I am a fairy in Journey to the West

On this day, the mountain guardian deity of Buzhou Mountain, Mosquito Taoist, discovered a person kneeling on the sacred path at the foot of the mountain. He was very puzzled, so he flew down.

Nangong Jialuo only saw a divine light fly down from the mountain and land in front of her, transforming into a thin Taoist priest.

As Nangong Jialuo hesitated, Mosquito Taoist spoke up, "I am Mosquito Taoist, the guardian deity of the mountain. Who are you from? Why are you kneeling here?"

Upon hearing that it was the guardian deity, Nangong Jialuo immediately kowtowed and said, "Nangong Jialuo, a cultivator from Xiniu Hezhou, pays respects to the guardian deity. Please allow me, deity, that I have come here on behalf of my friend, the water god Linjiang."

After saying this, Nangong Jialuo told Mosquito Daoist the purpose of her visit.

After listening, Mosquito Taoist said, "You mean you came to Buzhou Mountain to see the Grand Master of Fate and plead for your friend, the Water God Lin Jiang?"

"Indeed." Nangong Jialuo bowed and said, "Please convey my message, Divine General. I am deeply grateful."

Mosquito Taoist's gaze swept over Nangong Jialuo, noticing her tattered clothes and haggard face. He asked, "How long did it take you to travel from Xiniu Hezhou to Buzhou Mountain?"

Nangong Jialuo said, "It took two months by land and three months by sea, so it took about five months in total."

“It is no easy feat for a mere mortal like you to have traveled this far in five months,” said Mosquito Daoist.

Nangong Jialuo said, "Fortunately, I had the help of many fellow Daoists along the way, which enabled me to cross the continent and the sea and see the majestic sacred mountain."

Mosquito Taoist nodded, then pointed behind him to the towering Mount Buzhou and said, "Since that's the case, then climb the mountain. If you can reach the top of Mount Buzhou, someone will inform you."

Nangong Jialuo looked up and saw that Mount Buzhou was towering into the clouds, with a mountain path winding upwards like a dragon's spine reaching straight into the sky.

Nangong Jialuo swallowed a mouthful of saliva, then bowed to the Mosquito Taoist in thanks, and then resolutely got up and walked towards the entrance of the mountain path.

Upon seeing this, Mosquito Taoist's eyes flashed slightly, and he transformed into a divine light and flew up Mount Buzhou.

Climbing Buzhou Mountain is different from ordinary mountain climbing. How high is Buzhou Mountain? It reaches the heavens. How big is Buzhou Mountain? It occupies one-third of the land area of ​​Zhongshan Haizhou.

Such a high and large sacred mountain possesses immense divine power, and the process of climbing it is no different from ascending to heaven.

As difficult as it is for mortals to ascend to heaven, it is just as difficult to climb Mount Buzhou.

Although Nangong Jialuo is a cultivator, as long as he has not yet become an immortal, he is just a mortal with a physical body.

Despite this, Nangong Jialuo still managed to climb Mount Buzhou in just one month and six days, by which time she had completely changed her appearance.

Looking at Nangong Jialuo, who was covered in black and lay like a dried corpse in front of the mountain gate, Mosquito Taoist said to the boys coming from the waiting platform, "Take her to the waiting platform to rest."

The boys acknowledged the order and carried Nangong Jialuo to the waiting platform.

Upon hearing about this, Lu Hanzhi personally came to check on Nangong Jialuo's condition. At this time, Nangong Jialuo was barely clinging to life, relying entirely on her willpower to stay afloat.

Lu Hanzhi immediately went to Yuhuan Tower to apply for some elixirs to heal injuries and replenish vital energy. After returning, she had the servants feed them to Nangong Jialuo. Then she personally went to report to the Fire Spirit Immortal.

Upon hearing the news, Huo Ling Zhenxian began to look at Nangong Jialuo in a new light and said to Lu Hanzhi, "Bring her to see me after she recovers."

Lu Hanzhi bowed and said, "Yes."

Five or six days later, under the care of the children at the waiting platform, Nangong Jialuo's body recovered slightly, and she at least regained her human form.

At her request, Lu Hanzhi took her to the Fire Spirit Palace to meet the Fire Spirit Immortal, who then summoned Nangong Jialuo to the Three Talents Hall.

