By associating with Nezha, I became the darling of the Chinese gods.

Chapter 234 Nezha's solo side story (two chapters combined, totaling 4500+ words)
Before Chentang Pass, a great wave surges.

The Dragon Kings of the Four Seas descended upon Chentang Pass.

"Clang—!"

A sharp sword was suddenly thrown in front of Nezha.

Li Jing's furious rebuke could still be clearly heard amidst the raging wind and rain:

"You wretched child! Your parents raised you, yet you've brought shame upon them. And now you dare to talk back? I ask you, do you... admit your mistake?"

Nezha lowered his eyes and looked at the sharp sword.

A long time, a long time.

Nezha raised his head, his gaze clear and firm, and said, word by word:

"I am right!"

He won't admit his mistake!

Li Jing was furious.

However, before he could continue speaking, Nezha stepped forward, picked up the sharp sword with his right hand, and looked intently at Li Jing, saying:

“I did nothing wrong!”

"But I won't implicate you! I'll take full responsibility for my actions! I'll return your children to you as well!"

After saying this, Nezha turned to the Four Dragon Kings and said, "I will pay for what happened today with my life. You are not allowed to harm my parents, and you are not allowed to harm the people of Chentang Pass again!"

"My affairs should not implicate others!"

The Dragon Kings of the Four Seas were slightly moved and nodded in agreement.

Nezha's eyes were resolute. He held a lock of hair given to him by his parents in his mouth, and slowly gripped the sword his father had thrown to him with his right hand.

He committed suicide.

First, he had to remove an arm, then he had to cut open his own abdomen, scrape out his intestines, and remove his bones…

Then, his three souls and seven spirits dissipated, and his life returned to the spring...

The lotus root has three thousand strands, and when cut by a blade, each strand leaves traces of bone and blood.

Did he cry from the pain?
I don't remember anymore.

Nezha only remembered that it rained heavily that day, soaking his face and mixing with his blood, making it impossible for him to distinguish between tears, blood, and rain.

Nezha looked up and thought, "There has never been a day when the rain was heavier than today's."

"Clang..."

A short while later, the sword, still covered in blood and flesh, fell to the ground.

The rain falling on Nezha gradually stopped.

Cut off flesh and bones to return to father and mother.

How painful those few words are!
But only in this way can it be called rebirth.

To transcend the mundane, one need not have filthy bones; to attain sainthood, one must seek the incense of resur

The lotus flower emerges from the muddy water, blooming as the purest and freest flower.

This is true rebirth.

"My son..." Lady Yin wiped away her tears and personally collected and buried Nezha's body.

After Nezha died, his soul did not dissipate. In a daze, he drifted back to Qianyuan Mountain with the wind.

"Master..."

When Taiyi saw his beloved disciple in this state, he was first furious, cursing Li Jing for being heartless, and then quickly told Nezha:
“There is still a chance, Nezha. Go back to Chentang Pass and appear in your mother’s dream. Ask her to build a palace for you on Cuiping Mountain, which is forty miles away from Chentang Pass, so that your soul can rest there.”

"As long as you receive incense offerings from the mortal world for three years, your physical body can be rebuilt!"

So, he survived!

Nezha's hope was rekindled, and he did as instructed.

His mother loved him the most.

She will definitely agree.

Nezha was right.

After a dream, Lady Yin woke up crying and wanted to build a temple for Nezha.

Upon hearing this, Li Jing flew into a rage and said:

"You ignorant woman! He harmed us like that before he died, and now that the trouble has finally been quelled, you actually want to build a temple for him!"

"His parents are still alive! What right does a child have to build a temple?"

"No repairs allowed!"

After saying this, Li Jing angrily turned and left.

However, Nezha was a piece of flesh that fell from Lady Yin's body.

How could she possibly be as ruthless as Li Jing?

Lady Yin wiped away her tears and, without telling Li Jing, secretly sent her trusted confidante to build a palace on Cuiping Mountain, specifically for the golden statue of Nezha.

After Nezha's palace was repaired, it became empty and desolate.

The local people had never heard of Nezha, nor did they know what the god enshrined in this palace did.

Judging from the golden statue, it looks like a child.

Does praying to him really work?

