I am a fairy in Journey to the West

The token of the Grand Preceptor of the Tang Dynasty was not just for show. After all, nearly two thousand years had passed, and countless emperors had come and gone, but the Grand Preceptor was still the same one from the reign of Emperor Taizong.

Even the current emperor's name was chosen by the Imperial Advisor, Master Li.

Zhuang Yan took out the token, and the county magistrate naturally treated Li Laodao with utmost respect, inviting him out of the prison, sincerely apologizing, and then seeing him off from the county office.

"Lord Zhuang, here is your token." Li Gongfu handed the token in his hand to Zhuang Yan.

Zhuang Yan put away the talisman and smiled at the county magistrate, saying, "It's nothing, you can go back now."

The magistrate breathed a sigh of relief and quickly said, "May I ask your esteemed name, sir? Would you do me the honor of coming to the county office for a cup of this year's new tea?"

"No need," Zhuang Yan said. "I have other things to do. You all go about your business."

Upon hearing this, the county magistrate quickly bowed and said, "Yes."

Zhuang Yan nodded to Li Gongfu again, and then left the Qiantang County Government Office with the old Taoist priest Li.

Walking along the road, Zhuang Yan asked Old Li, "How did you get arrested? If people find out that Laozi was arrested and imprisoned in the mortal world, you'll have nowhere to hide your face."

Lao Jun said, "They say I'm spying on women."

Zhuang Yan was shocked. "You have this hobby?"

Laozi said, "I have been wronged."

"How could I wrong you for no reason? I never would have guessed, Lao Jun, that you are this kind of person! The Great Heavenly Venerable is in charge of monitoring the Chaos in the Great Luo Heaven. He sent us to the mortal world to search for those external cultivators who entered the Three Realms through the Six Paths of Reincarnation, and you actually did this." Zhuang Yan looked incredulous.

Laozi knew Zhuang Yan was joking, but he wasn't angry. He simply said, "Those women who went to the county office to accuse me must have been acting under someone's orders."

Zhuang Yan asked, "Can you figure out who it is?"

Laozi laughed and said, "He can't fool me." After saying that, Laozi waved his whisk, and a white light flew up and headed straight for the south of Qiantang County.

Laozi and Zhuang Yan exchanged a glance, and then the two of them transformed into a gentle breeze and disappeared without a trace.

A short while later, the two reappeared in Mingde Lane, directly south of Qiantang County, and the white light landed on one of the mansions.

"This is it." Laozi looked up and glanced around. "There's a demonic aura here."

Without saying a word, Zhuang Yan stepped forward and pushed open the mansion gate. Immediately, a wave of evil energy rushed towards him. Without saying much, Zhuang Yan raised his foot and kicked out. A shrill tiger roar was heard, and then a tiger spirit fell heavily to the ground, its soul instantly scattered.

"Who goes there?!" The monsters inside the mansion huddled together in fright, weapons in hand, their eyes fixed on Zhuang Yan and Lao Jun.

Zhuang Yan asked, "Who's in charge here?"

"It's me." A young man in an embroidered robe stepped out from the hall. "What brings you two here?"

Laozi stepped forward and asked, "I need to ask you some questions."

The young man asked, "What do you want to ask me?"

Laozi asked, "Why did you send those women to the county government to sue me?"

"Oh?" The young man's expression changed upon hearing this, and he smiled, "I didn't expect you to know so quickly, fellow Daoist?"

Laozi said, "There are few people in this world who would frame me. Speak, what do you want to do?"

"Nothing much." The young man smiled and said, "To have caught up with me so quickly, you are no ordinary person. I wonder if you would be willing to do something great with me?"

Lao Tzu asked, "What important matter do you intend to undertake?"

The young man said, "Overthrow the Heavenly Court!"

"Huh?" The young man had barely finished speaking when, before Laozi and Zhuang Yan could even reply, his subordinates exclaimed in surprise.

The monsters turned around and asked, "Master, didn't you say you were going to make money through business? Why are you trying to overthrow the Heavenly Court?"

"Hey, that's just a pretext to deceive people," the young man waved his hand and said, "My real goal is to overthrow the Heavenly Court."

"Damn it! Why didn't you say so sooner!" A demon dressed in a scholar's robe immediately sheathed his weapon. "The brothers only joined you to make purple money, and now you want to lead us to do business that will destroy us completely? Do you think we're fools?"

"Go to hell!" a monster wearing leopard skin armor cursed, then shouted, "Brothers, this bastard is a menace. Let's go back to the mountain."

"Let's go, let's go." The monsters ignored the young man and put away their weapons to leave.

The young man hadn't expected his words, "Overthrow the Heavenly Court," to cause such a huge reaction. Seeing that the team he had painstakingly gathered was about to fall apart, he roared, "No one is allowed to leave!" With that, the young man raised his hand and pointed, and a blazing, sharp Shaoyang immortal energy directly locked onto the monsters and attacked them.

