Journey to the West: Cultivation Begins at Jindou Mountain

Chapter 187 Meeting the Master
Fenghua City.

At this moment, the largest city on both sides of the Tongtian River was filled with the joy of victory, and everyone wore a smile as they welcomed the triumphant soldiers.

In the Fenghua City dungeon, a cold and damp place held many prisoners. Compared to the hustle and bustle outside, it was quiet and deserted.

The prisoners looked on in despair, clearly having learned that the Tongtian Sect had been completely defeated and no longer existed.

Deep within the dungeon, Zhu Dayou, dressed in an inconspicuous gray cloth robe, looked at the figure before him, clad in prison clothes and suspended by chains, and said in a deep voice:
"Zongfeng, where is that Taoist priest?"

Zong Feng, his hair disheveled and his body covered in whip marks and branding, slowly raised his head, and a mocking smile managed to appear on his deathly pale face.

You'll never find him in your entire life.

Zhu Dayou narrowed his eyes slightly, a cold glint flashing in them.

That evil cultivator, whose origins are unknown, used strange methods and associated with demons. Fortunately, with the help of two guardian deities from the Daojun Palace, the cultivator was prevented from succeeding. Even so, he caused them a great deal of trouble.

This thief must be killed!

"Since Sect Leader Zongfeng is unwilling to say, then there is no need to say anything more."

After Zhu Dayou finished speaking with a calm expression, he turned and left, leaving only his voice echoing in Zong Feng's ears.

"At noon tomorrow, behead him in front of the city gate. Don't worry, Sect Leader Zongfeng, I will have someone wash your neck clean."

Upon hearing this, Zong Feng froze, his face contorted, and he roared with all his might, filled with venom:
"Zhu Dayou! If you have the guts, kill me right now!! Kill me!!!"

Zhu Dayou ignored the shouts behind him and left the dungeon with his two bodyguards, heading outside.

The three of them went straight to a crowded thatched hut in the city.

"Dr. Fang, Dr. Fang, please help me take a look at my child."

"Madam! Please come this way, let me help you look at your child!"

"Okay, okay, please, I'm really sorry to trouble you. I don't know what's wrong with this child last night, he just kept..."

The area around the thatched hut was bustling with people and noise, and many people were queuing up. Inside the hut, seven or eight doctors and more than ten apprentices were busy working.

Zhu Dayou looked at this scene with a hint of respect in his eyes.

After the final battle, this temple priest came to the city and asked me to designate a piece of land for him to treat the sick and save lives. His unpredictable medical skills quickly became known, and now seven or eight renowned doctors and pharmacists from inside and outside the city have volunteered to come and help him, just to witness his mysterious skills firsthand.

The temple keeper, Fang, was open to all who came to learn. He was willing to teach anyone who wanted to learn, and therefore he was highly respected in the area and treated as a teacher by many old doctors.

Zhu Dayou watched for a while, and seeing that the temple keeper was busy and obviously couldn't get away, he didn't go forward to disturb him, but prepared to turn around and leave.

But just as Zhu Dayou turned around, he saw a middle-aged Taoist priest appear behind him at some point, looking at him with a smile on his face.

"How about we wander around the city together?"

"Who are you!"

The two plain-clad guards behind Zhu Dayou, already wary of the suddenly appearing Taoist priest, were about to step forward to block Zhu Dayou and draw their swords when they heard his words. However, Zhu Dayou quickly pressed them down with both hands, saying:

"It's alright, you may all leave now!"

Upon hearing Zhu Dayou's words, the two guards stopped in their tracks, sheathed their swords, but still watched the middle-aged Taoist priest opposite them warily.

Zhu Dayou respectfully cupped his hands and said:

"I didn't expect you to come in person."

"Hehe~ I had nothing to do, so I just went down the mountain for a walk."

Zhu Dayou nodded respectfully, then looked at the two guards beside him and said:
"You all go back to your residence first. I will go with this Taoist priest for a walk."

The two guards exchanged a glance. Although they were still somewhat worried, General Zhu's words were military orders to them. They only needed to obey and did not need to question them.

"Yes, my lord."

Seeing the two guards leave, Zhu Dayou quickly came to the Taoist priest's side, half a step behind, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated, but they were walking on the street and it was not good for others to hear.

"Hehe~ Don't worry, I won't let anyone hear our conversation if I don't want to."

The Taoist priest spoke with a smile, walking unhurriedly along the road.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Dayou quickly and respectfully replied:

"Lord Daoist, my two subordinates were very rude just now, please forgive them!"

