Journey to the West: Starting with the True Lord of the Pure Land

Chen Jiao followed the Silver Horned Boy on the cloud path.

Auspicious clouds rise spontaneously beneath one's feet, palaces and pavilions on both sides shimmer with light, and cranes carrying lingzhi mushrooms glide by, creating a scene of celestial harmony.

Silver Horn led the way, his steps light and quick, occasionally turning back to tell interesting stories from the Tushita Palace.

Chen Jiao listened silently, occasionally interjecting a few words, which only fueled Yin Jiao's interest in talking.

After traveling for a short while, the clouds parted ahead, and two figures came towards them.

A barefoot man with disheveled hair, holding a palm-leaf fan, and a beaming smile appeared; it was none other than the Barefoot Immortal, whom we had not seen for long.

Another figure, dressed in the robes of a water-loving immortal and surrounded by misty water vapor, is Feng Yi, the River God who controls the Yellow River's waterways.

The two were clearly taken aback when they saw Chen Jiao walking side by side with the Silver Horned Boy, and then pressed down on the clouds.

The Barefoot Immortal laughed heartily, stepped forward, and bowed, saying:

"What a coincidence!"

"Where is the True Lord heading? This old Daoist and Fellow Daoist Feng Yi are on their way to find you!"

Before he finished speaking, the River God Feng Yi beside him straightened his clothes, stepped forward, bowed, and spoke with utmost respect:

"I, Feng Yi, have come by the decree of the Water Official Emperor to respectfully invite the True Lord to the Golden Palace of Yin for a chat."

The Great Emperor said, "True Lord's pacification of the Weak Water Rebellion is a great achievement, and I am very pleased."

"I wish to prepare a fine tea ceremony in the palace and discuss the Dao with the True Lord. I hope the True Lord will grant me this honor."

Silver Horned Boy blinked and said in a clear voice:

"You two immortals are a step too late!"

My master has ordered me to invite the True Lord to the Tushita Palace for a talk.

Chen Jiao nodded slightly, looked at the Barefoot Immortal and Feng Yi, and spoke calmly, his voice clear and steady:

"I trouble you two fellow Daoists to convey this message."

"Let me first go to the Tushita Palace to pay my respects to the Dao Ancestor and receive his teachings, and then I will proceed to the Dongyin Palace to meet the Great Emperor. What do you say?"

Barefoot Immortal and Feng Yi exchanged a glance and both nodded in agreement.

The Barefoot Immortal laughed and said, "That's excellent!"

The old Taoist priest and his fellow Taoist Feng Yi waited quietly outside the Tushita Palace for the arrival of the True Lord.

"It's not too late to go to Dongyin Palace together after the True Lord has met with the Dao Ancestor."

Chen Jiao returned the greeting with a cupped hand, saying, "Thank you both for waiting so long."

The Silver Horned Boy smiled and gestured for them to proceed, leading the way.

Chen Jiao nodded slightly to the two immortals without saying anything more, and continued walking with the boy. The Barefoot Immortal and Feng Yi followed slowly, lagging behind by several feet.

Not long after.

The Thirty-Three Heavens, Tushita Palace.

The sea of ​​clouds is silent, and the pine breeze is gentle.

The scenery outside the palace was exactly the same as when Chen Jiao last came.

A purple mist hangs in the air, and crimson clouds swirl around. Several ancient, vigorous pines lean against the palace wall, and beneath them, a blue ox with flat horns is tethered.

The blue ox was lying on the ground, its eyes half-closed, still dozing off.

Silver Horned Boy led the way, trotting inside to deliver the message.

Chen Jiao stood quietly in front of the palace, while the Barefoot Immortal and River God Feng Yi stood at a distance, holding their breath and not daring to make a move.

Hearing footsteps, the blue ox lazily raised its eyelids.

Upon catching sight of Chen Jiao and his two companions, the bull's eyes lit up slightly, focusing directly on Chen Jiao. Its nostrils twitched slightly, and it let out a dull snort.

The enormous bull's head tilted slightly towards Chen Jiao, and its tail flicked impatiently twice.

The meaning couldn't be clearer.

Practice makes perfect; you should be more self-aware by now.

Both Barefoot Immortal and Feng Yi were taken aback upon seeing this, their faces showing confusion.

Although the two knew that this ox was the mount of the Dao Ancestor and had an extraordinary status, they did not understand the purpose of this action.

