I am a fairy in Journey to the West

Upon hearing Ren Xiaoyao's words, Tianhe Xun was somewhat surprised. "You mean, you want me to leave the Beiye tribe now and head north to Hengshan?"

“Yes,” Ren Xiaoyao said. “I suddenly remembered that although the Tianhe Tribe has established a country, it is missing something very important.”

Tianhe asked, "What is it?"

Ren Xiaoyao said, "Luck. Without luck, a person will not have a smooth life, and a country will not last long."

Tianhe asked, "So, going to Hengshan will grant me good fortune?"

Ren Xiaoyao thought for a moment and said, "I can't be sure about that either, but since Mount Heng in the north governs Beiju Luzhou, then the Great Emperor of the North Mountain must be the ruler of Beiju Luzhou. If you want to obtain the human emperor's fortune of Beiju Luzhou, you must ask the Great Emperor of the North Mountain for it."

At this point, Ren Xiaoyao looked at Tianhe and asked, "If we go to the foot of Mount Heng in the North to worship the Great Emperor of the North, we might be able to receive the fortune of the Human Emperor. After all, no tribe in Beiju Luzhou worships the North Mountain yet, and the Tianhe tribe is the first to do so, so the chances are very high."

Upon hearing this, Tianhe Xun looked at Tianhe Wu, who pondered for a moment before saying, "With 30,000 troops marching towards Beiyue, we are afraid our supplies will be insufficient."

Tianhe Xun's gaze sharpened, and he pondered for a while. After what seemed like an eternity, he finally made a decision and said, "Didn't the Kitano tribe want to send us 50,000 shi of grain? Go to the Kitano tribe's headquarters and tell Kitano Tenmu that as long as he lends us 100,000 shi of grain, we'll leave immediately."

Tianhe Wu's eyes lit up, and he cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty is wise, I will go right away."

Before the physicians of the Kitano tribe could arrive at the Han army camp, Tenkawa Takeshi led the messenger to the Kitano tribe's main castle to meet Kitano Tenkawa.

When Kitano Tenbu heard that Tenkawa had regained consciousness and wanted to borrow 100,000 koku of grain to retreat, he was overjoyed and agreed without much thought.

Just ten days later, the Kitano tribe had completed the allocation of 100,000 shi of grain and fodder. Then, Tenkawa led his army westward, first leaving the Kitano tribe's territory, and then suddenly turned north, heading all the way to Hokugaku.

However, Ren Xiaoyao resigned from his position as Chancellor of the Han Kingdom this time. Instead of staying with Tianhe Xun, he sent Zhu Youjian, Li Zhicheng, and Zhang Xianzong to secretly follow the Han army north, while he led the rest of the group to Mount Heng in the north.

"Old Ren," Wang Lang said to Ren Xiaoyao, "Can offering sacrifices to the Northern Mountain truly grant Tianhe Xun the fortune of the Human Emperor?"

Ren Xiaoyao did not answer, but looked at Wuchenzi. Wuchenzi said, "When I was in the Grand Commander's Mansion, I specifically asked General Yushu about the situation in Beiju Luzhou. The Great Emperor of Beiyue has been unable to make any progress in Beiju Luzhou. If a country were to be established that worships the Great Emperor of Beiyue, then the Great Emperor of Beiyue would definitely support that country."

Zhang Qiubai asked, "So, did we come to Beiyue first to inform the Great Emperor of Beiyue about this matter?"

“Yes.” Ren Xiaoyao nodded and said, “We still need to choose a place to set up the altar here first, and we also need to find out what the Northern Mountain side thinks.”

With the Flying Light Talisman, Ren Xiaoyao and his group moved very quickly, arriving at Mount Heng in just over ten days.

The group ascended Mount Heng and arrived at the gate of the mountain palace. A divine light flashed, and a group of divine generals from the Northern Mountain Divine Palace appeared before them.

"The sacred ground of the Northern Peak Heavenly Palace is not to be trespassed by outsiders." Several divine generals, clad in armor, stood imposingly in front of Ren Xiaoyao and his companions.

Upon seeing this, Ren Xiaoyao immediately stopped in his tracks. At this moment, Wuchenzi stepped forward, took out a jade scroll from his sleeve, and said, "We are entrusted by the Emperor of Han to present a letter of state to His Majesty the Great Emperor of An Tian Xuan Sheng of Mount Heng in the North. Please, divine general, forward it on our behalf. We are extremely grateful."

