Chapter 12: The Peacock's Deception of Many Treasures

  It's strange that although Duobao Daoist seemed to have noticed the peacock behind Zhang Zixing, he didn't immediately turn against him. Instead, he patiently answered his questions: "This demon is called Peacock, and it was born when the universe was first divided and all things were created. Among all creatures, there are beasts that walk and birds that fly. The beast with the highest status is Qilin, while the bird with the highest status is Fenghuang. And Fenghuang obtained the essence of ** to give birth to two demons: Peacock and Dapeng. This Peacock demon has immense power, is extremely ferocious, and loves to swallow living creatures. It can suck a person in within 45 miles. Ten days ago, when I was cultivating at the top of Snow Mountain, absorbing the essence of the sun and moon, I accidentally got swallowed by it. Fortunately, my Daoist skills are high, so I managed to preserve my true body from destruction. Although I couldn't escape its belly for a while, Peacock also couldn't digest me, and we were stuck in a stalemate for several days, both exhausted. Later, with the help of my junior apprentice Huoling, who used the Ta'e sword to split open its back, I finally escaped. Just as I was about to kill this demon, it took advantage of the situation to escape. This demon is born cruel and violent, Your Highness should avoid it at all costs to prevent any accidents."

  The words of Duobao Daoren shocked Zhang Zixing, the first half of this sentence is clearly the anecdote of Tathagata explaining the Buddhist mother Peacock King to Sun Wukong in "Journey to the West", unexpectedly coinciding with this world. Later, Duobao was captured by Laozi in the Wanxian Formation and was said to have been transformed into a Buddha. There are various theories about the relationship between Sakyamuni and Duobao, some say that after Duobao became a Buddha, he split into six, greatly increasing his power, directly threatening the teaching master, and separately incarnated as the teaching master Sakyamuni in the central world of Sahā and the five great guardian kings; others say that Duobao is a Buddha who has been enlightened for a long time, once gave half of the Duobao Glass Tower to Sakyamuni, preaching to the masses... Although there are many theories, it is impossible to investigate, but this is another world in parallel space, where everything is possible. From Duobao Daoren's words, it seems that he and Sakyamuni in the future may be the same person.

  Huang Feiyan didn't know what Zhang Zixing was thinking, but when he heard that the beautiful peacock was actually a ferocious and bloodthirsty demon, and that the crown prince had helped it hide, he feared there would be great danger and couldn't help but cry out in surprise. This immediately caught the attention of Huo Ling Sheng Mu, who looked at Huang Feiyan with suspicious eyes. Zhang Zixing's expression didn't change as he said: "This is my wife, Huang Shi, she has always been doted on and therefore often dresses up as a man to accompany me on hunting trips. She has always been afraid of demons and monsters, and just heard the immortal say that the peacock was ferocious, so she's scared. Please, two immortals, quickly go and get rid of this demon, to avoid it harming the common people."

  The Fire Spirit Holy Mother gazed at Huang Feiyan for a moment, and found that she was indeed a woman. She nodded slightly, no longer suspicious. Huang Feiyan heard the prince say that she was his wife, and felt both joy and shyness. She was also very clever, knowing that the prince intended to protect Kongque, so she took advantage of her shy demeanor to lower her head and remain silent. The Daoist priest Duobao looked at Zhang Zixing with a profound gaze, saying: "Thank you, Your Highness, for informing me. Since it is so, I will take my leave."

  "See you off, Fairy Lord and Holy Mother!" Zhang Zixing bowed respectfully and said, "If the Fairy Lord has leisure time in the future, please come to Mo County to meet again. I will wait with an empty seat and listen to your teachings."

  "What a wonderful empty seat! I, a humble mountain hermit, am fortunate to have received Your Highness's courtesy today. On another day, I will definitely come to pay my respects." Daoist Duobao bowed again with the Fire Spirit Holy Mother, and with a wave of his long sleeve, a soft yellow light slowly flew over and landed in Zhang Zixing's hand. It turned out to be a yellow jade bracelet, on which were carved exquisite animal patterns.

