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

The lame man opened his mouth in shock, unable to close it, and tried to squeeze out of the crowd.

"Are you kidding me? 100,000 taels of gold? Even if you sold my ancestors for eighteen generations, you wouldn't have that much money."

Ji Sheng stood up, stepped forward, grabbed the cripple, and said:

"Don't go yet, these shoes of mine are very much meant for you. Tell me, where are your parents now?"

The cripple stammered, trying to leave, but Ji Sheng's iron grip held him firmly, making escape impossible.

Someone nearby answered:

"His parents passed away decades ago. If you want to know where they are, look for them in the underworld!"

Ji Sheng then asked:

"Have your parents not been reincarnated yet?"

This question stunned the lame Zhang, who exclaimed in surprise:

"How...how did you know?"

Ji Sheng handed the shoes to the other person:

"This shoe is yours, here you go!"

Crippled Zhang said:

"No, no, no, I don't have 100,000 taels of gold."

Ji Shengdao:

"No, you have 100,000 taels of gold."

Crippled Zhang was even more surprised:

"I have it? How come I didn't know?"

Ji Sheng smiled and said:

"That's because you hadn't met me before. Put it on!"

Seeing this, Zhang the Cripple had no choice but to take off his right shoe and put it back on.

Ji Sheng shook his head and said:

"No, it's not your right foot, it's your left foot."

So Zhang the Cripple put the right shoe on his lame left foot.

Ji Sheng smiled and said:

"Try putting your left foot down."

Zhang the Cripple put his left foot down and found that it had become incredibly flexible; his previous injury had completely healed.

"This...this...my foot is healed?"

He looked excited and took several steps.

The onlookers were greatly surprised.

"These shoes really work? Crippled Zhang, you're not in cahoots with him to scam us, are you?"

"Crippled Zhang has been lame since he was a child, at least fifty or sixty years. Did he pretend to be lame for decades just to deceive us today?"

But what surprised them even more was yet to come. With each step Zhang the Cripple took, patches of white hair on his head turned black, and old teeth fell out while new ones grew in.

After a few steps, he no longer looked old and frail, but had transformed into a young man in his mid-twenties.

This scene stunned everyone present, and the bustling street fell silent instantly.

"It really works? These shoes really do work?"

Someone exclaimed. The wealthy businessman who had just spoken quickly grabbed Ji Sheng:

"Master, I'll take these shoes for 100,000 taels of gold. Sell them to me!"

Someone interrupted:

"How dare you! Release the Taoist priest at once! I am the Grand Eunuch in charge of the Imperial Treasury. I want these shoes; I will present them to the Emperor!"

A commotion arose in the crowd, as everyone tried to stop Ji Sheng and buy the shoes from him.

But no matter how hard they tried to stop them, they couldn't reach the two of them. Ji Sheng and the cripple Zhang walked further and further away until they disappeared from sight.

People watched helplessly as the two disappeared, and they were all filled with remorse. The wealthy merchant, in particular, cried out incessantly, as if he wanted to bang his head against the ground.

Ji Sheng had already brought the crippled Zhang back to the other party's residence. As soon as they entered the house, the crippled Zhang bowed deeply.

"Thank you, Immortal Master! I, Zhang the Cripple, never imagined I would have such good fortune in this life. Thank you for your blessing!"

Ji Sheng smiled and helped him up, saying:

"This is the result of your accumulated good fortune in this life. Tell me, why haven't your parents been reincarnated yet?"

Upon hearing this, the lame man Zhang wept and said:

"To be honest, after my parents passed away thirty years ago, they appeared to me in a dream once."

My mother once said that she had accumulated a lot of negative karma through gossip and slander in her mortal life. Now she is suffering in the Hell of Tongue-Pulling.

My father, on the other hand, was banished to the hell of sawing and knives for cheating customers in his business. Both of them urged me to accumulate good deeds in the human world so that they could be freed from suffering sooner.

Over the decades, I've squandered all my wealth, becoming destitute, and even unable to marry or have children. All I wanted was for my parents to escape hell and be reborn into a better world.

Ji Sheng nodded and said:

"You don't need to worry anymore. Your parents have now absolved their sins and will be able to return to the cycle of reincarnation and be reborn tomorrow."

