Journey to the West: The Great Sage's Guide

Chapter 5 Laozi Refines Treasures

Lingtai Mountain, Sanxing Cave.

In the quiet Bodhi room, a solitary lamp burns.

The flickering lamplight cast swaying shadows of figures on the wall.

He slightly raised his fingers from his sleeve, calculating several times, but ultimately the will of Heaven remained unclear.

He closed his eyes for a long time, and finally with a flick of his sleeve, a jade slip appeared on the table.

When the finger touches the jade, patterns naturally appear where there are no characters, resembling clouds or seal script, winding to the end of the character and condensing into a very faint phantom image of the character "聃".

The jade slip took shape.

A gentle breeze blew by, and the lamp flame was almost extinguished.

Bodhi's gaze pierced through the window, as if he could see a distant landscape beyond the mountains.

He shook his head and sighed very softly:

"In the end... it was just a stubborn rock that attracted a spark... so be it."

The sound faded, and the sleeve rolled up.

The jade light simplified into a beam of clear light, piercing through the clouds and heading towards the purple misty area thirty-three days in diameter.

They flew to the Realm of Separation from Hatred, where the surroundings remained as chaotic as ever.

There is a simple and ancient temple suspended in the air, with no plaque in front of the door, only a Tai Chi bronze mirror hanging there.

The clear light flew over, hovering quietly in front of the door, its position uncertain.

After an unknown amount of time, a large hand, covered in starlight, suddenly reached out from behind the door.

The Taoist priest reached out and grabbed the jade slip.

In the blink of an eye.

Behind the gate, inside the temple, there was no hall, only a chaotic starry sky.

An old Taoist priest, wearing a straw raincoat and hat, sat by the Void River fishing. His fishing line plunged into the depths of the Milky Way, hooking something unknown.

Two boys stepped forward, one of them respectfully presenting a letter.

Upon hearing this, the old Taoist priest's calm expression subtly changed, and he simply used his fingers to perform divination.

"This is... a matter of life and death, and it's extremely difficult to handle."

Laozi slowly opened his eyes, which seemed to reflect the Milky Way, and suddenly waved his sleeves.

Beneath the temple grounds, the Tai Chi diagram spun rapidly in chaos, with flames rising from its base.

"Truly rare... a debt of gratitude owed to the founders of the three religions!"

"Since it's a spark... let's forge a protective bell..."

Fortunately, there were still a few scraps of the Heavenly Gate Lock...

Amidst Laozi's laughter, he rolled up his sleeves, the starry sky reversed, the alchemy furnace transformed from nothingness into reality, and the bottom flame divided into three states.

"Iron that cannot be worn down by countless trials. Go!"

A sliver of light appeared in the furnace, and purple clouds soared into the sky.

A large, dark piece of iron, as big as a small mountain, was thrown directly into the furnace.

……

……

Zhong Xuan and the monkey were swept away by the gentle breeze.

They felt dizzy and the wind was howling in their ears.

When my feet finally touched solid ground, I opened my eyes to find myself in an unfamiliar mountain forest.

The landing point is a winding mountain path, shrouded in mist and covered with green moss.

The trees on both sides are lush and verdant, with abundant branches and leaves, and the fragrance of flowers is serene.

Sunlight filters through the leaves, creating dappled golden spots.

The air was filled with the rich, fresh scent of grass and trees, mixed with a touch of ethereal beauty.

Zhong Xuan took a deep breath and immediately felt refreshed and his mind became lively.

I immediately realized that this was not only a spiritually wondrous place, but also a rare and beautiful fairy mountain in the human world.

"Brother Ren?" The monkey immediately grabbed his arm.

But its eyes darted around, very lively.

"Let me examine the methods of cultivation and Qingye's guidance."

Zhong Xuan first unfolded the ancient Qi Refining Technique and quickly skimmed through it.

It was only a few hundred words, yet it contained profound meaning, which was imprinted in my mind before I closed the book.

However, he could not fully comprehend it at once, so he first put it and the blank bamboo slip for protecting immortality into his bosom.

He then looked at the object in his hand.

The master did not specify how to use this lush green leaf.

He wasn't annoyed, probably knowing that this was a common tactic of the patriarch—he never explained it to people directly, favored disciples with insight, and expected them to figure it out themselves.

After all, if the monkeys around him hadn't changed their karma, when he became Sun Wukong in the future, he would have had to wait seven years, get three whacks on the forehead with a board, and see the Patriarch close the middle gate before he would realize that he had to go through the back door in the middle of the night to seek the method of immortality.

Therefore, the Patriarch would certainly not play tricks on him with this blank bamboo tube and green leaves.

Zhong Xuan's heart stirred, and he suddenly closed his eyes, silently sensing what was within.

In his previous life, he spent a hundred years reading extensively in that world, and his cultivation had reached its limit.

It's not that he can't cultivate further, but that the mysteries of the universe can no longer be revealed.

Nevertheless, there were still some faint traces of water stains at that time.

