I am a fairy in Journey to the West

Qingtai Town, Jialuo Temple.

Looking at Zhuang Yan and the other two, Nangong Jialuo expressed doubt about their abilities, saying, "Those demons are not something you can deal with."

As Nangong Jialuo spoke, she had her servants bring out wine, milk, and fruit.

While eating the exotic food, Master Four Eyes said, "How do you know we can't handle it if we haven't even fought it?"

Nangong Jialuo said, "The Linjiang Water God has been captured by them. Do you think you can defeat them?"

Upon hearing this, Master Four Eyes sat up straight and asked, "Is that Linjiang Water God very powerful?"

Nangong Jialuo shook his head and said, "Linjiang Water God is an eighth-rank celestial official, but his fighting techniques are not particularly powerful."

Master Four Eyes laughed and said, "That's settled then. Since it's not that powerful, we should at least try it to find out."

Nangong Jialuo said, "Since you insist on going, I will not try to dissuade you. I will say it again: if the three of you can subdue the evil spirit, my Jialuo Daoist Temple is willing to offer a thousand purple coins as a reward."

"Alright," Master Four Eyes said with a smile, "It's a deal."

Master Qianhe then asked, "Lord Nangong, where is that evil spirit now?"

Nangong Jialuo said, "They captured the Linjiang Water God and are now occupying the Linjiang Temple. Go east from Qingtai Town and travel 37 li east to reach Linjiang. The temple is on a small island in the middle of Linjiang."

"Understood." Master Simu looked at Zhuang Yan, then at Master Qianhe, and said, "Shall we go after we finish eating?"

Master Qianhe nodded in agreement, while Zhuang Yan smiled and said, "I'm available anytime."

After a short while, Simu and Qianhe finished their meal and drinks, and the three of them bid farewell to Nangong Jialuo and left Qingtai Town, heading east.

After walking thirty-seven li, they indeed arrived at the bank of a river. The river was surging and flowing, and in the middle of the turbulent waters, there was indeed a small island with a temple on it.

“That’s the Linjiang Temple,” said Daoist Qianhe. “The river is very wide and the current is too swift. I’m afraid our combined magical powers wouldn’t be enough to cross it.”

Master Simu glanced around and spotted a small boat on the shore not far away. "There's a boat over there."

The three walked over, but there was no one guarding the area. So the Taoist priest said, "Let's go by boat first, and then we'll return by boat after we've subdued the evil spirit."

“Okay.” Zhuang Yan and Qian He had no objections, so the three of them untied the rope and rowed the small boat all the way to the island.

"Fellow Daoist Lingtai, how should we fight later?" Daoist Simu asked Zhuang Yan.

Zhuang Yan smiled and said, "Let's see how things go first. Whether we fight or not is another matter."

Master Four Eyes scratched his head and said, "We're already on the island, you're not going to say we won't fight, are you?"

Zhuang Yan said, "If it's a real demon, then we definitely have to fight it. If not, then we'll see how things go."

“Alright,” said Master Four Eyes. “Anyway, Fellow Daoist Lingtai, you are the most capable, so we will listen to you.”

After saying that, the three of them headed straight for Linjiang Water Temple. They were stopped by two shrimp soldiers as soon as they arrived at the temple entrance. "Halt! Who are you?"

Master Si Mu rolled his eyes and immediately cupped his hands, saying, "We have come to pay homage to the Linjiang Water God."

"The water god is not here," said the shrimp soldier on the left. "Come back in a while."

Master Qianhe said, "Then shall we go in and offer incense?"

The shrimp soldier on the right said, "I already said the water god isn't here, so who are you offering incense for? Leave quickly."

After saying this, the two shrimp soldiers came up with their spears to chase people away. When the Taoist priest saw this, he immediately cast a spell to bewitch them. Two beams of light flew to the faces of the two shrimp soldiers and circled around them. The two shrimp soldiers immediately went limp and fainted to the ground.

Zhuang Yan said, "I already said we'd see how things went, why did you take action directly?"

Master Four Eyes said, "I didn't hurt them, I just let them sleep for a while."

Zhuang Yan said, "You're likely to get a beating if you act like this."

But Master Four Eyes said with righteous indignation, "Subduing demons and monsters is our duty. We are not afraid even if we die nine times, let alone being beaten."

After saying that, he held the Wind, Fire and Thunder Pill in both hands and rushed straight into the Linjiang Water Temple.

Seeing this, Daoist Qianhe also drew a green steel sword and rushed in.

Zhuang Yan looked up, then leaped onto the roof of the temple and looked down.

The Four-Eyed Taoist was the first to rush into the temple courtyard, immediately alarming the water palace soldiers inside.

The shrimp soldiers, wielding long spears, the crab soldiers, brandishing iron pincers, the blackfish general, brandishing his knife fiercely, and the crucian carp junior officer, wielding his sword with great speed, surrounded them from all directions.

