Lao Tzu is Ji Gong

Li Xiuyuan turned Xiaoyu over, letting her rest her head on his arm, and poured water into her mouth, hoping it would relieve her discomfort.

This gourd is a magical artifact specifically for storing things. Li Xiuyuan filled it with almost half a river's worth of water, thinking that it would be enough for the girl to drink for ten or fifteen days, so that she wouldn't keep complaining of thirst and heat during this time.

Xiaoyu was forced to drink several large mouthfuls before slowly opening her eyes. Her hands instinctively gripped Li Xiuyuan's, halting her posture as she poured water from the gourd. She gulped down the water for a long time, finally releasing her grip with a satisfied stick out of her tongue after a quarter of an hour. Li Xiuyuan shook her hand; the child had actually drunk more than half of it in one go!

I never expected this little girl to be such a glutton! She emptied almost half a river into her stomach without even worrying about bursting. I've never heard of a fox having such a big stomach before; this little fox is truly amazing.

To Li Xiuyuan's surprise, he immediately placed his hand on her belly. The baby's belly was round and bulging; he could probably hear water splashing around in it.

Chenxiang was stunned. He never expected that this seemingly delicate and cute little girl would have such a big appetite!

He moved closer to Li Xiuyuan, looked at Xiaoyu in surprise, and asked, "Xiaoyu, how can you drink so much? And you barely took a breath in between. You're really amazing."

Xiaoyu stuck out her tongue shyly and said, "Oh, I was so thirsty! I haven't had enough water for days. I was almost dying of thirst in this hot place. Thank goodness Master brought me water in time."

"Are you thirsty? If I hadn't seen your true form, I would have suspected that you weren't a fox at all, but some kind of river monster. And you're probably storing water in your stomach." Li Xiuyuan said knowingly, his face full of understanding.

Xiaoyu was even more embarrassed. She hadn't expected that nothing could escape her master's discerning eyes, and that he had seen through her little trick so easily. She said shyly, "Grandma taught me that it's safest to keep things in your belly, and besides, besides, I really can't stand such a hot place."

"You!" Li Xiuyuan let go of Xiaoyu's hand. He really couldn't stand this little girl's ability to act cute. It was just too amazing!

Li Xiuyuan knew that she had drunk so much water at once and would definitely need to use her internal energy to digest it, so he let Xiaoyu sit there and use her internal energy to store the water.

Chenxiang sat cross-legged beside Li Xiuyuan and asked, "Master, when are we going to find the Lotus Lantern? The Bull Demon King has suddenly returned..."

Xiaoyu looked at the two of them in confusion, "What Bull Demon King?"

Suddenly, the image of Xiaoyu lying there appeared in Li Xiuyuan's mind. When he looked again, he saw that she had already put on her clothes, and he felt a little regretful.

Shaking his head, Li Xiuyuan put on a stern face and said, "Don't ask, it's terrifying."

"But why can Chenxiang say he's the Bull Demon King?" Xiaoyu said, somewhat displeased.

Chenxiang could also see that the old ox was blinded by lust. Fearing that Xiaoyu, a young girl, might find something embarrassing or upsetting, he simply said, "That old ox came into the cave just now. It was really too ugly. Master was afraid it would frighten you."

Xiaoyu was not fully conscious at the time, and only vaguely heard something explode. She didn't ask any more questions and continued to circulate her internal energy to store water.

Li Xiuyuan said, "It's alright. You're all tired today. Rest for the night and we'll make plans tomorrow."

As soon as the Bull Demon King returned to his cave, Princess Iron Fan grabbed his ear and scolded him, asking what kind of bull-madness he had just experienced, which caused her to draw her eyebrows into her hair and make a mess of the entire cave. It took her a lot of effort to clean it up.

With a shrewish wife at home, the Bull Demon King missed his little beauty even more, until he sat at the table in a daze.

Princess Iron Fan stopped caring about him. As long as he didn't run off to the little demon, she was already grateful. She lay on her chaise longue, letting her maids massage her shoulders and legs, thoroughly enjoying herself.

The Bull Demon King stared at the apples on the crystal plate on the table, and couldn't help but recall the young woman's face, rosy and plump, just like these red apples, so juicy and tender.

The little bull demon stood by the cave entrance, seeing his king sitting there absentmindedly, probably because of that young lady. A thought flashed through his mind.

The little bull spirit approached the Bull Demon King and whispered, "Your Majesty."

