Journey to the West: Cultivation Begins at Jindou Mountain

Chapter 207 Destined
"Senior Brother Guanghui, Junior Brother Guangwu."

Guangwu, who was intently watching the battle in the sky, suddenly heard a familiar voice behind him and quickly turned around.

"Senior Brother Guangshan?!"

Guangwu was pleasantly surprised to see the white-robed old man with an otherworldly air about him.

The one who came was Guang Shan, who was of the same generation as Guang and whom we hadn't seen for hundreds of years.

Then, Guangwu asked with some curiosity:
"What's Brother Guangshan doing here? Is he here to join the battle too?"

Senior Brother Guanghui, with a smile on his face, said:
"I was the one who called him here."

Guangshan, though old, smiled and nodded, clearly delighted to see his two fellow disciples.

"I am currently serving in the Qiming Hall, and this great battle is beyond my ability to participate in. I only came down to the mortal realm after hearing my senior brother's message."

Guangwu nodded in realization, while Senior Brother Guanghui smiled and said:

“Junior Brother Guangshan, I know you are usually busy with official duties, but if you have some free time in the future, you can visit the Palace of the Heavenly Physician Daojun.”

Although Guangshan was curious, he quickly agreed.

"Yes, Big Brother."

The Divine Physician Daojun Palace? I've heard that their Qiming Palace Master, the Venus Star Lord, is a close friend of that Divine Physician Daojun, but I've never had the chance to meet him.

Could it be that this person also has a past connection with the sect?
In the palace of the Divine Physician Daojun.

The Divine Physician Daojun looked at the blue ox before him and remained silent for a moment.

He spent years and overcame many hardships to reach Jindu Mountain, all for the sake of waiting for this person before him.

Now, this person has been brought here by Venus.
The green ox, too, stared with its large bull eyes at the middle-aged Taoist priest in a purple robe, surrounded by the fragrance of medicine. It was equally bewildered.

He was sleeping soundly in the Tushita Palace when he was suddenly woken up by his servant and led out.

It thought that Laozi was going on a trip, but it didn't see Laozi at all along the way. Instead, it was brought directly to this so-called Divine Doctor Daoist Palace, which said that he would stay here for a while and take it back when the time was up.

What does this mean? Is the Tushita Palace going to be renovated?
Furthermore, it had no recollection of this deity before it, nor of the scent emanating from him. Who was this guy?
The green ox was staring wide-eyed at this so-called divine doctor Daoist, when suddenly the other party slapped his forehead, turned around, and strode outside.

Before long, the Divine Physician Daojun came in carrying a jade box. He placed the box in front of the Green Ox, opened the lid, and revealed a bunch of plump, orange-yellow tangerines inside.

The blue ox sniffed with its large nostrils, and its eyes suddenly lit up when it looked at the box of oranges.

Seeing this, Daojun smiled with satisfaction and said:

"Brother Qingniu, the oranges in this box were all grown by me. They are all sweet and delicious. Not to mention, there are definitely enough of them. Brother, you can have a taste first."

"Besides that, I also have some orange wine and peach blossom wine, which I brewed myself. Although they can't compare to heavenly nectar, they have their own unique flavor~"

As Daojun spoke, he waved his hand, and five or six more wine jars flew over from not far away. As soon as the jars were opened, the aroma of orange wine spread out, making the green ox's eyes light up again.

The green ox raised its head and looked at the Dao Lord, and found that this inexplicable fellow had become more pleasing to the eye. It decided to stay here for a while.
It’s not impossible!

"Thank you."

Upon hearing the voice coming from the green ox, the Daoist's smile deepened considerably.

The guy had clearly been too lazy to pay attention to him earlier, but now, faced with this pile of oranges, he finally stopped his perfunctory "moo~".

After Daojun put these things down, he handed the main hall over to Qingniu, letting it drink and eat there, before turning around and leaving. This made Qingniu feel even more favorably toward the divine physician Daojun.

Daojun calmly walked out of the main hall, came to the medicine garden, picked up a bucket of water from the side, and began to water the exotic flowers and herbs.

These exotic flowers and rare herbs were all collected by him from various places. They were extremely rare treasures in the mortal realm, but they were quite easy to find in the Heavenly Court.

"When the main body of Jindu Mountain comes out of seclusion in a few days, why not take the green ox down to the mortal world and enjoy a few years of carefree life on Jindu Mountain?"

Daojun murmured, a smile appearing on his face.

Now that the blue ox has come to him, he'll be taking care of it for the next few days, so there's no need to rush things. Besides, he's no longer the little ox spirit he once was.
Daojun watered the flowerbed for a long time. After tidying up the flowerbed, he instructed Guo Yun to call him if Qingniu needed anything. Just as he was about to return to his room to cultivate, he suddenly heard the voice of Taibai Jinxing.

"Daojun, we fought all day at Huaguo Mountain. All the heavenly soldiers and generals captured all the demon kings of the seventy-two caves of Huaguo Mountain, but they didn't catch a single monkey demon. They all hid back in their caves."

