Chapter 422: The Unfortunate Great Matter

The speaker was a low-ranking gate guard, his official uniform covered by a half‑worn Dao robe, his head wrapped in a Hun Yuan scarf, dressed in a mismatched fashion, yet his eyes shone with shrewdness.

He looked up and down at Yu Lin's simple yet fine‑quality Dao robe, and at the rare Nine‑Tailed White Fox cradled in his arms.

"Nothing much, just traveling here to see the customs and scenery."

Yu Lin replied in a flat tone, then asked back, "Is that not allowed?"

The guard was taken aback by his casual question, hurriedly gestured, and plastered an even more eager smile on his face:

"There is absolutely no prohibition, none at all! Daozhang was joking; our sovereign has already issued an edict, and all Dao practitioners arriving in our land are honored guests."

"Especially someone like Daozhang, with an ethereal bearing and extraordinary demeanor, deserves special courtesy. The sovereign once said that if a high Daoist from elsewhere arrives, we may recommend him to meet the Holy, and there will be rewards. I wonder if you might be interested…"

Before his words could fully unfold, a voice full of surprise and vigor interrupted from beside him:

"Eh?! Yu Daofriend?! Is it really you?!"

The voice… carried a familiar playfulness and warmth; it was an old acquaintance.

Yu Lin glanced sideways and saw a Daoist in a Dao robe hurrying out of the city.

It was none other than the long‑unseen Yuan Tiangang!

Compared with their last meeting, a few strands of silver had appeared at his forehead and temples, his face seemed a bit more gaunt, yet his spirit was vigorous, his eyes still bright and spirited, his stride spry; at this pace, living another few dozen or even a hundred years would be no problem.

The gate guard, upon seeing Yuan Tiangang, instantly wore an expression of profound reverence, bent his waist even lower, and prepared to bow: "The junior has seen you, Yuan Daozhang…"

"Go, go, go, wait over there, and don't block me from catching up with an old friend!"

Yuan Tiangang impatiently waved his hand, shooing the guard aside like a fly, then walked straight to Yu Lin, scanning him from head to toe, his eyes filled with even greater amazement and admiration, and performed a Dao greeting:

"Long time no see, Yu Daofriend, you truly… your bearing surpasses the past! This cultivation's Dao Rhythm grows ever more unfathomable, naturally perfect, truly makes me envious!"

Yu Lin smiled and returned the greeting: "Yuan Daofriend, you are modest. I see your silver hair and youthful face, spirit full and vigor abundant, your Dao practice is refined and profound—congratulations."

He paused, a hint of mischief flashing in his eyes, "Will you also read my fortune, to see how my recent Dao path fares?"

"Um… this…" Yuan Tiangang's smile froze, then he let out a laugh, stroked his beard, his gaze drifting:

"Fortune‑telling, my junior ear, for a transcendent being like Yu Daofriend, is like a carpenter wielding an axe at a master's door—trivial, unworthy of mention!"

"When I, after a thousand or eight hundred years of secluded cultivation, make even a slight progress, I will give you a proper look! For now… heh heh, let's forget it, forget it."

He deftly changed the subject, and his face again wore an enthusiastic smile:

"Hey, by the way! Yu Daofriend, what brings you to this Chechi little country? If there's any task where I can be of service, just say the word!"

Yu Lin shook his head: "No particular business, just passing through. The atmosphere here differs greatly from elsewhere, rather… 'distinctive', so I came to take a look."

He looked at Yuan Tiangang and asked, "What about you, Yuan Daofriend, why are you here? Could it be you're also just passing by?"

Yuan Tiangang, upon hearing, pointed toward a grand residence within the city where a faint Magic Array pulsed, his face showing a mix of helplessness and amusement: "I, a wandering Daoist, indeed 'pass through'. Here reside three non‑Human Race beings, yet devoted to the Dao—demon‑immortals transformed from a tiger, a deer, and a sheep, now honored by this Chechi country as national teachers."

