Chapter 316: Where the Ghost Mother Practiced the Dharma; Meeting the Wish-Fulfilling Immortal on the Way

Now, let us speak of Fang Longye and Yang Chan, who had transformed into a pair of mortal husband and wife, walking along the main street of the Daughter Kingdom.

Although the two were disguised as commoners, one had a bearing as elegant as jade, and the other a beauty like a Heavenly Immortal; both possessed top-tier appearances, making them extremely conspicuous.

Naturally, this caused the women of the Daughter Kingdom to stop in their tracks and stare incessantly.

However, upon closer inspection, the majority of these gazes fell upon Fang Longye.

In the Daughter Kingdom, what was so rare about a beautiful woman? Men were the rare commodities, and a man as handsome as this was even more difficult to come by.

Therefore, even with a beauty as divine as Yang Chan following closely by Fang Longye's side, it could not dispel the covetousness these women of the Daughter Kingdom felt toward him.

One after another, they postured and preened, the burning intensity in their eyes making it seem as if they wished to swallow Fang Longye alive.

Some of the bolder ones even partially unfastened their garments, revealing a pair of white jade bowls that resembled the moon, shining so brightly they left one dizzy and dazzled.

Yet, this Daughter Kingdom was situated such that to the west lay many jackals, wolves, tigers, and leopards, and on the road to Jisaiguo, there were various demon kings entrenched, while to the east, the eight-hundred-mile Tongtian River blocked the way, making it a place rarely visited by humans.

Although there were some merchants who valued money over their lives and sailed across the river to seek fortune here, over the thousands of years, men had occasionally arrived in the Daughter Kingdom.

But in terms of quantity, they were few and far between.

Especially a man as extraordinarily handsome as Fang Longye; he was truly a once-in-a-millennium encounter.

"Hmph!"

Seeing that Fang Longye's eyes were practically being hooked away, Yang Chan felt so jealous she could not help but let out a cold snort, which made him shudder involuntarily.

He snapped out of his reverie and fantasies.

At the same time, she looked all around.

A chill welled up in her beautiful eyes, suffused with murderous intent, scaring away all the women who were watching.

"Have you seen enough?"

Seeing Fang Longye's look of lingering enjoyment, Yang Chan was furious and sneered, "Do you think this place is simply paradise?"

"This Daughter Kingdom is no place of benevolence."

Yang Chan continued to sneer, "If you think I am fear-mongering, you are welcome to try and see if you won't be picked clean to the bone by these vixens, lose your life, and have the flesh on your body carved off to make sachets."

Fang Longye gave a sheepish smile; he naturally knew that this Daughter Kingdom was not a simple place.

To say nothing of anything else, the Mother-Child River water that could make one pregnant for no reason, the Fetal-Shedding Spring that could dissolve flesh and primordial fetuses, and the Fetal-Reflecting Spring that could break illusions and reveal one's true form—none of these were simple things...

He had seen the Mother-Child River water before and could not see through it in the slightest; it was no different from ordinary water, yet after drinking it, regardless of gender, age, or status, one would become pregnant and conceive, giving birth to a baby girl in three days.

Clearly, it had a profound origin.

Heaven and Earth have Yin and Yang; isolated Yang cannot grow, and isolated Yin cannot flourish. This Daughter Kingdom, being a nation of only women, was naturally not something born of nature; in all likelihood, it was a chess game set by some great power with profound cultivation, wishing to observe the evolution of isolated Yin.

"Judging by your tone, it seems you know the origin of this Daughter Kingdom, Miaojun?"

Seeing Yang Chan jealous, Fang Longye naturally would not ask for trouble, and his gaze no longer swept back and forth over the women of the Daughter Kingdom.

He simply pulled her into his arms, stared straight ahead, and changed the subject.

"Although I have never been here, I have heard of the origins of this place from ancient texts." Yang Chan rolled her eyes at him, no longer holding it against him.

Instead, she nestled in his arms and began to recount the history of the place, "This Daughter Kingdom is no other place; it is the site where the Ghost Mother once practiced the Dharma."

"All who drink the water of the Mother-Child River and conceive and give birth are, in a certain sense, ghost fetuses."

Although even the ghost fetuses born in such a way do not know their own origins.

"Ghost Mother?"

