Chapter 132: The Lion's Lust and Depravity

The Nine-Spirits Primordial Sage shook his head helplessly. So be it, let him wander about this mortal world for a while.

Cao Kong put away the wooden box for the time being, then looked at the cloth bag containing the seeds with a faint smile.

Given by the Supreme Laojun's Azure Buffalo, could these be orange tree seeds, or are they really orange tree seeds?

He tipped them out onto his hand, and saw that the seeds were oval-shaped, pale green occasionally mottled with near-milky white, tinged with purple at the hilum, and emitting a faint fragrance of oranges.

He then called upon the twin spirits of the Deer and the Crane to accompany him to plant them. Hu Yan and the others were mostly busy with the affairs of the Qin Dao Kingdom, and Cao Kong did not wish to distract them from their cultivation.

Cao Kong found a patch of good land, preparing to plant the orange seeds. There were five seeds in total within the cloth bag. Unsure of how much spiritual Qi these seeds might require, Cao Kong tentatively buried just one.

He then applied Primordial Sweet Dew to soak the seed.

The moment the seed was planted, it exhibited a momentum akin to a whale swallowing spiritual Qi. The clouds and mist within a radius of thirty miles were all completely sucked in by it.

Seeing this, Cao Kong immediately sensed the extraordinary nature of this seed, a look of anticipation crossing his face. Indeed, this seed was truly extraordinary; perhaps only the jujube tree on his mountain could compare to it.

He then instructed the twin spirits of the Deer and the Crane:

"Crane cries high, deer calls low. After these orange seeds are planted, you two must pay close attention and tend to them well."

The deer and crane spirits nodded repeatedly: "Rest assured, Mountain Lord! We have learned quite a bit of the Second Mountain Lord's craft in tending to flowers and plants."

Cao Kong smiled and nodded, encouraging them: "Work hard and take good care of the orange seeds. As long as you keep them free from trouble, I will add five more pills to your monthly allowance."

Cao Cao was growing increasingly proficient in the Dao of alchemy and medicine, and with the Nine-Spirits Chamber of Commerce—run by the Seven Lions—providing spiritual materials and rare treasures, the mountain was certainly never short of pills.

However, every medicine carries a trace of poison; while one must take them, one should not overindulge. Observing that the cultivation of these two little demons had advanced quite a bit recently, Cao Kong promised them five extra pills.

At this, the crane spirit and the deer spirit immediately puffed out their chests, looking at the orange seed as if it were a supreme treasure they must guard for the rest of their lives.

Cao Kong laughed heartily, then returned to the Folded Peak Cave to cultivate and read scriptures.

......

Another month passed.

In the Jambu Continent, there was a mountain known as Mount Wutai.

This mountain served as the mortal sanctuary of Manjushri Bodhisattva.

On this particular day, Manjushri Bodhisattva was expounding the scriptures to numerous disciples on the mountain, preaching the *Avatamsaka Sutra*, lecturing on "complete faith," "complete understanding," "complete practice," and "complete realization."

Those possessed of great wisdom could step straight into the Buddhist realm upon awakening to these teachings.

When a Bodhisattva expounds the scriptures, how extraordinary it is! Golden lotuses welled up from the ground, and trails of jade smoke drifted through colorful mists. Ordinary mortals who heard this would find their minds calmed and enter deep meditation.

Those who followed the Dao and practiced cultivation would inevitably gain immensely upon hearing it.

However, there were exceptions. For instance, beneath Manjushri's precious lotus throne, there were two azure lion spirits; one was growing rather weary of listening, while the other seemed somewhat restless.

Manjushri Bodhisattva took in this scene without changing expression.

Medicine cannot cure a corpse, and the Buddha only delivers those with affinity.

After a session of expounding the scriptures, Manjushri Bodhisattva said, "My Buddha Tathagata will be expounding the Dharma at the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Are any of you willing to accompany me there?"

The disciples swarmed forward eagerly. Afterwards, Manjushri Bodhisattva looked toward the two azure lions: "Which of you two will accompany me this time?"

The one who had grown rather weary secretly sent a voice transmission: "Quickly tell the Bodhisattva you will go."

The other lion, known as the Lion-Spirit Monster, had no choice but to say, "Bodhisattva, I am willing to go along."

Manjushri Bodhisattva nodded slightly, then mounted his lion and led his attendant disciples toward the Western Nvhe Continent.

After a day or two, Manjushri arrived at Mount Ling in the West. Seeing the state of the Lion-Spirit Monster, he shook his head and said, "Your mind is cluttered and chaotic; entering there will only bring shame to my sect. Stay right here and settle down."

With that, he led his disciples into Mount Ling to listen to the Buddha's Dharma.