Upon hearing this, the leading general's expression showed slight surprise, and he asked, "Which Han Kingdom? Which emperor? It seems that there are no kingdoms or emperors in Beiju Luzhou, right?"

Wuchenzi said, "Oh, it's the former Tianhe tribe. They abolished the tribal system and established a state. Their tribal chief, Tianhe Xun, is the current emperor."

Upon hearing this, the divine general's expression immediately turned solemn. Having served as a divine general under the Great Emperor of the Northern Mountain for so many years, how could he not understand what this represented?

The reason why the Northern Peak Divine Palace has been unable to make any progress in the Northern Continent is because the Northern Continent is a tribal area with no belief in gods or Buddhas. In addition, it is rich in resources and therefore does not need the protection of gods or Buddhas.

Furthermore, since the tribal system is based on blood ties, it does not require the status of an emperor or sovereign to demonstrate the legitimacy of its rule, and therefore has no need to believe in gods or Buddhas.

Since you don't need gods or Buddhas, then your Northern Mountain Divine Palace will naturally be unable to gain traction and will be unable to convince the beings of Northern Ju Luzhou to worship you.

Therefore, after hearing Wuchenzi's words, the divine general immediately took the letter of state from him and said to the divine generals behind him, "You stay here and stand guard. I will go and report to His Majesty."

The gods responded, and then the leading god said to Ren Xiaoyao and Wuchenzi, "Please wait here for a moment."

After saying this, the divine general rode the clouds and flew towards the distant main peak of the Northern Mountain, which was shrouded in auspicious seven-colored clouds and whose golden palace was faintly visible.

The deity came to the outside of the An Tian Palace to request an audience. The deity went inside to announce the arrival of the deity and, after being summoned by the Great Emperor of the Northern Mountain, entered the An Tian Palace.

At this moment, Lord Taiheng and four auspicious gods were sitting in the hall, while the Great Emperor of the Northern Peak sat high on the throne. After the gods paid their respects, he ordered them to rise and asked, "What is it?"

The divine general held the imperial letter and reported the whole story to the Great Emperor of the Northern Mountain, leaving everyone in the hall astonished.

Taihengjun said, "The Northern Continent has been based on a blood-related clan system for so many years. How come the Tianhe Tribe suddenly abolished the tribal system and established a country?"

Lu Wushen smiled and said, "Isn't this a good thing for our Northern Mountain Divine Palace?"

The Great Emperor of the Northern Mountain nodded slightly and said, "Quickly present the letter of state."

The Minister of the Divine Palace immediately descended the palace steps, took the imperial edict from the divine general, and then turned and walked up the palace steps to present it to the Great Emperor of the Northern Mountain.

The Great Emperor of the Northern Peak took the letter of state and opened it. To his surprise, it was a memorial written in a very neat Taoist style.

The above clearly explains the situation of the Tianhe tribe abolishing the tribal system and establishing a state, as well as their wish to come to the Beiyue Divine Palace to worship Beiyue.

After reading the memorial, the Great Emperor of the Northern Mountain passed it down for everyone in the hall to examine.

After Taiheng Jun and the four auspicious gods passed it around, they all rose and bowed to the Great Emperor of the Northern Mountain, saying, "Your Majesty, we offer our congratulations."

The god Shangyang said, "As long as the Han people truly come to worship the Northern Mountain, then the majesty of my Northern Mountain God Palace will spread throughout the world and benefit all living beings."

Faced with everyone's congratulations, the Great Emperor of the Northern Mountain said thoughtfully, "Have all those chosen ones disappeared?"

Upon hearing this, Lord Taiheng and the others were taken aback at first, but then they realized what was happening.

Bai Ze said, "Your Majesty, it is said that those chosen ones were wiped out by the Immovable Buddha of the North and the Great God of the Three Altars Sea Assembly who came down to the mortal realm. Although my Northern Mountain Divine Palace is not clear about the details of this matter, the chosen ones of Beiju Luzhou have indeed disappeared recently."

The Great Emperor of Beiyue nodded and said, "These chosen ones disrupted and broke the originally stable tribal system of Guanling Prefecture, and prompted the Tianhe Tribe to abandon the tribal system and establish a country instead. Although the chosen ones acted like demons, they played a crucial role in breaking the deadlock in Beiju Luzhou."

Upon hearing this, Taiheng Jun's eyes flashed, as if he had thought of something, but he said nothing and showed no abnormality on the surface. As the son of the Great Emperor of Beiyue, he knew that some things could not be said carelessly.