To everyone's surprise, the Bull Demon King didn't react, so he raised his voice and shouted. The Bull Demon King turned his face, but before he could move, a gust of wind rushed out from inside, sending the little bull demon flying more than ten meters away, crashing into the stone wall.

"Keep your voice down, don't disturb my rest!"

It turns out Princess Iron Fan was angry!

The little bull spirit got up again and waved to the Bull Demon King, indicating that he should go to the door. The Bull Demon King didn't know what he meant and was puzzled when he saw the little bull spirit take off his outer clothes and gracefully reveal his back to the old bull.

The sight of her exposed back nearly made the disgusted old man vomit up his dinner from the previous night. He was about to scold her when he thought of the young woman's exposed back and his heart fluttered.

Looking at the little bull spirit again, he saw that he had put on his clothes and pointed to the door, so the old bull followed him.

When the two reached the door, the little bull spirit asked softly, "Is Your Majesty troubled by that young lady?"

Chapter 1181: Questioning

"Sister, tell me honestly where you put the Lotus Lantern? And why does that brat Chenxiang know where the Lotus Lantern is?" Yang Jian coldly looked at the Third Holy Mother, who was imprisoned inside the pillar of light.

"Brother, no matter how many times you ask me this question, I will not tell you. You might as well give up on it as soon as possible!"

"Sister, since you've done this, don't blame me for being ruthless. I had originally planned a way out for you. If you had answered my questions properly, I wouldn't have dared to say I could release you, but I would have had my men take good care of you. Now it seems you don't know what's good for you." Yang Jian angrily stretched out his hand, trying to forcefully enter the Third Holy Mother's sea of ​​consciousness to probe her memories.

Yang Jian placed his hand on the Third Holy Mother's head, and an unknown suction force eroded her memories. A painful expression appeared on the Third Holy Mother's face. At first, she was calm and composed, looking as if she was ready to die. However, in the face of Yang Jian's absolute power, she gradually could not withstand it.

"Are you really so cruel? We've been siblings for years, and Chenxiang is your nephew. Why are you so relentlessly pressuring us? I beg you, for the sake of our past relationship, please let Chenxiang go!" The Third Holy Mother couldn't help but plead with Yang Jian, but Yang Jian remained unmoved, his face indifferent.

“It’s not that I’m heartless or unkind, but this is the order of the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother. You have violated the heavenly rules and your crime is unforgivable. As for Chenxiang, if he can stay put and behave himself, I don’t want to deal with him and waste my energy.” Yang Jian’s words showed no mercy to their sibling relationship, which made the Third Holy Mother, who had already seen through his true colors, even more disgusted and resistant.

The Third Holy Mother's expression grew increasingly ferocious and distorted, her pain evident in her face. Yang Jian himself was also in a bad state. He had originally thought that invading the Third Holy Mother's sea of ​​consciousness would allow him to quickly find out the news, but the Third Holy Mother's resistance made it quite difficult for Yang Jian. Yang Jian remained silent, but he was greatly surprised. The Third Holy Mother had been imprisoned here for so many years, and in theory, she should have been inferior to an ordinary minor immortal. However, the Third Holy Mother actually possessed such power when resisting him.

"Sister, don't waste your energy. Your magic power is already exhausted. You are no match for me. Just give up and let me see what unspeakable secrets you have." As Yang Jian spoke, he increased the pressure in his hand. In an instant, the Third Holy Mother could no longer resist. The pain of her nerves being pulled was constantly transmitted to her mind. She knew that something in her consciousness had been spied on. The Third Holy Mother knew that Yang Jian knew what she had been carefully hiding all along.

Yang Jian searched through the Third Princess's sea of ​​consciousness and was greatly surprised to discover that Chen Xiang had actually met with her. He hadn't expected that Chen Xiang could meet with the heavily guarded Third Princess so openly right under his nose. This meant that his guarding had failed, and this realization infuriated Yang Jian. As a general of the Heavenly Realm, he held an extremely prestigious position, which was closely related to his strength. Now, his abilities had been challenged without his knowledge, which Yang Jian found unacceptable.

As a celestial general, Yang Jian's dignity and abilities were greatly challenged. He couldn't help but feel that some things were becoming increasingly beyond his control. This realization panicked him. He told himself that he must capture Chen Xiang as soon as possible and resolve everything quickly.