The people still did what they always did: if they wanted a child, they would go to pray to the Goddess of Fertility; if they wanted a marriage, they would go to the Temple of the Old Man Under the Moon.

In short, it's not like you're supposed to worship a child.

However, on this day, a woman with a desperate look on her face rushed into the palace, carrying her child in her arms.

This is Nezha's first offering of incense.

After offering incense with tears streaming down her face, the woman knelt on the ground devoutly, as if grasping at the only straw, and prayed to Nezha with a sob in her voice:
"My God, please save the child in my arms!"

"I don't know what's wrong, my child has had a fever since last night and cries every night. The medicine doesn't work. The doctor said... said my child doesn't have long to live!"

The woman's bowing back looked remarkably like Lady Yin.

Nezha sat upright on a lotus platform, a faint incense smoke rising from his golden body. He bowed his head, listening intently to the woman's wishes.

The child in the woman's arms was shrouded in a dark aura, and her brows were furrowed with gloom.

This is not an illness.

It's because they're being haunted by evil spirits and monsters, so of course the medicine prescribed by the doctor won't work.

Nezha twirled the incense sticks surrounding him, slowly stepped down from the lotus platform, passed the women, and walked out of the temple.

Since we have received offerings, we should fulfill our duties accordingly.

He agreed to this first request.

He's going to kill that evil monster right now!
After offering incense.

The woman, exhausted, returned home carrying her dying child.

She was desperate today, so when she saw an unfamiliar palace by the roadside, she went in and prayed.

Looking back now, it's really laughable.

In her despair, she visited countless temples with flourishing incense offerings.

Her son is still not well, isn't he?
This time, it's probably all for naught.

The woman sighed hopelessly, tears welling up in her eyes again.

To her surprise, she had just prayed to Nezha that morning, and by noon her child was already better!
Looking at the lively child in her arms, the woman finally couldn't hold back her tears of joy. She knelt down and wept bitterly, kowtowing repeatedly.

"Thank you, gods! Thank you, Nezha!"

"My son, you must come with me to thank Nezha tomorrow!"

Why doesn't anyone worship such a good deity?
The news that women prayed to Nezha in the morning and their wishes were fulfilled by noon spread like wildfire.

Before long, the local people all knew that there was a deity here who would grant every request and answer every prayer.

The common people had little education and did not know that each god had a different divine role.

All they knew was that this deity was very powerful, and that anyone who came to offer incense would have their wishes fulfilled within a few days.

So people prayed to Nezha for peace, wealth, and marriage; and eventually, even those who prayed for children came to pray to Nezha.

Nezha also fulfilled his duties.

No matter how difficult the people's wishes were, he would do his best to fulfill them as long as they came.

After all, he couldn't accept those offerings for nothing.

From then on, Nezha's palace became a popular place of worship, with crowds of people coming and going, and the table was filled with offerings sent by the people.

Nezha sat cross-legged on the offering table, leaning against his golden body, his smile growing wider.

He listened attentively to the people's wishes, and wrote down the wishes he couldn't remember, planning to work on them later when there were fewer people in the evening.

This way, we won't forget the wishes of one or two people.

half year later.

Just as Nezha's golden body was becoming more and more solid, Li Jing arrived.

In fact, Li Jing only happened to pass by Cuiping Mountain occasionally.

He didn't know that Nezha had a palace here, but seeing so many people traveling from afar, he asked curiously:
"What is it about Cuiping Mountain that would make them come here?"

The officer standing to the side smiled and replied respectfully:
"A temple was suddenly built here six months ago."

“Nothing much in itself, but the golden statue inside is incredibly effective, granting every request and blessing, bringing good fortune and warding off misfortune. It is so beneficial to us ordinary people! That’s why it has attracted people from all around to come and offer incense.”

“My subordinate’s wife also took the children to pray there. It’s really miraculous; in the blink of an eye, my child was cured.”

Li Jing suddenly realized and asked again, "What's the name of that temple?"

"Nezha's Palace".

Upon hearing this, Li Jing's expression changed drastically: "What did you say?!"

It's Nezha!
Wasn't he already dead?!
Looking at the endless stream of people around him.

Among them were men and women, young and old; even those who couldn't walk came with canes!
And all these people were fooled by that rebellious son Nezha!

