I am a fairy in Journey to the West

Zhong Wuyan stepped forward, looking directly at Bai Suzhen, and said, "Junior Sister Bai, when Master sent me here, he had already accepted you as his disciple."

Xiaoqing was overjoyed to hear this. If the Old Mother of Lishan had accepted Bai Suzhen as her disciple, wouldn't Bai Suzhen have a powerful backer?
However, Bai Suzhen frowned for a moment and did not respond.

Seeing this, Zhong Wuyan was puzzled and turned to look at Tieguai Li. Tieguai Li was also puzzled and asked Bai Suzhen, "Bai Suzhen, why don't you bow to your senior sister?"

Bai Suzhen's brows relaxed, and she suddenly cupped her hands towards Zhong Wuyan, saying, "Master Wuyan, please forgive me for not being able to perform the courtesy due to a fellow disciple."

"Why?" Zhong Wuyan asked.

Bai Suzhen said, "Wu Yan Zhenren, the Jade Pure Ancestor Zi Yuanjun once said that I should go to Mount Li to see her after I have achieved enlightenment. Now that I have not yet become an immortal, how can I let the Jade Pure Ancestor Zi Yuanjun go back on her word? Therefore, I cannot become her disciple now. Besides, I am currently burdened with heavy karma and tribulations. If I can overcome these tribulations and successfully become an immortal, then I will go to the Immortal Palace of Mount Li to pay my respects to the Jade Pure Ancestor Zi Yuanjun."

Upon hearing this, Zhong Wuyan fell silent instantly, and even Tieguai Li remained silent.

Bai Suzhen's meaning was very simple: she was currently burdened with too much karma and was facing a calamity. If she really became the disciple of the Old Mother of Lishan, then the Old Mother of Lishan would inevitably be implicated.

Now, as long as he doesn't acknowledge the master-disciple relationship, then the Old Mother of Lishan doesn't need to concern herself with this matter and can completely stay out of it.

Tieguai Li silently took a step back and looked at Zhong Wuyan, saying, "Master Wuyan, this matter can only be handled by you."

Zhong Wuyan nodded, then summoned the Purple Light Divine Sword. "I cannot disobey my master's orders, Junior Sister Bai. My master has ordered me to take you back to the Lishan Immortal Palace for quiet cultivation."

Bai Suzhen shook her head and said, "I'm not leaving. I can't leave yet."

"Why?" Zhong Wuyan asked.

Bai Suzhen looked at Xu Xian and said, "Since I have come to repay a debt of gratitude, I should see it through to the end. Giving up halfway is against the principles of heaven and human nature."

Zhong Wuyan said, "I don't understand the principles of heaven and human feelings. In my heart, the master's order is more important than heaven."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhong Wuyan transformed into a beam of light and appeared directly in front of Bai Suzhen, grabbing her right arm and saying, "Come with me."

This time, surprisingly, Xiaoqing didn't go up to help Bai Suzhen, but silently watched everything.

But Bai Suzhen was very decisive. Without saying a word, she summoned the Nine Heavens Profound Fire Sword. Before she even made a move, a burst of fire burned away Zhong Wuyan's protective immortal light.

Zhong Wuyan hurriedly withdrew his hand, only to see the Nine Heavens Profound Fire Sword already thrusting towards him. Zhong Wuyan quickly used the Purple Light Divine Sword to defend against it.

When the two swords clashed, the Nine Heavens Profound Fire Sword ultimately prevailed, directly suppressing the Purple Light Divine Sword.

Then, a burst of firelight erupted from the Nine Heavens Profound Fire Sword, directly blasting Zhong Wuyan and the Purple Light Divine Sword away.

The flame was none other than the Nine Heavens Profound Fire. The flame headed straight for Zhong Wuyan, who had been blasted away, but the Purple Light Divine Sword in Zhong Wuyan's hand shot out a beam of purple light, which transformed into a purple light screen that blocked the Nine Heavens Profound Fire.

The Nine Heavens Mystic Fire spread out, and the purple light barrier was burned through after only ten breaths. However, the Nine Heavens Mystic Fire dissipated on its own and did not fall on Zhong Wuyan.

"Such ruthless methods." Zhong Wuyan held the Purple Light Divine Sword and stared at Bai Suzhen.

Bai Suzhen looked at Zhong Wuyan and said, "Wuyan Zhenren, please forgive me. I will not go with anyone until I have finished repaying my debt of gratitude. If anyone forces me, I will fight to the death."