"Don't worry, these two men are very loyal to their master and deserve praise. How could I blame them?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Dayou breathed a sigh of relief and a smile appeared on his face.

"Zhu Dayou, I promised you back then that if you could end the war and achieve perfect merit, I would give you the position of Protector General. Are you ready now?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Dayou's face showed some hesitation and difficulty, but in the end, he gritted his teeth and said with a firm look in his eyes:
"Please forgive me, Your Excellency. It is not that Zhu Dayou is greedy for worldly power and wealth, but now that the situation on both sides of the Tongtian River has just stabilized, we need Zhu Dayou to stand here and deter those petty villains!"

Having achieved perfect merit, he ascended to immortality and became a guardian deity under the divine physician Daojun, with his own statue erected in Daojun Palace, to be worshipped by people for generations. How could Zhu Dayou possibly say he didn't want to?

In fact, he dreamed about it constantly.

However, everything is now in ruins and needs to be rebuilt. Although the war is over, there are still many things he needs to deal with, and at the same time, he needs to deter those petty villains.

His parents and the land that gave him birth and raised him are here, as are those familiar faces. Years of war have already caused them to lose so much, and he cannot just leave them to their fate!

For him, the war was over and his merits were fulfilled, but his responsibilities were not. Only when everything stabilized and people returned to their former lives could he be considered worthy of those who had supported him all these years.

The Divine Physician Daojun stopped and turned to look at Zhu Dayou, causing Zhu Dayou to quickly lower his head, feeling somewhat uneasy.

“Indeed, I did not misjudge you, and neither did City God Xu.”

Zhu Dayou was startled when he felt a large hand pat his shoulder, but then he heard a voice in his ear saying:

"Go back and fulfill your duties. When you are ready, come to Daojun Mountain to find me. There is no time limit for you."

Zhu Dayou quickly looked up, but found that the Divine Physician Daojun was nowhere to be seen. However, he still stood in place and bowed respectfully to the person in front of him. "Thank you, Daojun."

After parting ways with Zhu Dayou, Niu Yi did not return to Daojun Mountain. Instead, he went to a restaurant called Cuiyunlou, went up the stairs to the second floor, and sat down opposite an old man in a fiery red robe by the window.

But then the old man in the fiery red robe stood up, a smile on his face, picked up the wine pot, filled the cup in front of Niu Yi with wine, and said with a smile:
"Lord Daojun, it seems that you are quite satisfied with that Zhu Dayou as well~"

Niu Yi glanced at Xu Chenghuang, picked up his wine cup, and laughed:
"Back then, when Xu Chenghuang sent this Zhu Dayou to find me, wasn't it because he wanted me to protect him?"

This is the old City God who went to find Niu Yi when the plague on both sides of the Tongtian River first appeared, and this is also the City God of Fenghua City.

Xu Chenghuang pushed the wine cup on the table toward Niu Yi and quickly apologized:
"Please forgive me, Lord Daojun, for this matter. I know that we immortals should not interfere too much in human affairs, but the demonic atmosphere on both sides of the Tongtian River was so strong back then that I was really worried."

The old city god turned his head, looked out the window at the bustling street, and sighed:
"This old man has been guarding this city for over four hundred years, watching it rise and fall, its cycles repeating themselves. But even after all these years, I still can't help but feel a sense of love for the children born in this city."

"This Zhu Dayou was born at the right time. He is kind and capable, and in this chaotic world, he should be a hero. When he learned that Zong Feng was going to cause trouble for you, he gathered his troops and rushed there. I told him that he must pay his respects to you."

Niu Yi nodded slowly and smiled:
"The City God's words of forgiveness are too much. How could I possibly blame him? Besides, what the City God said is true. I quite admire Zhu Dayou and have already promised him the position of a Guardian General."

Upon hearing this, Xu Chenghuang's smile deepened, and he nodded repeatedly, saying:
"Good, good, good, this is also Zhu Dayou's good fortune."

"Lord Daojun, the Cuiyun Wine of Cuiyun Tower, though a common wine, has a rather unique taste. I often tasted it when I was still alive. I never expected that I would discover a few years ago that this Cuiyun Wine has been passed down. Please taste it."

"Oh? Then I'll have to taste what kind of fine wine could make City God Xu so unforgettable. Please~"

"Please, please~"

In the blink of an eye, another four years have passed.

At this time, a full ten years had passed since Sun Wukong left his master's sect and returned to Flower Fruit Mountain.