At this moment, the Great Emperor of the Northern Peak suddenly looked up at Lord Taiheng and said, "Commander General, I order you to lead a thousand divine generals to secretly protect the Emperor of Han as he arrives at Hengshan. There must be no mistakes."

After speaking, the Great Emperor of the Northern Mountain issued an edict, which landed before Lord Taiheng.

Lord Taiheng accepted the imperial edict, then bowed and left to receive the order.

Then the Great Emperor of the Northern Peak said to the Minister of the Divine Palace beside him, "Those who come to present the imperial letter will each be rewarded with ten thousand purple coins and a string of purple jade beads from the Divine Mountain."

The Minister of the Divine Palace bowed and acknowledged the order, then led the divine general away from the An Tian Palace.

Soon after, the Minister of the Divine Palace, accompanied by a group of divine servants, arrived at the mountain gate with the divine general and conveyed the rewards from the Great Emperor of the Northern Mountain to Ren Xiaoyao and the others.

It was obvious that the Great Emperor of the Northern Mountain regarded them as people of the Han Kingdom and did not intend to summon them. After the rewards were given, the Minister of the Divine Palace said, "Please go back immediately and tell the Emperor of Han that His Majesty has read his memorial and granted him permission to come to the Northern Mountain to offer sacrifices. He has also dispatched divine generals to protect him in secret."

Upon hearing this, Ren Xiaoyao and the others exchanged glances. Gu Hanqing was about to speak when Ren Xiaoyao spoke first. He didn't say much, but simply said, "Okay."

After descending the mountain, Gu Hanqing said to Ren Xiaoyao, "The Great Emperor of Beiyue clearly regards us as subjects of the Han Kingdom. We should present our 'Attendant-at-Arms' tokens to prove our identities."

Ren Xiaoyao waved his hand and said, "We are no longer the chosen ones, so we can't do things the same way as before."

Gu Hanqing said, "If the people of the Han Kingdom come to Beiyue to perform the sacrifice under the full protection of the Beiyue Divine Palace, then even if the Milky Way obtains the Emperor's fortune, wouldn't that count as us having completed our mission?"

“You’re still stuck in the old ‘task’ mindset,” Ren Xiaoyao sighed.

Gu Hanqing said, "What else?"

Ren Xiaoyao took out the Heavenly Profound Jade Talisman and connected it with Chi Ling in front of Gu Hanqing. Chi Ling's voice quickly came from inside the Heavenly Profound Jade Talisman: "What trouble have you encountered?"

Ren Xiaoyao said, "General Yu Shu, we haven't encountered any trouble, but there's something I'd like to ask you."

“Oh,” Akaya said simply. “Go ahead and ask.”

Ren Xiaoyao then told Chi Ling about this, and Chi Ling was surprised to hear it, saying, "You actually came up with a solution so quickly? That's really good."

After praising him, Chi Ling continued, "That's fine. As long as the Emperor of Han receives the Emperor's fortune, you will have completed your mission."

"Alright, I understand. Thank you, General Yu Shu." Ren Xiaoyao thanked him, then broke the Heavenly Profound Jade Talisman and turned to look at Gu Hanqing.

Gu Hanqing scratched his head, and after a moment said, "I know, indeed, my thinking is still stuck in the previous 'mission' stage, and I feel like someone will steal the mission." "So what should we do now? Go back and inform Tianhe Xun?" Wang Lang asked.

Ren Xiaoyao said, "Whether we go back or not, they're all coming here anyway, right? Let's stay here and choose the location of the altar, and then wait for them to come."

Wuchenzi nodded and said, "Old Ren is right. We can just wait here. Besides, the Northern Mountain Divine Palace has already sent divine generals to protect us, so there's no need for us to go back."

Everyone nodded in agreement, and they stopped at the foot of Mount Heng.

After the Han army withdrew, the Kitano tribe returned to calm.

However, the Bodhisattva Jidi, who remained in the Beiye tribe, discovered something unusual. He found that after the Han army left the Beiye tribe, they did not return to the Zongcheng of the Tianhe tribe, but instead headed north.

The Bodhisattva Gatha immediately reported this matter to the Buddha Amoghavajra. Upon hearing it, the Buddha Amoghavajra immediately used his magic power to glance at it and then concluded: "The Heavenly River Division is going to Mount Heng in the North."

"What?" The bodhisattvas below were immediately taken aback. The Five-Coin Bodhisattva asked, "World Honored One, what are they doing going to Mount Heng in the North?"

