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

Emperor Donghua said:

"No rush, no rush. I'll stay here a few more days; I have plenty of time. Great Immortal, you won't refuse, will you?"

Zhen Yuanzi laughed heartily:

"Your Majesty, what are you saying? Your arrival has brought great honor to our humble abode. I would be more than happy if you were willing to stay longer."

Meanwhile, Ji Sheng had already arrived at the Wuzhuang Temple with Qingfeng and Mingyue. Qingfeng and Mingyue handed the candied hawthorns to the Taoist priest guarding the gate, asking him to inform their master.

Ji Sheng peered curiously into the mountain gate, where a stone tablet stood with ten large characters inscribed on it:

Longevity Mountain is a blessed land, and Wuzhuang Temple is a celestial paradise.

The three continued walking inside, and there was another couplet on the second gate:

The immortal abode of eternal life, the Taoist home of living as long as heaven.

These characters were written in an extremely grand and majestic style, with the profound meaning of the Dao subtly hidden between the strokes. Ji Sheng was so captivated by them that he could not extricate himself.

"Fellow Daoist Ji, Fellow Daoist Ji!"

The gentle breeze called out in his ears, and Ji Sheng suddenly came back to his senses.

"Fellow Daoist Ji, what's wrong?"

Ji Sheng laughed heartily:

"Who wrote these words? Truly mysterious!"

Mingyue said:

"Was it written by our master, Yu Shitongjun? Is it some kind of profound mystery? I don't see it coming from him."

Qingfeng was also curious. They saw these words every day, but they had never been able to glean any insight from them.

Upon hearing Mingyue's words, Ji Sheng chuckled and brushed the matter aside.

The three continued walking inside, and the Taoist priest guarding the entrance turned around and said:

"My two junior brothers, Master is currently entertaining guests, so please go and rest first. He will summon you again after you have rested."

Qingfeng and Mingyue exchanged a glance, both looking somewhat puzzled.

Ji Sheng was also very puzzled. He knew Zhen Yuanzi's abilities; even the Three Star Gods of Fortune, Prosperity, and Longevity treated him with the respect due to a junior.

The guests who could command his full attention must be at least at the level of a Heavenly Emperor.

I never expected to come here with such a powerful figure. I might even meet him. I am truly fortunate.

Qingfeng asked:

"Senior brother, may I ask which deity has come to visit?"

The Taoist priest glanced at Ji Sheng and said:

"I dare not speak carelessly about this matter. You should ask your master when you see him!"

Seeing that the other party was unwilling to answer, Qingfeng Mingyue did not press the matter, and led Ji Sheng to the disciples' resting place.

"Since Master hasn't made any arrangements, you can stay with us for now."

Qingfeng was very happy. The rooms in Wuzhuang Temple were quite spacious, and Qingfeng and Mingyue shared a room.

The two moved their things around, making room for Ji Sheng.

The next day, when the sun was high in the sky, the two of them finally got up, dawdled for a while, got dressed, and went to the vegetable garden inside the temple.

Having nothing else to do, Ji Sheng followed them to the vegetable garden and helped them water the vegetables.

After a busy day, it was already morning. Ji Sheng wiped the sweat from his forehead, took a few deep breaths, and felt much better.

The spiritual energy of Longevity Mountain is much richer than that of the outside world, and the atmosphere inside Wuzhuang Temple is even more elevated.

This vegetable garden is considered to be a place with relatively strong spiritual energy within the Wuzhuang Temple.

But the most intense aroma wasn't from here, but from another courtyard not far away.

Ji Sheng looked toward that spot and, through the wall, could see only a few lush green branches. The exposed leaves were broad, thick, and glossy, and just one glance was enough to tell that they contained extremely strong spiritual energy.

Could this be the ginseng fruit tree?

"Fellow Daoist Ji, please try this. I irrigated it with farmyard manure from my fellow disciples in the temple. It's sweet and crisp; you can't find anything like it outside!"

Ji Sheng was lost in thought when a white and green radish was stretched out in front of him.

Because of the abundant spiritual energy, the vegetables in the garden all grow crisp and fresh, and the radishes are no exception; they look very appetizing.

However, Ji Sheng still rejected Qingfeng's suggestion, much to Qingfeng's regret.

Qingfeng casually wiped the radish and took a bite.

"That's such a pity, you don't like raw food. Although you can have it when we eat later, cooked food won't have that sweet taste."

