Journey to the West: Cultivation Begins at Jindou Mountain

Chapter 243 The Scorpion Demon of Leiyin Temple
Yao Yuzhi slowly awoke from her daze. She felt a headache and throbbing in her head, so she reached up and touched her forehead before opening her eyes.

"Wow, where am I?"

Yao Yuzhi sat up, her vision clearing as she looked around the dimly lit room, the old wooden tables and chairs around her, while she herself lay on the bed, fully clothed.

There were still specks of dark blood on the clothes.

Suddenly, Yao Yuzhi remembered something and quickly patted her chest and back. To her surprise, all her injuries had healed! The short sword inlaid with precious jade at her waist was still there!

She clearly remembered being slapped on the back by the black bear. Even though she had practiced martial arts for many years, the impact still caused her internal organs to shift and become damaged. But why?
Just then, Yao Yuzhi sniffed lightly and her eyes lit up.

"What's that smell? It smells so good, like rice."

"Gulu~"

The aroma of the food seemed to whet Yao Yuzhi's appetite, reminding her that she hadn't eaten in a long time and was starving.
Yao Yuzhi blushed. As Her Majesty's bodyguard, it would be extremely disrespectful and shameful to make such a sound in front of Her Majesty or her subordinates.
She quickly threw off the covers, sat up, and walked towards the door.

By this time, Yao Yuzhi had probably figured out what had happened. She had been rescued by a farmer's family while drifting downstream, and it was likely that this family had healed her injuries.

Although she didn't know how this family had managed it, she still wanted to pay them a visit and find out where this place was and how long she had been unconscious.

"crunch~"

As Yao Yuzhi pushed open the old wooden door, an elderly man with gray hair and a slight hunchback, carrying a plate of food, slowly walked towards the door and bumped into her.

Seeing that she had awakened, the old man seemed slightly surprised, and said in his aged voice:
"Girl, you've been unconscious for three days, and you've finally woken up."

"Old man, did you save me? Could it be that you also healed my injuries?"

“It was my nephew who rescued the girl by the river and brought her back. He had already left to go to the city to sell medicine. As for the girl’s injuries, it was indeed I who healed them.”

"In my youth, I traveled far and wide, apprenticed under various masters, and practiced medicine for a time. I have some medical knowledge. What I gave you, young lady, is the Safflower Herbal Elixir, which is perfectly suited to your injuries."

Upon hearing this, Yao Yuzhi immediately knelt down and bowed, saying:

"Yao Yuzhi is very grateful to the old man for saving her life!"

"Hey, Miss Yao, there's no need for that, no need for that!"

The old man quickly placed the food he was carrying on the table and helped Yao Yuzhi up.

“Young lady, you have just recovered, so you must not do anything strenuous. I have prepared some dishes for you to eat and help you recover.”

"As for the rest, we'll discuss it later, we'll discuss it later~"

Yao Yuzhi looked at the old man with gratitude, stood up, took out a gold-woven purse from her bosom, and handed it to the old man.

"This"

“Uncle, I have no way to repay your life-saving grace. This purse was a gift from my master. It is woven with soft gold thread and has some value. Although it cannot repay your life-saving grace, if you sell it, it can make your life a little better and allow you to move to the city.”

Yao Yuzhi looked around and saw that the place where the thatched hut was located was surrounded by a wooden fence and tall trees. Outside the gate, she could hear the gurgling of the river.

This place is obviously in the mountains and forests, but there are many wolves and tigers in the mountains, so how can we talk about the safety of this old man living here?

“Oh, Miss Yao, this must be your treasure. I saved you by doing a simple favor. How could I possibly accept such a valuable item from you? Absolutely not.”

The old man stuffed the purse back into Yao Yuzhi's hand, grabbed her, and pulled her to sit down at the table next to him without saying a word.

"Sir, this is from my heart."

"Let's eat first, Miss Yao, or the food will get cold."

Yao Yuzhi had just recovered from her injuries and still felt somewhat weak, yet she was pushed by the old man to sit down at the stone table next to her.

She looked at the fragrant rice and dishes in front of her, swallowed slightly, thanked the old man, and then ate heartily.

"Miss Yao, please eat slowly. I'll go get you a bowl of water."

The old man left with a smile, turning and walking towards the water vat beside him.

That night, after the old man fell asleep, Yao Yuzhi placed the purse on the wooden table in the room, quietly opened the door, and left the thatched hut.

