Chapter 143 "Big Brother, Teacher..."
"Big brother, what did the teacher want to see you about?"
Hongjun's reaction was indeed somewhat strange to Yuanshi and Tongtian. First, he took Taiqing to Zixiao Palace, and then he sent Cangli to see him.
After Cangli came out of Zixiao Palace, they could sense Hongjun's presence appearing and disappearing. But how could a sage experience the five signs of decay? This is impossible. With this question in mind, Yuanshi and Tongtian came to ask Taiqing and Cangli.
Taiqing poured Cangli a cup of tea before saying:
“After the teacher attains enlightenment, he must return to the Great Dao. You should know this.”
Yuanshi and Tongtian looked somewhat solemn:
"Does Big Brother mean the teacher won't be coming out anymore?"
Taiqing nodded in confirmation.
Yuanshi asked again, "After the teacher is gone, who will take over Zixiao Palace? Who will protect the Heavenly Way?"
Taiqing naturally understood Yuanshi's subtext and pointed directly at Cangli, saying:
“Ali will take over the teacher’s responsibilities.”
Yuanshi and Tongtian looked at Cangli with great surprise. They thought Hongjun would choose one of them, but they didn't expect it to be Cangli.
Cang Li looked at Yuanshi and Tongtian with displeasure: "Why are you looking at me? Are you surprised?"
Tongtian shook his head: "It's not an accident, it's a surprise."
Yuanshi nodded: "But upon closer inspection, it doesn't seem surprising. Cangli is indeed very suitable."
Cang Li was satisfied, and she said that whatever she did was the best.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye. Cangli and Taiqing solemnly headed to Zixiao Palace, for the day they had agreed upon with Hongjun had arrived.
The Purple Cloud Palace opened its gates to Cang Li. Two young children, both looking very sad, respectfully greeted the two and said:
"Senior brother, Venerable One, please come with me. Our teacher is already waiting for you there."
When Cang Li saw Hongjun again, he was still shocked, even though he was mentally prepared. Hongjun looked even more emaciated than he had three days ago, but his spirits were much better.
Hongjun stood there, looking up at the destiny chart in the void, and said:
"They're here."
Cang Li and Tai Qing stepped forward.
Hongjun smiled and said to Cangli, "I'll leave the rest to you from now on."
As soon as he finished speaking, Hongjun's figure began to disappear, slowly turning into specks of light that merged into the destiny chart before finally vanishing.
Cang Li could hardly believe it: "Daoist Master, he just... disappeared?"
Taiqing said, "Yes, Master, your body has returned to the Great Dao, and from now on you will be omnipresent."
Cang Li sighed. She and Tai Qing would not live in Zixiao Palace, but would return to Bajing Palace. They would only visit occasionally.
Just as the two were about to leave, they saw two children looking at them pitifully. Cang Li realized that the two children were worried about losing their jobs, so Cang Li said to them:
"Don't worry, I don't live in Zixiao Palace. Zixiao Palace still needs someone to look after it. You will remain the same as before and in the future. Just take good care of Zixiao Palace."
The two children breathed a sigh of relief and sincerely thanked Cang Li: "Thank you, Your Excellency."
Cang Li waved her hand and left Zixiao Palace with Taiqing. There were still many days ahead of her, but with someone to accompany her and frequent visits to friends, her days would surely be comfortable.
Upon returning to the Eight Views Palace, Cang Li saw Jie, who looked like a little bitter gourd.
Jie rushed over as soon as he saw Cang Li:
"Sister! I'm so tired!"
Cang Li: ?
Jie: "Sister, you don't know, I worked in Heaven for a few days and I'm no longer human. Those gods are not very obedient. Fortunately, there are Heavenly Rules to restrain me. Some of them ran away after working for two days, and I ran away after working for one day. Waaah, sister, please help me."
Cang Li: ...
Her eyes were brimming with tears.
Cang Li said earnestly, "You are the Queen Mother of the West. Show your authority and beat up anyone who disobeys you. And what about that person? Isn't he on the Investiture of the Gods list too?"
Jie: "...Sister, you don't know, Ji is the current Ziwei Emperor. He's gone mad for some reason and isn't staying in the Ziwei Palace anymore. He's gone to the Moon Palace to be a rabbit. He can't help at all."
Cang Li: "Huh? To be a rabbit, a human... Sigh, never mind, he suffered so much, a rabbit it is, you want me to help you like this?"
Jie immediately sat up straight and said dignifiedly:
"Sister, you don't need to help with anything. It's just that they don't take my orders seriously. Sister, you just need to go to the Heavenly Court for a few days... oh, with the Taoist priest. You don't need to do anything, just stay there."
