Journey to the West: Cultivation Begins at Jindou Mountain

Chapter 172 Demons Appear on the Banks of the Tongtian River

On the west bank of the Tongtian River, on Daojun Mountain, lies the incense-burning space of Daojun Palace.

"Lord Daojun, those demons probably dare not touch your majesty and are hiding very deep, but after searching carefully, we have finally found some clues."

Niu Yi took the tuft of black hair handed to him by the old man in the fiery red robe below. Sensing the plague aura on it, he narrowed his eyes slightly, a cold glint flashing in them.

Seeing the Divine Physician Daojun accept the black hair, the old man cupped his hands and bowed, saying:
"Lord Daojun, this hair was found in the river by the local earth god of Sanhe Village. In our opinion, this hair should belong to a black wolf demon."

Niu Yi stroked his beard and nodded slowly, signaling the old man to continue.

"After discovering this tuft of wolf demon hair, the local earth god of Sanhe Village, along with several other local earth gods and mountain gods, began searching the area, but the demons seemed to have vanished into thin air."

"But two days later, another mountain god from the nearby area accidentally found a tuft of the same wolf demon fur. This time, we led our men to search for it, but we still found nothing."

Niu Yi turned his head and looked at the old man in the fiery red robe, and said:
"Does Xu Chenghuang mean that the demon is still nearby, but has somehow managed to hide itself?"

"Indeed, it seems that these demons are no ordinary beings."

The City God, with a solemn expression and a serious demeanor, cupped his hands and said:
"Lord Daojun, the plague has been raging for seven days now. Even though General Yuan under your command is running around trying to save lives, no one has died from the plague yet, and it hasn't caused any panic. But as long as these demons exist, they will never give up!"

"This plague is not a natural disaster, but a demonic rampage. We are powerless, and we are afraid that before this plague spreads, we can only ask the Dao Lord for help!"

Looking at Xu Chenghuang's aged face, Niu Yi was slightly moved.

Those who can sit in the position of City God are all people who were famous in their lifetime, but most of them are also concerned about their own reputation. This person came to him alone, speaking earnestly and asking him to step forward. He is indeed a person who is wholeheartedly concerned about the people.

"Heh~ Lord Xu, don't be hasty. Lord Xu, take a look. What is this?"

But then Niu Yi flipped his hand, and a tuft of identical black hair and a piece of paper covered in writing appeared in his hand, which he handed to the City God Xu.

"This...this is the prescription for curing that plague?!"

Xu Chenghuang looked up in surprise, only to see the Divine Physician Daoist at the head of the table stroking his beard and nodding, smiling:
"Exactly."

"Does City God Xu know that although the spread of this plague is extremely insidious, it actually showed signs as early as half a month ago, and the first person to discover the plague was a traveling physician."

"This doctor was quite capable. When he passed by a house, he saw my statue, worshipped me, and told me about it, which then reached my ears."

"I found this matter quite strange, so I ordered Yuanze to go there to treat the patients and investigate at the same time. I also wrote a prescription for the plague, which I gave to the itinerant doctor five days ago, instructing him to spread it to the people in various places. If they have symptoms, they can get the medicine according to the prescription."

Upon hearing this, a glint flashed in Xu Chenghuang's eyes. He suddenly recalled the frequent miraculous healings performed by the Divine Physician Daoist Lord in the mortal realm, and couldn't help but say:
"Daoist, are you having General Yuan appear out there to heal, keeping the enemy's attention focused on him, while your real plan is that physician who keeps spreading the word about how to cure the plague?!"

The more Xu Chenghuang thought about it, the more convinced he became. General Yuan was a Daoist deity, and no matter how powerful he was, if the plague spread, no matter how much he ran around, he would not be able to save the countless people on the west bank of the Tongtian River.

But if the prescription that can cure the plague is spread, the threat of the plague will be completely eliminated!
One is in the light, the other in the dark.
Xu Chenghuang wore a wry smile, but felt a great sense of relief. He bowed and apologized, saying:

"It turns out that Daoist Lord was prepared all along. I was just being presumptuous. I hope Daoist Lord will forgive me."

He was genuinely afraid that this person would neglect his duties. After all, this Dao Lord had been in office for over fifty years, and in those fifty years, apart from the time the Dao Lord Palace was completed and he summoned them once, he had never shown his face again.

He came here this time with a heavy heart, prepared to offend Daojun.

After all, they had only met this person once, and they really didn't know what kind of person he was. But now it seems that his worries were really unnecessary.

Looking at Xu Chenghuang's expression, Niu Yi smiled and shook his head. He then stood up and helped Xu Chenghuang to his feet, saying:
“Your Majesty, there’s no need for that. You, the City God, also care about the people. We have received offerings from the people, so it is only right that we protect this area.”

"However, there is one thing that Xu Chenghuang said wrong."

Seeing the look of surprise on his face, Niu Yi smiled without saying a word. His expression turned serious, and an aura of majesty immediately emanated from the Divine Physician Daojun, causing Xu Chenghuang's expression to stiffen.

But then Niu Yi reached out and summoned five boxes and more than ten exquisite wine jars, which flew out from the depths of the pavilion and landed in front of Xu Chenghuang.

"Xu Chenghuang discovered the traces of the plague and found some clues, which gave me a lot of new ideas. These top-grade incense and spirit wine are hereby bestowed upon Xu Chenghuang."

