txolops Chapter 21 Nezha's Birth
Chapter 21 Nezha's Birth
Upon hearing this, Taiyi Zhenren's eyes lit up. He slapped his flying boar, which, in pain, grunted and scurried forward a few steps.
"Junior brother is right! Right!"
He turned the pig's head around and ran towards Li Jing's residence in the city, shouting back as he ran:
"Junior brother, come with me! Come with me!"
Yun Zhongzi rode on auspicious clouds and followed.
In the blink of an eye, the two arrived in front of Li Jing's residence.
The General's Mansion, with its blue bricks and gray tiles, stands solemnly at the entrance. Two imposing stone lions guard the gate. Above the vermilion gate hangs a plaque bearing the three gilded characters "General's Mansion." Within the courtyard walls, one can vaguely see the upturned eaves and corners. Although it cannot compare to the grandeur of the imperial palace in Chaoge, it is still considered a first-class mansion in Chentang Pass.
The main hall of the mansion.
Above the offering table, a portrait of the Immortal of Salvation hangs high in the center. Incense smoke curls from the incense burner in front of the portrait, and offerings are piled high.
A woman was kneeling in front of the offering table.
The woman, around thirty years old, was beautiful, but her face was haggard and her forehead was beaded with sweat. She stood to one side, her belly alarmingly large, one hand on her hip, the other holding a chicken leg, and she impatiently shouted at the portrait:
"Bye-bye-bye, I've been doing this for three years already!"
She took a big bite of the chicken leg and continued, her words muffled:
"If you can't have more children, I'll smash this dilapidated temple to pieces!"
Before Taiyi Zhenren finished speaking, Yun Zhongzi and he had already arrived above Li Jing's residence.
With a single glance, Taiyi Zhenren, on a whim, fixed his gaze directly on the woman standing in the main hall. Within the woman's abdomen, a faint spiritual light flowed, gently touching a certain string deep within his primordial spirit.
"Junior brother!"
The Great Immortal Taiyi smiled broadly and pointed to the woman's belly:
"That is the source of my destiny! It is fate that this child should become my disciple. Let me go and take a look!"
Having said that, he urged his flying pig to descend towards the roof of the main hall.
The pig swayed gently, its four hooves treading on auspicious clouds, which was quite steady. But Taiyi Zhenren was overjoyed and didn't care about the weight of the pig. As soon as the pig's hooves touched the roof tiles, he pressed down with all his strength.
"Click..."
The sound of roof tiles breaking was crisp and pleasant.
Taiyi Zhenren, along with the pig, plummeted straight off the roof, accompanied by a series of clattering sounds and flying tiles and wood chips. The pink flying pig landed upside down on Taiyi Zhenren's round belly, grunting and whimpering for a long time before finally managing to roll over.
Yun Zhongzi gently touched his forehead in mid-air.
The twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect, so recklessly falling off the roof, would become a laughing stock in the Three Realms if word got out.
He gently pressed the lion's head, and the Lion Camel King understood, descending towards the hall.
The woman remained standing to the side, holding a chicken leg in one hand, staring dumbfounded at the man and pig that had fallen from the roof. She reacted quickly, instinctively covering her stomach with her other hand and shrinking back slightly.
In the air, Yun Zhongzi quietly activated his Qi Observation Technique, his gaze falling on the woman's abdomen.
The fetus inside her womb shimmered with golden light, yet showed no signs of soul fluctuation. The golden light was thick and solid, almost tangible, and was none other than the Nine Heavens Breath Soil.
This object was created by the goddess Nuwa when she molded humans from clay. It was a wisp of primordial earth essence from the chaos, capable of carrying souls and giving birth to flesh and blood.
The spirit pearl was reincarnated, and only by using this object as a foundation could it obtain a physical body; what a grand gesture! I wonder if it was done by the Primordial Heavenly Lord or by the Goddess Nuwa on purpose!
At this moment, the space within the Breath of Earth is empty, devoid of any souls. It awaits the arrival of the Spirit Pearl, which will then be born.
Yun Zhongzi understood that, in terms of aptitude, Lingzhuzi's body was second only to innate gods and demons in the Three Realms.
However, when Nezha returned his bones to his father and his flesh to his mother, he wasted his extraordinary physical body. As a result, after being reborn as a lotus, his aptitude was limited.
Inside the hall, Taiyi Zhenren finally struggled out from under the pig's belly.
His face was covered in dust, a few pieces of broken tile clung to his pale white Taoist robe, and the little yellow flower at his temple was askew. The flying pig also rolled over, shook off the wood chips covering its body, and grunted a couple of times in grievance.
"Who dares to trespass into the General's residence!"
Li Jing already held a long sword in his hand. He took a few steps to stand in front of Madam Yin, shielding her behind him, and stared warily at the grime-covered fat man in front of him.
