Chapter 2: Chijiao Daxian's Shoes

Chijiao Daxian is a highly respected elder immortal in the Heavenly Realm who often encourages those younger immortals who are lost in life. In the Heavenly Realm, from the Jade Emperor down to the nameless minor immortals who have just entered the immortal registry, all hold him in great respect. Even immortals who have never met him, upon seeing an old man with a pair of bare, dark, large feet, know that it is Chijiao Daxian and will greet him warmly. Chijiao Daxian enjoys this feeling of being respected very much; from time to time, he goes to places where the younger immortals gather to circle around, teaching them some experience from the immortal world and discussing ideals. The minor immortals treat him like a life mentor, surrounding him and listening to his teachings earnestly. Whenever he sees those juniors no longer feeling lost because of his words, and subsequently casting looks of admiration and gratitude at him, Chijiao Daxian feels there is nothing more blissful than this.

Just a moment ago, Chijiao Daxian successfully broke through to the ninth realm of the Great Luo Golden Immortal. Before this, the only one in the Heavenly Realm with such an achievement was Taishang Laojun. He could not wait to end his seclusion, preparing to go find those younger immortals to receive their admiring gazes. Chijiao Daxian stepped out of his mansion gate, and the two young attendants guarding the gate saw him and hurriedly bowed respectfully. Along the way, he met several familiar immortals, who also greeted him warmly. But for some reason, he always felt that the few he met today felt strange. It was as if two pairs of eyes were always glancing at the ground from time to time, as if they were looking for something. Chijiao Daxian walked for a while and finally arrived at the Heavenly Realm Library, which is the knowledge base of the Heavenly Realm and where the younger immortals love to gather most. Before long, Chijiao Daxian was surrounded by a crowd of minor immortals who had just ascended to the Heavenly Realm. Chijiao Daxian explained his insights on cultivation to them, and they listened quietly. After speaking for a while, Chijiao Daxian felt something was not quite right. In the past, whenever he spoke, these minor immortals would listen very earnestly. Why was it that today, when he spoke, these minor immortals seemed to have their minds not on listening, and occasionally one could hear someone snickering. Chijiao Daxian ended his lecture hastily and walked back in low spirits. Suddenly, he heard a voice from behind calling out: "Chijiao Daxian, stay your step!"

Chijiao Daxian looked back and saw it was a celestial maiden who had just ascended to the Immortal Realm, named Lingmeng. He then opened his mouth to ask: "Fairy Lingmeng, is something the matter?"

Lingmeng lowered her head, blushing, with a shy and hesitant appearance, and said slowly: "Great Immortal, can you tell me what you use to wash your feet? How did those dark, large feet of yours suddenly become so white, tender, and radiant, it simply doesn't look like that pair of feet from before."

Upon hearing this, Chijiao Daxian looked at his own large feet. Sure enough, that pair of large feet, which were originally dark and had incomparably rough skin, now looked white, tender, and supple. It turned out that the immortal technique practiced by Chijiao Daxian was different from others. When others cultivate, they all breathe and inhale through the dantian to nourish the inner elixir. But the Divine Foot Scripture practiced by Chijiao Daxian takes the Bubbling Spring point on the soles of the feet as its foundation, with pulse Qi emanating from the soles and circulating throughout the entire body. Therefore, when cultivated to the extreme, the feet are refined to be crystalline and jade-like, different from ordinary people. Only then did Chijiao Daxian think of the cause and effect; it turned out that his feet had changed their appearance, which attracted strange looks from others and made him a laughingstock. Pity that he, a dignified Great Luo Golden Immortal, was now being laughed at by these younger immortals, so he said helplessly: "This is my secret method; when cultivated to the extreme, the feet become as white as jade. However, these are just some minor details; there is no need to take them too seriously."

Celestial maidens in the Heavenly Realm are naturally more fond of beauty than women in the mortal world. Once Lingmeng heard this, she immediately said joyfully: "There is such a secret method? Can the Great Immortal teach me as well? I am willing to take the Great Immortal as my master."

Chijiao Daxian, however, said: "This is my unique secret technique, never to be passed on." Having said that, he hurriedly ran back to his mansion in a flash, closed the door, and did not step out for three days. Yet, he learned from a crowd of servants and minor immortals inside the mansion that it had spread everywhere outside; secretly, people were calling Chijiao Daxian "Jade Foot Great Immortal." The male disciples all laughed at him for having a woman's feet, while the celestial maidens were all very interested in his jade feet and all wanted to learn this method of maintaining beautiful feet from him. Chijiao Daxian was so ashamed he could not show his face, so he hurriedly ran secretly behind people's backs to the mansion of his old friend Taibai Jinxing, wanting to ask old Taibai to think of a way for him.

