Chapter 661: Very Energetic

Manjushri, one of the twelve Golden Immortals of Chan Jiao, formally known as Manjushri Guang Fa Tian Zun, had fully developed his power. Among the twelve Golden Immortals of Chan Jiao, his magical power, divine abilities, and treasures were at a mid-level standard.

But in the vast environment of Hong Huang, this was already considered a great divine being.

At that moment, Manjushri stood on the clouds with his hands behind his back, a faint smile on his lips, his gaze fixed on the house in the backyard where Jinzha lived, as if already evaluating his future disciple.

His visit to take on a disciple was actually guided by instructions from his saintly teacher.

How should he broach the subject?

No matter how he put it, he couldn't mention anything about "taking a disciple to ward off disasters." After all, the twelve Golden Immortals of Chan Jiao had to maintain some dignity.

By then, Li Jing had already taken his position in the courtyard and bowed with a dao salute to Manjushri in the air, speaking earnestly:

"I am Li Jing, the commanding officer of Chen Tang Guan. I do not know who you are, senior..."

"Manjushri, a cultivator from Yu Xu Gong."

Manjushri Guang Fa Tian Zun stood on the clouds and said calmly: "I, a humble Daoist, felt the urge to act after deep contemplation and calculated that the predestined connection originates from Chen Tang Guan.

Li Jing, do you have any offspring?"

Li Jing was momentarily stunned, then quickly understood the great immortal's intention.

One of the twelve Golden Immortals of Chan Jiao, a direct disciple of a saint, a true top-tier expert of Hong Huang, actually wanted to take his son as a disciple!

There was nothing particularly surprising about it.

Li Jing couldn't help but recall his own experiences after that kneel in the past.

Back then, it was as if while walking on the road, bumping into an old man would mean encountering some extraordinary immortal, or being touched by a treasure would involve a saint's disciple...

Today, Manjushri's arrival to take Jinzha as a disciple—was it because Jinzha had astonishing bones, exceptional talent, and a radiant aura sprouting from his heavenly spirit?

No, it was all because of his own muddled recognition of that foster father!

Thinking of this, Li Jing had already made up his mind. He cupped his hands toward Manjushri and smiled:

"This senior, my son is named Li Jinzha, but he is still quite young. My wife and I treasure him dearly and cannot bear to let him leave our side at this time to seek immortality and the Dao."

As soon as these words were spoken, Yin Shi was slightly surprised.

Earlier, Li Jing had been talking about finding a renowned master for Jinzha to cultivate immortality, seek truth, and achieve eternal freedom...

Upon hearing this, Manjushri frowned slightly, his smile fading as he gazed intently at the smiling Li Jing below.

In the senior servant's private quarters, Li Changgeng's eyes lit up.

This Li Jing was quite interesting.

Manjushri then said: "Li Jing, do you know that a great calamity is imminent, and only the great teachings of the saints can protect oneself?"

Li Jing looked serious and said solemnly: "I am not very clear on that. My personal aspiration is merely to safeguard the peace of Chen Tang Guan and protect my wife and children.

Senior, my wife and I truly cannot bear to let our son leave us now.

I have not yet taught him enough about proper conduct, proper etiquette, or the responsibilities a man should bear.

Please, senior... do not take offense."

Manjushri's brows furrowed tightly as his cloud descended slowly from the air, hovering ten zhang above Li Jing's residence.

He appeared so openly and without concealment that many patrolling guards in the Li mansion witnessed him, causing some commotion.

Manjushri waved his sleeve and stood with hands behind his back, saying firmly:

"Li Jing, I know you are a disciple of Ren Jiao, but merely a named disciple of Degree of Adversity senior brother.

Now, I come personally to take your son Jinzha as my direct successor. Do you have any dissatisfaction? Or do you feel that my title as one of the twelve Golden Immortals of Chan Jiao and a cultivator of Yu Xu Gong is not weighty enough?"

"Senior, why do you say such things?"

Li Jing pretended to be flustered and bowed his head: "It is truly because my foster father once taught me to be a responsible and dutiful father.

A father's duty is to help his children establish the correct way to perceive the world.

