A Tale of Encounters with Immortals: A Peach Blossom Temple in the Martial World

Zhang Zhengdao was very interested in the story of the shepherd boy and the white snake, but he still warned the white snake.

You must not harm young shepherds who are not yet adults.

Otherwise it will die.

This warning was so serious that the White Snake was too frightened to approach the shepherd boy for quite some time. The so-called life-saving grace from the shepherd boy, it now seemed, had turned into this because of her own actions.

"Hahaha!"

Zhang Zhengdao laughed triumphantly.

The fat monk followed Zhang Zhengdao, when he suddenly heard Zhang Zhengdao burst into laughter. He couldn't help but ask, "Why is the Daoist Master laughing so loudly?"

Zhang Zhengdao said, "I laugh at the cycle of fate, for my schemes are foolish."

The fat monk broke out in a cold sweat.

"I wouldn't dare talk nonsense!"

Zhang Zhengdao asked curiously, "Why are you so concerned? I wasn't insulting you, I was just insulting the Heavenly Dao. What is the Heavenly Dao? What does it look like? What abilities does it have? Nobody knows. It can't possibly take revenge on me!"

The fat monk decided to shut up.

I will resolutely not participate in such discussions about the Way of Heaven.

Let's go to the Taoist temple with this Taoist priest and see what we can gain.

The two walked one after the other through the mountains, without using any supernatural powers. Along the way, many minor demons greeted Zhang Zhengdao, and a monkey even hopped over with some fruit and handed it to him.

Zhang Zhengdao gave one to the fat monk.

The fat monk took a bite, and found it unbearably sour and bitter.

"Bah bah bah!"

He vomited on the ground.

Zhang Zhengdao shook his head: "You monk, you talk about compassion all the time, and you call yourself a poor monk. You even wasted such good fruit. You still can't stand hardship! You're clearly just a rich monk."

The fat monk smiled wryly. The Taoist priest started scolding him, but he didn't care and went to the Taoist temple.

We could see the gate of the Taoist temple in the distance.

The Taoist temple looked ordinary and unremarkable, which surprised him.

"Please, monk!"

"Fellow Taoist, please!"

The two entered the Taoist temple, and Zhang Zhengdao called out, "Xiao Zhu, take the fish we caught today over, make a soup, and add some tofu..."

He turned back to look at the monk and slapped his leg: "Oh dear, I forgot that monks can't eat meat."

The fat monk laughed and said, "Our Mahayana Buddhism uses the mind to help others, helping oneself and others to save others. We cultivate our mind and our speech, and we cannot eat meat. There is also Hinayana Buddhism, which is only about saving oneself and not helping others, and we can eat pure meat."

Zhang Zhengdao was taken aback; he had never heard of "clean meat" before.

Seeing Zhang Zhengdao's bewildered expression, the fat monk continued with a smile: "Not seeing the killer; not hearing the killer for me; having no doubt that the killer was for me. This is the three kinds of pure meat."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhengdao burst into laughter: "Monk, aren't you just burying your head in the sand and deceiving yourself? Haha... I'll eat what I want, why be so particular!"

Fat monk: Will you die if you don't argue with people?

Just then, the spider demon came over and took away the fish that Zhang Zhengdao had caught.

Zhang Zhengdao shouted loudly, "Prepare vegetarian food for the monks!"

"got it!"

The spider demon had already crawled far away when the reply finally reached us.

Zhang Zhengdao led the monks to sit down in the courtyard outside the palace.

Ao Yu suddenly appeared out of nowhere and said to Zhang Zhengdao, "Bai's little lover has been saved and told me that he wants to repay you..."

How much money can she give?

"She said... if the Taoist priest is willing, she wouldn't mind..."

"roll!"

"Alright!" Ao Yu didn't even glance at the monk from beginning to end.

But the monk couldn't help but look at Ao Yu, and then he exclaimed "Oh!" as he felt a flash of golden light that almost startled him.

It resembled an ancient golden dragon in the vast universe, its entire body radiating dazzling light, almost startling even myself. This dragon was no ordinary creature.

The fat monk fell silent.

The Four Dragon Kings are merely sea gods who obey orders. The Heavenly Dragon, one of the Eight Legions of Heavenly Dragons in the Great Thunderclap Temple, cultivates in the Dragon Transformation Pool, his body covered in golden scales, and he hears the Buddha's great Dharma blessing him all day long. Even he is not as moving as this.

He fell even more silent, not wanting to speak.

Looking at the Taoist priest, he seemed more and more like an ordinary person, without any flaws or shortcomings, and without the slightest hint of being a master.

Before long, the spider demon brought over all the food dishes at once.

"Call me when you're done eating!"

The spider demon finally glanced at the fat monk, her heart filled with displeasure.

Monks are so shrewd; they don't eat meat, fish, tofu, onions, ginger, garlic, or eggs. What's the point of being a monk? They're even said to be forbidden from getting married. I really don't know how a vegetarian can become so fat.

Zhang Zhengdao drinks wine, while the monks drink tea.

While eating, the monk asked, "There are still many spirits here. The monkey spirit we just saw was still in its early stages of cultivation. I wonder how long it has been cultivating?"

"It's been two years!"

Zhang Zhengdao was wary and immediately inquired about the monkey.

"Monk, tell me honestly, did you come here to inquire about a monkey?"

Zhang Zhengdao didn't want to bring the monkey along either. This monkey would cause a lot of trouble in the future, so it would be best if the monk took it away. Out of sight, out of mind, and to avoid future trouble.