"Nangong Jialuo, a cultivator from Xiniu Hezhou, pays his respects to the Grand Master of Fate." Nangong Jialuo prostrated himself on the ground and bowed.

The Fire Spirit Immortal's gaze swept over her and noticed that she only had one arm, with her right arm empty. So he asked, "Where is your right arm?"

Nangong Jialuo replied, "Reporting to the Grand Master of Fate, on the way to Buzhou Mountain, while crossing the sea by boat, we encountered a storm and a fish demon in the sea bit off my right arm."

Fire Spirit Immortal then asked, "What is your relationship with Linjiang Water God?"

Nangong Jialuo said, "Reporting to the Grand Master of Fate, I am friends with the Linjiang Water God."

Fire Spirit Immortal said calmly, "Just friends? Nothing more?"

Nangong Jialuo said solemnly, "Great Master of Fate, the mortal woman and Linjiang Water God have long been close friends. We have known each other for many years and there is absolutely no ambiguous or sordid relationship between us."

Fire Spirit Immortal asked, "Friend, can you really do that?"

Nangong Jialuo said, "A true friend is one who entrusts his life to someone, and would not hesitate to die for them in times of crisis."

Fire Spirit Immortal nodded slightly and asked, "Do you wish to seek justice for Lin Jiang, the Water God?"

Nangong Jialuo shook her head and said, "This mortal woman does not understand the laws of Heaven. Since the Grand Master of Destiny has determined the crime, there must be a law to follow. How can there be any injustice? This mortal woman only came here to beg the Grand Master of Destiny to show leniency because she could not bear to see her friend suffer such severe punishment."

After saying this, Nangong Jialuo kept kowtowing to the Fire Spirit Immortal.

Seeing her like this, Fire Spirit Immortal asked Lu Hanzhi, "Has Liu Yan set off yet?"

Liu Yan is currently the head of the Heavenly Law Academy of the Jade Palace of the Mortal Realm, so he is the one who carries the imperial edict to the Western Mountain Divine Palace to supervise the execution.

Lu Hanzhi said, "They have already set off."

Fire Spirit Immortal nodded, then said to a boy in the hall, "Go to the General's Office and summon a divine general to see me."

The boy acknowledged the order, then turned and left the Sancai Hall. Soon after, he arrived at the Sancai Hall with General Tianwu.

General Tianwu, clad in golden armor and helmet, exuding divine might, strode forward and bowed, saying, "This humble general, Tianwu, pays his respects to the Grand Master of Fate."

The Fire Spirit Immortal issued a decree and delivered it to General Tianwu, saying, "General Tianwu, take this decree to Xiniu Hezhou, catch up with Liu Yan, the head of the Heavenly Law Academy, and order him to pardon Lin Jiangshui, the Water God, from the punishment of being beaten with a rod, and only punish him with a three-year salary deduction."

General Tianwu accepted the imperial edict, hesitated for a moment, and then bowed to receive the order.

Fire Spirit Immortal asked, "What questions do you have?"

General Tianwu said, "Great Master of Fate, I have a question: if only Lin Jiang, the Water God, is pardoned, won't the other officials say that you are enforcing the law unfairly?"

Fire Spirit Immortal smiled faintly, not answering General Tianwu's question, but instead said to Nangong Jialuo: "Nangong Jialuo, you are willing to travel through mountains and rivers, disregarding all the dangers along the way, and risk your life to come to Buzhou Mountain to plead for your friend. You are truly a man of great righteousness. Such virtue is rare in the world and deserves to be praised."

After speaking, the Fire Spirit Immortal issued an edict: "By imperial decree, cultivator Nangong Jialuo is of noble character and righteousness. He traveled far and wide to save his dear friend, braving hardships and dangers, which is truly moving. As the Jade Palace of the Mortal Realm, which holds power over the human world, we should commend his virtue to encourage all living beings. Therefore, cultivator Nangong Jialuo is hereby conferred the title of 'Marquis of Righteousness,' granted the honor of a ninth-rank official in the Lower Realm, and awarded ten thousand purple coins, as decreed."

