I am a fairy in Journey to the West

Zhao Wuji, the God of Jinling Prefecture, was the son of Zhao Chongguo, the Minister of the Northern Mountain God Palace.

Although he, as a divine ruler, did not have the same power as Yan Xiezhi, he was still deeply trusted by the Great Emperor of the Northern Mountain.

While caring for his elderly mother, Zhao Wuji also diligently governed Jinling Prefecture, and has made considerable achievements since taking office.

On this day, he received a document from the Divine Palace of Guanling Prefecture. After reading the contents of the document, he fell into deep thought.

A moment later, Zhao Wuji summoned the chief clerk of the Divine Palace and said to him, "Send a letter to Hengtian Cave and ask Cave Master Tao Mingzi to come to the Divine Palace."

The registrar bowed and accepted the order before leaving. Just an hour later, the Divine Palace Patrol General came to report: "My Lord, Tao Mingzi, the master of Hengtian Cave, has come to pay his respects."

Zhao Wuji said, "Quickly invite the Lord of Hengtian Cave into the hall."

"Yes." The patrolling general withdrew, and soon Tao Mingzi entered the main hall.

Tao Mingzi, his robes fluttering, arrived at the hall, bowed, and said, "Tao Mingzi of Hengtian Cave pays respects to the Divine Lord."

Zhao Wuji smiled and said, "Master Tao, there's no need for such formalities. Please sit down and have some tea."

"Thank you, Divine Lord." Tao Mingzi bowed in thanks, then walked to the right side of the main hall and sat down. Afterwards, a servant from the Divine Palace served Tao Mingzi spiritual tea.

Tao Mingzi placed the teacup on the table, turned to Zhao Wuji, and asked, "Why has the Divine Lord summoned me so suddenly?"

Zhao Wuji said, "There is something I need to tell you, but please calm down, Master Tao, and don't act impulsively."

"Hahaha." Tao Mingzi laughed loudly and said, "Your Majesty, please speak plainly. I will not act rashly."

Zhao Wuji nodded, and then instructed the registrar to hand over the documents from the Guanling Prefecture Divine Palace to Tao Mingzi.

Tao Mingzi took the document with a puzzled look, then opened it and began to read. Zhao Wuji noticed that Tao Mingzi's expression became noticeably serious for a moment, before returning to normal.

After reading the document, Tao Mingzi looked up at Zhao Wuji and asked, "What are your thoughts, Divine Lord?"

Zhao Wuji laughed and said, "Although I have not been the Divine Lord of Jinling Prefecture for long, I know that Hengtian Cave is by no means a demon's lair. I'm afraid the contents of this document still need to be discussed."

Tao Mingzi cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, Divine Lord." Then he said, "Actually, the contents of this document are not entirely false. My Hengtian Cave did indeed contact the Demon Lord Taichen back then."

"Oh?" Zhao Wuji raised an eyebrow and asked, "And then what happened?"

Tao Mingzi said, "Later I saw that the Demon Lord Taichen was not destined for great things, so I cut off all contact with him. The part about contributing his efforts is true, but the reward of demonic arts and techniques is pure nonsense."

Zhao Wuji asked, "Please tell me in detail, Master Tao."

Tao Mingzi nodded and said, "When the Demon Lord Taichen was appointed as the Heavenly King, we thought he would be in charge of the duties of the gods and the responsibilities of the celestial officials, and would govern the region on behalf of Heaven. That's why Hengtian Cave served him. But we never expected that he would not change his demonic nature and would not bring peace to the people. Instead, he would confuse people, disturb the lives of all beings, and harm people everywhere. So Hengtian Cave stopped working for him and gradually withdrew from his service."

Zhao Wuji said, "In other words, you thought he was recruited by the Northern Mountain Divine Palace and that he wanted to become a god or immortal official who would benefit all living beings, so you joined him. Later, when you saw that he was acting perversely, you decisively cut ties with him and abandoned him?"

