Chapter 12: The Blood of Lutai, Saving Bigan

  Jiang Ziya descended from Mount Kunlun and hastened to Chao Ge, finally taking refuge with his distant relative Song Yiren in Chao Ge, where he settled down.

  That Song stranger was an honest man, seeing Jiang Ziya over 70 years old still single, so he spent money to find a wife for him, Ma Shi. However, Jiang Ziya had been cultivating Taoism on Mount Kunlun for 40 years, although he didn't achieve the Taoist way, he learned some magic skills, but never learned how to make a living in the mortal world. He couldn't sell firewood, couldn't sell noodles, and couldn't be a shopkeeper either, so he had no way to support his family, and Ma Shi quarreled with him every day.

  Song Yiren couldn't bear the sight either, knowing that he had learned some Taoist skills and had personally seen him tame the five ghosts in the mansion. So he helped him find a house in Nancheng and opened a fortune-telling shop.

  After all, he had heard the Tao from a sage and learned some skills. Although he hadn't entered the ranks of the immortals, he could still make a living in the mortal world. He made a name for himself in the imperial court and accumulated some wealth. His life became stable, and Madame Ma no longer quarreled with him!

  Sometimes, the Jade Stone Piba spirit would sneak out of the palace to visit Ta Ji and return, passing by Jiang Ziya's fortune-telling stall, where she would play a trick on him. She transformed into a young woman and asked Jiang Ziya to tell her fortune, but unexpectedly, he saw through her demonic form and captured her, killing her on the spot. This caused a commotion among the onlookers, who accused Jiang Ziya of bullying the young woman and having lustful intentions. The young woman refused, and in turn, was killed by him. Jiang Ziya thought to himself, "How can these ordinary people recognize the body of a demon? How can they understand the subtleties of the immortal world?"

  He was being pushed and crowded by the crowd, already impatient, fortunately, Ah Xiang Bi Gan passed by, after knowing it, he brought him and the dead young woman to Zhou Wang and Da Ji's face, reported everything, and let Zhou Wang decide!

  King Zhou, after all, was a mortal with ordinary eyes and did not recognize the monster. He then asked Jiang Ziya: "This is clearly a human being, how can you say it's a monster? You're going to kill him. Do you know the benefit of solitary punishment?"

  Jiang Ziya calmly and unhurriedly returned the courtesy, saying: "Your humble servant reports back to Your Majesty that this is indeed a demon beyond doubt! If Your Majesty still has doubts, please wait for your humble servant to cast a spell to make it reveal its true form."

  King Zhou heard this and was greatly surprised. He nodded in agreement, saying: "If you can really prove that she is a demon and make her reveal her true form, then I will heavily reward you; if she is not, then I will punish you for falsely accusing the innocent!"

  Jiang Ziya bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty, please watch as I demonstrate my great magic!" He then asked King Zhou to have some wood brought over and piled on top of the young woman's corpse. With his hands forming a magical gesture and muttering incantations under his breath, he suddenly opened his eyes wide and shouted, "Hah!" A blast of true fire shot out from his mouth and ignited the wood. The true fire combined with the ordinary flames to engulf the demon, causing it to let out a blood-curdling scream as it burned. It cried out in a voice filled with malice, "Jiang Ziya, what grudge do you hold against me that you would use the true fire of samadhi to burn me?"

  Jiang Ziya did not respond. King Zhou was frightened by the demon, but he also believed Jiang Ziya and appointed him as a lower official. The Jade Stone Pipa spirit that had been burned out of its original form was taken back to the palace by Daji and placed in a place with the most spiritual energy to be nurtured.

  Soon, King Zhou was deceived by Daji and ordered Jiang Ziya to build a deer platform for his enjoyment. Jiang Ziya was also a man of moral integrity, how could he do such a thing that would harm the people and waste money? He also calculated that this would bring more disasters than blessings.

  So he left a symbolic letter with Ah Bi Gan, thanked him for his kindness, and entered the palace to remonstrate with King Zhou. As expected, King Zhou was enraged and wanted to kill Jiang Ziya. Jiang Ziya then jumped into the water and used the Five Elements Escape Technique to escape back home, bid farewell to Song Yiren, divorced the quarrelsome Madam Ma, and went alone to the west of Qi.

  In the depths of the palace, Daji stroked the jade stone pipa in her hand and murmured: "Sister, now that I have designed to kill Jiang Ziya, it can be said that I have avenged you greatly. Don't worry, sister will let you reincarnate!" It turned out that Jiang Ziya was harmed because Daji resented him for killing the jade stone pipa spirit in front of her. She misled King Zhou to build a deer platform as an excuse and let Jiang Ziya supervise the work. She thought Jiang Ziya would not agree, and he would inevitably offend King Zhou, so she killed him. However, she did not know that Jiang Ziya had escaped by water and was now on his way to the Western Qi.

