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Chapter 80 Elixir
Manjushri Bodhisattva looked unwell.

The fact that even the soul and spirit of Jin Chanzi were arranged in the Tushita Palace, does this imply a certain attitude of Laozi?

Venus's eyes darted around quickly, and a smile immediately spread across his face.
"Wonderful! Laozi's wisdom and calculation are so profound that even such cause and effect are arranged so perfectly. I admire you."

Then, he turned to Kui Mulang with a smile, "But I have another concern. Jin Chanzi's soul has been nurtured in Chen Guangrui's body for many years and has long been intertwined with the mortal soul. Now that it is to be separated, will it damage his foundation? Furthermore, this soul body is no longer the original soul after leaving the nurturing shell, so how will it be returned to its original place?"

Kui Mulang nodded calmly and took out a purple jade gourd from his bosom. He lightly flicked the stopper, and a pill the size of a longan rolled into his palm.

Nine cloud-like patterns flowed across the elixir's body, and the moment the fragrance of the medicine wafted out, the plants and trees in the courtyard moved without any wind.

"This is the Nine-Turn Soul-Dividing Pill personally refined by Laozi."

Kui Mulang carried the pills towards Chen Guangrui, his refined demeanor carrying an undeniable air of authority.
"Taking this pill will help you clarify your mind and soul, and align your body with the Dao. As for your cultivation..."

He glanced at Manjushri Bodhisattva and said, "Since you have entered the Tushita Palace as the Taoist priest who tends the furnace, how could you not have the magical power to protect the alchemy furnace?"

A single pill could actually extract the "soul" of the Golden Cicada and even grant one magical power?
If everyone is like this, what's the point of having a master or cultivating immortality? Why not just take drugs?
However, Chen Guangrui couldn't think about such things now. He was basically out of trouble and could even get some medicine to take. He was secretly overjoyed.

Chen Guangrui took the pill, its texture as warm and smooth as holding a piece of jade. He still didn't know how to take the pill or whether he needed to prepare a ceremony.

At this moment, Manjushri Bodhisattva suddenly spoke up, "Wait!"

He was still uneasy, "If anything goes wrong after this elixir enters the body, it will damage my Buddhist Golden Cicada Body..."

"Bodhisattva is overthinking it." Kui Mulang stood with his hands behind his back, his words carrying a hidden veil of sarcasm.

"If Laozi wanted to sabotage Buddhism, would he need to go to such great lengths?"

Venus immediately smiled and smoothed things over.
"That's exactly right! Laozi is of such high status that he would never do anything so despicable."

Kui Mulang remained neither humble nor arrogant. Even with Manjushri Bodhisattva present, he calmly walked to Chen Guangrui's side and whispered a few words.

Without further hesitation, Chen Guangrui tilted his head back and swallowed the pill.

The pill melted instantly upon entering his mouth, a refreshing energy rushing straight to his limbs and bones. At first, it flowed like a spring stream through his meridians, so soothing that he almost groaned aloud. But in an instant, the stream transformed into a surging river, crashing and churning within his internal organs!
Without the excruciating, transformative feeling she experienced in the novel before her transmigration, Chen Guangrui felt somewhat dizzy, and then suddenly felt a sense of relief.

A golden light filled my vision.

In the golden light, a translucent golden cicada phantom struggled to emerge from above his head. Its wings were as thin as glass, and the patterns on them vaguely resembled Chen Guangrui's appearance. Enveloped by the power of the elixir, the phantom drifted towards Manjushri Bodhisattva, each flap of its wings scattering specks of golden dust.

Manjushri Bodhisattva subconsciously opened his palm, and the illusory image of the golden cicada fell into the Buddha's light, which was undoubtedly the soul of the golden cicada.

Kui Mulang waved his sleeve, dispelling the remaining golden light, his tone as gentle as an autumn breeze brushing across an icy surface.

"The soul has returned; please, Bodhisattva, guide it into Yin Wenjiao's spiritual realm. As for whether it will achieve the desired effect of Buddhism..."

