With the martial arts given by Lǚ Dòngbīn.
Chen Yun practiced the art of displacement and returned to Qingcheng.
The monkey who was caught red-handed stealing the《Zhen Longhu Jiu Xian Jing》was caught by Chen Yun on the spot.
The monkey possesses remarkable intelligence and seems to be very smart.
Upon seeing Chen Yun suddenly appear, the monkey hurriedly knelt down on the ground and kowtowed, "Oh great immortal, oh great immortal, I did not mean to intrude; it was truly out of hunger that I could not bear, and I wanted to come in for some food."
While Chen Yun had his hands behind his back, he calmly asked, "From where did you learn human speech?"
The monkey said in detail, "I was born in the Flower and Fruit Mountain, but later I was expelled by the monkey gang. I had to wander into the human world, where I was captured to perform monkey shows. During that time, I gradually learned human speech and etiquette. Later, I tried every possible way to escape when the monkey show performer was asleep. At night, I would run away after sleeping during the day. It took me no less than years to accidentally come to this mountain and prepare for a rest. Tonight is really strange because there were many fruits in the mountain. However, when I woke up and searched everywhere, none were found. So there was no choice but to steal food from your temple of immortality old grand master hope you could forgive me."
It was quite greedy for life and feared death; it blurted out a long speech, hoping that Chen Yun would not blame it.
Of course, Chen Yun knew why the monkey couldn't find any food tonight.
Certainly, it was likely used by either Lǚ Dòngbīn or He Xiangu to use magic to blind their eyes.
Perhaps she heard some movement inside the room, and Wang Siyan hurriedly walked in.
As soon as she saw Lu Li talking to the monkey, she immediately realized something, her face paled, and explained, "Brother Chen, I……"
Chen Yun waved his hand to interrupt and looked at He Xiangu, pretending to know nothing about it, outside the door. He said in his mouth, "It's not a big deal. You're being calculated with no intention."
Wang Siyan heaved a sigh of relief.
He Xiangu, standing outside, smiled mischievously and said, "Oh, uncle, I have some other things to take care of, so I'll leave you guys and dash off."
After that, He Xiangu's figure vanished.
Chen Yun helplessly shook his head and looked at the monkey, saying, "You've seen my martial arts secrets, and you can't just leave like this."
The monkey was shocked and frowned, saying, "Great immortal, please don't steam or boil me. I'm an old monkey with over ten years of age. The meat on my body is not fresh. If you want to eat, eat the young monkeys."
Chen Yun: (...)
Wang Siyan: (...)
Chen Yun was both annoyed and amused.
The monkey is indeed clever, but it's amazing that it actually thinks about letting its fellow cultivator die while saving itself. It's truly a bit... shameless.
He knows that this monkey is the result of his own blood and spiritual energy, and as years go by, its strength will become stronger.
For instance, now this monkey is only several years old, and its strength is already comparable to that of a refining body warrior at the level of an inferior mage.
However, it is naturally cautious and dared not to have any conflict with people, which is why it was caught by the monkey show performer.
Otherwise, if it really caused trouble, the monkey show performer might be killed alive.
Moreover, from this point, we can see that this monkey has a good nature and does not want to do anything that harms others.
Chen Yun felt that as its "father," it was necessary for him to teach the monkey the laws of the secular world before its power grew, so as to prevent it from going astray and causing harm to the people in the future. At that time, some of the responsibility might fall on his head.
As the saying goes, "If one doesn't educate its offspring, it's the father's fault." As this monkey was born from his own blood and spiritual energy, he cannot be held responsible for anything it does without knowing better.
However, now that it's known, not managing it is unacceptable.
Chen Yun turned his head towards Wang Siyan and said, "Go to the kitchen and fetch some food for it."
Wang Siyan looked at the monkey and nodded slightly, saying, "Okay, I'll go now."
After speaking, she turned and left.
Chen Yun looked at the monkey, "I won't eat you, don't worry."
The monkey was overjoyed, looking up timidly and said, "Then... old immortal, will you let me go?"
Chen Yun laughed silently and said, "You can't leave. You stole my spiritual arts secrets, so you'd better stay here and do some odd jobs for me. I'll provide you with meals and accommodation, but you have to do your job well. Otherwise, you'll be punished."
The monkey had been wandering for several years, often going hungry, and hadn't expected anyone to take it in.
The monkey was overwhelmed with gratitude, and once again knelt down on the ground to kowtow, saying, "Thank you, old immortal. Thank you, old immortal."
"Get up," Chen Yun said, extending his hand as if to lift it, and asked, "What's your surname?"
The monkey replied, "I have no temperament. If people curse me, I don't get upset, and if they hit me, I don't get angry either. I just make a gesture of apology and that's it. I have no temperament all my life."
Chen Yun laughed silently. This response was really similar to the first meeting between Sun Wukong and Bodhi Dharma in "Journey to the West."
