The Great Bandit of Journey to the West

Chapter 8 Minor Side Effects

After parting ways with Cui Ying, Jiang Feng released a puppet and searched the mountain with it.

After an unknown amount of time, the sun gradually began to set in the west.

Seeing that it was getting late, Jiang Feng began to take stock of what he had gained from the mountain search.

In one afternoon, he found a total of ten copper coins, a silver ingot, a jade pendant, and a hundred-year-old wild ginseng in front of him.

After digging up the wild ginseng, Jiang Feng happily patted the dirt off his hands, stood up, and walked down the mountain.

As he walked, Jiang Feng frowned and muttered to himself, "Strange, why do I feel like I've forgotten something..."

As I was walking, a sharp intuition suddenly struck me!

He suddenly stopped and looked towards the stone wall to the south.

The stone wall was covered with vines, and in an inconspicuous place was a dark cave entrance, from which a familiar aura emanated.

"There's treasure!"

Jiang Feng strode forward. There was a strong, foul smell at the entrance of the cave. He pushed aside the vines and walked in for more than ten feet. The cave then opened up.

Scattered on the cave floor were the bones of wild animals and humans. A stone bed with signs of human intervention sat in the cave, covered with several bear and deer skins.

A pile of gold and silver jewels was placed beside the bed, and on top of the treasure was a clay Buddha statue.

Upon seeing the Buddha statue, Jiang Feng felt it looked somewhat familiar. After a moment's thought, he took out the jade tablet he had left behind when he burned the fox demon from his treasure pouch.

After careful comparison, although the Buddha statue and the jade plaque had slight differences in the style of their clothing, he was certain that they were the same Buddha.

He shook his head slightly, casually hung the jade pendant on his waist, and packed up the treasures in the cave.

Before long, Jiang Feng wrapped the wild treasures in animal hides, preparing to take them back to the Wishing Temple.

Just then, a burly figure walked into the cave.

The figure was over ten feet tall, with broad shoulders and a thick back, and reeked of blood. His breathing was heavy and labored, like someone working a bellows.

Looking at him, you could see that he had a tiger's head on his body!

Upon seeing Jiang Feng, he was taken aback. Then, looking at the large and small bags at Jiang Feng's feet, a deep sense of doubt appeared in his emerald green eyes.

Jiang Feng's body stiffened slightly upon seeing the tiger demon.

He wasn't scared, but he hadn't expected that these treasures actually had an owner, and that the owner would catch him red-handed while he was packing them up...

Just as he was awkwardly trying to explain, the tiger demon saw the jade pendant on Jiang Feng's waist. Immediately, two beams of dark light shot out from his eyes, and he knelt down with a thud.

The tiger demon was excited, and his voice was full of excitement.

"Greetings, Venerable Guide! You have come on the Buddha's orders to bestow upon me the Bodhisattva path!"

Jiang Feng: "...That's right, I am the Venerable Guide!"

When you go out, your identity is given by yourself!

Jiang Feng accepted the identity without hesitation. Immediately, a golden lotus appeared beneath his feet, and a halo of Buddhist light shone behind his head.

The golden light instantly dispelled the darkness, spreading to every dark corner of the cave and illuminating it as if it were daytime.

Looking at the dignified Jiang Feng, the tiger demon excitedly kowtowed repeatedly, revealing his obvious joy.

"The Buddha is truly all-powerful! I only managed to kill ten people today, intending to report to him tonight. I never expected him to foresee this and send you ahead of time!"

Jiang Feng suddenly remembered that he had come to Tiger Head Mountain to find the monster that killed people and ripped out their hearts. No wonder he always felt like he had forgotten something...

"Did you rip their hearts out after you killed them?"

"I dug it up. Just as Buddha said, eating human hearts can improve one's cultivation. Alas, I didn't know the methods of cultivation before, and all those human hearts were wasted when I ate them."

Jiang Feng's pupils contracted slightly. It really was that tiger demon who did it!

Seeing that Jiang Feng remained silent, the tiger demon thought he had been impolite and quickly explained himself after a moment's thought.

"Your Excellency, please forgive me. I did not wait in the cave to welcome Your Excellency. It was not out of intention to be negligent."

