ATPnovel Chapter 55 The Green Ox Points the Way
Chapter 55 The Green Ox Points the Way
Zhong Xuan raised an eyebrow, stood up, and with a flick of his sleeve and hands behind his back, strolled leisurely out of the study.
"Then come with me and see if he has made any progress these past few days."
He was genuinely curious.
Ever since Wang Sheng was rejected for accepting a disciple, he has been relentless in his pursuit, coming over every day to pester him.
The incident caused quite a stir both inside and outside the temple and in the square a few days ago.
Seeing that Zhong Xuan was unmoved by reason and had no intention of changing his mind, Wang Sheng tried a different approach, using persistent and gentle persuasion.
But Zhong Xuan never gave an inch.
What trick is he planning to pull this time?
The young Taoist priest bowed and led the way, his steps light and quick, yet he always lagged half a step behind, not daring to walk alongside his master.
Ever since they followed this new master, his companions, who were all born beggars, felt like they were dreaming.
They had enough to eat every day, clean clothes to wear, and the opportunity to learn to read and recite scriptures.
Such a life is something you could never have asked for even if you kowtowed until your head bled in the temple.
Therefore, he treated Zhong Xuan with exceptional respect, and that respect was mixed with a touch of childlike admiration.
After passing through the moon gate and around a stone incense burner about half a person's height, you arrive at the front hall.
Before Zhong Xuan had even stepped out of the palace gate, he heard a series of cries coming from outside.
……
At the entrance of the temple, Wang Sheng was kneeling on the ground, wailing and lamenting, attracting many passersby to gather around and watch the spectacle.
Zhong Xuan walked out the door, glanced at him indifferently, and just opened his mouth to ask a question.
Wang Sheng immediately kowtowed repeatedly, repeatedly saying that he knew he was wrong and begging for another chance to cultivate Taoism.
Zhong Xuan spoke, his voice neither too loud nor too soft: "Go back and calm down, think it through before you come back."
Wang Sheng froze, and his crying stopped abruptly.
He slowly raised his head, his eyes red-rimmed, his jaw clenched, and the flesh on his cheeks bulging. His eyes were fixed on Zhong Xuan, as if trying to etch that cold face into his bones.
After a while, he slowly stood up.
As he stood up, Wang Sheng's fists were clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white, and his whole body trembled slightly. He didn't say another word, turned around and walked away, each step heavy.
The surrounding crowd of onlookers automatically parted to make way. Some sighed, some shook their heads, and some muttered, "This Taoist priest is too hard-hearted."
Wang Sheng took a dozen steps and then suddenly stopped.
He had his back to the crowd, and his shoulders heaved violently a few times.
Then, he suddenly turned around and pulled a short knife from his pocket with his right hand.
The blade was no more than three inches long, yet it was polished to a gleaming shine, gleaming coldly in the sunlight.
His hand holding the knife trembled, but his eyes were fixed on the plaque of the mountain god temple behind Zhong Xuan.
"You evil sorcerer! You're the one who killed me!!!"
A scream, heart-wrenching.
The moment the blade pierced his abdomen, he deliberately staggered forward two steps, then fell headlong towards the mountain temple, his blood splattering on the steps in a horrifying sight.
The screams, cries, and footsteps of the crowd mingled together.
"Murder!"
"The Taoist priest drove someone to their death!"
"A heretical path! It truly is a heretical path!"
Zhong Xuan stood still, motionless.
He looked at Wang Sheng lying in a pool of blood and frowned slightly.
At the same moment, the already sparse offerings of incense from the surrounding believers also dissipated.
In the distance, several Taoist priests stood on the periphery of the crowd, hands in their sleeves, watching coldly.
Inside the temple, the few little beggars who had been taken in as Taoist disciples by Zhong Xuan stood inside the gate, their faces ashen.
They looked at the pointing and gossiping people outside the door, at the gloating Taoist priests in the distance, and then at Wang Sheng lying on the ground. For a moment, they didn't know what to do.
The youngest one was so frightened that he shrank behind a pillar, only showing half of his face, his eyes red-rimmed.
Just then, a deep voice suddenly rang out.
The sound actually came from the grass on the side of the temple.
A blue ox slowly walked out, finished chewing the grass in its mouth, and asked in human language, "Boy, do you regret it? Do you understand? Transmitting the Dharma requires caution, do you understand?"
Zhong Xuan's expression hardened, and he raised an eyebrow, asking in return, "Why should I regret it? What should I understand? Why should I be so cautious when transmitting the Dharma?"
The green ox then explained the advantages and disadvantages before him one by one.
Now that the temple's incense has completely died out, the Heavenly Court's assessment of the Cuiyun Mountain God behind him is about to face a dead end.
Ultimately, it all stemmed from the disrespect shown in the transmission of the Dharma, which aroused greed in others, yet their desires were not fulfilled, ultimately driving them to their doom.
These are all real crimes, so why shouldn't we be cautious?