“That is indeed the case,” Tao Mingzi said. “There are absolutely no demonic arts or techniques bestowed by the Demon Lord Taichen within my Hengtian Cave. The Divine Lord can send his troops to investigate inside and outside my cave. If even one person is found to be practicing demonic arts, I, Tao Mingzi, am willing to submit to their execution!”

Zhao Wuji raised his hand and said, "Why do you say that, Master Tao? I believe you."

After saying that, Zhao Wuji added, "I will now write back to the Divine Lord of Guanling Prefecture and explain this matter to him."

Tao Mingzi immediately stood up and bowed, saying, "Thank you, Divine Lord." He then returned the documents from the Guanling Prefecture Divine Palace.

Then Tao Mingzi added, “Divine Lord, when you reply, please explain the grudge between my Hengtian Cave and Yuanqiao Cave to the Divine Lord of Guanling Prefecture.”

"Oh? What grudge do your two families have?" Zhao Wuji asked.

Tao Mingzi said, "The grandfather of Huan Xu, the current cave master of Yuanqiao Cave, died at the hands of the former cave master of Hengtian Cave, so Yuanqiao Cave and Hengtian Cave have a blood feud."

"I see," Zhao Wuji said. "No wonder Huan Xu falsely accused your Hengtian Cave."

Tao Mingzi said, "This matter need not trouble you, Divine Lord. Hengtian Cave will settle things with Yuanqiao Cave."

Zhao Wuji quickly said, "Master Tao, please don't be impulsive. Beiju Luzhou has only just settled down, and we must not start another war."

Tao Mingzi cupped his hands and said, "You can rest assured, Divine Lord, I will certainly not cause you any trouble."

Zhao Wuji said, “Your caves are not under the jurisdiction of the Divine Palace, and this is your own personal grudge. It is not appropriate for the Divine Palace to give you direct orders. But I still want to remind you not to cause any major trouble.”

Tao Mingzi bowed and said, "Yes, please rest assured, Divine Lord, I have everything under control."

Afterwards, Tao Mingzi bid farewell to Zhao Wuji and left the Divine Palace to return to Hengtian Cave. As soon as he returned, he immediately ordered all disciples of Hengtian Cave with more than three hundred years of cultivation to come to Hengtian Cave for a meeting.

In the following days, thousands of people gathered, and the number of disciples with more than three hundred years of cultivation reached more than a thousand.

After everyone had arrived, Tao Mingzi told them about Yuan Qiaodong's false accusation, which greatly aroused the disciples' emotions.

All the disciples urged Tao Mingzi to order an attack on Yuanqiao Cave and finally settle this blood feud that had lasted for two generations.

Tao Mingzi nodded slightly, seeing that everyone was willing to cooperate, and said, "It's time for Hengtian Cave and Yuanqiao Cave to settle things. Since everyone agrees, let's make it a decision. Please rest at Hengtian Cave tonight, and we'll set off for Guanling Prefecture tomorrow to attack Yuanqiao Cave."

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately responded in unison, "Yes, sir."

Tao Mingzi then instructed the clansmen in the cave to arrange campsites for the disciples, while he led the core members of Hengtian Cave to prepare the spiritual medicines and supplies needed for the great battle.

At that very moment, nearly six hundred people quietly gathered in the camp that Hengtian Cave had prepared for its more than one thousand disciples.

The leader was a tall and imposing young man who looked at the more than six hundred people in front of him and said, "Gentlemen, have you all received the gift boxes from Yuanqiao Cave?"

"Received," everyone replied.

The man nodded and said, "That gift box is just an appetizer. After we succeed, Yuanqiao Cave will fully support us and recommend me to be the new cave master of Hengtian Cave."

At this point, he said with a confident expression, "I, He Yan, would like to reiterate my previous statement: as long as we capture the Tao clan and force Tao Mingzi to hand over the secret of the Five Qi Spirit Circulation Method for achieving immortality, I will not keep it to myself and will definitely share it with you all."