Taibai Jinxing saw him in this state and could not help but laugh: "If this pair of feet grew on any young girl, it would make people want to go up and touch them. But growing on you, this old man, it is just too mismatched! Also, your feet are beautiful, but they are just a bit too large, and they are not in proportion to your short, fat figure!"

Chijiao Daxian retorted: "You old rascal, you are even an expert on feet, and you still come to make fun of me! Now that I am in this state, I don't even dare to step out of my house for fear of others laughing at me. You should give me an idea; what is to be done?"

Taibai Jinxing said: "What is difficult about this? Can't you just hide your feet? Just because you are called Chijiao Daxian, does that mean you cannot wear shoes? Once you put on shoes, who would be able to see what your feet look like?"

Chijiao Daxian said: "Sigh, my old friend, you do not know. This Divine Foot Scripture I practice takes the Bubbling Spring point on the soles of the feet as its foundation. Therefore, this pair of feet sweats frequently, more than a hundred times that of an ordinary person. If I were to wear shoes, it would eventually lead to the problem of athlete's foot, which itches terribly."

Taibai Jinxing said: "If that is the case, ordinary shoes are indeed not wearable. However, it is not necessarily impossible to find a pair of precious boots that you can wear."

Chijiao Daxian said: "What do you mean by that?" Taibai Jinxing said: "I once heard that Donghai Longwang Ao Guang has a pair of Dragon Whisker Boots, which are made from the whiskers of a dragon. It is said that wearing them allows one to walk as if flying and step on water without leaving a trace. Legend says that dragon whiskers do not get stained by water and are a treasure of the dragon race. If you can obtain these boots, I suppose you won't have to worry about your feet sweating frequently!"

Chijiao Daxian was overjoyed upon hearing this and said: "Many thanks for telling me, my old friend. I will go to that Dragon King right now and ask him for those precious boots." Having said that, Chijiao Daxian rode a cloud straight toward the Dongyang Dahai. In the blink of an eye, he arrived at the Donghai coast, then recited the water-avoidance spell, plunged into the water, and headed straight for the Long Gong. This alarmed the patrolling Yakshas and a crowd of shrimp soldiers and crab generals, who reported to the Dragon King: "Outside, there is someone with bare feet coming toward the Long Gong."

The Dragon King said: "It must be Chijiao Daxian; hurry and follow me out to welcome him!" The Dragon King led a group of aquatic commanders to welcome Chijiao Daxian in, serving tea and setting up a banquet, and then asked: "I do not know why the Great Immortal has graced us with his presence?"

Chijiao Daxian said: "To tell you the truth, I have always been barefoot, but recently I wanted to find a pair of shoes to wear. It is just that my feet sweat too much, and ordinary shoes cannot be worn. I heard that you have a pair of Dragon Whisker Boots here that are a treasure, so I have come specifically to ask for them! Don't worry, if they fit, I will definitely not take them for free; I will trade my own treasures with you."

Upon hearing this, the Dragon King ordered his subordinates to bring out the precious boots and said: "These Dragon Whisker Boots are made from one hundred dragon whiskers. And a dragon only sheds its whiskers once every thousand years, and each time it sheds only two. There is only this one pair in the Three Realms. These boots fear neither water nor fire and can grow or shrink according to the shape of a person's feet. If a person wears them, crossing mountains, rivers, and great seas is like walking on flat ground; they can indeed be considered a treasure. It is just that I don't know if they are comfortable to wear. If the Great Immortal is interested, please try them on." After speaking, shrimp soldiers and crab generals were already holding the precious boots and changing them for Chijiao Daxian. The precious boots were indeed as one would wish; Chijiao Daxian's feet were large, and the boots grew much larger, fitting perfectly. Chijiao Daxian wore the Dragon Whisker Boots, took two steps left and two steps right, and ran around the Long Gong several times, all in the blink of an eye. Looking back, the boots were already filled with sweat.

Chijiao Daxian smiled helplessly and bitterly: "These Dragon Whisker Boots are indeed impervious to water, but they have become a container for accumulating water!"