Most of the gods in Heaven now are disciples of the two sects who made the list. With Taiqing and Cangli going to Heaven, things will be much easier.
Cang Li looked at Tai Qing: "Go?"
Taiqing thought for a moment and nodded: "Go."
Although Cang Li spends most of his time at home, he occasionally wants to go out and play. It is more convenient to go out and play in the Heavenly Court than in the Eight Views Palace, so he can take on a nominal position in the Heavenly Court, partly to help the Jie, and partly to make it easier for Cang Li to go down to the mortal world.
Jie immediately pulled Cang Li away, afraid that Cang Li would change her mind if they were late, and said to Cang Li:
"Sister, I'll give you the Tushita Palace in the Thirty-Three Heavens to live in. If you come, Zhonghe and Yu will definitely come too. Maybe the Ziwei Emperor won't be so obsessed with being a rabbit anymore. Anyway, it's so great that you can help me, sister."
Cang Li looked at Jie with a smile, and neither of them mentioned Er.
The Heavenly Court was indeed somewhat chaotic, but the various celestial palaces were also full of deities, each with their own position, though they didn't do much serious work.
Upon Cang Li and Tai Qing's arrival, Jie immediately ordered all the immortals to come to Lingxiao Palace.
All the deities had arrived, but they were all joking and not very serious. However, when they got closer to the hall and saw Taiqing and Cangli sitting at the lower seat, as well as Bixia Yuanjun and Ziwei Emperor on the right, they all stopped and hurriedly straightened their clothes before entering in an orderly manner according to their official rank.
"Greetings, Your Majesty."
Jie breathed a sigh of relief; she knew that asking her older sister for help was the right thing to do.
"My lords, no need for formalities. Today, I have summoned you immortals for a sacrificial ceremony in the mortal realm. Now that you immortals have returned to your positions, you should each perform your duties and manage the temples and incense offerings in the mortal realm. I wonder what you immortals think?"
With Cang Li and Tai Qing in charge, and even the Ziwei Emperor present, who would dare not nod in agreement?
Even if we take a step back and say that Taiqing and Cangli are indeed good-tempered, they can't compete with Yuqing Yuanshi Tianzun and Shangqing Lingbao Tianzun, whose tempers are rather ordinary.
Everyone said:
"That's how it should be, Your Majesty. Rest assured, we will make the arrangements immediately."
Jie breathed a sigh of relief. These days, the gods and temples in the mortal world had been sending all the incense and petitions to her because these people were not cooperating. It was very troublesome to deal with them. Fortunately, most of them were prayers for good weather and a good harvest, so she could arrange for them to be given to the Dragon King of the Four Seas.
After the Investiture of the Gods, the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas also had to abide by the Heavenly Laws and Regulations, and they were much more cooperative with the orders given to them than other gods.
After the immortals dispersed, they all returned to their own celestial palaces to make arrangements. At the same time, some of them were annoyed. Their lack of cooperation was simply because they had not adapted to the change in their status. They were also not very convinced by Jie, completely forgetting that Jie had also cultivated in Kunlun Mountain and had been personally instructed by Taiqing, and that Cang Li was standing behind him.
Fortunately, Taiqing and Cangli didn't say anything today, otherwise they would have gotten a beating when they got back.
The gods sighed and began to work.
The Ziwei Emperor rose and looked at Cang Li with a strange gaze once more. After hesitating for a long time, he softly called out:
"Sister."
Cang Li walked up to the Ziwei Emperor, looked at him for a while, and then stood on tiptoe to pat the Ziwei Emperor's head:
"Good boy."
The Ziwei Emperor was stunned for a moment. Those strange yet familiar memories in his mind seemed to have become real at this moment. He was Boyi Kao, and even more so, he was a person. The Ziwei Emperor blinked:
"Sister!"
This sound felt much more familiar.
Cang Li laughed: "It's good that you're alright."
Jie's eyes lit up, and he stepped forward, tugging at the man's sleeve, saying:
"Now that you're back, don't go back to being your rabbit. Come and help me with the work. As the Great Emperor Ziwei, it's your duty, you can't slack off."
The man looked at him with amusement and did not refuse. If he could help you, he could help you too. Besides, the world was at peace now, and humans, gods, and demons were gradually separating. So, there was really nothing to do.
Cangli and Taiqing settled down in the Tushita Palace. Cangli often sneaked off to the mortal world to observe the changes in people, and when he had free time, he began to record the birds, beasts, fish and insects of the prehistoric era.
As the world changes and people's faith in God grows stronger, they pray for favorable weather, peace, the sex of their children, or victory in war.
Because of the endless stream of prayers from people, the duties of the gods have become more and more detailed. At the same time, this has also caused some gods to develop greed and selfishness, and they may even bring down disasters and then reappear to collect sacrifices and incense offerings to solve the problems of mortals.