Fang Longye was stunned upon hearing this. Was this not one of the twenty heavens of Fomen, the existence known in later generations as the Sending-Child Goddess or Sending-Child Guanyin?

No wonder there was a Mother-Child River and a Fetal-Shedding Spring.

Come to think of it, this Ghost Mother had not attained the Dao for very long; she was a new Daluo who emerged after the Conferring of the Gods.

Her own experiences were even more legendary.

It is said that the Ghost Mother was originally a pregnant woman; in the past, when a Buddha appeared in the world at Rajgir, she was traveling with five hundred people to attend the assembly when she suffered a miscarriage midway.

Those five hundred people all abandoned her and left.

Therefore, she made a poisonous vow that in her next life, she would be reborn in Rajgir and eat all the children in the city.

Later, she indeed fulfilled her vow.

After being reborn in Rajgir, she gave birth to five hundred children, all of whom were ghost children, and every day she captured the children of the city to eat them.

The Shakyamuni Buddha heard of this, so he took advantage of her being away to abduct one of her children.

After the Ghost Mother returned and searched everywhere without success, she finally had to seek help from Shakyamuni. Shakyamuni then persuaded her to put herself in others' shoes, and he successfully converted the Ghost Mother, causing her to suddenly realize her past wrongs and become one of the Dharma-protecting heavens.

Therefore, this Ghost Mother is also known as the "Violent Evil Mother" and the "Joyful Mother." In Fang Longye's previous life, she was even worshipped by the common people as the Sending-Child Goddess.

It is said that she was quite efficacious—of course, the versions Fang Longye had heard were not limited to just this one.

The other version of the story was not like the former, which had been embellished and beautified.

It is said that this Ghost Mother was an innate ghost deity who had been entrenched in Xiniu Hezhou since ancient times, and could be counted as a Great Divine Ability user of some standing.

Unfortunately, as early as the initial establishment of the Western Sect, she had fallen at the hands of those two Western Saints.

Later,

Laozi transformed the Hu into Buddhists, and Buddhism emerged as the times demanded. This "Ghost Mother" finally had a trace of her True Spirit return to Heaven and Earth, wishing to settle the karma with Mount Ling.

Under the operation of Heavenly Secrets, as mentioned before, she became the so-called Ghost Mother, gave birth to five hundred ghost children, and made things difficult for Buddhism day and night.

It could be considered a Tribulation on the path of Rulai's attainment of the Dao.

Unfortunately, she was ultimately no match for the schemes, allowing Shakyamuni Rulai to take action and steal away one of her ghost children, luring her out of her cultivation site.

The Ghost Mother, with her mind obscured by the Calamity, actually led a group of ghost soldiers to wreak havoc on Mount Ling, cursing the Buddha as a yellow-faced old man and a bald-headed novice, threatening that if he did not release her child, she would slaughter all the monks in the temple.

Unfortunately, firstly, she was no match for Rulai's methods, and secondly, her child was held in his hands; after a great battle, she had no choice but to take refuge in Fomen.

"Lay down the butcher's knife, and become a Buddha on the spot."

That is the old tradition of Buddhism!

Nothing to be surprised about~

……

"What? Still reluctant to part with those warblers and swallows?"

After touring the Daughter Kingdom, Fang Longye did not leave directly; instead, he pulled Yang Chan toward Jieyang Mountain, not far outside the city.

This naturally made Yang Chan feel a bit jealous.

She thought he was still pining for the Daughter Kingdom!

Fang Longye could not help but protest, "You have misunderstood me there!"

"I was only looking because the water of the Mother-Child River is so strange, and I wanted to see what the situation was with the Fetal-Shedding Spring in the Broken Child Cave."

Furthermore, he remembered that in Journey to the West, Niu Mowang's brother—Ruyi Zhenxian—cultivated on Jieyang Mountain.

Unfortunately, upon arriving at Jieyang Mountain, he only saw a solitary spirit spring, just like the Mother-Child River: clear water, deep cold waves, and not a single water insect to be found.

As for the rest, he saw no other scenery.

"It seems that Ruyi Zhenxian has not yet come here to occupy the Broken Child Cave."

Fang Longye thought to himself.

At the same time, he summoned a Spirit Treasure and took a good amount of the Fetal-Shedding Spring water before continuing westward with Yang Chan.

