The First Venerable of the Prosperous Age

Lu Xiaosan looked at the green fox in the distance with a smug expression, tilted his head and said, "I've been suffering for so long, and today I can finally vent my anger when I see a demon, hehe."

He grinned maliciously, "Don't worry, none of you will escape."

The green fox froze in fear, its green fur standing on end, its body leaning forward. It didn't know whether to fight or flee like the wisteria.

Lu Xiaosan gently sent the shiny Buddhist beads into the air, and at the same time lifted his foot, the beads gently wrapped around his ankle.

Lu Xiaosan smiled at Qinghu and said, "Don't move."

Then he quickly turned around and stomped hard in the direction the purple vines had fled.

A golden halo appeared beneath his feet, and yellow leaves instantly flew up like a tornado, completely enveloping Lu Xiaosan.

Then a large crack appeared in the ground, and golden light shot out from the crack as it stretched further and further away in the direction the giant vine was fleeing.

From a distance, the fissure in the ground looks like a golden snake cracking open very quickly, leaving nothing but barren land in its wake.

When the large trees in the forest came into contact with the golden crack, they all exploded into flying wood chips, and the trees nearby collapsed instantly due to the powerful impact.

When it split in the middle of the forest, it became a huge golden mouth.

Just as the golden light inside reached its brightest point, a deafening boom resounded:

Huge wisteria vines, carrying mud and rocks, burst forth from the ground, unleashing a massive shockwave that instantly reduced the surrounding flowers and plants to ashes.

The wisteria was uprooted and lifted into the air, causing huge rocks to fall from it and thick smoke to billow up.

Amidst the dust and smoke, it seemed as if ten thousand thick vines were constantly swaying, stretching for about half the width of a forest.

But at this moment, every inch of its body was shining with the golden light of impending death.

"Thud! Thud!" A loud sound rang out as the giant vines struck the struggling creatures, and the golden light shone at its brightest.

With a deafening roar, the enormous vines instantly exploded into purple fragments that drifted through the air.

A mountain breeze blew by, scattering them all far away, as if they had never been there at all.

After all this commotion, they found that only a huge crack remained behind the mountain.

The once lush green hills are now a desolate wasteland, ravaged by disease. Only a few scattered withered leaves and broken branches remain.

Lu Xiaosan stood with his hands on his hips, turned around and looked at Wen Ying with a smug look on his face, as if every inch of his body clearly said: What about me?

Wen Ying's golden hair fell to her forehead, and the shadows obscured her face. She no longer cared how smelly Lu Xiaosan was, and walked towards him step by step with a dark face.

As she drew closer, her face became clearer. Her bright eyes and high nose were still beautiful, but her face was gloomy, lacking her usual sunny and gentle demeanor.

Her hand trembled as she reached out and grabbed Lu Xiaosan's sleeve, her expression grave. "Look around..."

Lu Xiaosan stood with his hands on his hips, glanced at the dilapidated scene, turned around, and smiled awkwardly, "I..."

Wen Ying gripped his clothes tightly, gritting her teeth as she said hatefully, "Everyone says that monks are compassionate and never kill, but look at what you've been protecting..."

Lu Xiaosan scratched his head, "I... I got a little excited when I saw the monster. Originally... I didn't want to cause such a mess, but I couldn't help it, it was too powerful." His tone was three parts apologetic and seven parts smug.

Lu Xiaosan patted her hand and comforted her, "I... I'll definitely be more careful in the future, don't be angry."

After he finished speaking, he felt another surge of resentment. "How could I be so sentimental and nagging again? Didn't we agree to keep our distance? What a useless person I am."

Although Lu Xiaosan felt resentment, he couldn't bring himself to hate her on the surface. "Oh well, being a good-for-nothing is fine. Living well in the present is the best thing to do."

Wen Ying suddenly opened her eyes wide, staring incredulously at her hand gripping her collar, and murmured, "What...what...am I doing?"

After saying that, she quickly took two steps back, looking apologetic, "I'm sorry... I got too excited. You were the one who eliminated the monster, but I... am here..."

Seeing her anxious expression as she tried to explain, Lu Xiaosan touched her forehead. "You...you don't have a fever, do you?"

Wen Ying looked embarrassed. "I...I just saw all the trees, flowers, grass, and small animals suddenly disappear...I...as a doctor...I..."

After saying that, she couldn't help but look sad and didn't continue.

Seeing her face change three times in a second, and now she looked completely bewildered, Lu Xiaosan couldn't help but chuckle. He found her extremely cute and immediately wanted to hug her and comfort her.

But halfway through his outstretched hand, his expression suddenly hardened. "I can't be useless anymore..."