This Lion-Spirit Monster felt a surge of joy in his heart. Unwittingly, lustful and evil thoughts began to sprout, and he felt an unbearable itch in his lower body.

Taking advantage of the darkness and nightfall, he slipped away, riding the wind into flight. Suddenly, he heard feathered demons in the clouds discussing:

"Hurry up, hurry up! The lion lords of the Nine-Spirits Chamber of Commerce will be returning in a few days. They have pills and wine in their hands; we must hurry back to the mountain so we don't miss the trade."

Upon hearing this, the Lion-Spirit Monster thought to himself: 'A chamber of commerce? Lion lords? Among lions, who would dare not address me as lord? I shall go and seek some amusement. While the Bodhisattva is listening to the Dharma, I'll occupy their mountain for a few days, play the lord over these so-called lion lords, and put on a grand display of majesty.'

He then intercepted the two feathered demons, revealing his form from the clouds.

Behold: his eyes resembled glazed lamps, and his head was like a jar of refined cinnabar. His entire body was colored in deep indigo, and his four claws were like the frost of late autumn. His demonic aura was oppressive.

The two feathered demons were terrified at the sight of him and did not dare to conceal the slightest detail, spilling everything they knew in complete honesty.

The Lion-Spirit Monster chuckled, released the two feathered demons, and headed alone toward Mount Zhujie. Suddenly, he noticed a city nearby bustling with human activity, and seeing many women within the city, his eyes once again revealed a lecherous gaze.

He reflected that he was, after all, the mount of a Bodhisattva, and must act with some caution so as not to let the Bodhisattva find out and punish him for his crimes.

Therefore, with a shake of his body, he transformed into a Quanzhen Taoist priest, intending to enter the city to seek the pleasure of yin and yang intertwining.

Before he even entered the city, however, his gaze was captivated by a woman.

This woman had delicate features, a slender waist, and a gentle demeanor.

She was carrying a wicker basket filled with fruits and vegetables, stepping out of the city gate and heading toward the woods outside.

Yet the Lion-Spirit Monster sensed spiritual Qi emanating from her body, as if she had consumed many spiritual medicines yet possessed no cultivation at all.

The Lion-Spirit Monster smiled and thought, "Not bad. This woman barely matches my standards."

Thus, he kept his cloud hovering in pursuit. Seeing the woman walk toward a small cottage, he landed and strode toward her.

With a smile, he said, "Good female benefactor, this poor priest has traveled from afar and is rather thirsty. Might I beg a bowl of water to drink?"

The woman sized up the Lion-Spirit Monster and, seeing his Taoist attire, naturally felt a sense of goodwill because her husband, Yellow Lion, practiced the Dao and loved it.

At this thought, the woman could not help sighing with emotion. Only by meeting her husband was she able to prolong her youth and maintain her ageless beauty to this day.

Thus, her gaze softened as she gently said, "Priest, please follow me."

Now, let us leave them here and turn our attention elsewhere.

Let us speak of the Yellow Lion Spirit, who was traveling on business a thousand miles north of Mount Paitou, trading with a group of cat demons.

He had heard that this place abounded with fine jade, so he wished to come and trade for some to give to his beloved wife.

As for the rumors spread by minor demons along the road that the cat demons here were rather difficult to get along with, he paid them no mind. Having done business for many years, he had long understood the concepts of supply and demand.

Moreover, the goods he brought out were things this group of cat demons could simply not resist.

He took out a stone jar. Before him sat a group of cats of various colors—black, white, and calico.

Out stepped a civet cat that looked much like a little tiger. Staring at the Yellow Lion Spirit, it wanted to stretch out its tongue and lick its paws, but realizing the occasion was inappropriate, it put its paw down and said in a deep voice:

"Meow~ You claim this stuff is immensely beneficial to us cat demons, but we need to inspect the goods first."

The Yellow Lion Spirit smiled: "Naturally."

With that, he opened the stone jar and poured its contents onto the ground, shaking out a green powder.

The civet cat asked, "Aren't you going to have a taste?"

Recalling the postures of all the cat demons who had ever traded for this substance, the Yellow Lion Spirit shook his head and replied, "I only sell this stuff; I never touch it."

The civet cat said no more. Instead, it leaned forward and took a deep sniff. Its eyes instantly glazed over, and an expression of supreme bliss appeared on its feline face.

"This is top-tier! It's too, too, too, too potent!"

It then rubbed against him while saying, "We'll trade! All the jade in the mountain can be traded to you. We only want the stone jar in your hands!"

The Yellow Lion Spirit beamed with a smile. Suddenly, however, a jolt went through his heart, and he looked towards the south in astonishment as a fierce gale rose in the southern horizon.

"A wind talisman? My wife is in danger!"