Chapter 79: Chapter 079: The Peaches Are Bright and Blossoming Chapter 79: Chapter 079: The Peaches Are Bright and Blossoming Wukong pursued the Rainbow Peach Tree deep beneath the ground, only to encounter a coffin and a stele which promptly knocked him unconscious.
After an indeterminate amount of ti, Wukong felt soone pushing him and heard a laugh, “Great Sage, no more sleeping, ti to end the workday.”
Wukong, reacting instinctively, threw a punch and heard a pitiful yelp. When he opened his eyes, he saw the Local Deity of the Peach Garden flying through the air, landing heavily and splattering mud all over himself.
Wukong looked around and realized he was sleeping atop a huge peach tree. He could not help but apologize with a smile, “Lord of the Land, my apologies! Old Sun was enjoying his sleep, and you startled awake.”
The Local Deity struggled to his feet, rubbing his back and legs, lanting, “Great Sage, this old man is aged and inept in spiritual ways. Please refrain from tornting like this. I cannot take it, indeed I cannot!”
Wukong laughed heartily, jumping down from the peach tree, and said, “Sorry about that, Lord of the Land, don’t take it to heart. Ah, it’s already dark.”
The Local Deity added, “Indeed, Great Sage, it’s ti to wrap up and return to your mansion. I had to interrupt your nap for this reason.”
Wukong yawned, noting the late hour, and chucklingly said, “Then let’s call it a day. I will take my leave first.”
With those words, he sorsaulted into the air, heading towards the Equal Heaven Mansion. The Local Deity, still massaging his back and legs, shook his head in confusion, unable to fathom why the Jade Emperor had assigned Wukong to guard the Peach Garden—it was practically killing him. Resignedly, he gathered the Hercules and together they locked the great gate of the Peach Garden and left.
Wukong returned to the Equal Heaven Mansion, locked the doors, and while rummaging through his robes, he suddenly found a peach. Upon inspection, it radiated multicolored light, which made him exclaim in surprise, “Eh? I thought that was all just a Spring-Autumn dream. Is it real? Where is the Swallowing Dragon Stele now?”
With a thought, he sank his consciousness, circulating his Primordial Spirit, and saw the Swallowing Dragon Stele firmly positioned in his Spiritual Platform, with two Primordial Spirits seated next to it in ditation.
“So it wasn’t a dream. I wonder what the story with that coffin is? What kind of person sleeps in it? Clearly not dead, yet resting in a coffin, what an intriguing individual.” Wukong pondered, placing the rainbow peach on a jade plate on the table.
Wukong thought, “This rainbow peach seems slightly different from the ones I ate on Peach Mountain. I wonder what its effects will be?”
He then grabbed a ditation cushion, threw it into the Quiet Room, sat down in the lotus position, took out the peach, and without wasting ti, chewed it quickly and swallowed.
Imdiately, he circulated True Fire within himself, the peach generating streams of Congenital True Qi in his stomach, each strand so pure that one was equivalent to several years of arduous cultivation by others.
“Perhaps this is one of the most precious Peaches of Immortality, possibly the oldest; otherwise, how could it be so potent?” Wukong had been eating peaches from Peach Mountain for years and clearly understood the value of these fruits.
The Congenital True Qi from the peach was completely refined by Wukong, leaving him feeling refreshed and invigorated, his two mighty Primordial Spirits competitively absorbing the rich and pure Congenital True Qi, significantly enhancing their strength.
“What a pity! Most people only need to nourish one Primordial Spirit, yet I must sustain two. Once this one matures fully, I’ll have to find a body for it; otherwise, the cultivation will proceed too slowly,” Wukong sighed.
He possessed three Primordial Spirits in total; one had already entered Yuan Hong’s body, becoming the Daoist Equal to Heaven, while two resided within him, one of which remained fragile and required extensive cultivation to fully mature.
Eating Peaches of Immortality without pursuing the Dao of Immortals raised one’s realm but kept one’s combat ability weak; relying solely on miraculous elixirs without wisdom was no way to achieve the Great Dao.
Wukong had eaten a Peach of Immortality but still hadn’t beco a Daluo Golden Immortal because another Primordial Spirit had split so of the True Qi, leaving not enough for Wukong’s life-giving Primordial Spirit to break through its shackles.
“It seems I must go and stealthily eat more peaches from the Flat Peach Garden and Doulu Palace, otherwise becoming a Daluo Golden Immortal will remain out of reach.”
Wukong scratched his head reflectively, thinking, “It must be fate, indeed fate! I seem unable to escape the destiny of sneaking peaches and immortal pills this ti.”
Having refined the Peach of Immortality, Wukong left the Quiet Room to find the day had already dawned brightly, and he exclaid, “Oh my! I still have the key to the Peach Garden on .”
Locking the door required no key, rely closing the lock would do, but to open it, he needed the key in his possession. Realizing he was over an hour late starting work, he hurriedly left the Equal Heaven Mansion, headed straight to the Peach Garden, where he found the Local Deity and the Hercules waiting outside.
“Great Saint, this old man has been waiting here a long ti. Did the Great Saint indulge too much in wine yesterday and co late today?” the Local Deity asked.
Since the Great Sage Equalling Heaven was responsible, they wouldn’t be blad for the delay by the Jade Emperor. The Local Deity was happy to lazily wait outside without working—what a rare opportunity.
