Journey to the West: Starting with the True Lord of the Pure Land

Luo Daoren sat alone behind a long table by the window, several pages of plain paper spread out in front of him, holding a small brush of wolf-hair calligraphy, and was writing with great concentration.

The brush tip moves freely, leaving clear and moist ink marks.

This record contains some insights and reflections from my previous discussion with the True Man Jiangxiao and True Man Jinguang in Tongyou City.

"...Fellow Daoist Jiangxiao further added that the fire element is not only about its intensity, but also about its life-giving nature."

The refining process, though outwardly fierce and powerful, must inwardly retain a trace of gentle, life-giving energy to ensure the continuity of wood's power to fuel fire, preventing the depletion of resources. This is truly insightful.

As the brushstrokes reached their climax, Master Luo couldn't help but put down his pen and sigh softly:

"Fellow Daoist Jiangxiao's mastery of the subtleties of fire magic and his broad understanding of the Dao are truly extraordinary."

What's even more remarkable is his magnanimous spirit, which is like a gentle breeze to those around him. To have a conversation with such a person is more valuable than reading alchemical texts for ten years.

After returning from the Netherworld, he got rid of the mess at Wujin Mountain and declined the dubious request from Han Ya Shi Jun to refine pills.

He has been in a very relaxed state of mind these days, feeling that the days and nights in the mountains are long and peaceful, which is a good time to calmly sort out what he has learned and ponder the Dao of alchemy.

As Luo Daoren was still immersed in this leisurely atmosphere, he pondered whether to compile these few pages of insights into a book and include them in his own "Pillow Cloud Pillar Manual".

Suddenly, a young Taoist priest gently knocked on the door, his voice tinged with unease:

"Master, those two envoys from Cold Crow Ridge... they've come again. And... they've brought gift boxes."

Luo Daoren's hand, which was holding the pen, paused slightly, and the leisure he had just felt vanished in an instant.

His brows furrowed slowly as he stared at the still-wet ink on his brush.

After a moment of silence, he finally put the pen back on the pen holder, straightened his Taoist robe, and said:

"Very well, please come to the side hall for tea."

Inside the side hall.

The eccentric monster and the liar were already waiting there. This time, the two demons behaved themselves and did not make any trouble.

Upon seeing Luo Daoren enter, the eccentric monster forced out a fawning smile, while the skin-twisting spirit hurriedly placed the two ebony boxes on the table.

"Abbot Luo, how have you been?"

The eccentric monster said with a forced smile, "My king misses the abbot and has specially ordered us to prepare a small gift to pay our respects."

The man carefully opened the box lid.

Inside the first box lay a strange herb about seven inches long, with nine leaves, the veins of which shimmered with a faint silvery-white luster.

It is the extremely rare [Mysterious Light Spirit-Gathering Grass], which has the wonderful properties of harmonizing medicinal effects and purifying spiritual energy.

It is especially effective in refining certain elixirs that require balancing yin and yang and absorbing pure spiritual energy.

The second box contained three bushels of jade beads, each the size of a pigeon's egg, with a dark, dull color.

Upon closer inspection, a viscous black liquid appears to be slowly rotating inside the bead; it is the [Yin Marrow Jade Bead].

It contains the essence of Yin, making it a top-grade auxiliary material for cultivating Yin-attribute techniques or refining certain special elixirs.

Both of these items are priceless treasures, with no market for them, and their allure is immense, especially for Daoist Luo, who is an expert in alchemy.

As Luo Daoren's gaze swept over, his pupils contracted slightly. Far from feeling joy, alarm bells rang in his heart.

When Lord Cold Crow Corpse came to invite him last time, he only vaguely mentioned refining a secret elixir, but Cold Crow declined, citing seclusion.

This time they've gone to such lengths, starting with lavish gifts to pave the way...

"The Corpse Lord's kindness is too great for this humble Taoist priest to accept."

Master Luo remained expressionless and said:

"I cannot accept such a generous gift without having done anything in return."