Occasionally, he would see, in the sunlight and dust, that he could vaguely reach out and touch the dust, fallen leaves, feathers and other light, floating things, moving them slightly in accordance with the combined force of his body and mind.

Sometimes, when you place an object in your palm and rub it, you will feel something in your heart.

Out of curiosity, I cut it open to observe, and the pattern inside was exactly as I had imagined.

Just like now.

After sensing the green leaves, Zhong Xuan vaguely saw a glowing net in his mind.

Judging from the undulating changes, it is clearly a route map of this mountain.

Ultimately, it vaguely points to a certain location.

"Got it!"

Zhong Xuan opened his eyes, which pleased the monkey beside him, and he immediately set off.

But they couldn't move forward and were about to try to find their way again when they suddenly heard a woodcutter's song coming from the woods:

"The old forest is still visible amidst the clouds, but the path is hard to find on the cliff and overgrown with weeds."

"Looking west from the mountains, I see the morning rain; returning south from the stream, the crossing point is deep..."

The singing is rough, yet it possesses a wild and unrestrained spirit.

"There's a passerby." A glint flashed in Zhong Xuan's eyes, and he pulled the monkey along, following the sound.

After walking for a short while, they saw a woodcutter in a clearing in the woods ahead.

He was bending over to sort firewood, with a wood-chopping knife at his waist and straw sandals on his feet.

Although dressed simply, his complexion was rosy, and his brows revealed a sense of ease and Taoist charm.

Zhong Xuan stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Brother Qiao, greetings."

The woodcutter looked up and saw Zhong Xuan and the monkey, then dropped his axe.

Although the former was dressed in an elegant Taoist robe, the latter was dressed in human clothes and had a hairy face and a thunder god's mouth.

His face showed no surprise whatsoever. Instead, he straightened up, cupped his hands, and smiled, "You're too kind, young layman. Are you a cultivator who has come from afar? This is the heart of Cuiyun Mountain, a place rarely visited by ordinary people. You are indeed a rare guest."

Upon hearing this, Zhong Xuan felt a stirring in his heart, and old memories flooded back.

He estimated the time before asking, "Brother Woodcutter, do you know if there is a female cultivator on this mountain named Rakshasa? Or perhaps a family of famous bull demons?"

However, since the Supreme Lord Laozi's alchemy furnace in heaven had not yet been overturned by the monkey beside him, it naturally could not fall to earth and burn a Flaming Mountain nearby. Princess Iron Fan had not yet married the Bull Demon King.

Therefore, Cuiyun Mountain should still be ordinary at this time.

The woodcutter laughed heartily, "I seem to have heard of the former, but she certainly isn't enlightened. At least I've never heard of any enlightened female demons here, called Rakshasa women. But the latter is quite formidable; that group of bull demons practically rule the mountain, they're the true mountain lords. Are you going there, young layman?"

Zhong Xuan, seeing his natural appearance, felt a good impression of him and smiled, saying, "It seems you are following your heart's desire, seeking a place that resonates with nature. I will boldly ask you, Brother Qiao, to guide me. I have a sense of direction in my heart, but I fear that the deep green clouds may make it difficult to find the way, and I may miss the auspicious time."

What he was thinking was that opportunity waits for no one.

"What a wonderful thing it is to follow one's heart's desire!" the woodcutter laughed, picking up his axe.

He walked directly ahead and said in a broad voice, "Go on, but if I ever need your help in the future, you must also grant it, how about that?"

Zhong Xuan's heart stirred, as if he sensed something truly unusual.

Suddenly, the monkey beside him squeaked, shook his arm, and cried out, "No! No! Brother! Qingqing! We need Qingqing!"

The original meaning was to find out the reason.

Upon hearing this, the woodcutter laughed and scolded, "You little monkey! I was talking to your brother, and he clearly got the better deal. Why do you have to step in?"

Zhong Xuan's mind was clear, and he had already made his decision.

"Please lead the way, Brother Qiao. As long as that matter doesn't violate fundamental principles, we can overcome any difficulty."

"Alright, alright! Young layperson, please show me the way."

The woodcutter laughed loudly and began to sing again at the front:

"Azure clouds rise a thousand fathoms, pines and cypresses stand tall and dense. I'll cut down firewood, and exchange it for wine at dusk..."

The journey gradually deviated from the mountain path and entered the dense forest.

Deep in the forest, ancient cypress trees reach for the sky, their branches and leaves blocking out the sun, and the ground is covered with mottled moss.

Clearly, few people come here.

As we walked to the foot of a thousand-year-old cypress, the green leaves suddenly shone brightly, then vanished and flew away.

Zhong Xuan looked closely and was shocked to see that it was a mountain god temple with empty statues.

Looking around, there was no sign of the woodcutter.

It seemed that the path pointed out by the patriarch had already reached a fork in the road.

"Brother Ren?"

"Okay, let's go."

Zhong Xuan sighed, but still chose to lead the monkey inside.

In any case, this was the fate he chose.