Visiting Wuzhuang Temple

Hong Yun saw the two child attendants and called out warmly, "Qingfeng, Mingyue, the Ancestor is here! Hurry over and pay your respects!"

Seeing this, Qingfeng and Mingyue helplessly slapped their faces. They seemed used to Hong Yun's unruly behavior, and obediently came forward to bow to him. "Greetings, Ancestor!"

Seeing Hong Yun act so unruly even in front of outsiders, Zhenyuanzi felt rather helpless. He hurried forward and said, "All right, Hong Yun, stop teasing Qingfeng and Mingyue!"

"Qingfeng, Mingyue, come over here. These three are fellow Daoists from the Western Mount Sumeru: fellow Daoists Zhunti and Jieyin, and Jieyin's disciple, Jiang Yun. Pay your respects to them one by one!"

Qingfeng and Mingyue respectfully greeted Jieyin and Zhunti first. Zhunti and Jieyin smiled and nodded.

"Greetings, Senior Brother Jiang Yun!"

Qingfeng and Mingyue then greeted Jiang Yun as well. In terms of seniority, Jiang Yun and Qingfeng and Mingyue were of the same generation. Jiang Yun was a Direct Disciple, while Qingfeng and Mingyue were no less esteemed. Although they were merely child attendants, Hong Yun and Zhenyuanzi treated them like nephews. The two were currently at the True Immortal realm. Since they had been enlightened, however, their innate aptitude was not particularly good.

"Jiang Yun greets the two fellow Daoists!"

Jiang Yun did not put on airs. He addressed them as fellow Daoists and returned their bow. Afterward, Zhenyuanzi led everyone into the temple.

Jiang Yun followed behind with Qingfeng and Mingyue. When he looked up, he saw a tall, imposing mountain gate. The three large characters "Wuzhuang Temple" were written on its signboard.

Upon entering the temple, they first came to a spacious front courtyard. A long path paved with bluestone slabs stretched beneath their feet, seven or eight zhang wide. Numerous trees grew on either side, their lush foliage casting deep shade and creating a quiet, secluded atmosphere.

At the end of the front courtyard stood the main hall. A huge incense burner sat before it, surrounded by curling smoke and waves of sandalwood fragrance.

Inside the main hall, the first thing they saw was a large black-green spirit tablet made of sandalwood, with the words "Heaven and Earth" written on it. Several prayer mats were arranged in the center of the hall. This was clearly the place where Heaven and Earth were usually worshiped, honored guests were received, and meditation and lectures were conducted. The entire hall had a solemn and dignified air.

The group took their seats on the prayer mats according to host and guest. Zhenyuanzi instructed Qingfeng and Mingyue to bring out some Spiritual Fruits and arrange them on a platter.

After everything had been arranged, Qingfeng and Mingyue sat off to one side.

Back at the Purple Heaven Palace, Zhenyuanzi had already been puzzled by Hong Yun's act of giving up his seat. After the incident with Kunpeng, his confusion had only deepened. Now that several of those involved were visiting Wuzhuang Temple, he took the opportunity to ask about it.

"Fellow Daoists, back at the Purple Heaven Palace, I wonder what mystery those prayer mats held to make you act as you did?"

Hearing Zhenyuanzi's question, Zhunti took the initiative to answer. "We likewise did not know what secret the prayer mats held. When my senior brother and I first entered the Purple Heaven Palace, we immediately sensed a connection with them. Instinct told us that they represented a great opportunity related to the prosperity of our Western World. Ever since our Form Transformation, my brother and I have been working tirelessly for the prosperity of the Western World. Thus, we had no choice but to use some means to ask fellow Daoist Hong Yun for a seat!"

After hearing this, Hong Yun continued, "Actually, from the moment the three of you entered the Purple Heaven Palace, the prayer mat beneath me began exerting a force of rejection. Later, when the two Senior Brothers came to stand beside me, I could barely suppress that force! By then, I had vaguely understood that I was not the one destined for that prayer mat. So when the two of you asked for a seat, I was already preparing to give it up!"

After hearing Hong Yun's explanation, Zhenyuanzi suddenly understood everything. A trace of relief entered his voice as he said to Hong Yun, "I was puzzled at the time. There were only six prayer mats in the hall, so they had to offer some benefit. Since you had occupied one, how could you give up your seat so easily? So it was an opportunity ordained by fate, with someone else as its destined owner!"

