I am a fairy in Journey to the West

Zhuang Yan helped the little girl up from the ground, and the little girl just knelt on the ground and kept kowtowing to Zhuang Yan.

Zhuang Yan laughed and said, "There's no need for that. Go home now."

The little girl shook her head and said, "I have no home. My mother died long ago. Sir, please take me in. I am willing to be your slave."

In Brahmanism, Dalits are considered untouchables, not regarded as 'human beings', and can be trampled upon at will.

"Where is your father?" Zhuang Yan asked.

The little girl was stunned, and asked in return, "What is a father?"

At this moment, a man next to her said, "Sir, she has no father. We commoners are treated like dirt. Her mother was raped by several other Dalits and gave birth to her."

At this point, the man looked at the little girl again, a strange smile appearing on his face, and said, "She will have the same fate in the future."

The little girl was clearly frightened when she heard this. She hugged herself and looked up at Zhuang Yan.

Zhuang Yan smiled and said to the little girl, "Come with me."

After saying that, Zhuang Yan turned around and left. The little girl quickly followed him.

Seeing this, the Dalit man showed no emotion, only saying, "He didn't cultivate good karma in his past life, so he was born a lowly person in this life. This is fate; how can it be changed?"

Zhuang Yan led the little girl out of the slum, but soon a group of people surrounded them.

"Untouchables are not allowed to walk in the middle of the road."

"The lowest of the low cannot walk with their backs straight."

"Untouchables are not allowed to look straight ahead."

The little girl was so frightened that she quickly bent down and walked to the side of the road, not daring to look up at people. Seeing this, Zhuang Yan took out a handful of copper coins from his sleeve and scattered them on the street.

In an instant, those who had been cursing the little girl all crawled on the ground to pick up the copper coins. In the struggle, they even got into a verbal argument and fought over a single copper coin.

At this moment, Zhuang Yan pulled the little girl to the middle of the road and pointed at the people fighting fiercely on the ground for copper coins, saying, "These are the real lowly people."

After saying that, he led the little girl forward, but as soon as they passed through the chaotic crowd, they were stopped by two samurai.

Upon seeing the two warriors, the little girl's face changed drastically, and she quickly knelt on the ground.

Zhuang Yan pulled her up, but her small body remained limp, and she said in a panic, "Sir, they are noble Kshatriyas."

As soon as they finished speaking, the two noble Kshatriyas lowered their heads and said to Zhuang Yan, "Sir, the city lord invites you."

Zhuang Yan said, "Lead the way."

"Yes." The two warriors respectfully accepted the order, then turned around and led the way with long whips in hand. Any Vaishyas or Shudras who accidentally blocked their path would be whipped without hesitation.

The little girl looked on incredulously at what she saw. Zhuang Yan said to her, "Follow me."

The little girl quickly followed, staying close behind Zhuang Yan. At this moment, no one dared to jump out and scold her anymore, because the two Kshatriyas in front were clearing the way, and no one dared to get within three steps, let alone speak loudly.

Soon they arrived at the outside of a magnificent mansion. They walked in unimpeded, passing through numerous flower gardens and halls, and arrived at an extremely luxurious and grand living room.

A lavish banquet had been laid out in the living room, decorated with gold and silver everywhere, so dazzling that the little girl couldn't open her eyes.

She had never seen such a magnificent house, such a sumptuous feast, such delicious food. She was stunned, as if she were in paradise.

A burst of laughter soon woke the little girl. She looked up and saw a richly dressed middle-aged man walking in, surrounded by a group of attendants.

Two warriors quickly stepped forward to report, and the middle-aged man nodded and turned to look at Zhuang Yan.

When he saw the little girl behind Zhuang Yan, he couldn't help but frown.

The next moment, a servant rushed forward with a fierce look on his face and shouted at the little girl, "How dare a lowly commoner come to the city lord's mansion?"