Upon realizing this, the authorities immediately took measures, and a related prohibition was added to the Heavenly Laws.
However, due to the low level of education among ordinary people, such incidents occur frequently. It's advisable to consult with Cang Li.
"Sister, what should I do?"
Cang Li pondered for a moment while munching on a peach and said, "Don't worry, I'll help you solve it. The root of this problem lies in the mortal realm. Wait for me to go down there."
Jie looked at Cang Li suspiciously. Could it be that her older sister was trying to use this opportunity to have some fun while eating?
Cang Li tapped Jie on the forehead: "What are you thinking about? Go back and wait. I'll take care of this in less than three days."
Jie covered his head and returned to Yaochi.
Cang Li turned around and pulled Tai Qing down to the mortal realm.
When they went down, they encountered a drought-stricken area where the people were performing rain-praying rituals. For three days in a row, no rain came, and they were almost in despair.
Cang Li told Tai Qing to wait aside, then transformed into a mortal and entered the crowd. Seeing that everyone was silent, he immediately spoke:
“We’ve been praying for three days, why hasn’t it rained yet? We’ve prepared the offerings, and with such sincerity, it still won’t rain. It’s clear that this Dragon King doesn’t know what’s good for him! Folks, our ancestors said that if our prayers are ignored, it’s because the Dragon King has failed in his duty. We should drag him out of the temple and expose him to the scorching sun so he can also experience the taste of drought!”
Cang Li's tone was forceful and persuasive. In fact, she had wanted to do this for a long time. There was no other reason than holding a grudge. She later learned that the flood that destroyed her first crop in Shandong was caused by a fight between the dragon and the guide. It was like the Dragon King was being scorched. No problem.
The leading priest froze for a moment, then gasped, his voice trembling as he spoke: "This... how can this be allowed? This is an offense against the gods!"
Cang Li changed his position and his voice:
“That girl was right! We’ve been so sincere, and the gods still don’t protect us, so why should we continue? We should just drag them out and expose them to the scorching sun! Anyway, they’ll die if we keep going, so let the gods take their revenge!”
The priest hesitated, but finally the village chief got up and roared:
"Alright! We're not going to put up with this nonsense anymore. The priests fail eight out of ten times. We've given so many offerings and still no rain. Let's go! Drag the Dragon King out and expose him to the scorching sun!"
Seeing that he had succeeded, Cang Li immediately returned to Tai Qing's side and poked Tai Qing's waist: "Just wait, it won't be long before mortals realize that gods are unreliable and that the only reliable thing is themselves."
Taiqing nodded: "That's right, Ali's method is very good. It's better to have more faith in ourselves than to place our hopes on gods who can't respond immediately."
Cang Li continued to the next place. After she had circled around, the gods in the sky felt the sky collapse. They discovered that from then on, if reasonable prayers were not answered, their temples would be smashed, incense offerings would be reduced, and believers would convert to another god.
What was even more disheartening for the immortals was that the first emperor of a unified mortal nation, when offering sacrifices to Heaven, actually inscribed on his imperial seal: "By the mandate of Heaven, may your reign be long and prosperous." In the past, everyone received their mandate from Heaven, but now the emperor of the mortal world was ordering Heaven.
From then on, mortals no longer blindly believed in gods and immortals, and expressed a very clear idea: if you don't do it, the gods will.
This action caused all the gods to get involved. There was no other way; if they didn't work hard, they would be replaced, lose their divine positions, and could no longer return to being wandering immortals. If they wanted to sit on their divine positions, they had to work hard.
After Cang Li happily finished her business, she returned to the Bajing Palace with Tai Qing. Before returning to the Bajing Palace, she had met the young Qin Shi Huang and given him a good brainwashing session, with the central message being that it is better to believe in oneself than in the gods.
This is the final step in the mission: the boundary between humans and gods, humans abide by the rules, immortals abide by the heavenly rules, and the Great Dao is perfected.
Cangli and Taiqing still occasionally descend to the mortal realm, transforming into ordinary people to travel and witness the changing of dynasties and the generational propagation of people, ensuring that stories unfold in this world at any time.
Stories and legends about gods and ghosts have always circulated in the mortal world. However, mortals also know that they can believe in gods, but they cannot give gods the right to be above humans.
It is said that this is an ancestral instruction left by their earliest human ancestors. With gods and ancestral instructions, they must abide by the ancestral instructions.
As soulmates, Cangli and Taiqing's love will not diminish, but will only deepen with time. Their lives are intertwined, their spirits merge, and they can no longer accommodate anyone else.
-----------------------
Author's note: The story is now complete!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
