Chapter 322: Divine Ox Falls

They had stopped blowing bubbles, and their limbs were stretched out straight.

Seeing this, Xu Jie sighed and spoke with a face full of regret.

"He's probably beyond saving."

No sooner had he spoken than a mournful wail suddenly came from nearby.

"Divine Ox..."

Immediately, with a plop, Mingchen had already jumped into the pond, scooped up the big blue ox in one arm, and returned to shore.

He took out a pill to feed it, but it simply couldn't swallow it.

Seeing Mingchen flustered, anxious and worried, Xu Jie and the others stepped forward awkwardly, and Wang Yao even more guiltily said:

"Um... Mingchen Shī xiōng, please accept our condolences."

You all...............

Hearing that, Mingchen lifted his head, his eyes bloodshot as he glared at everyone; he never imagined that merely taking a few people for a stroll around the temple would actually result in them killing the temple's guardian divine ox.

This is the divine beast of Putuo Temple, greatly favored by the abbot.

Being stared down by Mingchen, the crowd also wore complex expressions, meanwhile feeling wronged in their hearts.

They didn't do anything at all; it's just that this big blue ox, upon seeing Wang Yao and the others, decided to show off its diving.

Who could have imagined it would end up drowning itself? What do you call this?

This time, Xu Jie and the others definitely had no ulterior motives; they swore on heaven.

"Junior Brother Mingchen, we didn't expect this either; how about we compensate you with another one?"

"How would we compensate? Would it still be the temple's guardian divine ox?"

Mingchen roared, knowing that if the abbot found out about this, he would definitely face a severe reprimand; at this moment, he practically had a mind to die.

He also couldn't help but shout at Xu Jie and the others.

"I'm really going to be killed by you guys."

"This isn't our fault either; who knew it would kill itself?"

Zhao Zhengping also protested, saying everyone was watching; they hadn't done anything, just said a few words.

"Like this, Brother Mingchen, we'll take care of this; we'll help you find a divine ox exactly the same, and Abbot Juexin definitely won't notice."

This...........

Hearing that, Mingchen hesitated a bit.

He really didn't dare tell the abbot about this, so if there was a way to remedy it, he still wanted to make an attempt at rescue.

Furthermore, Mingchen's nature is inherently simple; in front of Xu Jie and the others, a few words are enough to lead him astray.

So, after everyone's secret deliberation, the result is:

The divine ox's corpse was taken away by Xu Jie and the others, and later they would find another similar big blue ox to let it continue serving as Putuo Temple's guardian divine ox.

As for Mingchen, that means he has never been to the divine ox's dwelling.

After hearing Xu Jie's plan, Mingchen still felt somewhat uneasy in his heart.

"Really no problem?"

"Rest assured, absolutely no problem; we have experience with this kind of thing."

Huh???

"No, we're confident; Junior Brother Mingchen, just go back reassured—we've got everything, or do you want to be reprimanded by the abbot?"

"I don't want that."

"Then that's settled; wait for our good news."

He was completely duped; when Mingchen finally left, his whole person felt dazed and confused.

After Mingchen left, Xu Jie looked at the divine ox's corpse, his eyes already gleaming with excitement.

"Take it away, take it away; tonight we'll have beef."

"I'll do it."

Zhao Zhengping didn't yield, directly storing the divine ox's corpse into his Space Ring.

Watching the two's practiced operation, Ye Zhangqing said:

"Just eat it directly?"

"Damn, you just promised Mingchen you'd properly bury the divine ox, and now you're treating it as food?"

Hearing that, Xu Jie naturally said:

"Junior Brother Ye Zhangqing, if the divine ox's corpse is discovered, that would expose us; moreover, in Putuo Temple, where could we bury it? So eating it is the best choice, and this is for the greater good."

That also makes sense; the best way to destroy a corpse and erase traces is naturally to let the corpse disappear.

But looking at Xu Jie's expectant expression, Ye Zhangqing still had some doubts.

"Really?"

"Definitely so; let's go, this place isn't suitable for lingering, junior brothers, let's head back first."

Saying that, Xu Jie and the others returned the way they came.

But along the way, faintly, Ye Zhangqing heard Xu Jie muttering.

"This divine ox's taste is definitely good; after listening to Buddhist scriptures for so many years, its meat must have been marinated by the sutras."

"Not only that, just now Mingchen also said that Abbot Juexin often uses high-grade pills to nurture this divine ox's body; after consuming so many pills, even a pig would taste good, let alone this ox."

"Senior Brother's words make sense; tonight we're really in for a treat."

"What is this called? This is just 'blessing lies within disaster, disaster lies within blessing.'"

Heh heh heh..............

Xu Jie and Zhao Zhengping, along the way, kept muttering indistinctly, and finally they even let out chilling laughter that sent shivers down one's spine.

Ye Zhangqing behind him saw this, always felt something was off, but couldn't put his finger on it.

Returning to the residence, Ye Zhangqing began preparing dinner, while Xu Jie went out to look for a successor to the divine cow; these things Ye Zhangqing didn't need to worry about.

About one Shíchén later, Xu Jie returned, Zhao Zhengping casually asked.

"How was it?"

"Could there be any problem with my handling? Everything's settled."

"Then that's good."

All settled, he gestured for everyone not to worry.

Not long after, dinner was ready; today's meal was stir-fried beef, clear stewed beef bones, and clear beef offal soup.

Anyway, it's all beef-related.

Still, it was a fierce scramble; the disciples grabbed their meals, took a bite of beef, and their eyes widened instantly.

"This beef........... is delicious.........."

"It's completely different from ordinary beef."

Nobody knew where this beef came from, but they felt today's beef tasted fresher than before.

Even Hong Zun and the others had this feeling.

"Little Ye Zhangqing, where did you get this beef? It tastes great."

Hearing that, Ye Zhangqing, who was drinking soup, froze; Xu Jie beside him kept giving himself meaningful looks.

"It was given to me by Xú Shīxiōng."

"Old Three?"

He gave Xu Jie a doubtful look; facing Hong Zun's gaze, Xu Jie gave an embarrassed smile.

"Hehe, I just happened to catch an ordinary big blue ox, thought to bring it back; as long as Shīzūn likes it."

"Not bad, you kid still have a conscience."

Regarding this, Hong Zun seemed quite pleased, after all this is one of the few cares coming from a disciple.

Hong Zun picked up a piece of beef, swallowed it satisfactorily, and couldn't help but praise.

"No wonder it's the blue ox of the Buddha Kingdom; the beef carries a faint Buddhist power."

Hearing Hong Zun's praise, Xu Jie and the others had strange expressions, but at least they breathed a sigh of relief.

"Is the divine cow's abode really okay over there?"

Only Zhao Zhengping still asked with some worry.

Regarding this, Xu Jie wore a confident expression.

"Senior Brother, rest assured, I guarantee nothing will happen; I found an identical one and sent it over."

Just as the disciples were eating, inside the divine cow's abode was a huge black bull, its size five to six times that of the previous divine cow, sitting helplessly in the pond.

The pond that could drown a big blue ox now only reached its waist.

It sighed and spoke in Kǒutù Rényán.

"I'm a demon beast; can I really be the sect's guardian divine cow? Will those monks agree?"