I am a fairy in Journey to the West

The first person to arrive at the Wu King's Palace in Hangzhou after King Li Song of Wu issued his proclamation was none other than the Great Tang Imperial Preceptor, Abbot of the Lingtai Dao Palace, the True Man Tieguai Li.

"The Imperial Preceptor!" King Li Song of Wu, accompanied by his queen, personally greeted him at the gate of his residence. "I was unaware of the Imperial Preceptor's arrival. I apologize for failing to welcome him properly."

The Imperial Preceptor Li Xuan was a true celestial being, a fact known to everyone throughout the Tang Dynasty.

Even the emperors of the Tang Dynasty throughout history had to treat Tieguai Li with the respect due to a disciple, let alone a prince like him.

The Tang Dynasty's more than two thousand years of national fortune were due in part to the protection of the Buddha of Sandalwood Nirvana and in part to the protection of the Lingtai Taoist Temple.

As the Grand Preceptor of the Tang Dynasty, Tieguai Li truly shielded the Tang Dynasty from countless major disasters and calamities.

Putting aside everything else, the current emperor's lineage has only been able to secure its throne thanks to this Grand Preceptor.

"I heard there's a demon causing trouble in Hangzhou, and it even killed the prince's son?"

In the main hall of the Prince's mansion, Tieguai Li took a sip of spiritual tea and then asked Li Song.

Upon hearing this, Li Song immediately wiped away tears with the princess and told Tieguai Li the whole story.

After listening, Tieguai Li remained calm and asked Li Song, "I heard that Prince Li Lian has been setting up criminal cases in Hangzhou, torturing and persecuting anyone who displeases him, and even abducting women and plundering people's wealth under the guise of offering tribute. Is this true?"

Li Song, who had just been wiping away tears, was so frightened by Tieguai Li's words that his heart nearly jumped out of his chest. He hurriedly denied it, saying, "No, no, absolutely not! This is a rumor! Please, Grand Preceptor, do not believe it."

Tieguai Li smiled and said, "The Lingtai Dao Palace assists the Tang Emperor in monitoring good and evil in all directions, reaching the mortal world above and the netherworld below. Does Your Highness Prince Wu think that I know nothing?"

Li Song's expression stiffened. "Grand Preceptor, didn't you come here to exorcise demons?"

"Yes," Tieguai Li said. "Demons must be eliminated, and sins must be punished. These two things are not contradictory."

At this point, Tieguai Li raised his hand and used his magic to send a talisman to Li Song. Li Song carefully took the talisman and looked at it closely. It turned out to be the judgment of the City God of Hangzhou.

"Li Lian has committed numerous evils and was destined to suffer this calamity; his death is already sealed. As for you, Your Highness King Wu, you have failed to educate your son properly, are immoral as a king, and oppress the people of your territory. Your sins are grave, and the underworld has already reduced your lifespan by one cycle."

Upon hearing this, Li Song was so frightened that his hand trembled and he spilled the talisman. A moment later, he suddenly stood up and knelt down in front of Tieguai Li, "Master, Master, I know I was wrong, please forgive me."

A cycle is twelve years. Li Song is already fifty-five years old this year. Having twelve years of lifespan reduced is truly frightening.

Tieguai Li stood up and helped Li Song up from the ground, saying, "Your Highness is of imperial lineage; how can you kneel so easily? The City God's decree has been issued and cannot be changed. Now, the only way is to atone for the sins committed by you and your son and accumulate more merit."

After saying this, Tieguai Li bowed to Li Song and said, "This humble Taoist is off to capture the demon. Please take good care of yourself, Your Highness."

"Grand Preceptor!" Li Song hurriedly chased after him, but Tieguai Li took a step and transformed into a beam of immortal light, disappearing in the blink of an eye. Li Song stood there pale-faced, then collapsed to the ground.

"Your Highness!" The princess, whose face was also pale, rushed forward.

On the other side, after leaving the Wu Prince's Mansion, Tieguai Li went directly to the Bao'an Hall in Qinghefang.