"The local deities of Sanhe Village also deserve credit, and after this matter is over, they will be rewarded according to their merits."

Upon hearing this, Xu Chenghuang immediately bowed to express his gratitude for the Daoist's reward, feeling quite pleased with himself.

They had smelled this top-grade Divine Incense from the Imperial Palace once fifty years ago and had been lingering there ever since. They never expected that they would be rewarded with five boxes of Divine Incense and some spiritual wine this time.

Daojun's handiwork is truly extravagant.

After the City God Xu took his leave, Niu Yi remained seated at the head of the table, his eyes gleaming.

In his eyes, however, appeared a middle-aged itinerant doctor writing a prescription for an old man in the village. After the doctor finished writing the prescription, he carefully picked it up, meticulously blew on the ink to dry it, and handed it to the old man opposite him, saying:

"Village Chief Yang, please keep this prescription safe. If anyone in the village develops the symptoms I just described, please get the medicine according to this prescription as soon as possible. This prescription is specifically for this disease and will guarantee a cure."

"Yes, yes, I will definitely remember it. Please rest assured, Doctor Fang."

The same scene is also playing out repeatedly on the west bank of the Tongtian River.

Upon seeing this, Niu Yi smiled and nodded slightly.

"This Fang Cheng is quick-witted and takes it upon himself to cure diseases and save lives. After receiving my prescription, he was afraid that he would spread it too slowly, so he spent a lot of money to hire many doctors to spread it far and wide."

"This person is an excellent candidate for temple keeper, which will also relieve Yuanze from this position."

"But I suppose the main body's situation should be resolved by now as well."

"Plague, plague! It just so happens to spread right under my nose, right here as the Divine Physician Daoist Lord. It's clearly aimed at me!"

A cold glint flashed in Niu Yi's eyes.

Let him see what kind of people these are, daring to mess with him!

On the west bank of the Tongtian River, in a cave, four demons are anxiously waiting.

Just then, a dark figure suddenly floated in silently, its eyes flashing with dark green light as it scanned the four demons: two wolves, a crane, and a snake.

The two black wolf demons, clad in armor and emanating a strong aura of plague, strode forward to meet the newcomer, angrily saying:
"Have you figured out that damn prescription?!"

A hoarse voice suddenly came from the shadows, saying:
"It has been found out that it was written by an ordinary person named Fang Cheng."

Of the two black wolf demons, the slightly smaller one suddenly widened its eyes, and as the surrounding plague aura began to surge wildly and chaotically, it shouted:
"A mortal? Are you sure?!"

The plague created by the brothers was cured by a mortal?! What a joke!!!
The shadowy figure's voice remained completely calm, as it said:

"Judging from the current situation, Fang Cheng was the first to come into contact with the plague, and his family has been practicing medicine for generations, so his skills are indeed remarkable. As for General Yuan under the Divine Physician Daojun, he has never met this person."

"That so-called Divine Physician Daoist has never..."

"Impossible!! He's just a mortal! He couldn't possibly have cured my brother's plague!"

Before the dark figure could finish speaking, the wolf demon rudely interrupted him, his voice filled with extreme anger!
Just then, the beautiful snake demon and crane demon walked over and said:

"Whether you two are or not is no longer important. Your plague has been cured by Fang Cheng. Now, our plan may no longer be able to continue."

"Hmph! So what if it's cured? My brother can still create an even more powerful plague!"

The crane demon, dressed in white feathers, laughed:
"Hehe~ I didn't mean to offend you two, but if Fang Cheng cures this plague again, wouldn't we be in trouble once more?"

The wolf demon was about to say something when the crane demon spoke again:
"Why not just kill Fang Cheng and end it all? After all, he's just a mortal."

Upon hearing this, the five demons fell into an eerie silence.

The five demons were originally five demon kings among the twelve demon kings of Chiyun Mountain. They were originally powerful and carefree, ruling as kings. However, more than ten years ago, Chiyun Mountain was suddenly attacked by the Thunder Department of the Heavenly Court, and all the lesser demons on the mountain died.

Of the twelve demon kings, only the five strongest of them have escaped. Although the weakest is still a demon king, he was seriously injured and can only hide here and there, which is extremely frustrating.

As they passed by the west bank of the Tongtian River, they saw that the place was rich and had many mortals. They then had the idea of ​​eating people to heal their wounds. However, there was a belief in some kind of divine doctor Daojun in this place, which made the five of them quite hesitant. They were also terrified by the Thunder Department.

That's why they came up with the idea of ​​spreading the plague.

Firstly, it could test the true nature of the Divine Physician Daoist Lord; secondly, it could weaken the Divine Physician Daoist Lord's religious beliefs.

But before the first step of this plan could even begin, it was ruined by a mere mortal!
The demons were able to escape from the Thunder Department, so their skills must be considerable, and they certainly weren't fools. This matter was clearly strange. If it really was the Divine Physician Daoist who set it up, wouldn't they be in danger? Naturally, none of them wanted to be the first to step forward.

However, to ask the demons to give up such a rich land, they...
"Wow————"

Suddenly, the sound of chains came from behind them, causing the five demons to change their expressions and quickly look around.

Suddenly, jet-black chains emitting a dim yellow light emanated from the ground and rushed into the cave ceiling, intertwining back and forth, completely surrounding and enveloping the cave where the five demons were located in an instant!

(End of this chapter)