Chapter 94
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Qi Wuhuo sensed another change in the mirror.
Reactivating the [Round Light Manifestation Technique], the face of the Old Yellow Ox immediately appeared before his eyes, as if it were trying to squeeze entirely into the mirror. Its face was filled with eagerness as it said: “Wuhuo, Wuhuo, listen to your Uncle Niu!”
The young Daoist chuckled and said: “Uncle Niu, slow down. No need to be so anxious.”
The Old Yellow Ox took a deep breath to steady itself, then gave a rough explanation of the matter. Slapping its chest, it declared: “Leave this to your Uncle Niu!”
“Really, trust me!”
The young Daoist sat on a wooden chair and asked: “Uncle Niu, do you really want it that much?”
The Old Yellow Ox hesitated for a moment upon seeing the young Daoist, then said: “I really do.”
The young Daoist smiled. “Then I’ll give it to you.”
The Old Yellow Ox let out a sigh of relief, then solemnly assured him: “Rest easy, leave this to your Uncle Niu. Heavenly Emperor Coins—you won’t lose out on this, I guarantee it! Do you know how many people in the heavens, even though they reside in the Celestial Realm, have only ordinary cultivation? In the end, many are forced to leave the Heavenly Palace, descend to the mortal world or other realms, and seek a quiet place to live in seclusion.”
“They spare no effort when it comes to such matters.”
“This Old Ox has connections in Doushuai Palace.”
“I can get you plenty of spiritual pills and elixirs!”
The young Daoist smiled and said: “Pills are merely supplements for oneself. If one becomes too fixated on them, it would actually be detrimental to [cultivation]. We cultivate to refine ourselves—if we rely too much on external and chaotic forces, it’s not a good thing. Besides, I can refine pills myself, so I have no need for them.”
The Old Yellow Ox remained silent. After thinking for a moment, he said again: “Well, this Old Ox has a connection at the Chuli Hall of the White Tiger Guardian Deity of the West.”
“How about I exchange it for a Spiritual Treasure for you instead?”
Qi Wuhuo replied: “With my current cultivation, I haven’t even reached the stage of Innate Qi.”
“Even if you give me a Spiritual Treasure, Uncle Niu, I wouldn’t be able to wield it.”
The Old Yellow Ox continued: “Then I have another connection with the Jade Maidens of the Pixiang Pavilion. How about I find you two young attendants to serve you?”
The young Daoist shook his head repeatedly. “Uncle Niu, there’s no need for that.”
The Old Yellow Ox said: “But, those Heavenly Emperor Coins, there are truly a lot of them, really.”
“This much wealth…”
“Even if this old ox shamelessly went to the Guanghan Palace to see the Taiyin True Lord, requesting a palace maid wouldn’t even be a problem.”
“If you don’t want this, and you don’t want that, then what do you want?”
The young Daoist smiled, thought for a moment, and said:
“Then I’ll trouble Uncle Niu to exchange all these Heavenly Emperor Coins for resources that can nurture the foundation of a spirit beast.”
The Old Yellow Ox choked. “All of them?”
“Yes.”
The young Daoist gently ran his fingers over the bird egg in his hand. His own spirit sensed that while the life force inside the egg was tenacious, it was not particularly strong. As his perception reached inside, he could faintly feel a delicate response from within, even through the eggshell. He couldn’t help but smile, his tone warm as he said, “I want it to live.”
The Old Yellow Ox slowly exhaled and said: “Alright.”
“I understand now…”
“I will exchange all of it for what you want.”
Then, as before, the Old Yellow Ox took out jade stones and a carving knife and inscribed another ancient jade slip—the second incomplete chapter of the [Dao Sovereign Wuhuo’s Sublime Arts Profound Chapter]. He then had Qi Wuhuo write something on it. The young Daoist picked up the brush, thought for a moment, and began to write:
I observed Senior Sister…
However, as soon as the words “Senior Sister” were written, they vanished.
And the name “Yumiao”—Qi Wuhuo could think of it in his mind, yet he found himself unable to put it to paper.
In the end, he could only write:
[Insights from observing the Sword Canon—completed at the age of sixteen.]
Glancing at the red-clad girl with large, dark, and curious eyes who had leaned over to look, he added another line:
[Dedicated to an old friend.]
The girl beamed, tugging at Uncle Niu’s sleeve, and said with a smile:
“Uncle Niu, look! Every chapter of the scripture has me in it!”
Qi Wuhuo ended the [Round Light Manifestation Technique] and gently touched the bird egg with his fingertips, his voice filled with curiosity: “Peacock Great Wheel Ming King? So this is your origin?”
The being within the bird egg seemed puzzled.
The young Daoist’s spirit was pure, while the spirit within the egg was still blank.
Thus, it naturally accepted this title.
All things are drawn to purity.