The scribe below the Fire Spirit Immortal quickly drafted an edict, and the Fire Spirit Immortal then said to Lu Hanzhi: "Disseminate this edict and the deeds of Nangong Jialuo to all the major and minor deities of the four continents, and order each deity to proclaim her virtues in order to educate all living beings."

Lu Hanzhi bowed and accepted the order, saying, "As you command."

General Tianwu then realized that the Fire Spirit Immortal wanted to establish Nangong Jialuo as a model of righteousness in order to educate the masses.

After understanding, General Tianwu no longer had any doubts. He bid farewell to the True Immortal Huoling and left the Three Talents Hall, departing from Huoling Palace for Xiniuhezhou.

Nangong Jialuo was somewhat bewildered. She was overjoyed to hear that the Fire Spirit Immortal had spared Lin Jiangshui from the punishment of the Water God, and repeatedly kowtowed to the Fire Spirit Immortal in gratitude.

But when she heard that the Fire Spirit Immortal had bestowed upon her the title of Marquis of Zhaoyi and a ninth-rank immortal official, she became somewhat confused.

Soon, Nangong Jialuo kowtowed in fear and trepidation, saying, "I am but a mortal woman who has not accomplished anything and whose virtue is not evident. How dare I accept the decree of the Grand Master of Destiny? I am already deeply grateful to the Grand Master of Destiny for his mercy in sparing my dear friend from punishment. How could I possibly accept this title of Marquis of Zhaoyi? Please, Grand Master of Destiny, rescind your decree."

The Fire Spirit Immortal said, "What I am praising is your righteousness. You are not receiving rewards without merit. Your righteousness is a contribution to heaven and earth."

After saying that, the Fire Spirit Immortal waved his sleeve and said, "Go and continue to rest. Once you are fully recovered, I will send a divine general to escort you back to Xiniu Hezhou."

Nangong Jialuo wanted to continue declining, but seeing that Huoling Zhenxian wouldn't give her the chance, she could only swallow her words and bow her head, saying, "Thank you, Grand Master of Fate."

The story of Nangong Jialuo quickly spread throughout Xiniu Hezhou, simply because the officials who had been punished returned and spread the word.

They originally wanted to criticize the Fire Spirit Immortal for his unfair enforcement of the law, but after the matter spread, everyone, whether immortals, demons, or mortals, praised Nangong Jialuo highly.

This made the immortal officials who had been punished very indignant. It was clearly an injustice in the enforcement of the law, so why was everyone praising the Fire Spirit Immortal for his wisdom?
"He traveled far and wide for his friend, braving thorns and brambles to plead for him at Buzhou Mountain. He even lost an arm in the process. This is what true loyalty and righteousness are all about."

"Indeed, this Fire Spirit High Priest is truly wise; such a person deserves to be rewarded!"

"That's right. If we don't reward people like this, are we going to reward those who stab their friends in the back or sleep with their friends' wives?"

Zhuang Yan sat in the wine shop, listening to the discussions around him. Almost no one said that the Fire Spirit True Immortal had made a mistake in bestowing the title upon Nangong Jialuo.

Although Nangong Jialuo was a Brahmanical monk, people have their own judgment on right and wrong, and they will not deny you just because you belong to a certain religion.

Of course, some people had doubts, but these voices were quickly drowned out by other opinions.

From then on, storytellers in the martial arts world had another mythical tale: the cultivator Nangong Jialuo traveled thousands of miles and endured countless hardships to Buzhou Mountain to plead for his friend, who was a deity, so as to prevent him from being punished. In the end, he not only spared his friend from punishment but also received a reward from the Great Master of Fate.

This incident immediately attracted the attention of the Brahmanical gods.

The sight of Namkara by Shiva, one of the Triads, was widely praised by the beings of Aparagodaniya, and he immediately realized that this was a great opportunity.

So Shiva sent his wife Parvati to earth to take Naggara as his disciple, and bestowed upon her the arts of cultivation, elixirs, and magical treasures.

Then, Brahmanism established Nangong Jialuo as a role model for humanity, which greatly increased the fame of Brahmanism and attracted the faith and belief of many beings in Xiniuhezhou.

"Sigh, I wish I could have received those ten thousand purple coins as a reward."