Faced with the Green Ox's questioning, the Rakshasa Woman immediately stepped forward.
She first inquired about the cause and effect, then walked to Zhong Xuan's side.
The Rakshasa woman's gaze swept over Wang Sheng, who was lying on the ground, then over the pointing and whispering crowd, and finally landed on the blue ox.
Her tone was cold and disdainful: "Wang Sheng brought this upon himself; what does this have to do with him?"
Green Ox grunted: "Whether it's related or not depends on what this kid thinks."
At this moment, Zhang Chengming's leisurely voice came from the wooden fish, interjecting: "This kid is born a ruthless demon, he will definitely not be moved in the slightest, his heart will remain as iron as ever."
Zhong Xuan suddenly smiled.
He first called out "Brother Qingniu," then gestured around to show the young man those who had remained, and asked with a smile, "Brother Qingniu, what do you think?"
The green ox looked around and immediately noticed the little beggar who had been taken in as a Taoist disciple standing to the side, not having moved an inch. Suddenly, it understood a bit, but still shook its head:
"That's not enough. The gossip has already spread throughout the city. Before long, the people from Jin Guang Temple, the officials from Ji Sa Kingdom, and those with ulterior motives will all come knocking on your door. Do you think they'll let this opportunity to manipulate you slip by? Your temple is probably not going to hold out much longer."
Zhong Xuan nodded slowly, sighed softly, and looked worried: "My heart remains unmoved, but the wind won't stop. If I let this wind continue to blow and ignore it, I'm afraid I'll really end up with my soul and body destroyed."
Upon hearing this, the blue ox nodded its head in satisfaction: "So, what do you plan to do with it?"
The Rakshasa woman immediately interjected, "Mortals are inherently foolish. If you display your supernatural powers once more, they will naturally admire you again and come to worship you, and the incense will be rekindled."
The green ox remained silent, shaking its head, a hint of regret in its expression. The Rakshasa woman, her anger flaring, coldly demanded, "Why are you shaking your head? Am I wrong?"
Qingniu ignored her and turned to stare intently at Zhong Xuan, waiting for his reply.
Zhong Xuan pondered for a moment before slowly speaking: "I need to accumulate incense offerings and merits for the Cuiyun Mountain God. There must be someone stirring up trouble behind Wang Sheng's matter. If we can wipe these people out in one fell swoop, the situation will be reversed, and we can earn real merits."
Zhang Chengming's loud laughter immediately came from the wooden fish: "Truly a demon among men, what ruthless methods!"
The green ox shook its head and said, "If one can truly comprehend the Great Dao, what does it matter if one is an immortal, Buddha, god, demon, monster, or other strange being? They are all within the Dao. What does it matter what methods one uses?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chengming paused for a rare moment, and then the wooden fish fell silent.
The Rakshasa woman quietly tugged at Zhong Xuan's sleeve and asked urgently in a low voice, "What do we do now?"
She turned to the blue ox and coldly rebuked it, "You monster are quite capable. You deliberately let yourself be captured when the Zhou family lost their horse, and now you've suddenly reappeared. What are you up to? If you can't help, get lost and stop playing tricks!"
The green ox slowly raised its eyes: "My skills are naturally not bad. It's just that there are some reasons why I have to come."
As it spoke, it suddenly raised its hoof and tapped the ground lightly.
Zhong Xuan instantly understood and gently tugged at the Rakshasa woman to signal her to calm down. Then he spoke to the Green Ox, saying, "It is fate that we have met. No matter why you have come, please teach me a few techniques to get out of my current predicament."
The green ox immediately burst into laughter: "This child is teachable!"
It shook itself, walked to the grass beside the temple, and lay down. Its clear voice came over: "Your water bottle is big enough, but it's a pity that it doesn't hold much water. Here's what I'll do: I'll point you to a place. If you succeed, you'll gain several hundred years of cultivation and magical power, and you'll be able to solve the problem at hand."
Rakshasa Nu pulled her hand away from Zhong Xuan's, but couldn't hide her worry as she whispered a warning: "Be careful, this green ox's origins are too strange. If you really listen to him and go to some dangerous place, I won't easily follow you."
Because of the old ox that the woodcutter on Cuiyun Mountain had shown its horns and they had argued, she already had a prejudice against cattle and subconsciously felt that none of them were good.
Zhong Xuan smiled at the Rakshasa woman, then stepped forward to the green ox: "I wonder what we need to prepare in advance?"
The green ox said, "No need to rush. The choice is entirely up to you. If you are willing to listen to my guidance, come with me to retrieve one item, and you will face the choice then."
Zhong Xuan glanced at the Golden Light Temple of Jisai Kingdom, then at the direction of the royal palace, before turning his gaze towards Mount Cuiyun. Finally, he looked back at the blue ox, and suddenly pulled out the small bell from his robes, half-jokingly saying, "How about I give this to you, senior?"
The usually mysterious and aloof Qingniu, who always acted arrogantly and pretentiously, was unusually flustered at this moment.
