Skull Mountain White Bone Cave.
A cultivator named Shi Ji lived in the cave. Since she often practiced medicine and dispensed remedies in the nearby villages, the people were grateful for her kindness and called her Shi Ji Niangniang.
That day, while Shi Ji was dispensing medicine in a village, she heard people discussing how King Zhou had debated a Daoist named Yun Zhongzi at court, making wildly arrogant declarations that defied the Mandate of Heaven.
Shi Ji naturally knew Yun Zhongzi. Hearing that King Zhou had spoken up for those clad in fur and crowned with horns, those born of moisture or hatched from eggs, and had refuted Yun Zhongzi, she grew interested and listened closely. Then she heard about King Zhou's heaven-defying words.
"I am the Mandate of Heaven? Master heaven and put it to use?" Shi Ji shook her head repeatedly and chuckled despite herself. "The Mandate of Heaven is a fixed destiny. Though King Zhou is the Human King, he is far too arrogant. Such disrespect for the Mandate of Heaven is bound to earn him infamy."
Quite a few villagers had fallen ill lately, and Shi Ji had not brought enough medicinal herbs, so she sent Biyun Boy, who attended her, to gather herbs at the cliff.
She was a Jie Sect Disciple, but not a direct disciple of Tongtian. Thus, though her cultivation was considerable, she had received little attention from Tongtian, and her bonds with her fellow disciples were somewhat thin.
The two boys at her side were her closest family. Apart from them, she had no kin.
Carrying a small flower basket, Biyun Boy reached the cliff. Suddenly, an arrow flew down from the sky and struck him squarely in the throat. He toppled to the ground and died.
After a while, seeing that Biyun Boy had still not returned to the village, Shi Ji rode a cloud over to investigate, only to find him below the cliff, slain by an arrow.
Shi Ji drew a deep breath. Even with her level of cultivation, her Dao heart nearly fell into turmoil.
With light, graceful steps, she approached and pulled out the arrow. Beneath its fletching, she found the inscription "Li Jing, Garrison Commander of Chentang Pass."
Her chest swelling with fury, Shi Ji raged, "Li Jing! When you could not attain the Dao, I spoke before your master and had you sent down the mountain to seek Mortal Prosperity. Now you have risen to the rank of a lord, yet rather than repay my kindness, you shoot my disciple with an arrow. You repay kindness with hatred!"
She immediately summoned her Azure Luan, flew to Chentang Pass, and brought out her treasure, the Eight Trigrams Cloud Light Scarf, to capture Li Jing.
Anyone else would surely have killed Li Jing outright. After all, there was physical evidence in hand. But Shi Ji cherished old ties. She lived alone and had few friends, and Li Jing's teacher, Du'e Zhenren, was one of them. Back then, Li Jing had cultivated for many years without becoming an immortal, and remaining on the mountain offered him no future. It was Shi Ji who had pleaded with Du'e Zhenren to let him descend the mountain and seek Mortal Prosperity. They were old acquaintances.
So Shi Ji chose to reason with him, merely demanding, "Li Jing, though you failed to attain immortality, you gained Mortal Prosperity. Now, instead of remembering the source of your blessings, you harbor evil intentions and shoot my disciple Biyun Boy dead. How can you justify this?"
Li Jing was utterly bewildered. He had done nothing! He hurriedly said, "Niangniang, what offense has this disciple committed?"
Shi Ji said, "You repay kindness with hatred, shoot my disciple dead, and still shirk responsibility by claiming ignorance?"
Li Jing asked, "Where is that arrow?"
Shi Ji produced the arrow. Li Jing took one look and saw that it really did belong to him.
Li Jing exclaimed in shock, "This is the Xuanyuan Arrow, indeed the guardian treasure of Chentang Pass. But this disciple would never dare use such a precious treasure lightly. This was certainly not my doing. I beg you, Niangniang, to consider how difficult it is for me to clear this injustice and let me return to the pass to identify the archer. I will bring the culprit here. If I cannot find whoever shot the arrow, I am willing to repay you with my life."
Seeing his sincerity, Shi Ji released him. Inwardly, she even reflected that it was fortunate Li Jing had not done it, or she would have been in a difficult position.