  "You and I meet today, it's a coincidence. Since my Taoist name is 'Duobao', how can I let Your Highness return empty-handed? This object is called 'Qilin Bracelet', which is good at protecting the body. Now, I give it to Your Highness, hoping you will take care of yourself."

  Duobao Daoren finished speaking and transformed into a silver light, rapidly fleeing towards the distant sky. The red light of Huo Ling Shengmu closely followed behind him, soon disappearing at the horizon.

  Zhang Zixing looked at the jade bangle in his hand, feeling a sense of satisfaction: these immortals were all "big spenders", and as long as they were flattered with a few pleasant words, they would give him things. Last time it was Yun Zhongzi who gave him a cultivation secret, and this time he had managed to get a protective treasure from Duobao Daoren.

  As soon as Duobao Daoist and Huo Ling Shengmu left, a yellow light flashed on Zhang Zixing's cloak behind him, and the shape of a peacock appeared on the ground. Since Duobao Daoist had previously depicted the peacock as a very terrifying demon, everyone showed vigilant eyes, looking at it like an archenemy.

  Zhang Zixing was thinking about another question: being able to possess the super strong power that could rival the first disciple of Tongtian Sect, Duobao Daoren, and yet having a peacock body, could it be... As he thought of this, his heart began to beat wildly.

  As the peacock appeared before him, Zhang Zixing did not panic like others, but instead looked at it calmly. The peacock also did not make any unusual movements, and instead spoke to Zhang Zixing in human language: "Thank you, Your Highness, for your help and for saving my life. I dare not forget this kindness. Please accept this gift as a token of gratitude."

  As he spoke, a five-colored pearl appeared in Zhang Zixing's palm, and the thumb-sized colorful bead was surrounded by beautiful mist. What Zhang Zixing felt more was the powerful energy it contained.

  "This is the essence of my inner elixir, and I see that Your Highness must be a beginner in cultivation. If you consume it, not only will your cultivation increase greatly, but you will also possess the power of dragons and elephants, and be immune to all poisons and illnesses, extending your lifespan by three hundred years." The people around them heard that this colorful pearl had such great benefits, and they couldn't help but feel deeply envious of the prince's good fortune - what cultivation and dragon elephant power were nothing compared to being able to ward off evil and extend one's lifespan, which was something every emperor and nobleman dreamed of.

  However, to everyone's surprise, Zhang Zixing thought for a moment and finally refused the treasure that seemed extremely tempting to ordinary people. He said calmly: "Peacock, just now I accepted the treasure of Duobao Daoist to deceive him and eliminate his suspicion. The Qilin bracelet is just an external object, but your colorful pearl is the essence of your own life cultivation. You are seriously injured now and need to recover urgently. How can I take advantage of you? Besides, this time I saved you purely out of righteousness, if I were greedy for treasure, wouldn't I have handed you over to Duobao Daoist long ago? You'd better leave early to heal your wounds, don't mention anything about repayment."

  After finishing speaking, Zhang Zixing threw the colored pearl back to the peacock. In fact, he was not completely unmoved by the colored pearl, and this decision was carefully calculated: "Dragon Elephant Power" already had it, even if his cultivation progressed, at most he could only be invincible among humans, and it would be impossible to surpass those immortals. As for being immune to all poisons and increasing one's lifespan, they did not have too much attraction either. If Zhou Miangong's fate was not changed, even if his lifespan increased by another 300 years, it would still be in vain.

  It would be better to sell a favor to the Peacock, and if estimated correctly, it will definitely gain a powerful arm in the future. The Peacock did not expect that the prince would really not want to repay him, and was stunned for a moment. Suddenly, he let out a long sigh: "I am a demon, born in the primordial chaos, and achieved enlightenment under the Heavenly Emperor. Although I have cultivated for tens of thousands of years, I only know the phrase 'if one does not act for oneself, heaven will destroy them'. Today, I have the good fortune to meet Your Highness, and only now do I understand the meaning of 'benevolence and righteousness'. As the saying goes, great kindness is not spoken of in gratitude. The Peacock remembers the kindness of sparing his life and assisting him in his heart, and even if he is destroyed body and soul, he will still repay this kindness."

