That idiot from the Sword Sect turned out to be a lucky charm.

Lin Zhifeng didn't know which situation Longquan was in, so he didn't want to point it out directly. If he was just an NPC in his dream, then if he said this to him, not only would Longquan not believe him, but he would also arrest him as a spy.

Lin Zhifeng tentatively asked, "What brings you here?"

Longquan rolled his eyes at Lin Zhifeng and scolded, "You've already forgotten the pain so quickly? I came here to find you to keep an eye on the Bodhisattva's mount—the blue-maned lion!"

Lin Zhifeng thought to himself: A blue-haired lion? Is it a Suanni? Then this Bodhisattva must be Manjushri Bodhisattva. Longquan said he wanted me to watch over the Suanni, could it be that my identity is actually a lion servant?

Lin Zhifeng asked cautiously, "Was it the Bodhisattva's order for us to go and watch over the Green-haired Lion?"

Longquan said, "Of course! Last time when we were on duty, you and I secretly drank a pot of celestial fruit wine and fell asleep together. We slept for three days straight, which allowed that beast to escape to the mortal realm and cause trouble in the Kingdom of Wuji. In the end, if the Bodhisattva hadn't personally intervened, we would have almost been killed by that monkey. When the Bodhisattva returned, he punished us by forbidding us from drinking alcohol for a thousand years and making us copy the Manjushri Bodhisattva Heart Mantra ten thousand times. How come it's only been a few days? Now that your hand doesn't hurt anymore, have you already forgotten what happened back then?"

Lin Zhifeng had read *Journey to the West* in his original world, and there was indeed such a story in the book. It said that Manjushri Bodhisattva's mount, the Green-haired Lion, descended to the mortal realm, killed the King of Wuji, and threw him into a well in the royal garden. He himself then transformed into the King of Wuji and enjoyed three years of wealth and luxury. If it weren't for Sun Wukong, one of the four pilgrims on their journey to the West, seeing through his disguise, who knows how much trouble he would have caused!

But isn't Journey to the West a work of literature? How could there really be such a thing as a Suanni descending to the mortal realm?

Lin Zhifeng grasped the clues in Longquan's words and compared them with Journey to the West, thus basically understanding his current situation.

He is now the servant of Manjushri Bodhisattva, working as a lion guard for the Suanni. The current time is probably shortly after the Suanni descended to the mortal realm and wreaked havoc on the Kingdom of Wuji.

Lin Zhifeng recalled the harmless giant lion that had been sleeping peacefully on the ground when they entered the fifth-floor pagoda. Who could have imagined that a legendary, quiet, kind, and harmless lion could be capable of such a feat?

But how did Longquan and I get here?

Lin Zhifeng boldly speculated that they might not be in Manjushri Bodhisattva's real home, but rather in Suanni's dream.

As for whether there are any other people in their group in this dream, we'll just have to keep looking.

But why did this Suanni drag himself and Longquan into his dream? And why did it give them the identity of lion servants to serve him?

The term "lion slave" doesn't sound very pleasant, and people in the cultivation world might find it offensive.

However, Lin Zhifeng didn't think much of it.

Isn't a lion just a big cat? In Lin Zhifeng's original world, some wealthy people would keep pet cats and call themselves "cat slaves," "poop scoopers," etc.

Those people are so proud when they call themselves "cat slaves"!

Lin Zhifeng also loved cats, especially long-haired cats, which were beautiful and fluffy. Unfortunately, he was too poor to afford them at the time.

The regret that people couldn't raise cats because of poverty has now been fulfilled in another way.

Longquan, who was already getting impatient, urged, "Are you done tidying up? If you are, let's get to work quickly. Our senior brothers must be getting impatient."

Lin Zhifeng said, "I'm ready. We can head out now."

Longquan stood up and led the way out.

As he walked, he said, "Ever since that incident, Suanni has become very irritable. The other day, my senior brother was groomed by it and got scratched. You'd better be careful today!"

Lin Zhifeng verbally agreed, but thought to himself: Since he told me to be careful, it seems that I am the one who usually does the grooming.

Longquan led Lin Zhifeng through a series of turns, until they finally arrived at a large courtyard.

This courtyard is clearly reserved for the Suanni.