  Let's not mention Jiang Ziya for now. King Zhou, under the instigation of Daji, ordered Beihou Chonghou Hu to supervise the construction of the Deer Platform. In this way, three out of ten people were forced to work on it, and countless innocent civilians died under the platform. The resentment in the city of Chaoge rose straight up, impacting the 33rd Heaven and startling the Jade Emperor in the Lingxiao Palace.

  The Jade Emperor looked at the grievances and resentment emanating from below, and couldn't help but sigh to Queen Mother Wang: "The human emperor of the lower realm doesn't cultivate virtues, instead he cruelly harms his people. No wonder Heaven's will is to destroy him!"

  The Queen Mother nodded and said, "Your Majesty's words are indeed correct! However, the move to seal the gods is a decree by Master Hongjun, and no one can change it. At that time, the three realms will be sealed, and my heavenly court will also have some extraordinary fairy generals, so as not to lose face in front of the heavenly court with only a few inferior gods!"

  The Jade Emperor shook his head and said, "The Queen Mother is too optimistic! You only know one side, but you don't know the other!"

  The Queen Mother asked in doubt: "Please enlighten me, Your Majesty!"

  The Jade Emperor replied, "Queen Mother should know that this time the gods are being sealed, although it is to increase the number of people who will obey my heavenly court, but the sealing of the gods is a joint effort of the three religions. However, those who are listed on the board are born from the conflicts between the two religions of Tiantai and Huayan. Regardless of who wins this great war, the heavenly court will inevitably become a place of conflict between the two religions again. The various factions have already been established, but if it is not handled properly, the dignity of the heavenly court will be lost, and my reputation will also be completely lost!"

  The Queen Mother heard this and was shocked, thinking carefully for a moment, feeling that the Jade Emperor's words were reasonable, and couldn't help but sigh: "In that case, this time the gods are sealed, it is also beneficial to my heavenly court!"

  The Jade Emperor was silent and speechless upon hearing this!

  The Eastern Sea, Fangzhang Xianzhou. Hongyuan looked at the grievances in the land of Chao Ge City and felt helpless in his heart. Every time a disaster came, countless lives would be lost, and these dead common people were just an omen! When Jiang Ziya was about to seal the gods, he didn't know how many more lives would be ruined! Suddenly, Hongyuan's expression changed slightly, and then relaxed, coldly laughing: "What a demon!"

  However, Daji saw that the Deer Platform had been completed and once again deceived King Zhou: "Your Majesty is the supreme ruler of all directions, dominating the world. You should ascend to the Deer Platform every day to enjoy yourself. Although I am not talented, I can also invite the celestial beings for you. If Your Majesty allows it with courtesy, perhaps the celestial beings will be delighted and grant you the elixir of immortality. Then, Your Majesty can enjoy yourself every day, living as long as Heaven itself. This would indeed be a beautiful story spreading throughout the world! I hope Your Majesty will permit it!"

  King Zhou was overjoyed and said: "If the beauty can really invite the immortal to descend, then I will live with the beauty forever and enjoy happiness every day!"

  Daji smiled and replied, "It is indeed." *****^^^^ The king was so bewildered that his soul was completely overturned!

  On the fifteenth night of the full moon, King Zhou and Daji ascended to the Deer Platform stained with countless blood, accompanied by officials such as Bi Gan. As the full moon rose high in the sky, everyone was on this tall platform. At that moment, they felt a cool breeze all over their bodies, but only thought of the countless innocent civilians who had died. A group of loyal ministers covered their faces and wiped away tears, secretly grieving!

  King Zhou's mind was preoccupied with the descent of the gods and did not notice the expressions of his ministers, otherwise there would be another massacre!

  After waiting for a long time, the immortal still did not descend. King Zhou was getting impatient and asked Taizi beside him: "Beauty, why hasn't that immortal descended yet? Did I offend the immortal in some way?"

  Daji comforted him, saying: "Your Majesty, do not worry! The immortals will arrive soon!" As soon as the words fell, dozens of figures were seen flying from afar in the sky, floating like immortals and treading on mortal dust.

  King Zhou was overjoyed and said, "The beauty is not deceiving me, a real immortal has descended!" After speaking, he led the officials to the front of the hall and bowed to the immortal who had landed on the Deer Platform: "I didn't know that the immortal had arrived, I'm sorry for not welcoming you from afar, I hope the immortals won't blame me!"

  The first fairy smiled and said: "As the saying goes, ignorance is no crime! The king is so sincere, how can we not know? This is to grant the king longevity, to thank our intention!"

  King Zhou was overjoyed and hastily led the immortals to their seats, where they drank and made merry together. The atmosphere was harmonious!

  Among the many ministers, only Bi Gan had doubts about these so-called immortals, because Bi Gan was born with a heart of seven apertures. He could recognize evil spirits, and when those immortals got drunk on wine, they all revealed their fox tails, which were seen by Bi Gan. Bi Gan was shocked in his heart, but remained calm on the surface, secretly going down from the deer platform to inform King Wu Cheng, Huang Feihu.