"My lady!" Xu Xian rushed forward and pressed down on Bai Suzhen's hand holding the sword. "Don't kill good people indiscriminately."

Bai Suzhen nodded slightly and said softly, "My lord, rest assured, I know what I'm doing."

Xu Xian was relieved. At this moment, he heard Tieguai Li say, "Master Xu, I am the Grand Preceptor of the Tang Dynasty. I would never lie to you. Your wife is a white snake demon who has cultivated herself into human form. Her marriage to you in the mortal realm has broken the boundary between humans and demons and violated the Heavenly Laws. You two will not have a good ending. Moreover, Bai Suzhen has violated the Heavenly Laws, and her fate will not be good either. It is not too late for her to realize her mistake and turn back now."

Zhong Wuyan also said, "My master is the Jade Pure Holy Ancestor Zi Yuanjun, also known as the Old Mother of Lishan. If you, Master Xu, can persuade Bai Suzhen to return to Lishan with me to cultivate, she will surely become an immortal in the future. It is better than violating the heavenly rules and being severely punished by the heavenly law."

Xu Xian was slightly taken aback upon hearing this. He was indeed persuaded and turned to look at Bai Suzhen.

Bai Suzhen's heart skipped a beat, her gaze fixed on Xu Xian, her eyes filled with trepidation and worry.

Seeing the look in Bai Suzhen's eyes, Xu Xian made his decision in that instant: "Thank you for telling me, both of you immortals. As long as my wife does not abandon me, I, Xu Xian, will never abandon her. No matter what punishment she may receive in the end, I am willing to bear it with her."

"Sigh." Tieguai Li turned around, shook his head, and said, "He's really stubborn."

Upon hearing these words, all the emotions in Bai Suzhen's eyes vanished instantly, and she became more resolute than ever before.

Xiaoqing was filled with respect and broke her silence. She stepped forward and stood beside Bai Suzhen.

Bai Suzhen noticed Xiaoqing's change and immediately nodded and smiled at her.

Zhong Wuyan said, "Junior Sister Bai, I understand your feelings, but I cannot disobey my master's orders."

As he spoke, Zhong Wuyan, holding the Purple Light Divine Sword, took another step forward.

Bai Suzhen pulled Xu Xian behind her and, wielding the Nine Heavens Mystic Fire Sword, charged forward to meet him.

“The sword in her hand is extremely powerful, and the fire it exudes should be the Nine Heavens Profound Fire. You can’t defeat her,” Tieguai Li hurriedly said, pulling Zhong Wuyan back.

Zhong Wuyan nodded slightly to Tieguai Li, then a flash of immortal light appeared beneath her feet, and she rushed straight towards Bai Suzhen.

Zhong Wuyan unleashed a burst of divine light, her sword strikes divided into nine parts, descending from nine directions.

Bai Suzhen simply swung the Nine Heavens Profound Fire Sword, instantly releasing a burst of Nine Heavens Profound Fire. With a 'hiss,' eight-tenths of the sword's power was burned away, leaving only one-tenth of the sword's power, which was the Purple Light Divine Sword itself.

Bai Suzhen swung her sword, and the Nine Heavens Profound Fire Sword clashed with the Purple Light Divine Sword, creating a fierce sword light. The two then exchanged blows, their sword energy crisscrossing, fighting for more than twenty rounds. Once again, the Purple Light Divine Sword was suppressed by the Nine Heavens Profound Fire Sword. Bai Suzhen then knocked the Purple Light Divine Sword away with a single sword strike, and the Nine Heavens Profound Fire Sword directly pierced Zhong Wuyan's left abdomen.

Zhong Wuyan felt a tearing, burning pain in her left abdomen. She screamed and fell to the ground, where she was caught by Tieguai Li.

Zhong Wuyan covered her wound, but no blood flowed out. Tieguai Li looked closely and saw a flame attached to the wound, constantly burning Zhong Wuyan's flesh.

Tieguai Li, holding Zhong Wuyan, turned to Bai Suzhen and said, "Bai Suzhen, you'd better watch yourself." After saying that, he took Zhong Wuyan and rode away on a cloud.

Bai Suzhen didn't chase after him; she simply put away the Nine Heavens Profound Fire Sword and stared blankly in the direction Tieguai Li had gone.

Meanwhile, in the sky above, Tieguai Li had already put Zhong Wuyan down. Zhong Wuyan, her face contorted in pain and pale, sat cross-legged on a cloud, healing herself by clutching her wounds.

