Ming Dynasty: Gain one supernatural power every day

Meanwhile, above the clouds.

Zhu Gaoxi rode his somersault cloud back to the Heavenly Palace, passed through the protective barrier set up by the Willow God, and landed steadily on the viewing platform.

The mansion in the clouds remained tranquil, the spirit stone lamps in front of the hall glowing softly on their own, and the wisteria in the garden had climbed a few more inches higher.

Apart from that, everything was the same as when he left, except it was a bit deserted, and there was no one to talk to.

His mind was racing, calculating that Annam was just the appetizer, followed by Japan, the Jianzhou Jurchens, and even further afield.

The opponents on the Eurasian continent were relatively easy to deal with; on land, the Ming's iron hooves and ferocious army could easily sweep through the land.

But those island nations at sea can't be allowed to swim across by rhinos and elephants.

The navy's warships cannot be built in a short time. Even if they are built directly by divine craftsmen, the training of sailors is not something that can be done overnight.

With the teleportation portal, troop deployment is no problem, but naval warfare requires talent, and ideally, this talent should be compatible with Second Brother, since Second Brother is indispensable on the expedition.

However, it must be said that generals with mortal bodies are too slow. Relying solely on conventional armies to conquer these countries would take an unknown amount of time. Isn't there the Rat Talisman? Why not use the Rat Talisman to summon a deity?

After thinking for a long time, he suddenly sat up straight, and an idea popped into his head.

Why not summon Pigsy (Zhu Bajie)?

Before descending to the mortal realm, Marshal Tianpeng commanded 100,000 naval troops in the Milky Way, and fighting in the water was his forte.

On the journey to the west, they followed Monkey King to subdue demons and monsters, and even carved roads through mountains.

Most importantly, he also shared the surname Zhu, and his temperament and character were deeply ingrained in him, making him a perfect match for Zhu Gaochi.

Moreover, the Pigsy on the journey to the West is more down-to-earth than the one during the time of Marshal Tianpeng. He can be clever, lazy, and joking. Such a personality would be more than enough for a military team.

Just do it.

"I'm sorry, Xiao Jin." He pulled the rat talisman's divine power from Xiao Jin's body from his wrist.

Golden light flows from fingertips, and divine craftsmanship gathers in the palm of the hand.

He closed his eyes and thought for a moment, and the classic image of Zhu Bajie from the 86 TV series "Journey to the West" came to mind.

He had a big belly, big ears, wore a black hat and black clothes with a white collar, carried a nine-toothed rake on his shoulder, walked with a swaying gait, and had a sly smile.

Let's go with this. This version of Pigsy is the most energetic and the most vivid Pigsy in his childhood memories.

The wood carving quickly took shape in his hands, with every fold of clothing and every tooth meticulously carved, even the tips of the teeth on the nine-toothed rake gleaming with a faint cold light.

Once the carving was complete, he slowly infused it with the divine power of the rat talisman. A faint halo appeared on the surface of the wood carving, and the wood grain gradually faded away, replaced by the color of skin and the texture of clothing.

"Hmph...Hmph...Hey? Where is this? How did I, Old Pig, end up here?" A loud and somewhat lazy voice boomed from the observation deck.

Pigsy stood on the cloud platform, his big belly rising and falling with his breath, his two big ears twitching slightly, just like the one in the 86 TV series.

Zhu Gaoxi sat in the chair, smiling and beckoning to him: "Second Senior Brother, look here, it was I who summoned you out."

Pigsy turned his head, squinted, and looked him up and down.

Upon closer inspection, the divine power of the Rat Talisman within him sensed the controlling power within Zhu Gaoxi, the very person before him who had summoned him to this world.

He put down his rake, clasped his hands in a fist salute, his attitude fairly polite, but with a hint of confusion: "How do you know me, Old Pig? How did you manage to summon me to this place? What kind of world is this? And how should I address you?"

Zhu Gaoxi stood up and walked up to him: "Second Senior Brother, in later generations, there will be many people who know you. As for how to address me, my name is Zhu Gaoxi, you can call me whatever you like."

He pointed to the surrounding sea of ​​clouds and the celestial palace in the distance, "As for this place, it is now the Ming Dynasty, several hundred years after the Tang Dynasty where you went to retrieve the scriptures, and there are no gods or Buddhas in this world."

Upon hearing the first part of the sentence, Pigsy's face showed a hint of melancholy. The Tang Dynasty had been over for hundreds of years, and his master and Monkey King had probably already achieved enlightenment. He wondered where Monkey King and his master were now... He missed them a little.

But as soon as he heard the second half of the sentence, his two big ears perked up, his eyes lit up several degrees, and a nearly radiant smile bloomed on his honest face: "No gods or Buddhas? You mean, there are no officials in charge in heaven or on earth?"

"no."

Pigsy slammed his nine-toothed rake to the ground, put his hands on his hips, laughed loudly three times, and immediately became more talkative: "Good! Good! Good! Zhu Gaoxi, what a good name, and you're even a member of our old Zhu family! Since that's the case, then I, Old Pig, will take the liberty of calling you Little Brother. According to age, I, Old Pig, should be older."

"Young man, what brings you here, Old Pig?"

He was ecstatic, though he didn't say it aloud. In his mind, he was already making plans: without the protection of gods and Buddhas, wouldn't he be second only to this young man in the world? He had finally come all this way, so he had to make the most of this wonderful world, enjoying all the delicious food and fun activities. He was so happy.

Zhu Gaoxi didn't beat around the bush and got straight to the point: "Second Brother, I have a very important task for you. Right now, the Ming Dynasty is at war with Annam. After Annam, there's Japan, and after Japan, there's something even further away."

"I know you, Second Brother, were once Marshal Tianpeng, commanding 100,000 naval troops on the Milky Way. You are not only exceptionally capable but also skilled in naval warfare. I'll leave these matters to you from now on."

"I didn't expect you to know me, Old Pig, so well!" Pigsy, hearing someone praise him, instinctively puffed out his belly, his face beaming. "Back in the day, I, Old Pig, commanded 100,000 naval troops in the Milky Way. That's no exaggeration; everyone who saw me called me Marshal Tianpeng!"

But after he finished playing the tune and reflected on it, when he heard that the next part was about fighting mortals, he touched his round chin and his expression became somewhat troubled.

Although he hasn't finished his journey to the West and become the Clean Altar Messenger, he has been influenced by his master on the journey and has developed some Buddhist nature. Now, he feels that he can't get over the hurdle in his heart to pick up a rake and fight those unarmed mortals.

"Brother, I, Old Pig, went on that trip with Master and have learned some of the principles in the scriptures. You can ask me, Old Pig, to subdue demons and monsters, but to bully these mortals, I really can't..."

Zhu Gaoxi didn't speak, just quietly looked at him. He silently thought to himself: Exorcise demons? Can you even do it properly? He's always talking about splitting up the luggage and going back to Gao Village, always saying "Senior Brother, Master has been captured by a monster," and now he's acting like a high monk to me.

Despite his complaints, he still intended to give his second senior brother some advice, since his second senior brother had a good personality and was a reasonable person.