"The Great Sage Equal to Heaven used his clone technique to transform his hairs into hundreds and thousands of clones, defeating Nezha, Li Tianwang, and the Four Heavenly Kings."

"Later, Huian Xingzhe, a disciple of Guanyin Bodhisattva of the South Sea, came to help. He was fighting with the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, but he was still no match for him and was about to be defeated."

Flower and Fruit Mountain, beyond the net of heaven and earth.

Guanghui and Guangwu Daoren were watching Huian Xingzhe flee in defeat. Even though the enemy had 100,000 heavenly soldiers and generals, Sun Wukong and the monkeys on the mountain were still full of vigor and fearless.

Guangshan descended to the mortal realm yesterday, and after a reunion with his fellow disciples, he took his leave. There have been quite a few troubles at Qiming Palace these past few days.

Guangwu looked at the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, who was holding the golden cudgel and dressed in a majestic armor, and couldn't help but admire him.

His junior brother Guangyi must have realized back then that this junior brother Wukong was extraordinary.

Is this still the same little monkey who eagerly awaited going up the mountain to eat peaches every year, and who diligently studied the craft for over ten years?
"Senior brother, you still haven't told me what Junior Brother Wukong did wrong, how he caused such a big commotion, and why so many gods want to come down to the mortal realm to capture him."

"He~"

"The Queen Mother of Heaven is holding a Peach Banquet, and Junior Brother Wukong ate most of the peaches from the Peach Garden."

"Then, he falsely claimed to be the Great Heavenly Venerable's decree, tricked the Barefoot Immortal into going elsewhere, and went to the Jade Pool alone. He drugged the celestial officials who were preparing a banquet at the Jade Pool, and ate and drank a lot of the prepared fine wine and delicacies."

"Then, Junior Brother Wukong went to Laozi's Tushita Palace and ate five gourds of Nine-Turn Golden Elixir."

The eldest brother spoke in a light tone, but Guangwu's eyes widened in disbelief upon hearing it.

"This"

Did his junior brother Wukong do all this?
The Taoist Guanghui gazed at the banner fluttering on the mountain, bearing the four characters "Great Sage Equal to Heaven," and slowly turned around, saying:

“Let’s go, Guangwu. Junior Brother Wukong is destined to face this calamity. He can’t avoid it. He should face it head-on and he will find a way out. We don’t need to worry about him.”

Guangwu turned around and looked at his senior brother Guanghui. "Senior brother, won't you watch for a while longer?"

"No, there's no point in looking any longer. Besides, if we wait any longer, it won't be easy for either of us to leave."

Upon hearing this, Guangwu was somewhat confused, but he quickly followed his senior brother Guanghui. The two figures disappeared into the sea as if they had never been there.

An hour later, a sudden gust of wind swept across the sea and came to the outside of the eighteen nets, revealing their form.

The one who arrived was none other than Erlang Shen, the Divine Lord Yang Jian, clad in a cloak and armor, wielding a three-pointed double-edged spear, and possessing unparalleled divine prowess.

Behind Yang Jian, the Howling Celestial Dog, the six brothers of Meishan, and 1,200 grass-root gods were all filled with fighting spirit, looking towards the direction of Flower Fruit Mountain.

heaven.

Daojun sat on the throne in the main hall, listening to Guo Yun's report below, while Qingniu lay to the side, lazily eating oranges.

It turns out that the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, with the help of Laozi, had been captured by Erlang Shen and brought to heaven.

But he must have learned some kind of protective magic, because on the Demon-Slaying Platform, he could not be harmed by swords, axes, fire, or lightning, leaving the gods helpless. In the end, it was Laozi who took the Great Sage Equaling Heaven back to the Tushita Palace to refine the golden elixir from his body using the Eight Trigrams Furnace.

Daojun noticed that when he heard that Laojun wanted to put the Great Sage Equaling Heaven into the Eight Trigrams Furnace to refine the Golden Elixir, a look of surprise seemed to flash in the eyes of the Green Ox, but then he ignored it.

A thoughtful expression appeared on Daojun's face.

He had personally seen the Eight Trigrams Furnace, which could be described as a manifestation of the Eight Trigrams, with extraordinary and wondrous uses. The Six Ding Divine Fire burning within it was incredibly powerful and divine.

But for the Dao Ancestor, that fire was most convenient for forging magical treasures and refining elixirs.

Could it be that the Dao Ancestor actually intended to refine his junior brother Wukong into a golden elixir, helping him digest the numerous imperial wines, peaches of immortality, and golden elixir within his body, thus achieving a state of perfect harmony?
but……

Daojun's eyes flickered as he pondered something, when he suddenly felt something gently nudge him.

Daojun turned his head and saw the green ox retract its horn, looking at him and saying:
"It's late today, just give me a room to stay in. I'll sleep all day and don't need anyone to take care of me."

Upon hearing this, Daojun smiled and nodded.