Just as everyone in the tavern was discussing Nangong Jialuo's loyalty, someone next to Zhuang Yan let out a soft sigh.

Zhuang Yan turned his head and saw that it was a young man, so he asked, "Are you short of money?"

The young man carried a sword on his back, wore a hemp robe, had his hair tied up with a wooden hairpin, and had a handsome face. When he heard Zhuang Yan ask this question, he said, "It's none of your business."

Zhuang Yan smiled and said, "Perhaps I have a way?"

"You?" The young man looked Zhuang Yan up and down, then sneered, "You have ten thousand purple coins?" Zhuang Yan smiled and said, "Even if I don't have them myself, it doesn't mean I can't get ten thousand purple coins."

Upon hearing this, the young man glanced at Zhuang Yan a few more times, then asked, "Can you really get ten thousand purple coins?"

Zhuang Yan said, "I have a way, but you have to tell me, what do you need these ten thousand purple coins for?"

The young man said, "Hey, I have a brother who has a fiancée, but her father is asking for a dowry of 30,000 purple coins."

Zhuang Yan was greatly surprised after hearing this and said, "Who is this person? Why would he ask for a dowry of 30,000 purple coins? Even a fourth-rank celestial official in the Heavenly Court only earns 40,000 purple coins a year. How can he ask for 30,000?"

The young man said, "That woman is the daughter of the mountain god of Pingqing Mountain. The mountain god of Pingqing Mountain is a seventh-rank immortal official. With his family's power, it is not unreasonable for him to ask for a dowry of 30,000. However, he only has 8,000 purple coins after emptying his pockets. He has to borrow from all sides to get another 10,000. I have saved 2,000 over the years, but I am still short 10,000."

After the young man finished speaking, he looked at Zhuang Yan and said, "Brother, do you really have connections? Don't lie to me. If I lie to you, I'll draw my sword and not let you off the hook."

"Hahaha." Zhuang Yan laughed loudly upon hearing this, and then said to the young man, "Go to Sanhua Temple outside the city tomorrow morning to find me, and then you will know whether I am telling the truth or not."

The young man's face lit up with joy upon hearing this. He picked up his wine bowl and said, "Alright, it's a deal then. Come, let me toast you, brother."

Zhuang Yan picked up his wine bowl and drank it with him. After putting down the bowl, the young man asked, "By the way, my name is Zhu Qingqiu. How should I address you, brother?"

Zhuang Yan said, "My Daoist name is Lingtai."

“Alright, Fellow Daoist Lingtai, let’s meet at Sanhua Nunnery tomorrow.” After saying that, Zhu Qingqiu stood up and said as he walked away, “Manager, I’ll pay for this brother’s drinks.”

The shopkeeper ran over, glanced at Zhuang Yan's table, and then smiled, "Honored guest, a total of ten purple coins."

"What?!" Zhu Qingqiu was stunned. He looked up carefully at the wine shop in front of him and exclaimed, "What kind of wine costs ten purple coins? My wine only costs one tael of silver."

Purple coins and silver are not the same thing; a single purple coin is priceless in the human world.

Seeing Zhu Qingqiu get angry, the shopkeeper quickly smiled and said, "Honorable guest, please don't be angry. The wine that guest drank was a spirit wine that our master obtained from the immortals in the mountains. It is not an ordinary wine, so it is worth ten purple coins."

"Are you kidding me? If it were really spirit wine, wouldn't your master be keeping it to himself and drinking it slowly?" Zhu Qingqiu said.

The shopkeeper explained, "Honorable guest, you may not know this, but this spirit wine was entrusted to my master by the immortal in the mountains to be sold on his behalf. My master naturally has some to drink, but what's here is all for sale, sold on behalf of that immortal."

Zhu Qingqiu, still somewhat skeptical, walked over to Zhuang Yan, picked up the wine bowl she had just drunk from, and said, "Pour me a bowl; I want to see if it's really as you say."

Zhuang Yan laughed heartily and, without being stingy, poured a bowl of wine for Zhu Qingqiu.

Zhu Qingqiu drank the bowl of spiritual wine in one gulp. He felt a refreshing sweetness as it went down his throat, and then a surge of spiritual energy rushed to his head, making him tremble with pleasure and his face was full of comfort and joy.

