Journey to the West: Cultivation Begins at Jindou Mountain

Chapter 287 Farewell to the Master
In the apricot grove of Daojun Mountain, the divine physician Daojun was bidding farewell to the pilgrimage group with his subordinate generals.

"Thank you for the banquet, Daoist. However, we are still far from the Western Paradise. I have been entrusted by the Tang Emperor and dare not slack off. I must take my leave now."

As Tang Sanzang spoke, he clasped his hands together and bowed to the Daoist Master.

"Holy monk, I have already ordered some dry food and apricots from the mountain to be prepared. Please take them with you and eat them on the way."

As Daojun spoke, he waved his hand, and a celestial official stepped forward and handed two packages to Tang Sanzang and his group, which were accepted by Sun Wukong.

"Holy monk, this journey to obtain the scriptures is not yet halfway complete. The road is long and there will be many hardships along the way. Please take good care of yourselves."

"Yes, and please take care, Daoist."

After bidding farewell to Daojun, Tang Sanzang and his companions left the City of Divine Healers and continued their westward journey.

"Bajie, we were just saying goodbye to the Daoist Master, how could you ignore us? That's incredibly impolite!"

Upon hearing his master's words, Pigsy merely sullenly grunted and said nothing.

Sun Wukong laughed from the side:
“Master, you don’t know, the other day Guanyin Bodhisattva was also here with Daojun, asking Daojun to perform a spell to test this fool’s Zen mind.”

"As a result, this fool embarrassed himself in front of Daojun and Bodhisattva again, and was punished by Bodhisattva, which is why he has been sullen ever since."

Pigsy was shocked to hear this. He looked at Monkey King, then said with some embarrassment:
"Well, you monkey! So you saw everything! And you didn't even try to help me out. You really are..."

"Hehe~ You idiot, you still can't change your lustful ways, so why are you blaming me, Old Sun?"

“Master, let me tell you, that fool is in that dream.”

"Hey! You little monkey!"

When Pigsy heard that Monkey King was going to expose his shortcomings, he became anxious and chased after Monkey King. But he was no match for Monkey King's agility and could not catch him. He just kept circling around him.

"Master! Master, don't believe him!"

Tang Sanzang looked at his two disciples with a slightly helpless smile and tried to persuade them to stop. Sha Wujing carried the load behind him, just smiling as he watched his eldest and second eldest brothers.

In the clouds, Daojun watched this scene with a smile and nodded. The divine generals beside him bid farewell to Daojun one by one and left this place to return to their respective residences.

These people are all restless and concerned about Daojun Palace. They would be extremely happy to return to their respective posts as soon as possible to take charge of the affairs of Daojun and share his burdens.

Niu Feng, Niu Li, Niu Ping, and Niu An stepped forward together. Niu Li said:
“Chief, the four of us have been going to Beiju Luzhou to guard the Daojun Temple. Even with the help of the Nine Heavens Demon-Subduing Ancestor in the north, the foundation of our Daojun Temple is still a bit weak.”

Daojun slowly nodded and said:
"That's fine then. Thank you for your hard work during this time."

The four accepted the order and rode the clouds straight towards Beiju Luzhou.

After the four left, Daojun looked down at the group on their journey to the West, where he saw the figure chasing and playing with Zhu Bajie.

"Junior brother, I'll be waiting for you up ahead."

At the end of the Naihe River, on this blood-yellow lake, a small fishing boat drifts, and the surroundings seem to still be the deathly silence that has lasted for tens of thousands of years.

The ferryman sat with his eyes closed, his face expressionless, neither happy nor sad. He had spent so many lonely years like this.

"Ok?"

The ferryman seemed to sense something, slowly opened his eyes, turned around, and looked at the Taoist figure that had appeared on his boat at some unknown time.

"Big brother"

Looking at the familiar young face before him, Daoist Guanghui smiled with a touch of emotion:

"Heh~ Long time no see, Second Junior Brother."

"The smell on the River Naihe is as unpleasant as ever."

The ferryman smiled and said:
“I know perfectly well that my senior brother dislikes this murky place, but I wonder why he has suddenly come here today?”

With a flick of his whisk, the Taoist Master Guanghui sent out a Taiji jade pendant that shimmered with a clear and ethereal light, which landed in front of the ferryman.

“Junior brother, Master, my junior brother Guangwu, and I are about to leave the Three Realms. When you are freed from this predicament, use this jade pendant to come and find us.”

"Master is preparing to leave."

The ferryman paused, pondered for a moment, then looked at Daoist Guanghui and said:

"If you leave, Master and Senior Brother, what will become of Junior Brother Guangyi?"

Master Guanghui nodded with satisfaction and smiled:

"Don't worry, our junior brother has now grown up and has made many friends in the Three Realms. He is also valued by that Great Celestial Venerable. Moreover, our master has long made an agreement with the Supreme Dao Ancestor. Even if we leave, he will not suffer any loss."

“Since he completed his cultivation, he has never needed our help. Now that you want to escape, the burden has fallen on his shoulders. This shows that Junior Brother Guangyi is someone we can trust.”

The ferryman nodded with emotion. He had never imagined that the matter from back then would now fall on the shoulders of his junior brother, who had suddenly appeared in recent years.