Through his sea of ​​consciousness, Yang Jian fully understood the conversation between Chenxiang and the Third Holy Mother. He finally learned the whereabouts of the Lotus Lantern, which he had wanted to know for many years. He knew that Chenxiang would definitely go to find the Lotus Lantern, and he knew that he had to find the Lotus Lantern before Chenxiang could, so as to stop Chenxiang from getting the Mountain-Splitting Axe to save his mother.

Yang Jian knew what he wanted to know. He slowly released his hand from the forehead of the Third Holy Mother. He knew that after this meeting, he and the Third Holy Mother were truly strangers, and might even become enemies, because he had offended a mother's sore spot—her child. Regardless of whether Yang Jian's trip was to deal with Chen Xiang or not, Chen Xiang would definitely come looking for him, and the scene would be spectacular.

Seeing the Third Holy Mother's ashen face, Yang Jian couldn't utter another word. A rare pang of pity welled up in his heart. His previous visits to the Third Holy Mother had been pleasant, but after this, he feared he would never return. And so, Yang Jian left the cave where the Third Holy Mother was imprisoned.

As soon as he emerged from the cave, Yang Jian coughed up a mouthful of blood. When he forcefully invaded the consciousness of the Third Holy Mother, his magical power and divine sense were impacted. This method of invading another's consciousness with brute force is very harmful to both the caster and the castee.

However, Yang Jian had no other choice, because no matter how he asked, the Third Holy Mother wouldn't speak. He had no choice but to resort to this tactic, the price of which was that he couldn't use his magic power and divine sense at will for the time being. Although this bothered Yang Jian, knowing the whereabouts of the Lotus Lantern and Chenxiang was still more important.

Only the weakened Third Holy Mother remained in the cave. Her consciousness had been severely damaged by Yang Jian's brute force invasion. Under this intense pressure, the injured Third Holy Mother lost consciousness and fell into a deep sleep. Before losing consciousness, her only thought was that Chenxiang would be safe.

As if by telepathy, Chenxiang, who was searching for the Lotus Lantern, felt a sharp pain in his chest. He felt panicked, as if something important had happened. "What happened? Why does my heart hurt so much? Could it be my mother?" Chenxiang asked himself, feeling very scared.

It turned out that Chenxiang had been mistaken for Xiaoyu and kidnapped by the Bull Demon King's men. After Li Xiuyuan learned about the situation, he went to rescue Chenxiang. Since the Bull Demon King saw that she was not the person he was looking for, he naturally stopped caring and left Chenxiang to fend for herself. Li Xiuyuan then easily rescued Chenxiang.

Chapter 1182: Descending to Earth

Xiaoyu, who was traveling with him, heard him talking to himself and saw that Chenxiang was deep in thought. She asked, "Chenxiang, Chenxiang, what's wrong? Did something happen? You seem so restless."

"My heart suddenly aches terribly. I feel like something must have happened, but the only person I'm close to is my mother. I'm afraid something must have happened to her." Chenxiang told her the truth about her situation.

"Don't worry, your mother is being held captive by Erlang Shen. No other deity can enter that place except for Erlang Shen. As long as your mother stays there, she should be fine. Don't worry," Xiaoyu comforted Chenxiang with her understanding words.

"What if it's Erlang Shen?" Chenxiang said softly.

“Chenxiang, don’t scare yourself. No matter how bad Erlang Shen is, he’s still your mother’s brother. He still has some humanity. He treated your mother well even though she was imprisoned there for so many years. Don’t worry.” Xiaoyu continued. Li Xiuyuan, standing beside her, watched quietly with a smile, not saying a word. He knew what had happened; he knew all about these things.

However, he chose not to speak, otherwise he was afraid that Chenxiang would lose his temper and go back to see the Third Holy Mother. If he wanted the Third Holy Mother to get out of this situation, he would first find the Lotus Lantern. Otherwise, there would be no room for negotiation.

Chenxiang nodded slightly and did not answer. He didn't have time to think about anything else. All he wanted to do was find the Lotus Lantern as soon as possible, rescue his mother, reunite with her, and fulfill his father's wish.

Chenxiang composed himself, suppressed his unease, and continued his journey with Li Xiuyuan and Xiaoyu, hoping to find the Lotus Lantern as quickly as possible. The three of them set off, searching and asking for directions along the way towards their destination.