Four years have passed, and the banks of the Tongtian River have become completely stable and returned to the right path. The fields, which had been somewhat barren after years of fighting, are once again being cultivated by old farmers, with golden ears of wheat fluttering in the wind.

On Rotten Peach Mountain, four years seemed to pass in the blink of an eye, with no change at all, until a figure pushed open the door of a thatched hut in the peach grove on the mountaintop and walked out of the hut.

"crunch~"

Dressed in a Taoist robe and holding a jade fan, Niu Yi walked out of the house. He looked at the golden sunlight shining on the mountain in the early morning. Just then, a gentle breeze blew over Niu Yi, taking away his fatigue.

"Heh~ After seeing so much chaos in the Chaos Green Gourd, this beautiful scenery before me is truly delightful."

Niu Yi stretched comfortably and opened the jade fan in his hand. On the fan, the figures of a dragon and a white tiger leaped onto the surface, facing each other and roaring.

Apart from that, this fan seems to be just an ordinary jade bone fan, with nothing mysterious about it. However, if you perceive it carefully, you can sense that streams of spiritual energy are slowly gathering towards the true dragon and white tiger inside.

Niu Yi smiled slightly.

The Dragon-Tiger Fan in his hand has now completely replaced the Dragon Roar and Tiger Howl Diagram, becoming his new natal magic weapon.

Now that the true dragon and white tiger within this fan have successfully been imbued with spirit and have gained their own intelligence, if he were to release them, he would immediately have two excellent assistants who are of one mind with him. In addition, he has already refined the White Tiger Killing Sword into it, so its power is naturally extraordinary.

"Perhaps in the future we can find a water-based treasure related to a true dragon and incorporate it into this dragon-tiger fan as well."

Niu Yi pondered for a moment, then lightly fanned himself with the Dragon Tiger Fan twice before slowly walking down the mountain.

When Niu Yi arrived at the foot of the mountain, he found that Senior Brother Guanghui and Senior Brother Guangwu were waiting for him. However, Guangwu's face did not have the usual joyful smile; he seemed somewhat disappointed.

Niu Yi's smile faded slightly, as if he had thought of something.

"Senior Brother, Senior Brother Guangwu."

“Junior Brother Guangyi, Master sent us here to summon you to Master’s meditation room so you can meet him.”

Seeing the smile on his senior brother's face, Niu Yi also bowed respectfully and said solemnly:

"Yes, thank you both, senior brothers."

Daoist Guanghui looked at Niu Yi and, unusually, let out a slight sigh.

Guangyi, the junior brother, was gentle in nature, but also extremely intelligent and perceptive in many matters. His junior brother was not thanking his fellow disciples for relaying the message, but rather thanking him and Guangwu for their care over the years.

Master Guanghui led Guangwu forward, patted Niu Yi on the shoulder, and said with a smile:
"Junior brother, don't think too much. No matter how much time has passed or how far apart we are, the bond between us brothers will never change."

Guangwu nodded repeatedly, saying:

"What the senior brother says is true, junior brother, we are always connected."

Looking at Senior Brother Guanghui and Senior Brother Guangwu, Niu Yi felt a warm current flow through his heart, and couldn't help but smile and nod emphatically.

Niu Yi slowly walked to the front of the patriarch's meditation room and immediately saw the open door and the patriarch Bodhi sitting cross-legged in the meditation room.

Niu Yi strode forward into the meditation room, closed the door, performed a disciple's salute, and respectfully said:

"Master, the disciple is here."

Bodhi Patriarch slowly opened his eyes, looking gently at Niu Yi before him, and nodded slowly:
"Disciple Guangyi, how many years have you been in the sect?"

"Master, it has been more than two hundred years."

A hint of emotion flashed across Niu Yi's eyes. Although he had the Yuan Shen Pearl that allowed him to travel between the two places at any time, things were still somewhat different. Come to think of it, more than two hundred years had passed since he left home.
Bodhi Patriarch nodded slowly and said:

"More than two hundred years have passed, and now you have come to understand your own path. From now on, it is up to you."

“My disciple, it’s time for you to go home now.”

Upon hearing this, Niu Yi looked at his master, suppressed his reluctance, quickly knelt down, kowtowed three times to his master, and said:
"Guangyi kowtows to express his gratitude to his master for his many years of teachings, and will never forget his master's kindness!"

Niu Yi knew very well how good his master was to him, and he also knew that if his master wanted him to return home, then it was time for him to leave the sect.

Bodhi Patriarch looked at Niu Yi with gentle eyes.

The patriarch waved his whisk, and a golden light flashed past, arriving in front of Niu Yi.

(End of this chapter)