Journey to the West: Cultivation Begins at Jindou Mountain

Chapter 233 The Glazed Lamp Shatters, the Dou Niu Palace Collapses

The peach in front of the Dao Lord ripens only once every six thousand years. If a person were to eat it, they would ascend to heaven and live forever, easily for tens of thousands of years.

The peaches of immortality before you, which ripen only once every nine thousand years, grant immortality to those who eat them. They can live to the same age as heaven and earth, and be as old as the sun and moon, thus living for a lifetime, no longer subject to the jurisdiction of the underworld, and escaping the cycle of reincarnation.

From the Daoist Lord's perspective at this moment, if he were to eat these peaches, there would certainly be benefits, though not as great as they might seem.

Daojun looked around. As the peaches were distributed, only a few of the Great Immortals in front of him, the Four Heavenly Masters beside him, Taibai Jinxing, Li Jing the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, and others picked up peaches to eat. The rest of them were eating the imperial wine and delicacies on the table.

In contrast, the Twenty-Eight Constellations, the Thirty-Six Thunder Gods, and the rest of the group simply ate the peaches in front of them, finding them extremely delicious.

Venus, holding the imperial wine, moved closer to the Daoist and smiled:

"Daojun, these peaches of immortality offer countless benefits; they are the finest in the Three Realms. But who is like you and me, whose sect doesn't have disciples and lineages? Even in my Qiming Palace, there are people to cultivate."

Daojun smiled and nodded. He knew in his heart that Taibai Jinxing was directly telling him that he could take the peach with him.

However, speaking of this matter, his junior brother Wukong seemed to have eaten most of the peaches in the orchard not long ago, especially the large peaches.

Three hundred and sixty-five years have passed. Even if those peaches that were hanging on the trees, almost ripe, were now ripe, they wouldn't be enough to hold a Peach Banquet.
It seems the Queen Mother of the West still has quite a lot of supplies.
After all, the Queen Mother's Peach Garden has as many as 3,600 peach trees, which are guarded and maintained day and night. In previous years, the peaches picked directly from the peach trees at the Peach Festival were enough to meet the demand, so it was normal to have some left over.

Upon hearing Taibai Jinxing's words, Daojun simply put down the peaches he was holding, picked up the imperial wine and delicacies on the table, and chatted with his fellow Daoists around him in this celestial paradise, listening to celestial music, drinking wine and watching dances, enjoying himself immensely.

Seeing this scene, the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother looked at each other and nodded with smiles.

“Your Majesty, I observe that this child’s abilities have improved significantly. In just a few hundred years, he has condensed a golden body of merit that is three thousand feet tall. This shows that the Tongtian River in the lower realm is well managed.”

"His Majesty's insight remains as sharp as ever."

The Jade Emperor nodded slightly, seemingly equally satisfied, and smiled:

“He is different from his junior brother. Both of them are capable, but this Niu’er is steady and acts with discretion. He can share my worries, which makes things easier for me.”

The Jade Emperor valued both of these fellow disciples, but their personalities were completely different.

Like Sun Wukong, who is constantly threatened with being unable to sit on the dragon bed, we must use some means to put pressure on him and prevent him from hitting a wall. He will not turn back until he does.

Niu Yi, on the other hand, is capable and loyal to others, yet he himself has a calm and indifferent nature, which is quite in line with Lao Tzu's philosophy of tranquility and non-action, making him very easy to manage.

Daojun, who was chatting and laughing with Xingjun, suddenly felt a gaze coming from him.

Daojun turned his head and saw an old woman with a pure and ethereal aura, leaning on a cane, dressed in brocade and with a flowing moon-colored veil, slowly walking towards him.

"Master Dao."

"The Moon Goddess".

"I truly troubled you with Qiaoqiao's matter before, Daoist Lord. That child is now under my tutelage and cultivating in the Moon Palace. She keeps mentioning in my ear that she wants to see you again, Daoist Lord."

Daojun looked at Taiyin Zhenjun with considerable surprise. Had his disguise become so widely known? Besides the Jade Emperor and other high-ranking officials, only a handful of his closest confidants should know about it.
"Heh~ Daojun, please don't take offense. This matter was discussed between Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun and me. We made an agreement back then, so we have been paying attention to the affairs of the lower realm for a long time."

"In fact, when Ni Chang descended to the mortal realm, I had already seen Dao Jun twice from afar."

Daojun nodded to Taiyin Xingjun, who had a kind smile on his face, and then sat down again, and the two began to chat.

After a while, the Moon Goddess, who was about to get up and leave, suddenly changed her expression and looked in the direction of the Moon Palace, with a hint of anger rising in her eyes.

"I apologize, Daoist Lord. I have some matters to attend to at Guanghan Palace, so I will be leaving now."

"Please proceed, Star Lord."

Daojun watched Taiyin Xingjun's departing figure with a strange expression.

