Journey to the West: Cultivation Begins at Jindou Mountain

Chapter 195 The Philosophy of Mind, The Third Game

Niu Feng watched as Hou Fei, carrying two boxes of spirit incense, thanked him profusely and walked down the mountain, a hint of worry flashing in his eyes.

Seeing this, Niu Yi shook his head slightly, then looked back at the star-patterned chessboard on the stone table. He picked up a black piece from the chess jar and continued studying the moves, casually saying:

"Are you worried about Xiaoyue?"

Upon hearing this, Niu Feng was taken aback and nodded silently.

Although they are now estranged, the friendship they shared over the past two hundred years still leaves many beautiful memories in his heart.

According to Hou Fei, the Moon Deer clan had suffered many casualties in their struggle for territory with other demon clans, which is why they came to him to test the waters and ask the Monkey Clan for help, promising many benefits in return.

Hou Fei naturally did not agree directly, as the monkeys on their mountain were quite clear about who their master served.

That's why Hou Fei came to Jindu Mountain to pay his respects to Niu Yi. Now that he has met him, Hou Fei has no intention of getting involved in this matter.

They had already caught the leader's eye and received his favor, so they would naturally follow him closely in the future. Now it seemed that even if the leader let them have a little bit of his money, it would be a great fortune for them. Why bother getting involved in the mess that Moonflower Deer had to deal with?

As for Niu Feng, he wasn't interested in the Moon Deer Clan. The only thing he was worried about was Xiao Yue, who had been his friend for many years. This was especially true after hearing Hou Fei say that Xiao Yue seemed to have been injured in a fight.
"If you want to go and see, then go and see."

Hearing his leader's words, Niu Feng shook his head after a long pause, reached out and touched his horns, picked up the basket full of peaches again, and chuckled:

"I'd better not go to the chieftain's place. Since the Moon Deer Clan has left Golden Gourd Mountain, this matter has nothing to do with our Golden Gourd Mountain. I'll ask Hou Fei to send her some spirit fruits later."

Niu Feng knew very well that if he went there in person, the other demons would mistakenly believe that it was Jin Du Shan's doing.

He did feel a bit nostalgic for the past, but he was also very clear that if he went out, he would represent Jindu Mountain and his own leader, so he couldn't act recklessly.

The leader might not care, but he can't cause trouble for the leader.

In his heart, the most important things will always be the leader and Jindu Mountain.

As for Xiaoyue, he still has a few sticks of safflower incense that the leader gave him years ago, as well as some spirit fruits he recently picked. He will ask Hou Fei to take these to Xiaoyue later, as a way of helping her out.

Niu Li and Niu Ping looked at Niu Feng, who was carrying a basket of peaches and walking down the mountain, with surprise, seemingly not expecting Niu Feng to say such a thing.

Niu Yi looked up at Niu Feng's retreating figure, a hint of satisfaction in his eyes.

Niu Feng, this little devil, is no longer the same as when he first came to the mountain, when he was ignorant of many things. Especially this time, when he went to both sides of the Tongtian River to take care of Zhu Dayou, he learned a lot.

Although he is still as playful as ever, he has also come to understand many things and has begun to resemble a guardian deity.

This way, he can feel much more at ease.

Niu Yi lowered his head and looked at the starry chessboard in front of him again. In his eyes, there seemed to be crisscrossing starlight lines flashing, which transformed into a star chessboard that contained the universe. On the chessboard, the yin and yang energies flowed.

The Yin-Yang Dao and the Star Dao, the chessboard that the Celestial Venerable bestowed upon him is no ordinary thing.
In the mortal realm, twelve years passed in the blink of an eye, while in the Heavenly Court, only twelve days had passed.

On this day, in the Heavenly Court's Daoist Palace.

The Divine Physician Daojun, invited by Lü Dongbin to a banquet in Heaven, has just left the banquet and is now leisurely playing chess and sipping tea with Venus in his palace.

“Tap tap.”

Just then, the two suddenly heard the sound of horses' hooves approaching from afar. The two, who were staring at the chessboard, immediately looked up, exchanged glances, and looked towards the outside of Daojun Palace.

"This is... a celestial horse from the Imperial Stables??"

Venus's eyes flashed with divine light, and he couldn't help but stand up. But amidst the loud hoofbeats and neighing of horses outside, he seemed to hear the laughter of a monkey.

With a flick of his sleeve, the divine physician Daojun opened the gate instantly, revealing the scene of ten thousand heavenly horses galloping freely through the mist and clouds outside Daojun Palace.

Daojun and Jinxing arrived at the gate and watched the herd of celestial horses gallop past. Both were speechless for a moment. After a while, Taibai Jinxing quickly raised his hand to close the gate. Daojun, as if by telepathy, also walked back and sat down in front of the chessboard to play chess and drink tea, as if he had never seen anything.

"Huh? Who lives here?"

Dressed in official robes, Sun Wukong sat up on a sturdy celestial horse and looked at the deep green jade palace he had just passed by. He seemed to smell a medicinal fragrance in his nose.

