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Chapter 175: Clairvoyance and Superb Ears

Golden helmets reflected the light of celestial lamps. Li Jing, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, sat regally on his command throne, with several golden-armored generals standing solemnly below him, the imposing figure of the Giant Spirit God particularly striking. The atmosphere inside the tent was solemn, and conversations were low and restrained.

"Vice Commander Chen has been in charge of the warhorses for two days now,"

A composed-looking general in black robes spoke first, his tone objective.

"On Wanma Ping, thousands of warhorses and oxen remained scattered and unmoved."

The short-bearded, shrewd-eyed general beside him nodded.

"The seal of the弼马温 (Bima Wen, a minor official in charge of horses) certainly indicates his ability to command, but warhorses are ultimately animals. They are fine for driving them into battle formation, but to precisely control thousands of horses with different temperaments to eat and excrete at the same time..."

He shook his head slightly, his unspoken meaning clear. The generals exchanged knowing glances, and one nodded slightly in agreement.

Someone remarked, "I'm afraid that when the appointed time arrives, our Chen Bi Ma Wen will be somewhat flustered."

"Not necessarily. Judging from Vice Commander Chen's demeanor, he clearly knew in advance how difficult this task would be, and he hasn't taken any action at all. He'll just come to apologize when the time comes."

Looking at Li Jing's expression, one of the generals tentatively said, "This stable boy has just arrived here and has already failed at his first task. I'm afraid he won't be able to do anything else in the future. He can only protect his warhorses and oxen."

Some people, seeing Li Jing raise an eyebrow, quickly guessed his attitude.

"If it weren't for the fact that Bi Ma Wen has the support of the Tu Shuai Palace, he probably wouldn't have gotten the position of deputy commander. Although fighting requires soldiers, what truly determines victory or defeat is the soldiers and generals. Those warhorses and oxen are not very useful."

The giant spirit stepped forward at the opportune moment, his voice loud yet respectful.

"The Heavenly King's rule over his army is based on strict discipline. In our Heavenly Army camp, there are fixed rules for drinking and eating, and there are also special places for urination and defecation. All 100,000 Heavenly Soldiers strictly abide by these rules, which demonstrates the majesty of the Heavenly Court. As for the unification of eating and urination, it is just a matter of a military order. I will draft the order today and ask the Heavenly King to give his instructions."

He turned his gaze to Li Jing, "If Deputy Commander Chen cannot control his troops' warhorses and allow them to become filthy and scattered, it may damage the army's appearance. I request Your Majesty's instructions on how to handle the situation."

All eyes were on Li Jing. Li Jing slowly surveyed the area below the tent.
"The Heavenly Army camp shall always serve as a model and strictly abide by the commander's orders."

His tone shifted slightly, turning cold, "As for Chen Guangrui, the three-day period has not yet arrived, so there's no need to make hasty judgments. In time, you will all understand what it means to obey orders and maintain discipline in this Heavenly Army."

Li Jing stopped pressing the matter and his imposing manner immediately arose. "The imperial decree has been issued regarding the extermination of demons in the mortal realm. Has the investigation yielded any results?"

The shrewd, short-bearded general immediately reported back.

"Reporting to the Heavenly King, we have dispatched Thousand-Mile Eyes and Wind-Following Ears to search the demon caves in the east and west to investigate their strength and background. However, the mortal realm is vast, and the demon lairs are hidden, so the investigation will take time, and there has been no response yet."

He looked up at Li Jing and asked, "What kind of demon does the Heavenly King wish to seek to establish his authority?"

Li Jing remained silent for a moment, without answering directly.
"We'll know the outcome once they report back. All generals, withdraw now and keep a close watch on the camp, each fulfilling your duties."

"Your subordinates obey!" the generals replied in unison, bowed, and withdrew from the command tent.

Just then, a mosquito, hidden in the light and shadow inside the tent, silently flapped its wings and quietly flew out through the gap in the curtain.

……

In a corner of the clouds, Thousand-Mile Eye rubbed his aching temples, his face full of worry. Wind-Following Ears sat there, his large ears drooping, looking distressed.

"The Heavenly King gave the order, instructing us to investigate the true nature and background of the demons in the east and west..."

The all-seeing eye sighed, "But which of those demon caves in the mortal realm isn't treacherous and dangerous? And they're thousands of miles away, shrouded in clouds and mist, and all you can hear is the howling of wind and the cries of cranes. You can't see or hear anything at all!"

Even Shunfeng'er (a character with super ears) had a bitter face.
"That's right. The Heavenly King only gave us a time limit, but the investigation needs to be done step by step. Even if we go from place to place, it will still take time. If we're not careful, we might actually get too close to those demon kings' caves..."

He shuddered. "With our limited skills, if we were to run into a monster, we probably wouldn't even have a chance to report it. It's true what they say, 'If the higher-ups just say something, we brothers will be running ourselves ragged.'"

Thousand-Mile Eye said anxiously, "What should we do then? We can't go back empty-handed, can we? If we miss a crucial opportunity, the Heavenly King will be furious and punish us according to military law. We'll both be in deep trouble." Wind-Following Ear frowned.
"There is a way. I remember that the Heavenly Court had some documents from years ago that recorded some old cases of demons causing trouble in the mortal realm. Although most of them are vague and from a long time ago, it's better to have something than nothing. Let's compile a list and submit it to appease them. Then..."

He lowered his voice, "Let's sneak down to the mortal realm again and ask around among some familiar local deities to see if we can get any new information."

