In order to save trouble, Chen Xuanze went out today without wearing the Demon Suppression Robe. Instead, he fastened the copper coin representing his identity to his belt. He also wrapped the half-meter-long Tree Demon Core with hemp cloth and carried it on his back.

In the entire Great Liang, there were internal and external troubles, but it didn't hinder the prosperity of Kyoto. He strolled to the entrance of Rouge Street, hesitated for quite a while, and finally left with great determination.

"Desire is like a sharp steel knife, desire is like a poisonous drug piercing through the intestines. If one stays away from desire, bones remain intact and flesh doesn't perish. Shariputra, form is not different from emptiness, emptiness is not different from form. Form is emptiness, emptiness is form, sensation, perception, mental formations, and consciousness are also like this..."

Muttering to himself as he walked, he unintentionally recited a passage from the Heart Sutra.

A warm and broad male voice came from behind him, "This benefactor, you have a connection with my Buddha." Chen Xuanze turned around, and there was a big bald man following him. Upon closer inspection, he was a monk in tattered robes, holding a Zen staff, and a slightly chubby monk accompanying him.

Without waiting for him to speak, the big monk chanted a Buddhist mantra and then said, "Amitabha, this benefactor, you have a connection with our Buddha, a deep connection." When Chen Xuanze turned around, curiosity written all over his face, the big monk continued, "Benefactor, 'connection' means you will become a member of our Buddhist family. You possess inherent wisdom and shall become a young disciple before the Buddha."

With a sincere expression, Chen Xuanze asked, "Master, what is this 'connection'?" The big monk, with a serene and devout expression, replied, "Connection means that the benefactor will become a member of our Buddhist family. The benefactor possesses inherent wisdom and shall become a young disciple before the Buddha."

Chen Xuanze, with a sincere expression, asked, "Master, what is Buddha?" The big monk, pleased with the young benefactor's inherent wisdom, explained, "Buddha can fulfill all human ideals, allowing us to enter the Western Pure Land. Buddha is omnipresent, omnipotent, existing in your heart and everyone's heart. When the heart contains Buddha, all sentient beings become Buddha."

Chen Xuanze, as if enlightened, smiled innocently and said, "Master, I don't have money for Rouge Street today. Can the Buddha provide?" Ignoring the puzzled expression of the big monk, he turned around and used his teleportation technique, quickly disappearing into the crowd.

He wasn't foolish. In this world, monks could be dangerous. If they couldn't convert you, they might resort to harming your entire family. There was a country called Boqi on the plateau that got wiped out because they didn't accept the monks' version of Buddhism. Now, it was a threatening Buddhist nation eyeing the Great Liang.

As the big monk regained his senses, Chen Xuanze had already vanished. Unperturbed, the monk smiled and said, "People with connections, meet everywhere." After that, he walked towards the direction of the imperial palace.

Using his clairvoyance technique from a distance, Chen Xuanze observed the nearly six-meter-high golden aura on the big monk, displaying an ugly eight-armed Dharma form. Strangely, the fierce appearance of the Dharma form emanated an incredibly serene aura.

With the departure of the big monk, Chen Xuanze, forgetting to stop his clairvoyance technique, couldn't help but look in the direction the monk had gone. Tears streamed down his face, tinged with blood.

As the clairvoyance dissipated, he saw an image before the palace – golden clouds covering the entire palace, with a five-clawed golden dragon lingering within, looking somewhat weakened. After wiping his tears, Chen Xuanze looked again at the sky above the palace – empty, a clear blue sky.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

"This is the fortune of the Great Liang royal family, huh? Look at their virtue; they're not far from their downfall."

Little did he know that his luck was good, and his cultivation was not high; otherwise, he would have faced the backlash of the golden dragon of fortune, turning into a fool at best, and facing death at worst.

Without caring about the monk's origin, Chen Xuanze found a breakfast stall, ordered a basket of dumplings, and a big bowl of tofu pudding. He specifically instructed the charming lady boss for a salty taste.

Today's outing had a purpose; he needed to get some books from Shuhang as he only knew simplified characters and was at a disadvantage. Although he could understand traditional characters, he couldn't write them.

He also planned to find a skilled carver to process the Tree Demon Core. Satisfied after eating, he leisurely walked towards Wenfang Street near the National Academy in the northeast direction of Kyoto.

Kyoto had two favorite places for literati and scholars, and Wenfang Street was one of them.

This place gathers ancient texts from all corners of the world, famous calligraphy works, and timeless scriptures. It is claimed that as long as you desire and have money, even the banned books of this dynasty can be obtained here. Besides selling books, the place also engages in the buying and selling of engraved private seals.

Chen Xuanze was genuinely curious about these banned books. He thought it might be some legacy from the previous dynasty or something propagating the illegitimacy of the Great Liang rule. However, Li Gou mysteriously told him, "Xuanze, it's just something to look at when you don't have money to go to Rouge Street." It left him puzzled for a moment until he realized it was about Liu Huangshu.

Upon arriving at the location, he entered a small shop named "Ink Treasures." The main reason for choosing this small shop was not because he thought it would be cheap. This place, like Rouge Street, was extremely expensive. He spotted a familiar face, the fox demon Xiaocui, who used to tease him. She had just walked about twenty to thirty meters ahead of him, wearing hemp clothes, and entered the neighboring shop, "Qiuqing Bookstore."

Already having imagined Xiaocui in eighteen different ways in his dreams, Chen Xuanze immediately recognized the alluring figure hidden under the swaying hemp fabric. It was the voluptuous waist of the fox demon Xiaocui.

Normally, Xiaocui should be sleeping in after working the whole night. How could she be here? Could it be that the profession in Rouge Street has become so cultured? Even in matters like eating chicken, they need to be cultured? Otherwise, how would they know how much salt to put in?

Unable to resist his curiosity, Chen Xuanze walked into "Ink Treasures." The shop wasn't large, with a row of bookshelves. Upon entering, he saw an elderly man sitting on a bright yellow Taishi chair against the wall. He casually glanced at the elderly man and said, "Fox demon, with a cultivation of four hundred years, free from resentment, capable of suppression, or not – it's your choice."

Then, he turned and left.

Could this be a fox's den?

This was near the National Academy; why would fox demons be so refined? The elderly man sitting against the wall in Ink Treasures asked in a soft voice after Chen Xuanze left, "Xiaocui, is this person following you?" A voice emerged from the air without a hint of charm, "Shut up, it's none of your business." Then, an old woman's voice followed, "Xiaocui, do you know this person?" "Hmm, a junior from the Demon Suppression Bureau who just finished the observation period."

After that, there was silence in the room. The old man knew that Xiaocui's words were meant for him to hear.

Walking out of the shop, Chen Xuanze waited until he was about a hundred meters away before using his clairvoyance technique. To his surprise, above Ink Treasures and Qiuqing Bookstore, there was a five-meter-tall three-tailed fox shadow lying on the roof.

It seems he unwittingly walked into a fox's den.