After saying that, the servant drew his sword and stepped forward. Zhuang Yan said calmly, "She is someone I brought with me."

The servant immediately stopped speaking, stood still, and turned to look at the middle-aged man.

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man laughed loudly, waved his servant away, and then stepped forward, bowing to Zhuang Yan and saying, "I am the city lord of this city. I was unaware of your arrival, sir. Please forgive my lack of hospitality."

Zhuang Yan smiled and said, "I'm afraid the city lord didn't invite me here for this matter, did he?"

"Hahaha." The city lord laughed and said, "Sir, you are a man of few words. It is true that one of my sons has unfortunately offended you and has been punished. I have invited you to this banquet to apologize to you."

Zhuang Yan nodded and said, "Then please have the city lord bring your son over so I can take a look at him."

Upon hearing this, the city lord said, "Sir, won't you have some food first?"

Zhuang Yan pointed to the little girl and said, "Just let her eat it."

The city lord was taken aback upon hearing this, then suddenly realized what was happening and quickly said to the servants around him, "What are you all standing there for? Serve this young lady to take her seat and have her meal."

The servants quickly got to work. Although the little girl was filthy and smelly and had never been bathed, these servants, under the weight of power, overcame the caste hierarchy and hurriedly lifted the little girl onto the table to serve her a meal.

The little girl glanced at Zhuang Yan in front of her with a look of panic, then her eyes were drawn to the gorgeous food in front of her. After that, she had no time to pay attention to anything else and began to wolf down the food.

At this moment, several servants carried over a wooden couch and placed it in the small courtyard outside the living room. Er Hui was lying on the couch, suffering terrible torture.

Zhuang Yan looked closely and saw that Er Hui's entire head was rotten and oozing yellow pus. His feet had rotted up to his knees, making him look extremely foul and terrifying.

When Er Hui opened his eyes, he saw Zhuang Yan and pleaded with trembling lips, "Immortal, please forgive me, Immortal, save me."

Seeing his son in such a miserable state, the city lord bowed to Zhuang Yan and said, "Please, Immortal, have mercy and forgive my rebellious son's offense. I am willing to offer 100,000 coins as a tribute to the Immortal."

Zhuang Yan smiled and said, "To break the curse on your son, the city lord must do a good deed."

Upon hearing this, the city lord hurriedly asked, "May I ask, Immortal, what good deed is it?"

Zhuang Yan pointed at the little girl and said, "For all children of low social status under the age of twelve in the city, as long as the city lord grants them the privilege of being freed from their lowly status, the curse on your son will be lifted."

Upon hearing this, the city lord immediately frowned and said, "Immortal, caste is innate. These lowly people did not cultivate good karma in their previous lives, which is why they are lowly in this life."

Zhuang Yan asked with a smile, "Really?"

The city lord's face stiffened, then he revealed a slightly awkward smile.

“Father,” Er Hui said weakly, “please grant the request of the immortal.”

The city lord sighed, then said to Zhuang Yan, "Immortal, this matter is of great importance. May I handle it in my own way?"

Zhuang Yan laughed and said, "As long as the children are not harmed, any method is acceptable."

Upon hearing this, the city lord breathed a sigh of relief. He then immediately summoned a warrior and ordered the eight city patrol offices to arrest all uncivilized people under the age of twelve within the jurisdiction of Dani City and detain them outside the city. However, he was strictly forbidden from beating or harming these uncivilized people.

Upon receiving the order, the eight city patrol offices immediately dispatched the Shudra troops to arrest untouchables under the age of twelve and then send them to be imprisoned outside the city of Dani.

Then the prison camp was taken over by the warriors of the city lord's mansion, and the patrol officers didn't know what they were going to do with these lowly people.

But soon after, all the untouchables under the age of twelve disappeared. However, a village soon appeared north of Dani, and the village was full of Shudra villagers under the age of twelve.