Nowadays, Baoan Hall is deserted and sparsely populated, a far cry from the bustling scene it once was.

After all, everyone knows that Doctor Xu offended His Highness Prince Wu and even caused the death of Prince Wu's heir. This is a crime punishable by the confiscation of property and the extermination of the entire clan. Who would dare to come to Baoan Hall?

People are afraid to even come to Baoan Hall for medical treatment, let alone move around. They are afraid that coming to Baoan Hall for medical treatment will implicate them in something else.

"As expected, there is a demonic aura." Tieguai Li only glanced into Baoan Hall and saw the strong demonic aura.

As Tieguai Li stepped inside, a woman in a green dress and blue skirt greeted him. "Sir, are you here for a medical consultation or to pick up medicine?"

As soon as Xiaoqing finished speaking, she saw that the person in front of her was actually a Taoist priest. In a flash, she understood the origin of Tieguai Li.

Xiaoqing suddenly took a few steps back, adopting a defensive posture, and then called out towards the inner hall, "Sister."

Seeing the intense demonic aura emanating from the woman before him, Tieguai Li asked, "Are you the demon who killed Prince Li Lian, the heir of the King of Wu?"

"What is this Taoist priest saying? I don't understand," Xiaoqing said coldly.

Tieguai Li said, "If you come with me now, I can spare your life."

"Hmph." Xiaoqing sneered, "What kind of daydream is this, you lame Taoist priest? You want me to go with you? Why don't you take a piss and look at yourself in the mirror?"

Upon hearing this, Tieguai Li immediately grabbed his Purple Gold Iron Staff and swung it out. Xiao Qing tried to catch it with both hands, but her defense was directly broken by the Purple Gold Iron Staff.

With a loud 'bang,' the black iron staff struck Xiao Qing's palms squarely, sending a spray of blood flying from her hands.

Xiaoqing let out a scream and flew backwards, smashing the small table in front of Zhuang Yan to pieces before falling at his feet.

Xiaoqing was in so much pain that she was covered in sweat and her face was deathly pale. When she raised her hands, she saw that both of her hands were hanging down and the bones in her hands were broken.

"See, I told you you were in big trouble, didn't I?" Zhuang Yan reached out and lifted Xiao Qing up, placing her on a chair beside him.

"My hand! My hand!" Xiaoqing cried out in pain, tears streaming down her face.

"I know, I know," Zhuang Yan laughed. "This is what happens when you're too impulsive. If you hadn't gone to steal the treasure, none of this would have happened."

Xiaoqing immediately cried out to Zhuang Yan, "Even at a time like this, you're still making sarcastic remarks!"

"Xiaoqing! How are you?" A gentle yet urgent voice rang out, and Bai Suzhen finally arrived, carrying the realgar sword in her hand.

Xiaoqing raised her hands, her eyes filled with tears, and said to Bai Suzhen, "Sister, my hands are ruined."

Bai Suzhen looked at Xiaoqing's bloodied and swollen hands, her face instantly turning ferocious. She turned to Tieguai Li and shouted, "Taoist, my sister and I have never offended you. How could you be so cruel!"

Tieguai Li said, "As demons, you should be cultivating peacefully in the mountains to achieve enlightenment as soon as possible. But now you are marrying mortals, disrupting the order between humans and demons, violating the laws of heaven, and your crimes are unforgivable."

Bai Suzhen said, "I came down to the mortal realm to repay the Bodhisattva's kindness, as instructed by her."

"Sister," Xiaoqing called out, "Don't talk to him. This Taoist priest is just like the monk from not long ago; they're here to cause trouble."

Upon hearing this, Bai Suzhen stopped explaining and said to Tieguai Li, "Fellow Daoist, why don't you let us sisters go? From now on, let's keep to ourselves and not interfere with each other."

Tieguai Li said, "Stop talking. You two sisters, quickly surrender and come with me to the Lingtai Dao Palace to be punished. There's still a chance for you." Bai Suzhen's expression changed drastically. "You're the Imperial Preceptor, Li Xuanzhen?"