I have not yet completed Jinzha's education and truly do not wish for him to leave my side, lest he take the wrong path and regret it later."

Manjushri narrowed his eyes, a faint pressure emerging.

"Are you implying that if I teach Jinzha, he will end up on the wrong path?"

"I dare not, I dare not."

Li Jing took out a jade slip from his sleeve, its edges worn smooth, and said softly: "This is the guidance from my foster father. If you do not believe me, please take a look."

In the corner of the backyard, Li Changgeng nearly burst out laughing.

He hadn't expected that the book he had given Li Jing back then had such a profound influence on him.

Excellent, it was worth continuing to uphold.

Manjushri, of course, would not accept the jade slip. His face was already lost, yet he dared not directly offend that bone-chewing Tai Bai Jin Xing.

He could only snort coldly and say calmly:

"In that case, I shall first visit the Tai Bai Palace in Heaven!"

With that, he flung his sleeve and turned to fly into the sky, his figure vanishing in an instant.

Li Jing breathed a slight sigh of relief, turned to exchange a glance with his wife, and the two of them lost their leisure mood, heading together to the backyard where Jinzha lived.

Li Changgeng thought for a moment, then shifted his mind back to the Tai Bai Palace.

To play it safe, although he knew Manjushri wouldn't really come, he still summoned the heavenly generals guarding the place and instructed them that he was in seclusion for several years and would see no visitors.

After that, Li Changgeng couldn't help but entertain some thoughts.

What if he had Jinzha switch allegiances—er, switch teachers to Jie Jiao?

After careful consideration, Li Changgeng dismissed the idea.

Although he had good relations with many disciples of Jie Jiao, that sect had too many flaws.

Objectively speaking, it wasn't an exaggeration to say Jie Jiao harbored corruption, but because Jie Jiao valued righteousness and had a more human touch, he felt closer to it.

Chan Jiao, though less warm in human relations, was relatively more rule-abiding overall, with fewer karmic burdens.

For Jinzha and the Li family's sake, he couldn't force Jinzha to join Jie Jiao.

Oh well, it was best to let things take their natural course.

At this point, Li Changgeng became curious, wanting to see whether Jinzha would still become Manjushri's disciple and whether he was destined to join Buddhism with Manjushri...

That kneel by Li Jing that day seemed to have changed something after all.

After Manjushri left, Li Jing and Yin Shi arrived at the door of Jinzha's room, signaled to the maid inside, and stood by the window watching Jinzha's sleeping face, both letting out a soft sigh.

Li Jing had a premonition that Manjushri, one of the twelve Golden Immortals of Chan Jiao, would return to take on a disciple. By then, even if he was reluctant, he would have to consider Chan Jiao's reputation.

"Madam, let me discuss something with you..."

The next morning.

Li Jing, dressed in armor, waited early outside Jinzha's door. Once Jinzha woke up, he sternly told him to change into short sleeves and pants and accompany him to the military camp.

At the gate of the Li mansion, Li Jing mounted his horse and extended his hand to Jinzha.

—In Chen Tang Guan, Li Jing mostly rode a horse in and out to avoid stirring the common people's yearning for immortal cultivation, which could lead to neglecting agriculture and sericulture.

At that time, Jinzha was just a child, though a bit afraid, he still let his father pull him up and place him in front, then rode out of the western gate of the fortress.

The ride was so bumpy that Jinzha nearly threw up his previous meal.

When Li Jing arrived at the military camp, the soldiers gathered to watch, the generals shouted greetings to the young general, and some loyal retainers smiled warmly at Jinzha.

Li Jing ordered the tent to be arranged with an extra small bed and said earnestly to Jinzha:

"Normally, I am so busy that I haven't been able to spend much time with you. I know you have been clever since childhood and are quite sensible now.

Starting today, you will stay with me in the military camp for a hundred days, and I will not leave your side."

Jinzha blinked his big eyes and asked softly:

"But Father, don't you usually go back every evening to be with Mother?"

"Silly child, what I mean is, once you fall asleep in the camp at night, I can use escape techniques to go back and be with your mother."

Of course, Li Jing couldn't say that out loud.

Li Jing looked at Jinzha with loving eyes, completely ignoring his question, and said:

"From today, you must learn to be a real man."