The shopkeeper smiled and said, "Well, esteemed guest, I didn't lie, did I?"

Zhu Qingqiu didn't question it further, but muttered, "We haven't even made any money yet, and we're already spending it."

However, he was not stingy. He took out ten purple coins and handed them to the shopkeeper, then bowed to Zhuang Yan and took his leave.

Zhuang Yan left the tavern and went out of the city, eventually arriving at the Sanhua Nunnery outside the city.

As the saying goes, a temple is a monastery for monks and a nunnery is a place for nuns. Zhuang Yan followed the road outside the city and arrived at the Sanhua Nunnery.

It was the dead of winter, the twelfth lunar month, and heavy snow was falling from the sky. The snow on the ground was a foot thick, and if you stepped on it, you would make a hole in the snow.

Amidst the pure white expanse of the world, a cluster of bright red blossoms appeared atop the wall of Sanhua Nunnery. It was a plum blossom in full bloom, quietly peeking over the wall.

Zhuang Yan was admiring the plum blossoms outside the temple when, unexpectedly, the plum blossom was blown by the wind.

A moment later, a clear, cold voice came from inside the temple gate, "Who's outside?"

A moment later, the temple gate creaked open, and two young nuns came out first.

After the two young nuns left, a cool and aloof woman with her hair tied up and wearing a plain white monk's robe came out.

Zhuang Yan looked closely and saw that the two young nuns had already shaved their heads and were wearing monk's hats, but this woman had her black hair tied up high and there was no trace of shaving her head.

Zhuang Yan smiled and said, "I'm admiring the plum blossoms."

As he spoke, Zhuang Yan pointed to the plum blossom that stretched out over the wall.

The woman frowned and said, "Sanhua Nunnery is a pure Buddhist place and does not welcome worldly guests. Please leave immediately."

Zhuang Yan found this strange and asked, "If you live in the secular world, why don't you welcome guests from the secular world?"

The woman said, "The world is full of complicated emotions and filth, and I fear it will pollute my pure place."

Zhuang Yan waved his hand and laughed, "I am clean and won't pollute your pure place. I'm just here to admire the plum blossoms, and I'll leave when I'm done."

The woman frowned, but said nothing more, only saying, "Then please leave as soon as you have finished admiring the plum blossoms."

"I understand," Zhuang Yan said with a smile.

So the woman led the nuns back to the nunnery and closed the gates.

At this moment, the wind and snow in the sky grew even heavier, but Zhuang Yan remained motionless, standing by the wall admiring the plum blossoms.

Four hours passed quickly, and night fell, but it wasn't too dark. The thick snow on the ground reflected the cold moonlight in the sky.

At this moment, the temple gate opened again. This time, no young nun followed; instead, the woman carrying a lantern came out.

It was very cold outside. The woman was wearing a red velvet cloak and carrying an octagonal lantern.

"Why haven't you left yet?" the woman asked Zhuang Yan.

Zhuang Yan laughed and said, "I haven't had enough of admiring them yet; these plum blossoms are truly beautiful."

The woman said calmly, "Your Excellency is no ordinary person, able to stand motionless for four hours in the midst of a blizzard. Perhaps you're not here to admire the plum blossoms?"

Zhuang Yan said, "I have an appointment to meet someone here first thing tomorrow morning, so I'm waiting for him here while I admire the plum blossoms."

"Why did you come to my Sanhua Nunnery instead of somewhere else to meet someone?" the woman asked.

Zhuang Yan asked the woman, "Are you the abbot of this Sanhua Nunnery?"

The woman said calmly, "I am Yan Miaozhen, the abbess of this Sanhua Nunnery. May I ask how you are addressed, fellow Daoist?"

Zhuang Yan cupped his hands and smiled, "I am a wandering hermit, my Daoist name is Lingtai."

“So it’s Fellow Daoist Lingtai. In the dead of night, for Fellow Daoist Lingtai to stand outside my Sanhua Nunnery, if others were to see you, it would surely damage the reputation of my Sanhua Nunnery,” Yan Miaozhen said.

Zhuang Yan laughed heartily, then looked at Yan Miaozhen and said, "Isn't Abbess Miaozhen supposed to be detached from worldly affairs? Why should she care about these worldly opinions?"