"Looking for land?" Qianliyan frowned.

“The method is feasible, but the lower realm is so vast. Each local deity governs a region. If we go and ask them one by one, how long will it take? Besides, the local deities have limited knowledge and are timid…”

The two fell silent again, a heavy weight pressing down on their hearts.

"Well, let's ask this question for now, to make sure we have the information. We'll figure out how accurate it is later."

"This is the only way. You go and organize things first. I'll go down to the mortal realm now and ask each local deity from east to west. Don't waste time. After you report to the Heavenly King, you can ask from west to east. We'll ask for three days. After three days, no matter where you've been asking, come back directly."

"That's really the only way, brother. We've both suffered this time. Once the army leaves, we'll have a good drink together."

The two looked at each other, their eyes brimming with tears.

Just then, the enormous ears of the Wind-Following Ear twitched violently, and his worried face instantly lit up. He excitedly grabbed the arm of the Thousand-Mile Eye.
"Wait, I think I heard something useful!"

……

Beside Wanmaping, the soft green grass exuded a fresh fragrance. Chen Guangrui sat quietly with his eyes closed. Tang Sheng sat cross-legged, munching on the fruit brought by the crane, his little legs occasionally swinging back and forth.

"Father," Tang Sheng mumbled, pointing with his little finger to the distant, misty mortal realm.
"I think Li Jing is about to lose his temper and is going down to catch some monsters. Do you know which unlucky guy he's planning to target? The mortal realm is so vast, and there are monsters everywhere. Do you even know which one is which?"

Chen Guangrui slowly opened his eyes, his gaze distant.

“I know. I traveled in the mortal realm before I ascended to heaven, so I am quite familiar with the demons on the journey to the west.”

He paused, "Li Jing is a man who loves grand achievements. He won't choose ordinary mountain spirits or monsters as his targets, because they're not significant enough. Nor will he easily touch those with powerful backgrounds, like mounts, lest he get himself into trouble. What he wants are those who seem to be without a master, but in fact can be of help to Buddhism, or even those who are secretly supported by Buddhism. Removing them will not only demonstrate the majesty of the Heavenly Court and secretly please the Great Heavenly Venerable, but may also earn him a better reputation with Buddhism."

"For example?" Tang Sheng became interested, put down the half-eaten fruit, and rubbed her little hands on her clothes.

"For example, there's the black bear spirit near the former Guanyin Temple, located on the eastern edge of Jambudvipa," Chen Guangrui cited as an example.
“Three years ago, I burned down that Zen temple, and only then did Laozi promote me. But the Tang Dynasty in the East has more than just that one place. I’ve also heard that in the Kingdom of Wuji, there seems to be a lion spirit,” he emphasized, “who seems to be the mount of a Buddhist bodhisattva, causing havoc in the region.”

Tang Sheng nodded his little head. "That makes sense! Then let's find a way to get Li Jing to go to Wuji Kingdom?"

“Yes. With a little guidance, he'll most likely choose that place.” Chen Guangrui nodded, then his expression turned serious.
"However, there is one place that must be kept strictly from Li Jing and must never be known to him."

"Where?" Tang Sheng asked curiously as he leaned closer.

"The West, Leopard Head Mountain," Chen Guangrui said in a low voice, each word clear, "at the foot of Mount Ling, Leopard Head Mountain is located at the junction of Xiniuhe Continent and the Western Sea. Its location is strategically important, and the mountain is situated near a dragon vein."

His gaze sharpened. "There's a yellow lion demon on the mountain. His cultivation isn't top-tier, and his minions are mostly insignificant little demons. This demon is content with his lot and isn't particularly evil. But more importantly, he's occupied the beautiful Leopard Head Mountain for many years, subtly guarding the Taoist ley lines. He's a thorn in the side of the Buddhist Xiniu Hezhou, a thorn in the side of the Taoist sect. The Buddha, out of consideration for the Taoist sect's reputation, hasn't directly removed him. If Li Jing learns of this place, he'll surely see it as a treasure! His exquisite pagoda originated from Buddhism, and to curry favor with Buddhism, he'll definitely raze Leopard Head Mountain, uproot the yellow lion demon, and present it to Buddhism as a gift."

Chen Guangrui's tone was resolute.
"Therefore, the matter of the Yellow Lion Demon of Leopard Head Mountain must be completely covered up!"

……

Deep within the sea of ​​clouds, the enormous ears of the Wind-Following Ear flapped rapidly, its face practically overflowing with ecstatic joy. It grabbed the equally excited Thousand-Mile Eye.
"I heard it! I heard it clearly! Leopard Head Mountain! Yellow Lion Spirit! Li Tianwang will definitely be happy to hear it."

He spoke rapidly, “Quickly, find a way to contact the land deity in that area. We need to get this information accurately. Although we're not familiar with that land deity, the Heavenly Court is questioning us, so he shouldn't dare lie. The key question is: Is there a Leopard Head Mountain? Is there a demon king on the mountain called the Yellow Lion Spirit? Then, let's take a good look at the ley lines around here from a high vantage point. If everything matches up…”

He patted Qianliyan's shoulder hard, his eyes full of excitement, "Our mission is more than half accomplished. Hurry up and report back to the Heavenly King. We've done another great job."

The two were greatly encouraged. They rode on a cloud, feeling as if they had survived a disaster, and sped off towards the Earth God Temple in the lower realm.

(End of this chapter)