At this moment, Marshal Tianpeng was probably already drunk and had gone to the Moon Palace to find the Fairy of Rainbow Robes, whom he longed for and who was staying there.

Otherwise, this old star deity wouldn't have suddenly become angry.

Daojun shook his head, turned around, and went to chat with the four celestial masters who were discussing alchemy.

"Snap!"

However, not long after, the sound of a glass cup being shattered suddenly echoed through the treasure pavilion. The celestial music and the dancing fairies all stopped, and for a moment, the treasure pavilion was completely silent.

Many immortals looked over and saw a bearded general standing somewhat helplessly beside the Jade Emperor.

Beneath the feet of this divine general lay fragments of a crystal-clear glass lamp, shimmering with seven-colored spiritual light—the very same fragments of the Jade Emperor's Seven Treasures Glass Lamp.

Upon seeing this, the Jade Emperor's smile gradually faded, and he said:

"Roller blind?"

The Curtain-Rolling General immediately knelt down and said:

"It was my fault, Your Majesty, I beg your forgiveness!"

Just as the Jade Emperor was about to say something, suddenly, a violent rumbling sound came from outside the Jade Pool!
"Boom—"

This time, even the Queen Mother of the West couldn't help but frown slightly, and the Jade Emperor's aura changed completely as he frowned and said:
"What's going on now!"

Upon hearing this, the two celestial officials attending the Jade Emperor and Queen Mother immediately bowed and left to investigate.

The treasure pavilion fell silent. The celestial music stopped, the fairies withdrew one after another, and the many immortals and gods looked at each other and discussed in whispers.

Before long, the Inspector General arrived with a burly divine general who was completely drunk and fast asleep, and led him into the treasure pavilion.

The inspector threw the burly man to the ground, knelt down, and reported:

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, just now Marshal Tianpeng was drunk and acted recklessly. He first went to the Moon Palace and harassed the Fairy of Rainbow Robes who was guarding the Moon Palace. In his delirium, he went to the Bullfighting Palace and knocked it down, which is why there was such a loud noise just now."

The twenty-eight constellations below were all dumbfounded upon hearing this.

They were merely attending the Peach Banquet when their home was inexplicably demolished by Marshal Tianpeng!
They haven't offended this guy all these years, have they?
Seeing the Twenty-Eight Constellations in a state of agitation, and then the Old Star Lord of the Moon arriving to recount Marshal Tianpeng's crimes in the Heavenly Palace, the Jade Emperor's eyes gleamed with barely concealed anger.

The Jade Emperor, looking at Tianpeng's ruddy complexion, clearly still drunk, slammed his fist on the dragon throne and said:
"Very well, is this what the Marshal Tianpeng, whom I personally appointed to guard the Milky Way, looks like?"

"Drag this Tianpeng down to the execution platform, annihilate his physical body and soul, and execute him!"

Seeing this, Venus quickly stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said:
"Your Majesty, although Tianpeng's crime is extremely serious, we beg Your Majesty to consider that he has cultivated himself over the years to reach his current position, and that he has been diligent and conscientious in his duties on the Milky Way without any wrongdoing. We implore Your Majesty to show leniency and sentence him lightly."

The Jade Emperor's expression softened upon seeing Venus appear. He glanced at the Twenty-Eight Constellations and the Moon Goddess, who, though somewhat indignant, remained silent, and then at Tianpeng on the ground, and said:

"Since Taibai pleaded for him, and considering that Tianpeng has worked hard for many years even if he has not made any great contributions, I will spare his life."

"But he may be spared the death penalty, but he cannot escape punishment." "Guards, drag Tianpeng away, wake him up, and according to the heavenly rules, give him two thousand lashes and banish him to the mortal realm."

"Yes!"

Seeing Tianpeng being dragged away by two heavenly generals, the Jade Emperor turned to look at the Curtain-Raising General who was still kneeling beside him, his anger still not completely dissipated.

These two ruined what should have been a wonderful Peach Banquet.

"Roller, you are also a general personally appointed by me, but now you can't even do this small thing well. You have lost your manners in front of the palace and broken my Seven Treasures Glazed Cup."

“Guards, drag the curtain out as well. According to the heavenly rules, he has been flogged two thousand times and cast into the cycle of reincarnation.”

"His Majesty!"

Upon hearing this, the Jade Emperor looked down again and saw that it was the Barefoot Immortal sitting not far below who had spoken.

"What brings you here, my esteemed minister?"

The Barefoot Immortal stepped forward, cupped his hands, and bowed, saying:

"Your Majesty, General Curtain-Raising has attained his current divine status through years of arduous cultivation. Moreover, he has served Your Majesty without ever making a mistake. I beg Your Majesty to consider that this is his first offense and to punish him leniently."