Even through the eggshell, this fragile life was drawn to the young Daoist’s spirit and Qi resonance. Sensing its response, Qi Wuhuo thought for a moment, then retrieved a Daoist scripture and began reciting it for the peacock inside the egg.
Meanwhile, the Old Yellow Ox finished preparing the incomplete scripture—making dozens of copies in one go!
Then, without stopping for a breath, he rushed straight to the Wealth God’s Hall.
He raised his leg and kicked open the grand doors of the temple. In the mortal realm, the Wealth God held great prestige, but in the Heavenly Realm, his status was about the same as a Star Sovereign. The Old Yellow Ox had thick skin, was good at networking, had many connections, and was skilled at making money. Though his rank was half a step lower than the Wealth God’s, the two were quite familiar with each other.
BANG!
A loud crash echoed through the hall.
The Wealth God, who had been carefully tending to a potted plant, pouring water over a small green bamboo, was startled—his hand trembled.
In an instant—The vibrant green bamboo turned into solid gold.
The water pouring from the kettle transformed into scattered pearls.
The Wealth God froze: “I lost control again…”
Hurriedly, he set down the water bottle and carefully lifted the hem of his robe, lest his divine power run wild again and turn it into a golden-threaded jade garment.
Turning around, he sighed in relief—then immediately erupted in fury:
“You damned yellow ox, what are you here for this time? If you keep bothering me, believe it or not, I’ll skin you and cook you in a pot!”
The Old Yellow Ox waved a hand to dismiss the attendant maidens and young disciples, then threw an arm around the Wealth God’s shoulders and said: “I’ve got a deal.”
The Wealth God glanced at him with disdain and scoffed:
“Do I look like I lack money?”
The Old Yellow Ox grinned foolishly and said: “I think you lack [Heavenly Emperor Coins].”
The Wealth God froze.
“Well, that’s true…”
A moment later, the yellow ox, carrying several documents obtained from the God of Wealth, leisurely strolled out from the Seventy-Two Halls of the Heavenly Court. He gambled with dice against the Grand Marshal of the Southern Heavenly Gate, then drank and boasted with the deputy generals under the Four Heavenly Kings, enjoying himself immensely, all while secretly calculating how much profit this business could bring him.
Then he recalled the words of that young Daoist— ‘I want it to live.’
So, he was really going to spend all the Heavenly Emperor Coins on this?
This old ox can just give all your profits to others—little Daoist, don’t regret it.
With a long, helpless sigh—
It seemed there was no other choice.
When you have money, anything is possible. And Heavenly Emperor Coins were no ordinary currency.
Thus, he smashed open the cave dwelling of the Nine-Headed Lion Primordial Lord and, despite the furious protests of the awakened deity, took three drops of its essence blood. Then he kicked down the doors of Manjushri Bodhisattva’s abode, feasted on three centuries’ worth of fruit offerings, and used his thick skin to mooch a strand of vital energy from the Azure Lion.
Cloud Tower Palace. Wuhao Palace. Tonghua Palace. Guanghan Palace. Vermillion Bird Palace. Qionghua Palace—Every palace had an old friend.
Baoguang Hall. Tongming Hall. Chuli Hall. Heavenly King Hall. Pixiang Hall. Lingguan Hall—Every hall housed a familiar face.
The Old Yellow Ox scoured the entire celestial realm, from east to west, south to north. Even though the Four Divine Beasts—Azure Dragon Mengzhang, White Tiger Jianbing, Vermillion Bird Lingguang, and Black Tortoise Zhiming—held ranks far above his, and he dared not provoke them, he still managed to swindle some leftover vital energy, fallen feathers, and other remnants from their attendants.
He truly put in the work—all for the sake of that one sentence from the young Daoist.
While sighing with emotion, he hesitated to head west. Yet, after some thought, he gritted his teeth and decided to seek out the [Great Freedom Heaven] of the Buddhist Desire Realm, a place of both righteousness and wickedness, to request a feather from its lord’s mount, the [Golden-Winged Garuda], as an additional gift. However, just as he left the Southern Heavenly Gate and traveled upon the clouds for half a day, he saw a monk standing atop a lotus platform, clad in Buddhist robes. In his left hand, he held an invaluable pearl-like medicine vessel, while his right hand formed the Three Realms Mudra—he was already waiting ahead.
The monk looked at the Old Yellow Ox with a smile that was not quite a smile.
“Little Calf, are you finally returning to my Western Heaven?”
“Medicine Master Glazed Light Tathāgata?!!”
The yellow ox’s face stiffened. Almost instinctively, it turned to flee, instantly reverting to its true form. Hooves stomped across the starry river as it charged forward like a mad bull. Yet, at the same time, it noticed that the old monk was leisurely keeping pace right beside it. His two wisps of white beard fluttered behind him, his face beaming with a smile. The Old Yellow Ox couldn’t hold back and roared in frustration:
“Why is it you again?!!”