“Yes.” Tieguai Li said, and his black iron staff came crashing down. Bai Suzhen saw this and hurriedly stepped forward with her sword. The two fought fiercely, one with the staff and the other with the sword.

Looking at Xiaoqing, whose hands were crippled, Zhuang Yan said to her, "Go find Master Fo to heal your hands."

Xiaoqing watched Bai Suzhen and Tieguai Li fight with great anxiety, but her hands were crippled and she was helpless. Hearing Zhuang Yan's words, she quickly got up and ran to Buddha and said, "Thank you for your help, Buddha."

The Buddha smiled faintly and said, "Put your hand up here."

Xiaoqing quickly did as instructed, while on the other side, Bai Suzhen had already exchanged more than thirty blows with Tieguai Li.

Tieguai Li repelled the Realgar Sword with his staff, then looked at Bai Suzhen and said, "Since you have such martial arts skills, you should cultivate diligently. Listen to my advice, quickly sever your worldly ties, and return to the mountain to cultivate."

Bai Suzhen said, "How can I sever my ties to this world when I have not yet repaid such a great debt of gratitude?"

Tieguai Li shook his head, "Stubborn to the end." After saying that, he stopped using the Xuan Tie Staff and directly raised his hand to release a beam of immortal light that struck Bai Suzhen.

Bai Suzhen immediately activated her magic to resist, but the celestial light struck Bai Suzhen's magic, instantly shattering it. She was then directly suppressed to the ground by Tieguai Li's celestial light.

Xiaoqing's hands were enveloped in a Buddha's light, and her injuries were gradually healing. Seeing this, she hurriedly wanted to step forward to help.

However, Xiaoqing was completely unable to move because she was enveloped by the Buddha's light. Buddha sat there and looked at Xiaoqing, saying, "Don't move, your injuries haven't healed yet."

Tieguai Li frowned and glanced at Tathagata, then stepped forward to capture Bai Suzhen, just then a sharp shout rang out: "Stop!"

A figure rushed over; it was Xu Xian. Xu Xian stood in front of Bai Suzhen, staring directly at Tieguai Li, and said, "I had Xiaoqing steal the four treasures from the Wu King's mansion, and I also killed Li Lian. If you want to arrest someone, arrest me instead; don't make things difficult for my wife."

Tieguai Li looked at Xu Xian and said, "Your wife is a monster."

Xu Xian angrily retorted, "Your wife is the monster! My wife is beautiful, kind-hearted, and treats me well. How could she be a monster?!"

"Get out of my way!" Tieguai Li shouted.

Xu Xian shouted, "If you want to hurt my wife, you'll have to step over me!"

Seeing this, Tieguai Li raised his foot to kick Xu Xian, trying to kick him away, but Xu Xian reached out and held on tightly to his lame leg, refusing to let go no matter what.

Tieguai Li was at a loss. He looked down at Xu Xian and said, "You lust-obsessed fellow, you are truly stubborn and incorrigible."

At this moment, Xiaoqing's hands were finally healed, and the Buddha light that had trapped her disappeared.

The moment the Buddha's light disappeared, Xiaoqing took out a magical treasure from her bosom—the Fiery Divine Pearl stolen from the Wu King's mansion.

As soon as the Fiery Divine Pearl was unleashed, it instantly transformed into a burst of flames that rushed straight towards Tieguai Li's face. Tieguai Li hurriedly used his immortal light to defend himself, but unexpectedly, his Daoist magic was of the metal element, and fire overcomes metal. The Fiery Divine Pearl struck Tieguai Li directly.

Tieguai Li was sent flying backwards, but fortunately, he was a celestial being and cultivated the Taoist arts bestowed by Laozi. Therefore, after landing, Tieguai Li exhaled a breath of turbid air but was not seriously injured.

At this moment, Laozi, who had been watching the show from the sidelines, stepped forward and gently waved his whisk, thus dispelling the magic that Tieguai Li had used to suppress Bai Suzhen.

