Chapter 85: Making Nezha Bear the Blame
Her voice was sweet and soft, her tone so gentle it sounded like she was being coquettish.
But the words that came out of his mouth were chillingly poisonous, like the stinger of a wasp, each word aimed at Li Jing.
At Chentang Pass, Ping Yu paused for two beats, feeling uneasy.
.
Li Jing was, after all, a meritorious official, and in addition to the grand banquet, he was also invited to stay for the night.
To make it to the auspicious day of the sacrifice, Li Jing rushed back the very next day. The note from Lin Dong, inviting him to a welcoming ceremony, was crumpled and torn, making his conscience clench. King Zhou said that the struggles of the common people could sometimes stir up some waves, so he sent a troop to help him. Li Jing, in a fit of pique, spurred his horse forward, leaving the long procession far behind.
They all knew perfectly well whether this was assistance or surveillance.
A vile concubine! A venomous woman!
Li Jing remembered that this place was Cuiping Mountain.
In the area between Chaoge and Chentang Pass, there shouldn't be any temples with great power and prestige... Why did such an auspicious omen suddenly appear? The hooves of his precious horse slowed down, and the procession behind him caught up.
"Lord Li, what's wrong...?"
The soldiers following behind knew he harbored resentment, so even though they were far behind, they dared not retaliate. He spoke timidly, looking up in the direction the man's face was pointing. The moment their eyes met, he too was speechless.
Humans communicate with the gods through sacrifices, but even with the most lavish and elaborate offerings, responses from the heavens are rare. How could one not be astonished to see such a magnificent display of colorful clouds on the return journey?
Before long, the entire entourage stopped.
They gazed intently and devoutly at the colorful clouds in the sky, making their wishes. Li Jing, however, overheard some dissenting voices. One person said, "The gods appeared on the way to collect the offerings; it seems this trip was truly worthwhile. Could it be that Lady Daji is not a demon concubine, but a fairy from heaven?"
The man had barely finished speaking when his companion sternly stopped him.
Anyone who dares to talk about that person is truly brainless.
But a fairy...? Li Jing thought to himself: To regard such a heartless person as a fairy would probably incur divine retribution.
He looked up at the sky again and noticed something unusual. Miracles usually only last for a few breaths; it was rare for one to linger like this.
Li Jing thought for a moment, then turned his head and said, "Would you gentlemen like to come with me to take a look?"
The long line at the back also had a leader, the one following beside Li Jing. He was somewhat tempted, but ultimately suppressed his thoughts, remembering King Zhou's tyranny. After a moment's hesitation, the man replied, "The auspicious time must not be missed..."
"The clouds have remained for so long, surely a deity has appeared here," Li Jing noticed his hesitation and added, "We can make up for this short delay by traveling day and night. The presence of immortals and gods is a rare and precious thing; if we miss it..."
The man was persuaded and immediately changed his mind: "Then let's go and take a look, as Lord Li wishes."
Li Jing ordered: "Set up camp!"
After the army dismounted and set up camp, Li Jing, along with military and political officials, went up the mountain to burn incense.
Cuiping Mountain, once a sparsely populated place, has undergone a dramatic transformation in just six months. Pilgrims of all ages and genders now come and go in an endless stream.
The mountain path had been worn smooth by countless footsteps. Li Jing, surprised, grabbed a young man and asked, "Young man, when I came here half a year ago, Cuiping Mountain was quite desolate. Why is it so lively now?"
Seeing Li Jing dressed in official robes and exuding nobility, the young man honestly replied, "Half a year ago, a deity appeared here and manifested his divine power. Whether it was praying for blessings and wealth or warding off disasters, this deity was very effective. Gradually, his reputation spread, and more and more people came."
The temple is located on a flat slope at the end of the mountain road, and its golden tiles and red walls look quite ostentatious.
Inside the temple, incense smoke rose continuously, gathering a layer of blue on the roof, shimmering faintly under the colored light. Regardless of the actual situation, just looking at the temple from the outside, one could sense that he indeed possessed considerable supernatural powers. The young man also showed great reverence for the temple, and devoutly bowed from afar.
Could it be that we've truly encountered a divine intervention?
Li Jing thought to himself and asked again, "May I ask which deity is enshrined in this temple?"
The young man's answer struck him like a thunderbolt.
