Loyal Donkey Guardian General

Chapter 10: The Loyal Donkey Guardian General

"Great Immortal Kongchen, who saves the suffering and eradicates demons to uphold the Dao! May there be fewer people like the Demon Lord Silver Flower in this world."

"Qian Kun of the Wushan Sect thanks the Sword Immortal for eliminating the Demon Lord Silver Flower!"

"May the immortal bless me! Bless my son Bao Er as he travels to the capital for the imperial examination, may there be no accidents, and please don't let him encounter river demons."

"Great Immortal Kongchen..."

"Immortal..."

It was as if hundreds and thousands of people's cries echoed in his ears, then converged into a sound like a mountain roar and a tidal wave, startling Gao Xian from his sleep.

"Who is it?"

Gao Xian threw off the covers and looked outside the window. It wasn't even dawn yet.

Gao Xian was furious. He got out of bed, determined to find the guy who woke him from his beautiful dream and beat him to death, to teach him about public morality.

"What are you shouting about in the middle of the night?"

"And shouting so loudly, gathering so many people to shout with you?"

The Azure Dragon Guardian and the Donkey Guardian, who had sensed Gao Xian's restless emotions in his sleep, appeared one after another.

"Clang!" The Azure Dragon Guardian let out a sword cry from the wall and soared up.

"Clang!"

The Donkey Guardian broke down the door and declared his loyalty: "Donkey General is here to protect Your Highness!"

However, after a thorough search, they found no one inside or outside.

In the early morning, the Azure Dragon Sword soared into the sky, circled, and returned. The donkey patrolled the courtyard, returning bewildered. The outside was utterly silent, with not a soul in sight.

Finally, only one person, one donkey, and one sword were left in the room, staring at each other.

"Immortal? Did you really hear the voices?"

Gao Xian also frowned, but the sound was indeed too strange, still echoing faintly in his ears.

Gao Xian searched the room and finally discovered that the sound was coming from a painting hanging on the wall.

It was the Daoist Venerable Divine Painting that Lu Canghai had given him before he left. Gao Xian had hung the Daoist Venerable Divine Painting in his room after temporarily staying at the Welcoming Inn for the winter, with a small incense burner placed below it.

After all, he was a Daoist. Hanging a statue of a Daoist Venerable and burning incense while meditating created the right atmosphere and suited his identity.

But now, there was a slight change in the Daoist Venerable in the painting.

"When did this Daoist Venerable Divine Painting become my portrait?"

Gao Xian was utterly astonished. The Daoist Venerable in the divine statue scroll had, at some point, transformed into himself.

He was wearing a Daoist robe, riding a donkey, and stepping through the clouds.

Carrying a celestial sword on his back, he looked incredibly mysterious and full of Daoist charm, comparable to the previous Daoist Venerable.

It was only when he held the painting that the voices in Gao Xian's ears stopped.

Gao Xian took down the painting and examined his image within it. He then heard countless sounds like prayers, coming from below the clouds in the painting.

It was as if unseen common people were praying for blessings from the gods above the clouds.

Each prayer and invocation of a divine name turned into a wisp of smoke that rose to the clouds, encircling the Daoist Venerable.

With the breathing of the Daoist Venerable statue, these countless wisps of smoke finally condensed into a thread of smoke, floating in the mist, giving the immortal in the painting a more divine aura. It added a touch of incense and fire, like a clay sculpture that had been worshipped for a long time on an altar.

With a thought from Gao Xian, that wisp of green energy floated down from the painting and landed in Gao Xian's hand.

"?" This thing could actually be taken out.

"This thing smells so good, it looks edible." The donkey's eyes immediately turned red upon smelling it. It rushed over, licking its lips, unable to resist the urge to swallow it in one gulp.

Gao Xian slapped the donkey on the head and pushed it back: "Don't eat everything randomly."

However, what Gao Xian didn't expect was that the Azure Dragon Sword also began to circle around him, conveying an intense desire for this thing in his mind.

The Azure Dragon Guardian and the Donkey General began to fight.

"It seems this thing is useful to both of them?"

Gao Xian's eyes darted around. He thought about giving it to the Azure Dragon Guardian first, but then he hesitated, fearing that this thing might be problematic. His precious Azure Dragon Sword couldn't be tested carelessly.

He looked at the cunning donkey, which was clashing with the Azure Dragon Sword and fighting fiercely.

Gao Xian immediately recalled that someone had sent silver the day before yesterday. Lately, this donkey had been increasingly disobedient, even competing with this Great Immortal for showmanship.

He also remembered catching this lecherous donkey peeking at his notebook yesterday, a scandalous novel called "Romance of the Sword Immortal," which contained misleading and completely imagined unhealthy content. He had beaten it, but this stupid donkey was forgetful and thick-skinned. It would definitely forget after rolling around.

Moreover, just now, when this Great Immortal shouted, the Azure Dragon Guardian was the first to come to his aid. This donkey wasn't even the first one.