Seeing this, the Dragon King hurriedly ordered the shrimp soldiers and crab generals to help Chijiao Daxian take off the precious boots. Those poor shrimp soldiers and unlucky crab generals had just taken off the boots when they felt a foul stench rush toward their noses, which made the shrimp soldiers roll their eyes and the crab generals dizzy. Gui Chengxiang shrank into his turtle shell, and the old Dragon King covered his hooked nose.

Seeing this, Chijiao Daxian hurriedly stamped his foot, thrusting his pair of feet deep into the silt on the seabed, and said repeatedly: "I am sorry! I am truly sorry! Ever since I attained the Golden Immortal status, I have not dared to wear shoes for thousands of years, precisely because of this!"

The Dragon King said: "Great Immortal's divine powers, this little dragon has learned today! It seems these Dragon Whisker Boots cannot handle the Great Immortal's sweaty feet. The Great Immortal should go look elsewhere; perhaps you might find some that fit."

Chijiao Daxian apologized with a smile: "I remember when that Sun Houzi caused havoc in the Heavenly Palace, all his finery was gifted by you old Dragon Kings. You Four Seas Dragon Kings have many treasures! I suppose the Xihai, Nanhai, and Beihai also have many precious shoes. Why not trouble you, my old friend, to ask? If I get suitable ones, I will certainly reward you with heavy gifts."

The old Dragon King had no choice but to beat the drums and strike the bells. In a short while, he summoned the three sea Dragon Kings to meet him: Xihai Longwang Ao Run, Beihai Longwang Ao Shun, and Nanhai Longwang Ao Qin. The three met Ao Guang outside the Long Gong and asked: "Big brother, you beat the drums and struck the bells to summon us; what is the matter?"

Ao Guang said: "People really fear fame just as pigs fear being fat! Now everyone in the Three Realms knows that the Long Gong has many treasures. First, there was that Sun Houzi coming to demand weapons and armor, and now there is Chijiao Daxian coming to beg for shoes."

The three Dragon Kings were shocked upon hearing this: "Chijiao Daxian? Doesn't he not wear shoes? Why has he come to beg for shoes?"

Ao Guang said: "Sigh, don't mention it! That fellow originally had a problem with sweaty feet, so he never wore shoes before. I don't know why, but now he suddenly had a whim, saying he wanted to find a pair of precious boots that even sweaty feet could wear. Just now, he tried the Dragon Whisker Boots in my palace, and when he took them off, he almost suffocated all the aquatic tribes of my Donghai! Do you have any suitable shoes? Give him a pair and send him away!"

Xihai Longwang said: "I originally had a pair of Ousi Buyun Lü, but I already gave them to that monkey last time."

Nanhai Longwang said: "If you want pearls, agates, amber, jade, coral, or emeralds, I have plenty, but I don't have any shoes."

Beihai Longwang said: "I do have a pair of Qiannian Bingcanshi Xue, which are made from thousand-year ice silkworm silk. They are warm in winter and cool in summer, absorb sweat, and are breathable; they are specifically for treating sweaty feet. Why not offer these boots? Perhaps they might suit the Great Immortal's wishes."

Ao Guang hurriedly said: "Good, good, good! Then I will trouble you, worthy brother, to hurry and order someone to fetch them."

The Four Seas Dragon Kings presented the Qiannian Bingcanshi Xue to Chijiao Daxian and said: "These ice silkworm silk boots are a supreme treasure of the Beihai. These boots are as thin as cicada wings, breathable, cool, sweat-absorbent, and sturdy. It can be said that they gather all the advantages of all the shoes in the world; there are no better shoes than these. The Great Immortal might as well try them!"

Who would have thought that Chijiao Daxian only took one look and shook his head, saying: "No! No! Not suitable!" The Dragon King said: "Great Immortal, you haven't even tried them yet; how do you know they are not suitable?"

Chijiao Daxian said: "These shoes are too thin and too transparent! What I want are boots that can cover my feet; wouldn't wearing these be the same as not wearing anything at all!" The Four Seas Dragon Kings were at a loss upon hearing this, because these Dragon Kings lived in the Long Gong water mansions all year round and rarely had the opportunity to move about in the Heavenly Realm. Therefore, they had not seen his original black feet before, so although they felt his current feet were a bit strange, they could not figure out exactly what was strange about them for a moment, and they understood even less why he insisted on covering his feet. So they asked suspiciously: "Why must you cover your feet?"

Chijiao Daxian immediately blushed, and how could he tell them? So he said: "Sigh, forget it! Forget it! Since you don't have any suitable ones here, I will go look elsewhere." Having said that, he used his magic power to leave the sea, leaving only the four Dragon Kings looking at each other in dismay.

