Journey to the West: Cultivation Begins at Jindou Mountain

Chapter 360 Crane Peak

The summit of Hefeng Peak in Zhongnan Mountain.

A burly man, bare-chested and holding a fan, looking rather bold and generous, flew down from the clouds and landed in front of the gate of his residence on Crane Peak.

At this moment, two boys dressed in white feather robes who were waiting outside the gate saw their master return and quickly stepped forward to bow in greeting.

"Master."

Although the two boys were a boy and a girl, they looked alike and were both equally handsome.

Zhongli Quan landed, the white clouds beneath him dissipated, and he laughed loudly:

"Haha~ Have my disciples been watching over the house well? Has anything happened while I was away all these years?"

"Please rest assured, Master. With the two of us looking after it, there will definitely be no trouble on Crane Peak. In all the years since you left, everything on the mountain remains the same, and this year's plums have even yielded two extra pounds."

"Oh? That's great news! With you two little white cranes guarding the house, I can feel much more at ease!"

"When I returned from the Abbot's Immortal Mountain, I brought you many good things. Please take them and share them with yourselves."

As Zhongli Quan spoke, he took a cloth bag from his waist and handed it to the two white crane boys in front of him.

Seeing the two little ones take the cloth bag and look inside with excited expressions, Zhongli Quan laughed and walked home, fanning himself.

Seeing this, the two white crane attendants behind him also divided the treasures in the cloth bag and quickly followed Zhongli Quan's pace.

Before long, the three of them arrived in the main hall. One of the White Crane Boys quickly served them tea that had been prepared in advance.

Zhongli Quan gladly accepted it, took a sip, and nodded in satisfaction.

"Not bad, not bad, Bai Yu, the Bai Yu tea you planted yourself is getting better and better. It seems you've put in a lot of effort over the years."

Upon seeing this, the boy smiled and nodded respectfully.

"It's all because of your good teaching, Master."

Zhong Liquan shook his head and chuckled.

"Don't flatter your master. You two received guidance from the Supreme Dao Ancestor back then, so you were born with extraordinary backgrounds, which is why you are where you are today."

"Speaking of which, Bai Yu, I unexpectedly learned some things when I went to Fangzhang Immortal Mountain to pay my respects to the Emperor."

"I remember that you once taught three demons at the foot of the mountain, passing on some Taoist techniques and a scroll of the Five Thunder Technique for rainmaking. Do you still remember it?"

Seeing Zhongli Quan's expression turn serious as he spoke about this matter, Bai Yu's heart skipped a beat. He quickly bowed and said:

"Master, I naturally remember. However, I saw that those three demons had some talent and were very gifted. They were also determined to pursue the Dao, so I passed on some Daoist techniques and that scroll of Five Thunder Techniques to them."

Bai Yu felt a little uneasy. If his master hadn't suddenly brought it up, he wouldn't have been able to recall the three demons who had casually given him pointers.

Could it be that those three demons caused some trouble using the magic they taught them?
"Judging from your expression, do you think your master will scold you?" Zhongli Quan chuckled and shook his head, leisurely waving his fan as he said:
"We cultivators do as we please. If we feel interested one day and find three people pleasing to the eye, we might teach them some methods or even pass on our lineage. So what?"

"But it's quite a coincidence. The Emperor said that those three did many good deeds back then and were worshipped by a country called Chechi Kingdom for generations. Now they are working under the Divine Physician Daojun."

“Moreover, back then, Lü Dongbin once told me that he wanted to ask this person to help him become his protector in this reincarnation to overcome his tribulations.”

"It's a pity that I've been in seclusion on Fangzhang Immortal Mountain for the past few years. I've heard that this person is on good terms with the Emperor and has an even closer friendship with Lü Dongbin. I've never been able to meet him, which is truly a regret."

Bai Yu breathed a slight sigh of relief upon hearing that the three demons had not caused any trouble, but when the other party mentioned the Divine Physician Daojun, the two exchanged glances in bewilderment.

“Master, if it is this person, we do know a bit about him. We have heard that he is now in charge of all medical practices in the world, and his disciples are all over the four continents. According to the Celestial Master Zhong Kui, he seems to have a very high status in the Heavenly Court.”

Han Zhongli looked at his two children, nodded, and sighed:
"It's not just extremely high; this person has caught the eye of His Majesty the Jade Emperor and the Three Pure Ones. It's truly remarkable that I've only been in seclusion for a few hundred years, yet such a being has appeared in the Heavenly Court. The matter of the eastward transmission of Buddhism has now come to a complete end."

"In any case, this person is now a protector personally invited by Fellow Daoist Lü, and also a friend of the Emperor. It is only right and proper for me to go and pay him a visit."

"Baiyu and Bailu, you two can also go to Daojun Mountain. After all, those three are now fellow Daoists of Daojun Mountain and have received immortal titles."

Bai Yu and Bai Lu exchanged a glance, knowing that their master wanted them to use this connection to get closer to these three women at Daojun Mountain.

Bai Yu felt a mix of emotions, but he was mostly curious about what the three demons he had taught the Five Thunder Technique under the alias White Crane Daoist were like now.

Somewhere high on a mountain.

Daojun and the Dragon King of the West Sea were sitting on the ground atop the mountain, surrounded by a sea of ​​clouds. In front of them was an eight-treasure purple-gold table with wine vessels and wine jars.

"So, the Dragon King plans to send his fourth prince to the Tang Dynasty to become a local water god, so he can gain some experience?"

Compared to the four princes of the West Sea Dragon King's family—the fourth prince Ao Wang, the eldest prince Ao Moang who was unparalleled in loyalty and righteousness, the second prince with a cold and arrogant personality, and the third prince Ao Lie who achieved enlightenment—Ao Wang's presence is really very low.

But Daojun, who was very close to the old Dragon King, knew that among his children, the one he cared for and loved the most was his somewhat timid youngest son.

The Dragon King of the West Sea sighed softly and said:
“Indeed, Dao Lord, do you remember what I said before? This child is rather timid, almost unlike anyone from my dragon clan. But this child is also the kindest.”

“I intended for him to live under my protection for the rest of his life, but a few years ago, he and Ao Rong suddenly had a conflict for some reason.”

“I really don’t want to see my brothers like this. I’m thinking of sending my youngest son out into the world to gain some experience and improve his skills, so that he won’t be bullied if I can’t take care of him in the future.”

Daojun gave the old dragon king of the West Sea a meaningful look.

I don't know why the conflict broke out.
It was obvious that Ao Rong had done something wrong, which made Ao Wang unable to stand it any longer, thus causing the conflict to break out. However, since both of them were his children, the old dragon king simply couldn't bring himself to say it.

Just as Daojun was about to say something, lines of cause and effect suddenly flashed in his eyes. The Great Dao of Cause and Effect was quickly activated, causing a series of messages and images to flash before his eyes.

A look of surprise flashed across Daojun's eyes as he looked towards Zhongnan Mountain.

"So that's how Zhongli Quan lived for so long atop Zhongnan Crane Peak, and that White Crane Boy."

(End of this chapter)