After pondering for a while, Sun Wukong put the matter out of his mind and continued to lead the herd of horses to gallop wildly in the sky. Watching them run so joyfully, he felt happy in his heart.

Meanwhile, two imperial horse supervisors were racing after them, soaring through the clouds with all their might, only to see the herd of celestial horses disappearing into the distance. They shouted as they chased after them:
"My lord! My lord! The Milky Way is ahead!! Stop right now, my lord!!!"

On Jindou Mountain.

Niu Yi, who was sitting cross-legged under the peach tree, holding a whisk and meditating with his eyes closed, slowly opened his eyes, and the Daoist aura of cause and effect around him slowly dissipated.

"It should take me about two years to fully comprehend this great Dao of cause and effect."

One could see lines of cause and effect constantly appearing and disappearing in Niu Yi's eyes, connecting all things in heaven and earth, as if revealing all the mysteries of cause and effect in this world to him, making one unable to help but become fascinated by them.

"This Dao of Cause and Effect is truly extraordinary. No wonder so many who try to comprehend it are like charlatans in the mortal world, spouting 'the will of Heaven' and 'cause and effect' all the time."

Niu Yi sighed, looking at everything before him with clear and calm eyes, his heart unmoved.

The composure cultivated over many years was now clearly revealed.

Over the years, Niu Yi has diligently cultivated the Great Dao of Cause and Effect, but in his actions, he only followed his own heart, treating cause and effect as a means and never regarding it as the fundamental principle.

"Hiding from the will of heaven, avoiding karma, all kinds of shackles entrap my true self."

"Following the will of heaven and accepting the cause and effect, today I know that I am myself."

A calm smile appeared on Niu Yi's face. He slowly stood up, his gaze passing through the swirling mist in the mountains and looking eastward.

That direction is exactly where Flower and Fruit Mountain is located.

"Fifteen years have passed in the mortal realm, and my junior brother has been in heaven for more than half a month now."

At this time, his junior brother Wukong had already learned that the position of Bi Ma Wen was a low-ranking official position, the lowest of the low, which was just a horse-raising job.

This infuriated the now rather arrogant Sun Wukong, who believed that the Jade Emperor was blind and had poor judgment of character. He thought that all his skills were only being used to be a horse groom! To raise horses for the Jade Emperor!
Judging from the information he received from the incarnation, his junior brother Wukong has probably already descended to the mortal realm, returned to Flower Fruit Mountain, raised the banner of the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, and from then on, no longer had his subordinates call him "King," but rather "Great Sage Equaling Heaven."

Venus sent a message that the Jade Emperor had dispatched troops, led by Li Jing, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, and Nezha, the Third Prince, to Flower Fruit Mountain to capture Sun Wukong, who had descended to the mortal realm without permission.

"If we go now, we should still be able to make it in time. Let's see how much my junior brother Wukong has improved now."

Niu Yi's lips moved slightly, transmitting his voice to Niu Li in the Golden Gourd Cave. Then, he transformed into a golden light and soared into the sky, flying towards Flower Fruit Mountain. In less than an hour, Niu Yi flew across two vast oceans and the Southern Continent, arriving outside Flower Fruit Mountain.

With a flick of his whisk, Niu Yi completely concealed his aura, stood on the sea, and gazed at Flower Fruit Mountain.

"Since you're here, why don't you play a game of chess with me?"

Hearing the familiar, authoritative voice suddenly coming from behind him, Niu Yi's eyes flashed with surprise. He quickly turned around, bowed, and paid his respects.

"His Majesty."

Behind Niu Yi, on a cloud floating on the sea, sat a majestic figure wearing a jade crown, a magnificent white robe with cloud patterns, and black hair and beard. A chessboard floated in front of him.

This person was none other than the Jade Emperor, the Supreme Sage of the High Heaven, who had met Niu Yi twice before and had successively imparted to him the divine powers of "Starfall Chess Manual" and "External Incarnation," enabling him to ascend to heaven as an official through divine incarnation.

Seeing Niu Yi bow in respect, His Majesty the Jade Emperor merely waved his hand at Niu Yi and casually said:

"This is not the Heavenly Court, and you have never been granted an immortal title. There is no need for formalities. Come, sit down and play a game of chess with me. If you satisfy me, you will be rewarded, you little ox."

Upon hearing this, Niu Yi immediately bowed and agreed, then sat down on the chair formed by auspicious clouds opposite the Jade Emperor. He was still somewhat surprised by the appearance of this person.

He never expected that the Jade Emperor would appear here.

The Jade Emperor looked at Niu Yi, who had settled down, with a playful, half-smile on his face:

"What, you're allowed to come and join the fun, but I can't?"

"No need to say anything more."

When the Jade Emperor saw that Niu Yi was about to explain, he waved his hand, and two chess jars, one black and one white, flew out instantly. The white jade chess jar landed in front of Niu Yi.

The Jade Emperor picked up a black chess piece from the black jade chess jar and placed it on the center point.

Upon seeing this familiar scene, Niu Yi calmed himself down, focused his gaze on the chessboard, picked up a white piece, and placed it on the board.