Upon seeing this, Master Four Eyes shouted, "As expected, it is a demon occupying the divine palace, and has even gathered so many demon sons and grandsons."

After saying that, Master Four Eyes threw the Wind, Fire and Thunder Pills in his hand outwards. The moment the Wind, Fire and Thunder Pills exploded, streaks of lightning surged out.

Seeing this, the shrimp and crab soldiers and the big fish general were all terrified and ran away with their heads in their hands.

Just then, a wisp of smoke suddenly flew out from the temple hall, forming a circle that surrounded the Wind, Fire, Thunder Balls, and the two people, Four Eyes and Thousand Cranes.

The next moment, wind, fire, thunder, lightning, and thunder roared, causing Master Simu and Master Qianhe to scream in agony, their clothes torn and their flesh charred black.

Meanwhile, the shrimp, crab, and fish soldiers on the periphery were unharmed. When the smoke cleared, Si Mu and Qian He lay on the ground, each spitting out a plume of black smoke, their bodies charred black.

"Who dares to cause trouble in the Divine Palace?" A clear shout came from inside the Water Temple's main hall, and the surrounding shrimp and crab soldiers immediately stood at attention.

Then a man dressed in the robe of a ninth-rank immortal official with the "Five Qi Cloud Pattern" walked out and stood on the steps outside the main hall, looking down at Qianhe and Simu.

"Tie him up," the man said, waving his hand dismissively.

Then the surrounding shrimp and crab soldiers swarmed forward, tied up Qianhe and Simu, and brought them in front of the man.

Just as the man was about to ask a question, he suddenly caught a glimpse of someone on the roof to his left. Without saying a word, he raised his hand and fired a wisp of 'Extinction Smoke' at them.

Seeing the Demon-Slaying Smoke drifting towards him in an instant, Zhuang Yan simply blew a breath, and the Demon-Slaying Smoke dissipated in an instant.

The man was taken aback by what he saw and quickly asked, "May I ask who you are, fellow Daoist, and what brings you here?"

Zhuang Yan leaped down and landed on the steps. The shrimp and crab soldiers rushed forward to protect the man.

The man waved his hand and said, "All of you, step back. You can't stop him if he wants to kill me."

After saying this, the man stepped forward, cupped his hands towards Zhuang Yan, and said, "I am Ren Xiaoyao, a divine general of the Zhechong Prefecture of Buzhou Mountain. May I ask your name, fellow Daoist?"

Zhuang Yan smiled and said, "No problem, my Daoist name is Lingtai."

"A fine Daoist name." Ren Xiaoyao gave a thumbs up. "This Daoist name alone exudes a transcendent aura; this Master Lingtai must be no ordinary immortal." Zhuang Yan countered, "No ordinary immortal? Then what kind of immortal is he?"

"Hahaha," Ren Xiaoyao laughed loudly, "Of course, he's no ordinary immortal."

Zhuang Yan: "."

The Taoist priest with four eyes, who had been tied up there, caught his breath and retorted, "What a load of nonsense."

Upon hearing this, Ren Xiaoyao turned his head and pointed at Simu, saying, "Slap him in the face."

With a 'slap slap', a little scallop soldier stepped forward and slapped two scallops across the face of Master Four Eyes, leaving two semi-circular red marks on his cheeks.

Turning back, Ren Xiaoyao smiled again, "Did Daoist Lingtai come with these two?"

Zhuang Yan cupped his hands and said, "Indeed, please release them, General. They are good people."

"Oh? A good person?" Ren Xiaoyao raised an eyebrow and asked, "What makes you say that?"

Zhuang Yan said, "Both of them are disciples of the Daoist sect."

Ren Xiaoyao said, "Are all Daoist disciples good people?" Then, Ren Xiaoyao laughed and said, "It's not that I'm disrespecting Daoist Lingtai, but these two have caused a great disturbance at the temple, which violates the laws of Heaven and must be punished!"

"How should we punish them?" Zhuang Yan asked with a smile.

Ren Xiaoyao said, "Of course it's a fine, one thousand purple coins per person."

"What?" Master Four Eyes and Master Thousand Cranes exclaimed in surprise, "Then you might as well kill us."

Ren Xiaoyao clapped his hands and said, "Alright, then let's kill them."

After saying that, Ren Xiaoyao ordered, "Where is General Black Carp?"

Black Fish General and Carp General stepped forward in response, cupped their hands in greeting, and said, "Your subordinates are here."

Ren Xiaoyao said, "Take these two Taoist priests who caused such a ruckus in the temple out and execute them."

"Yes." The two generals acknowledged the order and led a group of shrimp and crab soldiers to escort Simu and Qianhe out of the temple.

Master Four Eyes cried out urgently, "Master, save me! Master, save me! Master, save me!"

But even after he shouted three times, no divine power from the patriarch descended.

Daoist Qianhe then called out to Zhuang Yan, "Fellow Daoist Lingtai, lend a hand and save him."

