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

Mu Cha's two flattering remarks made Ji Sheng feel a little uncomfortable.

"You flatter me, Immortal. I had no choice but to do so in a moment of desperation. It is also thanks to the fact that this monster was injured by you before that I was able to succeed by sheer luck."

Mucha laughed:

"What 'immortal' or 'non-immortal'? Why be so polite!"

The Eastern Emperor and the Bodhisattva have always been on good terms, and this humble monk once accompanied the Bodhisattva to a banquet on Fangzhang Mountain.

People from both factions address each other as fellow Daoists. May I ask which one is your master?

When faced with Mu Cha's inquiries, Ji Sheng made no attempt to hide anything:

"Zhengyangzi guided me into the Dao, and the Emperor bestowed upon me the Daoist lineage in a dream. But as for a master, I have not yet formally become his disciple."

Mu Cha wasn't surprised and nodded.

"Are you wondering why this humble monk was initially arrogant but then became respectful?"

Ji Sheng hadn't expected the wooden fork to be so straightforward. Before he could answer, the other party explained:

"It's not that I'm being materialistic, but there's a difference between immortals and demons, so this is the only way."

Isn't that still being snobbish?

Seeing that Ji Sheng didn't understand, Mu Cha explained again:

"Among the spirits, there are virtuous individuals like you, who were chosen by Zheng Yangzi and accepted into the orthodox Taoist sect; and there are also demons who feed on humans and take pleasure in slaughtering and torturing them. Are these two the same?"

Ji Sheng shook his head.

Mu Cha said:

"This is it. Most so-called monsters are the latter. These creatures are cunning and cruel, and they deserve to be killed. Why should we treat them kindly?"

"To be honest, after subduing this fire toad, I originally planned to wipe out all the demons within a thousand miles, so that the people could have peace and tranquility."

Ji Sheng was taken aback. Then he heard Mu Cha say again:

"However, I see that these monsters have a close relationship with you, so you can deal with them as you see fit. I won't interfere."

After saying that, Mu Cha reached out and took a bamboo tube from the fire toad's corpse, then casually tossed it to Ji Sheng.

"This is the storage treasure of the fire toad demon. Since you killed the fire toad, everything inside should belong to you."

Ji Sheng was overjoyed, knowing that Mu Cha was trying to curry favor with him, and he didn't stand on ceremony:

"Thank you, Venerable Huian!"

Mu Cha nodded in satisfaction, and with a casual flick of his finger, the fire toad's corpse rapidly shrank to the size of a palm.

A bright green lotus leaf appeared beneath the fire toad.

"No wonder this monster dared to be so arrogant; it turns out it stole this treasure from the lotus pond!"

The lotus leaf was handed to Ji Sheng, and the wooden fork held the fire toad in its hand.

"This item is a lotus leaf from the lotus pond on Mount Luojia, which he has refined into a protective magic treasure. Fellow Daoist, please take it; there's no need to be polite."

Ji Sheng's curiosity about the fire toad grew stronger.

"May I ask, Venerable Huian, what is the origin of this fire toad that has troubled you to come and search for it personally?"

Moksha sighed:

"I will not hide it from you, fellow Daoist. This demon was originally a toad in the lotus pond of Mount Luojia."

Because he had listened to the Bodhisattva's sermons for a long time, he received the Dharma and transformed into a spirit.

He would have been fine staying quietly in the pond, but a few days ago he got into a fight with a carp in the pond.

Unable to defeat the carp, he left in anger, committing numerous blood feuds at the foot of the mountain, which alarmed the Jade Emperor, who ordered the Bodhisattva to deal with him.

The Bodhisattva foresaw his presence here, and therefore sent me down the mountain to capture this scoundrel.

Capture this fiend? Did Moksha originally intend to capture him alive? No wonder Moksha's men showed mercy at every turn!

However, it was the toad's bad luck that it managed to dodge the wooden fork, but lost its life to its own Azure Dragon Sword Technique.

Ji Sheng, of course, wouldn't expose this matter, and chuckled:

"So that's how it is. No wonder this monster is so powerful, given its background."

The two stopped rambling and Mu Cha collected the toad's corpse. They then said goodbye and went their separate ways.

Moksha did not immediately return to the South China Sea, but instead flew up to the Heavenly Court to report to the Jade Emperor.

Afterwards, he went to the Cloud Tower Palace and returned the thirty-six Heavenly Gang Blades to his father, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, before preparing to return to the South China Sea.