“From now on, there will no longer be a relationship between the cave master and the disciples of Hengtian Cave, but an equal relationship,” He Yan said. “I hereby swear to the heavens that if I break this oath, I will be struck by heavenly lightning.”

Upon hearing He Yan's words, the more than 600 people present responded enthusiastically.

"I have been waiting for this day for a long time. The situation where the secrets of Taoist magic are monopolized by one company must be broken."

"Yes, let's take this step first in Jinling Prefecture."

"If we succeed, more people will follow suit. At that time, not only will our descendants be able to learn the Taoist practices of Hengtian Cave, but also those of Yuanqiao Cave, Langya Cave, and other caves."

He Yan nodded and said, "Yes, for the sake of our descendants and for the trillions of lives in Beiju Luzhou, we must stand up and break the monopoly of each cave on the Dao!"

Just as the crowd was filled with excitement, someone raised a question: "When will the reinforcements from Yuanqiao Cave arrive? Is there a specific date?"

He Yan said, "As long as we capture Tao Mingzi and then send a message to the people of Yuanqiao Cave, they will immediately send people to support us."

"Is it believable?" someone else asked.

He Yan said, "Based on my contact with them, I think they are very credible."

Upon hearing He Yan's words, those who were worried said, "Since Master He believes it to be credible, then there is no need for further doubt. When shall we make our move?"

He Yan said, "Midnight."

"Alright." Everyone responded, and then jointly elected He Yan as their leader. They agreed to light a fire at midnight as a signal and directly storm into Hengtian Cave to capture the Tao family.

It must be said that Yuanqiao Cave has spent a great deal of money in recent years to infiltrate the demon realm of Jinling Prefecture in order to avenge the blood feud of its ancestors.

After so many years of unremitting efforts, Yuanqiao Cave has successfully stirred up the dissatisfaction of 60% of Hengtian Cave's disciples towards Hengtian Cave, and these efforts will bear fruit at midnight tonight.

Time passed slowly, and as the sun set in the west, darkness fell, and the entire mountain range where Hengtian Cave was located became completely dark.

The night was dark and windy, with dark clouds filling the air. The mountains were silent, a silence that was unsettling.

Having prepared a large amount of spiritual medicine and sealed it all in a mustard seed bag, Tao Mingzi felt uneasy and restless, something he had never experienced before.

As the hour of Xu (7-9 PM) approached, Tao Mingzi's unease grew stronger, but he couldn't pinpoint the source of this unease or know its cause.

After much deliberation, Tao Mingzi summoned his two brothers and three sons to his room and instructed them to stand guard inside and outside Hengtian Cave that night. He then prepared to visit the Divine Palace of Gushan to meet the Divine Lord Zhao Wuji.

The two brothers and three sons all accepted the order and reassured Tao Mingzi.

Tao Mingzi was slightly relieved, and then without further hesitation, he immediately left the cave and headed towards the Gushan Divine Palace.

Upon hearing that Tao Mingzi had come to see him in the middle of the night, Zhao Wuji immediately got up from his jade couch in his study, put on his robe, opened the door, and asked the patrolling general, "What happened?"

The patrolling general said, "Master Tao only said he wanted to see the Divine Lord, but didn't say what it was about."

Zhao Wuji nodded upon hearing this and said, "Take him to Wenming Hall to see me."

"Yes." The patrolling general responded and left.

Zhao Wuji went to Wenming Hall first and sat down. The servants had just lit the crane lanterns and were brewing tea.

Zhao Wuji looked at the servant who was brewing tea and said, "Brew the tea stronger."

The attendant bowed and replied, "Yes." Not long after, Tao Mingzi was brought to Wenming Hall by the patrolling general. As soon as Tao Mingzi entered, he bowed and said, "Tao Mingzi greets the Divine Lord."

Zhao Wuji first told Tao Mingzi to dispense with formalities, and then invited him to sit down. Tao Mingzi bowed and thanked him before taking his seat, but as soon as he sat down, the unease in Tao Mingzi's heart instantly disappeared.

