin, proving his status as a Great Luo Immortal. If Cao Kong could withstand it, why couldn't he?

He did not defend himself, but simply raised his rake to strike the monster. In the next instant, the wind hit him. Unable to control his body, he was spun into the air like a spindle, turning incessantly until he was hurled like a meteor into the distance.

*Boom!*

A loud crash echoed. Just hearing it, Cao Kong could feel the pain. Zhu Gang’s eyes were squeezed shut, smarting too much to open, and he was trembling uncontrollably, his head splitting as if his soul had been flayed by the wind.

"W-what a fierce wind."

Cao Kong was silent. The Second Senior Brother was truly still the same. He gave chase with his wind-evasion technique, covering a thousand miles in an instant, and blocked the yellow sable's path. He reached into the wind like a green dragon extending its claws, piercing through the shifts of the Xun position. The sable felt trapped with nowhere to hide and was seized.

"You yellow-furred... *cough*, you sable, why did you steal the oil from my temple?"

Held by the neck, the sable thrashed, but he could not resist in the slightest; his spear had become a useless trinket. "Mercy! Mercy! The oil was just too fragrant, I couldn't help myself! I am willing to compensate you!"

It was only a little oil; a crime, but not one deserving of death. After a moment of thought, Cao Kong said, "Return to the mountain with me and confess your sins before the temple."

The sable breathed a sigh of relief, though he looked dejected. As they prepared to depart, Cao Kong heard cries of agony from the distance. Unable to ignore it, he carried the sable toward the source to check on Zhu Gang.

He found the pig-demon weeping, rolling on the ground. Cao Kong sighed; he could block the divine wind, but he did not know how to treat its effects. He asked, "Do you know who this is?"

The yellow sable looked blankly at Cao Kong. "I do not."

"Ha, a fine 'do not.' This is Marshal Tianpeng, commander of the eighty thousand heavenly water troops. You have dared to injure his immortal form and insulted the dignity of the Heavenly Court. How do you answer for this?"

The yellow sable trembled violently. "Spare me, Great True Lord! I have the medicine to cure him." He pulled a stone jar from his body. "The medicine in this jar can be applied to his eyes. As for the pain, I shall perform a technique to withdraw the lingering Samadhi wind energy."

Cao Kong followed his instructions, applying the medicine to Zhu Gang's eyes, while quietly slipping the stone jar into his own sleeve. The sable opened his mouth to protest but lowered his head instead. After the sable performed his technique, Zhu Gang stopped crying out, though he covered his face in shame.

Seeing that Zhu Gang was out of danger and only needed rest, Cao Kong brought the yellow sable back to the mountain.