The yard has artificial hills, climbing ladders, swings, and other large toys; in the northwest corner of the yard is a huge sandpit filled with a lot of milky white fine sand. Anyone who owns a cat would know at a glance what the purpose of this fine sand is.

As Lin Zhifeng and his group entered the courtyard, two young boys, also dressed in monks' robes, came out to greet them. One of them, with big eyes, frowned and said, "Why are you so late? You're a full hour late today. We'll come at this time tomorrow too."

Longquan said with a smile, "We're sorry to have kept you waiting, senior brothers. We overslept today. We promise it won't happen again next time! Please come back at noon tomorrow, senior brothers, as punishment for us."

The boy with big eyes said, "You were punished last time because you overslept, which caused such a big mess. Not only were you punished yourselves, but you also dragged us down with you and made us watch over the lions." After saying that, he pointed at Longquan with his finger, and then at Lin Zhifeng: "You two are just going to be so irresponsible and not learn your lesson! If the Bodhisattva finds out, he will punish you again."

Lin Zhifeng and Long Quan hurriedly apologized repeatedly, assuring each other that it wouldn't happen again. Only then did the two boys leave, satisfied.

After seeing the two off, Longquan breathed a sigh of relief and turned back to continue berating Lin Zhifeng: "It's all your fault, you made me get scolded by them like this."

Lin Zhifeng continued to apologize to Longquan—in short, he shouldered everything alone.

The two of them didn't see the Suanni in the courtyard, so they went into the house together.

As soon as Lin Zhifeng entered the room, he found it to be familiar.

Yes! This room is almost exactly the same as the fifth floor of the pagoda.

All the rooms were empty; all the carpets were white plush; the same tables and incense burners were used... and the same large blue-maned lion—the Suanni—slept on the carpet.

Longquan glanced at the sleeping lion and whispered to Lin Zhifeng, "It looks like he can sleep a little longer. I'll go get him his usual spiritual spring water. You keep an eye on him and make sure he wakes up and sees no one around, or he'll start causing trouble again."

Lin Zhifeng stared intently at the Suanni, then nodded in agreement with Longquan's words.

Longquan turned around and went to the next room to prepare food and water for the Suanni, while Lin Zhifeng walked towards the Suanni step by step.

The Suanni's ears twitched, but it didn't move or open its eyes.

But it was obvious that he had already woken up, but he was too lazy to get up and too lazy to talk to anyone.

Lin Zhifeng walked over to the Suanni and, seeing that it still hadn't reacted, boldly sat down next to it.

Besides the incense burner, there was also a long-handled comb with very fine teeth on the table, which was probably used by the lion servant to groom the lion.

Lin Zhifeng glanced at the Suanni's fur, which was a bit messy from sleeping, and with audacity, picked up the comb.

He first combed the long fur on the Suanni's head and neck. The fur there was shorter and slightly coarser than on its body, so it wasn't matted. Lin Zhifeng chose to start combing there for two reasons: first, to allow the Suanni to adjust; second, large cats usually can't reach their own heads and necks, so massaging its head and neck would be comfortable and cooperative. Making it feel good would strengthen the bond between master and servant and prepare for the next step.

The Suanni clearly enjoyed Lin Zhifeng's service, making soft snoring noises as it was combed. After one side was combed, it even flipped itself over, offering the other side of its large head to Lin Zhifeng so he could comb it too.

Lin Zhifeng will naturally satisfy him.

Lin Zhifeng held a comb in his right hand and gently combed the Suanni's hair. He took the opportunity to slip his left hand into the Suanni's fur to feel its silky smooth texture.

Lin Zhifeng was overjoyed and his face was full of affection.

After combing its head and neck, Lin Zhifeng pressed his advantage and said to Suanni, "Baby, how about we comb its fur too? I think its fur is a bit messy. If we don't comb it now, it might get tangled. It will be difficult to manage and won't look good."

The lion felt very comfortable being groomed, so it opened its eyes and looked at him briefly, then closed them tightly to indicate that it (the lion) agreed.

Lin Zhifeng was overjoyed and began grooming the fur on his body with both hands.

Thanks to Lin Zhifeng's patience, meticulousness, and skillful hands, he gently untangled even the few knots. After combing it a few more times, the fur on his body became smooth.

Lin Zhifeng noticed that the Suanni's fur was very soft, while the fur on its head and neck was rather stiff. Both textures felt wonderful to the touch, making him absolutely enamored with it.