Journey to the West: The Great Sage's Guide

Chapter 69 The Mountain God Departs for the Sacred Mountain, A Human Ascends to the Immortal Mountai

Feng Lisheng's gaze fell on Zhong Xuan, carrying a hint of inquiry.

"The most important choice right now is to find a patron and align yourself with a certain power."

Feng Lisheng said this, but he couldn't help but have doubts in his heart.

Does this Cuiyun Mountain God have a powerful, hidden backer?

Feng Lisheng couldn't help but recall the rumors he had heard before.

On the main street of Jisaguo, the mountain god's traveling temple keeper was said to have been the subject of a strange phenomenon in the sky before the magical duel. At that time, purple clouds came from the east, and a Taoist priest descended from the sky and presented a gift to the temple keeper.

What kind of person could have a Taoist priest who brings purple aura from the east personally deliver gifts?

Feng Lisheng suppressed his curiosity, keeping a straight face, waiting to see how Zhong Xuan would decide.

Zhong Xuan thought for a moment, then, instead of answering immediately, invited everyone back into the house and personally distributed some fruits to them.

He spoke slowly and deliberately, unlike someone who was overwhelmed by an assessment. Once everyone was seated, Zhong Xuan finally began to speak.

"This is indeed a headache and a difficult choice."

"Nezha, the Third Prince, is no ordinary person; he's quite formidable."

"His father, Li Jing, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, commanded 100,000 heavenly soldiers and held a high position of power."

"He also had two elder brothers, Jinzha and Muzha, one of whom was under the Buddha at Mount Ling, and the other followed Guanyin Bodhisattva."

"This large family has close ties with the Buddhist sect of Mount Ling, as well as with the Taoist sect of the Three Pure Ones, and they all hold positions in the Heavenly Court."

As Zhong Xuan finished speaking, a thought suddenly came to mind.

He couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

Isn't this just three-sided betting?

The saying "three families are slaves" is somewhat interesting but not quite fitting here... After all, they are a family betting separately.

To put it nicely, it's called a multi-pronged strategy, which is the norm for those aristocratic families and nobles.

To put it bluntly... never mind, let's not talk about it.

After hearing these words,

Feng Lisheng was the first to taste the flavor, blinked, and the corners of his mouth turned up.

"You little rascals, you don't seem to know how powerful he is. Let me tell you..."

Feng Lisheng coughed lightly and began to tell the other little fairies who didn't know about it some interesting anecdotes about the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King.

These are just idle tales circulating among the wandering cultivators of the Three Realms, a mixture of truth and falsehood, but their strength lies in their vividness and interest.

What about how Li Tianwang met a certain Buddha on Mount Ling and eventually obtained that exquisite pagoda? And Lao Tzu was involved in it too.

For example, there are anecdotes about his three sons each becoming disciples, but when it came to Nezha, it was his master who took the initiative to come to him.

There were also rumors about this family currying favor with both Mount Ling and the Heavenly Court... It turns out that this wasn't exactly a secret in the eyes of some well-informed people.

Feng Lisheng told the story vividly, embellishing it with his own words, which made the demons laugh in waves.

Even Li Gongcao couldn't help but grin, but quickly straightened his face, not wanting to lose the composure everyone saw in him.

The atmosphere in the temple was finally a bit lighter.

Wukong had returned to the peach grove sometime earlier, and this time he took out a green peach and was eating it when he suddenly blurted out, "So, according to this, the Li family is quite capable, managing to offend none of the three sides and yet still having influence over all of them?"

Wukong's speech is much clearer and more articulate now.

So far, although it has only been twenty days of learning...

Although Zhong Xuan's teachings in his previous life were not as profound as his ability to enlighten others' spirituality with a single finger in this life, they were at least enough to make Wukong speak coherently and no longer in fits and starts.

Feng Lisheng smiled but did not answer directly; he simply looked at Zhong Xuan.

Zhong Xuan gave a noncommittal "hmm" and continued speaking.

"Therefore, Nezha's words just now were not solely Nezha's own opinion."

"Whom did he come for, and whom does he hope I will go to serve?"

"There are far more intricacies involved than what appears on the surface."

Zhong Xuan raised his eyelids and calmly swept his gaze over the crowd. Although he was reluctant to talk about these scheming and plotting, since people were in this world suffering, he had to teach them.

Otherwise, he wouldn't be considered a qualified guide.

Feng Lisheng then turned to Zhong Xuan and asked, "So, according to the Mountain God, are we going to pledge allegiance to Nezha?"

Zhong Xuan shook his head.

"But it's still not settled."

Zhong Xuan also picked up his teacup and took a leisurely sip before speaking: "This Nezha caused quite a stir in the East Sea back then."

"By skinning and dismembering that dragon prince, he caused unrest throughout the four seas, creating a deep-seated grudge between them and the dragon race."