The Buddha Amoghavajra said, "Ever since the people of Heavenly Mandate caused trouble, the people of Guanling Prefecture have gradually begun to abandon their old stubbornness and start to believe in gods and Buddhas. What do you think they are going to do at Mount Heng in the North?"

The Bodhisattva Shanyin asked, "Are they going to offer sacrifices at Mount Heng?"

"Shouldn't it be the Fengshan ceremony?" Bodhisattva Yu Tuo asked in confusion.

The Bodhisattva Shanyin said, "Tianhe Xun has just established his country and has not yet obtained the fortune of the Human Emperor. He is not qualified to perform the Fengshan ceremony. Therefore, his trip must be to offer sacrifices at Hengshan in the hope of obtaining the fortune of the Human Emperor."

“If that’s the case, then the Northern Peak Divine Palace will have made a breakthrough in the Northern Continent,” said Bodhisattva Zangkeluo.

After the Bodhisattva Zangkala said this, the other Bodhisattvas fell silent and simply looked at the Buddha Amoghavajra.

Amoghasiddhi's eyes were slightly closed, but his mind was far from calm. The Buddhist sect had just found Kitanobu as a breakthrough point, which allowed the Buddhist sect to just begin to gain an advantage.

If the Han Kingdom were to receive the Emperor's fortune, it would inevitably unify Guanling Prefecture, at which point the Buddhist sect's hard-won progress would be closed again.

After all, when the Han Kingdom attacked the Northern Wilderness Tribe, the Heavenly Sound Sacred Realm had done a great deal of work to resist the Han army, and the Han Kingdom would never forget that.

If the Han Kingdom were to gain the mandate of heaven and unify Guanling Prefecture, I fear the first thing it would do would be to persecute Buddhism.

After an unknown amount of time, Amoghavajra suddenly asked, "Where is the Great God of the Three Altars and Seas Assembly now?"

The Bodhisattva Jidi quickly said, "Nezha, the Third Prince, arrived at Luye Mountain in Tingzhou with five marshals and the Giant Spirit God. They subdued many demons along the way, and those demons have now gathered in Luye Mountain and become Nezha's subordinates."

Upon hearing this, Amoghavajra immediately said, “Good voice, take my letter to Mount Luye and invite Nezha and all the heavenly generals to the Heavenly Sound Sacred Realm for a chat.”

The Bodhisattva Shanyin immediately stood up and said, "I will obey your command."

Two days later, Nezha and his companions arrived at the Heavenly Sound Sacred Realm together with the Bodhisattva Shanyin.

Amoghasiddhi had already prepared a vegetarian feast and was waiting for them. After Nezha and the others paid their respects to Amoghasiddhi, he invited them to take their seats.

During the banquet, Amoghasiddhi said to Nezha, "Third Prince, I've heard that you've converted many demons along the way?"

Nezha immediately laughed and said, "That's right, even Amoghavajra knows this?"

Amoghasiddhi smiled calmly and said, "The Third Prince is truly powerful and compassionate. This humble monk admires him."

Praised by Amoghavajra, Nezha became quite smug. "Those demons wreaked havoc on the region. As a great god of the Heavenly Court, it is my duty to rid the living beings of this scourge. However, many demons repented and surrendered upon hearing my name, becoming my soldiers. Only a small number of demons remained stubborn and were killed by me."

Amoghasiddhi praised Nezha again, and then said to Nezha, "Third Prince, may I borrow those surrendered demon soldiers and generals?"

"Oh?" Nezha, flattered by Amoghavajra's praise, couldn't help but ask, "What does Amoghavajra need the troops for?"

Amoghasiddhi then said, “The Han army that invaded the Northern Wilderness has retreated, but they did not return to Zongcheng. Instead, they went north along the border. Zongcheng of the Northern Wilderness is in the south, so the defenses in the north are very weak. I am afraid that the Han army is using this retreat as a pretext to launch a surprise attack on the northern territory of the Northern Wilderness. That is why I wanted to ask the Third Prince to borrow some soldiers to block the Han army.”

Upon hearing this, a strange look appeared on the faces of the five marshals Deng, Xin, Liu, Bi, and Pang. They keenly sensed that something was amiss.

But they couldn't quite put their finger on what was wrong, so they could only look at Nezha and give him a subtle wink.

