Journey to the West: Treasure Vase of the Great Dao

Lu Yu pushed the door open, prepared to continue his cultivation practice; today, he had risen a bit late and had to make up for the missed cultivation time from before.

A familiar figure appeared before his eyes, still dressed in the familiar attire, sitting on a stone bench in the courtyard, intently reading a list made of some strange material.

"Master!" Liu Qingyun exclaimed in surprise. It was only now that he realized that the scenes from last night might not have been a dream, that his master had truly allowed him to meet his parents. But he still harbored some fear, afraid that the beautiful scenes were just a dream borne from his own deep longing.

Seeing Liu Qingyun's expression, Lu Yu knew his disciple's unease and smiled, saying, "I was originally going to send you a letter, but then I thought it better for you to speak with them in person. It was also fortunate that this time, by chance, I obtained some opportunities, which allowed you to have a face-to-face meeting with them."

Liu Qingyun knelt down solemnly and kowtowed three times to Lu Yu, saying, "Thank you, Master!"

"You are my disciple, these are all things I should do as your master. Now get up, you have fallen behind on today's morning lessons!" Lu Yu said with feigned strictness.

Liu Qingyun immediately began his daily morning exercises, filled with vitality.

Lu Yu fondled the 'Book of the Earth' in his hands, summarizing in his mind the gains from this trip to the Underworld.

First, he had saved Liu Qingyun's parents and family, establishing a foundation in the Dragon Court for his own home. Second, he had an audience with Empress Hou Tu, receiving Heavenly Dao merits that greatly increased his fortune and destiny, and his life-bound Magical Treasure, the Great Dao Treasure Vase, also gained tremendous benefits.

Furthermore, he had gained the divine skill of the Freezing Curse by observing the Heritage Stele and used that time to condense the waters of the Yellow Springs. Lastly, he had been assigned the task of Divine Enthronement, bestowed with a corner of the 'Book of the Earth' from the Book of Earth.

Upon careful reflection, his journey to the Underworld could be described as meritorious and perfectly complete, even exceeding the mission's requirements.

However, since he had accepted the task, he naturally had to utilize his intelligence to figure out how to flawlessly complete the trial duties of City God Taoism.

Although the several Yamas had promised to inform Great Chen's cultivation sects about the City God matter through the Heavenly Court, Lu Yu was well aware of the nature of these cultivation sects, who would likely keep the matter secret, plotting how to monopolize these divine positions.

Lu Yu did not wish for the divinely enthroned spirits to be all from within the sects, as their connections to their masters might become overly influential, potentially adverse for the future promotion of City God Taoism.

It should be noted that City God Taoism was proposed by Lu Yu, and if it could be widely practiced in the world, there would undoubtedly be Heavenly Dao merits bestowed. This was also among the few opportunities Lu Yu had to earn such merits.

Just by looking at the immortals involved in 'Journey to the West' and the lengths they went to for a share of those merits, one could understand how precious these were.

Heavenly Dao merits could be considered a panacea of the Three Realms, capable of bolstering Fortune and Destiny. Refining magic treasures with them could transform these treasures into merit treasures of great virtue, which, although not as effective as Innate Spiritual Treasures in suppressing Fortune and Destiny and shielding Heaven's Secret, had the advantage of being unlimited in number.

Moreover, with merits upon one's person, one could avoid myriad calamities. From then on, one would become a VIP customer of the Heavenly Dao, with numerous benefits. Even the great powers would not disdain an abundance of merits, but since the Divine Enthronement, the Three Realms had been stable and there were few opportunities to gain Heavenly Dao merits.

It was precisely because of this that various celestial beings kept a close watch on 'Journey to the West', as it was a rare event where participation alone could ensure a share of the merits.

On this day, the weather was fine, and Liu Qingyun was practicing his usual body-forging exercises when he heard a knock on the door. Puzzled, he thought about how this village had long been abandoned, and on normal days, only they, master and disciple, lived here. Who could suddenly be visiting? Could it be that nephew of Master's? he wondered to himself.

But when he opened the door, he found a stunningly beautiful woman standing there. The woman's figure was graceful and exquisite; her beauty was such that it could make fish sink and wild geese fall. Liu Qingyun, being of noble birth, had seen many so-called beauties, but none could compare to the woman before him -- the difference was like that between heaven and earth.

"Little one, is your master at home?" the woman asked, her voice soft and carrying a unique magic, involuntarily making people feel favorable towards her.

Upon hearing her, Liu Qingyun's face turned red in an instant. He felt embarrassed by his lack of composure, so his flushed cheeks were quickly covered with a look of annoyance, eliciting another round of silver-bell-like laughter from the woman.

"Daoist Su, please don't tease my disciple. After all, he is still young," a voice as smooth as jade came from the courtyard, like a stream that cleansed Liu Qingyun's mind, allowing him to shake off the effect the woman had had on him.

The visitor was none other than Qingqiu Su Mei.

"Young man, don't be angry. This fragrance pouch is crafted by the best seamstress of our Fox Clan, the Weaver Girl herself. It can calm the mind and is also a rare storage magic artifact. I'll give it to you as an apology!" Su Mei took out an extremely elegant fragrance pouch and handed it to Liu Qingyun.

Liu Qingyun gazed at the fragrance pouch before him with delight. Upon hearing that it was a storage magic artifact, he was even happier. However, with this mysterious woman in front of him, friend or foe unknown, he dared not take it until his master gave the word.

"Qingyun, just accept it. The Fox Clan of Qingqiu is affluent and generous," Lu Yu's voice reached them, and only then did Liu Qingyun excitedly take the fragrance pouch and examine it carefully, unable to put it down.

"Daoist friend, such a rare visit! Please come inside."

Hearing Lu Yu's words, Su Mei couldn't help but pout, silently cursing what a stingy man he was—just because she had teased his young disciple a little, he had kept her standing at the door for so long.

As the saying goes: a mountain does not need to be high for it to be famous if an Immortal resides in it; a water does not need to be deep for it to be spirited if a dragon swims in it.

This humble mortal courtyard was nowhere near as grand and majestic as those of the great mansions, but to Su Mei, it was far more daunting than any of those grand homes, for it housed an Immortal with vast Divine Skills.

Walking into the somewhat dilapidated courtyard, what caught her eye was an ancient apricot tree in full bloom with pink flowers. The tree was so bright it resembled the clouds at the edge of the sky. Beneath the tree, a Scholar sat on a stone bench, absorbed in a peculiar list in his hands.

The moment Su Mei caught sight of that list, her heart jolted with shock. Born in Qingqiu and well-informed, she recognized the aura of an Innate Spiritual Treasure in an instant.

Upon closer inspection, she noticed that the magic artifact was directly linked to the Dao of life and death. She thought it impossible, as, to her knowledge, the only such powerful Innate Spiritual Treasure in this world was the famous ancient Book of the Earth, which had since transformed into the Book of Life and Death—how could it possibly appear before her?

Flash of insight striking her, Su Mei said, "I wonder if you are aware of the matter of Divine Enthronement that has been causing great stir throughout Great Chen recently?"

"Oh! I have been away on a journey recently and have not heard of it. What is the exact news?"

Seeing that Lu Yu disregarded her probe, Su Mei felt inward frustration but still spoke to obtain precise information, "Recently, ancestral masters of various Cultivation Sects who ascended to the Heavenly Realm have conveyed Imperial Decrees, stating that the Underworld has decided to implement a system of 'City God' Immortals across Great Chen, encouraging sect disciples to come down from the mountains to meet this calamity and vie for the opportunity of eternal life."