Journey to the West: Deer Power Immortal, Starting from Becoming a Disciple of the Supreme Lord Tais

Lu Qingxuan smiled slightly and said, "It's alright, I'll stay at Flower Fruit Mountain for a few days and wait for him to return."

The old monkey was both surprised and delighted, but also felt somewhat apologetic: "Daoist Master, you've already done so much for us, and you're still delaying your cultivation..."

Lu Qingxuan waved his hand and said, "It's alright. Cultivation can't be rushed. These few days are a good time to have some peace and quiet at Flower Fruit Mountain."

The old monkey was extremely grateful and quickly arranged for the monkeys to clean up the Water Curtain Cave, preparing a clean and quiet room for Lu Qingxuan.

Lu Qingxuan didn't stand on ceremony and immediately sat down in the quiet room to meditate and regulate his breathing.

While waiting for the one-horned ghost lord to return, he instructed the monkey troop on how to set up a simple defensive formation and also taught them a few incantations to activate the formation flags.

Having obtained the elixir and learned the formation, the monkeys were all in high spirits and held Lu Qingxuan in even greater respect.

To them, Lu Qingxuan was the king's friend and could not be neglected. Now that he had taught them some skills, it was an even greater blessing.

If they weren't worried that Lu Qingxuan disliked female monkeys, they would definitely have offered one or two.

"I wonder if my master will be angry if he finds out that I passed on my skills to these monkeys..." Lu Qingxuan murmured to himself.

However, considering that he only imparted some cultivation methods, it wasn't a light transmission.

...

The next evening,

Lu Qingxuan was instructing several little monkeys on their cultivation outside the Water Curtain Cave when a giant wave suddenly surged up on the surface of the East Sea. From a distance, it seemed as if golden light was shimmering within the waves.

The giant wave came very fast and reached the foot of Huaguo Mountain in the blink of an eye. In no time, the seawater receded, revealing a figure wearing a green robe and a golden crown.

It was the Yaksha patrolling the East China Sea.

Seeing this, the little monkey guarding the mountain squeaked and scrambled up to report: "Master! Master! Another monster has come down the mountain! It's even scarier than that one-horned demon king!"

Lu Qingxuan knew who had come, so he immediately comforted the little monkey and led the old monkey down the mountain.

Upon seeing Lu Qingxuan, the yaksha quickly put away its steel fork and bowed respectfully, asking, "May I ask if this gentleman is Master Lu Qingxuan of Zhongnan Mountain?"

Lu Qingxuan nodded slightly: "It is indeed this humble Taoist. May I ask who you are...?"

The yaksha said, "I am a patrol yaksha from the East Sea Dragon Palace. I have come on the orders of my Dragon King to invite you, Daoist, to the Dragon Palace for a chat."

He took out a jade box from his sleeve and presented it with both hands, saying, "This is a letter written by the Dragon King himself. Please take a look, Daoist."

Lu Qingxuan took the jade box, opened it, and found a brocade handkerchief inside with a few lines of small characters written on it: "To Immortal Lu Qingxuan of Zhongnan Mountain: I am deeply impressed to hear that you have graced Huaguo Mountain with your presence, slaying demons and protecting all living beings."

"I have prepared a small feast and respectfully invite you, Immortal, to the Dragon Palace for a discussion of our shared Daoist principles. You, Ao Guang, Dragon King of the East Sea, bow in reverence."

The handwriting in this book is neat and the tone is polite, which does not lack the demeanor of a dragon king.

Lu Qingxuan tucked the handkerchief into his sleeve, pondering to himself.

Ao Guang, the Dragon King of the East Sea, is the head of the Four Dragon Kings and a prominent figure in the Heavenly Court.

He was very close to Flower Fruit Mountain, and the Dragon Palace couldn't possibly be unaware that he had killed the One-Horned Ghost King brothers and caused such a commotion.

The invitation was likely to probe the situation, since Flower Fruit Mountain is the territory of the Great Sage Equaling Heaven. The Dragon Palace naturally wanted to find out whether a Taoist at the peak of the Mysterious Immortal realm was friend or foe.

"Daoist Master, my Dragon King cordially invites you. I hope you will do me the honor of attending." Yaksha added when he saw Lu Qingxuan pondering.

The old monkey tugged at Lu Qingxuan's sleeve and whispered, "Daoist, the Dragon King of the East Sea and my king have a history. Back then, my king took the Sea-Stabilizing Needle from the Dragon Palace."

