Chapter 295: Accepting a Disciple

【"Such immortality, I don't want it!"】

【The monkey's firm and resolute words surprised you greatly: because you know how heavy its obsession with immortality is, it walked from East Victory Divine Continent to South Jambu Continent, and even to Xiniu Hezhou, having traversed three of the four great continents, such determination, all for the Immortality Technique.】

【And now, upon realizing that there is no immortal method to be found in the future that could make all monkeys and their descendants immortal, it decisively made a life decision: not going to Lingtai Fangcun Shan!】

【Within Square Inch Mountain, there is nothing it wants.】

【"Immortal, please accept me as your disciple!"】

【The monkey again bows to you, with utmost reverence and utmost seriousness.】

【And you fell silent for a moment, then slowly spoke.】

【"I also don't have the immortality technique you're looking for……"】

【To be honest, you and Patriarch Bodhi are like one in heaven and one on earth; since Patriarch Bodhi cannot teach the monkey, neither can you—let alone making others immortal, you can't even guarantee your own immortality.】

【Saving the world is a daydream, and even looking after oneself is merely a luxury; under such broken conditions, you normally wouldn't dare promise anything……】

【"But."】

【"But, I'm willing to give it a try!"】

【In the monkey's astonished gaze, you smiled and accepted it as your disciple: although you are now penniless, without even a thread, you possess an advantage that no one else has.】

【Because you are the protagonist, your greatest advantage has never been how much wealth you currently have, but rather that you possess the possibility to win everything in the future!】

【Failure is not frightening; what is frightening is the lack of any possibility to win……】

【And so on this day, you made a choice completely different from your previous life, boldly accepting the monkey as your disciple!】

【Your and the world's fate have embarked on a road never before imagined.】

【……】

【After accepting the monkey as your disciple, you then taught it the only thing you could currently produce, the "West King Contemplation Method".】

【The monkey, as if obtaining a precious treasure, immediately began diligent study and hard practice!】

【But not long after, it anxiously opened its eyes: "Master, I seem unable to cultivate this contemplation method……"】

【You subconsciously thought it was like you, both of poor aptitude, and so you spoke to comfort it: take it slow, don't rush, diligently cultivate, and sooner or later you will achieve something……】

【"No, Master!"】

【The monkey lamented: "As soon as I meditate, my mind goes completely blank; not to mention the West King, I don't even have a human form……"】

【"Huh?"】

【Surprised, you immediately extended your dharma-form divine sense, penetrating into the monkey's body to try to discern the problem.】

【But you failed.】

【No matter how you probe, the monkey's interior is completely normal……】

【Gee!】

【Master Lin, right from the start, you've taught a problem.】

【……】

【Finding nothing from your investigation, you could only comfort the disheartened monkey; after thinking, you decided to temporarily let it stay with those few idle villagers, settle it down first, then make further arrangements.】

【As for the idle villagers, they had no objection to your arrangement; not only no objection, they were even extremely enthusiastic……】

【"Loyalty! Sincerity!"】

【"The disciple of the West King Majesty is also a deity; a deity living together with us is a blessing cultivated over three lifetimes!"】

【"Your Majesty has for years taught us to abandon evil and embrace good, and also taught us to study literature, answer questions, and be self-reliant; your grace surpasses the heavens…… Your Majesty's grace is not yet repaid!"】

【The villagers' reaction was as you expected; after again explaining to the monkey the future daily arrangements, you turned and left, for fear that if you didn't leave, they would soon place a yellow robe on you and directly hail you as the Heavenly Emperor to repay your boundless grace……】

【Next, you returned home to continue helping your mother with chores; amidst her nagging, you cut red paper for wedding use, cutting out one 'xi' character after another.】

【You also packed little snack bags filled with melon seeds and dried fish, preparing to distribute them to fellow villagers' relatives for good luck.】

【Thus, you busied yourself until dusk, when your father returned from the sea with a dark face; without your help, the catch of this trip was naturally poor, going out to sea yielded only loneliness……】

【After enduring your father's complaints and then eating a little dinner, you finally fell asleep.】

【For your parents, sleep means peaceful rest; but for you, sleep only means that more arduous work is just beginning……】

【Today is the day of the grand assembly, so you mobilized the incense divine power attached to your dharma-form, then linked each believer's dreams together, finally forming a vast dream realm led by you.】

【……】

【The dream realm is boundless above and below.】

【A dharma-form of the West King, filled with ferocity and vital energy, stands firmly within; thereafter, people continually refresh around it.】

【There are old and young, male and female, totaling five or six thousand! They are villagers from dozens of nearby villages; since Lin Six began dreaming and teaching years ago, holding regular assemblies has become routine, growing from just a few people to now five or six thousand—one must say Lin Six's sect is flourishing……】