He immediately withdrew his hand, leaving Wen Ying standing there frail and weak.

The atmosphere remained silent for a while...

Lu Xiaosan looked at the still-glowing prayer beads in his hand and suddenly exclaimed with delight, "That's right, there's another demon!" After saying that, he ran towards the front of the hunting house.

The two arrived at the hunter's house, only to find it empty.

Lu Xiaosan asked anxiously, "They ran away?"

He then thought, "Oh well, it's good that it ran away. Anyway, we didn't have any deep-seated hatred, and it saves the little golden retriever from getting angry with me again."

Wen Ying patted him on the back, and when he turned around, she pointed to the house and said softly, "Now that the vines have been removed, let's go inside and take a look. Maybe there's someone inside."

"Okay, it's all up to you."

Lu Xiaosan continued to pound and kick the door as he had when he first arrived, but the door was locked from the inside, and it was virtually impossible to open it by brute force alone.

Wen Ying stood behind him with a bitter expression, and finally couldn't help but ask cautiously, "Brother Lu, don't you... think the Buddhist beads on your hand... smell bad?"

Lu Xiaosan chuckled sheepishly, "Hehe, I'm used to it by now..."

Wen Ying's face was pale, and her breathing seemed to be getting more and more difficult. She blushed and said, "But...but I'm afraid I'm going to...not make it."

Lu Xiaosan quickly put away the prayer beads and asked anxiously, "What's wrong? Is it too smelly? No, these prayer beads should only smell bad when there's light."

Even when I looked down, the prayer beads were still shining.

Lu Xiaosan was startled, "That fox is still around here!"

Seeing Wen Ying touching her forehead and swaying unsteadily on the ground, he tossed the prayer beads behind the house and quickly helped Wen Ying to sit down on a wooden stake in front of the house.

Seeing Wen Ying sitting there with a flushed face, weakly breathing, Lu Xiaosan said gently, "Wait here for me."

Wen Ying suddenly grabbed him and cried out in anguish, "Wait!"

Lu Xiaosan asked in surprise, "What's wrong? Is there anything else that's bothering you?"

Wen Ying shook her head, her face pleading, "Please give me the prayer beads, let me... let me..."

Wen Ying gritted her teeth and finally said, "Let me smell it again..."

Lu Xiaosan was shocked. "You...you're crazy. Are you really delirious from the fever?" He then touched her forehead.

Wen Ying's forehead was touched by him, her eyes empty and lifeless.

Lu Xiaosan thought she had given up on this foolish idea, but to his surprise, she suddenly tightened her grip and said seriously, "You... are my patient. I said... I must empathize with you..." Her words were sincere, and every word came from the bottom of her heart.

Lu Xiaosan was stunned, "I... I almost lost my sense of smell before I got used to it, you can forget about it..."

Wen Ying pouted and grabbed Lu Xiaosan, her eyes full of pleading.

She looked pitiful, on the verge of tears, and said in a drawn-out voice, "Who told me... this... this is... my medical decree... sob... give it to me quickly..." She was about to cry when she finished speaking.

Seeing her pitiful and silly look, Lu Xiaosan couldn't bear to go against her wishes, so he gently persuaded her, "Okay, okay, when you feel better, I'll give it to you tonight, and you can smell it to your heart's content tonight."

Hearing his compromise, Wen Ying finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Then she lowered her head apologetically and said, "Well... that's the only way then, only tonight... I'm sorry... I couldn't empathize with you in time..."

Lu Xiaosan was both amused and exasperated, and could only say, "It's okay, it's okay, I forgive you, okay?"

Wen Ying, panting, forced a smile, "Thank you..."

Before she could finish speaking, Lu Xiaosan dared not stay any longer.

He was really afraid she might have gone mad, so he quickly ran a few steps away and breathed a sigh of relief, "What's going on?"

Remembering that the prayer beads were still shining, he immediately turned around, faced the bushes in front of the house, and shouted, "Come out! I know you're around here..."

Lu Xiaosan looked around, but there was still no movement. He then said with a relaxed expression, "Don't worry, I won't hurt you. Come out now."

After a long while, we finally heard the sound of "Congcong" stepping through the grass.

Following the sound, a fox gleaming with a bluish light cautiously emerged.

Seemingly realizing that he was staring at her, Qinghu was so frightened that she took several steps back.

Lu Xiaosan shook his head helplessly, "If you're really scared, then turn into a human and come see me. That way, I won't think of you as a demon anymore."

Upon hearing its words, the green fox's body glowed with green light, transforming into the woman in the green dress from before.

As she transformed, Lu Xiaosan's eyes widened, and he pointed at the woman in the blue dress, exclaiming in surprise, "You...you..."