"Although the Dragon King is afraid of my king, he is not a bad person. If you have the time, Taoist priest, it would be fine to go there."

Lu Qingxuan nodded to Yaksha and said, "Since the Dragon King has invited me, how could I refuse? However, I still have some trivial matters to attend to at Flower Fruit Mountain. Please allow me to give you a few instructions before I accompany you there."

Yaksha was overjoyed and said, "Please do as you please, Daoist Master. I will wait here respectfully."

Lu Qingxuan turned around and gave the old monkey a few instructions, which were nothing more than to keep an eye on the cave and diligently maintain the formation.

The old monkey agreed to all of them.

After giving his instructions, Lu Qingxuan followed the Yaksha to the seaside.

The yaksha chanted a spell, and the seawater parted to reveal a white jade-paved road leading directly to the seabed.

Lu Qingxuan walked down the avenue, with the seawater on both sides standing like walls, and fish, shrimp, turtles and tortoises swimming in the walls, which was quite a sight.

After walking for about fifteen minutes, the view suddenly opened up, and a magnificent crystal palace appeared before us.

Two rows of shrimp soldiers and crab generals stood in front of the palace gate. Upon seeing Lu Qingxuan arrive, they all bowed.

Lu Qingxuan followed the Yaksha into the Crystal Palace, passed through several courtyards, and arrived at the main hall.

At this moment, Ao Guang, the Dragon King of the East Sea, sat on his throne, wearing a crown that seemed to reach the sky and an ochre-yellow robe. His face was dignified, yet he wore a kind smile.

"Lu Qingxuan of Zhongnan Mountain pays respects to the Dragon King." Lu Qingxuan bowed with his hands clasped.

Ao Guang quickly stood up and stepped forward, taking Lu Qingxuan's hand and saying with a smile, "Immortal Master, there's no need for such formalities! I have long admired the Three Immortals of Zhongnan Mountain, but have never had the chance to meet them. Now that you have graced Huaguo Mountain with your presence, it would be impolite of me not to invite you. Come, come, please take a seat!"

Lu Qingxuan was pulled by Ao Guang to sit down in the guest seat.

Ao Guang raised his cup and said, "Immortal, you killed the One-Horned Ghost King and his brothers on Flower Fruit Mountain, ridding the people of a scourge. Although I am at the bottom of the sea, I have heard of this."

"Speaking of which, the One-Horned Demon King and his brother have been entrenched in Flower Fruit Mountain for many years, bullying the monkeys and even harassing my Dragon Palace. The Immortal Master's intervention can be considered as venting my anger."

Lu Qingxuan raised his cup in return and laughed, "Dragon King, you are too kind. I was merely entrusted by the Great Sage Equaling Heaven to look after his monkey subjects. It was nothing more than a small favor."

Ao Guang heard a complex emotion flash in the eyes of the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, and sighed, "The Great Sage has been imprisoned under the Five Elements Mountain for many years. I have also wanted to visit him, but the rules of the Heavenly Court are strict and I dare not act rashly. The fact that you, Immortal, are willing to go to great lengths for the Great Sage shows your loyalty."

He paused, then said, "There is one point that I must remind the immortal master of."

Lu Qingxuan said, "Dragon King, please speak."

Ao Guang lowered his voice and said, "Although the One-Horned Ghost King is dead, his elder brother is no pushover. If he returns one day, there will probably be more trouble."

"Dragon King, you are overthinking this. Now that I am here, I will not leave any hidden dangers. I will just wait for the brother of the One-Horned Ghost King to arrive, and then we will deal with him together," Lu Qingxuan said, waving his hand.

Ao Guang was delighted upon hearing this: "In that case, I will thank the immortal on behalf of the Great Sage."

Afterwards, Ao Guang sent someone to bring some treasures and place them in front of Lu Qingxuan. They were not weapons or armor, but some trinkets.

Auxiliary magical treasures such as luminous pearls and sea-stabilizing pearls are not considered precious, but they are still rare.

"These things may not be much to you, Immortal Master, but they are a token of my appreciation. Please don't find them offensive," Ao Guang said with a smile.

"You're too kind, Dragon King." Lu Qingxuan smiled, unable to refuse, he could only accept it.

"I wonder how long the immortal has been staying on Flower Fruit Mountain?" Ao Guang asked.