Please have the two messengers take this message back and present it to the Corpse Lord, saying that my cultivation is still shallow and I fear I am not up to the task. Regarding the matter of alchemy I mentioned last time, I request that the Corpse Lord seek another expert.

Enjoy reading "Journey to the West: Starting with Jingfa Zhenjun".

The forced smile on the eccentric's face gradually disappeared, and his voice turned cold:

"Master, are you... still going to refuse?"

My king has given me his instructions: this elixir is of utmost importance, and only a master of alchemy like the abbot can handle it.

The previous abbot went into seclusion, and the Corpse Lord was understanding, so he did not urge him.

Now that the time has come, if the Abbot were to refuse again, it would likely... disappoint the Corpse King and betray these rare treasures.

The pedant chimed in, "Yes, Abbot Luo. Look, both the Mysterious Light Spirit-Gathering Grass and the Yin Marrow Jade Bead are treasures."

My king went to great lengths to find these things, all for the sake of achieving the ultimate goal of making elixir.

Abbot, your skills are superb; you are sure to be able to refine an unparalleled elixir. Why bother…?

Luo Daoren's heart sank to the bottom.

The manner in which the Cold Crow Corpse Lord acted clearly indicated his intention to first offer persuasion and then resort to force.

His last refusal was because he didn't want to get too involved with someone like the Cold Crow Corpse Lord.

It now seems that the other party is determined to win.

Luo Daoren dared not show it on his face, but forced himself to remain calm and said slowly to the two demons:

"You are too kind, Corpse Lord. Such a generous gift is unworthy of my humble status. May I ask what elixir you wish to refine?"

"What do you require? Please tell me clearly, sirs, so that I may consider whether it is within my capabilities."

The eccentric and the argumentative exchanged a glance.

The maniac chuckled twice, stepped forward, and took out an object from his robes. It wasn't a pill formula, but a token.

"Guanzhu..."

The man holding the token in both hands still spoke with a smile, but his eyes revealed a hint of unyielding authority.

"My king has instructed that the specific details of the elixir formula must be discussed in person with the abbot."

This decree serves as proof; seeing this decree is as if seeing the King. My King said, "If the Abbot is willing to assist, the elixir will be successfully refined, and there will be a generous reward. If the Abbot still finds it difficult..."

"Perhaps Your Majesty will have no choice but to come to Jieyang Mountain in person and explain the situation to the abbot."

The token was placed on the table, and within moments, the sky outside darkened without warning.

The bright sunlight that had just streamed through the window was suddenly obscured by thick, leaden-gray clouds that seemed to appear out of nowhere.

A sudden mountain wind swept through the pine forest, making a strange, mournful sound, carrying a chilling, damp air that seeped straight into the temple.

The temperature inside the hall seemed to drop a few degrees.

Luo Daoren felt a strong sense of alarm before he could react.

A hoarse, deep voice pierced through the tightly closed temple gates, echoing throughout the entire front hall and even the entire Zhenyun Temple:

"Abbot Luo, I have come in person. Does your Jieyang Mountain not even have the heart to offer a cup of tea to a guest?"

Before the words were finished, the light and shadow at the hall door dimmed slightly.

A gaunt figure, shrouded in a wide robe, stood silently inside the threshold.

The newcomer was none other than the Cold Crow Corpse Lord.

Luo Daoren's face turned slightly pale, and he could only take a deep breath and force himself to calm down.

He straightened his clothes, stepped out of the hall, stopped under the eaves, bowed to the crow-corpse king in the courtyard, and said:

"I was unaware of the presence of the Corpse Lord, and I apologize for failing to greet you properly. However, my humble abode is simple and unassuming, and I fear it may offend your discerning eyes."

The Cold Crow Corpse Lord's gaze swept over the wooden box and the token on the table, finally landing on Luo Daoren's slightly stiff face, where the two points of ghost fire seemed to flicker.

"It seems that Fellow Daoist Luo has not yet fully grasped my sincerity."

"The gifts have been presented. And I have come in person to greet you."

The abbot was in seclusion last time; now, the alchemy furnace must be empty, so it's time to start the fire, right?