The crowd listened, but hadn't quite grasped the meaning yet.

Zhong Xuan put down his teacup, his gaze sweeping over everyone's faces, a meaningful smile playing on his lips, as if he wanted to see which of them was the most cunning.

"But the one trying to win us over is a dragon girl. Don't you think that's a bit strange?"

Hu Junzhi was the first to react, bursting into laughter. Half amused and half admiring, she said, "Mountain God, you're really clever! We couldn't have thought of these things, but you figured them all out in no time."

Feng Lisheng, shaking his head beside him, chimed in, "You think being the mountain god for such a large group of people is an easy task?"

At this moment, Li Gongcao suddenly clapped his hands, as if he had remembered something important.

"I used to know a few fellow Daoists. When we chatted casually, they all said that they had some contact with the monks of Mount Ling and that they were quite well-informed."

"According to them, the current Ling Mountain is led by a Buddha named Tathagata. Overall, many people have only recently joined, and their power is not yet fully consolidated. Under such circumstances, it may not be a monolithic entity."

"This matter may not be entirely a disaster."

Li Gongcao paused briefly, his tone becoming more serious, before continuing, "In my opinion, the Mountain God should go and investigate as soon as possible."

Feng Lisheng nodded and echoed:

"That's exactly the point; we must go and return as soon as possible."

Feng Lisheng stretched out another finger and pointed it towards the sky.

"A year on Earth is only a day in Heaven. By the time those two celestial officials return to submit their reports and go through the review process again, it will be at least several months or even a year or two before it reaches us. We're not in dire need of time, but we can't just sit and wait."

Zhong Xuan nodded, but did not answer immediately.

His gaze slowly swept over the faces in the room.

Feng Lisheng leaned against the door frame with his arms crossed, his monkey-like face displaying its usual alertness and composure.

Li Gongcao sat upright, his old gray robe, though worn, now exuded a rare spirit – clearly, the previous scene and his standing up for the group had ignited a fire in his heart, burning away some of the impurities from his stubborn iron, making him appear more resilient.

Wukong and the tiger demon leaned against the corner of the wall, both deep in thought.

Rabbit Xiaoyu and Fox Xiaohong huddled together, the two half-transformed little demons not daring to even breathe.

Tao Yaoyao nestled in Tu Xiaoyu's arms, the few tender branches on her head drooping, and the few small leaves wilted, clearly showing that she was afraid, but dared not make a sound to disturb the adults' discussion.

Even the few smaller demons who didn't understand much were quietly huddled in the corner, none of them distracted.

As Zhong Xuan watched this scene, a wave of warm, dreamlike feeling suddenly welled up in his heart, as if he had returned to his past life.

In his small Taoist temple on the snowy mountain, it was the same. A few years before his death, a group of disciples and grand-disciples would sit around him, some who could understand and some who couldn't, some clever and some clumsy.

But everyone treated the Taoist temple as their home.

Zhong Xuan lowered his eyes, a faint smile appearing on his lips.

It disappeared in an instant.

When he looked up again, his expression had returned to its usual composure.

"Then let's go."

He stood up and brushed his sleeves.

"I am honored that they think so highly of me. I will go and meet those important figures from Mount Ling in person to see what they are really up to."

After the mountain god incarnates set off from here.

……

Inside the Cuiyun Temple in Jisaguo.

Zhong Xuan was chatting with several fellow cultivators, sharing interesting stories about cultivation in the surrounding area.

The female Taoist priest was a plump middle-aged woman whose figure stretched her Taoist robe tightly. She deliberately spoke in a high-pitched voice and would occasionally glance at the handsome and extraordinary young man.

"Things haven't been very peaceful around here lately!"

As the female Taoist priest spoke, she intentionally or unintentionally straightened her upper body. The collar of her Taoist robe was already slightly open, and immediately a full patch of white skin swayed out. Under the dim afternoon light in the shade of the trees, the white skin was dazzlingly fair.

Zhong Xuan's absent-mindedness, or his continued calm demeanor, made her feel bored, yet she couldn't bear to let go, creating an unbearable dilemma.

Then an old Taoist priest with a withered face laughed and stroked his beard, saying, "Speaking of the big news we've heard about recently, it's naturally the nine-thousand-year-old Fox King of Jilei Mountain and the Wansheng Old King who just moved to the vicinity of Bibo Pool. The two old foxes are constantly fighting each other and vying for territory. Turbulence is about to break out in our area."

After saying that, he twirled the tip of his beard and stole a glance at Zhong Xuan out of the corner of his eye. Seeing that the young man's eyebrows indeed twitched slightly, the old Taoist became even more smug, and his hand stroking his beard slowed down a bit.