Following him, will he become another variable in the Three Realms?
"No matter what, junior brother, you have cultivated your mind here for many years, and you must have seen through many things from back then."

"Since the Great Celestial Venerable is willing to let you leave, you should leave as soon as you are free." The ferryman was silent for a moment, then slowly nodded and put the jade pendant into his pocket.

Seeing this, Daoist Guanghui smiled and slowly disappeared as if he had never appeared.

At night, Niu Yi, who had spent half a day playing chess with the Earth God, returned to his house, sat cross-legged on the bed, and entered a state of spiritual tranquility.

At this moment, Niu Yi walked out of the library and entered the central hall as usual. Just as he was about to offer incense to the ancestor, he saw a familiar figure in white robes standing in front of the memorial tablet with his back to him.

Niu Yi's expression changed, and he was overjoyed. He quickly stepped forward and knelt down in front of the figure.

"Master! Guangyi greets Master!"

The white-robed figure slowly turned around, and his face revealed himself to be that of Niu Yi's master, Patriarch Bodhi.

The patriarch's gaze remained as gentle as ever as he looked at Niu Yi and said:
"Get up, no need to be polite."

"Yes, Master."

Niu Yi quickly stood up and looked at his master in front of him. After not seeing him for more than five hundred years, he felt even more affectionate towards his master.

“My disciple, I am about to leave the Three Realms. I have come here to say goodbye.”

"I know you've done well lately, and many old friends have come to me to praise you."

As Bodhi Patriarch spoke, a smile appeared on his face, and he continued:

"Although we, master and disciple, will be separated for tens of thousands of years after this parting, we will surely meet again in the future."

"However, your cultivation period is still short, so I must remind you: do not be concerned about the length of time in the future. When you have cultivated to the Primordial Dao Fruit, you will understand that tens of thousands of years are but a blink of an eye."

Upon hearing this, Niu Yi nodded quickly and bowed, saying:
"Yes, disciple will follow Master's teachings."

Bodhi Patriarch nodded, and with a flick of his whisk, a jade pendant landed on the incense table in front of the memorial tablet.

"Guangyi, when you are ready to leave the Three Realms in the future, you can use this jade pendant to find your master. Your master will always be waiting for you."

As Bodhi Patriarch spoke, his figure slowly disappeared, leaving only his gentle voice echoing in Niu Yi's ears.

"Among the many Dao Fruits, only those who cultivate the Primordial Dao Fruit can one glimpse the realm of great power in the future, far surpassing ordinary Great Luo. Pangu, who created the world in this primordial era, was such an existence."

"Although you don't usually compete or fight, and seem to have no competitive spirit, you see things very clearly."

"If you want to always be able to control your own destiny, it is best to cultivate this Primordial Dao Fruit within this one primordial realm. You will then reap the benefits."

Niu Yi took all the words he heard to heart and bowed respectfully to the memorial tablet in front of him.

"Guangyi respectfully sees his master off."

Niu Yi stood in the central hall for a long time until the familiar crowing of a rooster the next day, then he left the central hall and headed towards the library.

Is it possible to cultivate to the Primordial Dao Fruit realm within this single element?
It seems I have no choice but to make this trip to the Cosmic Mirror.

In the imperial city of Chechi Kingdom.

Since the deaths of the three royal advisors, the king had been constantly downcast, and he looked at the queen with worry in his heart. How could she not know how much the death of the three royal advisors had affected the king?

The king was sitting on his throne, looking listlessly at the many ministers below, with the queen beside him.

"How is the reconstruction of the temples in my Chechi Kingdom progressing now?"

The ministers below exchanged bewildered glances. One of them, a minister with a white beard, slowly stepped forward, bowed to the king at the head of the table, and respectfully said:
"Your Majesty, there is still a short time to rebuild. Many temples would require a great deal of time to rebuild on their original sites. So far, only five small temples have been rebuilt, which is just the right time to provide them with shelter from the winter."

"and."

The king said impatiently:

"And what?"

"Your Majesty, there are not as many monks in Chechi Kingdom as before. I'm afraid that even if all these temples were restored, they would just be empty."

“Even though we have issued a notice to recruit monks, there are very few people from the general public who have responded. On the contrary, there are quite a few monks from outside Chechi Kingdom who have come to respond.”

"Among the common people, the desire to join Taoism is still stronger, and few people believe the news that the three national teachers are monsters in disguise."

Upon hearing this, the king's spirits lifted, and he slowly sat up straight, looking at the somewhat uneasy ministers below.

"What monsters or monsters? That's just a smokescreen."

"I have agreed to the monks' request to uphold the equality of the three religions and to no longer show favoritism, but all of this must also depend on the wishes of the people below."

"Now it seems that in our Chechi Kingdom, Taoism and the three national teachers are still the most popular. The good weather and abundant harvests of the past twenty years are also thanks to the hard work of the three national teachers."

Upon hearing the king's words, the many ministers below began to discuss among themselves, each holding their own opinion.

"Pass on my order: have the disciples of the three national teachers go to the Sanqing Temple to pray for the three national teachers in the afterlife, hoping that they can be reincarnated and re-enter the Xuanmen sect as soon as possible."

(End of this chapter)