  Having said that, the peacock nodded three times towards Zhang Zixing, let out a low cry, and flew away with a flutter of its wings.

  Huang Feihu and others heard Peacock's words, and they all cast admiring glances at Zhang Zixing. Especially Huang Feiyan, whose eyes sparkled with little stars. Originally, this girl was still very resistant to being forcibly betrothed to the prince as a concubine, so she had been making things difficult for Zhang Zixing earlier. But now, her heart was filled with joy and she felt that this Prince was indeed worthy of entrusting her life to.

  Zhang Zixing heard Peacock's words and knew that his goal had been achieved. He patted the Qilin bracelet in his pocket, feeling very pleased with himself. When he saw the respectful gaze of the crowd, he suddenly felt a little embarrassed, but he didn't regret what he had done. In order to change the fate of national destruction and family extinction, he would spare no effort, even if it meant being unscrupulous.

  On the mountain cliff one hundred miles westward.

  "Master, where did that demon escape to? Why didn't we continue the pursuit?" The one asking was the puzzled Huo Ling Sheng Mu.

  "Huo Ling'er, did you say that the peacock really escaped to the Western Regions?" Du Bao asked casually, stroking his long beard.

  "Didn't that prince just say...?" Huo Ling Sheng Mu reacted extremely quickly, a flash of fire in her eyes, "Could it be that we've been deceived? That prince has quite the nerve!"

  "Not bad, if I'm not mistaken, the peacock is hiding on his cloak behind him," Duobao said with a smile instead of anger: "Good job, young master of the great merchant family, brave and clever, responding effortlessly. If it weren't for my cultivation of the Heavenly Wisdom Eyes, he would have almost fooled me."

  "I thought that the figure behind the wind was the ancestor of the great merchant, Xuan Niao's picture. It turns out...". Huo Ling Sheng Mu had a fiery temper and angrily said: "Just now I saw him showing respect to the virtuous and humble, being overly polite to us, thinking he was knowledgeable and understanding, but unexpectedly it was all fake and hypocritical, deceiving our master and disciple! I'll go capture that demon right now and give that prince some payback!"

  "Hold on!" Duobao Daoren stopped Huo Ling Shengmu, who was about to rush back, and said: "That demon's strength is extremely powerful, and it's only slightly inferior to mine. Although it's heavily injured, it still has some remaining power. If it uses the Heart of Jade and Stone, I'm afraid we won't be able to get a good outcome either. I've already sensed that its life isn't supposed to end today, so I'll just have to owe a favor to that Crown Prince."

  "Master, since you know the Crown Prince is deceiving us, why did you still give him the protective treasure?" Huo Ling Sheng Mu asked in confusion: "According to my temperament, I must teach him a lesson!"

  "Huo Ling'er, don't be impatient. Think of it as a small matter, this Qiong Qi bracelet is nothing. In fact, the Crown Prince's respect for me is not feigned. Perhaps he was previously deceived by Kong Que and lost his way for a moment, but after all, he is an extraordinary person. I see that the Crown Prince's aura is extremely prosperous, young and has already laid the foundation for cultivating truth, with a lifespan surpassing ordinary people. He will surely ascend to the throne as Emperor in the future and rule the world. Moreover, my sect's prosperity is closely related to the great merchant family, with many of our disciples holding positions in the imperial court. The Crown Prince is the future Son of Heaven, and forming this good relationship today will be greatly beneficial to my sect's prosperity."

  Looking at Huo Ling's Holy Mother with an unresigned expression, Duobao Daoren shook his head and smiled: "Don't be annoyed anymore, you go back to Qiu Ming Mountain to cultivate in secret. Recently, for some unknown reason, the heavenly mechanism is upside down, cause and effect are unclear, even the Hunyuan Saint can't calculate it accurately. It's better to calm down and focus on cultivation, quietly observing the changes. As a teacher, I will also return to Biyou Palace."

  Huǒ Líng Shèng Mǔ although arrogant and overbearing, has always respected her teachers and the Tao. At this moment, she did not dare to disobey, so she paid her respects and flew away on her sword.