Normally, it wouldn't even bother to lift its eyelids when ordinary celestial officials passed by, so why did it take the initiative to signal to the True Lord today?

Only Chen Jiao paused slightly, looking at the old ox that had followed the Dao Ancestor for countless eons, yet whose nature remained as lazy as ever, a faint sense of helplessness seemed to flash across his eyes.

This time, he did not take out the golden, ethereal Cloud Garden Orange.

Instead, he reached into his sleeve, rummaged around for a bit, and pulled out a few items.

It turned out to be three wild oranges with green and yellow peels, and a few bright green leaves attached.

The fruit peel wasn't smooth; it even had some dust and mud from the mountains on it, making it look plain and unadorned, completely out of place in this fairyland.

Only a slightly tart and refreshing fruity aroma quietly spreads out.

It was a few wild fruits that he had picked when he passed by Huaguo Mountain and saw the lush wild orange trees by the mountain stream.

With a flick of his finger, Chen Jiao sent several wild oranges flying straight toward the blue ox.

The ox's eyes suddenly lit up, its lazy demeanor vanished, and it abruptly raised its head, opening its mouth to snatch the orange.

Close your mouth and chew.

At first, I chewed slowly, but then I gradually picked up the pace and made a crisp "crunch crunch" sound, and the sweet and sour aroma of the juice wafted out.

It ate with great relish, its head bobbing and its tail swaying gently. It seemed to be thoroughly enjoying itself.

Clearly, these wild fruits, imbued with the scent of the mortal world, were more to its liking than any celestial delicacy.

After swallowing the wild orange in a few bites, the blue ox licked its nose with lingering satisfaction and gave a contented snort filled with the scent of oranges.

It looked up at Chen Jiao, who stood solemnly outside the palace, its voice deep and resonant:

"Hmm, these oranges taste really good. Much better than those pretty but tasteless ones from last time."

"How thoughtful! Master Niu is delighted!"

The Barefoot Immortal and River God Feng Yi, who were not far away, stared in disbelief.

At this moment, the Silver Horned Boy pushed open the palace gate:

"My lord, please."

As soon as Chen Jiao stepped inside, he felt a warm, refreshing aura wash over him, instantly clearing his mind.

As you venture deeper, you'll see the Bagua Furnace standing quietly.

A boy in a golden-threaded Taoist robe sat before the stove, his face contorted in distress. He held a banana leaf fan in both hands and weakly fanned the bottom of the stove.

It was Jinjiao.

Hearing footsteps, Golden Horn's ears twitched slightly, and he turned around abruptly.

Upon seeing that it was Chen Jiao,

His face, which had been scrunched up like a bun, suddenly brightened as if the clouds had parted and the sun had come out.

His eyes lit up instantly, revealing undisguised joy, and his lips were about to curl into a grin.

But then she noticed the fire flickering slightly, and her face tightened. Not daring to be negligent, she had no choice but to continue fanning the fire properly.

Her face looked even more distressed, her brows furrowed, and her lips turned down, as if she was about to cry.

It was filled with the frustration of "I really want to go and talk to them, but the stove can't be left unattended."

As he fanned the fire, he kept stealing glances at Chen Jiao, his eyes filled with pleading and hopeful looks.

Silver Horned Boy, following behind Chen Jiao, made a face at his senior brother upon seeing this and whispered:

"My senior brother accidentally dozed off a few days ago and missed the time for the furnace fire."

The master had no choice but to start the furnace again. Now, he's punishing his senior brother to stay here and fan the fire for forty-nine days, and he's not allowed to leave his post.

Silverhorn gloated as he led the way:

"Please follow me, my lord. The master is waiting for you in the quiet room inside."

Chen Jiao's gaze lingered on the Eight Trigrams Furnace for a moment, then swept over the pitiful appearance of the Golden Horned Boy who dared not utter a word.

The corners of his lips seemed to twitch almost imperceptibly, but he ultimately said nothing.

Behind him, only the Golden Horned Boy remained, facing the fire, vigorously fanning himself with a banana leaf fan while muttering complaints that no one could hear.

The small face, illuminated by the flickering firelight, appeared even more gloomy and dejected.

Silver Horned Boy led Chen Jiao to the door of the quiet room, then bowed and stepped aside, standing respectfully with his hands at his sides, without entering.

Chen Jiao pushed open the door and entered.

The interior was devoid of luxurious furnishings; the walls were bare and the floor was spotless.

There are two cushions in the middle, one above the other.