A donkey whose loyalty had not been tested, whose heart was impure, and whose mind was not sound would sooner or later go astray and fall into the demonic path.

It's you.

Although he thought this in his heart, he couldn't say it out loud.

Great Immortal Kongchen immediately put on a look of deep contemplation, as if deciding to bestow an important task.

Straightening his back, he shouted, "Donkey Guardian General, step forward!"

"The Donkey Guardian General is here!" The Donkey Guardian General immediately stepped forward, his tongue lolling out in excitement, staring with his donkey eyes at the green smoke in Gao Xian's hand.

Gao Xian said with a serious expression, "Although you've made many mistakes recently, your loyalty is commendable. Don't think this Great Immortal doesn't care for you; when I get good things, I still think of you."

The Donkey Guardian General immediately stepped forward to pledge his loyalty, "Great Immortal, rest assured, General Donkey will be absolutely loyal and serve the Great Immortal's sect."

"Through wind and rain, through mountains of knives and seas of fire, I will not flinch."

The cunning donkey, as usual, spewed out a stream of pretty words, twisting its head so high it almost reached the sky.

The Azure Dragon Guardian spun around Gao Xian like a little fish. Gao Xian grabbed the Azure Dragon Sword and stroked it a few times, finally calming its hum before sheathing it.

Gao Xian pushed his hand forward, and the green smoke immediately landed in front of the Donkey Guardian General.

The Donkey Guardian General swallowed it in one gulp, then took a deep breath. He felt a sense of floating and exhilaration, swaying left and right.

Then he felt his whole body burning, as if fire was raging within him. His nose itched, and he kept wrinkling and relaxing it.

"Ooooh... Achoo..."

With a sneeze, a ball of flame shot out from the donkey's nostrils.

"What's going on? My nose is on fire?"

The donkey was terrified and ran towards the door.

But as it roared and opened its mouth, a fire dragon directly spewed out, causing the air to explode with a rushing sound.

"General Donkey can breathe fire, I can breathe fire."

First startled, then the donkey became overjoyed. It realized it could now breathe fire and even control it.

"Great Immortal, did you see? General Donkey can breathe fire."

Gao Xian's eyes were calm and composed, as if he had foreseen everything. "Indeed, indeed. This Great Immortal knew long ago that you had extraordinary potential, otherwise I wouldn't have valued you so highly and bestowed such a treasure upon you."

The donkey didn't doubt him and was moved to tears.

It thought, This black-hearted Great Immortal Kongchen finally recognizes my worth. It's not like before, when he wanted to slaughter me and eat my flesh every few days.

With this thought, General Donkey felt a surge of emotion and, as usual, stepped forward again to pledge his loyalty, this time with added sincerity.

"Thank you, Great Immortal Kongchen. With such powerful divine abilities, General Donkey can not only serve you diligently but also help you deal with powerful enemies."

"From now on, when we encounter someone like Young Master Silver Flower, we won't need the Azure Dragon to intervene. Little Donkey can just spit fire and burn him to death. Great Immortal will have more prestige."

Gao Xian's heart was not calm; he was thinking of more.

Although the guardian spirits had some peculiar abilities before, like the Donkey Guardian General's immense strength and soul-stirring aura, and the Azure Dragon Guardian's ability to fly like a sword, even learning Sword Intent and projecting it within a hundred meters through divine consciousness, capable of changing the world.

But these were all due to the unique divine souls of the guardian spirits themselves. This donkey, however, was completely different; it could truly be called a divine ability.

"What exactly is this scroll collecting? It can actually allow a guardian spirit to advance further. A wisp of green smoke can grant the donkey a divine ability."

Gao Xian's eyes lit up. Recalling memories from his past life and connecting them with the overwhelming sound of prayers he had heard earlier, he immediately had an idea. "Could this be Incense and Fire?"

Guardian spirits were a type of deity, and as deities, they naturally relied on Incense and Fire.

Gao Xian had been pondering how to help the Donkey Guardian General and the Azure Dragon Guardian advance further, and he had considered the path of Incense and Fire. However, after many attempts, neither the Donkey Guardian General nor the Azure Dragon Guardian could sense Incense and Fire, let alone utilize it.

Therefore, the key was this painting.

Gao Xian's gaze fell back onto the divine painting in his hand.

"This divine painting can actually gather Incense and Fire?" Gao Xian recalled what Lu Canghai had said when he gifted him the scroll.

"This scroll is a Daoist Venerable Divine Painting I obtained in the past, originating from Kunlun, the Ancestral Court of Daoism. It is said to contain some secrets. The Son of Heaven of the Shu Kingdom in the west once searched for this item everywhere, but I believe only a Daoist immortal like yourself is worthy of this painting."

While responding to the Donkey Guardian General's pledge of loyalty, Gao Xian began to make plans.

"Kunlun, the Ancestral Court of Daoism?"

"Perhaps there's an opportunity. I should go and visit this Ancestral Court of Daoism."