Journey to the West: Treasure Vase of the Great Dao-Chapter 490 - 263 Nezha Visits

"The first time I saw her, I had not yet remembered, but now I have some memories. When I was cultivating at Mount Ling, I saw someone bullying a little white mouse. At the time, she had not assumed human form yet, and she was pure white as jade, looking very pitiable. Feeling compassion, I intervened and rescued her. After descending to the mortal world, I cast this incident to the back of my mind."

"Last night, she sneaked into my room, and I did not recognize her, not until today, when Cui Cui brought up those long-forgotten memories, which slowly began to resurface." Golden Cicada recounted his past encounters with this mouse one by one.

Lu Yu listened with his mouth agape. He gave the other a once-over and had to admit that Golden Cicada was a classic pretty boy, with indeed good looks. Coupled with the solemn aura cultivated from years of practicing Buddhism, he epitomized the configuration of an abstinence-based male god. With the addition of a favor once granted, it's no wonder the demon harbored feelings for Golden Cicada for so many years without forgetting.

"What, you monk, have developed a heart that pities and cherishes the fair?"

However, Tang Monk merely shook his head slightly and said, "I just think it's strange."

"Strange?" Lu Yu muttered to himself. With Tang Monk's prompt, he also clearly noticed that there was something amiss with this affair. According to Tang Monk, the demon was from Mount Ling, raised there since her youth. Without the consent of Buddhism, how could she possibly have escaped Mount Ling? Surely those Bodhisattvas and Buddhas weren't made of clay.

And yet, here was this demon, appearing in this place, and from her actions, she did not seem like a benevolent sort. Lu Yu immediately understood that this creature was most likely someone's karmic deed.

Corner of his mouth curled up into a slight smile, he said, "It seems we won't have to wait long before someone comes looking for her."

Tang Monk beside him also nodded, this situation, other than being a tribulation of the Journey to the West, had no other cause. Yet, he was curious as to which hand from Mount Ling this could be attributed to.

"Forget about it, when they arrive, we'll know for certain," Tang Monk said with a smile, shaking his head as he spoke. Now that he had regained his memory and unveiled the secrets, he was naturally confident and fearless. However, on second thought, these demons probably weren't a match for him anyway.

As for the Brocade Fur Rat, she had had a rather decent time lately, much better compared to the miserable state of being bullied in her youth. The genuine affection from young girl Cui Cui allowed her to live a decadent life of feasting and sleeping daily. These days, she had already given up on breaking through the seal, as the restrictions placed by Lu Yu were too powerful, leaving her no opportunity at all.

So, deciding to let things take their course, she began to accept this way of life and even enjoyed a very comfortable period of time.

That night, as darkness fell, Cui Cui's family also entered their dreams. At the bedside was a delicate little wooden box, specially crafted by the old carpenter in the camp for Cui Cui.

The inside was filled with cotton padding, and although it was quite old, it had been washed very clean. A white mouse, pure as jade, was comfortably lying in the box, sleeping soundly.

Suddenly, there seemed to be a gust of wild wind howling outside, and the wooden window in the room rattled loudly. The little mouse suddenly turned over, opened its eyes, and looked towards the door. Silver moonlight streamed through the gap, casting a silvery mark on the floor.

"It seems a familiar presence has just passed by." The little mouse lifted its head, sniffed the air for a while, and then murmured to itself.

However, by then, she had already given up the thought of running away, after all, the Tea Saint Lu Yu was still lingering in the camp. With many enemies and few friends, and none capable of besting the Human Sage, she harbored no illusions and returned to lie down in the box, closing her eyes once again.

At the same time, Lu Yu, who was meditating in a seated position, opened his eyes and looked towards the east. A figure appeared under the full moon, and the silver moonlight seemed to drape a layer of battle armor over him.

The figure was somewhat short, riding on Wind Fire Wheels, wielding the Qiankun Ring, with red sashes wrapped around his arms, fluttering in the wind. His hair was knotted into two buns, each adorned with a lotus flower decoration. It was indeed the famous Third Prince of the Three Altar Sea Assembly, the War God Nezha.

Seeing the expression on the other's face that seemed to say as expected, Lu Yu smiled and greeted Nezha with a bow, "So it's the Third Prince himself. What brings you to Lion Camel City?"

Nezha, however, plopped down next to Lu Yu before speaking, "Don't tell me you don't know. I might believe that monkey doesn't know, but I would never believe the Tea Saint is unaware. It's all because of that Rat Essence, isn't it?"

"I've heard that she is your father's goddaughter. How can you speak of her like that?" Lu Yu was very curious how Nezha could speak so unkindly about his own sworn sister.

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A sneer of mockery appeared on Nezha's face, "A sister I have, but it's certainly not some Rat Essence. How would I know what my father was thinking, actually deciding to adopt such a lowly demon as a daughter? I think he is still as indecisive as ever."

Lu Yu let out a quiet laugh upon hearing this. He knew that Nezha was recalling past events and thus criticizing his own father. Even though the Devaraja may be a celebrated hero in the Heavenly Court, appearing as the face of the court, he was known to be somewhat weak in spirit. When the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas threatened to flood Chentang Pass, it was Nezha who chose to end his own life to resolve the crisis, forcing his father into a state of desperation.

But in terms of the situation at that time, the Dragon Clan had been in decline, while the human race was under the rule of the Emperor. If the Dragon Kings had truly dared to flood Chentang Pass, the generals of the great Shang at that time would not have been easy to bully. They might have washed the Dragon Palace in blood long ago. In the end, it all came down to Li Jing being too timid to take a decisive action, leading to the loss of his son's life.

"However, what I'm really curious about is, this demon clearly follows Mount Ling, so why is it you who has come to ask for a favor?"

Nezha then spoke, "This was originally the merit sent by the Buddha Ancestor from the east to my father. He sent Buddhist Soldiers to kill the rat, but behind the scenes, he let my father save her. As the Buddhist Soldiers came furiously vowing to catch her, my father had no choice but to adopt her as his goddaughter, thus saving her life."

"Alas! Talking about such a mess of an affair is truly pointless," Nezha said with slight complaint. Who would have thought that such a renowned War God of the Three Realms would still have such a demeanor? Probably only a very few have ever seen his true self.

"Speaking of which, I forgot to congratulate you for finally breaking through the barrier and seeing the prospects of the Great Dao," Lu Yu said as he looked deeply at Nezha, before expressing his congratulations.

He had noticed the fluctuation in Nezha's aura, indicating that the Third Prince had successfully completed the Five Qi toward the Primordial, taking this most crucial step.

Nezha, hearing this, let out a sigh and said, "Years of cultivation, and finally seeing the first light of the Great Dao, is by no means easy. Nevertheless, I am still far behind you all. After all, as a Lotus Incarnation, I was born with inherent deficiencies. I fear it will take a great effort to fully mend my foundation."

As a significant threshold in the cultivation path, the challenge of Five Qi toward the Primordial cannot be easily explained in just a few words.