In the Heavenly Court, most immortals glorified idleness, and the most exhausted were these minor spirits, who were of low rank and perford the most nial tasks. Exhausted and poorly compensated, they had no role in the grand feasts of the court. Once they joined the Heavenly Court, it was hard to leave intact, lest they provoke a military onslaught, which is why many Loose Cultivators who beca immortal hesitated to join and take official positions—it was exactly for this reason.
Wukong gave an awkward smile and said, “Thank you for waiting, let’s start work now. I’ll open the gate.”
Wukong smacked his head, hurriedly stepped out, but then realized he had forgotten the key and sorsaulted back to the Equal Heaven Mansion to grab it.
The Local Deity shook his head, saying, “This Great Sage, truly in a rush!”
The laughing Hercules added, “The Great Sage has vast divine powers; it’s said he even defeated the Great Marshal of Exorcism, Li Jing. With such capability, being assigned rely to guard a Peach Garden seems quite unworthy.”
The Local Deity remarked, “Although the Great Sage possesses vast divine powers, his temperant is impulsive, and he resists the Emperor’s commands. How could His Majesty entrust him with an important position?”
The Garden Hoeing Hercules comnted, “Lord of the Land speaks the truth. The Great Sage is indeed impulsive. Perhaps this is another of the Emperor’s strategies, using the Peach Garden to temper him.”
Wukong returned to his mansion to fetch the key and then ca back to the Peach Garden, gesturing with his hands, he said, “As one gets older, mory fades, even forgetting to bring the keys. I’ve beco a joke for you all.”
A group of people hurriedly replied, “Not at all, not at all.”
Wukong took out the key, opened the grand gates of the Peach Garden, and a group of strong n surged in, found their tools, and began to work.
Wukong walked deep into the Peach Garden but could not find the Rainbow Peach Tree anymore. He felt puzzled in his heart, but with nothing else to do and the peaches still years from maturity, he wasn’t worried. Seeing the grass was lush and sparkling with dew, he flipped over with a sorsault and laid down, deciding it was a good ti for a long spring and autumn dream.
“This Great Sage is truly lazy!” The local deity saw this scene and couldn’t help but shake his head, then stepped far away, fearing that the Great Sage would punch him in his dream.
He still had a dark circle around his eyes from that punch, which was not light at all.
Wukong was sleeping soundly when he suddenly felt soone fiddling with his nose. He sneezed and woke up, only to see a girl in pink clothes holding a long piece of foxtail, prodding at him.
“Who are you? This place is an important part of the Peach Garden, how did you get in?” Had it been soone else, Wukong might have already pulled out his staff and driven them away, but seeing the girl’s delicate appearance and naïve expression, he hesitated to act.
The girl then said, “You chased for a whole day yesterday, how could you have forgotten so quickly?”
Wukong frowned and suddenly woke up with a start, he said, “Are you the Rainbow Peach Tree?”
The girl smiled and said, “Yes! Yesterday you even ate one of my fruits, and today you pretend not to know .”
Wukong was amazed, “You have cultivated into a spirit?”
The girl asked, “Why don’t you ask what my na is?”
Wukong then said, “May I know your esteed na?”
The girl said, “If you ask , must I tell you?”
Wukong could not help but smile bitterly. This girl was spirited and seed to have just beco a Demon Immortal, he said, “Then I won’t ask.”
But the girl said, “You don’t ask, but I’ll tell you anyway!”
Wukong said, “Please, tell .”
The girl just spun around, laughing, “You want to say it, but I just won’t!”
Wukong finally understood the girl’s whimsical nature, as whatever others said, she would do the opposite. He gestured with his hands and said, “Then I humbly ask you, please don’t tell it.”
Yet, the girl burst into laughter and said, “Then I must tell you! Listen well, my na is Tao Yao. Have you read the ‘Poetry’? It ntions ‘Peering peach blossoms, so brilliant and splendid’ — my na cos from there.”
Wukong said, “You just beca a Demon Immortal, where did you get books to read?”
Tao Yao said, “Oh! My father gave it to .”
Wukong said, “Your father?”
Tao Yao said, “My father is the one sleeping in that black box, but, after you took away the stele yesterday, he left as well.”
At this point, a fleeting despair and sadness appeared on Tao Yao’s radiant face, but she quickly smiled again and said, “I don’t think you’re a bad person, and since you were here sleeping soundly and being lazy, I ca to play a trick on you. By the way, I haven’t asked your na yet.”
Wukong thought to himself, “This peach tree probably wasn’t originally from the Flat Peach Garden; though these peaches bear the essence of heaven and earth, none could cultivate into the Dao of Immortals but this Tao Yao. It seems she’s inseparably linked with the man in the coffin. Perhaps, it’s ti to inquire a bit further.”
“Oh! My na is Sun Wukong. Do you know where your father went?” Wukong asked.
“Father didn’t tell ! I also don’t know where he went, he never tells his business. In my lifeti, I’ve only heard him speak twice,” she said.
“Which twice?”
“The first ti was when he created , he recited an oral spell for to cultivate on my own; the other was when you chased down to the lower levels.”
Wukong was secretly amazed. It seed that the man in the coffin was likely not a Demon Immortal transford from a peach tree; otherwise, what kind of father only speaks twice in a lifeti to his daughter? Perhaps, the man in the coffin never regarded her as his daughter at all, and she was rely wishful in thinking so.
To find out what happens next, stay tuned for the following episode.
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