Journey to the West: Cultivation Begins at Jindou Mountain

Chapter 283 The Ancestral Master

In the Hall of the Ten Kings of Hell, the ten kings of hell stood on both sides, sitting at their respective tables, looking at the Taoist priest in blue robes at the head of the table.

At this moment, Yama's gruff voice echoed in the Yama Palace.

"Immortal Master, Black Valley has been sent to another region of the Underworld by that Lord. We have ordered many of our little ghosts and ghost generals to go and search for it, but so far there has been no news."

Niu Yi put down his fingers, which were busy calculating, nodded, and slowly stood up, saying:
"That Lord must have used some means in Black Valley that even cause and effect cannot perceive. However, with the loss of their Lord, all that is left are just a few big cats and small cats. The rest is up to you."

"If there is any important matter in the underworld, you may send a message to me."

The Ten Kings of Hell immediately stood up and bowed in agreement.

Before Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva went into seclusion, he instructed that if there were any important matters during his seclusion, he should send a message to this person, as seeing the immortal was like seeing the Bodhisattva.

Looking at the figure above, King Biancheng felt somewhat fortunate that he had treated this person with courtesy when he invited him to refine incense back then, and their relationship was still quite good to this day.

Although he knew at the time that this person came from a legitimate lineage of the Xuanmen sect, he never imagined that one day he would be sitting below, looking up at this person.
Meanwhile, the Ox-Head and Horse-Face guardians outside the gates of the Senluo Palace were grinning from ear to ear.

They had known Guangyi Daoist for many years, and their friendship had lasted since before he rose to prominence.

Now that they have this connection, they can do whatever they want in the underworld, but no one will dare to make things difficult for them.

Majiazhuang, on the banks of the Tongtian River.

Pigsy and Sandy looked at Monkey King, who was carrying a golden alms bowl, as he emerged from the house, and quickly stepped forward to ask:
"Brother Monkey, how is Master?"

“Master had just fallen asleep when he noticed his forehead was burning hot. It was obvious that he had been frightened and tossed and turned all night, which is why he suddenly fell ill.”

The man waiting at the door also felt very apologetic and said somewhat guiltily:
"Alas, I never thought those two would actually become vengeful ghosts. If Elder Tang hadn't performed the ritual to help them pass on, I really don't know what would have become of our Ma Family Village."

"Please rest assured, young elders, there is a doctor and pharmacy in our village. I will go and fetch a doctor to take a look."

"Ring ring."

As the man was speaking, he suddenly seemed to hear a sound, so he quickly stopped talking and listened carefully. Sure enough, the clear ringing of the bell was getting closer and closer.

"Ouch!"

The man's eyes lit up, he clapped his hands, and without saying a word, he ran towards the gate!
"Oh?"

Upon seeing this, Sun Wukong blinked, as if recalling the rumors he had heard along the way.

Pigsy and Sandy both looked at the scene with some confusion.

"Huh? No, why did you run away, benefactor?"

"Benefactor, benefactor!!"

In just a short while, the man walked back to the courtyard gate. Behind him was a traveling doctor wearing a gray Taoist robe, carrying a medicine box, holding a green bamboo cane, and with a tiger-shaped bell hanging from his waist.

"Please come in! Please come in! The elder is in the inner room."

Sun Wukong and his two fellow disciples stared wide-eyed at the figure, quite surprised.

"Daowu."

Just as Pigsy was about to shout, Monkey King covered his mouth.

"This humble Taoist priest, Jin Lingzi, greets the junior elders."

Sun Wukong chuckled:

"I presume that Master Jin Lingzi is a wandering physician from Daojun Mountain. My master is here, so I would be grateful if you could take a look at him."

The doctor smiled, stroked his beard, nodded, and stepped into the house, opening the door.

The man watched this scene with a smile on his face, then turned to Sun Wukong and the other two beside him and whispered:
"Elder Tang is indeed a virtuous and eminent monk. Elder Tianyou, it is fortunate that a disciple of Daojun Mountain is here. I have invited him in."

"These disciples of Daojun Mountain are all highly skilled in medicine; Elder Tang will surely be alright!"

Pigsy and Sandy, standing to the side, both wore smiles. Pigsy chuckled and whispered to Sandy beside him:
"This benefactor is truly ignorant. The very patriarch is already here, and he's still calling himself a disciple~ Hehehe~"

"Huh? What did the two elders just say?"

"Go! Go! Go!"

Sun Wukong patted Zhu Bajie, shoving him aside, and then said to the puzzled man:
"Hehe~ It's nothing, it's nothing. Please make some more porridge later. If my master wakes up again, he should have some appetite."

"Alright, alright, please rest assured, Elder."

The man agreed and turned to leave, while inside the house, Daoist Jin Lingzi had already applied a cool jade plaster to Tang Sanzang's forehead.

Tang Sanzang had applied a medicinal patch, and as streams of refreshing energy flowed into it, his uneasy expression calmed down, and he regained a rosy complexion.

The Taoist priest nodded upon seeing this, got up and walked outside. He opened the door and saw Sun Wukong and the other two smiling at him.

Pigsy swaggered over, grabbed Master Jinlingzi's grey Taoist robe, and, with his large belly protruding, laughed:
"I'm telling you, Lord Dao, why didn't you try to hide it? You just changed your clothes and came over like that!"