Including the little girl Zhuang Yan brought out of the slums, who was the village chief. As those lowly people were freed from their status, the curse on Er Hui immediately disappeared, and he recovered quickly without leaving a single scar.

This confirmed Zhuang Yan's status as an immortal. The entire city lord's mansion treated him as an honored guest, showing him the same respect one would show a Brahmin.

"Your method of asceticism is immoral," Zhuang Yan said to Er Hui. "It's unacceptable."

Er Hui hurriedly said, "What the immortal says is true, but I have already cultivated diligently for ten years. Are these ten years just going to be wasted?"

Zhuang Yan laughed and said, "Why don't you try my method of asceticism?"

"Oh?" Er Hui's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he bowed deeply, saying, "Please enlighten me, Immortal."

Zhuang Yan said, "If you can do one good deed every day, regardless of your social status, you may reap rewards in time."

Upon hearing this, Er Hui seemed to understand something and asked, "Does the immortal mean that I should do good deeds without distinguishing between castes?"

"Yes," Zhuang Yan nodded.

After a moment's thought, Er Hui bowed and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Immortal. I will begin to diligently cultivate according to your methods from this day forward."

Zhuang Yan smiled and said, "Well, I wish you success soon. I'm leaving now."

Er Hui was taken aback by these words and hurriedly asked, "Where is the immortal going?"

Zhuang Yan said, "I will travel to all corners of the world."

Er Hui then asked, "Will I be able to see the immortal again in the future?"

Zhuang Yan smiled and said, "It's up to fate."

Zhuang Yan left, appearing and disappearing like a gentle breeze.

Shortly after Zhuang Yan left Dani City, a Tang army stormed into the border of Vedic Kingdom, conquering cities and territories as if they were nothing.

Ten months later, the capital of Vedic kingdoms was captured by the Tang army, and the king fled with his family, plunging Vedic kingdoms into chaos.

Fortunately, the Tang army did not linger. After conquering the Vedic kingdom and emptying its treasury of rare treasures, they left.

Later, when the king of Vedic Kingdom returned to the capital and investigated, he discovered that it was actually a Tang army that was on its way to India. When it passed through the border of Vedic Kingdom, one of the Tang soldiers was attacked by the Vedic border guards.

So the Tang general Wang Xuance marched directly into Vedic Kingdom and looted all the rare treasures accumulated there.

After investigating the matter thoroughly, the Vedic king, in a fit of rage, killed the troublemaking border general and sent envoys to pay homage to the Tang Dynasty.

On this day, Zhuang Yan arrived at a winery in a small town in the southeast of Vedic Kingdom. As soon as he entered, he heard a man with a Tang Dynasty accent speaking: "Our Tang Dynasty is truly the best! Ten thousand infantrymen swept through the entire Vedic Kingdom. Your army of over 500,000 couldn't stop them and collapsed at the first touch. You are simply a rabble."

The winery's owner and guests were all from Vedic countries, and no one objected to this statement; instead, they all wore a slight smile.

This time, Wang Xuance led 10,000 infantrymen to break through the Vedic kingdom, forcing the king to abandon the capital and flee. This battle completely stunned the entire Vedic kingdom.

In the past, they boasted that they were the largest country in Xiniu Hezhou, with an army of 500,000 and their military power was extremely strong.

Yet this proud army of 500,000 men offered no resistance whatsoever to the 10,000 infantrymen of the Tang Dynasty. They were routed in a single charge, crushing the backbone of the Vedic people.

Now, any Vedic citizen who sees someone from the Tang Dynasty on the street, even if they are a Kshatriya, will automatically feel inferior to that Tang person.

After this battle, any Tang Dynasty person who came to the Vedic Kingdom would be considered a Brahmin, a person of the highest social standing.

So no matter how much the Tang people mocked the Vedic countries, the Vedic people present could only respond with smiles.

Zhuang Yan turned his head and saw that the Tang man was wearing a gray-white Taoist robe, with his hair tied up with a hairpin and a gourd hanging from his waist. He was actually a Taoist priest.