After Erlang Shen Yang Jian returned to his residence in Heaven, he instructed his subordinates: "Someone, prepare some human clothing, a map of the human world, and necessary weapons for me. Also, notify the six brothers of Meishan to come here and prepare human clothing for them as well, so they can be on standby at any time."

Yang Jian hurriedly walked into the inner room, giving instructions as he went. Suddenly, he stopped. "Also, we need to keep our trip to the human world as secret as possible. Don't let anyone else know, or people will become suspicious. That's all. You can go now."

He instructed his servants to prepare the necessary items for the journey to find the Lotus Lantern. After giving these instructions, he went into his inner chamber to begin his healing process. In order to be in better condition to search for the Lotus Lantern, Yang Jian chose to go into seclusion.

Time passed quietly, and days went by in the mortal realm. Yang Jian finally emerged from seclusion. A day in heaven is equivalent to a year on earth, which is only the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. Yang Jian's injuries were completely healed, and everything he had instructed his subordinates to prepare was ready. Yang Jian then set off with his men.

The group set off from the South Heavenly Gate to the mortal realm. After passing through the passage from Heaven to Earth, they arrived at a desolate place. For hundreds of years, the mortal realm and the celestial realm had not interfered with each other, each fulfilling its own duties. The gods in Heaven would not descend to the mortal realm without permission. Only those gods with the approval of the Jade Emperor or those with special missions would descend. However, they were not allowed to reveal their identities and had to follow all the rules of the mortal realm.

Although immortals are revered and special beings in the eyes of mortals, no mortal has ever truly seen them. In order to maintain the balance between the heavens and the human world, they continued to coexist peacefully. The Jade Emperor then ordered the immortals to descend to the mortal world: to appear as humans, not to use their magical powers without authorization, not to reveal their immortal forms without authorization, and to return within half a day.

Therefore, in order to avoid unnecessary trouble, Erlang Shen Yang Jian ordered his subordinates to make preparations in advance, and that's when the clothes from the human world came in handy.

Erlang Shen and his companions changed into human clothes and prepared to go to the bustling city to inquire about the whereabouts of the Lotus Lantern. Having lived in the Heavenly Court for a long time, they were more familiar with some places than humans. The Third Holy Mother and Chenxiang only mentioned place names in their conversation, and he would have to find the specific route himself.

Erlang Shen, dressed in mortal clothes, exudes a dignified and imposing aura, as well as the handsome features of a scholar. Because Erlang Shen has long held a high position, his majesty has naturally developed over time. He has concealed the third eye on his forehead. Yang Jian is very handsome, but all of this is under his disguise. The real Yang Jian is terrifying even to gods, let alone mortals.

The six brothers of Meishan followed behind Erlang Shen. The clothes they were wearing were a bit hard for them to get used to. They had always worn battle robes in the Heavenly Court. Even when they wore simple clothes, they were still much more solemn and serious than the clothes on earth. Wearing such simple and light clothes all at once made them feel a little uncomfortable.

These six brothers from Meishan had long served Yang Jian. They respected his strength and status, willing to serve him to the death. In the mortal realm, they were known as the Six Friends of Meishan. They were six wandering immortals who assisted Yang Jian, and together with Erlang Shen, they were called the Seven Sages of Meishan. They were: the eldest, Kang Anyu; the second, Zhang Boshi; the third, Li Huanzhang; the fourth, Yao Gonglin; the fifth, Zhijian; and the sixth, Guo Shen. Although not born of the same mother, they were closer than brothers, always loving and loyal to Yang Jian.

Because the six brothers were always very loyal, Yang Jian valued them highly. Noticing the strange behavior of the people behind him, Yang Jian, though also feeling uncomfortable, still spoke up: "Bear with it. This place is not like the Heavenly Court. The Heavenly Realm has long had orders not to reveal our identities. This descent to the mortal realm is a secret operation, and this matter is of great importance. I have not reported to the Jade Emperor, so we must be extremely careful and must not let the Heavenly Realm discover our whereabouts."

"Yes, True Lord, we understand. We will certainly not make things difficult for you." The six brothers of Meishan exchanged glances, and the eldest immediately spoke up to express his loyalty, assuring Yang Jian that he would not make things difficult for him.

Yang Jian received a satisfactory reply and, despite the discomfort he felt with his clothes, headed towards the city.

