I am a fairy in Journey to the West

Pei Jue, the newly appointed Underworld Envoy of Buzhou Mountain, made a special trip to pay his respects to Zhuang Yan.

Zhuang Yan hosted a grand banquet for Pei Jue at his residence. During the banquet, Pei Jue bowed to express his gratitude to Zhuang Yan for his enlightenment and the bestowal of the Dharma.

Zhuang Yan smiled and said, "You don't need to thank me. It's because of your own sincere faith in Taoism. As the Buddhists say, 'All beings suffer, all phenomena are inherently without form, only self-salvation is possible.' You have the will to save yourself, so I can save you. Therefore, you don't need to thank me."

Pei Jue said, "That may be true, but the path to salvation is endless. If it weren't for the True Lord's guidance, how could I have reached the shore from the sea of ​​suffering? I offer this cup to the True Lord to express my gratitude for your salvation."

After saying that, Pei Jue stood up, raised the wine cup with both hands, and drank it all in one gulp.

Zhuang Yan picked up his wine cup, took a small sip, and then said with a smile, "Now that you are the Underworld Envoy, you are responsible for coordinating and relaying matters between the Underworld and the human world. I don't stay in the mountains often, so you can communicate directly with General Zhifu and Hall Master Chiling of Tongcheng Hall if you need anything in the future."

As soon as Zhuang Yan finished speaking, Chi Ling stood up and bowed to Pei Jue.

Upon seeing this, Pei Jue quickly stood up and returned the greeting to Chi Ling, saying, "This humble god greets Palace Master Chi Ling."

Chi Ling laughed heartily and said, "Fellow Daoist, there's no need to be so polite. We are both seventh-grade True Gods, and there is no difference in our status."

Pei Jue quickly replied, "The Palace Master has long been a celestial official, and to me he is a senior, so I should naturally respect him."

"Hahaha." Chi Ling was pleased by Pei Jue's words and couldn't help but laugh. She immediately said, "Good, good, good. In the future, since you will be staying in Buzhou Mountain, we should have more opportunities to get closer and communicate."

Pei Jue was delighted upon hearing this and quickly replied, "That is exactly what I wish for."

The simple celestial banquet ended an hour later, and Zhuang Yan returned to his Lingtai Palace, while Chi Ling and Pei Jue returned to their respective divine palaces to perform their duties.

Zhuang Yan had just returned to his Dao Palace when Bao Jie came to report: "Master, Lord Hongshan is waiting outside."

Zhuang Yan said, "Let him in."

He accepted the order and left. Soon after, Lord Hongshan arrived in the hall and bowed to Zhuang Yan, saying, "Your subordinate pays respects to the True Lord."

Zhuang Yan pointed and said with a smile, "Sit down."

Lord Hongshan bowed in thanks, then walked to the side and sat down on a sandalwood chair. Zhuang Yan then asked Lord Hongshan, "How many people have come to collect the Heavenly Profound Jade Talisman recently?"

Upon hearing this, Lord Hongshan hurriedly reported, "Reporting to the True Lord, in just the past two months, more than 100,000 people have received the Heavenly Profound Jade Talisman, and most of them are Taoists, Buddhists, and various righteous gods of the Heavenly Court. Oh, and people from the Xuan Sect have also received the Heavenly Profound Jade Talisman."

Zhuang Yan nodded slightly, and then Hongshan Jun reported: "A total of 710,000 purple coins have been received in the past two months, and they have all been put into storage and handed over to Yuhuan Tower."

"Good." Zhuang Yan smiled and said, "You did a great job. From now on, you can keep 100,000 of the monthly purple coins earned by the Heavenly Dou Pavilion as public funds. You can decide how to spend them as you see fit."

Upon hearing this, Lord Hongshan hurriedly bowed and said, "I am deeply grateful for the True Lord's favor. Now that I am a celestial official, I receive a monthly stipend from the Heavenly Dipper Pavilion. How could I possibly take money from the Heavenly Dipper Pavilion?"

Zhuang Yan smiled and said, "This is not for you to take yourself. It is for the public funds of the Heavenly Dou Pavilion. You can decide how to spend it. In the future, the Heavenly Dou Pavilion will need this money for its work."

Seeing that Hongshan Jun still didn't quite understand, Zhuang Yan continued, "Although there hasn't been any issue of owing the monthly fee for the Heavenly Profound Jade Talisman yet, there will definitely be many such cases in the future. When your Heavenly Dou Pavilion goes around chasing debts, don't you need to make connections everywhere? This money will definitely come in handy. Just do as I say."