He's just a child, yet he's here playing tricks on people! He can't even find peace in death!
Li Jing flew into a rage, rode his horse to the temple gate, and kicked the door open.

Upon entering the temple, Li Jing indeed saw Nezha's golden statue standing inside.

Amidst the swirling incense smoke, Nezha's spirit sat atop it.

Enraged, Li Jing drew his whip and began to curse:
"You beast! You harmed your parents in life, and you continue to deceive the people even in death!"

“Crackling—!”

After cursing, Li Jing smashed Nezha's golden statue to pieces with a single whip, chopped down the palace plaque hanging above the temple, and tore the entire temple to pieces. Nezha felt his soul turn to ice, standing stiffly in place, watching helplessly as his father shattered his hope of resurrection bit by bit.

His efforts to maintain the incense offerings for half a year have ended.

In the end, nothing was left.

However, even so, Li Jing still didn't feel satisfied. He cracked his whip and gave a stern order:
"Men, set this place on fire!"

"Listen up, everyone! This place is not a place to worship gods. You are no longer allowed to come here to burn incense!"

The people were so frightened by Li Jing's appearance that they all left.

A little child cried and refused to leave, saying, "Nezha is clearly a good god! The tiger doll I lost yesterday was safely placed on my bedside table last night! Don't smash it!"

The sound of crying faded into the distance.

The people left.

Only Nezha's solitary figure remained in the spot.

Are you trying to fool the people?

Nezha smirked, his smile mocking and sarcastic.

He listened to the people's wishes every day and never dared to slack off. The evil spirit that appeared in the morning was dealt with before noon.

Even for trivial matters that are not his responsibility, he will try to find a way to handle them.

I'm going to Heaven to find my master...

For over a hundred days, it's been the same!
People traveled from afar and came spontaneously.

They arrived with a frown, but left with a beaming smile.

Is this... called fooling the people?

He doesn't understand.

He just wanted to live.

Did he really do something wrong?
He had already scraped his intestines and bones, returning his flesh and blood to Li Jing, and everything was settled long ago!

However, Li Jing constantly called him a rebellious son and a beast.

Despite the absence of the worldly constraints of blood ties and physical intimacy, Li Jing still rightfully called him "father" and exercised paternal authority over him.

He brazenly came over, smashed his golden statue, scattered his incense offerings, drove away the people, ruined his path to resurrection, and left his soul adrift and without a place to rest.

Pshaw, how ridiculous.

Even children know that Nezha did not fool the people!
Li Jing, however, could neither see nor hear!

Nezha clenched his fists so tightly that his fingertips turned white.

Hatred suddenly welled up in his eyes as he stared intently at Li Jing's retreating figure.

Is it true that if a father wants his son to die, the son has no choice but to die?

He doesn't!
Cutting off bones and flesh is a way to settle the score!
However, Li Jing... destroyed his golden body, ruined his path to resurrection, and severed all ties between father and son!
There is only hatred.

A vengeance for a single, fatal lash!
Since that's the case, let's fight to the death from now on.

Fortunately, his master was there to protect him, using lotus to rebuild his physical body. Although it was not as good as his original body, at least he was able to live.

Two lotus flowers manifested, and the second incarnation of the Spirit Pearl descended to the mortal world.

This flower is naturally grown.

Nezha is just Nezha.

Swish!
Nezha, who was behind Lianzhu, suddenly opened his eyes, furious, "Where is Li Jing?"

"I want to kill him!"

He hated Li Jing to the core.

Shouldn't he hate?
No matter how others tried to stop him, Nezha had his own answer.

-

Later later.

Nezha joined the army to fight against King Zhou, and in the Xiqi army camp, he met Huang Tianhua, Lei Zhenzi and Yang Jian.

He rarely left home during his childhood, and even when he did go out, he would inform Madam Yin first.

To be honest, this was the first time Nezha had interacted with so many people his own age.

According to Jiang Ziya, these people were all his fellow disciples.

For example, Yang Jian's master, Yu Ding Zhenren, was a friend of his master, Taiyi Zhenren.

Then there's Huang Tianhua, who's loud and boisterous. When he gets captured by the enemy, all he does is yell about how unlucky he is. And he really likes to put on airs like a fellow Daoist in front of him.