It staggered back several steps, its eyes wide and fixed on Zhong Xuan, and demanded, "You brat... was this intentional or unintentional?"
Seeing the green ox's reaction, Zhong Xuan became even more certain of his guess. This green ox was most likely the one beside Laozi. He immediately suppressed his smile and said seriously, "Of course it's genuine. This thing is currently more harmful than beneficial to me, only causing trouble. I feel I can't protect it, so I'd rather give it to you, senior, in exchange for some karma."
The blue ox slowly circled Zhong Xuan, its eyes rolling around as it secretly pondered:
Did this kid figure out that the bronze bell was fake?
The true acquired treasure, the Little Chaos Bell, had long been switched and taken away by that boy, Golden Horn.
I was sent by Laozi to handle this matter, but I never expected this kid to have such insight. Even I, an old ox who has lived for a thousand years, am a little unsure of his abilities.
It stopped and stood in front of Zhong Xuan, tilting its head and looking at him for a few more moments.
Finally, it seemed to have made a decision.
"You two, come with me."
The blue ox turned around and walked out of the temple.
Its steps were neither fast nor slow, and its tail flicked gently, as if beckoning people to follow.
Zhong Xuan took a step and left without even hesitating.
The Rakshasa woman bit her lip, her cheeks flushing slightly beneath her veil.
She stamped her foot, but ultimately followed after him.
……
The group had barely stepped out of the temple when the Zhou family members chased after them, wailing and crying, followed by a group of neighbors who had come to watch the spectacle.
They cried out repeatedly, because their youngest son had broken his leg.
Not only did they find the horse they had lost earlier, but they also brought back a blue ox and several wild horses.
Who knew that wild horses are fierce and difficult to tame? The youngest son, being playful, rode on one and immediately broke his leg.
It was a child that Zhou Daniu was holding in his arms.
The child was about eight or nine years old, with a sallow complexion, pale lips, and one right leg hanging limply, swollen below the knee like a bun, with blood seeping from his trouser leg. He bit his lip, his eyes filled with tears, but he stubbornly refused to cry out, only occasionally hissing and sucking in cold air.
The Zhou couple rushed to Zhong Xuan and knelt down with a thud.
"Immortal Master! Please save my little treasure!"
"His leg...his leg is broken!"
Wang was sobbing uncontrollably, kowtowing as she spoke, her forehead hitting the blue bricks with a thud.
The group of neighbors behind him started talking amongst themselves.
"What happened? How did you break your leg?"
"It's that Black Cloud Snow-Treading Horse that went missing and then came back! After it returned, it also brought back a blue ox and several wild horses. The Zhou family was initially very happy, but who knew those wild horses were so wild? The youngest son rode one, and after only a couple of moments, he was thrown off, and his leg..."
"Do you all remember? Back then, this immortal said that losing a horse wouldn't be a misfortune, and the horse actually brought back a cow and a wild horse, so it was a win. But later, the immortal said that gaining a cow wouldn't be a blessing, and at the time, no one believed it, thinking it was a curse... Now it seems, hasn't this come true?"
The crowd began to discuss the matter, and the voices grew louder and more chaotic.
These words caused an even bigger uproar among the onlookers.
Suddenly, someone exclaimed, "So, this immortal master can foresee the future?"
"Foresee the future? Didn't you hear what Wang Sheng was saying at the door? If he could really foresee the future, why would he let someone die at the door?"
"That's different! Regarding the Zhou family's situation, he said losing a horse wasn't a misfortune, and it turned out to be; he said gaining an ox wasn't a blessing, and it turned out to be; isn't that just being a living saint?"
"A living god? I doubt it. He's more like the kind of person a storyteller talks about, whose words are law, and whose pronouncements are like golden words that become law."
"Stop arguing! I heard that a few nights ago, there was a fierce battle between immortals on East Street. It was a spectacular fight, with thunder and fire raging, darkening the sky and earth! That was this immortal!"
"Really?"
"I saw it with my own eyes! How could it be fake?"
"Then...why didn't he save Wang Sheng?"
"Wang Sheng was courting death; what does it have to do with Immortal Guan?"
The Zhou family hurriedly led their youngest son, who had broken his leg, to kneel before Zhong Xuan, pleading with him to treat him and offering generous rewards of gold and silver.
Zhong Xuan remained silent, only raising his hand to form a sword finger and drawing a talisman in mid-air.
There are three methods for drawing symbols.
A law is embodied in a physical object, can be used for a long time, and can be used by others.
Another method uses the fingers instead of a brush, channeling vital energy into the fingertips to create talismans in one go.
The last method involves drawing symbols with one's eyes...
If the second method can be accomplished simply by understanding the true meaning of talismans, then the third method requires sufficiently powerful magical power and divine will.
Zhong Xuan is currently limited by his lack of great magical power, making it impossible for him to achieve the third method.
What Qingniu said is exactly related to this.