He paused meaningfully, then said, "It depends on the fate of Buddhism." Seeing that the matter was beyond repair, Venus clapped his hands and laughed in approval.
"Wonderful! The elixir has shed the mortal body and the cicada has shed its shell. Laozi's methods are all-powerful. Fellow Daoist Chen's soul is now clear and pure, making him perfectly suited to go to the Tushita Palace to take charge of the furnace fire."

Although he was just a lowly fire-tending Taoist priest, not even worthy of Taibai Jinxing's attention, he still treated everyone with a smile.

Chen Guangrui was in a daze. When he heard Kui Mulang say that he was going to the Tushita Palace, he had only one thought in his mind, and his whole body flew up. It was a feeling he had never experienced before.

He floated in the air, his body as light as a feather, able to soar up and down with the slightest thought.

He clenched his fist, a warm current flowing through his body, as if he had a thousand pounds of strength hidden in his arm. With a gentle swing, the air seemed to whoosh. He then tried stomping his feet, the dust on the ground was shaken up, but his feet didn't hurt at all.

This power was something he had never experienced before.

Kui Mulang waited for Chen Guangrui with a smile. Seeing him twirling in the air like a child, a gentle smile appeared on his lips. He thought back to when he first gained power, and it seemed that he was like that too.

Seeing that Chen Guangrui had felt enough, Kui Mulang then spoke.

"In this world, the Queen Mother's peaches can increase the lifespan of immortals, and Zhen Yuanzi's ginseng fruit has a similar effect, but only Laozi can enhance divine power through alchemy. Most of my strength comes from Laozi's elixirs."

Chen Guangrui nodded, already sensing the weight of Laozi in heaven from those words.

At this moment, only Kui Mulang and himself were present. Chen Guangrui was also somewhat puzzled, and that's when he asked,

"Didn't you go to the West to look for someone? Why are you suddenly showing up now?"

Kui Mulang laughed and said, "Wei Zheng said you were in trouble and asked me to help. When I heard this, why would I ask anyone else? Of course, I had to come to the heavens to mediate. After all, you have a good relationship with Wei Zheng."

When Wei Zheng was mentioned, Chen Guangrui felt a little disappointed. "It was my fault that Wei Zheng was implicated and lost his position as the official in charge of personnel."

Kui Mulang flicked his sleeve, his expression calm and composed.
"You need not worry about Wei Zheng's matter. That old man Taibai Jinxing has no say, and Manjushri Bodhisattva has no jurisdiction over the Tushita Palace. Laozi will handle this matter himself."

He paused, a glint of light flashing in his eyes, as he scrutinized Chen Guangrui with intense curiosity.

"However, there is something I really can't understand. Today, when I returned to the Heavenly Court, the gates of the Tushita Palace were tightly closed, clearly indicating that Laozi did not want to interfere in the mortal world, so I had no choice but to wait outside the palace gates. Unexpectedly, I suddenly saw that green ox descend to the mortal world!"

Kui Mulang's tone shifted, revealing disbelief, "What's even stranger is that not long after the Green Ox left, Laozi personally left the meditation room and went straight to the Lingxiao Palace to ask the Jade Emperor for this decree! When I met him, the decree appointing you as the 'Taoist of Furnace Stirring Fire' was already in my hands!"

In just a few words, he had already explained all the twists and turns of the day. Chen Guangrui was caught up in the situation and was not affected, but now, after listening, he understood that his life was in the hands of Laozi.

At this moment, Kui Mulang took a step closer, lowering his voice, like a colleague who couldn't hold back his gossip.
"I find this very strange! What did you, a mere mortal scholar, do to make Laozi, who has been in a state of tranquility and inaction for tens of thousands of years, go to the Jade Emperor specifically for this matter? A mere Taoist priest who tends a fire could have easily obtained a divine position with just a word from him, yet he went in person. It's truly... suspicious. Could it be that he overheard something you said?"

Chen Guangrui had managed to steady himself in mid-air, the dizziness gradually subsiding, and his mind clearing considerably. Upon hearing this, he smiled.

(End of this chapter)