"But Father, I am already a man. Uncle Chang'an said that a man is someone who pees standing up, and I do that."

"This Wang Chang'an!"

Li Jing choked back in annoyance and said seriously:

"It's not the same. A real man must have a resolute spirit, firm beliefs, and an ironclad physique.

You are still too young; you are just a child right now."

Jinzha tilted his head slightly and said in his childish voice:

"But Father, we are all made of flesh and blood. Uncle Chang'an said that flesh and blood bodies all feel pain and shouldn't pretend not to."

Li Jing: ...

"What else did Wang Chang'an say?"

Jinzha blinked: "But Father, why are you angry? Uncle Chang'an is right."

A vein bulged on Li Jing's forehead as he was about to get angry, but he suddenly recalled a maxim from "Fatherly Love Like a Mountain":

If you don't teach your own child, someone else will teach them for you;

Just as, if you don't care for your dao companion, someone else will care for them.

So that's how it is.

Li Jing suddenly gained some insight, reached out to rub Jinzha's head, and said softly:

"Son, I might have to send you to a distant place to learn skills. Before that, I want to tell you as much as possible how to be a man and how to be a good person."

"But..."

"Enough with the buts! Play here for a while; I need to gather the officers and introduce you to some uncles."

"Oh," Jinzha replied obediently, watching Li Jing's broad back as he left, and let out a soft breath.

And so, the next day.

"Stand tall—good, very spirited!"

"Not loud enough, I can't hear you! Shout again!"

"You damn well didn't eat, did you? Thrusting that spear like that—it's like delivering meals to the beasts!"

In the military drill, Li Jing sat in the commander's seat while Jinzha's small body hid in a chair nearby, his little face pale as he watched the elite soldiers wielding knives and spears on the vast open ground ahead.

Li Jing secretly observed Jinzha and saw that although his face was a bit pale, there were no other issues, so he nodded in satisfaction.

The military camp had a strong killing aura, and Jinzha hadn't started cultivating yet. For such a young child to withstand this aura showed he was indeed a promising talent.

Over the next hundred days, Li Jing took Jinzha around the camp, letting him experience the hardships of training and interact with some bold and hearty generals.

Following the guidance in the "Child-Rearing Manual" given by Tai Bai Jin Xing, Li Jing planted a seed of admiration for military affairs in Jinzha's young heart.

That seed had already begun to sprout.

Li Changgeng watched these scenes and was quite satisfied, deciding to secretly help Li Jing a bit.

Let's make it more exciting!

On the day before the end of the hundred days Li Jing had promised with Jinzha, an urgent report came from the military: a beast had gone mad in the fields, destroying a lot of crops, and it seemed to be a vicious creature that had eaten people and escaped.

Li Jing immediately assembled troops and, after thinking it over, decided to take Jinzha along, leading the camp's strongest generals to go.

That beast was, of course, a high-karma demon carefully selected by Li Changgeng, which had lost its sanity, with its movements secretly restricted.

By the time Li Jing arrived, the beast had damaged several villages, but fortunately, the villagers had evacuated in time, so no ordinary people were harmed.

Li Jing handed Jinzha to the deputy general, drew his sword, and charged forward, engaging in a fierce battle with the beast, finally slaying it in the fields. He then ordered the soldiers to handle the corpse and compensate the affected villagers.

Although Jinzha was shocked, when he looked at his father, his eyes were full of little stars...

In the midst of the ruins in the fields,

Li Jing led Jinzha slowly through, sighing with emotion.

"Jinzha?"

"Father, I'm here."

"Remember this," Li Jing said, "no matter when or where you go, your origin is the human race.

This world is vast, so vast that it makes us feel insignificant, but it is also narrow, narrow enough that different races fight fiercely for survival.

The demon race is formed from all spirits absorbing the essence of sun and moon, and those with wicked intentions are called demonic evils, who are mortal enemies of the human race, just like this beast today.

As men of our caliber, we must protect the weak and safeguard ordinary people who cannot cultivate under the claws of such evils.

I don't ask you to become a world-shaking hero or a great figure, but I do ask that when you see injustice and have the ability to act, you step in and do the right thing.