Chapter 1183

The things they saw and the people they met along the way filled Yang Jian and the six Meishan brothers with wonder. They had never known that the human world was like this before. It wasn't that they had never been to the human world before, but rather that they had only been there a handful of times. Moreover, each time they descended to the mortal realm, it was because they had important business to attend to and were only thinking about finishing their business as quickly as possible so that they could return to report. They rarely had the opportunity to appreciate the scenery of the human world. For a time, they were like Grandma Liu entering the Grand View Garden, finding everything they saw new and exciting.

Yang Jian realized that the human world and the heavenly realm were completely different. Unlike the coldness of the heavenly realm, the human world was bustling with activity and noise. Vendors could be seen everywhere shouting to buy and sell things, and people's faces showed a variety of expressions, some with smiles and others with frowns.

However, this did not affect Yang Jian's mood. He felt a long-lost sense of ease here, which the Heavenly Realm could not provide. The Heavenly Court was like a cold cage, where every deity was trapped and could not have any personal feelings. The Heavenly Laws stipulated that deities must sever their seven emotions and six desires.

At this moment, Yang Jian seemed to understand the Third Holy Mother's selflessness. The mortal world did indeed have a magical power to attract gods, causing one god after another to rush to it. First it was the Weaver Girl, then the Third Holy Mother, and many other immortals whose names he did not know. Every immortal longed for human emotions, and for this they violated the heavenly rules and were severely punished by the heavenly way. Even so, they never repented.

Yang Jian looked at the sky and sighed softly. He had long known and understood the injustice and rigidity of the Heavenly Way, but he had never thought of rebelling against it. The Heavenly Laws were meant to restrain all the gods. Since they were in the Heavenly Court, which had given each god immortality, unfathomable magical power, a body free from illness and disaster, and a smooth life, why should they pursue things that did not belong to them? The Heavenly Way had already given the gods enough. Although humans had seven emotions and six desires, they also experienced birth, aging, sickness, death, pain, and disaster. Why couldn't the gods understand this and were willing to sacrifice their divine status for such illusory things?

Although Yang Jian had seen everything in the human world, and he envied the people there for their vivid expressions and vibrant lives, he had no desire to live such a life. For the sake of endless life and supreme magical power, he felt that these things were illusory and not worth mentioning.

The more Yang Jian experienced in the human world, the more he thought this way. His mind had long been burdened by the heavy shackles imposed on him by himself and the so-called Heavenly Laws, making it impossible for him to extricate himself. It wasn't that he didn't want to obtain it, but rather that he felt that wanting it was less important.

Thus, Yang Jian merely marveled at the beauty of the world, yet remained firmly entrenched in his heart, which had long been frozen solid. He pulled himself together, noticing the curious looks on the faces of the others behind him. "Let's find someone who knows how to get there," he said. "We must hurry and get the Lotus Lantern before Chenxiang does. So, put your minds at ease; the Heavenly Laws still hang over our heads." The Meishan brothers readily agreed and went to find someone who knew the answer.

After finding out where they needed to go next, the group packed their bags and set off. They hurried along the way, occasionally encountering different types of people, but none of them could stir any emotion in them.

Unlike Yang Jian and his companions who were simply on their way, Chenxiang and his group encountered a minor incident on their journey to find the Lotus Lantern. Previously, the Bull Demon King had taken a liking to Xiaoyu and sent men to kidnap her. However, his men kidnapped the wrong person. Chenxiang had visited the Bull Demon King's residence and was later rescued by Li Xiuyuan. Chenxiang and the others assumed the Bull Demon King had simply kidnapped the wrong person and that the matter would end there. But who knew that the Bull Demon King would pull this stunt again, sending his henchmen to kidnap Xiaoyu once more.

That day, Chenxiang and his companions were tired from their journey, so they rested in a grove of trees. They shared some food with each other, and Li Xiuyuan hunted a wild rabbit and roasted it. After they had a good meal, they each took a nap against a big tree.

Just then, the Bull Demon King's men became restless and secretly prepared to kidnap Xiaoyu. After their previous blunder, they learned their lesson and prepared a powerful sleeping potion beforehand, intending to drug the group while they were asleep.

Chenxiang and Xiaoyu fell for the trap. Li Xiuyuan had already discovered the demons and knew they had used a sleeping potion, but he didn't expose them. Instead, he let them kidnap Xiaoyu, because Li Xiuyuan had already devised a plan to eliminate any future trouble. And so, Xiaoyu was taken away by the Bull Demon King's men, those fools even gloating that they had done a great job.

"Third brother, we did a good job this time, and we're sure to satisfy the king."