The Jade Emperor glanced at the Barefoot Immortal, then at the Curtain-Lifting General who dared not raise his head, and nodded slightly, saying:

"Very well, Curtain Roller, I will spare your life since this is your first offense. This time, I will follow your advice."

"Guards, take General Curtain-Raising away, flog him eight hundred times, banish him to the mortal realm, and every seven days have a flying sword pierce his chest and ribs a hundred times as atonement."

"Yes!"

As the people in the treasure pavilion watched as the two were dragged away one after another, and the Peach Banquet was disturbed time and time again, the mood of the immortals and the Jade Emperor and Queen Mother was ruined. Even though the matter had been dealt with, it was no longer as lively as before.

As the Peach Banquet came to an abrupt end, the immortals left the Treasure Pavilion in twos and threes, departing together, except for the Twenty-Eight Constellations, whose faces were sour.

Their Bullfighting Palace had been destroyed by that scoundrel Tianpeng, and for a moment they didn't know where to go.
Just as Daojun was about to leave with Taibai Jinxing and Lü Dongbin, two fairies in white robes came over, stood before Daojun, and bowed to greet him.

"Daoist Lord, the Empress requests your presence~"

Daojun exchanged a glance with the two beside him. Taibai Jinxing and Lü Dongbin nodded to Daojun, and then the two left together.

Upon seeing this, Daojun returned the greeting by bowing to the two fairies.

"Please, two fairies, lead the way."

Daojun followed the two fairies in white robes, going against the flow of people towards the depths of Yaochi. Soon, he saw the Queen Mother sitting alone in a beautiful pavilion filled with lotus flowers and shimmering sunlight.

"Your Majesty, the Daoist Master has arrived!"

"Okay, you go down."

"Yes~"

Daojun looked at the dignified and noble Queen Mother before him, stepped forward to pay his respects, and said:

"Your Majesty, this humble subject pays his respects."

The Queen Mother smiled and said:
"Rise, no need for formalities. I am from the same sect as you, so we can be considered old acquaintances. But honestly, your original form is more pleasing to the eye."

Daojun straightened up, understanding dawned on him, and with a flash, he transformed into his true form—the young man in green robes.

"Guangyi greets Your Majesty."

The Queen Mother nodded slightly in satisfaction, slowly rose, and walked to the edge of the Jade Terrace. Looking at the swaying lotus flowers, she said:

"I didn't call you here for anything important, I just wanted to see you, kid."

"The child who ferries people across the river was about the same age as you are now when I first met him. In the blink of an eye, many years have passed."

The benevolent light that flashed in the Queen Mother's eyes just now surprised Niu Yi slightly.

He hadn't expected that this person would bring up his second senior brother; there must be some stories about him that he didn't know.

As for the title "child," considering his past years in his spiritual realm, although he is over two thousand years old and is known as an ancestor on Golden Gourd Mountain, he is indeed still a child in front of the Queen Mother of the West.
The Queen Mother of the West slowly turned around, looked at Niu Yi, and smiled:

"Don't overthink it. The matter of that year is long over. If the transmission of Buddhism to the East can be completed successfully, you can naturally use your merits to help him cross over. Then let the child tell you the story slowly."

"But I can tell you that when he was this age, he was stronger than you are now."

As the Queen Mother of the West spoke, a playful smile appeared on her face.

"And this is because of his innate talent, a talent called..."

"Heaven-Seizing Hand~"

Upon hearing this, Niu Yi's pupils contracted slightly, and his mind, cultivated over many years, was stirred by the ripples.

Second Senior Brother also has the talent of the Heaven-Seizing Hand?!

"Heh~ You fellow disciples are all very interesting, but you are completely different from him. You are much more prudent in your actions than that child was back then, and you are quite shrewd. Your personality is also completely opposite to his. That's why the Jade Emperor and I are quite at ease with you."

“That child has the talent, but he doesn’t know how to hide himself like you do. His sharpness is too great, just like Sun Wukong, and he will eventually bring trouble upon himself.”

Hopefully, after all these years on the River of Forgetfulness, he's come to his senses.

After saying this, the Queen Mother sighed softly, slowly walked back to the stone table and sat down, then said:

"I'm telling you these things, just listen to them casually."

"Next, you should pay close attention to the eastward transmission of Buddhism. You should know that this matter is of great merit. If needed, all the immortals of Heaven and the Buddhas of the West can participate. The specifics will depend on how you, Venus, and Guanyin Bodhisattva arrange it."

"You and Taibai are close friends and have similar temperaments, so I am naturally at ease. But you two must remember that you are representing the Heavenly Court in this matter."

Upon hearing this, Niu Yi nodded thoughtfully.

"Guangyi understands."

"Heh~ Go down now. If you ever encounter any difficulties in the future, you can come to Yaochi to find me~"

Upon hearing this, Niu Yi bowed and agreed again, then walked out of the pavilion and left Yaochi.

(End of this chapter)