【"Huh? How is there still a monkey?" Upon hearing a surprised exclamation, everyone involuntarily turned their gaze toward the sound; upon looking, the whole scene was astonished:】

【Only to see a strangely appearing golden-furred large monkey actually also appear in this dream realm! "Where did this monkey come from?"】

【"Why would there be a monkey here?"】

【"Could it…… be a demon?"】

【"……"】

【The crowd's discussion and stares left the monkey flustered, for it too was dazed; having just settled into its new dwelling, it had wanted to sleep well to relieve the mental fatigue from drifting at sea these days, but it never expected that closing its eyes would bring it here.】

【But the monkey is not stupid either; associating with what the master said during the day, it immediately realized: this must be the grand assembly!】

【A chill ran through its heart; the monkey dared not move, merely found a spot to sit, then quietly waited for the master's arrangement.】

【【In your dharma-form state,】 you looked at it with considerable satisfaction: 'Not bad, its adaptability to changing circumstances is excellent, it wasn't frightened into shouting.'】

【【Afterward,】 you stood on the high podium, gazing at these five or six thousand believers……】

【"From today onward, it is my disciple; when you see it in the future, no need to panic, just treat it as usual."】

【Your introduction of the monkey immediately made everyone's eyes widen in wonder: 'The disciple of the West King Majesty? That would mean it's also an immortal!'】

【……】

After the idle chatter, you entered the work state.

You earnestly explained the various doctrines of the Western King God Sect on the lectern, such as equality, benevolence, friendliness, unity, law‑abiding… and so on.

The old followers heard it so much their ears were about to develop calluses, while the new listeners found it fascinating.

The monkey, after listening, also gained more understanding of you, its new master… It was very surprised, because it had also seen human society before, having come all the way from the Eastern Superior Divine Continent, and it had seen all kinds of humans, truly too many.

In its experience, most humans are deceitful, their thoughts inclined toward evil, their minds full of beauty and money, struggles for power and profit…

Especially in the Southern Jambu Continent, it could practically be called a land of evildoers; aside from naive children who haven't seen much of the world, almost every person who saw it clearly displayed greed and malicious intent.

All along the way, it had seen far too much, and its evaluation of human society had always been low.

But the things you preach are different; if they could truly be put into practice, then transforming the current state of the Southern Jambu Continent would probably not be just empty talk…

The monkey's opinion of you rose considerably!

You were unaware of this, and first routinely preached the doctrines to all new and old followers, then gradually moved on to the main topic…

This deity of yours actually treated himself like a high‑class ox and horse; besides giving lectures, he spent most of his time dealing with various problems in their lives.

For example, when two followers had a dispute, you had to act as a stern magistrate and give them an on‑the‑spot ruling!

For example, when someone's family member fell ill again, you had to give them a reliable prescription so they could properly treat their illness…

Actually you could directly use divine power to heal them, but that consumes incense‑fire divine power, and you are dirt‑poor, so where would you get extra divine power to cure illness? Thus you chose to make them trust science, not superstition like drinking talisman water; seeing a doctor when sick is the proper way.

And what about those who come seeking children due to infertility… there's nothing you can do; you can only burn some divine power to heal their bodies so they can conceive on their own…

With each and every trifling matter, you addressed them one by one, wholeheartedly and responsibly, moving the followers deeply: having lived this long, it was the first time they'd heard of such a miraculous deity who answers every prayer…

……

Thus, in this hellish life of doing chores by day and being an ox and horse by night, you passed day after day, and the set wedding date drew nearer.

Although you had been married in your previous life, this lifetime is still a new one, and you still need to muster enough enthusiasm to face it.

Anyway, you've already decided that after marriage you'll move with your wife to the county town and live an ordinary life just like in your past life… Of course, that's only on the surface; secretly, this means you're finally going to develop your faith in the county town!

For this moment, you have prepared for over ten years; a single step forward will overturn heaven and earth, from now on completely stepping into this vast unknown realm to strive for a great future.

But just a few days before your wedding, the monkey suddenly sought you out privately… It felt a bit uneasy and didn't know what to say.

"What's wrong?"

You asked it doubtfully, "Could it be that you're not adjusting to living with the idlers?"

"Master, my cultivation…"

The monkey twisted and turned, saying a few words; you heard them and thought it wanted the Immortality Technique, so you prepared to comfort it, but it turned out not to be that.

In your bewildered gaze, the monkey emitted obvious incense‑fire divine power, and then it cautiously asked.

"Master, I still have no Dharma Appearance, but I do possess divine power… Is that normal?"

You: …

Seeing this uneasy monkey possess divine power without a Dharma Appearance, while you had struggled through two lifetimes to achieve one, you suddenly felt your efforts were meaningless…

……

(End of Chapter)