Unexpectedly, just as I left Yunlou Palace, I heard someone call out from behind:

"Second brother, second brother, don't run away!"

Looking back, it turned out that it was his third brother, Nezha, who was shouting. Muzha stopped his cloud.

"Why did my second brother leave in such a hurry without informing us? He could have allowed us brothers to reunite for a short while!"

Nezha flew over, with a slight complaint.

Moksha shook his head and said:

"Third brother, it's not that your second brother doesn't want to reunite, it's just that I have important matters to report to Guanyin and cannot delay."

This statement piqued Nezha's interest, and he pestered Mucha, determined to find out more.

Helpless, Mu Cha could only recount in detail what he had encountered in the mortal realm, from the fruitless search for the Fire Toad to the fierce battle between the two, and finally the Fire Toad being slain by Ji Sheng's Azure Dragon Sword Technique.

Nezha's eyes lit up:

"Another little apprentice has joined the Donghua Sect?"

wooden fork:

"That person has not yet formally become an apprentice, but judging from his methods, he is undoubtedly a true disciple of Donghua."

As he spoke, he suddenly remembered something and quickly added:

"Don't you dare cause trouble. Stay in heaven and serve your father properly. If you descend to the mortal realm again without permission, then..."

Nezha laughed:

"Second brother, don't worry. I'm not as mischievous as I used to be. I'm just thinking about how Lü Dongbin still owes me a drink, and I'm wondering when I can get it back."

Mokcha refused to believe it and gave a few more instructions before the two parted ways.

After flying among the clouds for half a day, we finally arrived at the South China Sea. We descended from the clouds at Luojia Mountain, passed through the Purple Bamboo Forest, and came to the Lotus Pond.

In the bamboo grove, the sound of Buddhist chants filled the air, and in the lotus pond, golden lotuses bloomed in abundance.

Guanyin Bodhisattva was standing in front of the Tide Sound Cave, preaching the Dharma to her disciples and the Twenty-Four Devas.

The chanting ceased, and Guanyin said:

"This concludes today's sermon. You may all leave, except for Moksha and the Dragon Girl."

The twenty-four deities paid their respects and withdrew. Moksha bowed and said:

"I respectfully report to the Bodhisattva that I have failed to capture the fire toad. I beg the Bodhisattva to punish me."

Guanyin said:

"It's alright, I already know about this. May I take back what's on this toad?"

Mu Cha said:

"The Fire Toad was killed by Ji Sheng, a disciple of the Eastern Emperor. I saw that Ji Sheng was very poor, so I took it upon myself to give him the items."

The Bodhisattva nodded:

"Emperor Donghua has always been on good terms with me, and he handled this matter well. If I'm not mistaken, the soul of that fire toad should already be in the underworld."

Mu Cha said:

"In that case, I will go and lead it back now."

Guanyin shook her head:

"No need, I have already informed Yama to allow this toad to be reincarnated. When this toad descended to the mortal realm, it harmed a mountain god under the command of the Eastern Peak Emperor."

This mountain god is actually a remnant left behind by the Fire God in the mortal realm. This matter must be handled properly; let Ji Sheng be the one to untangle it!

After giving his instructions, the Bodhisattva told Moksha to go and rest.

After Moksha left, Guanyin looked at the Dragon Girl who had been standing by her side.

"In Xiniu Hezhou, there is a black bear monster who is fond of worshipping Buddha and chanting scriptures. He is a demon with a connection to Buddhism."

He will face some misfortune in a few days. You should take this vase of mine and go there to help him through this ordeal.

As she spoke, the jade bottle that Guanyin had entrusted to her flew into the hands of the Dragon Girl.

The Dragon Girl accepted it, bowed to Guanyin, and then left the Purple Bamboo Forest, flew out of Luojia Mountain, and headed towards Xiniuhezhou.

At Jinji Mountain, the door to the seclusion chamber at the summit was tightly shut.

Ji Sheng has returned to his room; this trip has been quite fruitful.

That lotus leaf alone is a rare treasure in the world. Not to mention the fire toad's storage magic item!

He couldn't wait to take out the bamboo tube that the wooden fork had given him and examined it carefully.

[Purple Bamboo Tube (Golden Lower): Its main body is a thousand-year-old purple bamboo from the Purple Bamboo Forest of Luojia Mountain, refined using the Mustard Seed Sumeru Technique, making it a rare spatial treasure in the world.]