Chijiao Daxian failed to find shoes and was in a very low mood. After leaving the sea, he did not know where to go, so he simply lay on the beach by the sea and stared blankly. He saw a crowd of men, women, old, and young on the beach, all playing barefoot on the sand. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck his heart, thinking that instead of wronging himself, it would be better to change others. Thinking of this, he immediately had a plan. He rode a cloud back to the Tianting and went to find the celestial maiden Lingmeng, saying he agreed to pass on his unique immortal technique to her, but there was one condition.

That celestial maiden Lingmeng then asked: "What condition?"

Chijiao Daxian whispered in her ear for a while, and Lingmeng screamed: "Ah! Isn't this asking me to be a maid who serves people?"

Chijiao Daxian said: "How can you call it a maid? If you want to learn my Divine Foot Scripture, you must have an understanding of the meridians on the feet. If you want to understand, you must practice; otherwise, how can you practice well? This is just like a doctor learning medical skills; one must practice constantly."

Lingmeng nodded as if she understood, saying: "That seems to make some sense."

Chijiao Daxian hurriedly struck while the iron was hot: "Young person, you must not be afraid of hardship! As the saying goes, one must endure the bitterness of bitterness to become a person above people. I can guarantee that as long as you are willing to make up your mind to study hard with me, sooner or later, you will also be able to achieve the Great Luo Golden Immortal and become a supreme existence in the Heavenly Realm!" Lingmeng was immediately attracted by the bright future described by Chijiao Daxian, and her eyes revealed a firm look as she looked at Chijiao Daxian and said: "Good, I promise you!"

Just like that, Chijiao Daxian successfully took in his first female disciple and taught her the Divine Foot Scripture without reservation. Soon, Lingmeng mastered its essence, and her pair of feet became as smooth as grease and as white as jade. Other celestial maidens in the Heavenly Realm saw this and were so envious that they all begged Lingmeng to put in a good word for them, wanting to become disciples of Chijiao Daxian as well. Just like that, more and more celestial maidens took Chijiao Daxian as their master, and even the number one beauty of the Heavenly Realm, Fairy Chang'e, did not want to lose her title as the number one beauty of the Heavenly Realm because her feet were not as beautiful as others', so she also took Chijiao Daxian as her master. Chijiao Daxian was finally able to implement his plan.

This day, Chijiao Daxian came to the Heavenly Realm Library again, gathered a crowd of young minor immortals, and said: "You younger minor immortals, you only know how to cultivate and work all day long. This will not do; you must know how to enjoy life. Put down the books in your hands; today, this Great Immortal will take you to relax."

A minor immortal in the crowd said: "Didn't the Great Immortal say before that we minor immortals should work hard and cultivate, and not be greedy for enjoyment? Why has it changed now?"

Chijiao Daxian put on a stern face and said: "You stupid and ignorant minor immortal, you really don't know how to be flexible. Relaxing after work and cultivation is so that we can better devote ourselves to future work and cultivation." Those younger minor immortals were refuted until they were speechless and had no choice but to follow Chijiao Daxian.

Chijiao Daxian brought a group of minor immortals to the outside of his newly built mansion and pointed at the magnificent building, saying: "How about it? Is it grand enough?"

The crowd of minor immortals saw it and all said: "It is truly large and grand enough. I don't know where this is?"

Chijiao Daxian said: "Take off your shoes; you will know after you go in."

The crowd of minor immortals asked in surprise: "Why take off our shoes?"

Chijiao Daxian said: "When you go to someone else's house as a guest, do you wear shoes to go in?"

The crowd of minor immortals said: "We are still five hundred meters away from there; we haven't even touched the gate of the mansion, so why talk about being home?"

Chijiao Daxian said: "When you come to my place, you must take off your shoes five hundred meters away."

The crowd of minor immortals had no choice but to take off their shoes and walk inside barefoot. After walking for a while, they finally arrived outside the mansion gate, only to see a large plaque hanging on the gate with the two characters "Foot Dao" written on it. There were already people welcoming them, leading them in one by one, letting them lie on the jade beds, and then celestial maidens came to wash their feet and massage them, clearing their meridians. The celestial maidens not only washed their feet until they were supple and white, but also used foot massage techniques to make these minor immortals, who were usually overworked, feel their fatigue swept away, as if they were reborn. The minor immortals had never had such enjoyment before and all begged Chijiao Daxian, saying they wanted to come here as guests often.

