Chapter 583: Please Save My Mother (13)

Mother is sick.

That is what Ma Yao thinks.

Ever since leaving Lingxin Temple, she has been sick, and very sick at that.

She has started to doubt her own faith, feeling that the Buddhas are deceiving her, feeling that he, a mere mortal, is able to see the truth, and even starting to worship a demon of unknown origin.

This is blasphemy.

Mother's soul has already been corrupted, bewitched by an unspeakable existence.

Ma Yao has wanted to report this matter to others time and time again, but each time, he hesitates.

But that is his mother.

She is the person who never forgets to take him along when she leaves, and who would use her own life to protect him when encountering danger.

She is his only kin in this world.

She is the only one who loves him, and the one he loves.

Does he really want to hand his mother over to others?

But if he doesn't do that, if things continue like this, can he only watch as his mother sinks deeper and deeper?

Ma Yao is very lost, very pained.

More than once, he has wanted to pretend he knows nothing, even wanting to fall into depravity along with his mother.

But he cannot.

Once he also falls into depravity, then there will be no one in this world who can save her, nor anyone willing to save her.

They would not care about her feelings; they would only treat her as a heretic and wipe her out directly.

Simple, efficient, and ruthless.

The only one who can save Mother is him, and it should only be him.

But... how should he do it?

Ma Yao endures this torment every day, all alone.

He cannot show any of this on the outside, cannot let Mother worry, and even more so, cannot let anyone else notice any clues.

Although he is still a child, he is already the only man in the house, the pillar of this family; not in the future, but right here and now, he already is.

He must be strong, must be brave, and must protect this home, protect Mother.

"Lord Fox Immortal, please, you must bless us! Bless Yao'er so he can grow up safely!"

Mother is praying to that unknown existence again, and Ma Yao feels a bit irritable.

He does not need any Fox Immortal to bless him!

Feeling irritable, Ma Yao takes the water bag and walks out of the carriage, heading toward the lake in the distance.

He does not want to stay in that space anymore; he wants to go out and catch a breath.

Gurgle, gurgle.

The water bag is soon filled, but he does not feel calm during this process; instead, he feels increasingly irritable.

Damn it.

Damn it!

Standing up, Ma Yao stomps his feet hard, trying to vent the anger in his heart through this action.

Damn demon!!!

"Child, I have noticed that you seem to be lost."

!!!

A deep yet gentle voice rings out abruptly behind him, making Ma Yao, whose expression is taut, feel his heart jump suddenly; the leather water bag in his hand slips, falling straight from his grip.

Splash.

The sound of water sloshes inside the bag as it falls toward the sand at his feet; Ma Yao, having reacted, tries to grab it, but it is already too late.

Oh no!

Just as Ma Yao is in a panic, the water bag is gently caught in mid-air by a pair of large hands and placed back into his hands.

"Water is very precious." The deep voice remains gentle, with no intention of blaming him, "Child, do not panic, do not be afraid."

Having completely regained his senses, Ma Yao nervously clutches the water bag and turns around, bowing to the burly monk who had appeared behind him, his head lowered deeply: "Lord Holy Monk, I..."

Ma Yao is very panicked right now, and cold sweat breaks out on his forehead.

He cannot guess why Lord Holy Monk would come to talk to him at this time; has he exposed something?

He does not know.

Why has he been targeted?

Does Lord Holy Monk already know?

What should I do?

Should I tell the truth? Or should I lie? I...

Pat.

Just as Ma Yao's spirit is about to collapse, a large hand gently presses onto the top of his head, and that palm, hard as iron, transmits a trace of reassuring warmth.

"Child, do not panic, do not be afraid." Chijiao gently pats the boy's head and says softly, "Do not worry, I will not harm you, nor will I harm your mother."

"Child, tell me, what exactly has happened to make you so panicked and uneasy?"

He is very tall, and at first glance, he looks quite fierce, not like a kind Holy Monk, but after truly interacting with him, Ma Yao knows that this is a high monk who has attained the Dao, who may look unapproachable on the surface but is actually very kind.

Along this journey, they have seen so much—subduing demons and eliminating devils, saving the dying and healing the wounded—he never stops his footsteps.

No matter who calls out to him for help, Lord Holy Monk will always reach out to assist.

Ma Yao looked up, trembling as he looked toward the Holy Monk, seeing his smiling face.

He had long since noticed the problem with himself, but had never taken the initiative to bring it up, only asking about it now.

Finally, under the gaze of those eyes that were overly bright yet filled with compassion, the last line of defense in Ma Yao's heart was successfully breached at this moment.

"Holy Monk!"

Thump.

The bewildered boy, as if having grabbed the last straw before drowning, knelt directly before the Holy Monk and knocked his head heavily, pleading as if sobbing: "Please, you must save my mother!"

"She has been bewitched by a monster!!!"

Yet, what the kneeling Ma Yao did not see was that when he mentioned "monster," the expression of the Chijiao monk became somewhat awkward.

