Journey to the West: Cultivation Begins at Jindou Mountain

Chapter 211 Eight Hundred Li Flaming Mountain
As Niu Yi stepped onto the Yin Path, the whisk in his hand emitted a pure aura that surrounded him, preventing any Yin energy from entering within a three-zhang radius around him.

Niu Yi walked slowly forward. On both sides of the Yin Road, in the endless darkness, it seemed that countless beings were whispering to each other, but when they saw the three-zhang 'pure land' around Niu Yi, they all retreated.

Niu Yi took a few steps, but his speed increased. He used his ability to shrink the earth to an inch, and with each step he covered a hundred miles. Moreover, this distance continued to increase. In just two or three steps, he saw a city.

Niu Yi looked up and saw that the ghost city had seven large characters written on it: “Gate of the Underworld”.

This time, his arrival in the underworld was much faster than when he came with Ox-Head and Horse-Face.

Who are you?!

Just then, a sharp voice suddenly came from behind, and several ferocious little devils on patrol, holding demon forks, charged towards Niu Yi!
Niu Yi looked at the charging little devils, flipped his hand, and a black jade ghost token appeared in his hand, which he aimed at the group of little devils.

Upon seeing the ghost token, the group of little devils looked terrified, stopped abruptly, and knelt down in front of Niu Yi.

"Greetings, Your Excellency! Greetings, Your Excellency!"

The underworld is different from other places. Some adults there have bad tempers, and these little ghosts are only the lowest level of beings, much worse than ghost messengers.

Niu Yi shook his head, having no intention of arguing with these little devils. He took a step, and in a flash, he disappeared from the gates of hell, arriving at the banks of the Naihe River, where he took out the stone token.

Before long, as the stone talisman trembled, a small boat slowly appeared in the mist-shrouded Naihe River and drifted towards them.

To Niu Yi's surprise, besides the ferryman rowing the boat, there were two unexpected figures on the small boat.

"Master, this humble monk greets you."

“Niu Yi has met Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.”

On that boat were Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva and the divine beast Di Ting.

The two bowed to each other, and Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, with a smile on his face, said:
“This humble monk already knows why you have come, Immortal Master. However, some people are stubborn and unwilling to accept favors from their junior brothers. They might lie to you, Immortal Master. Therefore, this humble monk has come here specifically to see you.”

"Humph!"

Hearing the angry snort coming from beneath the cloak, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's smile remained unchanged, his voice clear and his tone calm as he spoke:

“Immortal Master, you may not know, but I was also involved in what happened back then. However, this matter involves the cause and effect of Heaven, so I cannot speak of it directly. But if His Majesty the Jade Emperor makes a promise, then there will be no taboos.”

Niu Yi's gaze swept over Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva and his second senior brother.

The relationship between these two was clearly better than he had imagined.
"In that case, I thank Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva."

When Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva saw Niu Yi bowing solemnly to him, he smiled and nodded slightly, put his hands together, and in the blink of an eye, he and Di Ting disappeared into the thin mist.

"Amitabha."

Niu Yi looked at the silent ferryman, took a step, stepped onto the small boat, and disappeared into the mist along with the ferryman, who was punting with a bamboo pole.

The two remained silent until they reached the end of the Naihe River. Only then did the ferryman lower his hood, revealing a handsome young face filled with helplessness.

"Is it too late for me to advise you to ignore this matter?"

The ferryman was furious when he saw Niu Yi smile without saying a word.

"That damned bald monk! Instead of staying in his own Cuiyun Palace and helping the evil spirits roaming the Netherworld, what are he doing here causing trouble!"

Below the River Naihe lies countless wandering souls and vengeful ghosts, teeming with poisonous insects and copper snakes; above it lies eternal silence and stench. It is no exaggeration to say that this is the most "turbid" place in the world. If he said he did not want to leave, it would be a lie.

But how could he feel at ease having his junior brother running around trying to save him, even getting involved in the biggest event of this era—the eastward spread of Buddhism?

He would spend his days ferrying people across the River of Helplessness until this cycle ended and the world fell silent. He didn't want to see his junior brother running around trying to save him.

If it weren't for that bald monk saying those extra words, he would have only needed to say a few words to fool his junior brother.

Now look what's happened.
Seeing this, Niu Yi found it somewhat amusing and asked curiously:

"It seems that my second senior brother has a very good relationship with this Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva?"

Upon hearing this, a look of reminiscence flashed in the ferryman's eyes.

"Our relationship wasn't bad. We met when we were both still young. Back then, I hadn't yet become a disciple, and he hadn't yet started practicing Buddhism."

"I am straightforward and have a lot of manly passion. I am fearless and daring, but this guy is calm and peaceful, with a childlike heart and a natural compassion."