The character for 'person' means mutual support."

Jinzha nodded seriously and said firmly: "I will remember, Father."

"This way," Li Jing pointed to a pond, "today, I will tell you about an extraordinary person, the one I respect the most."

"Is that your master, Father?"

Jinzha asked, tilting his head.

Li Jing smiled, a hint of longing in his eyes, and said slowly:

"No, your grandfather in the Dao is Degree of Adversity True Man from Kunlun Mountain, but I only met him once.

During my cultivation in the mountains, I received a lot of care from this extraordinary person, which led to my current situation and cultivation.

He is the first star lord of Heaven, Tai Bai Jin Xing Li Changgeng.

In the future, you will hear this name from various beings, but remember, you must never show any disrespect toward him..."

As the sun gradually set, it stretched the shadows of this father and son longer and farther, blending Li Jing's voice into the wind.

In Chen Tang Guan, at the Li mansion,

Li Changgeng's "aged and decrepit" paper effigy stretched lazily, his eyes full of contentment, not continuing to listen.

Hmm, he's too modest to hear others praise him.

He felt quite emotional at that moment, satisfied that his previous efforts had not been in vain.

What the original Li Jing was like no longer mattered.

The current Li Jing valued family education, knew how to guide his child to build the right worldview, and balanced authority with warmth just right.

That's the way it should be.

Later, when Lingzhu Zi reincarnates as Nezha and is raised by such a Li Jing, he probably won't be too hot-tempered, right?

Li Changgeng chuckled lightly, then thought of something else. He focused his mind back to the Tai Bai Palace and activated another paper effigy hidden in a town in Central Divine Continent, flying on clouds toward Qian Yuan Mountain.

He still needed to remind Taiyi Zhenren to guard Lingzhu Zi's fetal spirit carefully, to be extremely cautious.

Taiyi Zhenren had already vaguely sensed Lingzhu Zi's destiny, as if Heaven's Dao had predetermined his reincarnation place. He just needed to wait for the right time, and Heaven's Dao would give him a sign.

Although Taiyi Zhenren's combat skills were a bit lacking, his Dao realm was truly profound, so this perception had to be trusted.

Thus, Taiyi Zhenren stared wide-eyed and asked Li Changgeng:

"You sly fellow, do you already know where Lingzhu Zi is supposed to reincarnate?"

Li Changgeng just smiled without answering, pointed to the sky, made a sealing gesture over his mouth, then laughed lightly a few times before his paper effigy dissolved on its own, leaving Taiyi Zhenren staring blankly.

Two years later, Manjushri returned to Chen Tang Guan.

This time, he brought Huanglong Zhenren and Puxian Zhenren, not mentioning his earlier threats at all.

About going to see Tai Bai Jin Xing and so on.

This time, Huanglong Zhenren, the kind old man, took the lead, disguising himself as an ordinary person to enter Chen Tang Guan and visit the Li Jing residence.

With three saintly disciples visiting in person, they promised Jinzha the best cultivation methods, the best environment, and to make him a true third-generation disciple of Chan Jiao...

Li Jing was genuinely tempted.

Moreover, this time, Manjushri had lost his previous arrogance and took the initiative to apologize to Li Jing.

Li Jing quickly agreed, allowing Jinzha to serve tea and bow to his master.

Manjushri was overjoyed, looking at Jinzha with growing fondness, and together with Puxian, bestowed many treasures.

Huanglong stroked his beard and smiled, giving several divine abilities.

Incidentally, Puxian calculated with his fingers and laughed: "General Li, is your respected wife pregnant again?"

A black line appeared on Li Jing's forehead.

Just as the Li family was enjoying this harmonious moment, a piece of news "shook" out from Chao Ge city and quickly spread to the seas and mountains.

The ruler of Shang, Emperor Yi, had ascended to the heavens in a burst of light.

In Chao Ge city, in the grand historian's mansion, Li Changgeng's "aged and decrepit" paper effigy sat quietly in a chair, his immortal sense sweeping over, and he narrowed his eyes with a light smile.

Tonight's Chao Ge city was full of spirit. The entire book is free on the full book net.