I just encountered a female demon from the Taoist sect on the mountain. I fought with her but was defeated. It took a lot of effort to escape from her, which is why I am late in returning.

Ah, Buddha must have foreseen the calamity that awaited his disciple today, and that's why he sent you to rescue him in advance!

The tiger demon continued excitedly, "Your Excellency, I have killed ten people according to the cultivation method taught by the Buddha. Please grant me the position of a Bodhisattva of the First Stage!"

Once my magical power has greatly increased, I will immediately return and eliminate that female demon!

As Jiang Feng listened to his story, his heart gradually grew heavy.

He had heard the old abbot mention this evil practice of killing as a means of spiritual cultivation, which would grant him the status of a Bodhisattva.

However, according to the old abbot, this all happened during the Northern Wei Dynasty. Now, almost a hundred years have passed, so how can such an evil method still be passed down?

Besides the fox demon from before, are there any other demons practicing this evil magic, like the tiger demon in front of us?

Seeing the tiger demon's devout and fanatical eyes, Jiang Fengwei solemnly began to preach.

"The wonderful Dharma of the Buddha is the principle of the mind abiding in the truth."

The holy stages of a Mahayana Bodhisattva begin with the Ten Abodes, proceeding through the Ten Practices, the Ten Dedications, and the Ten Grounds, ultimately culminating in Buddhahood.

Entering the holy state through the Ten Faiths begins with upholding the initial aspiration of "seeking Buddhahood above and liberating all sentient beings below," without giving rise to wrong views, and with a firm foundation of faith. This is the first stage of a Bodhisattva's practice.

Although the tiger demon didn't quite understand, he was still overjoyed: "Thank you for your guidance, Venerable One. I humbly request that you bestow upon this disciple the holy position of Bodhisattva!"

Jiang Feng nodded slightly: "Come kneel down before me, close your eyes, and I will bestow upon you the status of a Bodhisattva."

The tiger demon dragged itself on its knees and crawled swiftly to Jiang Feng's side, bowing respectfully and closing its eyes.

Jiang Feng continued, "When I bestow upon you the title of Saint, you will feel a slight pain in your head. You must endure it and not open your eyes, otherwise all your efforts will be in vain."

The tiger demon quickly replied, "Disciple understands."

Jiang Feng said with satisfaction, "Besides some pain, there is a small side effect: you will gradually lose control of your physical body until your soul leaves your body."

Tiger Demon: "??"

My head hurts a little, and I gradually lose control of my body. In the end, my soul leaves my body. Doesn't that sound like I'm going to die?

While the tiger demon was still wondering, he suddenly felt a sharp weapon pierce his head, making his tiger body shudder.

Then, a stream of blood flowed down his forehead. Just as Jiang Feng had said, he gradually lost control of his body and felt as if his soul was about to leave his body...

This is fucking deadly!!!

The tiger demon, its face filled with shock, opened its tiger eyes in disbelief and, with its last strength, said, "Venerable One, why did you kill me...?"

Jiang Feng loosened his grip on the Vajra Pestle, and the illusions surrounding him vanished in a glimmer of light.

"Since you've asked so sincerely, I'll mercifully tell you. Is it possible that I'm not some Venerable Guide at all?"

"you……"

The tiger demon glared at Jiang Feng, then collapsed in front of him, its eyes wide with disbelief.

[Your compassion allowed the tiger demon to die knowing the truth; your boundless love moved the heavens, and you are rewarded with mastery of the "Weapon Forging" skill.]

At this moment, Cui Ying walked in from the cave entrance, glanced at the tiger demon's corpse with a complicated expression, and said, "You might as well not have told him the truth. Now he'll die with his eyes wide open in disbelief."

"And what you just made up was so convincing that even I thought you were the Venerable Guide he was talking about."

"Just make it look real."

A hint of pity appeared in Jiang Feng's eyes: "This is because, apart from the fact that I, the Venerable Guide, am a fake, everything I just said, including the cultivation method, is true."

"The Mahayana sect has been resurrected, and not only in Zu'an County, but the entire population of Yangzhou is in deep trouble..."