Don't let Yu Ding take on any more disciples.

Chapter 236 What is the fate of a mortal?
"Master, I have finished translating."

Li Jing arrived at the cloud bed in the Floating Light Cave and confidently presented the translation with both hands.

His translation speed... must be pretty fast, right?
"All done? It took you this long? You really are an idiot!"

Yu Ding yawned and said, "I almost fell asleep waiting. I'll have you translate the first ten sentences..."

The smile on Li Jing's face froze.

Yu Ding glanced at him and said, "But the translation is not bad; it's all translated correctly."

Li Jing's expression brightened. Seeing that his master was in a good mood, he quickly asked, "Then, Master... what do you mean by these words?"

What do you mean...? Yu Ding paused, staring intently at Li Jing, making Li Jing's scalp tingle. He said nervously, "Master, I have actually gained some insights, but... I don't know if they are right."

"As long as you have some insights, that's enough."

Yu Ding said softly, "Tell me your insights, and I will listen."

Li Jing explained what he had realized. In fact, the principles in the Three Character Classic are extremely simple and easy to understand, and they are also for the enlightenment of young children.

Therefore, as an adult who has experienced many things, Li Jing's understanding of the meaning will not be too far off, no matter how he interprets it.

“Okay…” In the days that followed, Yu Ding continued to teach Li Jing to recognize the Dragon and Phoenix seal script.

Yuan Hong was a naturally gifted monkey. He could read when he arrived, and he even understood Yuan Hong's Eight-Nine Arcane Arts without Yuan Hong teaching him.

Yang Jian did go through the hurdle of learning to read and write, but he was exceptionally intelligent and had a near-perfect memory, so he passed this hurdle very quickly with almost no intervention from his teacher.

And Li Jing...

This learning process took more than half a year.

At night, the bright moon hangs high.

"Hey……"

With a long sigh, Li Jing sat on a tree trunk on Flying Fish Mountain with a worried expression, holding a jade slip in his hand.

However, what he held in his hand was not some Taoist magic formula, but a... exam paper!

That's right, that's what the master was called, including the sky, judging right and wrong, translating between heaven and man, reading comprehension, and writing in the style of dragons and phoenixes...

Looking at the number 59 prominently marked on the exam paper, Li Jing sighed with regret.

One more point would be a waste, one less point would be a suffering. According to that master's standards, if he had one more point, he would have gone to learn Taoist arts, but in the end, he was just one point short.

He swore that he had studied day and night for the past six months, devoting himself entirely to it, but this immortal script was indeed not something that ordinary people could easily master.

"Miss Yin, will I ever be able to wait for you again..."

Li Jing gazed at the moon in the sky, and took out a hairpin from his bosom with his right hand. It was as if that bright and elegant young girl was right in front of him, her every smile and frown captivating...

Gradually, the melancholy in Li Jing's eyes disappeared, and his gaze became firm again.

"What are you worrying about so late at night?" A voice came from under the tree.

Li Jing looked down and saw that Yu Ding was sitting cross-legged on a rock under the tree, with moonlight shining down and swirling around him, making him seem otherworldly and ethereal.

"Master!" Li Jing jumped down from the tree and hurriedly asked respectfully, "Why have you come?"

"No need to be so formal. Qi cultivators absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and the essence of the sun and moon. They can also cultivate at night," Yu Ding said calmly.

Li Jing nodded slightly, his eyes filled with envy.

"Speaking of which, you've been a disciple for quite some time now, but we haven't had a proper chat yet."

Yu Ding opened his eyes and looked at Li Jing, smiling as he gazed at him.

Looking at his smile, Li Jing was stunned. This was the first time he had been so close to his master.

He felt an immense warmth from that smile, as if a ray of sunshine were shining upon him, and the distance between him and his master had vanished. "What does Master want to talk to me about?" Li Jing asked softly.

"Just say whatever you want, anything you want to say. Come, sit down and talk!" Yu Ding said with a smile.

When people mention Li Jing, they always associate him with his three sons, especially his third son Nezha.

I always felt that Li Jing was really lucky to have three good sons, and his ability to become an immortal was partly due to his sons.

However, very few people know about the past of this Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King.

However, his presence in the era of Investiture of the Gods and Journey to the West was indeed not that strong.

During the Investiture of the Gods era, he was the general of Chentang Pass. Before becoming a god, he studied Taoism under the tutelage of the True Man of Du'e in Kunlun Mountain. Later, he became the Heavenly King who commanded 100,000 heavenly soldiers and generals in the Heavenly Court. He held the exquisite pagoda and was renowned.

However, many people look down on Li Jing for this. Before becoming a god, he relied on his son, and after becoming a god, his reputation and even his title were entirely due to the tower he held...

Li Jing nodded upon hearing this, slowly sat down, leaned back with his hands supporting him behind him, and looked up at the sky in a relaxed posture.

"You've been away for so long... Don't you miss home?" Yu Ding asked with a smile.

"Home?" Li Jing was taken aback, then shook his head and said, "I have no home anymore. We live off the land. Our village is near the mountains, and our ancestors made a living by cutting firewood and hunting. That day, I went to the market in town, and when I came back, my family and the whole village were gone."

"Both parents are dead..." Yu Ding pondered for a moment and asked, "What do you mean?"

“A group of divine beings clad in silver armor surrounded and hunted a terrifying demon. Master, do you know that just a ripple from their battle leveled the mountain to the ground?”

At this point, Li Jing suddenly became agitated, clenched his fists, and whispered, "The nearby villages, including ours, were all affected. Everything vanished completely from where it was, as if it had never existed at all..."

Yu Ding: Uh...

He sighed inwardly. This was just how the world was: when gods fought, mortals suffered!

"Master, tell me, in their eyes, what are the lives of us mortals... worth?"

Li Jing looked at the jade cauldron and said, "Aren't the lives of us mortals also lives? Do immortals, who have power beyond that of mortals, have the right to do whatever they want and disregard our lives?"

"Different people have different views on life."

Yu Ding pondered for a moment and said, "At least I think... the more powerful one is, the more carefully one should use it, so as not to implicate the innocent."

Li Jing nodded slightly and said, "It was then that I suddenly realized that gods and demons probably see us as I see ants on the ground, easily crushed with a flick of the wrist..."

"Maybe those gods, cough, didn't do it on purpose..." Yu Ding coughed and offered a reluctant explanation.

“So I’ve been waiting for them,” Li Jing said.

Yu Ding asked curiously, "What are we waiting for?"

"Wait for them to come and apologize to me, to give my family, the villagers, and all the lives lost at their hands an explanation."

As Li Jing spoke, his fists clenched, and his eyes reddened as he said, "But I've waited for many years, and they haven't said a word, or even... shown up."

“Uh…” Yu Ding sighed.

Some of these deities truly believed themselves to be superior to mortal beings, including some of his fellow disciples.

Although he also had some reservations... the truth is that immortals are indeed superior.

Just as mortals wouldn't apologize for stepping on an ant, neither would celestial soldiers or deities...

“Therefore, over the years, I have made a decision in my heart…” Li Jing said in a deep voice.

Yu Ding's brow twitched suddenly: "What decision?"

The more he listened, the more something seemed off.

(End of this chapter)