Then Laozi stepped forward and smiled at Tieguai Li, saying, "Young man, how about giving this old Taoist some face and letting these two girls go?"

Tieguai Li glanced at Laozi and then said, "How can you, an old Taoist priest, associate with monsters? You have utterly disgraced the Taoist sect."

"Hahaha." A gloating laugh came from the side.

Laozi's face darkened as he looked at Tieguai Li and said, "Young man, didn't your master teach you to respect the elderly?"

Tieguai Li was furious and pointed at Laozi, cursing, "You old bastard, as a disciple of my Daoist sect, you associate with monsters, and now you dare to use my master to teach me a lesson. If I don't subdue you today, I am not Li Xuan."

After saying this, Tieguai Li activated his immortal light, wielding his black iron staff, and charged towards Laozi with overwhelming force.

Xiao Qing, who was standing to the side, was about to activate the Fiery Divine Pearl to help, but Zhuang Yan stopped her with one hand. "I don't need your help," Zhuang Yan said with a smile.

As they were talking, Tieguai Li had already rushed in front of Laozi. The celestial being's aura was still quite strong, and Bai Suzhen and Xiaoqing felt immense pressure.

But Laozi simply waved his whisk, and the strands of dust brushed against Tieguai Li's body, instantly shattering the magical power and immortal light emanating from Tieguai Li's body.

Then Laozi swung his whisk again, and with a 'smack' it struck Tieguai Li's face, and Tieguai Li cried out 'Ouch!' and flew away.

Tieguai Li crashed heavily to the ground, then quickly stood up, leaning on his black iron staff. However, his Taoist robe had been torn to shreds by his whisk, and the tattered pieces of cloth hanging on his body were extremely unsightly.

Tieguai Li felt a soreness in his nose again, followed by a burning sensation. He reached out and touched it, only to find a stream of blood flowing from his nostrils.

Lao Tzu, holding his whisk, said, "Why haven't you come to take me away yet?"

Tieguai Li took two steps back, staring intently at Laozi, then at Zhuang Yan and Rulai, who were reaching out their hands. He suddenly said solemnly, "I was going to take you in, but I suddenly remembered that I forgot to close the door when I left home. I'll spare you this time, but I will definitely take you all down when we meet again!"

After saying this, Tieguai Li leaped into the air, transforming into a beam of celestial light that shot straight into the sky and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Seeing Tieguai Li flee, Xiaoqing immediately jumped in front of Laozi, patted him on the shoulder and said, "Daoist, you are really amazing! This Li Xuanzhen is a celestial being! You actually managed to make him run away in defeat. Well, from now on, besides my sister, I, Xiaoqing, will only admire you, Daoist."

Then Xiaoqing added, "I heard that this Master Li Xuan received the Daoist teachings from Laozi in a dream. I don't think Laozi is anything special. His celestial disciples can't even beat you, Daoist Master."

Upon hearing this, Bai Suzhen's expression changed, and she immediately scolded, "Xiaoqing, you must not be disrespectful to the Dao Ancestor!"

Laozi used his whisk to brush Xiaoqing's hand away from his shoulder and said with a smile, "Little girl, don't you know how to respect your elders?"

"Ah!" Xiaoqing exclaimed as soon as Laojun finished speaking, then covered her nose and cried out, "I'm bleeding from my nose too!"

Zhuang Yan, who was standing to the side, saw clearly that Lao Jun had punched Xiao Qing in the face. When Bai Suzhen and Xu Xian went to look at Xiao Qing's nose, Zhuang Yan leaned close to Lao Jun and said, "That young girl only said one sentence, how could you hit her like that?"

Laozi laughed and said, "This young lady is disrespectful and impolite. As her senior, I should teach her a lesson."

"Oh," Zhuang Yan turned to Rulai and smiled, "You can't have punched a young girl just because she said he wasn't a good teacher, can you?"

The Buddha exclaimed in surprise, "No way? No way?" (End of Chapter)