The other party replied, "Nezha, this temple is Nezha's palace."
Li Jing was struck dumb by those few words, a sudden rush of crimson light filling his vision. The death of his youngest son should have been a quiet memory, but the mere mention of that name seemed to reignite the flowing river of blood on the altar, as if bursting forth from the frozen earth. Anger flared up along with the crimson light, even filling his eyes with bloodshot veins. Li Jing refused to believe it. He mounted his horse and spurred it on, galloping towards the temple. The horse neighed sharply, kicking up dust. The startled worshippers scattered, whispering amongst themselves. Even Nezha, who was performing a divine manifestation, was disturbed. Bound within his golden statue, he asked the Taoist priest openly eating offerings, "Who's outside?"
The Taoist glanced outside, and the mist rippled. He quickly made two pinches with his fingers and replied, "Your father."
That sounds like an insult!
Nezha's expression changed several times before he finally realized who was causing a ruckus at the door. He sneered, "What's he doing here? Can't he reach his distant ancestors, so he comes to beg his estranged son?"
"I don't know," the Taoist casually spat out a peach pit in front of the golden statue, put his hands in his pockets, and turned around: "But it's time for me to go."
His sudden question caught Nezha off guard. The boy, already accustomed to the Taoist's presence, instinctively asked, "Where are you going?"
The Taoist priest stopped and turned around, smiling broadly, saying, "I'm here to accept my disciple."
The three words, "light and airy," were exhaled with a foul, fishy smell.
Since Nezha arrived at the palace, he had been counting down the days, hoping and waiting, but Pingyu never came. The Taoist had managed to sever the magic that connected Xiao Hui and him, allowing him to see and hear Pingyu, but not to speak with her. Loneliness grew with each passing day, accumulating in his heart like a dense, impenetrable lake of duckweed. Yesterday, he seemed to hear Pingyu muttering that she was coming to Cuiping Mountain to avoid disaster, and that today was the day she would arrive. So he exerted all his strength to perform a divine act, hoping to gather more incense offerings so that he could have a more tangible connection with her.
Nezha thought for a moment and immediately snapped, "You're trying to steal it!"
"You're the one trying to steal my thunder, aren't you?" The Taoist clicked his tongue twice. "She's supposed to be leaving with me tomorrow. What does she mean to you?"
Today, when he looked up at the sky, he saw an extremely dangerous aura pointing directly at Chentang Pass from above Chaoge.
Judging by the timeline, the critical moment will be tomorrow.
After saying that, the Taoist glanced outside.
Li Jing was holding a long whip, watching his attendants stride menacingly toward him.
As he spoke, he turned back, stuffing a jug of fine wine and a stack of pastries into his sleeve before looking up at Nezha and saying, "I think you shouldn't rush to take care of us, master and disciple, but rather sort out your own family affairs first!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the Taoist chanted an incantation and transformed into a wisp of green smoke, drifting out the window. Before Nezha could stop him, the man he hadn't seen for half a year strode in with great fanfare and a fierce expression.
"You beast!" Li Jing cursed, startling the military and political officials behind him who exchanged bewildered glances.
Nezha was annoyed by his obstruction and wanted to punish him. However, the divine light on his golden body suddenly dimmed, and no matter how he tried to mobilize his spiritual energy, it remained completely still.
The boy exclaimed in horror: What's going on!
As Li Jing stepped forward, a peach pit on the ground was kicked and rolled out.
It came right into Nezha's line of sight, a flash of golden light passing over it, as if the character "封" (seal) was written on it.
The Taoist priest had just eaten a peach!
Nezha got tricked again!
He was furious and cursed the man a hundred and eighty times.
Nezha was cursing, and Li Jing was cursing too.
His most hated child was on very good terms with the youngest daughter of the Lin family, and knew he would definitely help them if they were in trouble. He only needed to destroy Nezha's...
In this way, Li Jing neither had to betray his brothers nor disobey the imperial decree, which was truly the best of both worlds!
Li Jing thought about it more and more and felt that the plan was feasible. He looked indignant and pointed at the wall, cursing, "You harmed your parents when you were alive, and you fool the people after you die! How dare this wicked child who has brought chaos to this area receive incense offerings here?"
"I'll smash your golden statue and stop you from bewitching the masses again, you wicked demon!"
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