He explained, "I'm not asking about your temperament, but rather if you have a surname and a name."
The monkey quickly realized and said, "Before I was caught to perform monkey shows, the person who caught me had the surname Hu. He gave me a name called Hu San, so I referred to myself as Hu San."
Chen Yun shook his head and said, "The name Hu San is not very dignified. Since you're going to work here, I, the humble Taoist, will give you a new name."
The monkey was overjoyed and said, "Thank you, old immortal, for giving me a name."
Chen Yun had no intention of playing a trick and giving him the name Sun Wukong. Instead, he pondered seriously for a moment and said, "The surname Hu is that of others. Since you have joined my door, why not follow my surname? As for the name…… I observe that you are not like a monkey but quite intelligent. You are bound to have great achievements in the future. How about we call you Chen Lizhi?"
The monkey was quite concerned about the name and asked, "What does 'Lizhi' mean?"
Chen Yun smiled and said, "Studying requires first establishing a goal. Without establishing a goal, how can one understand what one wants?"
This quote was said by Zhu Xi, a great Confucian scholar in the Song Dynasty. He felt it was very suitable for naming.
The monkey thought about it carefully, then broke into a smile, flipping and clapping his hands, "Good, good, good. From now on, I'll be called Chen Lizhi."
Chen Yun found that the monkey was more intelligent than most teenagers, and he couldn't help but like it.
He casually instructed the monkey on what menial tasks it would need to undertake in the future to temper its temperament.
The monkey was quite compliant, even though it heard that the work to be done was very hard, it still readily agreed and said that it was not afraid of hardship.
This made Chen Yun like it even more.
A moment later, Wang Siyan brought over some cakes and fruits.
Chen Yun watched as the monkey ate, and then he called Zhang Qian over to take the monkey to a house in the outer courtyard.
He knew Zhang Qian's character, so he felt more at ease seeing the monkey with him.
After arranging for the monkey, Chen Yun put away the "True Dragon and Tiger Nine Immortals Scriptures" and then lay down on the bed with Wang Siyan.
To be honest, at his level of cultivation, he doesn't actually need to sleep anymore.
Chen Yun lying down with Wang Siyan on the bed was simply to give himself some warmth as his woman.
After all, he hadn't cared for her for so many years. This time he came back, he definitely had to accompany her well.
The two were chatting idly.
Wang Siyan said, "Brother Chen, how many days will you be staying this time?"
Chen Yun said, "At most three or five days. After that, I will be busy with the matter of the war to consecrate gods."
Wang Siyan cherished the time she spent with him, "Yes, a man's ambition is in all directions. In these three or five days, I will take good care of you."
Chen Yun smiled and said, "There's no need for all that trouble. I can take care of myself."
Hearing this, Wang Siyan let out a faintly disappointed "oh" sound, thinking that Chen Yun had grown tired of her.
Chen Yun could guess her thoughts and continued, "I'm planning to take you with me to the Khitan region this time. Having someone to take care of my daily needs would be nice. Siyan, what do you think?"
Wang Siyan immediately became excited and said, "I think it would be the best."
Chen Yun instructed, "We may only have a few months of peace in Khitan. Afterwards, when I convince the emperor, we will start the war. Then, you'll go back to Qing City Mountain."
Wang Siyan hurriedly said, "I know."
Chen Yun nodded and said, "Okay, then. Good night."
……
Three or four days passed in a flash.
During this time, Chen Yun held a teaching ceremony for his disciples and granted them some new methods of cultivation.
In the following days, he personally guided Mei Junyan and others on how to cultivate and provided some practical guidance.
This morning, Chen Yun released the YinYe bats to guard Qingcheng Mountain.
After that, he summoned Niudali, Jiangdaoren, Baixin, Gongjiji, and other disciples, as well as three thousand gods and generals who had become Shadows of Yin. They joined forces with the power of Guanjiang Erlang Temple and headed to the old Laojun Observatory in Khitan's capital city.
Originally, he didn't want to involve his two friends Zhang Qian and Lin Chen in the Consecration of the Gods war, out of consideration for their lives.
However, the two were unwilling to remain calm and begged to come with him. Chen Yun had no choice but to bring them along.
In the observatory, Chen Yun was in a secret consultation with Er Lang God in the study.
Wang Siyan was on the side serving tea and water to the two of them.
By the small round table next to the window, Erlang God sipped his tea and asked, "Brother Chen, how should we proceed?"
Chen Yun looked out of the window and said, "Second Brother, join me in a trip to the palace later. I need to convince the Khitan emperor to attack Jin."
Erlang God asked, "Is there a guarantee?"