In their eyes, this young man was exceptionally perceptive and possessed profound wisdom. He could move them every time they talked, and he was someone worth befriending.

Zhong Xuan's heart stirred slightly upon hearing this.

So such a thing really exists?

Later, during the Journey to the West, the Bull Demon King abandoned his mountain wife, the Rakshasa Girl, and in order to obtain the vast fortune of the Fox King's only daughter, the Jade-Faced Fox, he agreed to marry into the Fox King's family and settled in Mount Jilei...

So that's how it is. It seems the current Fox King is not yet ten thousand years old, still seven or eight hundred years away.

Zhong Xuan sensed the changes in the surrounding energy and found it amusing.

The one looking on with resentment nearby was none other than the Rakshasa woman.

Are you leaning against that little window looking over here?

And this time.

These female and old Taoist priests, along with several other Taoists and monks from the vicinity, all gathered here because of him. Their cultivation levels ranged from Qi Induction to Foundation Establishment and the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top.

However, as "big shots" of the Five Qi Gathering Origin Realm, there are only Rakshasa Woman and Ye Quanzhen who come occasionally, and they have always kept a low profile.

These people didn't know who he was clinging to; they thought Rakshasa was just an ordinary female Taoist.

At this moment, another young male swordsman appeared. He was Ye Quanzhen's suitor, a cultivator who had reached the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top. His cultivation and combat power made him quite proud here.

At this moment, Jing Feng snorted and said, "How those big shots fight is none of our business. As long as they don't harm mortals, let them be... But those pretentious tree spirits of Thorn Ridge love to pretend to be cultured. They often drag passing scholars or rogue cultivators to force them to compose poems and play chess, and they can talk for days and nights on end..."

As he spoke, a look of unbearable remorse crossed his face, as if he too had suffered at the hands of the tree spirit, which made the thin monk beside him chuckle.

The male swordsman named Jingtian, with thick eyebrows and big eyes and a touch of chivalry, said, "If you are interested, why don't you come with me after the gathering and see what these tree spirits are really up to? If they are truly doing evil, then we can do a good deed."

At this moment, a thin, short Buddhist monk who called himself the Earth-Walking Monk scratched his head and chuckled, "Hero Jing, you are so chivalrous, but I've heard you've been inquiring about some kind of wood-heart jewelry lately. Are you perhaps planning to chop down a few powerful tree spirits to make jewelry for your sweetheart?"

After saying that, he lowered his body, and there seemed to be a layer of yellow earth shadow under his feet, as if he was ready to use earth magic to dodge Jing Tian's slap at any time.

Jing Tian glared at him and raised his hand to hit him, but the skinny monk chuckled and shrank to the side.

During a casual chat.

As Zhong Xuan listened, he heard someone say that the vassal state to the east of Jisa was the Western Liang Women's Kingdom, and how terrifying it was...

Suddenly, he sat up straight and said, "Everyone, something urgent has happened, and I must return to Cuiyun Mountain."

Everyone was astonished.

Just then, behind a half-open window on the side of the temple, the figure that had remained silent seemed to stir slightly.

The Rakshasa woman was originally just leaning against the window, listening to their idle chatter through a thin veil.

Upon hearing Zhong Xuan's sudden remark, Rakshasa's gaze pierced through the window, her dark green eyes, like two deep pools, seemed to ripple slightly before returning to calm. However, her fingers, hidden in her sleeves, gently tightened, and the corners of her mouth lifted slightly, a look of both reproach and joy, her charm lingering and inexhaustible.

Zhong Xuan turned and left, leaving no trace.

"When fate brings us together, we gather; when fate takes us apart, we part. You are all welcome to stay here as you please or gather here often, but I will no longer be able to entertain you all."

Before he could say anything more, he had already approached the Rakshasa woman.

Their eyes met, and the Rakshasa woman stood up from behind the window, her tall figure waiting for him in the shadows of the corridor.

Rakshasa seemed unsurprised by Zhong Xuan's sudden farewell to these "fellow Daoists." Only a very light breath came from beneath her veil, a sigh that sounded both helpless and knowing.

In the end, we still have to go back to Cuiyun Mountain, don't we?

She felt somewhat downcast.

I've almost finished listening to that Taoist scripture on regulating the five elements and yin and yang.

As they talked, the two were about to leave the temple hand in hand.

Zhong Xuan then instructed the two former beggars and the current Taoist acolytes who had been named to run errands and send messages to the nearby Jin Guang Temple and the Shui Yue Nunnery outside the city, respectively, to inform Abbot Jing Chen and Abbess Jing Yuan.

It would be better to avoid delays if the address information changes but something happens that requires contacting him.

The two young Taoist boys hurriedly responded, one of them almost tripped on the threshold because he was running so fast, which made the old cat in the temple, who was dozing off, meow in dissatisfaction.