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

A tiger? Zhao Daniu was taken aback. He had been chopping wood on this mountain for many years, but he had never heard of a tiger before.

While he hesitated, a tiger's roar suddenly rang out, startling him so much that his hair stood on end, and he was about to run away.

The young Taoist boy clung tightly to his leg, pleading incessantly.

He couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy. However, he was carrying two hundred pounds of firewood, and if he wanted to save the young Taoist, he wouldn't be able to bring the firewood down the mountain. All his efforts this morning would have been for nothing.

Just as he was about to resolutely shake off the Taoist boy, his mother's teachings from childhood echoed in his ears.

"We poor people should help each other. If we see someone in trouble, we should lend a hand if we can..."

If we just stand by and watch someone die...

Zhao Daniu gritted his teeth and asked:

"Do you have money?"

The young Taoist boy shouted:

"I'm rich! I'm rich!"

Zhao Daniu was overjoyed. Wouldn't that solve the problem?

I'll save you, and you'll give me money. Once we get down the mountain, I'll have money for medical treatment and rice, and you'll save your life. It's a win-win situation.

The tiger's roar rang out again. Without saying a word, Zhao Daniu threw down the firewood, picked up the Taoist boy, and ran wildly down the mountain.

This young Taoist was none other than Ji Sheng. He had followed his intuition to this place and noticed that the Donghua Token had been activated.

Upon investigation, it was discovered that the matter was related to this young man.

So he transformed himself into the Taoist boy, intending to test the young man.

By the time we reached the market at the foot of the mountain, the sun had already risen. The fog was gradually dissipating.

The market wasn't large, but it was quite lively, with breakfast stalls already set up on both sides of the street.

The aroma of steamed buns and fried dough wafted into his nose. Zhao Daniu's stomach growled even louder.

"I'll carry you to the pharmacy, and you can find a doctor yourself. As for me, you... you can just give me thirty copper coins."

Zhao Daniu blushed slightly, after all, that bundle of firewood could only be sold for a maximum of twenty-five copper coins. The reason he asked for five extra copper coins was to buy a few steamed buns.

A vegetarian bun costs one coin, and a meat bun costs two coins. I'll keep one vegetarian bun for myself and give the two meat buns to my mother to nourish her.

The voice of the young Taoist priest came from behind:

"I have no money."

"What?"

Zhao Daniu suspected he had misheard and asked again.

"I told you I have no money!"

The young Taoist priest shouted at the top of his lungs in his ear.

Zhao Daniu was stunned:

"Didn't you say you were rich?!"

The young Taoist's calm voice contrasted sharply with his:

"I was lying to you."

Zhao Daniu was furious and wanted to throw the young Taoist off his back. But in the end, he restrained himself.

"You...you get off my back, I need to go gather the firewood!"

The boy on his back refused to get off, and cried out in pain, drawing the attention of everyone on the street.

Left with no other choice, Zhao Daniu could only carry him home on his back.

As soon as I got home, my blind mother heard the sound and called out repeatedly:

"Is Da Niu back?"

Filled with resentment, Zhao Daniu angrily placed the young Taoist boy on the ground. Ji Sheng let out another cry of pain.

"Why is there anyone else here? Da Niu, did you bring your friends back?"

Zhao Daniu's teeth were itching:

"What friend? A vengeful demon!"

Ji Sheng took the opportunity to look around and found that Zhao Daniu's house was really bare, so poor that it couldn't be poorer.

There wasn't even a table in the room, just a bed made of broken planks, covered with a layer of dry straw and a tattered quilt.

A blind old woman lay on the bed, coughing repeatedly while fiddling with prayer beads in her hands.

"Don't speak ill of others! Cough... What exactly happened?"

Zhao Daniu recounted what had happened:

"We agreed that I would carry him down the mountain and he would pay me. But once we got to the bottom, he reneged on his promise! Not only did he not have the money, he also tried to cheat me!"

The blind old woman said:

"Son, it's only right that you help those in need; how could you ask him for money? Besides, he saved your life by warning you about the tigers in the mountains!"

Zhao Daniu was filled with grievances:

"Mother, I saved his life, and you're criticizing me instead."

The old woman kept rambling on and on, but Ji Sheng had some doubts in his heart.

This family has been struggling to make ends meet, and they should be angry about what they've done.

It would be understandable if the old woman scolded her son. But now she's lecturing him, spouting all sorts of道理 (reasoning/principles).

Is there really such a kind intention?

Secretly channeling his magical power into his eyes, Ji Sheng carefully examined the two people. He discovered that they were both mortals, with nothing unusual about them.

Only the prayer beads in the old woman's hand had a faint aura of merit.

Ji Sheng's doubts lessened by three points, and he became more convinced. He decided to test the old woman to see just how kind she truly was.

Ji Sheng now has some guesses about why the Donghua Decree was triggered.

Helping those in distress is a tenet of the Donghua lineage. They probably just want me to help this mother and child.

In that case, help them as much as you can with goodwill.

Thinking of this, Ji Sheng cried out again in anguish:

"Ouch, this is terrible! My leg hurts so much, I'm going to die!"

Zhao Daniu angrily said:

"You little rascal, how can you be so shameless? My family has no money for your medical treatment! Even if you die from the pain, you'll just have to pass away on the street; we won't have money for a burial!"

The blind old woman became anxious:

"What nonsense are you spouting! Are you trying to drive your mother to her death?"

Zhao Daniu lowered his head and remained silent. The old woman sighed, hesitated for a long time, then reached under the bed and groped around, finally pulling out a box.

"My son, there's some of my dowry in here. Take it and pawn it to pay for this little Taoist boy's medical treatment..."

Zhao Daniu looked at the jade bracelet in the box and exclaimed:

"You were so ill a few days ago, Mother, but you didn't even use it. Now you want to pawn it for this little Taoist boy? Absolutely not!"

Zhao Daniu ultimately couldn't persuade his blind mother, so he could only angrily take the jade bracelet and leave.

Only after seeing Zhao Daniu walk away did Ji Sheng realize that the two were truly sincere and their relationship didn't seem like acting. He suddenly felt a little ashamed.

I really underestimated people. Who says that being poor and penniless means you can't have a kind heart?

The old woman was completely blind and couldn't see Ji Sheng at all. Ji Sheng quietly stood up, ignoring the old woman's concern, and went to the rice bin.

The rice jar had long been empty, without a single grain of rice.

Ji Sheng waved his hand lightly over the rice jar, and the jar was filled with white rice.

After thinking for a moment, he wiped his hand on the rice container again, and five small golden turtles appeared on the rice.

The five little turtles immediately began feasting on the full tank of rice as soon as they appeared, excreting grains as they ate. However, while they ate ordinary rice, their excrement was made of glittering golden particles.

After finishing these tasks, Ji Sheng was satisfied and prepared to leave.

Just then, footsteps came from outside.

A woman dressed like a village girl, yet possessing a striking and beautiful appearance, walked in through the gate.

The woman had a basket slung over her arm, covered with a white cloth, which was probably full of food.

Ji Sheng saw the woman, and the woman also saw him.

Both of them were startled. Ji Sheng immediately recognized the woman's true identity; she was a fox spirit.