"That's fine then. I'll have my clerk take Brother Qingniu to your room later. He'll also bring some spirit oranges and wine with him."

The green ox stood up, swayed its tail, and walked out of the main hall, seemingly quite happy. Guo Yun, who had a tacit understanding with the Dao Lord, quickly followed and led the way for the green ox.

Even though Daojun no longer had the desire to curry favor with the Green Ox, he still felt a great deal of affection for this ox he had once longed for day and night.

He only hoped that the Supreme Dao Ancestor could call the Green Ox back later, so that he could take the Green Ox back to Jindu Mountain and enjoy himself for a while.

Daojun watched as Qingniu and Guo Yun left the main hall, and sighed slightly.

It now seems that the Jade Emperor, Buddha Tathagata, and the Supreme Taoist Ancestor have already made a decision regarding the eastward transmission of Buddhism; it's just a matter of sooner or later. For beings like these, a hundred years is but a fleeting moment, and their vision is naturally extremely far-reaching.

He could almost foresee that once his junior brother Wukong jumped out of the Eight Trigrams Furnace, what awaited him was the Five Elements Mountain of the Buddha.
Given his junior brother Wukong's current temperament, there's no way he can escape this calamity. Fortunately, these people only intend to punish the monkey.
However, since the Supreme Dao Ancestor mentioned the eastward transmission of Buddhism to him, it means that he was also involved in this matter.

However, there was no point in speculating at this point, so he focused on practicing his own techniques and waiting for things to change.

As for the Peach Banquet, it was held to celebrate the birthday of the Queen Mother of the West. It is clear that the Peach Banquet cannot be held this time, and we can only wait 365 days, which is 365 years from now in the mortal world.

At that time, we could meet with Emperor Donghua and Lord Huode to see how we could exchange the two spirit pearls for them. Alternatively, we could inquire beforehand about their preferences and what they urgently needed.
Daojun lowered his eyes and his gaze flickered. He sat quietly in the hall for a day, sorting out his thoughts, until the next day, when Venus came looking for him.

The Divine Physician Daojun welcomed Taibai Jinxing into the main hall. The two sat facing each other. Seeing that Taibai Jinxing was much more relaxed than yesterday, Daojun filled two wine cups on the table with wine and pushed one of them in front of the star lord.

Venus looked around and asked:

"Daojun, how is the horned blue ox doing?"

Niu Yi raised his wine glass and smiled:

"Rest assured, Star Lord, the Azure Ox is currently resting in the side hall. Since the Supreme Dao Ancestor sent the Azure Ox to me, I will naturally take good care of it."

"Of course I trust Daojun, but I will have to trouble you with the rest."

"Hey~ this isn't really a problem."

Venus sat with Daoist for a while, recounting the events of the previous day to Daoist, before taking his leave.

The great battle has just ended, and there are still many things that need to be done by him, the master of the Qiming Palace.

However, not long after Venus left, an unexpected figure appeared outside the Daojun Palace.

"True Lord?"

Daojun looked at Yang Jian in front of him with a look of surprise on his face, and then quickly stepped forward to meet him.

Clad in armor and a cloak, the imposing Yang Jian looked at the divine physician Daoist before him, cupped his hands, and smiled:

"Daojun, I have just received a reward from His Majesty the Jade Emperor, and have come to visit you."

Upon hearing this, Daojun smiled and welcomed Yang Jian into Daojun Palace. He quickly closed the palace gates, and the two exchanged a smile.

"Brother, this palace is truly magnificent; you live up to your reputation as a divine healer!"

"This is all thanks to the craftsmen of the Heavenly Court. Brother Yang rarely comes here, and I still have some wine in my palace. Please allow me to treat you."

"Haha~ Then I won't stand on ceremony."

When Yang Jian came to the Palace of the Divine Physician Daojun, he only sat with Daojun for a while, drank a few cups of peach blossom wine, chatted for a bit, and then took his leave and returned to Meishan.

Daojun looked at the golden flower floating on the table and a bottle of imperial wine, a complex expression on his face.

For his meritorious service in subduing the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, Erlang Shen and his Meishan followers were rewarded with a hundred golden flowers, a hundred bottles of imperial wine, a hundred pills of elixir, rare treasures and pearls, brocade and silk, and so on. The two items in front of him were just bestowed upon him.

When his elder brother Yang took out these two items, how could he accept them? But Yang Jian said that since it was his first time visiting his brother's Daojun Palace, he couldn't come without a gift, and insisted that he accept them. He also made it clear that these two items were taken from his own share of the rewards, and that the other brothers would not be left out.

As for the six brothers of Meishan and their companions, after defeating the monkey troop of Huaguo Mountain and searching the entire mountain, they returned to Meishan first.

The Jade Emperor only ever wanted Sun Wukong. As for the other monkeys, no one cared. Didn't you see that after Sun Wukong was captured, all 100,000 heavenly soldiers and generals returned to the Heavenly Court, and no one paid any attention to what happened to Flower Fruit Mountain?

(End of this chapter)