"despair."

The Jade Emperor looked at Niu Yi and nodded slightly in approval. Then he picked up another black piece and placed it on the chessboard. The two then began to play chess on the auspicious clouds above the sea.

Perhaps it is because Niu Yi's chess skills are now far superior to what they were before, thanks to the guidance and training of his senior brother. The two played back and forth, and Niu Yi had to think for a moment from time to time. Unlike before, he was no longer easily defeated.

Just then, a deafening drumbeat suddenly came from the sky, causing Niu Yi, who was deep in thought, to look up and see that dark clouds were pressing down on Huaguo Mountain.

"Boom - boom -"

Above the dark clouds, war drums thundered, and numerous mighty heavenly soldiers and generals, wielding swords, spears, and halberds, stood on the clouds, led by Li Jing, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, who had a resolute face and held a golden pagoda in his hand.

Behind the Heavenly King stood a handsome young man, none other than Nezha, the Third Prince, who had met Niu Yi once before and even gifted him a Golden Jade Bamboo.

The thunderous drumming soon drew out all the demons on Flower Fruit Mountain, including wolves, insects, tigers, and leopards, who were brandishing spears and swords, leaping and roaring.

Holding a pair of giant daylily-shaped axes, the towering Giant Spirit God, acting on the orders of Heavenly King Li, stepped out of the formation and appeared above Flower Fruit Mountain, calling out:

"You beasts! Go and tell that stable boy! I am a celestial general! I have been sent by the Jade Emperor to subdue him and make him come out and surrender as soon as possible, so as to avoid harming your lives!"

Upon hearing this, a demon immediately went back to report, and soon after, Sun Wukong, dressed in majestic armor, emerged from the cave surrounded by a group of monkeys.

"Ha~"

Niu Yi was engrossed in watching when he suddenly heard a soft laugh beside him. He turned his head and saw the Jade Emperor opposite him also watching the scene, a slight smile on his face. He then looked at Niu Yi and said:
"Let them fight their game, we'll play ours."

Niu Yi nodded in agreement, focusing once again on the chessboard in front of him, only sparing a sliver of his mind to observe the situation, a thoughtful expression on his face, before placing a white piece in his hand.

On the other side, the Giant Spirit God, seeing Sun Wukong emerge, spoke in his deafeningly powerful voice:
"You mischievous monkey! Do you recognize me?"

"Hey~ who are you, you little devil? I, Old Sun, don't recognize you~"

Upon hearing Sun Wukong call him "Mao Shen" (hairy god), the Giant Spirit God flew into a rage and said:

"You impudent monkey! I am the vanguard general of the supreme deity Li Jing, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, the Giant Spirit Heavenly General! I have come here today by the Jade Emperor's decree to subdue you! If you do not submit to the Heavenly Grace, all the animals on this mountain will be exterminated! If you utter even half a word of dissent, I will turn you into dust in an instant!"

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong scratched his cheek in anger, took out his golden cudgel from his ear, and roared in fury:

"Hey! You scoundrel! Stop boasting and playing tricks! I'll spare your life for now, and tell the Jade Emperor in Heaven: He doesn't know how to use the virtuous! I have boundless abilities, why did he make me raise his horses?!"

"Look at the title on my banner. If someone is promoted based on this title, I will not lift a finger. If not, I will storm the Lingxiao Palace and make sure he can't sit on the dragon throne!"

On the other side, above the auspicious clouds on the sea.

Upon hearing this, Niu Yi felt a sense of unease, but saw that the Jade Emperor opposite him remained calm, placing his black piece down, looking at the chessboard, and saying indifferently:

"I will not bother with a little monkey, but if he causes trouble again in the future, you and Taibai should not plead for him anymore."

Upon hearing this, Niu Yi respectfully replied:

"Yes, Guangyi understands."

The auspicious cloud of the Jade Emperor was clearly extraordinary. The two of them sat there playing chess so openly that no one in the heavens or on Flower Fruit Mountain could detect them.

Neither Li Jing and Nezha, the Heavenly Kings who hold the Pagoda in the sky, nor Sun Wukong, who went up the mountain, could have imagined that the Jade Emperor they spoke of was sitting here playing chess.

Having dealt with him several times before, Niu Yi had a fairly good understanding of the man's character. Given the Jade Emperor's high position, he wouldn't, and didn't need to, say anything against his conscience. If he said he wouldn't hold today's matter against him, then he wouldn't.

As for the future
In the sky, the giant spirit looked at the banner that read "Great Sage Equal to Heaven" and was fluttering in the wind. He laughed in anger and simply picked up the Xuanhua Giant Axe, used his supernatural powers, and slashed straight at Sun Wukong!

"You impudent monkey! You're truly ignorant, yet you dare to dream of being the Great Sage Equal to Heaven?! Take this axe!"

"Humph~"

Sun Wukong raised his golden cudgel, leaped up, and swung it at the pair of giant daylily axes that were about to strike!

"clang!!!"

(End of this chapter)