Tao Mingzi was very surprised. How could that feeling of unease from before have suddenly disappeared?

At this moment, Zhao Wuji asked, "Master Tao, what brings you here so late at night?"

"My Lord," Tao Mingzi asked, bowing, "Has anything happened in Guanling Prefecture recently? Is Yuanqiao Cave making any moves there?"

Hearing Tao Mingzi's question, Zhao Wuji also looked puzzled, "Master Tao, have you heard something? I don't know much about the matter in Guanling Prefecture."

After thinking it over, Tao Mingzi decided to tell the truth. He told Zhao Wuji about his plan to gather a crowd to attack Yuanqiao Cave.

Zhao Wuji was slightly startled after hearing this and said, "You really want to start a war with Yuan Qiao Cave?"

Tao Mingzi said, "After thinking it over, I think this is the best solution. Our two families are blood enemies, and one of them must be destroyed."

Zhao Wuji stared intently at Tao Mingzi, then said, "Since Cave Master Tao has made his decision, I won't say much more, except for one piece of advice."

Tao Mingzi cupped his hands and said, "Please give me your guidance, Divine Lord."

Zhao Wuji said, "Don't let it affect the mortal realm, otherwise the laws of heaven are merciless, and I won't be able to protect you then."

"Understood. I will keep your words in mind." After saying this, Tao Mingzi stood up and took his leave.

Unable to obtain information about Yuanqiao Cave in Guanling Prefecture from Zhao Wuji, Tao Mingzi's unease subsided, and he prepared to return to Hengtian Cave.

But as soon as he and the patrolling general stepped out of the gate of the Divine Mansion, they saw flames soaring into the sky in the northwest, and the sky filled with colorful lights.

The patrolling general asked in surprise, "Master Tao, isn't that the direction where your Hengtian Cave is located? How many people have you gathered? Why are you making such a commotion?"

But Tao Mingzi froze at the sight, a strong sense of unease welling up inside him. "Oh no, something's happened!"

Tao Mingzi exclaimed in surprise, then hurriedly took to the wind and flew towards Hengtian Cave.

Just then, a beam of divine light descended from afar and struck Tao Mingzi directly.

With a flash of divine light, Tao Mingzi was instantly knocked down, landing straight outside the gate of the Divine Mansion.

The patrolling general hurriedly stepped forward to help Tao Mingzi up, but Tao Mingzi looked up at the sky and saw a fiery red celestial light flash by before flying straight into the Gushan Divine Palace.

"Oh no!" the patrol general exclaimed. "Someone has broken into the divine palace! I must go back to protect the divine lord!"

After saying that, the patrolling general ignored Tao Mingzi and turned to enter the Divine Palace.

Tao Mingzi stood still, looked at the Gushan Divine Palace behind him, then looked in the direction of Hengtian Cave, and finally gritted his teeth and continued to ride the wind, flying straight towards Hengtian Cave.

Meanwhile, chaos reigned inside Hengtian Cave. He Yan led over six hundred men into the cave, and because Hengtian Cave was completely unprepared for its own disciples, all its defenses were easily breached.

He Yan and his men stormed into Hengtian Cave, killing anyone they saw, setting fires everywhere, and wreaking havoc.

When Tao Mingzi's two brothers and three sons came out with their men to meet them in battle, they discovered that it was actually their own disciples causing trouble.

"What are you doing? Are you trying to rebel?" Tao Mingzi's second brother, Tao Yuzi, shouted.

He Yan looked at Tao Yuzi and shouted sternly, "That's right, we've rebelled!"

As he spoke, He Yan led dozens of men to attack. Tao Yuzi fought bravely, personally killing twelve people, but finally, exhausted, he was killed by He Yan.

After Tao Yuzi died, his third brother Tao Gongzi led his men in a desperate breakout attempt, but they were surrounded by more than a hundred people and were quickly killed by the mob.