Chijiao Daxian smiled and said: "I am the one who cares most about you juniors. Actually, there are no other rules for coming to my place. It's just that when you come, you must take off your shoes five hundred meters away, and when you leave, you must walk five hundred meters away before you can put your shoes on."

The crowd of minor immortals all nodded and said: "What is difficult about this? We will definitely follow the rules!"

Just like that, more and more immortals came to Chijiao Daxian's Foot Dao Hall every day. From far away, one could see immortals with bare, fair feet walking toward the Foot Dao Hall one after another, and then walking out with bare, fair feet one after another. No one paid attention to Chijiao Daxian's pair of feet anymore. Gradually, even many veteran immortals of the Heavenly Realm joined in and ran to the Foot Dao Hall from time to time. Among them, two were the most diligent. Who do you ask? The first was Nezha Santai Zi; it turned out that the young man had developed the problem of dry and cracked soles because he was always flying around stepping on the Wind Fire Wheels. Ever since he went to Chijiao Daxian's Foot Dao Hall, this problem was cured. There was also Tianpeng Yuanshuai, who simply liked to stay with beautiful women, so he ran over whenever he had free time. This Foot Dao Hall, after every god in the Heavenly Realm had experienced it, was praised by everyone without exception. Chijiao Daxian therefore gained another nickname, and everyone respectfully called him "Foot Dao Patriarch."

Only one person was not very happy, and that was Taibai Laojun. In the past, there was only one person in the Tianting called Patriarch, and that was him, who was called "Taishang Daozu." Now, a Chijiao Daxian had suddenly popped up, using some low-class means like "Foot Dao," and was actually also called a patriarch. How could Chijiao Daxian's means be mentioned in the same breath as his? Taibai Laojun became angrier the more he thought about it. Just at this time, his favorite grand-disciple, Tianpeng Yuanshuai, had drunk a few too many cups of wine at the Flat Peach Banquet and was emboldened by lust. He actually openly molested Chang'e at the Foot Dao Hall. Chang'e was unwilling to be humiliated and reported it to the Jade Emperor. The Jade Emperor was furious and wanted to kill Tianpeng. It was thanks to Taibai Jinxing's intercession that he was spared death. Alas, Tianpeng was beaten with two thousand heavy hammers and demoted to the mortal world, and he even mistakenly entered a pig's womb, which was truly pitiful! Taibai Laojun was therefore furious and, ignoring the dissuasion of the Daoist boys, came to the Foot Dao Hall shouting all the way, wanting to find Chijiao Daxian to reason with him.

Chijiao Daxian saw him cursing at his door and was not willing to let him off, roaring: "Where did this old man come from? How can you be so disrespectful and dare to wear shoes into my Foot Dao Hall?"

Taibai Laojun cursed: "You short melon, you use low-class means like foot washing and massage and dare to call it Foot Dao Hall; you simply defile the word 'Dao'!"

Chijiao Daxian said: "What do you know? The Dao is originally within all things in the world; Foot Dao is also Dao! It is just that your cultivation is still shallow, and it is difficult for you to comprehend it."

Upon hearing this, Taishang Laojun gripped the whisk he was pointing at Chijiao Daxian so hard it nearly snapped, and gritting his teeth, he said, "I am the ancestor of the Daoist school; how dare a fellow like you say my Daoist cultivation is shallow. Very well, very well, today I shall let you experience what true Daoist magic is." Having said this, Taishang Laojun threw the whisk from his hand, aiming it straight at Chijiao Daxian's forehead. Chijiao Daxian was not to be outdone and tossed out the cattail fan in his hand; the two magical treasures collided in mid-air, each displaying its divine power. The minor immortals of the Foot Dao Hall had never seen such a spectacle and all stared with wide eyes. Some said, "We should go and persuade them to stop." Others said, "Do you have a death wish? Both of these are Great Luo Golden Immortals; this is a true battle of gods, is it something we can stop? It is better to hide to the side!" Just as the minor immortals were discussing this, the two fighting above intensified their struggle. Taishang Laojun threw out his Diamond Bracelet, and Chijiao Daxian unfastened his belt. One brandished the plantain fan he usually used for stoking his alchemy fires and prepared to smash it down, while the other removed his dentures to throw as a hidden weapon. The fighting shook Tianting, causing ghosts and gods to wail. It was not until the Jiucha Lingguan reported the matter to the Jade Emperor that the two immortals were forced to stop.

From then on, these two were considered to have a grudge, and bickering and tripping each other up in daily life had long since become a common occurrence.

(End of this chapter)