Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons

Leaving her hometown to marry in a cold and miserable place, she has poor food, drink, clothing and shelter. No love and no favor means no children and no power. She can only be a mascot who cannot speak the language and has to be bullied by the concubine. She has to live like this day after day for the rest of her life. Just thinking about it makes my scalp numb.

By the way, there are many monsters around the Ling Kingdom. You never know when one of them might break in and eat the delicate princess as a dish.

What? You said that marriage can bring high-quality iron ore, gems and good horses to the Tang Dynasty? Okay, everyone knows the truth, so let's make a deal and marry your daughter to the Tang Dynasty?

It is conceivable that the task of selecting the princess for marriage by the Ministry of Rites was even more difficult than the task of the Honglu Temple in finding out the details of the Ling Kingdom despite the language barrier.

Just when the beard of the Minister of Rites was almost pulled out in sorrow, the daughter of the King of Jiangxia stepped forward and generously took on the task of marriage. The emperor and the empress were very moved. They named her Princess Wencheng and ordered the Ministry of Rites to prepare her dowry, the Ministry of War to select strong men to form a personal guard for her, and the Ministry of Works to select craftsmen, doctors, fortune tellers and other talents from all walks of life as her dowry. Everything was carried out in full swing, except that the Ling Kingdom delegation was kept secret.

Time flows like water, and in the blink of an eye it is the eve of the Luotian Grand Ceremony.

The Ling Kingdom delegation had been fighting for two days for the other two places to watch the ceremony, except for the one led by Prince Jiacha, but they still couldn't come to a conclusion. Seeing that the ceremony was about to start tomorrow, Prince Jiacha gritted his teeth and simply let them compete in wrestling, and the two warriors who won the last would share the places. The warriors of Ling Kingdom fought fiercely under the starlight, and the officials of the Honglu Temple who were secretly observing were very happy. After a while, even a battle ranking list was made.

In Xuantian Temple, in front of the statue of Dangmo Tianzun, there are offerings of a bunch of gold coins, a black paper horse, a bowl of clear water and a plate of fresh fruit.

Wen Jiao led her disciple Wu Meiniang and her good friend Huo Ling'er, holding sandalwood sticks and inserting them into the incense burner in front of the statue. Amid the clear and melodious sound of the crock pot, Wen Jiao picked up a green and clean willow branch, dipped it in the clear water, and threw it around.

The water droplets were cool and round, and a few drops fell on Wu Meiniang's eyebrows, as beautiful as flowers wetted by morning dew.

"Disciple Wen Jiao, I report to the Great Heavenly Venerable Xuantian Emperor of the North Pole who has attained enlightenment and is known for his cultivation of the Tao: There is no permanent way in the East, only the capable can live there. In front is the Bodhisattva showing his holiness, and behind is the Ling Kingdom spying. For the eternal prosperity of my Tao, I pray to Master to send down the true spirit at the Luotian Grand Ceremony tomorrow!" Wen Jiao looked solemn, and while she was sprinkling clear water, she spoke in a clear and loud voice.

The precious statue of the Demon-Subduing Heavenly Venerable was sculpted by a divine general, with black hair like a horse, black clothes and golden armor, and a tortoise and snake under his feet. His precious appearance was as solemn as the mountains and rivers, and he was deeply admired by the Heavenly Venerable Wind God. He lowered his eyes and stared at Wen Jiao below, his eyes as deep as the eternity of the sun and the moon.

The dew from the willow branches formed a thin mist on the incense table, which slowly condensed into a line of words. Wen Jiao saw it and her eyes trembled slightly.

"I have made a promise not to meet you in the human world. The golden light shines through the heaven and earth, so there must be a true immortal." Wu Meiniang recited slowly, her expression slightly tense, "Master, is the Grandmaster unwilling to come?"

Wen Jiao sighed, "When I became his disciple twelve years ago, my master once said that he would meet me again in the Lingxiao Palace one day. It seems that he has made up his mind not to meet me before I ascend to heaven."