"... Ahem, not all monsters are evil." The Chijiao monk struggled somewhat feebly, then helped Ma Yao up and said gently: "Tell me, what exactly happened?"

He was also somewhat curious as to what kind of monster would dare to snatch Faith in the current Western Desert.

Was it not afraid of being targeted by that Fozhu?

"So according to your mother's account, she discovered some truths within Lingxin Temple and believes that the Buddha is transformed from a ghost, and that it was that Fox Immortal who saved her." Chijiao nodded thoughtfully.

"That's right, that's it." Ma Yao had completely calmed down by now; he nodded and looked at the Chijiao monk, saying earnestly, "But how can anyone believe such words? If even the Buddha cannot be trusted, then why can a monster be trusted?"

"So, you feel your mother has been bewitched by that Fox Immortal."

"Yes, that is the only possibility! Holy Monk! Please, you must help my mother!"

As Ma Yao spoke, he went to kneel again, but was supported halfway by the Chijiao monk.

"Child, there is no need for this." Chijiao shook his head, not immediately agreeing to his request, but instead saying with profound meaning: "Furthermore, the true situation may not be as bad as you think."

"Holy Monk, what do you mean..." Ma Yao was somewhat confused, not knowing what the Holy Monk meant by these words.

Could it be that the Fox Immortal is actually kind?

"But, but that is a monster! It is an evil thing that eats people!"

"..."

Chijiao fell silent, staring at Ma Yao with complex emotions for quite a while, until the boy, not understanding why but instinctively closing his mouth, continued: "There are evil people among humans, and there are good monsters among monsters; one cannot generalize."

"If your mother was bewitched, then what did she pay? What did that Fox Immortal demand from her? Did your mother offer any sacrifices when she prayed?"

"Sacrifices?"

Ma Yao blinked, recalled the way his mother looked every time she prayed, and said somewhat uncertainly: "It seems like nothing; Mother just closes her eyes, without preparing any offerings."

They could not produce any other offerings; all the wealth exchanged from their family property had been given to the merchant caravan in exchange for the opportunity to be taken to the oasis, and now the caravan had been destroyed, yet the surviving merchants had never mentioned returning that money to them.

Therefore, every one of his mother's prayers was just kneeling in a quiet, empty corner, muttering to herself.

But Ma Yao was still somewhat uneasy, and after pondering for a moment, he asked: "... Is it her soul?"

If that monster did not intend to take offerings from mortals, then the only thing his mother could offer was her soul.

But this thought of his was also refuted by the Chijiao monk.

"Your mother's soul is complete and full, without any signs of having been stolen." Chijiao shook his head; the soul of that woman, Ma Jiu, was even healthier than this boy's, with no signs of depletion at all, "Yours is the same, intact as before, and has not been stolen."

"Then... is that Fox Immortal really a kind deity?" Even with the Holy Monk saying so, Ma Yao still could not quite believe it, "Is there really a deity in this world that does not demand anything from mortals?"

As a mortal who grew up in the Western Desert, offering to the Buddha had become their instinct, a matter of course, and they had never held any doubts about it.

"... There are." Chijiao's mood was somewhat low, realizing once again how terrifying the control of the current Western Desert Spirit Mountain over mortals truly was.

One hundred years, five generations, was enough to change many things, carving these rules established by men into every aspect of their lives.

"However, all of this is just speculation, and I can only be certain after seeing it with my own eyes." Chijiao did not speak definitively, but instead probed his consciousness toward Ma Jiu.

Chijiao had actually discovered the abnormality in Ma Jiu long ago, but had not alerted the enemy, not wanting to expose himself easily, and coupled with other matters to attend to, he had not dealt with it.

Now that he had finally arrived at Linbei Oasis, he finally intended to completely clear away this hidden danger.

Regardless of whether the other party was good, evil, or what kind of existence it was, he had to get to the bottom of it.

Could it be an old friend?

Was it trying to recover quickly through Faith Power after reviving?

Outside the carriage, Chijiao did not sense any familiar aura, and he did not know if the other party was hiding it well enough.

"It doesn't matter, it will show its true colors eventually."

Chijiao's divine sense carefully descended into the carriage without attracting any attention; he avoided any potential gazes and carefully observed the woman's actions.

Just as Ma Yao had said, she was indeed just kneeling on the ground praying devoutly, with no offerings around her.

However, compared to that boy, Chijiao could sense much more.

Ma Jiu had indeed prayed successfully, sending her Faith Power to that unknown existence.

But the problem was, the other party seemed... not to be accepting it?

"Eh?"

Ma Jiu was indeed very earnest; her pure faith was equivalent to that of the most devout Believer, and the pure Faith Power was so dazzling in his eyes.

Yet this pure faith, which no existence practicing the Divine Path would refuse, was being rejected time and time again.

Ma Jiu prayed tirelessly, and then the other party rejected it with disdain...

"Hmm???"