Zhuang Yan stopped Ren Xiaoyao and said, "General, please wait. I'll pay for it for them." He then took out two thousand purple coins and handed them over.

Ren Xiaoyao immediately called out to the soldiers, then took the two thousand purple coins, checked them, and put them away with a smile.

"Release them," Ren Xiaoyao said.

The shrimp and crab soldiers immediately released Yomotsu and Chizuru and untied them.

At this moment, Ren Xiaoyao looked at Zhuang Yan and asked, "What are you doing on the island at this time?"

Zhuang Yan smiled and said, "That's a long story. Let me make it short." Then Zhuang Yan told Ren Xiaoyao about the news released by the Jialuo Dojo.

After listening, Ren Xiaoyao said, "What Nangong Jialuo said is not wrong. We have indeed captured Linjiang Water God and sent him to the Western Mountain God Palace."

Zhuang Yan asked in surprise, "The Western Mountain Divine Palace?"

“Yes,” Ren Xiaoyao said. “They are all the righteous gods who submitted memorials opposing the Jiaxu Decree. The decree of the Grand Master of Fate has sent them all to the Western Mountain God Palace for punishment.”

Master Four Eyes couldn't help but say, "Submitting a memorial is the right of celestial officials and deities. This person was merely opposing a law and speaking their mind. Is that a crime?"

Ren Xiaoyao laughed and said, "It is not a crime to submit a memorial opposing the Jiaxu Decree. The problem is that they overstepped the boundaries of the Mortal Realm Jade Palace and submitted a memorial to the Divine Firmament Jade Palace without authorization. This violates the Heavenly Law, so they must be punished."

After saying that, Ren Xiaoyao waved to Simu and Qianhe and said, "I will not pursue the matter of your disturbance in the Divine Palace this time. Leave here quickly and do not come back."

Si Mu and Qian He exchanged a glance. They really couldn't control this matter, and besides, the person in question wasn't some kind of demon or evil spirit, but a legitimate divine general.

After a moment, Si Mu looked at Zhuang Yan and said, "Then, Fellow Daoist Lingtai, let's go."

"He's not leaving yet," Ren Xiaoyao said with a smile. "You two can go."

The two Taoist priests, one with four eyes and the other with two eyes, narrowed their eyes and immediately asked, "What does the Divine General mean by this?"

"Hahaha," Ren Xiaoyao laughed, "What do you mean? Of course, I'm inviting Fellow Daoist Lingtai to dinner. Do you think I'd detain him?"

Zhuang Yan also smiled and said, "Fellow Daoists, please go ahead. There's no need to worry about me." As he spoke, he handed the jade bone fan in his hand to Daoist Simu, saying, "Fellow Daoist Simu, please keep this fan safe."

Upon hearing this, Master Four Eyes realized that he might have to part ways with Zhuang Yan. He then put his fan into his sleeve and said, "Alright, Fellow Daoist Lingtai, please be careful."

Master Qianhe also cupped his hands and said, "Take care, fellow Daoist."

Zhuang Yan cupped his hands and said, "Take care, both of you."

After saying goodbye, the two turned and left, and soon after, they rowed away from the island in a small boat.

After the two left, Zhuang Yan asked Ren Xiaoyao, "Why did you keep me here?"

Ren Xiaoyao smiled and said, "My 'Destroying Law Smoke' is a magic bestowed by the Great Emperor of Shenxiao. Fellow Daoist was able to blow it away with a single breath, which shows that you have extraordinary cultivation. I wonder if you would be willing to serve my Chenhuan Jade Palace? I can introduce you to it."

Upon hearing this, Zhuang Yan's face immediately lit up with a smile. "You want to recruit me?"

“Indeed,” Ren Xiaoyao said. “Following my Divine Emperor, I guarantee you a bright future. If you are willing, I will take you to see my Grand Commandant immediately.”

Upon hearing this, Zhuang Yan immediately asked, "Grand Commandant Chi Ling? Where is she?"

Ren Xiaoyao said, "We will stay at Zhenyue Mountain."

“Mount Zhenyue? That seems to be a mountain in the south of the Vedic kingdom,” Zhuang Yan said.

“Indeed, it’s not far from here,” Ren Xiaoyao said. “If you’re willing, we can set off this afternoon.”

Zhuang Yan said, "Alright, let's go take a look then, but what about here?"

Ren Xiaoyao laughed and said, "I'm almost done here. Linjiang Water God has been captured. I'm just staying in Linjiang Water Palace to clean up the mess, seal up some important files and records, and close the Water Palace. I'll continue to take charge after Linjiang Water God returns from his punishment."

Zhuang Yan nodded and said, "Alright, then I'll listen to the Divine General."

After completing the final work at Linjiang Water Mansion, Ren Xiaoyao and Zhuang Yan set off from Vedic Kingdom, heading towards True Moon Mountain. (End of Chapter)