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

A man dressed in a black robe, with a slender figure and as thin as a chopstick, walked into the cave.

His forced, insincere smile, combined with his long, narrow face, made him appear particularly sinister.

Ji Sheng pretended not to understand the veiled sarcasm in the other person's words and greeted them with a cupped-fist salute:

"I was away in seclusion for a while and neglected the Black Serpent King. Please forgive me."

With that, he waved his hand, signaling the remaining monsters in the cave to leave.

Ji Sheng didn't exchange pleasantries with the other party, invited them to sit down, and said directly:

"I wonder what brings Your Majesty here today?"

The Black Snake King chuckled twice:

"It's nothing important, just wanted to visit after not seeing you for a while..."

Seeing Ji Sheng's ambiguous smile, he could only say:

"I heard that you recently obtained a Fire Pearl, my worthy brother?"

Ji Sheng understood immediately; they had come for this bead.

"Indeed, the Black Serpent King needs this Earth Fire Pearl?"

Upon hearing Ji Sheng's confident reply, the Black Serpent King's face lit up with joy, and he nodded repeatedly.

"My dear brother, you know me well! I'm willing to offer a piece of cold pool stone in exchange for this pearl. I wonder if you would be willing to part with it?"

As he spoke, the Black Serpent King poured out a stone emitting a chilling aura from his sleeve.

[Cold Pool Stone (Blue): A stone that has been submerged in extremely deep pools for thousands of years. Being of the water element, it naturally possesses a chilling quality, making it an excellent material for crafting magical artifacts.]

In terms of value, this treasure is even more valuable than Ji Sheng's Earth Fire Pearl, since the Earth Fire Pearl is a low-grade blue treasure.

However, if it were merely equivalent, Ji Sheng wouldn't trade with him.

He chuckled and said:

"Black Serpent King, this Earth Fire Pearl has wonderful uses for my cultivation, so I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you."

Two words: More money!

After hesitating for a long time, the Black Serpent King finally pulled out another piece of cold pool stone from his sleeve, his face contorted with pain.

"Two pieces! These are my last two pieces of Cold Pool Stone; I have no more!"

Ji Sheng's curiosity was piqued:

"As far as I know, Black Serpent King, you are skilled in water-based magic. This Earth Fire Pearl is only beneficial to fire-based magic, so it shouldn't be of much use to you, right?"

The Black Serpent King said frankly:

"I recently practiced a spell that is water-based, but it requires the help of the Earth Fire Pearl."

Ji Sheng, of course, didn't believe his nonsense and wanted to test his limits.

After all, the two didn't have much of a relationship. Wouldn't it be a waste not to take advantage of such a good opportunity?

"Although I really want these two Cold Pool Stones, I need to rely on the Earth Fire Pearl for my cultivation recently, so I can't part with them."

The Black Serpent King's expression was somewhat displeased:

"Brother Ji, I've been so sincere, isn't it a bit inappropriate for you to reject me like this? Don't forget, I've been cultivating for the longest time within this area of ​​several hundred miles..."

Ji Sheng was used to these old fogies who flaunted their seniority as soon as they spoke, so he ignored him and simply gestured for him to proceed.

"Black Serpent King, I have important matters to attend to. Please make yourself at home!"

The Black Serpent King laughed several times and said:

"Brother Ji is getting impatient. How about this, you name your price and what do you want?"

Ji Sheng smiled slightly:

"I've heard that Your Majesty possesses a piece of the heartwood of a thousand-year-old wisteria vine. How about we exchange it for it?"

As soon as Ji Sheng roughly grasped the other party's psychology, he thought of this piece of vine heartwood.

This vine heartwood is a rare treasure, an excellent material for crafting flying swords and magical artifacts. Furthermore, it is naturally wood-elemental, perfectly matching his Azure Dragon Sword Technique.

He had heard Ling Xuzi mention that the Black Serpent King possessed a piece of wisteria heart, which was why he dared to speak.

The Black Serpent King's face stiffened:

"Brother Ji, you think you can exchange a single Earth Fire Pearl for my thousand-year-old wisteria heart? Isn't that a bit greedy?"