"They somehow heard of my modest reputation, pleaded repeatedly, and insisted I stay here for a while to lecture them on the 'Yellow Court' and 'Dao De', discussing cultivation essentials."

At this point, his tone shifted: "But you see, observing the visages of these three demons, I have slightly extrapolated a heavenly omen… sigh."

"The Dao says: 'Relying on petty tricks to steal heavenly merit, leaning on the ruler's favor to flout the proper law, the Dao heart has become dim, the demonic nature increasingly evident.'"

"Further examining its destiny palace, it is obscure and unclear, with a demonic star disturbing the Dou constellation—a sign of 'disaster inevitable, numbers hard to escape'."

"Coveting worldly power and incense, recklessly stirring wind and rain, has already contravened the Heavenly Path; likely it will not meet a good end, self‑destroying both body and spirit."

"Yu Daofriend, you'd better not, uh."

He finished in one breath, then as if recalling something, quickly added to Yu Lin:

"Of course, Yu Daofriend, your Dao practice reaches the heavens; such minor calamities cannot affect you."

"I merely spoke offhand; you can just listen, no need to mind it."

Indeed, the same familiar flavor—three sentences never straying from his old trade, always ready to read fortunes.

Yu Lin chuckled inwardly, but only gave a slight nod, indicating he understood:

"Hmm, Daofriend, your divination is noted, I understand."

He lifted his gaze to the sky, then surveyed the city scene, and suggested:

"This place is noisy, Yuan Daofriend; shall we find a quieter spot, sit down for tea, and reminisce slowly?"

"There is no prohibition, Yu Daofriend, please lead the way." Yuan Tiangang gladly agreed, leading Yu Lin toward a relatively quiet lane within the city, where a tavern that seemed fairly clean stood.

The two walked along the street.

As they walked, a shout and the clatter of chains dragging on the ground came from ahead.

A squad of officials wielding leather whips and batons were herding about a dozen ragged, emaciated monks.

The monks' gazes were vacant, their expressions numb, as if all vitality had left them; they moved only instinctively, repeatedly muttering indistinct Buddhist chants, vaguely recognizable as "Da Li King Bodhisattva".

Like walking corpses, under the officials' shouts and pushes, they shuffled toward a labor camp outside the city, disappearing around a street corner.

Yuan Tiangang withdrew his gaze, the usual playful expression fading slightly, and said to Yu Lin:

"Yu Daofriend, that scene just now… I know your heart is kind, your methods reach the heavens. Yet for now, please refrain from rescuing those monks."

He paused, his voice softer, tinged with helplessness: "This is a calamity arranged by the Buddhist Sect itself."

"If you intervene now, you'll disrupt the 'momentum' here, possibly ruining the plan to obtain the scriptures."

At this point, his tone added a deeper sarcasm and chill:

"I have heard that further west lies a place called Shitou Country… Supposedly its populace has been completely devoured, leaving only a city full of demons and monsters, wearing human skins, mimicking rites, and occupying the royal city."

"The Buddha says 'all beings are equal'—indeed… my Human Race has fallen to this state… tsk tsk…"

Yuan Tiangang said no more, but those two 'tsk tsk' sounds, laden with sarcasm and a barely perceptible sorrow, said it all.

Though he cultivates the Dao, he is also of Human Race origin; seeing his own kind struggle like ants amid the games of gods, Buddhas, demons, and desires, his heart could not remain unmoved.

Yu Lin listened without speaking, merely pondering.

What if the three on Shitou Ridge … 'accidentally' were killed by Sun Wukong—what would happen?

Yu Lin now holds the Nine Tripod Cauldrons and six of the Six Tripod Cauldrons, and possesses the Human Race fortune bestowed by Emperor Yao; it would not be an overstatement to call him a contemporary emperor.

Now the Human Race is in peril; if one stands by idly, it would be a disgrace to the Human Race fortune granted by Emperor Yao.

If one's background reaches the heavens, one can avoid the sins one has created............ Then let's compare whose background is bigger!

These eighty-one trials, swapping them around is also no problem!