Journey to the West: Cultivation Begins at Jindou Mountain

Chapter 340 Zhuang Sheng
Baiyujing, on that stone pavilion amidst the misty clouds.

Niu Yi and Fu Tianchou sat facing each other. More than half a year had passed, and the old man in front of them had completely given up on the idea of ​​restoring the country.

With the comfort of his two daughters, Fu Tianchou's temperament calmed down somewhat. He no longer insisted on dwelling on the past, but instead waited for the opportunity the immortal had mentioned.
"Lord Fu seems rather distracted while playing this game of chess."

Fu Tianchou looked at the smiling young man in a blue robe opposite him and sighed slightly. Looking at the chess moves on the stone table, he knew that he had once again entered a dead end due to a momentary lapse in concentration.

"I apologize, Dao Master, but lately I've been thinking a lot about the person you mentioned earlier. Judging from the news coming back from the outside world, that person..."

Fu Tianchou could only speak halfway through his sentence before he could no longer continue; his feelings at that moment were extremely complicated.

According to the information coming back from the outside world, the situation of the struggle for imperial power has been settled. The general named Zhuang Sheng has led his troops to occupy the capital, and now no force can rival him.

But this Zhuang Sheng happened to be his former student.
Fu Tianchou was filled with emotion at this moment. First, he was amazed that he had actually taught an emperor, and second, he was also amazed that the imperial court had been completely eradicated by his student.

To the old ministers of the previous dynasty, Zhuang Sheng was not a hero but a traitor.
Niu Yi shook his head slightly as he looked at the stubborn old man in front of him. He knew the problem with these scholars: they valued loyalty and integrity more than their own lives.

But the problem is, the former emperor must be worth such a sacrifice from Fu Tianchou.

In the past few years, less than a year after he left the capital, Fu Tianchou, who had repeatedly refuted the emperor's incompetent policies in court, was imprisoned again.

Lord Fu was already disheartened, but when the rebel army appeared at the city gates, the emperor personally invited Fu Tianchou out.

If the previous emperor hadn't been truly desperate, why would he have handed over military power to Fu Tianchou to lead? It's a pity that this old minister was actually so moved by this, willing to give everything.

"Lord Fu, I have witnessed your dedication to the previous dynasty. However, I would like to ask you a question: Lord Fu, you came from a humble background. What was your original motivation for studying?"

"It is to save the people from suffering and to bring peace to all generations!"

Fu Tianchou answered subconsciously, but then saw Niu Yi laugh:

"If that's the case, then Lord Fu's studies and official career were all for the sake of the people. If a prosperous and peaceful era were to appear before you now, and it were to ask for your assistance, would you be willing to lend a hand?"

"This"

He knew what the Daoist master before him meant; he was referring to the new dynasty that Zhuangzi was about to establish.

But deep down, there was still some distance between them.
Seeing Fu Tianchou hesitate, Niu Yi simply said:

"If Lord Fu is willing to help, it is not for his own sake, but for the sake of the people. With Lord Fu's help, many problems left over from the previous dynasty can be resolved peacefully, and the world can return to prosperity as soon as possible."

Upon hearing this, Fu Tianchou stood up and paced back and forth in the stone pavilion, his mind in turmoil.

After a long pause, Fu Tianchou's eyes hardened, his expression turned solemn, and he bowed deeply to Niu Yi across the stone table.

"I understand now, thank you for your explanation, Daoist Master!"

As Fu Tianchou spoke, he got up to leave, but Niu Yi stopped him.

"Lord Fu, are you in such a hurry to leave? It's still early today, won't you play another game with me?"

"No, I'd better pack my bags as soon as possible and go find Zhuang Sheng."

"Lord Fu, don't worry. That person is already on his way and should arrive in Baiyujing in a few days." As Niu Yi spoke, he picked up the black and white chess pieces from the table and put them back into the chess jar.

"What's delivered to your door is far more precious than what you invite. Lord Fu, why don't you wait a little longer and play a few more rounds with me?"

"What the Daoist Master says makes sense, it makes sense."

Fu Tianchou nodded quickly and stepped back to his seat opposite Niu Yi at the stone table, where he resumed playing chess with Niu Yi.

In the mountains outside a remote village, wisps of purple mist drifted and enveloped the entire area.

Upon closer inspection, one could see gray figures scattered throughout the purple mist; these were none other than enormous, dead rats.

The Poison Witch slowly emerged from the forest, stepping over the purplish-red corpses of rats, and arrived at the center of the pit gnawed out by a group of Gu worms.

At this moment, a huge rat skeleton stood in the pit, with remnants of armor still on it. It was clearly a rat demon that had transformed into human form.

The witch slowly spoke in her somewhat hoarse voice:

"Go and devour all the corpses in the mountains, so as not to leave any future troubles."

As the sorcerer finished speaking, the Gu worms that had received the command immediately scattered, surging out of the Gu worm pit like a black tide, and continuously flowing into the forest, devouring the huge dead rats.

Just then, a white sword light fell from the sky and landed beside the Poison Witch, revealing the figure of a handsome young swordsman.

Upon appearing, the figure surveyed the surrounding scene and exclaimed in admiration:
"We really owe you a lot for coming this time. If it weren't for you, we don't know how long we would have had to kill these rats."

The Poison Witch turned to look at Xiao Hai, dressed in white and holding a sword, and said slowly:
"How is that village? Has the plague spread beyond it?"

Xiao Hai laughed:

"Don't worry, the plague has been brought under control. People from the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion brought in several old doctors from Daojun Medical Hall, and they developed an antidote in just two days. Everyone in the village is safe now."

"Although we don't know how many people we can save this time, the young master sent a message a few days ago saying that he would hold a banquet for us when we return. It seems that this trip can be considered a successful one."

The Poison Witch nodded slightly, and the purple poisonous mist drifting in the mountains began to gather in his direction. In just a moment, the purple mist covering the mountains and fields disappeared completely, turning into a purple bead in the Poison Witch's hand.

The witch wore it on a necklace around her neck, along with six other beads of different colors.

"Now that things here are over, the rest is up to you to clean up. Over the years, you've become capable of handling things on your own."

The Poison Witch looked at the little sea before her, a faint smile appearing on her face.

"After this matter is over, I plan to return to the Southern Frontier as soon as possible. Some time ago, I received news from there that there was a riot of Gu worms in the mountains. The other Witch Ancestors sent me a message inviting me to go and investigate."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Hai quickly replied:
"Is this matter dangerous? Would you like me to go with you, or would you like me to convey this message to you, young master?"

Upon hearing this, the poison witch pondered for a moment and said:

"This matter is indeed somewhat dangerous, and even if you go, you probably won't be able to help much. However, this matter concerns the entire Southern Frontier. Although it shouldn't alarm you, young master, we should still send a message to the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion to see if we can deduce anything."

(End of this chapter)