Chen Yun shook his head and said, "Although Jin relies on Khitans to achieve its current position, after these years of rest, Jin's military power is actually not much weaker than that of Khitans. In terms of these aspects, the Khitan emperor actually doesn't want to start a war either. So, it's very difficult to convince him to march southward. The probability is slim. The Khitan emperor is a wise ruler who has been diligently governing his country. He will not necessarily agree to attack Jin just because we want to launch the Consecration of the Gods war unless we can give him a definite hope for victory."
Erlang God sighed helplessly and said, "With similar military strength between the two countries, no one knows what the outcome will be before the war breaks out. How can we give him a certain hope of victory?"
Chen Yun sighed and said, "If the Trigram King hadn't protected Jin, perhaps I could find some sacred beings to easily persuade the Khitan emperor that there is a certain hope for victory. However, at present, most of the divine beings in heaven and the majority of Trigram King are on Jin's side. This will probably increase the Khitan emperor's hesitation to fight."
Erlang God shook his head and said, "Indeed, the Trigram King is now the supreme emperor of heaven, and the divine beings who follow him are numerous. Our side has relatively thin strength compared to theirs. If there's a real fight, it might not be our match."
Chen Yun knew that Erlang God didn't have as much inside information as he did, which is why he said this.
In fact, he knew that the top-notch combatants in the camp of Yuhuang Emperor had a higher probability of winning.
These words were not suitable at the moment, as those sacred beings are currently just expressing their support for Yuhuang Emperor. Who knows if they will actually come to the battle to assist once the war starts?
Chen Yun thought carefully and said, "In any case, I must go to the palace and try my best to persuade the Khitan emperor."
Erlang God said, "Okay, I'm not good at speaking, so it will be up to you."
Chen Yun chuckled and said, "I'm not particularly good at persuading others either. I'll try my best."
After making their plan, the two summoned Gong Jujie to go to the palace to deliver a message, indicating that they were planning to visit.
It was about half an hour later when people from the palace came to welcome them.
Chen Yun and Erlang God each sat in a palanquin, which was carried into the palace.
...
In the palace, a side hall.
Chen Yun and Erlang God were immediately greeted with warm hospitality by Caosenese Emperor Li Shideguang as soon as they arrived.
The three sat there sipping tea and chatting without immediately delving into the main topic.
Li Shideguang looked eagerly and said, "Mr. Chen, it has been over a year since I last saw you. I miss you very much."
Chen Yun smiled warmly, "It's been kind of you to remember me, Your Majesty. I've had some business to attend to over the past year, and I had no choice but to go handle it."
Li Shideguang said, "It's okay if you come back. Otherwise, Mr. Chen and Mr. Zhao could stay in the palace for a few days and let me properly entertain you."
"Alright." Chen Yun said and tried to steer the conversation towards the main topic, "By the way, I wasn't here last year. Was there anything that happened?"
He was actually very clear in his mind, but he was only asking in this way to smoothly introduce the topic.
Erlang God understood what Chen Yun meant, but he was not good at speaking, so he didn't say anything and just looked at the Khitan Emperor.
Li Shideguang was quite straightforward and sighed, "This year, the Khitans didn't have any major events, but there were quite a few things happening in the south. For example, the Southern Han's Liu Long died, his eldest son Liu Feng succeeded him, and there was also a big defeat of Wang Xi's army by Southern Wu's Yan Wei. However, when it comes to the most significant event, it has to be the death of Emperor Shi Jingtang of Southern Tang and his nephew Shi Zhonggui taking over. Since then, he has really grown a backbone and no longer refers to us Khitans as his subjects."
Chen Yun's eyes flickered slightly, feigning some astonishment and said, "Back then, Jin was able to seize the throne with the help of the Khitans. This Shi Zhonggui is really ungrateful to not only not acknowledge us as his overlords but also refer to us as his grandsons instead of subjects?"
Li Shideguang's tone was very dissatisfied and said, "Yes, as the saying goes, 'one should never forget his benefactor.' Shi Zhonggui is really heartless and intestine-twisting. He even forgot that we helped his uncle seize the throne."
Chen Yun tried to stir up trouble by saying, "In that case, Your Majesty, how can you bear it?"
Now we're getting to the crux of the matter.
Erlang God put down his teacup and straightened his posture, eager to listen to what Li Shideguang was thinking.
Li Shideguang didn't immediately answer the question. He pondered for a moment as if he was thinking about something.
After a while, he furrowed his brows and said, "I don't want to endure it, but right now, Jin is strong in both military and horses. If we send troops southward, there's no guarantee of victory. Therefore, I have to endure it."
Chen Yun continued to sow discord by saying, "Isn't this because Your Majesty is afraid of Jin?"
The moment he spoke, Li Shideguang's expression changed, and it seemed that he was slightly disturbed by Chen Yun's words.
Chen Yun exchanged a glance with Erlang God, wondering if the tactic of goading would make Li Shideguang determined to send troops southward to attack Jin.