Crippled Zhang said excitedly:

"really?"

Ji Shengdao:

"Naturally, it is true."

Crippled Zhang was very excited:

"I truly don't know how to thank you enough, Immortal Master. As for the 100,000 taels of gold you just mentioned, how can I possibly repay you?"

Ji Shengdao:

"This matter is simple. Over the years, in order to atone for your parents' sins, you have often made offerings to monks and helped the poor, and you have burned a lot of gold and silver ingots on a daily basis."

Therefore, the underworld has stored a lot of your wealth, including millions of taels of gold and silver, which is more than enough for my 100,000 taels of gold.

"Now, all you need to do is burn a letter to the Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha in the underworld, and you can retrieve the gold and silver and hand it over to me."

Upon hearing this, Zhang the Cripple did not hesitate. He immediately wrote a short letter, burned it in front of the incense table at home, and sent 100,000 taels of gold to Ji Sheng.

Ji Sheng smiled and said:

"That's fine, I'll be going now."

With that, Ji Sheng rose into the air and flew out of the city, leaving the lame Zhang kneeling in the courtyard, kowtowing repeatedly.

Ji Sheng revealed his true form, and amidst rolling red clouds, he returned to Wuzhuang Temple on Longevity Mountain in less than an hour.

From the time he left the temple to the time he returned, it only took him three or four hours. He left in the morning and returned to the mountain before evening.

When Qingfeng and Mingyue saw him, they were both very surprised, thinking that he had failed to sell the shoes, and they offered words of comfort.

Ji Sheng then informed them of the matter and asked the two to inform Zhen Yuanzi.

The two were both surprised and suspicious, but they still informed Zhen Yuanzi.

Upon seeing Zhen Yuanzi, Ji Sheng bowed and said:

"Master, I've already sold that shoe."

Zhen Yuanzi laughed and said:

"It's really sold? How much did you sell it for? And who is the buyer?"

Ji Shengdao:

"These shoes sold for 100,000 taels of gold. The buyer was a lame man surnamed Zhang from a city 300 miles away. If you don't believe me, you are welcome to investigate."

Zhen Yuanzi chuckled and said:

"No need for further investigation. Just give me the 100,000 taels of gold, and that will be considered satisfactory!"

Ji Shengdao:

"I have already instructed that lame man to burn the letter and deliver the gold to Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. It is currently being kept by Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. If you wish, Great Immortal, you may take it at any time."

Zhen Yuanzi scolded:

"You have some nerve, daring to try and fool me with this! What am I supposed to do with those 100,000 taels of ghost money? If I take this money down the mountain, everyone will think I'm a mad Taoist priest!"

Ji Sheng, however, remained unfazed and continued to explain:

"Gold in the mortal world is gold, and gold in the underworld is also gold. This money is the result of unseen virtue and merit. Compared to 100,000 taels of gold in the mortal world, it is probably even more precious."

Zhen Yuanzi shook his head repeatedly:

"As expected, he's a sharp-tongued fellow. Oh well! It's my fault for not being clear beforehand. Let's just let it go!"

Ji Shengdao:

"In that case, please grant me the reward you promised."

Zhen Yuanzi said:

"What reward? You have the nerve to ask for a reward?"

Ji Shengdao:

"The fortune teller once said that he would give me an extra reward if I could sell it for more than ten thousand taels of gold. Is the fortune teller going back on his word?"

Zhen Yuanzi laughed and said:

"Well done, Ji Sheng, you've certainly shrewdly planned this. In that case, the extra 90,000 taels of gold is yours. You can collect it from Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva later!"

Ji Sheng didn't seem to mind at all, and laughed it off:

"In that case, thank you for your generous gift, Great Immortal."

Zhen Yuanzi shook his head helplessly:

"Okay, you've passed the second test, now let's talk about the third test."

He thought for a moment and continued:

"There is a Buddhist temple to the north of here, called the Temple of Joy. The temple is dedicated to Manjushri Bodhisattva, but it is famous for those who pray for children."

The monks in this temple are mostly lewd and immoral. Go there and punish them. If you can satisfy me, then you've passed.