Daojun smiled and said, "I know that you and your disciples have encountered trouble, so I have come to lend a hand. As for my appearance, there is a layer of perception barrier that covers it, so others will not recognize me."

Sun Wukong pushed past Zhu Bajie, stepped forward, and bowed, saying:

"Thank you so much! My master was frightened by that vengeful spirit and suddenly fell ill. I'm so grateful for your help, Daoist Master."

After exchanging pleasantries with the three people before him for a few moments, Daojun left three pills and took his leave, saying that he had other matters to attend to on Daojun Mountain.

He can entertain these people when they arrive at Daojun Mountain in the future.

Daojun transformed into golden light and instantly appeared in the incense space of Daojun Palace.

At this moment, Niu Li, Niu Feng, and other guardian deities were waiting for him on the third floor of this incense-filled pavilion. Also present were the Black and White Impermanence, and the four shackles and silver locks.

Upon seeing Daojun's figure appear, the four Yin generals immediately bowed down.

"Greetings to Mr. Dao!"

When the Dao Lord appeared, his gray Daoist robe quickly transformed back into his magnificent purple Daoist robe, and the Dao Lord slowly said:

"Presumably you have already captured Shi Cui and Pang Wen. They carry the aura of Black Valley. Perhaps you can use this aura to find Black Valley."

"These two caused trouble in my Tongtianjiang territory, and I can certainly help you take them down. But now, the rest is your Underworld's internal affair."

Jin Jia patted the talisman affixed to his waist and replied in a strong, resonant voice:
"Yes, Daoist Lord, those two are currently inside this Yin Gathering Gourd! After we return to the Underworld, we will use them as soon as possible to track down Black Valley's whereabouts!"

That day, Tang Sanzang was performing a ritual on the mountain. On the surface, everything seemed calm, but in reality, undercurrents were surging.

Not only did the Lord of the Underworld use his magic to bypass numerous obstacles and drag Tang Sanzang into a unique space, but the four Yin Generals and the guardian deities of Daojun Mountain also began to close the net, successfully capturing Shi Cui and Pang Wen, who were providing support.

Daojun nodded, and the four Yin Generals bowed again before transforming into a gust of wind and leaving the incense space. Niu Yi looked at the group of guardian deities below and smiled:

"Since the disciples of Daojun Mountain traveled far and wide to spread medicine and faith, the scale of our Daojun Mountain has grown larger and larger, and it has been a long time since we have all gathered together like this."

Yuan Ze and the others below all wore smiles. After all, they had been old buddies for hundreds of years and worked under the Dao Lord. Even though they had different personalities, they had developed a deep friendship over the past few hundred years.

"Soon, the group of pilgrims from the East will pass by my Daojun Mountain. Everyone, please put aside what you are doing and rest on Daojun Mountain for a while."

"It just so happens that the apricots down the mountain have had a bumper harvest this year, and I have also prepared a few sticks of Longevity Incense. You all come with me to entertain these guests."

"Yes, Daojun."

Yuan Ze and the others nodded hurriedly and bowed in agreement.

Within the territory of Chechi Kingdom, in a deep mountain.

A pair of white-haired deer were gazing tenderly at the newborn fawn, which was still wet and unable to stand steadily.

Suddenly, the surrounding spiritual energy began to gather and flow towards the little deer, startling the two white-haired deer into letting out a cry.

At the same time, the fawn opened its wet eyes, but there was an inexplicable sense of vicissitude in those bright eyes.

The little deer bowed respectfully towards Daojun Mountain and let out a deer cry.

After being reincarnated, he seemed to have learned many things.

On a large tree beside the family of antlered deer, the divided spirit of the Goat-Headed Demon King watched this scene and slowly nodded.

The next morning, on the banks of the Tongtian River.

After a good night's sleep, Tang Sanzang felt refreshed and full of energy. Only after his three disciples explained to him did he realize that it was the Daoist Master who had personally come to heal him. He immediately went to the statue of the deity to express his gratitude.

After Tang Sanzang finished paying homage to the statue of Daojun, he hurriedly packed his luggage and prepared to continue his journey westward.

"Elder, I have already contacted the boatman. Coincidentally, a large ship has just completed a trade and is heading to the west bank of Tongtian River. We have made the arrangements. Elder and your disciples, please board the ship directly."

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang looked at the villagers who had come to see him off, clasped his hands together, bowed, and expressed his gratitude:
"Amitabha Buddha, this humble monk thanks all the benefactors."

The leading man said sincerely:
"We should be thanking the elder. If it weren't for the elder performing the ritual and converting the evil spirits that the couple had transformed into, we would probably be living in constant fear and anxiety."

"Yes, yes~"

Tang Sanzang did not take credit; instead, he looked somewhat ashamed and turned to Sun Wukong beside him, saying:

"To be honest, it was actually my eldest disciple, Sun Wukong, who saved that wronged soul. If you want to thank someone, thank him."

"This"

Many villagers looked at the holy monk with a Buddha-like face, then at Sun Wukong with a hairy face and a thunder god's mouth, but still bowed repeatedly and thanked Sun Wukong profusely.

Sun Wukong felt somewhat satisfied and chuckled:

"Hehe~ Master, why are you saying all this? I've seen that big ship anchored at the shore for a while now, let's go board it~"

(End of this chapter)