The monsters trembled with fear. Just then, Zhuang Yan flicked his finger, and a beam of immortal light shot out, directly shattering the Shaoyang immortal energy.

"Go back to the mountains and cultivate diligently. Don't come down again, or we will not let you off easily," Zhuang Yan said to the monsters.

The monsters, feeling as if they had been granted a pardon, bowed to Zhuang Yan and then departed.

Upon seeing this, the young man stepped down the stairs, his face full of surprise, and bowed, saying, "This fellow Daoist was able to break my magic power with a single strike. Amazing, truly amazing! My name is Shaoyang Zun. May I ask your name, fellow Daoist?"

Zhuang Yan said, "Master Zhuang."

"Master Zhuang?" Shao Yangzun was taken aback. "Surname Zhuang, given name Master?"

"No," Zhuang Yan said with a smile, "Everyone calls me Master Zhuang, so you can just call me Master Zhuang too."

Shao Yangzun laughed and said, "My grandfather just passed away three years ago. Isn't that a bit inappropriate?"

"What's wrong with that?" Zhuang Yan spread his hands and said, "Your grandfather is dead, and now you have a new grandfather."

Shao Yangzun frowned, but quickly smiled and said to Taishang Laojun, "Fellow Daoist, the reason I sent someone to complain earlier was to test you. After all, my great undertaking cannot do without experts like you two, so please forgive me."

Having said that, Shaoyang Zun then asked Laozi, "What is the honorable name of this fellow Daoist?"

Laozi waved his whisk and said, "Daoist Master."

"Master Dao?" Shao Yangzun looked astonished. "Everyone calls you Master Dao?"

“That’s right.” Laozi said with a smile, “I’ll take a loss and become your second uncle.”

Shao Yangzun suddenly realized what was happening, and immediately flew into a rage, taking a step back and saying, "You two bastards, how dare you play me!"

Lao Tzu said, "You tricked me first."

Without saying a word, Shao Yangzun unleashed his magical power, instantly releasing a burst of Shao Yang immortal energy that transformed into countless rays of immortal light, which descended directly upon Taishang Laojun and Zhuang Yan.

Before Zhuang Yan could make a move, Laozi simply waved his whisk, and all the myriad rays of immortal light vanished into thin air. Shao Yangzun was greatly shocked, for he was a Great Awakening Golden Immortal!

Suddenly, as if realizing something, Shao Yangzun exclaimed in surprise, "You are Great Luo Immortals!"

Before he could finish speaking, Shao Yangzun was put into the pottery jar by Zhuang Yan. As a Great Awakening Golden Immortal, he had no power to resist at this moment and was as fragile as an infant.

Zhuang Yan put away the pottery jar and said to Laozi, "A Great Awakening Golden Immortal has a limited number of lives, but since the Great Heavenly Venerable has spoken, let's spare them all."

Laozi laughed and said, "No matter how limited the number is, if we can convert it and bring it to my Pangu Heavenly Dao, it will still increase the number of my Pangu Heavenly Dao. Something is better than nothing."

"Hmm." Zhuang Yan nodded, then asked, "What should we do with it? We can't just keep it in the earthenware jar and carry it with us, can we?"

Laozi thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "Then let's send it to Buddha."

The Buddha mentioned by Laozi is naturally the Tathagata Buddha, who is currently staying at Jinshan Temple in disguise.

When Zhuang Yan and Laozi found him, he was using a wooden mallet to knock on the heads of the monks in Jinshan Temple, and the monks knelt down in a row, completely convinced, letting him knock on their heads.

At this moment, the Buddha tapped the last monk on the head, saying, "When the wind blows and the banner moves, it's not the mind that's moving, it's the banner that's moving! How can the banner not move when the wind is blowing? Are you hungry in your stomach or in your heart if you're not eating?"

The monk, covered in sweat, quickly replied upon hearing this, "Master, it is because the mind is hungry and has a desire for food that it manifests in the body, hence the hunger in the stomach. This is caused by greed."

Upon hearing this, the Buddha struck down with his wooden mallet with a 'snap'. The monk winced in pain but dared not cry out, only grimacing.

"Is this blow to your heart or your head?" Buddha asked.

The monk said, "It hurts because my head was hit."

Seeing this scene, Zhuang Yan and Laozi, who were not far away, looked at each other in bewilderment. After a moment, Zhuang Yan said, "Isn't this a stubborn one?"

As he spoke, the Buddha put down his gavel and looked at the stubborn monk, saying, "From now on, I will not give you food for ten days. Let's see if you are hungry in your heart or in your body."

The monk did not argue, but simply put his hands together and said, "Yes, Master."

The Buddha ignored the monks and, with a smile, stepped forward to Laozi and Zhuang Yan. (End of Chapter)