He had no other intentions; he had previously collected quite a bit of Mother-Child River water, so he had to prepare some antidotes! As for what use collecting the Mother-Child River water had.

Hehe, this was a good thing. Although he had not yet figured out the nuances of this Mother-Child River water or how the laws and principles contained within it operated.

But he had thought of quite a few uses for it.

If applied correctly, it was simply a great lethal weapon for defeating enemies and turning the tide.

For instance, through trickery and deceit, secretly letting an enemy drink it—the scene would definitely be a sight to behold~

……

"It is a pity that the Scorpion Spirit, who could sting even Rulai and make him cry out in pain, has not yet returned to her place."

Passing through the Jincui Mountain ranges, Fang Longye lay half-reclined in the carriage in Yang Chan's arms, receiving a massage from her slender, jade-like hands.

He scanned his surroundings, but could not help feeling a bit regretful in his heart.

In Journey to the West, the Scorpion Spirit's dojo was right next to the capital of the Daughter Kingdom, but unfortunately, he saw no great demons today.

This Scorpion Spirit was quite formidable in the original work; under her Inverted Horse Stake, even Rulai was stung with unbearable pain, and she fought both Monkey and Bajie alone without falling behind.

Moreover, she was incredibly beautiful; if he could subdue her, the benefits would be significant. It would be like gaining a female fighter who could battle, kill, and warm the bed~ Just as he was feeling regretful, he saw the thin clouds ahead disperse, and bright light like threads appeared, like stars and moons, brilliant and varied.

Then, a voice rang out, saying: "I was wondering why this carriage looked so familiar~ I never expected the Third Holy Mother to have come to Xiniu Hezhou?"

Yang Chan heard the greeting from someone who seemed to be an old acquaintance.

She hurriedly pushed Fang Longye away, her face blushing slightly, straightened her clothes, and waved her hand to bring the carriage to a stop.

Only then did she respond: "So it is Fellow Daoist Ruyi~ Weren't you still in Nanzhan Buzhou when we last met? Why have you run all the way to Xiniu Hezhou?"

Fellow Daoist Ruyi?

Fang Longye's heart stirred, and he looked toward the sound.

He saw the newcomer, wearing a star-crowned hat with flying colors, and dressed in a red Dharma robe of golden threads. On his feet were cloud shoes piled with embroidery, and around his waist was a Treasure Belt winding in exquisite patterns.

In his hand, he held a Ruyi Golden Hook, its base sharp and its shaft long like a python dragon.

The man himself had phoenix eyes shining bright with eyebrows standing tall, steel teeth sharp and a mouth turned red. His beard under his forehead fluttered like a raging fire, and the red hair at his temples was short and disheveled.

Truly a fine image.

Seeing Yang Chan stop the carriage, the newcomer pushed aside the curtain and walked over, stepping on lotus flowers.

His star-crowned hat shimmered, and the Ruyi Golden Hook moved behind him, rotating slowly in the halo of light, echoing up and down; it held no sharpness, but instead gave one a sense of gentleness.

He arrived before the carriage, saw the two of them, and with a face full of smiles, bowed and saluted: "This poor Daoist, Ruyi, greets the Third Holy Mother and this Dragon Lord~"

His voice was calm and natural, giving one the feeling of bathing in a spring breeze. It was like hearing the rustling sound of frost and snow on bamboo in the mountains, before a stream.

It was almost like heavenly music.

"Ruyi~"

Fang Longye had a sudden realization; the person before him was likely that Ruyi Zhenxian~

As the thought flashed through his mind, seeing Ruyi Daoren finish his salute, he stood up to return the gesture: "I am Dragon Lord Yuanlong, greetings to you, Fellow Daoist!"

While returning the salute, he could not help but size up the person he had just been thinking about.

He saw that the aura around the other party was like mist and clouds, with Clear Qi lingering; every movement was like clouds in the sky or cranes in the forest, possessing a sense of peace.

Looking closely, there was not a trace of demonic aura.

His Divine Light was clear and bright, the mark of a perfected True Immortal.

The "Immortal" in Ruyi Zhenxian was truly well-deserved~ "A perfected True Immortal."