"Kunpeng must have been in the same situation as you!" Zhenyuanzi's tone was filled with certainty.

"Precisely. Jade Clarity Primordial Beginning Fellow Daoist probably discovered this as well, which was why he spoke up to help. He values the Heavenly Mandate above all else and believes in following Heaven's will and acting in accordance with the Dao." Zhunti picked up the thread. Jieyin also nodded along, clearly agreeing with Zhunti.

"Looking at it now, my willingness to give up my seat so readily turned out to be a great blessing. I formed a good karmic bond with the two of you. Poor fellow Daoist Kunpeng knew he was not the one chosen by the Heavenly Mandate, yet insisted on defying Heaven. In the end, he brought such a fate upon himself!" Hong Yun laughed heartily, utterly carefree.

He had always been someone who did not fuss over details. When traveling through the primordial world, he treated everyone with kindness. As for the matter of the prayer mat, he had always believed that gaining it was fortune, while losing it was fate. This time, he had merely returned it to its rightful owner and received a reward in return.

Once everything had been laid bare, the relationships among them seemed to grow closer. Hearing the hidden details behind all this, Jiang Yun finally gained a complete understanding of what had happened at the Purple Heaven Palace.

From this perspective, the karma Hong Yun had incurred by giving up his seat was actually not that great. The Saint positions had long been determined by fate. Even if Jieyin and Zhunti had failed to obtain the prayer mats, it would not have affected their becoming Saints. Their status as the lords of the Western World was the true key to their Sainthood.

However, after hearing everything, Jiang Yun noticed one point of doubt. Since the six prayer mats each had an owner, why had the Three Clarities and Nüwa been able to occupy theirs so smoothly, while Jieyin and Zhunti had to endure such twists and turns before obtaining theirs?

With that thought, Jiang Yun directly asked everyone, "Teacher, Martial Uncle, Great Immortal Zhenyuanzi, and Great Immortal Hong Yun, this disciple has one matter he cannot understand. I have pondered it but remain unable to resolve it. I hope you elders can enlighten me."

After hearing this, Jieyin asked with slight confusion, "What is it that troubles you? Go ahead and tell us. I and the other fellow Daoists will help you think it over."

"Since Teacher and Martial Uncle are both people chosen by the Heavenly Mandate, why did the three of us become lost in the primordial chaos for so long, arriving at the Purple Heaven Palace far behind everyone else? The other great deities obtained their prayer-mat seats without trouble, while we had to endure such needless twists and turns."

After hearing these words, everyone began pondering silently.

When everyone had traveled to the Purple Heaven Palace, there had been no direction in the primordial chaos. Without Old Ancestor Hongjun's guidance, no one could likely have found the Purple Heaven Palace. Since that was the case, what had happened must have been connected to the Dao Ancestor. It was simply unclear what deeper meaning lay behind his actions.

They had made some guesses, but no one truly voiced them.

Jieyin and Zhunti recalled what Jiang Yun had said previously: Old Ancestor Hongjun had fought Luohou and shattered the Western Land, thereby incurring such a great karmic debt to the West. How would he repay it?

Now that these matters were connected, some guesses naturally arose in their hearts.

Seeing that everyone had fallen silent, Zhunti changed the subject. "This matter was probably a trial imposed on the two of us by the Heavenly Dao. There is no need to investigate it too deeply! It is rare for us to visit fellow Daoist Zhenyuanzi, yet we have not seen his Companion Spiritual Root, the Ginseng Fruit Tree. Fellow Daoist Zhenyuanzi, why not take us on a tour?"

Hearing this, Zhenyuanzi rose with a proud expression. "Since fellow Daoist Zhunti is interested, I naturally must fulfill my duty as host and give you a proper tour! Hahaha!"

Seeing this, Hong Yun joined in playfully. "You all don't know this, but Zhenyuanzi's Ginseng Fruit Tree bears only thirty fruits every ten thousand years. That is not even enough for one meal of mine!"

"You still have the nerve to say that? Every time the fruits ripen, you rush straight to my Wuzhuang Temple. The fruits from my entire tree all end up in your belly, and after eating them, you just pat your stomach and leave!"

"Hahaha..." Everyone burst into laughter, while inwardly marveling at the deep friendship between the two.

Zhenyuanzi then led everyone to the rear courtyard to see the Ginseng Fruit Tree.