Hongshan Jun finally realized what was going on and couldn't help but exclaim, "Your Majesty is truly insightful and far-sighted. I have learned a great deal."

Zhuang Yan smiled calmly and asked, "Which celestial beings from the Heavenly Court have come to collect the Heavenly Profound Jade Talisman in the past two months?"

Speaking of this, Hongshan Jun immediately perked up, "In the beginning, all the Chang'e fairies in the Moon Palace came to receive one. They were personally led by Taiyin Xingjun, and Taiyin Xingjun herself also received one."

"Then the gods from all the departments of Heaven, including the generals of the Thunder Department, also received one."

"Later, all the True Lords and Marshals received the Heavenly Profound Jade Talisman."

"Oh, right, someone from the Tushita Palace also came, saying they helped Laozi get one too. Laozi didn't come in person, it was a boy who came. I told him that 'you must come in person to deliver a bit of magic power into the Heavenly Profound Jade Cup' in order to receive it. The boy said, 'Laozi said that all things in heaven and earth have the Dao, and where there is the Dao, there is the law. If you give Laozi's name, the jade talisman will come out.'"

At this point, Hongshan Jun looked on with surprise, "I did as you said, and sure enough, a Heavenly Profound Jade Talisman belonging to Taishang Laojun flew out from it."

Upon hearing this, Zhuang Yan smiled and said, "Laozi is the ancestor of Taoism, so his words are naturally true. Although he himself did not come here, his Taoist magic is omnipresent."

"I see." Hongshan-kun suddenly realized, his face full of amazement.

Then Hongshan Jun added, "All the Bodhisattvas from the Buddhist sect have come, as have the Xuan Sect. Their leader, Tongtian Daojun, also came personally to receive the Tianxuan Jade Talisman."

“Yes, their power is no match for that of Laozi, so naturally they have to come in person,” Zhuang Yan nodded and said.

Then Zhuang Yan asked, "Did any of the demons come to collect the Heavenly Profound Jade Talisman?"

Hongshan-jun shook his head and said, "So far, not a single demon has come."

“It’s not that we don’t want to come, it’s that we dare not come.” Zhuang Yan said with a smile, “In the future, you can put your mind to this and create a few examples to let those demons know that Buzhou Mountain welcomes them to come and receive the Heavenly Profound Jade Talisman.”

Lord Hongshan replied, "Yes, True Lord."

Zhuang Yan nodded slightly and said, "The Heavenly Profound Jade Talisman is just a tool to facilitate communication among everyone. There is no need to shut out demons and monsters. Besides, we can't just make money from immortal cultivators. We must also make money from demons and monsters. We must treat everyone equally."

Upon hearing this, Lord Hongshan immediately bowed and said, "Your subordinate understands." Zhuang Yan nodded and then said, "Alright, that's all I wanted to ask. You can go and get back to your work now."

Hongshan Jun immediately got up to take his leave, but halfway there he suddenly remembered something and immediately returned to report: "True Lord, there is something I am not sure if I did it right. I forgot about it just now, but I just remembered it and I want to report it to you."

Zhuang Yan smiled and asked, "What is it?"

Hongshan Jun said, "After receiving the Heavenly Profound Jade Talisman, Erlang Shen, Nezha, and many other True Lords and Marshals of the Heavenly Court all asked me for your magical imprint, but I refused to do so. I don't know if this was appropriate. If it was inappropriate, please punish me, True Lord."

Zhuang Yan smiled and said, "You did the right thing."

Lord Hongshan breathed a sigh of relief, then asked, "If this happens again in the future, shall I handle it in the same way?"

Zhuang Yan thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "No need. If anyone asks you for my magic imprint in the future, just tell them that they can get my magic imprint by paying 100,000 purple coins."

"This..." Lord Hongshan was taken aback for a moment, then bowed and said, "Yes, your subordinate will remember."

Then Lord Hongshan bid farewell to Zhuang Yan once again and withdrew from the Hall of Fate.

Time flies, and five days have passed since Zhuang Yan returned to Buzhou Mountain.

On this day, Zhuang Yan came to the northern marsh of Buzhou Mountain to check the seeds of the 'Purple Heaven Divine Thunder Treasure Tree'. Although it was nourished by the Thunder Marsh, the seeds of the treasure tree planted so far showed no signs of sprouting.