“You plague-ridden bald donkey!!”
“Back when you were still a Bodhisattva, you were already squatting on me! After that you’ve attained Buddhahood, you, your damn self, have been haunting me for eighteen hundred years! Eighteen hundred years! I haven’t even dared to step outside! The brothers down the mountain all think that ever since I, this old ox, ‘attained the Dao’, I’ve cut ties with them! My reputation’s completely ruined!”
“Seriously, I’m begging you—can’t you just let me go? You’ve already become a Buddha, but all you do is stand outside my door!”
“Do you have no shame?!”
The monk smiled warmly and said: “I am merely waiting for you to turn back.”
“This poor monk has never once laid a hand on you.”
Then, he muttered under his breath:
“When I think of you eating all the lotus flowers that I have been raising for so long, it makes me feel like you ought to be raised in my home.”
“Can’t have some other family’s ox benefiting from it.”
“Besides, I wanted to eat the lotus seeds too.”
“You didn’t leave me a single one. That’s just too much.”
The yellow ox’s fur bristled, and it let out a string of curses, fully displaying the demeanor of an old demon:
“Then should I just—shit them out for you?!”
The monk nodded, still smiling: “Go ahead then. Do it now.”
The Old Yellow Ox nearly choked to death on its own breath.
It continued to gallop madly across the starry river, hooves never stopping, charging straight toward the Southern Heavenly Gate. Yet, just as it arrived, it realized—it was a step too late. The gate had closed early today.
In a moment of divine inspiration, the old ox bellowed,
“Yuqing Great Heavenly Venerable! This calf misspoke! Save me! Save me!!”
Had it not spoken, there might have been a sliver of hope. But the moment those words left its mouth, the gate—which had been left slightly ajar—slammed shut with a resounding bang, sealing the old ox firmly outside. And then, a gentle palm pressed onto the ox’s head. Even with its wild nature, the old demon froze in place. Behind it, the kindly old monk first bowed respectfully toward the Southern Heavenly Gate and the heavens above the FuLi Heaven, his expression full of reverence.
Only then did he turn back with a smile and say:
“You are now a star official under the Northern Emperor’s command. The Northern Emperor is the foremost war deity within and beyond the Six Realms—I cannot touch you.”
“Come now, little Niu Niu. Sit with me and discuss the Dharma for a while.”
“Let’s see how much you’ve learned…”
“I just want to know—aside from eating my lotus flowers, did you actually learn my teachings?”
The Old Yellow Ox twitched at the corners of its mouth and let out a long sigh toward the heavens.
“Damn you, you bald-headed pest! Why won’t you let me go?!”
“Because I have always felt that you share a karmic bond with my Buddha.”
“Or to put it simply, you are fated to be with the Buddha.”
“I swear I’ll curse you to death!”
“This humble monk naturally does not grow hair and already looks like a bald head. So if you call me a bald head, it is only natural—how could that be an insult?”
“To be more precise, if you wished to be rigorous about it, you should call me an old bald head, or perhaps a wrinkled old bald head. That would be more appropriate.”
The old yellow ox was speechless. “You—!!!”
The emaciated old monk kept his smile, pressing one hand against the great yellow ox’s head, which was as massive as a mountain.
Then, he turned around—
And directly dragged the ox away.
After taking a few steps, he paused, looked back, and asked seriously, “Do you want to tell that little girl of yours that you won’t be coming home for dinner tonight?”
The Old Yellow Ox rolled its eyes.
“Scram.”
“Alright then, off we go together.”
Yun Qin piloted her cloud boat all the way to the Shangqing Scripture Repository.
She held a plate of osmanthus cakes in her hands.
She had already eaten quite a few, savoring their light sweetness.
Remembering the middle-aged Daoist she had an agreement with, she generously planned to share some with him. However, the moment she stepped into the Shangqing Scripture Repository, she saw that the Qingyang Miaodao Heavenly Lord was already seated there. No matter how she looked around, she could no longer find the stairs leading up. Suddenly, she recalled the words that elegant middle-aged Daoist had once said with a smile, and a moment of understanding dawned upon her:
“If you can see me, then a gift is due.”
“This is the interplay of action and inaction.”
“It is also the law of fate—where there is a beginning, there must be an end.”
“So now, has the karmic thread ended, and thus we can no longer meet?”
“To meet is fate. To turn away is to part.”
“Fate brings encounters, and when fate is spent, separation is only natural.”
As these thoughts passed through her mind, she sighed with a trace of regret.
“What a pity.”
She reached out, took a piece of osmanthus cake, and placed it in her mouth, savoring its delicate sweetness.
“You are without fate.”
“So you shall not taste my osmanthus cakes.”