But Nezha, having already drunk several cups of celestial wine, was flushed and flattered by the praise from Amoghavajra, so he didn't hesitate and said directly, "Hey, Amoghavajra, if you need something, why only lend soldiers? After I return, I will personally lead the troops to intercept the Han army's northward advance."

"How dare I trouble the Third Prince? The Third Prince should simply lend me his troops," Amoghasiddhi said hesitantly.

"Hey, my life was saved by Buddha. Today, the Buddhist sect is in trouble, and I, the prince, will naturally lend a hand. Buddha Amoghavajra, please say no more. This matter is settled." Nezha waved his hand and said in an unquestionable tone.

Upon hearing this, Amoghavajra no longer declined, but simply raised his wine cup and said, "Then I will trouble the Third Prince."

After drinking the vegetarian wine in his cup, Amoghavajra said, "But you must not harm the lives of the Han soldiers."

Nezha laughed and said, "Buddha Bukong, rest assured. I only wanted to scare them and make them obediently retreat. I know what I'm doing."

"That's good then." Amoghavajra nodded slightly and smiled.

The giant spirit ignored the conversation and continued to eat and drink to his heart's content.

Only the five marshals—Deng, Xin, Liu, Bi, and Pang—looked at each other, their brows furrowed with worry.

The next day, after Nezha sobered up, he returned to Luye Mountain with the others, intending to lead the more than one hundred demon soldiers to stop the Han army.

On the way, Marshal Deng advised, "It is really inappropriate for the Third Prince to agree to the request of Amoghavajra. We have already wiped out the Mandate of Heaven and should have returned to Heaven to report to the True Martial Emperor. It is already wrong for us to stay in the mortal world, let alone get involved in mortal affairs."

Nezha, however, seemed unconcerned and said, "It's just blocking the Han army's northward advance. I'm not harming them, so what's wrong with that?"

Marshal Xin said, "If it were truly a trivial matter, it would never have come from the mouth of the Buddha Amoghavajra. Since it came from the mouth of the Buddha Amoghavajra, it must be no trivial matter."

Nezha waved his hand and said, "You're all overthinking it. Amoghasiddhi is a Buddha. Would a Buddha possibly trick me?"

Marshal Liu said, "That's hard to say."

Nezha laughed and said, "Marshal Liu, do you have some prejudice against Buddhism?"

Upon hearing this, Marshal Liu opened his mouth, but hesitated to speak.

Then Nezha said, "Since I have made a promise to Amoghavajra, I cannot go back on my word."

Marshal Pang said, "Since a promise has been made, it is indeed impossible to go back on one's word, but a compromise can be reached."

"Oh?" Nezha asked, "How can we compromise?"

Marshal Pang said, "Third Prince, you only need to take your troops with you. Just don't obstruct the Han army's northward advance. That way, even if there is any trouble, Third Prince can remain unscathed."

Upon hearing this, Nezha said, "How can that be? My promise was to stop the Han army from advancing north. How can I go back on my word? I, Nezha, am a man of my word and I will never do something that undermines my integrity."

At this point, Nezha declared directly, "Five marshals, please stop talking. My mind is made up."

Upon hearing this, the five marshals immediately stopped. Nezha flew a distance and realized that someone was missing from his side. When he looked back, he saw that the five marshals were standing behind him and had not followed.

So Nezha retreated and asked, "What's wrong with you?"

At this moment, Marshal Bi cupped his hands and said, “Third Prince, we came down with you to exterminate the Chosen Ones. Now that the Chosen Ones have been destroyed, we should have returned to the Heavenly Court long ago. The reason we stayed was because we wanted to do some good deeds with you to subdue demons and monsters for the sake of the living beings in the world. However, we feel that what you promised to Buddha Amoghavajra last night was inappropriate. Since we cannot persuade you, please forgive us for not being able to accompany you.”

Nezha was taken aback for a moment, then asked, "Are you going back to Heaven?"

The five nodded in unison and said, "That's right."

Nezha smiled and said, "Alright, then you guys go back first."

The five nodded without further hesitation, bid farewell to Nezha, and then rode on their divine clouds, returning directly to heaven.

Watching the five people leave, Nezha asked the Giant Spirit God, "Aren't you going back?"

The giant spirit shook his head and said, "I am a general under the Third Prince. How can I return alone if the Third Prince does not return?"

"Alright." Nezha stepped forward and patted the Giant Spirit God on the shoulder, then led the Giant Spirit God back to Luye Mountain to gather the surrendered demon soldiers and generals, and led them to stop the Han army advancing north. (End of this chapter)