Yan Miaozhen said, "I can naturally not care, but my disciples in the nunnery cannot not care."

Zhuang Yan said, "But I see that all those disciples have shaved their heads and become monks, while you, Abbess Miaozhen, still have the hair of afflictions. Why is that?"

Yan Miaozhen said, “When I became a nun, my master said that my worldly desires were shallow and that even without shaving my head, I could purify my mind and focus on cultivation. Shaving my head would hinder my true nature, so I did not shave my head. The reason that those disciples shaved their heads was because their worldly desires were deep and they needed to shave their heads to clarify their mind.”

"I see." Zhuang Yan nodded slightly and said, "It's a pity that the nun Miaozhen doesn't know that ever since this plum tree stretched over the wall, your Sanhua Nunnery has never been peaceful."

Yan Miaozhen frowned again, glanced at the plum blossom, and then nodded, saying, "Fellow Daoist Lingtai is right, this plum blossom is indeed somewhat out of place."

At this point, Yan Miaozhen suddenly realized that she hadn't thought much of this plum blossom before, but now the more she looked at it, the more inappropriate it seemed.

"It has taken a lot of effort to grow to this point, and although it is quite incongruous, it is not good to destroy it," Yan Miaozhen said.

Zhuang Yan smiled and said, "That's not difficult. If Abbess Miaozhen doesn't mind, I have a way to handle it properly."

Yan Miaozhen raised an eyebrow and asked, "What solution do you have, Fellow Daoist Lingtai?"

Zhuang Yan smiled slightly, then turned to look at the plum blossom and gently waved his hand, saying, "A unique color amidst the snow and frost, a single branch stands out from the dust."

As soon as Zhuang Yan finished speaking, a plum blossom suddenly detached from its main branch, flew over the courtyard wall, and then slowly landed in Zhuang Yan's palm.

Immediately afterwards, a bluish-red light shone, and the plum blossom suddenly transformed into a long sword.

Yan Miaozhen looked closely and saw that the sword was a deep blue like ice, with a frosty and chilling feel. Only the green leaves on the hilt were growing slowly. The sword guard was made of plum branches, and there were nine plum blossoms blooming on it. The flowers were bright and the red plum blossoms were tender and proud.

Above, nine red plum blossoms gleam with spiritual light; below, a sword blade, frosty and cold, is as solid and unbreakable as ice, radiating streaks of icy, cold light.

A myriad of lights flashed in Yan Miaozhen's eyes in an instant. She was captivated by the sword and her affection for it was evident.

"The plum blossoms stand proudly in the snow, and the sword exudes a chilling aura." Holding the Plum Blossom Sword, Zhuang Yan kept praising it, "What a fine sword."

After saying that, Zhuang Yan cupped his hands to Yan Miaozhen and said, "Thank you for the plum blossoms from Abbess Miaozhen, which allowed me to obtain such a fine sword."

Yan Miaozhen snapped out of her daze, immediately withdrew her gaze, and quickly cleared her mind of all delusions about the Cold Plum Sword. Then she cupped her hands in return and said, "This is all due to Fellow Daoist Lingtai's good fortune, and has nothing to do with this humble nun. Congratulations to Fellow Daoist Lingtai on obtaining this precious sword."

Zhuang Yan smiled and said, "Thank you, Abbess Miaozhen." With that, Zhuang Yan put the Cold Plum Sword into his sleeve.

Yan Miaozhen looked at Zhuang Yan and pondered for a moment before saying, "If Fellow Daoist Lingtai really has nowhere to go, there is a wooden hut behind Sanhua Nunnery where firewood is stored. Fellow Daoist Lingtai can go there to meditate and rest, which is better than enduring this wind and snow."

After saying that, Yan Miaozhen tossed a key over from her hand, "This is the key to the lock on the woodshed door. Fellow Daoist, please go ahead."

Zhuang Yan took the key, smiled and thanked her. Yan Miaozhen nodded slightly, then turned and walked into the nunnery with the lantern, closing the gate again.

Zhuang Yan nodded and smiled in Yan Miaozhen's direction, then took the key and headed towards the woodshed behind Sanhua Nunnery. (End of Chapter)