Taiyi Zhenren quickly straightened his clothes, adjusted the small yellow flower in his temple, and forced a smile:
"Please don't be offended, please don't be offended. I am the Taiyi Zhenren of Jinguang Cave on Qianyuan Mountain."
As soon as he finished speaking, Yun Zhongzi entered through the hole. His golden and white Taoist robe was spotless, and he was surrounded by an aura of immortality, which contrasted sharply with Taiyi Zhenren.
"I am Yun Zhongzi from Yuzhu Cave in Zhongnan Mountain."
Upon hearing this, Li Jing's expression changed. He hurriedly sheathed his sword, straightened his clothes, composed himself, and bowed respectfully.
"Disciple Li Jing greets his two senior uncles!"
"You are a disciple of Junior Brother Du'e, but now that you have entered the mortal realm, you are not worthy of the title of Senior Uncle Li."
Upon hearing what Yun Zhongzi said, Li Jing changed his address to "Immortal Master".
Although he was a disciple of the True Man Du'e, he had long been sent down the mountain because he could not achieve immortality.
Du'e Zhenren was merely an ordinary second-generation disciple in the Chan Sect, with the cultivation level of a Celestial Immortal.
The two people in front of us are, respectively, one of the twelve core Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect and the other the renowned Fortune Golden Immortal of the Three Realms, both of whom have cultivation levels above that of Golden Immortals.
Taiyi Zhenren chuckled as he stepped forward to help Li Jing up, but his gaze kept drifting towards Lady Yin's belly.
"Please don't stand on ceremony. I've come here because I have an immense opportunity to offer your Li family."
He pointed to Madam Yin's prominently protruding belly and said seriously:
"This child is destined to commit 1,700 acts of killing, making him no ordinary child. I have come here on my master's orders to take him as my disciple."
Yun Zhongzi stood to the side, his face expressionless.
He had read about the 1,700 killing precepts in his previous life in "Investiture of the Gods," and hearing it uttered by Taiyi Zhenren now only made him sneer.
Let alone Taiyi Zhenren, even a Golden Immortal who is proficient in the art of observing qi could not see any murderous intent on an unborn infant who is a reincarnation of a spiritual pearl.
The words of the Primordial Celestial Venerable sounded grand and dignified, but they were merely a pretext for Lingzhuzi to worship the Taiyi Zhenren.
Madam Yin stood behind him, one hand protecting her belly and the other holding half a chicken leg, looking Taiyi Zhenren up and down.
This fat man, covered in soot, had just smashed a hole in her roof; shards of tile still clung to his robes, and a pig was grunting behind him. Despite claiming to be a Golden Immortal of the Chan Sect, his appearance was...
She turned to look at Yun Zhongzi, her eyes lighting up.
He wore a golden and white Taoist robe, had handsome features, and his black hair was neatly tied up. He exuded an aura of immortality and looked like a highly accomplished Taoist cultivator. He even looked more like an immortal than Jinzha and Muzha's master.
"This immortal master."
Lady Yin looked at Yun Zhongzi, her eyes filled with hope:
"May I ask if the immortal master would accept my child as a disciple?"
Upon hearing this, the smile on Taiyi Zhenren's face froze for a moment.
Yun Zhongzi smiled slightly and gently shook his head:
"Your Majesty's kindness is too much. I already have a disciple and have no energy to take on a second son."
Lady Yin looked regretful.
Taiyi Zhenren stared wide-eyed, but wasn't angry. He turned to look at Yun Zhongzi, his face full of disbelief.
My junior brother has taken on a disciple? With his personality, he wouldn't even hire a doorman, yet he's quietly taken on a disciple?
Just as he was about to press further, Madam Yin suddenly frowned and let out a muffled groan.
The chicken leg in my hand fell to the ground with a "thud".
"Madam!" Li Jing's expression changed drastically, and he rushed forward to support her.
Madam Yin clutched her stomach, beads of sweat rolling down her forehead: "It hurts...it's starting to hurt!"
Li Jing turned around abruptly and shouted loudly towards the door, "Someone! Quickly, fetch a midwife! Hurry!"
The mansion was immediately thrown into chaos. Maids and servants ran around spreading the word. Some went to fetch a midwife, some went to boil water, and some went to prepare cloth.
Li Jing helped Madam Yin towards the back hall. As they were leaving, he glanced back at Taiyi Zhenren and Yun Zhongzi, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping himself.
Yun Zhongzi stood in the front courtyard, and using his Qi Observation Technique, he saw that within Lady Yin's abdomen, five-colored light flowed and swirled, and the Spirit Pearl was already in its proper place. The Nine Heavens Breath Soil trembled slightly, and a faint fluctuation of soul energy emanated from within her abdomen.
The Spirit Pearl and the Breath Soil have been perfectly combined.
Yun Zhongzi withdrew his gaze.
Nezha is about to be born.