The fat monk laughed and said, "There is indeed a peculiar monkey in this world, a stone monkey born from the essence of heaven and earth. When the stone monkey was born, even Buddha Tathagata sensed it, but lamented that the stone monkey's birth was unusual. Could it be that this monkey is with you, fellow Daoist? That would be quite rare."

There's no point in hiding it, Zhang Zhengdao nodded: "Exactly. He's got a shameless personality. Would you like to meet him?"

The fat monk laughed and said, "If you are destined to meet, you will naturally meet; if you are not, it doesn't matter whether you meet or not."

Back in his previous life on Earth, Zhang Zhengdao read a lot of online novels. He planned to mention in every Journey to the West novel that involved time travel that there were things like the Great Tribulation of Journey to the West, Buddhist conspiracies, and the conflict between Buddhism and Taoism. However, after actually reading Journey to the West a few times, he found that none of these things were mentioned.

The entire Journey to the West novel has been turned into a conspiracy.

In retrospect, it seems I was overthinking things.

So he stopped bringing up the topic and said, "I didn't teach him any magic techniques. I just had him read books, write characters, and listen to my lectures when he had free time..."

The fat monk exclaimed, "That's wonderful! Reading and writing are truly a great merit."

The fat monk stayed one night in a side room of the palace.

Zhang Zhengdao didn't sense the fat monk sneaking away to find the monkey all night. He probably didn't come specifically for the monkey. He probably just felt the heavenly secrets here were in a state of chaos and came to probe the truth.

However, they will meet sooner or later, so there is no need to deliberately prevent the monkey from seeing the monk.

So the next day, the monk saw the monkey.

And I saw him on the morning of Zhang Zhengdao's lecture.

As Zhang Zhengdao lectured, the monk sat cross-legged on a futon, listening intently to the lecture alongside a group of demons. His focused demeanor made the demons think he was a very serious and earnest monk.

"Snapped!"

As soon as the gavel struck, Zhang Zhengdao began to speak.

"...The pivot of creation lies in Qi, not in form. The primordial Qi divides into Yin and Yang; the clear Yang becomes Heaven, and the turbid Yin becomes Earth. The interaction of Heaven and Earth gives rise to the Three Powers. Observe the blossoms of spring and the fruits of autumn, and you will understand the wonder of Qi transformation: the upper Qi is Yang, and the lower Qi is Yin. At the point where the two Qi interact, true fire suddenly bursts forth; this is the mysterious gate of creation. The rotation of the Five Elements is not in a fixed order, and the alternation of the Four Seasons is inherently impermanent. Only those with a clear and pure Daoist heart can see the image of the primordial chaos. All things carry Yin and embrace Yang, and the interaction of Qi brings harmony. You should follow this principle in your cultivation—guard your spirit in the Yellow Court, let Qi circulate throughout the body, and when the Three Flowers gather at the crown, you will see the true realm before the separation of chaos..."

When they went on to talk about some methods of cultivation, the sky was filled with clouds and the heavens and earth automatically covered the sky so that the rest of the land would not know about it.

The demons were completely captivated by what they heard, utterly mesmerized.

The monkey scratched its ears and cheeks, overjoyed, jumping around excitedly.

Since receiving Zhang Zhengdao's teachings, its cultivation has progressed by leaps and bounds. Now, when it hears these teachings, it no longer feels confused or only vaguely understands them.

Once one thing is understood, everything becomes clear. Suddenly, a surge of pure energy rushed to the top of his head, and with a thunderous roar at the key point, it was as if a thunderbolt had split the heavens and the earth. The chaos in his mind was instantly cleared up as if the world had been created anew.

"I understand! I understand! Haha, haha, thank you, Taoist Master..."

The monkey couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Zhang Zhengdao was lecturing when the monkey suddenly disrupted the class. He immediately shouted angrily, "Damn monkey, so unruly and incorrigible, you are utterly unteachable! Get out!"

This shout, like a thunderclap, immediately stunned the monkey.

The monkey's eyes were clear, and it looked at Zhang Zhengdao and said, "Daoist Master, I'll leave now. Don't be angry, I'll apologize to you later..."

Zhang Zhengdao angrily said, "Who told you to apologize? I'm telling you to get out of here. You can go wherever you want once you leave this Taoist temple."

The monkey was immediately stunned upon hearing this!

No, the Taoist priest is serious...

"Master...I..."

With a "thump," he knelt down on both knees and kowtowed repeatedly.

"Master, please forgive me. I know I was wrong and I will correct my mistakes. I will accept whatever punishment you give me. If you even frown, I will leave on my own! Please don't kick me out."

The spider felt sorry for the monkey and said to the Taoist priest, "Taoist priest, you are kind-hearted. Please give the monkey a chance."

The demons all chimed in, "Taoist Master, please give Brother Monkey a chance!"

Brother Monkey?

Zhang Zhengdao was taken aback.

This monkey has only been here a short time, how come everyone already calls him their older brother?

We absolutely cannot keep them here any longer; who knows what kind of trouble they'll cause if we do. He quickly waved his hand and said, "Stop talking, or I'll kick you all out too."

So all the fairies fell silent.

Upon hearing this, the monkey realized there was no room for negotiation.

Tears welled up in its eyes, and it kowtowed heavily. The demons tried to pull it up, but it wouldn't get up.

Zhang Zhengdao scolded, "If it wants to kneel, then kneel. Are you beasts trying to slack off? Get out and get to work. I want spicy ginger tripe for dinner tonight."

Having said that, he flicked his sleeve and went to his bedchamber on his own.