Chicken feet delivery, what's not to like?
When Ji Chang, the Marquis of Xibo, saw that his retainer had spoken recklessly and insulted the king, he was furious and coldly shouted, "Guards, take this traitorous minister away and execute him!" With a whoosh, two menacing soldiers rushed in from outside the door and dragged the strategist out of the hall. Soon after, a scream was heard, and the strategist died.
That night, Ji Chang, the Marquis of Xibo, led several trusted retainers and quickly left the capital on fine horses. However, in his haste to return, he did not notice the shadowy figure a thousand meters above the western embassy.
The royal palace, King Zhou's bedchamber. King Zhou, who was resting with his eyes closed, looked at the black shadow that had appeared from nothingness before him and said calmly, "Shadow, what do you think?"
A cawing sound came from the dark figure: "My lord, is Ji Chang trying to escape?"
King Zhou opened his dim eyes and said calmly, "Shadow, go and have Chong Houhu lead his troops to ambush and kill them."
In a certain place in the west, in a pine forest covering ten miles in circumference, Ji Chang and several of his retainers set up camp, intending to return quickly at dawn. Why? Because Ji Chang's retainer and general, Tian Sha, said: "Ahead lies a pine forest, the perfect place for an ambush. But it is already dark today, so we should wait until tomorrow to ride back quickly."
As darkness fell, the bright moon hung high in the sky, and the stars were obscured by dust.
At midnight, a rustling sound startled General Tian Sha awake. Tian Sha touched the ground with his ear and was immediately alarmed. In his haste, he whispered to Ji Chang: "My lord, there is an ambush. Be careful."
With a loud, maniacal laugh, Marquis Chonghou Hu of the North floated in the air, his cold eyes looking indifferently at Ji Chang, and he said in a cold voice, "Ji Chang, you little brat, with Chonghou Hu here, where do you think you can escape to?"
Ji Chang looked at the Northern Marquis Chong Houhu flying in the air, sighed helplessly, and said with forced composure, "Brother Houhu, the current King Zhou is tyrannical and indiscriminately kills innocent people. The Southern Marquis E Chongyu and the Eastern Marquis Jiang Huanchu were both cruelly killed by King Zhou. Now only the two of us are left. We should unite to resist King Zhou's army and punish him. I don't know why you have come here to ambush us?"
Marquis Chonghou Hu of the North pondered for a moment, then said with a smile, "Brother Ji is right. But how can I, who eat the king's food, relieve the king's worries?" With that, he waved his hand lightly, signaling the start of the attack.
A thousand men besieged Ji Chang and his few followers; the outcome was predictable.
Looking at the imprisoned Ji Chang, Marquis Chonghou Hu of the North laughed loudly and said, "All soldiers, listen to my command, return to Chaoge."
"Understood!" the soldiers roared.
Just then, dark clouds suddenly filled the area within a hundred miles, a strong wind arose, thunder rumbled, and lightning flashed, which was quite frightening.
Ji Chang cried out in a fierce voice, "Heaven is unjust! Does Heaven intend to extinguish the lineage of my Ji family?" As he spoke, he spat out a mouthful of bright red blood into the pine forest.
With a deafening roar, a bolt of black lightning struck, landing squarely on Ji Chang's mouthful of crimson blood. In an instant, the surrounding trees turned charred black, and flames, fanned by the wind, raged. Amidst the thunder and lightning, a loud "waaaaa!" of a newborn baby cried out, echoing across the sky.
Suddenly, an auspicious cloud descended from the sky, and on the cloud, a Taoist priest with an otherworldly air stroked his beard and smiled, surrounded by a misty aura of immortality. This immortal was none other than Yun Zhongzi, one of the twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect, who was known as "Fude".
Yun Zhongzi looked at the imprisoned Ji Chang and smiled faintly, saying, "Ji Chang, I think this boy is destined to be with me, and I would like to take him under my wing. I wonder what the Marquis of Xibo thinks?" As he spoke, Yun Zhongzi flicked his sleeve and untied the ropes binding Ji Chang and his retainers.
Ji Chang was extremely excited and quickly said, "Thank you for your mercy, Immortal."
Yun Zhongzi chuckled, picked up the baby and was about to leave when he suddenly heard Ji Chang's call and stopped.
Ji Chang said, “Immortal, if you leave, Marquis Chonghouhu of the North will surely capture us again and send us to King Zhou of Chaoge to be executed. I beg you to save us.” He then bowed deeply.
Yun Zhongzi frowned slightly, and after a long while, he said indifferently, "So be it." With that, he swept his sleeves, and a gentle breeze blew by. Marquis Chong Houhu of the North and hundreds of soldiers all turned into ashes and vanished with the wind.
Seeing that the ambush troops had all vanished into thin air, Ji Chang was overjoyed and said, "Thank you, Immortal." He then bowed three times and said, "Immortal, my eldest son, Boyi Kao, is still imprisoned in Chaoge City. I wonder if you could use your magic to save him?"
Yun Zhongzi chuckled and said coldly, "Since you have chosen to give up, then this matter is settled and cannot be changed." Without even glancing at Ji Chang's expression, he rode away on a cloud.
Chaoge, the Western Embassy.
Ji Chang fled, and his son, Boyi Kao, was imprisoned.
Bo Yikao frowned deeply, his heart filled with intense anger. He blamed his father for being so cruel as to put him to death. He sighed helplessly, his lifeless white eyes gazing blankly at the thousands of leaves falling in the wind. It was as if he were one of those leaves, without support or home, drifting aimlessly in the wind. How pitiful, how lamentable.
As Boyi Kao was pondering, a five-colored light suddenly appeared from the garden. After the dazzling light dissipated, a handsome young man appeared. Boyi Kao looked at this extraordinary young man and his expression was filled with excitement.
Before Boyi Kao could even cry for help, the young man said calmly, "Boyi Kao, you were abandoned by your father Ji Chang. I could not bear to see such a talented person perish like this, so I reversed the course of fate to save you from this sea of suffering. I have taken you as my disciple and sent my envoys to assist you. I hope you will not disappoint me and can replace the Shang Dynasty as soon as possible to build a great and prosperous nation."
Overjoyed, Boyi Kao knelt down and exclaimed, "Boyi Kao thanks the Great Immortal for saving my life. I do not know the Great Immortal's title, so that I may build temples to worship the Great Immortal after I establish my country."
The young Taoist chuckled and said calmly, "I am Tianfeng, the seventh disciple of Hongjun Daozun, with the Taoist name 'Niandi Tianzun,' and I am one of the saints of heaven and earth."
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