Li Jing returned to Chentang Pass and pondered for a long while. The only person who could have used the Xuanyuan Arrow without permission was Nezha.
He summoned Nezha and asked, "You said your master instructed you to assist an enlightened ruler. Why haven't you been studying archery and horsemanship?"
Nezha said, "That is precisely what I aspire to do. Just now, I saw a bow and arrows displayed in the tower, so I shot an arrow. Red light swirled and violet mist billowed-and then, oh! The arrow vanished."
At first, Li Jing let out an angry shout, but then his heart softened. Whatever else might be true, this was his own child.
Not knowing what had happened, Nezha asked, "What's wrong?"
Li Jing said, "That arrow you just shot killed Shi Ji Niangniang's disciple. She captured me and questioned me, then released me to find the archer. And it turns out it was you!"
Nezha laughed. "Father, calm your anger. Where does this Shi Ji Niangniang live? Where was her disciple? How could I have shot him dead? How can she accuse someone without cause?"
Li Jing thought it over. That was true!
Nezha did not even know Shi Ji Niangniang. Even if he did, reaching Skull Mountain's cave from Chentang Pass would take quite some time even with an escape technique. How could he have shot so accurately?
This...
But Li Jing had to give Shi Ji an explanation, after all. She had shown him kindness in the past.
After turning it over in his mind, he concluded that this was an accident. Given Shi Ji Niangniang's agreeable nature, she probably would not hold it against them. They only needed to admit their fault.
So Li Jing said, "Shi Ji Niangniang lives in Skull Mountain White Bone Cave. Since you shot her disciple dead, go and see her!"
Nezha said, "You're right, Father. Let's go to that whatever White Bone Cave and turn her world upside down! Go ahead, Father. I'll follow."
Li Jing merely sighed. Nezha had behaved and spoken this perversely since childhood. With a master who shielded his faults on top of that, he had become even more disdainful of everyone else. He was clearly in the wrong, yet he still talked about turning her world upside down.
Then father and son traveled to Skull Mountain by earth escape.
Upon reaching Skull Mountain, Li Jing instructed Nezha, "Wait while I go in and report to Niangniang."
Li Jing entered the cave and paid his respects to Shi Ji Niangniang.
Shi Ji asked, "Who shot the boy dead?"
Li Jing replied, "It was my own unfilial son, Nezha. This disciple dared not disobey and has brought him before your cave to await your instructions."
Shi Ji ordered Caiyun Boy, who stood beside her, to invite Nezha inside.
Outside the cave, Nezha saw someone approaching and thought, In a fight, nothing beats striking first. This is her lair, which puts me at a disadvantage.
He raised the Universe Ring and struck. Caught completely off guard, Caiyun Boy took the ring across his neck. With a cry of "Ah!" he fell to the ground.
Hearing the cry outside, Shi Ji hurried out. Caiyun Boy was already lying on the ground. Glaring and grinding her teeth, she said, "You wicked brat! You dare commit more violence and injure another of my disciples!"
Seeing her, Nezha once again seized the advantage by striking first, hurling the ring at her.
Shi Ji recognized it at a glance as the Universe Ring, the guardian treasure of Taiyi Zhenren's cave, and understood Nezha's identity. She merely raised her sleeve and caught it.
Nezha was horrified. He turned and fled.
Shi Ji took out a medicinal pill and placed it in the gravely wounded Caiyun Boy's mouth, saving his life. Then she said to Li Jing, "Li Jing! This has nothing to do with you. Go home."
She drew a clear line between kindness and grudges. Since Nezha was the chief culprit, she did not wish to pursue Li Jing's failure to discipline him.
With that, Shi Ji set off after Nezha. With her cultivation, she could have captured him single-handedly, but she did not. Instead, she followed at an unhurried pace, all the way to Golden Light Cave.
She was kindhearted and understood that Biyun Boy's death had been an accident. Though Nezha had fired the arrow and then gravely wounded Caiyun Boy, he was still a child, a junior. It was more appropriate to seek an explanation from his teacher, Taiyi Zhenren.
Soon, Shi Ji followed Nezha to the entrance of Golden Light Cave. Nezha hid inside, and before long, Taiyi Zhenren came out.
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