Journey to the West: Starting with becoming an apprentice of the Nine Heavens Demon-Subduing Patriar

Thousands of miles away.

In the Central Plains, at Xuanyue Mountain.

There are thirty-six peaks on the mountain, each of which pierces the clouds. On the topmost peak stands a Taoist temple with eaves that resemble wings. It is the ancestral temple of this lineage.

Early that morning, a beam of azure light pierced through the clouds, circled the main hall once, and landed in the palm of a young Taoist priest.

They say they're young, but that's not really the case.

This is the senior disciple of the temple, who has been cultivating Taoism for over a hundred years. He has profound cultivation and the art of preserving his youth. He looks to be only in his thirties, but he is one of the most senior people in the temple.

The bluebird entered his palm and transformed into a wisp of sword energy, within which were the ten characters.

After listening to it the first time, the eldest brother frowned.

His fellow disciples gathered around and asked, "Senior brother, what kind of letter is this?"

"Huangfeng Ridge".

The eldest disciple twirled the wisp of sword energy between his fingers, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper. "This was sent by your uncle who travels to the lower realms. He said the matter at Huangfeng Ridge is settled, and that I should remove my name from the register. Do not think of me, and do not come."

"Huangfengling?"

One of the junior disciples exclaimed, "That eight-hundred-mile-long Yellow Wind Ridge in Xiniu Hezhou? The one with three nests of great demons, the one that has been feeding on blood for sixty years?"

"That's the one."

The hall fell silent for a moment.

The eldest brother paced back and forth for a couple of steps, then let out a long sigh.

"My uncle... his lifespan is coming to an end, and in recent years, his temperament has become increasingly soft."

"Huangfeng Ridge is a place teeming with demonic energy. It's not just one demon or monster that's entrenched there; it's the lair of three entire mountain peaks. Let alone him with just his sword, even if my entire Xuan Yue sect were to go down and raze it to the ground, they'd be skinned alive."

"It's over. How exactly is it over?"

He shook his head, his tone revealing his worry.

"Most of the time it was just acting on impulse, relying on their old Taoist skills to forcibly suppress a few demons and consider it the end of it. It's just a whitewash."

"Can he hold out for a while, or for a lifetime? Once he's gone, the demons all over the mountain will turn on him, and the dozen or so villages at the foot of the mountain will be riddled with bloody holes."

"Don't think about it, don't come..."

The eldest brother sneered, "The more you say that, the more likely you are to be hiding something."

He made the decision with a casual wave of his hand.

"Prepare your swords. Select twelve inner disciples to accompany me on a trip to Xiniu Hezhou. Firstly, to bring my martial uncle back to the mountain to retire. Secondly, I want to see for myself what exactly the rules are for Huangfeng Ridge."

The fellow disciples responded enthusiastically and went to pack up.

But just as the eldest brother went back to his room to get his sword and stepped out the door,

"Report!"

A disciple on duty ran up into the hall in a disheveled state, his face pale.

"Senior brother, urgent news from Tongchuan City!"

"A hundred miles west of the city, a great demon has appeared out of nowhere, roaring through the mountains and forests, triggering a beast tide. Wolves and boars are charging, covering the mountains and plains and pressing towards the city's edge. The ancestral temple in the city has already lit three sticks of incense to appeal for help!"

The eldest brother's face darkened.

Tongchuan City is a large city of mortals that has been protected by the Xuan Yue lineage for three hundred years. The incense in the city is dedicated to the image of their ancestor.

Here we go again.

A flash of anger crossed the senior brother's eyes, and he slammed his palm against a pillar in the hall.

"It's definitely those bald monks again!"

He had seen this kind of trick many times before.

With the rise of Buddhism in the West and its eastward spread, in recent years, Buddhism has increasingly viewed Xiniu Hezhou as if it were its own backyard.

On the surface, he appears compassionate and solemn, but in reality, if someone loses their mount or a child descends to earth, it will cause a disturbance, and then a venerable bodhisattva will "coincidentally" appear to subdue the demons.

Ordinary people kowtowed repeatedly, and as the golden statue was erected, incense offerings were passed down from Taoist temples to Buddhist halls.

"This is outrageous!"

The eldest brother's chest heaved a few times; after all, he had a hundred years of cultivation and managed to suppress his anger.

Prioritize.

The lives of hundreds of thousands of people in Tongchuan City are in imminent danger.