"From what our master said, there will still be a true immortal descending tomorrow. I just don't know which true immortal this golden light shining through the heaven and earth refers to." Wu Meiniang said.

"Golden light..." Wen Jiao's heart moved, and she had a guess, "It might be the Western Jinde Taibai Tianhaoxingjun who came."

Wu Meiniang couldn't help but exclaimed "Wow": "Tomorrow I will be able to see a real immortal!" Anyone who knew that they were going to see a living immortal would not be more calm than her.

Wen Jiao stole a glance at her and thought: There is also a Eastern Heart Fox Star Lord here, who is also a real immortal, jumping around and breathing, for sure.

The long-prepared Luotian Grand Ceremony began on an early summer morning when the sky was infinitely high, the breeze was infinitely warm, and the sun was infinitely bright.

The weather is slightly warm but not hot, it is a comfortable and nice day.

Taoists believe that above the Three Realms, there is a vast and dark Great Luotian, which is the highest point in the sky. The so-called Luotian Grand Ceremony is named after this. The ceremony requires the construction of nine altars to worship the "Three Realms Supreme, Ten Directions Supreme Saints, Jade Capital Golden Palace Heavenly Emperor Tianzhen, Ten Directions Masters and Saints, Three Realms Officials, and All Powerful Spirits", a total of 1,200 gods and spirits, which lasts for 49 days. The content is nothing more than praying for peace and tranquility, peace and prosperity, confession of sins, thanksgiving, longevity, and the removal of the dead and recommending ancestors.

This was one of the highest-level sacrificial activities in Taoism, and Li Shimin had ordered a grand ceremony. With the cooperation of various departments, it was even more grand. Jia Cha and others were surrounded by the crowd and walked along the way. The noses were filled with the scent of agarwood, sandalwood, frankincense, and ambergris. All they saw were jewels and precious stones, and all they heard were elegant Taoist music. Even the top of the altar was covered with colorful silk, leaving no trace of the sky. The soft light flowed, dazzling them.

"This is what a sacrifice is..." one person couldn't help but mutter. This trip was really an eye-opener. Compared with the grand scene in front of him, his own sacrifices of slaughtering a few cattle and sheep, offering a few human sacrifices, and beating a few drums were so shabby that he was embarrassed to say it. No wonder the gods never wanted to show up in front of them!

Wen Jiao wore a brocade cape and a green feather skirt, a mysterious night-light crown on her head, and held a green jade tablet in her hand. Amid the grand music, she chanted aloud: "The fragrance rises from sincerity, and the smoke comes from faith. With one sincerity, you can reach the heavens, and all the immortals will descend to the steps of the jade."

The smoke curled up and condensed into a soft white column of air that went straight up to the sky. Suddenly, a golden star appeared in the center of the sky. It was a tiny, sharp and bright point at first, and then it continued to expand and shine brightly. The faces of the people below were immediately illuminated by a golden color. As people looked at each other in amazement, they saw auspicious clouds swirling and auspicious air rising, surrounding the golden star in the shape of a flying phoenix. The golden star was at the position of the phoenix's eye.

"When it soars westward, the sky is dark and misty; when it flies eastward, the sun and the moon shine brightly." Li Shimin, who was resting in a quiet room after burning incense, heard the admiration from outside. He went out to take a look and was suddenly inspired. He asked the palace maids to put down their pens and ink, and his inspiration flowed as he wrote an "Ode to the Mighty Phoenix."

In the dojo, Jia Cha looked up at the golden-eyed phoenix in the sky, his heart filled with excitement, and he murmured, "Is this my grandmother's hometown? Not only are there magical leaves, but there are also... gods!"

As soon as the words fell, the golden phoenix blinked. Then the phoenix body scattered and formed a cloud in the sky.

In the auspicious glow of the rosy clouds, an old man in white clothes, white hair and white beard slowly descended and landed in front of Wen Jiao.

Wen Jiao looked respectful, but her lips moved slightly as she asked softly, "How can I trouble you, old man?"

Taibai Jinxing waved his whisk, looking like an immortal, and replied unhappily, "Your master said that if I don't go, he will play chess with me."