Journey to the West: Cultivation Begins at Jindou Mountain

Chapter 208 The Green Ox and Golden Gourd Mountain
Time flies silently, and forty-eight years have passed since the 100,000 heavenly soldiers and generals besieged Flower Fruit Mountain.

The top of Jindou Mountain.

A burly man with bluish skin, a single horn on his head, and wearing precious armor was lying in an orange grove, leisurely crossing his legs, peeling a honey-scented orange in his hand, and throwing the glistening orange segments into his mouth.

"Brother Si, the food is ready. You can eat now."

Upon hearing this, the burly man immediately stood up, peeling oranges without stopping, and walked with a smile toward the stone table not far away.

The burly man strode to the stone table and sat down. Looking at the table laden with fine wine and food, he expertly picked up the wine pot and filled the two cups in front of him. Raising his cup, he smiled at the handsome young man in blue:

"You've really worked hard, my dear brother. Come, let me toast you!"

Niu Yi, with a smile on his face, sat down opposite the burly man, picked up another wine glass, and said:
"Brother Si, please~"

"Haha~ Please, please~"

The burly man downed the wine in one gulp, smacked his lips in satisfaction, and looked at the surrounding peach and orange groves, sighing with admiration once again.

"Your Golden Gourd Mountain is so much better, my dear brother! Heaven is always so boring; nothing compares to the carefree life on your Golden Gourd Mountain!"

This burly man was none other than the horned blue ox.

Niu Yi spent fifteen years in seclusion on the summit of Jindu Mountain to cultivate his Dao. The first thing he did after emerging from seclusion was to inquire about the wishes of the Banjiao Green Ox, and then he guided it to Jindu Mountain.

The moment this guy saw Niu Yi, his eyes widened, clearly recognizing Niu Yi's true nature—he was indeed just like a bull.

The Divine Physician Daojun fed this guy oranges in the heavens for fifteen days, but still couldn't get the Horned Green Ox to become enthusiastic. As a result, as soon as this guy saw Niu Yi's true form, he became extremely enthusiastic, grabbed Niu Yi, and kept saying why didn't you say so earlier.
Subsequently, the two addressed each other as brothers. Niu Yi called Banjiao Qingniu "Brother Si," while Banjiao Qingniu called Niu Yi "Brother Niu" or "Brother Xian."

For the next thirty-three years in the mortal realm, the Green Ox lived on Golden Gourd Mountain.

Having followed Laozi for so many years, he had seen all kinds of scenery and tasted all kinds of delicacies, but only the scenery of Jindu Mountain truly made him linger.

There was an endless supply of fine orange wine every day, and the food cooked by his own brothers was also excellent. When he was tired, he could take a nap in the orange grove, smelling the fragrance of oranges.

In my spare time, I can also tease and train the little bull spirits down the mountain from time to time, and hear them call me "Ancestor of the Rhinoceroses". Isn't that a hundred times better than sleeping idly in the garden every day? Life couldn't be more comfortable.

His first year in the mortal realm ended in complete surrender; now he only hopes that Laozi will delay calling him back.
Niu Yi looked at the emotion in Qingniu's eyes, and a smile also flashed across his face.

He wasn't going to tell his brother that the reason he planted that orange grove back then was largely due to him, or even entirely because he was waiting for him.
The reason he always called himself leader was twofold: first, he had no interest in fighting for territory and disliked pointless cause and effect; second, once this person arrived, he would lead his people to join him and elect him as king.

However, life is unpredictable, and opportunities in life are truly elusive.
Now, this butterfly that suddenly appeared has stirred up a storm in the Three Realms, and changes have already begun to occur imperceptibly.

At least now, Jindu Mountain is his sacred ground. Even though he and Qingniu call each other brothers, the little ox spirits who call him Ancestor will not call Qingniu King, but rather Ancestor Si.

Tongtianjiang is also a place of worship for him. Those people worship the Divine Physician Daojun, and Daojun is to protect the Tongtianjiang area. Even if the Bodhisattva's carp comes in the future, Niu Yi will not let it cause trouble under his nose.

Go back to where you came from.

Not to mention the blow to faith caused by allowing a demon to run rampant in his territory, the Tongtianjiang Water Palace has followed his lead for many years and even contributed to his ascension to immortality.

Yuan Ze was his first guardian deity, and he couldn't possibly allow that carp spirit to harm this family in the future. If Guanyin Bodhisattva intervened, he would simply go to the Jade Emperor. In short, the journey to the West was long, and if a trial couldn't be set up at the Tongtian River, there would be other places. The time was not right, and Niu Yi would never agree to set up a trial on either side of the Tongtian River.

However, since the Supreme Dao Ancestor had spoken to him about the journey to the West, it's unknown whether it will lead to these two matters.
If you do the math, next year will be the last day of the forty-nine-day period, and the Heavenly Court should be bustling again.

As Niu Yi pondered, Qing Niu was drinking heartily without a care in the world. Jin Feng and Jin Yun, two attendants, came over at the right time to refill their cups.

That night, just as Niu Yi was about to enter the Lingtai Mental State, he suddenly froze in place. He couldn't help but turn to look at the green ox and said helplessly:

"Brother Si."

Seeing Niu Yi's appearance, Qingniu's face fell as well. It was clear that Niu Yi was going back.

"Alas, when I went to your Daojun Palace back then, I never imagined I would live such a happy life. But all good days must come to an end. Please don't try to comfort me, my dear brother. I am truly grateful for your care these past few days."

The green ox sighed softly and began to comfort Niu Yi. Just then, the two looked up at the night sky and saw a boy riding the clouds and flying towards the top of Jindu Mountain.

Niu Yi looked at the green ox without saying much, but took out a small pot from his sleeve and tossed it to the green ox, winking at it.

Qingniu suddenly realized that his younger brother possessed the magical ability to conjure the sun and moon within a gourd. He quickly put the small gourd away and nodded gratefully to Niu Yi.

After a while.

"Thank you very much, Immortal Master."

"You're too kind, fairy boy. Please give my regards to the Dao Ancestor."

"Rest assured, Immortal Master."

Seeing that the fairy boy was about to leave with the reluctant green ox, Niu Yi solemnly cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards the ox.

"Moo—"

The blue ox responded with a moo, and then the two of them rode the clouds and flew into the sky, quickly disappearing from Niu Yi's sight.

His brother, the rhinoceros, lives on Mount Jindu; he's not just eating and drinking for free.

This creature, being the mount of the Dao Ancestor, had stayed by his side for countless years. Even though it was somewhat lazy, it knew far more than Niu Yi.

Over the past thirty-three years, whenever Niu Yi asked a question, this person, if knowledgeable, would answer without reservation, which broadened Niu Yi's horizons and solidified his foundation.

Looking at the starry sky and the bright moonlight, Niu Yi decided not to go back to the house. Instead, he sat down cross-legged under the peach tree and entered a state of spiritual tranquility.

In the Heavenly Court's Daoist Palace, the Divine Physician Daoist, who had previously returned to the mortal realm, was summoned back to heaven by Venus.

"Daojun, His Majesty the Jade Emperor has summoned you to the Lingxiao Palace."

(End of this chapter)