Journey to the West: Starting by becoming an apprentice of Emperor Donghua

Just as he expected, the black bear monster was chanting the Heart Sutra.

The Heart Sutra is also known as the Heart Sutra, or more specifically, the Mahaprajnaparamita Heart Sutra.

In the world of Journey to the West, the copyright of this sutra is held by only one person, namely Zen Master Wuchao of Mount Futu.

If the Black Bear Monster was able to obtain this scripture, then it is obvious who the scripture giver was.

No wonder this black bear monster was chosen by Guanyin to become the guardian deity of the mountain; it truly has some connection with Buddhism.

He didn't wake the black bear monster, but turned to the group of indignant little demons and said:

"Don't bother him. If you have time in the future, you can all recite along with him!"

This Heart Sutra was later specially taught to Tang Sanzang by Zen Master Wuchao, who also said it could eliminate obstacles on the road, and naturally had many wonderful properties.

Making the little demons chant along isn't harming them; it's actually a great advantage.

The little demons, however, did not understand Ji Sheng's good intentions. But upon hearing Ji Sheng's words, they lost their temper and their faces were filled with helplessness.

Ji Sheng found it amusing, but there was no way to explain it to them; everyone's fate is their own.

Those who listen are good, those who don't are simply not meant to be.

This incident has greatly improved my previously depressed mood.

Just then, the ground in front of the mountain gate began to bubble and gurgle.

In the blink of an eye, an old man, less than three feet tall and holding a wooden cane, emerged from the ground.

"Lord Ji! What an unexpected coincidence!"

Upon seeing Ji Sheng, the old man was so happy that his white beard seemed to float, and he hurriedly greeted him.

This white-bearded old man was the mountain god of a nearby mountain called Pig Ear Mountain.

Generally speaking, monsters and mountain gods do not interact much, and may even be somewhat antagonistic.

But Ji Sheng was a solitary demon, so he didn't have much of a distance from these incense-offering gods.

In addition, the mountain god of Pig Ear Mountain was a kind and honest person, so the two even had a pretty good relationship.

"Mountain God, it's been a long time! Please come inside the cave and let's talk."

The mountain god of Pig Ear Mountain was originally surnamed Zhu, so everyone called him Zhu Mountain God.

The mountain god shook his head and said:

"Ah, thank you for your kindness, Lord Ji, but I have other important matters to attend to. Let me get to the point. I have come here today to ask for your help with an important matter."

Ji Shengdao:

"Please feel free to speak."

Zhu Shanshen sighed repeatedly:

"Lord Ji must also know that for the past two months, we lesser gods have been driven by the Shore Walkers to search for the Fire Toad's whereabouts. As a result, we have neglected many of our duties."

To be honest, a plague has recently broken out in the Tiger Head Mountain area, and medicinal herbs are in extremely short supply. I have come here precisely to ask Master Ji for some medicinal herbs to help Tiger Head Mountain overcome this crisis.

Ji Sheng asked in confusion:

"Tiger Head Mountain is hundreds of miles away from here, and it's not your territory, Mountain God, so why...?"

Zhu Shanshen gave a wry smile:

"This plague spreads extremely fast. It may seem like it's only a few hundred miles away, but it could reach my Pig Ear Mountain in just a few days!"

Furthermore, this matter was entrusted to us by the mountain god of Tiger Head Mountain, so please, Master Ji, don't be stingy; the reward is negotiable!

Ji Sheng nodded, showing little concern.

"These mere medicinal herbs are nothing, and there's no need for payment. Just write down the list; as long as it's common medicinal herbs, my storeroom has everything you need."

This wasn't Ji Sheng being recklessly generous. Solving the plague was, in a sense, a meritorious deed, and might even be recorded in the Book of Merit.

Moreover, these medicinal herbs grow everywhere in the mountains and fields, so they were not worth much to Ji Sheng.

Zhu Shanshen was overjoyed upon hearing this and handed the prepared prescription to Ji Sheng.

Ji Sheng handed the task to Niu Er beside him, instructing him to prepare.

The next day, all the medicinal herbs were ready. Ji Sheng originally only planned to have a few of his lesser demon subordinates deliver them to the mountain god of Tiger Head Mountain.