When Daozu saw Chen Jiao enter, a gentle smile appeared on his face.

He pointed to the empty prayer mat to the left, his voice calm and unhurried:

"You've arrived. Don't be shy, please sit down."

Chen Jiao followed the instructions and sat down comfortably on the lower prayer mat, appearing completely at ease.

There was neither restraint in the face of a supreme being nor deliberate ostentation; everything was natural and spontaneous.

Seeing his expression, the Dao Ancestor's eyes flashed with a barely perceptible hint of approval.

He raised his hand and swept it across the empty space in front of him, and two cups of tea appeared silently on the table.

The tea soup is clear and bright, without any steam, yet an indescribable Daoist charm quietly spreads along with the aroma of the tea.

"Try it."

The Daoist Ancestor was the first to pick up a cup and take a gentle sip.

Chen Jiao also picked up his teacup and took a sip.

The tea soup, upon entering the throat, has no special taste, yet it feels like a gentle, refreshing stream, quietly cleansing the body's acupoints and even clearing the mind and soul.

Setting down his teacup, the Dao Ancestor slowly spoke, his voice calm and detached, yet it seemed to resonate directly within Chen Jiao's heart:

"You used that Sea-Stabilizing Divine Iron very well."

Before Chen Jiao could answer, the Dao Ancestor's gaze seemed to pierce through the quiet room, looking towards the distant past, and he continued slowly:

"When heaven and earth were first separated, although the clear and the turbid were distinguished, things were still somewhat unstable. The four poles were sometimes in danger of collapsing, and the eight directions occasionally showed signs of collapse."

"I then thought I'd forge a sturdier pillar to temporarily support it."

So he casually took some of the remaining essence of the innate Geng metal, threw it into the furnace, and fanned the fire a few times.

The forging was successful, and the appearance was passable.

The Taoist patriarch spoke in a calm tone, as if he were talking about firing an ordinary piece of pottery:

"Upon closer inspection, I realized that the Great Way is natural, with the alternation of Yin and Yang and the rotation of the Five Elements."

Gradually, the world itself became quite stable and did not need external forces to support it.

Afterwards, Yu the Great went around trying to control the floods, but he lacked a suitable tool to measure the depth and calm the waves.

Seeing that the pillar was gathering dust in the corner, I let him take it.

I never imagined you'd bring it here now.

The Dao Ancestor withdrew his gaze and looked at Chen Jiao again, a hint of a smile in his eyes:

"It failed to support the sky, but had more than enough water to measure, and finally subdued the Weak Water. Every drink and every bite, is it all preordained?"

When used appropriately, it becomes the law of cause and effect.

Upon hearing Dao Zu's words, Chen Jiao pondered for a moment, his gaze clear and unwavering.

He looked up at the Dao Ancestor, his voice steady and unhurried:

"What the teacher said is all due to past lives."

The divine iron has its own destiny; supporting the sky, measuring water, and suppressing the weak water are all due to the circumstances of the time.

"I only did so because it happened to be the right time and I was simply going with the flow."

He paused slightly before continuing:

"All things in heaven and earth have their own nature and their own use. You cannot force them, nor can you force them to be stopped."

What I do is simply observe the situation and discern the opportunity, seeking a clear path forward.

Divine iron is a tool, weak water is a tool, and even the stars in the heavens, immortals, gods, humans, and ghosts are all tools for the operation of the Great Dao.

It is used by me, not by me as a tool.

When the mind is clear and lucid, all things can be used as a raft to ferry others across, and also to ferry oneself across.

After speaking, Chen Jiao fell silent again, sitting firmly as a mountain in his black robes.

The Daoist Master listened quietly, a faint light shimmering in his eyes, as if expressing approval, but he did not put it into words.

Within the quiet room, only the lingering Taoist chants remained, like a gentle spring breeze and nourishing rain, silently nurturing all things.

After a moment, the Dao Ancestor nodded slightly, his gaze falling on Chen Jiao, but then suddenly shifted, as if he had remembered something interesting.

A smile then appeared on his lips; his voice remained calm, but carried a rare air of ease.

"Name is destiny."

You named that pillar Ruyi Jingu Bang (the Golden Cudgel)... That's a very good name.

Simple and unadorned, yet it speaks directly to its essence.

The Dao Ancestor paused slightly, his smile deepening as he spoke slowly:

"I'm just curious, why didn't you choose a more impressive name back then?"

For example... a ruthless ironclad soldier?

Chen Jiao: "..."