Zhuang Yan stepped forward, and the people around him, seeing his attire and realizing that another Tang person had arrived, quickly made way for him.

The Taoist priest noticed Zhuang Yan at this moment, and a smile immediately appeared on his drunken face: "Oh, a fellow townsman, may I ask where you are from, brother?"

Zhuang Yan cupped his hands and said, "I am from Chang'an, and my Daoist name is Lingtai."

"Oh?" The Taoist priest was slightly surprised and said, "You are also a cultivator?"

Zhuang Yan nodded and said, "That's right."

Upon hearing this, the Taoist priest immediately stood up straight, bowed, and said, "I am a disciple of the Shangqing School of Maoshan. Everyone calls me 'Master Four-Eyes'."

Zhuang Yan asked in surprise, "Four eyes?"

Master Four Eyes smiled slightly, then formed a hand seal. A flash of light appeared on his forehead, and a pair of spiritual eyes appeared below his eyes.

A moment later, the Four-Eyed Taoist withdrew his magic power, and the pair of spiritual eyes disappeared instantly.

"I was born with a pair of eyes that can ward off evil, so everyone calls me Master Four-Eyes." After saying this, Master Four-Eyes quickly invited Zhuang Yan to sit down.

After Zhuang Yan took his seat, Master Simu poured him a cup of wine and asked, "Fellow Daoist Lingtai, are you also here in this Vedic country to capture demons?"

Zhuang Yan shook his head and said, "I am a wanderer who has come here."

"Oh." Master Four Eyes nodded and continued, "We've come to capture demons. Cultivation has been difficult these past years, and the chance of becoming an immortal is slim. We've also heard that there are many demons in Xiniu Hezhou, so we've come together to enter Xiniu Hezhou to subdue demons and accumulate more merit."

Zhuang Yan asked, "You?"

Master Four Eyes laughed and said, “I am accompanied by Master Thousand Crane of the Divine Firmament Sect. However, all Taoist sects under heaven are one family, so we will count from the time we entered the sect and address each other as fellow disciples.”

At this point, Master Four Eyes glanced outside and said, "I arranged to meet him here. Judging by the time, he should be arriving soon."

Upon hearing this, Zhuang Yan nodded slightly and said, "I see."

At this moment, Master Four Eyes asked Zhuang Yan again, "I wonder which sect or school Fellow Daoist Lingtai belongs to? What kind of Daoist practices do you cultivate?"

Zhuang Yan smiled and said, "I am a rogue cultivator, and I have some knowledge of various methods."

"Oh?" Master Four Eyes asked, "Do you know the art of divination?"

Zhuang Yan said, "I know a little. What do you want to calculate, fellow Daoist?"

Master Four Eyes said, "If you can calculate, please help me see if Fellow Daoist Qianhe is arriving soon. We agreed to meet here at 7 PM, and it's almost 9 PM now."

Zhuang Yan laughed upon hearing this, "This is a trivial matter; let me calculate it."

As he spoke, Zhuang Yan closed his eyes, raised his hand, and made a calculation with his fingers. The next moment, he opened his eyes and said, "I've figured it out."

"So fast?!" Master Four Eyes was taken aback, then quickly asked, "Where is Fellow Daoist Qianhe now?"

Zhuang Yan said, "He seems to be in some trouble. He's been blocked by a great demon in a place called Chestnut Slope."

"Ah?!" Upon hearing this, Master Four Eyes immediately stood up, took out a tael of silver from his sleeve, slapped it on the table, and turned to walk outside. "I'm going to help him!"

Seeing this, Zhuang Yan also stood up and said, "Wait a minute, I'll go with you, fellow Daoist."

Master Four Eyes turned and glanced at Zhuang Yan, then smiled and nodded. The two then left the winery together, heading straight for Chestnut Slope under the moonlight. (End of Chapter)