However, she was unable to dispel the Nine Heavens Mystic Fire; no matter how much magic she possessed, it was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

“I cannot extinguish this fire,” Zhong Wuyan said.

Tieguai Li sighed, "I told you you couldn't beat her, yet you still went for it."

Zhong Wuyan said, "Even if we can't win, we have to fight, otherwise it won't make sense."

Tieguai Li was taken aback for a moment, then asked, "What doesn't make sense?"

Zhong Wuyan said, "It wouldn't be right to say that on face."

"I didn't realize you were so concerned about saving face?" Tieguai Li said, "But if you lose your substance, won't the Nine Heavens Mystic Fire burn you painfully?"

Zhong Wuyan was drenched in sweat from the pain, her face as pale as paper, every inch of her body trembling with agony. "It doesn't hurt...it feels good...hiss...ah!!!"

Tieguai Li said, "If it doesn't hurt, why are you yelling?"

Zhong Wuyan said, "It doesn't really hurt, it just feels a little burning."

Tieguai Li said, "I can see that you value your pride more than your life. Fine, hold on for a while. I know there is a venerable god who has studied the art of 'fire' quite deeply."

With the Nine Heavens Profound Fire Sword, Bai Suzhen's earth energy became much stronger. In the past month or so, almost all the well-known immortals from the Southern Continent had come, but unfortunately, none of them could withstand the power of the Nine Heavens Profound Fire Sword.

Therefore, Bai Suzhen and her husband not only escaped disaster, but also gained a foothold in Hangzhou.

This frightened King Li Song of Wu. Half a month later, King Li Song actually ordered the withdrawal of his proclamation to exorcise the demon and sent someone to tell Bai Suzhen that the two sides would not interfere with each other from now on.

So, Baoan Hall reopened, and thanks to Xiaoqing and the Five Ghosts' promotion, Bai Suzhen was no longer a demon, but a female immortal cultivating in the human world.

Furthermore, since Prince Li Lian of Wu was already notorious for his numerous evil deeds, the people of Hangzhou had no doubts whatsoever and genuinely believed that Bai Suzhen was a fairy playing among mortals, and that killing Li Lian was simply a way to rid the people of a scourge.

“This won’t do,” Zhuang Yan said to Tathagata beside him. “It’s been so long since we’ve managed to catch a Fire Element Dao Ancestor, and Laozi hasn’t even captured her yet. Plus, Bai Suzhen has obtained the Nine Heavens Profound Fire Sword, so I’m afraid ordinary immortals will have an even harder time dealing with her. The stronger Bai Suzhen is, the less favorable it will be for us to catch a big fish.”

The Buddha said, "Why don't we take her Nine Heavens Profound Fire Sword?"

“No,” Zhuang Yan said. “Without the Nine Heavens Profound Fire Sword, Bai Suzhen doesn’t even have the strength to protect herself, let alone catch a big fish.”

After thinking for a moment, Buddha said, "Then let the Heavenly Court step in?"

“It’s difficult to control the scale when the Heavenly Court gets involved. We can’t expect all the gods to abandon their duties and come here to arrest people, can we?” Zhuang Yan said.

After a moment of contemplation, the Buddha said, "Then we'll have to use a bigger bait."

Zhuang Yan looked at Tathagata, who thought for a moment and finally said, "Let Bai Suzhen destroy Jinshan Temple."

Zhuang Yan gasped, "Is the one enshrined in Jinshan Temple your Dharma body?"

"It's alright." Buddha waved his hand. "It's just the Dharma body, not me. Let it be destroyed if it's destroyed."

Zhuang Yan nodded and said, "If that's the case, it's indeed a great bait. This matter needs to be arranged carefully."

Buddha stood up and said, "I'll make the arrangements. You stay here and watch over things. I'm going back to Jinshan Temple."

"Okay," Zhuang Yan said with a smile.

Afterwards, Tathagata left Baoan Hall and returned to Jinshan Temple, while Zhuang Yan continued to see patients in the hall.

At this moment, an elderly man with white hair and beard came and sat down in front of Zhuang Yan. "Doctor, I don't feel well."

Zhuang Yan asked, "Where do you feel unwell?"

The old man said, "I feel a little dizzy, have a tightness in my chest, and feel nauseous."

Zhuang Yan asked, "How old is the old man?"

The old man said, "I am eighty-six years old."

Zhuang Yan then asked, "Would you like to drink?"

The old man's eyes lit up, and he asked, "When? Now?"