She herself was a highly skilled martial artist, a master by the side of the Queen of the Western Liang Women's Kingdom. She was not afraid of ordinary jackals, wolves, tigers and leopards. The reason she was chased by that black bear last time was only because she was already injured.

Now that her injuries have healed, she must leave as soon as possible and return to the Queen's side. Although she lured the jackals away, she doesn't know how the Queen is doing now.
Yao Yuzhi touched the small box in her clothes. Inside were two red pills, the Red Flower Herbal Pills, which the old man had given her.

Knowing the preciousness of this elixir, she put all her gold and silver into the purse and left it on the wooden table as a token of her gratitude.

Yao Yuzhi walked a distance, bowed gratefully towards the thatched hut in the distance, and then quickly left.

"Heh~ The women of the Western Liang Women's Kingdom are quite interesting, but they're too bold. Traveling through these mountains at night, do they really think there are no demons in these mountains?"

In the thatched cottage courtyard, a clear laugh rang out, and the entire cottage quickly vanished, turning into an empty space, as if it had never existed.

Niu Yi, dressed in green, stood on the grass, watching Yao Yuzhi's departing figure. The house he had just seen was clearly a transformation he had created.

Beside him, the portly, mustache-wielding local earth god of Baoquanjian walked over, stroking his beard, and said with a smile:
"Don't worry, with my fish looking after her, this little girl will naturally be fine."

Niu Yi nodded and slowly said:
"Although the Western Liang Women's Kingdom is extremely strange, there are many strange kingdoms in the Western Niuhe Continent. In the end, they are just ordinary kingdoms, and everyone in them is an ordinary person."

"However, it's interesting that the divination money that triggers my karmic connection can do so."

The local earth god of Baoquan shook his head. His current relationship with Niu Yi was entirely based on their friendship over the years. In terms of spiritual cultivation, he could no longer see through Niu Yi at all, and what the other party was saying was beyond his comprehension.

However, there are some things he can still help with. "Speaking of which, a couple of days ago, some female soldiers appeared near my Baoquan Stream. Judging from their attire, they are the same as Yao Yuzhi. It seems that they were sent by the Western Liang Women's Kingdom to find her."

"How about I send my fish to lure them together?"

"So good."

Niu Yi nodded in agreement, then looked at the land fairman beside him:
"As for Yao Yuzhi, I'll trouble the Earth God to let her leave the mountainous region safely. I'll go to the Western Liang Women's Kingdom first."

"be careful."

Niu Yi nodded, his figure transformed into golden light and soared into the sky, disappearing into the night in the blink of an eye.

Niu Yi traveled westward and soon arrived above the Western Liang Kingdom, where he saw the winding Zimu River and the tranquil Western Liang Kingdom at night.

Just then, accompanied by the sudden sound of a pipa, a silver light suddenly flew towards Niu Yi from the mountain peak not far away. Niu Yi remained calm, turned his body to the side, and grabbed the silver light with his hand.

Niu Yi looked at the silver light in his hand and saw that it was a three-pronged steel fork with an extremely sharp tip.

"Hehehe~ You're really amazing, young man~ You even dared to take this steel fork from me~"

Niu Yi followed the soft, charming voice and saw a beautiful woman reclining on a bench atop a serene mountain not far away. She wore a pink, sheer dress that revealed her shoulders and was playing the pipa while looking at him with a slightly mocking smile.

What triggered his karmic divination money was actually this scorpion demon?
Niu Yi glanced at the three-pronged steel fork in his hand and casually tossed it toward the scorpion demon below.

The scorpion demon's expression changed slightly. Seeing the three steel forks that were right in front of her in the blink of an eye, she flipped on the bench and dodged the steel forks that carried immense force, letting them pierce through the bench and disappear into the mountains.

"boom!"

Hmph! What immense strength! It seems completely unaffected by the poison on my steel fork. That aura... is it the Eight-Nine Arcane Art of immortality?
The scorpion demon watched the dust kicked up by the ground and the steel fork disappearing into the mountainside, then inexplicably licked her lips. She raised her head, looked up at Niu Yi in the sky, and with a flick of her hand, summoned the steel fork back into her grasp, laughing:
"Oh dear~ I waited for you with all my heart in this beautiful moment~ and even offered you a tune on the pipa, yet you are so oblivious to my charm and ungrateful!"

"If that's the case, don't think I'm someone to be trifled with!"

After the scorpion demon finished speaking, her eyes suddenly changed, flashing with ferocity. In a flash, she appeared in front of Niu Yi, conjuring up multiple long arms, each holding a three-pronged steel fork, and thrusting them towards Niu Yi!