The three of them busied themselves for a while longer before it was time to eat.

Ji Sheng went to the kitchen and followed the queue to get a bowl. After taking a few bites, he found that it was indeed very different from ordinary vegetables outside.

The room was filled with spiritual energy, and after a meal, Ji Sheng actually felt that his magical power had increased slightly.

As expected of Hezhou Grotto-heaven, these vegetables, though not as good as fire dates and green lotus roots, are still far superior to ordinary spiritual herbs.

Just after we finished eating, Mingyue came running up, panting, and said:

"Senior Brother Qingfeng, Fellow Daoist Ji, Master is free now and wants to see us!"

Ji Sheng exclaimed in surprise:

"Do you still want to see me?"

He didn't expect to meet this all-powerful ancestor of earth immortals who could manipulate even Sun Wukong during his visit to Wuzhuang Temple.

I never expected I'd have to meet him directly.

After quickly tidying themselves up and adjusting their appearance, the three of them headed together to the main hall of Wuzhuang Temple.

Upon entering the main hall, Ji Sheng immediately noticed the two characters "天地" (Heaven and Earth) hanging in the middle of the wall.

The two large characters were painted with five colors, simple and profound, and different from the characters Ji Sheng had seen outside the door. They were not written by Zhen Yuanzi. They looked as if they had been formed naturally by heaven and earth.

This Wuzhuang Temple is indeed full of wonders; it is truly a rare paradise on earth!

Ji Sheng secretly praised him in his heart, then went to the two large characters to burn incense and bow before heading to the inner hall.

Inside the inner hall, directly opposite the door, there was a table and bed. On the bed, a Taoist priest sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, seemingly resting.

This person was as young as a child, with the appearance of a beautiful woman. He had three wisps of black beard under his chin, wore a crane-feather cloak, and had a jade whisk on his lap. He had the air of an immortal and was clearly extraordinary.

Qingfeng and Mingyue quickly bowed and said:

"Qingfeng/Mingyue greets Master!"

Ji Sheng also bowed respectfully to the side:

"Ji Sheng of Jinji Mountain greets the Great Immortal Zhen Yuanzi!"

Zhen Yuanzi slowly opened his eyes and nodded, saying:

"Get up. I am aware of everything you have done these past few days."

Qingfeng and Mingyue, you two are extremely lazy, taking three days to cover a journey that should have taken only one day, resulting in the deaths of the villagers of Yushan Village. Furthermore, your rudeness and carelessness led to your being deceived by ghosts, and you should be punished for this.

"You two should go find the senior brother in charge of punishments and receive three strokes of the cane each, then recite scriptures for the deceased villagers of Yushan Village for forty-nine days."

Both of them looked dejected, but they agreed.

"As for you..."

Zhen Yuanzi looked over, and Ji Sheng immediately perked up.

"You have been of great help to them this time. In fact, without you, they might have lost their lives in Yushan Village."

Since that's the case, as their master, I can't turn a blind eye. The ginseng fruit orchard needs a caretaker; you shall go and look after it!

Ji Sheng was taken aback. He had saved his apprentice, yet he was being sent to guard the ginseng fruit orchard?

Besides, is the ginseng orchard really short of guards? Ji Sheng certainly didn't believe it.

"Alright, that's settled. You may all leave!"

Before the three could speak, Zhen Yuanzi dismissed them. The three took their leave and left the main hall together.

Seeing their dejected faces, Ji Sheng didn't know how to comfort them.

"Senior brother, Master took the candied hawthorns, why are we still being punished?"

Hearing Mingyue's words, Qingfeng also said helplessly:

"I've hidden one more. After we're punished, we'll each take half."

He then looked at Ji Sheng:

"We were actually planning to share a few with you, you won't be upset with us, will you?"

Ji Sheng couldn't help but shake his head and laugh:

"It's best to eat less of that, otherwise you'll get cavities and your butt and mouth will both hurt!"

In the afternoon, Ji Sheng went to the ginseng fruit orchard to report for duty. As soon as he entered the courtyard, the rich spiritual energy of heaven and earth filled the surroundings.

Ji Sheng felt as if all the pores on his body had opened up, and every pore was trying to breathe in spiritual energy.

This spiritual energy is probably comparable to that of Fangzhang Mountain!

The ginseng fruit tree stands before us, over a thousand feet tall, with broad leaves that resemble banana leaves.