However, Huang Tianhua was very protective of his own.

Just like Yang Jian, who would transform into a ferret to coax him, he was very protective of his own.

He fought alongside them on the battlefield, and back in the barracks they would bicker and argue.

Late at night, they would go together to find food in the neighboring tents to fill their stomachs.

In private, they don't have any of the authority of generals; they can joke around, argue, and even relieve boredom together.

Although Huang Tianhua is stupid, always arguing with him, and has a sharp tongue, he is the kind of person who would shout "Don't hurt Nezha" on the battlefield.

of course.

If anyone dares to harm Huang Tianhua in front of him, he will never sit idly by!

From unfamiliar to familiar.

The military camp is lively every day.

Nezha often thought that he must have found friends.

But later, Huang Tianhua died.

In the Battle of Jinji Ridge, Tianhua was killed by Gao Jineng with a single spear thrust.

High-performance energy…

Pshaw, that despicable piece of trash who knows his reputation the moment he sees him.

Knowing that he was no match for Tianhua, he released the poisonous centipedes from his centipede bag, which bit the eye of Tianhua's mount, the Jade Kirin.

Otherwise, how could Tianhua have died?!
Nezha regretted it.

If he had been able to kill Gao Jineng with the Qiankun Ring much earlier, would Huang Tianhua have been able to live with him until the end?

It should be possible.

Ultimately, it's all his fault.

Without that foolish Taoist brother surnamed Huang arguing with him, Nezha felt that the military camp had become quiet again.

It was so quiet that it made you feel lonely.

I feel very uncomfortable.

Nezha clutched his heart, feeling that this was even more painful than when he had his bones and flesh cut off.

Even though it's not raining right now, in Nezha's heart it's like a torrential downpour.

Because from now on, no one will ever stand beside him again, saying with envy:

"Nezha, Nezha, the battle hasn't even started yet, and the enemy already knows your name! That's amazing!"

"I wish I could be like that someday. I want to be a warrior who fights on the battlefield, making the enemy tremble with fear, hehe..."

Nezha smiled.

The boy's face wore a smile that was more painful than crying.

after that.

His master then gave him fire dates, and after eating them, he gained three heads and eight arms.

His master treated him very well, passing on all the treasures of the Golden Light Cave to him, including the Nine Dragons Divine Fire Cover, a treasure that guarded the cave, just so that his eight hands could be filled with magical treasures.

Everyone in the military camp treated him very well, constantly praising his extraordinary abilities.

He is growing up.

Even a body forged from lotus can experience the pain of flesh and blood growing.

Naturally.

In subsequent battles, he won more and more victories, and the enemy was so terrified at the mere mention of his name that they fled in terror.

He sent countless people to the Investiture of the Gods list, and his military achievements were numerous.

He thought there would be a lot of people with him.

In the end, however, he was the only one who made it to the end.

Oh.

There are also Yang Jian and Lei Zhenzi.

On the day of the investiture of the gods, he became a saint in his physical body.

What glory! What splendor!
but…

So what?

Life is but a dream, how much joy can one truly experience?

Looking back on the road we came from.

Everything has changed in the end.

The question from the enemy vanguard seemed to echo in my ears once more:
"Is the person who came Nezha?"

Nezha was no longer overjoyed, and his former playful companions were no longer around. Instead, he said calmly:

"Of course."

Indeed.

Nobody wants to be listed on the Investiture of the Gods and work for the Heavenly Court.

It's said to become a god, but once you're on the list, it means you've lost your freedom forever, and there's no possibility of improving your cultivation level.

Tianhua died in the Investiture of the Gods, which is why he is on the list.

But making the list isn't a big deal.

At least, everyone can reunite in Heaven in the end.

　This chapter draws inspiration from the background of Investiture of the Gods. The lines "Two lotus flowers manifest their forms, and the second incarnation of the Spirit Pearl emerges from the mortal world" and "Transcending the mundane requires no dirty bones, and entering sainthood requires seeking the incense of returning to the soul" are also original lines from Investiture of the Gods. Due to the chapter number limit, the writing is not very good. Please forgive me.

　　(T_T) Also, because I felt it wasn't good to divide this chapter into two parts, I put it together and posted it.

　　(End of this chapter)