"We once traveled together, but in the end we each went our separate ways."

"Later, many things happened. He became Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, while I committed a crime and was exiled to the Naihe River to become some kind of ferryman."

Niu Yi suddenly realized, thinking to himself, "So these two were just old acquaintances?"
They definitely had an extremely good relationship.

Seeing that his second senior brother had just emerged from his memories, Niu Yi paused for a moment, then earnestly said to him:
"Second senior brother, you don't know that before I became a disciple, I practiced Buddhist scriptures at the beginning of my cultivation. I entered the Dao with these scriptures, so I have a karmic connection with Buddhism."

"However, now that I have entered the Xuanmen, I must settle this matter of cause and effect. No matter what, I will get involved."

"Second Senior Brother, rest assured. I now have some means, and I have been received by the Jade Emperor and the Supreme Dao Ancestor several times. I am confident in this matter."

When Niu Yi faced his proud second senior brother, he simply stated that he would have done this even without his brother's involvement, rather than making any claims about their deep friendship.
He knew in his heart that only by making his second senior brother's matter seem like a side issue could he make his second senior brother feel better.

As expected, seeing the serious look on Niu Yi's face, the ferryman's expression changed slightly, but he finally nodded helplessly and said:
"Junior brother, in that case, please be careful in everything you do."

Niu Yi smiled and said:
"Please rest assured, Second Brother."

Niu Yi chatted with his second senior brother for a while at the end of the Naihe River before taking his leave. On his way, he used the Heavenly Treasure Bottle to collect some more Naihe River water.

Don't be fooled by the murky waters of the Naihe River. Everything in this world that exists has its reason for existing; it's just a matter of how you use it.

With Niu Yi gone, the Naihe River seemed to return to silence once more, with only the ferryman sitting in his small boat, letting it drift along the river.

His eyes seemed to be recalling something.

He wasn't one to dwell on the past, but after his junior brother's visit today, he felt that the past he recalled today was more than all the past memories he had accumulated since then.
Inside the Cuiyun Palace, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva withdrew his gaze, slowly closed his eyes, and silently recited the Heart Sutra.

If his old friend were to escape and leave, he would offer his blessings. As for himself, his vow to guard the underworld until hell is empty is his path, and the principle he will uphold throughout his life.
After leaving the underworld, Niu Yi did not return directly to Jindu Mountain, but instead headed west until he arrived at a mountain burning with raging flames.

"The Flaming Mountains, stretching for eight hundred miles, are truly unbearably hot!"

Niu Yi looked around at the Flaming Mountain, which was barren and burned for eight hundred miles, blocking his westward journey.

The flames that burn year-round on this Flaming Mountain were formed from the embers of the Eight Trigrams Furnace. When his junior brother Wukong left the Eight Trigrams Furnace, he knocked it over, causing several stones still carrying embers to fall to this place and form the mountain.

This Flaming Mountain cannot be extinguished by ordinary rain; only the banana leaf fan, formed from the essence of Yin since the beginning of chaos, in Princess Iron Fan's hands, can put it out.

Niu Yi did not come here to extinguish the Flaming Mountain.

Niu Yi waved his whisk, and a burst of pure energy surrounded him, separating him from the surrounding heat waves, as he walked towards the Flaming Mountain.

Before long, Niu Yi arrived at the foot of Flaming Mountain and looked at the raging flames.

Upon arriving here, even the whisk in his hand emitted a gentle aura that could only barely envelop his body and keep out the heat.

Just then, a human-shaped figure suddenly emerged from the ground and appeared not far from Niu Yi, bowing to him.

"Lord of Flaming Mountain, greetings, Immortal Master. This place is the Flaming Mountain, which stretches for eight hundred miles and is extremely dangerous. I hope you will not proceed."

Looking at the Taoist priest, Niu Yi knew in his heart that this was the Taoist priest who had been ordered by the Supreme Taoist Ancestor to transform into the local earth god and guard the Flaming Mountain.

It's not surprising that this person didn't recognize him, since he had never appeared in the Heavenly Court in his current form.

Among the gods in heaven, only the Divine Physician Daoist is known, and very few know who the Daoist Guangyi is. It is only because this person sees that he is extraordinary in his skills and temperament that he is so polite.

Niu Yi smiled and stepped forward to greet him, saying:
"I am Guangyi, a humble Taoist priest, and I have met the Earth God of Flaming Mountain."

"Please rest assured, Earth God, I know that the flames here are formed by divine fire falling from the sky, and I will not force my way through this mountain."

Upon hearing this, the local earth god breathed a sigh of relief, but then Niu Yi said again:

"But now, I wish to borrow your precious land to plant a gourd seed, and I would like to ask the local earth god for a favor."