Tao Mingzi's three sons fought their way out separately, but only the eldest son, Tao Xun, managed to break through the encirclement despite being seriously wounded. Tao Mingzi's second and third sons both died under the swords of the chaotic crowd.

Seeing Tao Xun escape, He Yan assigned ten men to chase after him, while the rest led the charge into the inner palace, shouting to capture 'Tao Mingzi'.

Soon, He Yan and his men captured all the main female members, children, and clansmen of the Tao family, but He Yan still couldn't find Tao Mingzi.

Upon further inquiry, he was shocked to discover that Tao Mingzi was not actually in Hengtian Cave. Cold sweat instantly broke out all over He Yan's body. He shouted hoarsely, "Tao Mingzi is not in the mansion! Quickly, send more men to hunt down Tao Xun. We absolutely cannot let him meet up with Tao Mingzi outside!"

If Tao Xun is captured, then if Tao Mingzi returns to Hengtian Cave without his knowledge, he will still be trapped in their clutches.

However, if Tao Xun and Tao Mingzi were to meet, Tao Mingzi would know that they were causing trouble and would certainly not return. Instead, he would go and gather the other disciples of Jinling Prefecture to quell the rebellion.

Thinking of this, He Yan immediately became like an ant on a hot pan. He sent people to hunt down Tao Xun while ordering that no more members of the Tao clan be killed, because these people should be kept alive just in case.

Meanwhile, Tao Mingzi, who had already walked halfway, suddenly noticed a familiar figure ahead of him riding the wind. However, the figure was swaying and seemed about to fall from mid-air at any moment.

And then ten more figures appeared behind that figure, and they were catching up at an extremely fast speed.

Upon seeing this, Tao Mingzi hesitated only slightly before rushing forward, and the swaying figure also noticed Tao Mingzi at that moment.

As Tao Mingzi drew closer, Tao Xun finally recognized that the person approaching was none other than his father, Tao Mingzi.

Tao Xun hurriedly shouted, "Father, He Yan has led a rebellion and occupied the cave. Second Uncle, Third Uncle, Second Brother, and Third Brother have all been killed!"

Tao Mingzi was shocked to hear this and hurriedly stepped forward to support the injured Tao Xun. Tao Xun pointed to the people behind him and said, "Father, they are all He Yan's men, here to kill me."

Upon hearing this, Tao Mingzi immediately formed a hand seal. A five-colored spiritual light shone from his body, and then the five elements transformed into a rainbow. With a soft 'poof' sound, it pierced through the heads of nine people, leaving only one person alive, but even that person had his legs and hands pierced through.

Watching the nine corpses fall from the sky, Tao Mingzi grabbed the last person and shouted sternly, "Hengtian Cave has treated you well, why are you causing trouble?"

Although the man had lost his hands and feet, he still spoke defiantly: "You monopolize the secrets of Taoist magic and use them to enslave demons. We are here to seek justice for all living beings."

Tao Mingzi asked, "Who told you to do this?"

“He Yan, he is our leader. Tao Mingzi, your Hengtian Cave has been taken over by Leader He. If you know what’s good for you, you should reveal the secrets of the Five Qi Spirit Circulation Method to the public. That would be doing a good deed for all living beings!” the man said.

Tao Mingzi said coldly, "Do you think you can get the secret if I hand it over? You're too naive."

After saying that, Tao Mingzi shot out a five-colored rainbow from his eyes again, which pierced through the man's head. Tao Mingzi then tossed the body away, and it fell straight down.

Just then, a dense group of figures appeared in the distance. Tao Xun hurriedly said, "Father, this is bad! He Yan's pursuers are here."

Tao Mingzi's face darkened as he looked at the dark mass of pursuers in the night sky, which numbered at least a hundred.

So Tao Mingzi stopped hesitating and didn't return to Hengtian Cave. Instead, he turned around and flew towards Gushan Divine Palace with Tao Xun.