Niu Yi's expression turned slightly serious. With a wave of his hand, the Sun and Moon Steel Halberd appeared quickly and collided with the three steel forks.

"clang!!!"

As the halberd clashed with the trident, the scorpion demon knew he was no match for Niu Yi in a contest of strength. So he shook his hand, and the trident transformed into several more tridents, which he unleashed upon Niu Yi like a storm!

"Dang! Dang! Dang!"

The two fought each other, from the sky to the ground and back again, but neither gained the upper hand.

Suddenly, Niu Yi's pupils contracted. A golden spirit pearl suddenly appeared in front of him, blocking a dark light and shadow. As the two flew back quickly, Niu Yi finally saw that what the other party had attacked was a venomous stinger from the tail of a scorpion.

Fortunately, he had already taken precautions against the scorpion demon's poisonous stinger. If it weren't for the spirit pearl protecting him, he probably would have been stung by the poisonous stinger as well.

Niu Yi had no desire to experience that, after all, the person in front of him had come from the Great Thunderclap Temple and had listened to the Buddha's teachings. As a result, he had suddenly stung the Buddha's finger with a poisonous hook, and even the Buddha's finger was stung.

Even though he has now cultivated the Primordial Chaos Dao, and is impervious to sword cuts, axe chops, lightning strikes, and fire, and is further enhanced by the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts, he still doesn't want to try this.

However, everything in the universe has its counterpart, and to deal with this creature, one must seek out the Rooster Star Lord, who is most effective against this scorpion demon.
Niu Yi narrowed his eyes, looking at the scorpion demon opposite him. The scorpion demon seemed to sense something as well, her expression changed, and she smiled again, withdrawing her supernatural powers and flattering him:
"Your Excellency is indeed highly skilled; I admire you greatly!"

Niu Yi looked at the scorpion demon posing seductively before him and slowly spoke:

“Scorpion Demon, we are complete strangers, yet you used karma to lure me here, and now you’ve come to fight me. Whatever you want to do, you’re far too confident.”

After Niu Yi finished speaking, he turned around and flew into the sky.

"Having cultivated the Dao for so many years, I've made quite a few friends. Since you're so deceitful, then I'll go to Heaven and ask the Pleiades Star Lord to help reason with you."

The scorpion demon's smile froze, and she quickly shouted:

"Immortal Master! Immortal Master, please wait!"

Damn it, how did he know! That dead rooster!
Upon hearing the name of the Pleiades Star Lord, the Scorpion Demon trembled from the bottom of her heart, filled with intense hatred. To them, these poisonous insects, that dead rooster was like the shadow meeting the sun—a natural enemy!

The scorpion demon leaped forward, blocking Niu Yi's path, and bowed, saying:

"This matter is my fault. I beg Immortal Master Guangyi to give me a chance to explain. I believe you will not be disappointed."

Niu Yi looked at the scorpion demon who had quickly flown in front of him and was bowing sincerely to him.

Do you really think he's like Sun Wukong, the junior brother of Sun Wukong, someone who would fight any monster he encountered?

He cultivated supernatural powers and magical treasures only for self-protection and to benefit from the many treasures he acquired through his talent.

And in this world, it is always true that only when you are strong enough can you have enough capital and confidence to do many things. It's not because he likes fighting or is competitive.

If it's possible to avoid taking action, it's best not to. Besides, his divine avatar has been operating in the Heavenly Court for many years and has a wide circle of friends. Do you really think he can't get people to come down?
As for the future spread of Buddhism to the East, this extremely powerful scorpion demon will capture Tang Sanzang when he first leaves the Women's Kingdom and insist on marrying him.

Finally, it was Sun Wukong, who had no way to deal with the Scorpion Demon, who received guidance from Guanyin Bodhisattva and went to seek out the Rooster Star Lord to resolve the Scorpion Demon's problem. This can be considered one of the eighty-one tribulations.

But even if he goes through this ordeal, it won't matter. He has already occupied Jindu Mountain and Tongtian River, so the Scorpion Demon ordeal won't make a difference. He can make arrangements for it later.

This scorpion demon, relying on her skills, is somewhat eccentric and lustful, much like a female bandit. If she isn't taught a lesson, she certainly won't behave.

Of course, if he hadn't been curious about how the scorpion demon had triggered his karmic divination money, he wouldn't have come here in person to meet the scorpion demon.

(End of this chapter)