Upon hearing this, the Taoist priest looked somewhat taken aback, shook his head repeatedly, and said with a wry smile:

"It's not that I'm unwilling to do you a favor, Immortal Master, but the flames burning on Flaming Mountain are extraordinary. To be honest, Immortal Master, these flames were formed from the residual fire that fell from the Eight Trigrams Furnace of the Supreme Lord Laozi in Heaven."

"If nothing unexpected happens, this mountain will continue to burn like this, and the surrounding area is unbearably hot. Not to mention seeds from the human world, even celestial seeds falling from the sky will not be able to survive."

"Look at the surrounding land, it is indeed barren and devoid of any life. You should know how powerful the Flaming Mountain is."

Niu Yi smiled and nodded, flipped his hand to take a gourd seed in his palm, and said:
"Please rest assured, Earth God, I have my own methods for making these remarks. Why don't we make a bet? If this gourd seed is buried in the mountain and takes root and sprouts, I would like to ask you to take care of it for me if you have the time, so that no one else can get it. I will come back to retrieve it in two hundred years."

Upon hearing this, the Earth God was speechless for a moment, then nodded and said:
"Very well, if you have the means, then please do as you please. I will stay here and watch over the Flaming Mountain year after year without any problems. If you can make spiritual roots grow here, I will watch over it for you without any trouble."

Niu Yi nodded with a smile, then tossed the gourd seed in his hand toward the Flaming Mountain. Undeterred by the heat, the gourd seed immediately flew into the soil of the Flaming Mountain and disappeared.

In just a short while, a fiery red sprout appeared before Niu Yi and the Earth God of Flaming Mountain.

The Earth God, witnessing this scene, was once again taken aback, then nodded in admiration and bowed to Niu Yi, saying:
"The Immortal Master truly possesses remarkable skills."

“In that case, I am willing to accept my defeat and will stay here to look after these gourd seeds for you, Immortal Master. You can come and take the gourd away two hundred years from now.”

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Earth God. I have nothing of value on me except some spiritual fruits I've grown myself and some spiritual wine I've brewed myself, which I hope you'll accept with a smile."

"No, no!"

After a long while, the Earth God of Flaming Mountain held a package from a grotto-heaven, looking at the mountain of spirit peaches and oranges inside, as well as the jars of spirit wine, and murmured:

"I really don't know where this Xuanmen cultivator came from, that he has such skills."

"I originally intended to lend a hand out of consideration for our shared Xuanmen (Taoist sect) background, but now, I'm truly indebted to them. I'll have to put in some effort to watch over this gourd for them."

The local earth god put the small package into his arms, then looked at the inconspicuous fiery red seedling in the Flaming Mountain. With a change of hand seals, he used an illusion to make the fiery red seedling disappear completely.

Niu Yi, who was flying towards Jindu Mountain, was calculating with the Great Dao of Cause and Effect. In his eyes, a crystal-clear, jade-like fiery red gourd was hanging on a crimson gourd vine.

"It's been exactly one hundred and eighty years, but I never imagined that with the help of the local earth god, this fire gourd could grow safely until I came to collect it."

"Next time I come, I think I'll be able to see Red Boy again."

Niu Yi pondered for a moment, then went straight back to Jindu Mountain.

At the foot of Daojun Mountain, in a medical clinic that is perpetually filled with the aroma of medicinal herbs.

Fang Cheng, who had transformed into an old doctor, was turning the pages of the book in his hands, while below him, figures of all ages were looking at him with a mixture of trepidation and anticipation.

After Fang Cheng finished reading the last page, he slowly nodded.

"Good. The last volume of this three-volume book on acupuncture has now been compiled and can be passed down to the world in the future."

Upon hearing this, the numerous physicians and doctors below showed excitement and were about to cheer, but then Fang Cheng said with a serious expression:

"Remember this well: when the three volumes of Acupuncture are passed down, they can be taught as before, if there are willing learners. However, these three volumes should only be passed on to those who are proficient in them. Do not mislead other people!"

Upon hearing Fang Cheng's words, the faces of the many physicians and doctors became solemn, and they all bowed to Fang Cheng, saying in unison:
"I will obey the master's orders."

Upon seeing this, Fang Cheng's expression softened, and he nodded slightly.

Yuan Ze, who was standing not far away, smiled when he saw this scene. He figured that soon he would be able to see all the merits falling from the sky again.

After the group of physicians and doctors left the main hall, Yuan Ze slowly walked to Fang Cheng's side.

Fang Cheng, who was organizing medical books, did not turn around, but slowly said:
“This Tongtianjiang region is your hometown, and you still have family members in Tongtianjiang. It is only right that I go there to visit the temple in Nanzhanbuzhou.”

(End of this chapter)