Zhuang Yan was taken aback for a moment, then said with a helpless expression, "It seems you like drinking."

The old man then realized what was happening, and a hint of disappointment flashed across his face as he said, "I thought the doctor was going to invite me to drink. Yes, I do love to drink. I feel uncomfortable if I don't have a drink every day, and I feel very comfortable after drinking."

Zhuang Yan said, "You have vertigo. You shouldn't drink alcohol anymore. The more you drink, the worse your condition will become."

The old man became anxious, "If I don't drink, my illness will flare up; I only feel comfortable when I keep drinking!"

"Then you should drink it," Zhuang Yan said.

The old man became anxious again, "But I have no money to buy alcohol. My daughter-in-law won't give me money, and she won't let me drink alcohol either."

Zhuang Yan said, "You're not here to borrow money to buy alcohol, are you?"

The old man hesitated for a moment, "It's not that it's impossible, it's just that I don't know how I can pay back the money I borrowed."

"So what do you want to do?" Zhuang Yan asked carefully.

The old man said, "I want to see a doctor and find some medicine. Doctor, is there any medicine that tastes like wine but is very cheap, tastes as good as wine, and doesn't harm the body?"

Zhuang Yan said, "Isn't that still wine?"

The old man was very disappointed. "Oh, it's like this, doctor. My daughter-in-law was afraid I would buy wine, so she didn't give me any money. She told me to buy the medicine on credit first, and she would pay me back at the store later. Oh, my daughter-in-law is acquainted with Lady White Snake. She spoke to Qing Girl on her behalf."

At this point, the old man quietly asked Zhuang Yan, "Doctor, could you please give me a jar of wine, put it in a small medicine bottle, and put it on the medicine bill?"

Zhuang Yan was not surprised at all when he saw the old man's appearance. He just smiled and said to the old man, "Go and call your daughter-in-law over."

The old man asked in surprise, "Why did you call her?"

Zhuang Yan said, "If you want to drink, call her over."

The old man's face lit up with joy, and he stood up, saying, "Doctor, you have a way to persuade her? Good, good, I'll tell her to go right now. Doctor, don't lie to me, or I'll never forgive you."

Soon after, the old man followed a middle-aged peasant woman in. The peasant woman walked up to Zhuang Yan, put her hands on her hips, and said, "You doctor, I asked you to treat my father-in-law, but why are you encouraging him to drink?"

Zhuang Yan said to the old woman behind the peasant woman, "Grandma, please go outside and wait."

The old man glanced at the peasant woman with some fear, then nodded and went out.

Upon seeing this, the peasant woman immediately said to Zhuang Yan, "Are you even a doctor? How can you persuade a patient to drink alcohol? If you can't give me a reason today, I'll never forgive you."

Zhuang Yan chuckled and said, "Your father-in-law is already eighty-six. How many more years can he live after giving up drinking?"

“But we can’t condone it,” the peasant woman said.

Zhuang Yan waved his hand and said, "Listen to me, let him drink it. Your father-in-law has five years left to live, but you can't tell him this. Otherwise, you'll be revealing a heavenly secret, and you'll shorten your lifespan."

"What?" The peasant woman looked at her with disbelief. "Are you a doctor or a fortune teller? How do you know other people's lifespans?"

Zhuang Yan chuckled and said, "If you don't believe me, go ask Lady White Snake."

Upon hearing the name 'Lady White Snake', the peasant woman's expression immediately turned solemn. The fact that Bai Suzhen possessed magical powers was already a household name throughout Hangzhou. "Are you telling the truth?"

“Really.” Zhuang Yan pointed to the old man standing outside Bao’an Hall and said, “He has five years and four months left to live, and he will live to be exactly ninety-five years old. You just wait and see, whether he lives one day more or one day less, come to me and I will take responsibility.”

“Okay,” the peasant woman said. “I believe you. My terminal illness was cured by the White Snake Lady. I believe you.”

Seeing the peasant woman turn to leave, Zhuang Yan called out, "Wait a minute."

The peasant woman turned to look at Zhuang Yan and asked, "Doctor, is there anything else you need?"

Zhuang Yan took out a large bag of loose silver and handed it to the peasant woman. “This is money to buy wine for your father-in-law. Not a penny more or less. It’s just enough for him to drink wine for five years and three months.”

The peasant woman was overjoyed and hurriedly stepped forward to take the silver. Then she knelt on the ground and kowtowed three times to Zhuang Yan.

For ordinary people, this is the real 'cure'. (End of Chapter)