Zhuang Yan looked around and saw that the seeds of the Purple Cloud Divine Thunder Treasure Tree had not sprouted, but the 'Seven-Colored Buddha Flower' transplanted from Qingping Mountain was growing very well in the northern marsh of Buzhou Mountain.

Moreover, that seven-colored Buddha flower is the 'mother plant'. Nourished by the spiritual power of Lei Ze, a small seedling has already sprouted next to it and is growing vigorously.

Just then, a crimson celestial light descended from Mount Buzhou and flew straight into the Northern Marsh, arriving before Zhuang Yan shortly afterward.

Chi Ling revealed herself and bowed to Zhuang Yan, saying, "True Lord, the 'Taiheng Lord' of the Northern Mountain Heavenly Palace requests an audience."

"Lord Taiheng?" Zhuang Yan raised an eyebrow. This Lord Taiheng was the eldest son of the Great Emperor of the Northern Mountain. His sudden arrival at Buzhou Mountain must mean something.

So Zhuang Yan asked, "Where is he now?"

Chi Ling said, "Tea is being served in the Tongcheng Hall. I have come here to report to the True Lord."

Zhuang Yan nodded and said, "Go back now and take him to the Hall of Fate to see me."

Chi Ling cupped her hands and said, "Yes." Then she transformed into a beam of immortal light and returned to Mount Buzhou.

Not long after, Zhuang Yan returned to Lingtai Palace, went to the Siming Hall, and met with Taiheng Jun.

Taiheng Jun, dressed in the robes of a fifth-rank celestial official, hurriedly rose and bowed upon seeing Zhuang Yan, saying, "Taiheng Jun, the 'Commander-in-Chief' of the Northern Peak Heavenly Palace, pays respects to the True Lord of the Spirit Platform."

The ruling deity is his divine office, while 'Taiheng Jun' is his title. As for his name, it is the least important thing for a deity.

Zhuang Yan reached out his hand to help him up, saying, "Lord Taiheng, there's no need for such formalities. Please sit down."

"Thank you, True Lord." Lord Taiheng bowed in thanks, then sat down on the sandalwood chair, after which a servant boy served tea and fruit.

At this moment, Zhuang Yan asked, "Did Lord Taiheng come from Beiju Luzhou?"

Upon hearing Zhuang Yan's question, Taiheng Jun quickly replied, "Yes, I have come from Beiju Luzhou, specifically to seek assistance from the Great Master of Fate."

"A request for help?" Zhuang Yan frowned and asked, "What happened?"

Taihengjun sighed and said, "Two months ago, my Beiyue Antian Divine Palace held a banquet for a hundred immortals at Hengshan, and specially invited all the immortals from the ten directions to attend. However, unexpectedly, only six immortals arrived as scheduled. At first, we thought that the other immortals were invited but did not come. Later, we received letters from the disciples of these immortals asking about it, and we learned that they had all been invited, but disappeared after entering Beiju Luzhou."

"Missing?" Zhuang Yan asked. "Were they captured by demons?"

Taihengjun shook his head and said, "I don't know yet. The Great Emperor of Beiyue ordered me to lead divine soldiers and generals to search for and rescue them, but the resistance is enormous."

"Resistance?" Zhuang Yan asked, "What resistance?"

Taihengjun said, "The resistance comes from the environment of Beiju Luzhou. Alas, to be honest, my father is probably the one who regrets the matter of 'Five Emperors Governing the Region' the most."

Zhuang Yan was somewhat surprised and asked, "Why do you say that?"

Taihengjun immediately began to complain, saying, "Beiju Luzhou is different from other continents. It is difficult for gods and Buddhas to enter this continent. It is dangerous and mountainous, and the creatures are very strange. Since ancient times, apart from the True Martial Emperor who made a name for himself here, no god or Buddha has dared to set foot here easily."

At this point, Taihengjun shook his head and smiled bitterly: "This shows how difficult the situation was for my Beiyue Divine Palace after it moved to Beiju Luzhou."

Zhuang Yan understood and said, "That's why, with the power of your Northern Mountain Divine Palace alone, you are unable to find the whereabouts of those missing immortals due to various obstacles in the Northern Continent, so you have come to ask me for help?"

“Indeed.” Taihengjun stood up and bowed to Zhuang Yan, saying, “The True Lord oversees all affairs of the mortal world. My Northern Mountain Divine Palace is helpless and has no choice but to come to the True Lord for help.”

After speaking, Lord Taiheng bowed deeply to Zhuang Yan. (End of Chapter)