Ji Sheng smiled without saying a word, only glancing sideways at the other person.

The Black Serpent King's face was ashen, revealing nothing of his thoughts. Finally, he spoke:

"Alright, let's exchange it! However, I don't have this item with me. Brother, let's go get it together!"

Ji Sheng laughed loudly. Did this Black Snake King think I was a fool? Go with you to retrieve it? Who doesn't know your reputation for double-crossing?

"Please go and fetch it yourself, Your Majesty. I, Ji Sheng, will be waiting here at any time."

Seeing that Ji Sheng was not taking the bait, the Black Serpent King snorted coldly, stepped out of the cave, and flew into the sky.

"Brother Ji, in your dealings with others, never go too far, or you'll regret it!"

Ji Sheng watched the other person's departing figure, his smile fading.

He originally thought he'd try his luck, so he proposed exchanging the wisteria heart for the Earth Fire Pearl.

Seeing that the other party had actually agreed, he felt a little worried.

What could be the cause of such severe bleeding?

I shook my head and decided to let go of those thoughts.

It's foolish not to take advantage of a good deal. The Black Snake King might not give him the Wisteria Heart so easily; we need to be on guard.

In his previous life, Ji Sheng was accustomed to the mundane realities of life.

Having been cooped up in the mountains for so long, I'm feeling a bit restless and want to go down for some fresh air.

Just then, that keen intuition resurfaced, pointing south.

Ji Sheng smiled slightly, knowing that another benefit had come his way. Without hesitation, he rode the wind and flew south.

Two hundred li south of Jinji Mountain is Hutou Mountain.

Before dawn, on the mountain path of Tiger Head Mountain, Zhao Daniu carried a large bundle of freshly cut firewood and walked down the mountain.

The fog on the mountain was thick, and the ground was damp, making it easy to slip with every step.

Zhao Daniu, however, moved with incredible speed, seemingly unaffected by the slippery ground and the dry firewood on his shoulders.

"Da Niu, you're back from chopping wood again?"

An elderly man carrying a medicine basket walked towards them and greeted Zhao Daniu.

The old man was Zhao Daniu's neighbor, and he had always been up to no good. Zhao Daniu ignored him.

"Da Niu, you're so reliable and hardworking. Any girl who marries you will be set for life!"

The old man looked at Zhao Daniu, and it was unclear whether his words were sarcastic or complimentary.

Zhao Daniu chuckled but didn't reply. As he passed the old man, the mountain of dry firewood behind him nearly pushed him off the mountain path.

"You silly boy! Watch out, if these old bones of mine fall, they'll be broken!"

Zhao Daniu had already walked far away, completely ignoring the old man's words. His only thought was to quickly get the firewood he was carrying down the mountain to sell.

I was starving all day yesterday, and my stomach is still growling.

He can go hungry for a meal or two, but his blind mother at home can't stand it.

Some time ago, my mother fell ill, and all the coins we had left were spent.

The family ran out of food the day before yesterday, but thanks to the neighbor's wife, Ms. Hu, who brought some food, my mother didn't go hungry.

I can't eat other people's food today. How can a grown man always eat women's food?

He also picked some wild vegetables on his way up the mountain. The money from selling firewood could be used to pay for his mother's medical treatment, and he could also buy some brown rice, which, when cooked together, would make a fragrant wild vegetable porridge.

Thinking of the wild vegetable porridge made his mouth water, and he quickened his pace.

"Ouch... Help! Is anyone there to help me?"

Suddenly, painful groans rang out from the mountain road ahead.

As dawn broke, a fog enveloped the scene. In the dim light, Zhao Daniu could only vaguely make out a person lying on the mountain path ahead.

He was naturally bold and fearless, and went straight up to the figure. He discovered that the person was actually a young Taoist boy of thirteen or fourteen years old.

The boy's leg was covered in blood, indicating he was injured.

Upon seeing Zhao Daniu, the young Taoist priest seemed to have seen a long-lost relative and hurriedly begged:

"Good benefactor, a tiger is chasing me, and I've fallen and injured my leg. Please carry me down the mountain and save my life! I beg you, I beg you!"