On the other side of Huangfeng Ridge, since my uncle said "the matter is settled," at least it's been suppressed for now, and it's a slow fire.

He gritted his teeth.

"Issue the order: Twelve disciples, follow me to Tongchuan first to quell the beast tide."

"Let's go to Huangfeng Ridge again to pick up our martial uncle!"

In the blink of an eye, thirteen beams of light shot up into the clouds, making the sky even brighter.

……

Huangfengling, the main peak.

When Lu Shanjun returned to the mountain, it was already afternoon.

The news traveled faster than he could walk.

As soon as he entered the stone hall, the snakes of Wushao Ridge were already waiting below the steps, kneeling in a dark mass.

The leading group of old snakes stared at the stone sword in his arms, their vertical pupils gleaming with tears, yet they held back their emotions.

Lu Shanjun took out the sword and placed it on the stone table in the hall.

"Your old man has paid off his blood debts."

"His soul did not dissipate. The Taoist priest took pity on him and sealed his remaining desire for the Tao into this sword. From now on, he will follow me up and down the mountain, slaying demons and redeeming karma."

"When will the absolution be complete? Heaven will have its own arrangements."

The hall was completely silent.

After a long while, the old snakes bowed deeply to the stone sword. The sword emitted a very soft "hum," as if in response.

Lu Shanjun closed his eyes and slowly exhaled the breath that had been trapped in his chest.

Humans cannot be brought back to life, and neither can demons. Those who are alive still have an entire mountain to live through.

"Pass on the order."

He opened his eyes. "The demons of the Three Mountains, all their leaders, have gathered in the Stone Hall tonight for a meeting."

……

As night fell, the stone palace was brightly lit.

Huang San, holding a stack of newly created rosters, stood to Lu Shanjun's side, cleared his throat, and announced the numbers in a shrill voice:

"I hereby report to the Great King. According to the combined records of the Three Mountains, there are now 327 minor demons on Huangfeng Ridge who have gained wisdom, can speak, and whose names have been recorded."

"There are no fewer than a thousand unintelligent spirits and wild beasts that have gained some spirituality."

It turned the page, and its face fell.

"But... Your Majesty, the tent doesn't look good."

"In the past, when the old wolf was in charge, we relied on robbing and killing merchants on the road to get our food, clothing, and other necessities. Now that the ironclad rules have been established and blood offerings have been cut off, our mountain produce and food reserves, at best, won't last more than a winter."

"These past few days, some little demons at Gongzui Slope have been so hungry that they've started gnawing on tree bark."

"Yesterday, while patrolling the mountain, I caught two weasels. They were starving and sneaked down to the chicken coop at the foot of the mountain. Grandpa Tiger brought them back, hung them on a tree, and gave them a good beating, but..."

Huang San didn't dare to continue.

It can be beaten, but it can't be eaten.

All the demons inside the hall had their heads bowed.

They accept the reasoning and the new king's rules, but demons are also made of flesh and blood and need to eat.

Lu Shanjun had anticipated this.

Cutting off people's blood sustenance means severing the old path.

The old road is broken, and the new road will not be paved. Sooner or later, all the demons in the mountains will have to climb back up the old road.

There is a saying in the Tao Te Ching: "The way of Heaven is to take from those who have too much and give to those who have too little."

He walked slowly down the steps, his hands behind his back. "In the past, we robbed and ate people. We used knives to take what was lacking in others. This was against the way of Heaven, and we would be burdened with karma and struck by lightning."

"From now on, let's change our approach. Let's use our surplus to exchange for other people's surplus."

The demons looked at each other in bewilderment.

"What does 'more than enough' mean?" Tiger Two asked, scratching his head.

"The first one."

Lu Shanjun extended a claw-like finger, "The eight hundred li of Huangfeng Ridge lies right in the middle of the trade route in Xiniu Hezhou. Caravans traveling east and west, if they go around, it will take an extra month of mountain travel; if they go straight, they will lose three out of the first ten caravans. So people prefer to go around."

"From now on, Huangfeng Ridge will open its gates and allow caravans to pass through."

"Not only did they release them, they also protected them. Tiger Two ordered his men to patrol the mountains, protecting the caravans as they went along. Wild animals and bandits were all kept out of the way. People crossed the ridge safely, leaving behind some salt, cloth, and grain as 'peace money'."

What we sell is the word "peace and safety." That's our abundance.