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Chapter 82 Farewell to the Two Realms Mountain

Faced with Chen Guangrui's confusion, Kui Mulang smiled his usual smile and gently shook his head.
"Fellow Daoist Chen has thought things through deeply. Perhaps... Laozi values ​​the two young disciples, Jinlu and Yinlu, and is using this opportunity to hone their skills, or perhaps to cultivate them?"

He spoke tactfully, stopping short of making a point.

Chen Guangrui immediately understood and smiled as well.

"Laojun's plans are profound and far-sighted, beyond our comprehension. What the Star Lord says is very true."

Discussions about Laozi's intentions are pointless and prone to errors; it's better to simply go along with the conversation and move on.

Kui Mulang was well aware of this and would never directly voice any potentially taboo speculations, so Chen Guangrui naturally wouldn't press him further.

He was somewhat speechless. He had thought that being summoned to Heaven by Laozi would involve some grand ceremony or arrangements. After all, even the Monkey King had a ceremony when he went to Heaven. He never expected that his turn would be so rushed. He only saw two attendants at the palace gate and didn't even catch a glimpse of Laozi himself before being sent back down.

But thinking about it, it makes sense. The monkeys are different from me. Although I have a divine position, I'm just a fire-starter. Maybe I'm no different from the local earth gods.

Besides, he didn't cultivate; he only attained his divine position because of a single elixir from Laozi. He's still young. Although the Golden Furnace Boy and the Silver Furnace Boy look like children, their ages are unknown.

For hundreds or thousands of years, apart from alchemy, they had not experienced anything else, and their temperament was like that of children. However, the youngest among them was actually Chen Guangrui.

What other kind of ceremony could he possibly want?
Thinking of this, Chen Guangrui smiled bitterly and rode the clouds back to Chang'an.

When he descended from the clouds and landed on solid ground again, he paid special attention to the time.

Although the stay in heaven was short, only two or three days passed on earth.

He secretly realized that although the flow of time in the Heavenly Court and the mortal world was different, it was not as vastly different as the legends said, "one day in heaven is one year on earth."

This makes sense. Otherwise, when I watched Journey to the West as a child, I saw that every time Sun Wukong went to heaven to fetch reinforcements, it took a lot of time. The demons in the mortal world would probably have to raise Tang Sanzang until he died of old age before they could take action.

Back in Chang'an, preparations for Li Jing's army's departure were nearing completion. The complex paperwork, the allocation of provisions, and the troop count were all in order.

In the past few days, thanks to Wei Zheng's intervention, Li Jing has not gone to see Chen Guangrui.

Today, Chen Guangrui, as the newly appointed fifth-rank military commander of Daizhou Road, quickly changed into his official robes, reported to Li Jing, and then joined the army that was about to embark on a northern expedition.

The army set off, banners waving, armor gleaming, tens of thousands of troops marching out of Chang'an and embarking on their northward journey.

On the way, Chen Guangrui seized an opportunity to pay his respects to Commander-in-Chief Li Jing. Li Jing, dressed in gleaming armor, sat upright on his horse, exuding the aura of a commander.

"This humble officer is new to military service and unfamiliar with camp affairs, so I fear there may be oversights. However, I humbly request the Commander's instructions, and I will certainly follow them carefully, and would never dare to disrupt the Commander's grand plan."

Chen Guangrui adopted a very humble attitude, following the etiquette of officialdom.

Upon hearing this, Li Jing burst into laughter and patted Chen Guangrui's shoulder forcefully.

"Don't call me a lowly chief steward, brother, you're too polite. Now that you've joined my general's office as a Sima, you're one of us. Don't worry, just follow the army! The subordinates will handle the trivial matters. In my camp, I will protect you and ensure your safety." Li Jing's words were direct, like those of an old friend reunited, rather than a purely official exchange. Since he had asked Li Shimin to send Chen Guangrui, he had already decided to give Chen Guangrui a prestigious title.

At the same time, he also knew that Li Shimin's decision to give Chen Guangrui such a high official rank and position, and to let him go on the expedition, clearly showed that he trusted the person he was using, and that he could just focus on fighting the war without anyone causing trouble.

Therefore, he had already given orders that no one in the army should disturb Chen Guangrui, and he also sent elite troops to protect Chen Guangrui's safety.

Chen Guangrui naturally thanked Li Jing respectfully for his arrangements, but he had his own plans in mind.

During his military journey, he silently experienced the warm current emanating from the elixir within his body and felt the quietly growing power as he marched with his unit.

The feeling was incredibly wonderful. The medicinal power of the "Nine Revolutions Soul-Dividing Pill" was like a flame, warmly permeating his limbs and bones. Chen Guangrui not only felt his muscles and bones becoming stronger and stronger than ordinary people, but he could also clearly feel a natural affinity with the flame.

Without any deliberate effort, a faint warmth seemed to emanate from his fingertips with the slightest thought, as if he could easily manipulate the surrounding heat with a single thought. This ability to control fire, while not quite a supernatural power, was undoubtedly the foundation provided by the elixir.

According to the Jinghe Dragon King, after taking the elixir, this ability to control fire was likely a supernatural power he possessed within the scope of his authority as the Furnace-Turning Fire-Stewing Taoist.

As for the dragon pearl that the Jinghe Dragon King gave him, it brought him a completely different experience.

Whenever he approaches a river source, even just passing through shallow waters, the Dragon Pearl subtly pulsates, sensing the water veins beneath his feet and the moisture in the air. This allows Chen Guangrui to vaguely perceive the dynamics of the water flow, and he even has the illusion that by guiding the power accumulated within the Dragon Pearl, he can slightly stir the nearby trickles of water.

The Dragon King of the Jing River's claim of "the ability to control water" was not unfounded; however, he currently dared not and was unable to truly wield the power of the rivers. The power of water and fire coexisted within him, and though weak, they undeniably broadened his perception of the world.

On this day, the army marched to a desolate and rugged place.

Ahead of the road, a majestic loess mountain range stretched from east to west, as if cleaved by a knife and axe, forcefully dividing the land into two distinct parts. This was none other than the renowned Liangjie Mountain!
Li Jing reined in his warhorse, gazing at the barren mountains with only jagged rocks. His hearty smile vanished, and his brows furrowed as usual.

He snorted coldly and said to Chen Guangrui,
"Brother Guangrui, do you still remember the promise we made on the streets of Chang'an that day?"

His voice suddenly rose, and his eyes were fixed intently on Chen Guangrui. Clearly, the monkey at the foot of the mountain was furious. As soon as he got close, the curses of "ancestor" and "good-for-nothing" kept popping into his head, and his temper flared up instantly.

"Today I'm going to the mountains and chop that wicked monkey to pieces!"

At this point, Li Jing was so angry that he drew his sword.

Chen Guangrui followed the direction he was pointing and saw the mountain range. If he wasn't mistaken, Monkey King should be there.

"General, do you really still remember this place? So many years have passed, have you really not forgotten at all?"

Before he could finish speaking, Li Jing responded loudly, grabbed Chen Guangrui's arm, and tried to pull him away from the ranks.

"That's right! It's right there, under that mountain lies that lawless, foul-mouthed monkey. Come on, come on, we're just passing by today, the time is perfect! Come with me, I'll take you to see that wicked beast who's trapped under the mountain and still dares to curse me. Today we'll see what he's got to do with this infuriating thing!"

Li Jing's temper flared instantly. He spoke rapidly, pulling Chen Guangrui toward the edge of the cliff at Liangjie Mountain, as if he couldn't wait a moment longer.

(End of this chapter)