But suddenly, the intuition that hadn't surfaced for two months returned. And it pointed towards the location of Tiger Head Mountain.

Since that's the case, he'll definitely have to go there in person.

So he and a few lesser demons disguised themselves as a caravan and headed towards Tiger Head Mountain with the medicinal herbs.

The journey was smooth, and the group of several people arrived at the Tiger Head Mountain God's place the next day.

The mountain god was naturally overjoyed to accept the medicinal herbs and thanked him profusely. Ji Sheng noticed that a young man was also standing beside the mountain god.

Ji Sheng observed that he had strong bones and muscles, and his breathing was slow and even. Although he had some spiritual energy and magical power, it was quite thin and had little use other than prolonging life.

Ji Sheng was very familiar with this. This was precisely the effect of practicing guiding exercises.

Guiding techniques are also one of the many unorthodox methods. After all, the method of achieving the Golden Elixir is extremely rare.

Many unorthodox practitioners in the folk practiced these unorthodox methods in order to strengthen their bodies and prolong their lives.

Is this young man also a cultivator?

The young man kept his eyes straight ahead, showing respect to Ji Sheng and the mountain god while remaining neither servile nor arrogant.

He doesn't seem like someone who's learned anything haphazardly; on the contrary, he has the air of someone who's seen the world.

Ji Sheng asked curiously:

"Mountain God, may I ask who this gentleman is...?"

Tiger Head Mountain God Path:

"This is a disciple of Master Hu from the foot of the mountain, specially sent to fetch medicinal herbs. These herbs are exactly what Master Hu needs."

Hu Gong? Ji Sheng's heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly realized something.

Master Hu was a renowned immortal, and the saying "the sun and moon in a pot" refers to his abilities.

Not only is he highly skilled in medicine, but he can also conjure up a world within his gourd, which is extremely impressive.

Could it be this Master Hu?

The young man said:

"My name is Fei Changfang, and I greet the Immortal."

Fei Changfang? It really is that all-powerful Master Hu!

Fei Changfang was a disciple of Hu Gong, and later received Hu Gong's talisman, which allowed him to command ghosts. However, legend has it that he lost the talisman while wading across a river and was killed by the ghosts.

Ji Sheng nodded:

"No need to be so polite. There are plenty of medicinal herbs. Would you like me to help you carry them down the mountain?"

Fei Changfang said:

"Thank you for your kindness, Immortal. However, my master gave me a treasure on my way here, enough to take all these medicinal herbs back with me."

Fei Changfang took a small gourd from his waist, removed the mouth of the gourd, pointed it at the pile of medicinal herbs, and simply said:

"receive!"

The piled-up medicinal herbs were instantly sucked into the gourd's mouth like flowing water.

These medicinal herbs weighed several thousand kilograms, enough to fill five large carts. In the blink of an eye, they were completely emptied from the gourd.

Fei Changfang shook the gourd, but judging from his expression, the gourd's weight did not increase.

Ji Sheng looked intently at the gourd, and saw several lines of small characters appear on it:

[Storage Gourd (Purple Center): An ordinary gourd refined by Master Hu using the Hutian Technique, containing a hidden world within and possessing the ability to store items.]

Can an ordinary gourd refined using the Pot Heaven Technique reach purple quality?

No wonder it dares to be called the sun and moon in a pot, no wonder it dares to be called the art of the pot heaven!

I must go and see for myself just how capable this potter is!

"Many thanks to the immortal for the medicine, and many thanks to the mountain god. My master is still waiting, so I will take my leave!"

After tucking the gourd back to his waist, Fei Changfang strode swiftly along the mountain path.

After bidding farewell to the mountain god, Ji Sheng arranged for the lesser demons to return to the mountain on their own. He flew into the sky and saw Fei Changfang leaving Tiger Head Mountain and entering the market at the foot of the mountain.

This was the same market where Zhao Daniu had carried Ji Sheng last time. However, this time, the market was far less bustling than before; the streets were deserted and desolate.

Many houses had white cloths hanging in front of them, and faint cries could be heard coming from them, indicating that many people had died.