Fang Longye's gaze flickered, seeing through everything. He could tell that the temperament of Niu Mowang's younger brother was nearly that of an immortal, a picture of moral perfection.

One could not tell his origins as a demon-immortal at all.

Extraordinary indeed~

However, thinking that he could be acquainted with Yang Chan and was also Niu Mowang's younger brother, his background was naturally far from ordinary.

Speaking of which, although Ruyi Zhenxian's abilities in Journey to the West were mediocre, he seemed to have escaped unscathed from under Monkey's staff~ and never lost his life.

Without a background, one could not achieve that.

"I wondered who it was; so it is Dragon Lord Yuanlong!"

As Fang Longye was sizing him up, Ruyi Zhenxian heard his introduction, was startled for a moment, then understood, and a look of realization appeared on his face.

The Ruyi hook behind him moved, slowly like a brush stroke, sketching empty mountains without rain, the green moisture clinging to one's clothes, and a moist vitality rushing toward them.

He laughed aloud: "I have long heard of the Dragon Lord's great name!"

At the same time, he looked at Yang Chan with a smile that was not quite a smile, saying: "It seems I shouldn't have offered this greeting and disturbed the two of you~"

Yang Chan's face turned red, and she spat, saying: "Bah! You old bull-nose really don't know how to speak like a human~"

It was evident that she was very familiar with the other party.

After some pleasantries,

Yang Chan introduced him to Fang Longye: "This Daoist priest belongs half to the Shangqing Sect and is called Ruyi Daoren; his elder brother is the Dali Bull Demon King, who is currently rising to fame in Xiniu Hezhou."

It really was Ruyi Zhenxian.

After Yang Chan finished the introduction, she flicked her sleeve and tossed out a Treasure Map, which was strikingly the Map of Mountains and Rivers.

As it slowly unfurled, it poured out Divine Light, sparse and scattered like winter snow, or like frost and sand in a deep ravine, crystalline and flawless, untainted by the mortal world.

It opened up a realm of its own.

Spring mountains and a bright moon hung in the void, casting a solitary glow; the wind blew through green pines, in perfect harmony of light and shade. Pine and bamboo provided shade, jade grasses grew in clusters, cranes danced gracefully, and little deer bleated softly.

It was truly a location of an Immortal Realm.

Yang Chan reached out slightly, gesturing for the two to enter and converse.

……

The Divine Light descended like scales, illuminating the ground with the color of glazed jade; on the table sat a small Yuding, with thin wisps of blue smoke, and from the bronze dragon-shaped burner, colorful radiance emerged.

Thousands upon thousands of seal characters, like stars filling the sky, descended slowly, transforming into blooming jade stamen flowers that permeated the air with a cold fragrance.

There was another small stove, with sounds of pines echoing, and ethereal clouds like water, brewing a pot of clear tea.

The three sat inside, savoring the fragrant tea.

The color of the tea was faint, like the hazy sky after rain.

The tea fragrance did not dissipate, possessing the cold, refreshing scent of lotus flowers.

After some tea tasting and idle chatter, Yang Chan asked about Ruyi Zhenxian's purpose in coming to Xiniu Hezhou: "You Daoist priest were doing just fine in Nanzhan Buzhou, what are you doing here in Xiniu Hezhou?"

"There is nothing to hide~" Ruyi Daoren was currently only at the Golden Immortal Realm, yet he remained neither humble nor arrogant when facing Fang Longye and Yang Chan.

"My elder brother intends to formally establish his estate in Xiniu Hezhou; as his younger brother, I naturally must go to offer my congratulations~"

Of course, what Ruyi Daoren did not say was that he had recently been prompted by his sect elders, who said that Xiniu Hezhou held a fated opportunity for him.

This was the reason he had been so proactive in greeting Fang Longye and the other when he saw them.

He had speculated that Fang Longye and Yang Chan might be the source of his fated opportunity. Although, after approaching them, he quickly dismissed the thought.

However, such matters involving his own cultivation would not be spoken of to outsiders~ "Oh?"

Fang Longye naturally did not know what Ruyi Daoren was thinking, but after hearing his words, his heart stirred, and he asked: "May I ask where your brother intends to establish his estate?"

"It is not far from here; according to my brother's message, it seems to be called Cuiyun Mountain~"

(End of this chapter)