Meanwhile, inside the Wenming Hall of the Gushan Divine Palace.

God Lord Zhao Wuji stood in the hall, behind him were the Chief Clerk of the Divine Palace and the Six Spirit Generals: the Altar-Slaying General, the Temple-Broken General, the Demon-Catching General, the Ghost-Catching General, the Search-and-Kill General, and the Mountain-Patrol General.

With Zhao Wuji at the head, everyone stood there respectfully, not daring to breathe, their gazes solemn and their expressions serious as they looked at the fiery red figure above.

"Tao Mingzi has arrived outside the mountain gate. Patrol General, go and bring him in."

After an unknown amount of time, the fiery red figure above finally spoke, and everyone felt as if they had been granted a pardon. The patrolling general immediately accepted the order and left.

This person was none other than the Fire Spirit Immortal. After instructing the patrolling general, she said to Zhao Wuji, "Lord Zhao, after Tao Mingzi arrives, you can take him into your divine palace. However, your Jinling Prefecture divine palace must not participate in the chaos at Hengtian Cave. Follow my instructions for everything that follows."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Wuji immediately cupped his hands and bowed, saying, "This humble god will humbly obey Your Majesty's decree."

Then Fire Spirit Immortal stood up and said, "You will meet Tao Mingzi here, but don't let anyone know that I'm here. Now arrange a cloud room for me."

Zhao Wuji hurriedly said to the chief clerk of the Divine Palace, "Chief clerk, please quickly lead the way for your son to rest at Xingyun Xiaozhu. Also, send six servants to attend to him and do not neglect him."

The Divine Palace Registrar immediately stepped forward, first accepting the order, then bowing to the Fire Spirit True Immortal and saying, "I respectfully request that you accompany me to the Nebula Cottage for rest."

Fire Spirit Immortal nodded slightly, then descended the steps of the hall. With the respectful bows of Zhao Wuji and the others, he left Wenming Hall with the Divine Palace Registrar and headed towards the best blessed land and Taoist temple in Gushan Divine Palace, 'Nebula Cottage'.

Not long after the Fire Spirit Immortal left, the patrolling general brought Tao Mingzi and his son to Wenming Hall.

Zhao Wuji's pupils contracted as he saw Tao Mingzi helping a young man covered in wounds into the room. The young man was severely injured, his entire body stained with blood.

Tao Mingzi and the other man didn't even care about these things. As soon as they saw Zhao Wuji, they knelt on the ground, kowtowed and said, "Please, God, save my life."

Zhao Wuji quickly stepped forward to help Tao Mingzi up and asked, "Master Tao, what happened?"

Tao Mingzi said sorrowfully, "My disciple He Yan led a rebellion and killed my two younger brothers and two sons. Now he has captured my Hengtian Cave. Only my eldest son Tao Xun has escaped. There are pursuers outside the mountain gate. My son and I have nowhere to go. I beg the Divine Lord to protect our lives."

Zhao Wuji was greatly shocked upon hearing this, and even the Six Spirit Generals beside him widened their eyes. Only now did they finally understand what the Fire Spirit True Immortal meant by the 'Chaos of Hengtian Cave'.

But after the initial shock, Zhao Wuji immediately remembered what the Fire Spirit Immortal had said, and said to Tao Mingzi, "Don't worry, Cave Master Tao, now that you and your son have come to my Gushan God's Mansion, I have a responsibility to protect you."

After saying this, Zhao Wuji said to Tao Mingzi, "Master Tao, go down and treat your son's injuries first. Come see me again tomorrow." Then Zhao Wuji ordered someone to arrange accommodations for Tao Mingzi and his son.

Upon hearing this, Tao Mingzi was immediately filled with gratitude, and bowed with his hands clasped, saying, "Your Majesty is merciful, my father and I are eternally grateful."

Tao Xun, despite his injuries, bowed in gratitude. Zhao Wuji helped the two of them up and then had them taken away. (End of Chapter)