  Huang Feihu was also shocked, so after the banquet, he sent Zhou Ji and others to follow those fox spirits disguised as gods from behind. They found that they were hiding in a cave in Xuanyuan Tomb. The next day, they brought firewood to the entrance of the cave and set it on fire. Only a burst of miserable cries came out of the cave, one after another, and soon all the fox spirits were burned to ashes.

  Bi Gan made a cloak of fox fur and presented it to King Zhou, but unexpectedly provoked Ta Ji. Ta Ji hated Bi Gan for killing her children, so she devised a plan and lay in bed pretending to be ill.

  This alarmed King You of Zhou, who asked: "The beauty's illness is indeed strange; the imperial physician cannot cure it. Does anyone know a method?"

  Daji replied weakly: "I heard that Prince Bi Gan has a seven-holed crystal heart, eating it can cure the illness!"

  King Zhou's mind was already bewildered, and he didn't distinguish between true and false words. He ordered someone to summon Bi Gan, saying: "Empress Su is seriously ill, and only the heart of a royal uncle can be trusted. Please ask Royal Uncle to take one piece to save Empress Su!"

  "Ah, foolish king! The heart is the master of the body, hidden within the lungs, residing in the midst of the six leaves and two ears. If it is invaded by evil, death will ensue. When the heart is upright, the hands and feet are upright; when the heart is not upright, the hands and feet are not upright. The heart is the spiritual seed of all things, the fundamental principle of the four symbols' transformations. My heart has been wounded, can I still live? Although I am willing to die for the country, I fear that with my demise, the kingdom will also perish! As long as I, Bi Gan, exist, the kingdom exists; when I, Bi Gan, perish, the kingdom perishes!"

  Without waiting for Zhou's response, he bowed eight times in the direction of Cheng Tang's ancestral temple and wept: "Ancestors above, today this foolish king has lost his virtue, the country is on the verge of collapse, and I, Bi Gan, am powerless. I will follow the ancestors to the afterlife!"

  Finishing his words, he took out a dagger from his sleeve, gritted his teeth in pain, and dug out his own heart, throwing it to the ground. He didn't even glance at the stunned Zhou before walking out of the palace gates with great difficulty.

  He walked past an old vegetable vendor, just about to ask her something, when suddenly a gust of wind swept them both away, disappearing into the city of Chao Ge.

  Outside the city of Zhao Ge, on a hill about 100 miles away, Bi Gan was lying unconscious on the ground at this time, while Daji was trembling all over and fell to the ground, not daring to speak.

  Hong Xuan looked at Daji with a calm and indifferent expression, staring at her until she felt uneasy and anxious in her heart, not knowing what to do.

  Hong Xuan waved his hand and a beam of light shot onto Daji's body. Daji let out a miserable cry, fell to the ground, rolled around frantically, her hair and clothes in disarray, suffering unbearable pain!

  Hong Xuan coldly said: "Ta Ji, have you forgotten the words of this deity? You dare to cruelly harm loyal and good people, your heart should be punished!"

  "Daji endured the pain and begged: 'Heavenly Lord, spare my life! Heavenly Lord, spare my life! The little demon will never dare again! The little demon knows her mistake! The little demon knows her mistake!'"

  Hong Xuan let out a cold snort, and Ta Ji's body shook violently. The pain instantly receded like the tide, disappearing without a trace!

  Hong Xuan said calmly: "If there is a next time, I will definitely let you turn into ashes, and even the Avici Hell cannot be entered!"

  Daji's body trembled, and she stammered: "Thank you, Heavenly Lord, for your pardon! This little demon will remember the Heavenly Lord's words and never dare to do it again!"

  Hong Xuan nodded, shook his sleeves, and Taizi suddenly felt a dizziness, and returned to the palace.

  Hongyuan looked at Bigan who had fainted and sighed, putting him into his sleeve, his figure disappeared, and he returned to Fangzhang Xianzhou.

  Bi Gan slowly opened his blurry eyes, and his spirit stirred. He lowered his head to take a look, and the hole at his heart was already healed, leaving him inwardly shocked and bewildered as to why this was so!

  He looked up to see Hongyuan sitting upright on the cloud bed, smiling at him. His body shook and he quickly got up and bowed: "Bigan greets the Holy Father, wishing the Holy Father eternal life!"

  Hong Xuan nodded and said, "Bi Gan, you are a rare loyal minister, not deserving of death. However, King Zhou is tyrannical, the heavenly will has destroyed the Shang Dynasty, it cannot be changed! You also have fate with the Seal of Gods list, in the future you will inevitably ascend to heaven as a god, and for now temporarily reside on Fangzhang Island, wait until after being sealed as a god before leaving!"

  Bi Gan heard this and said with a sorrowful expression: "Bi Gan obediently follows the sacred decree of the Holy Father!"

  Though alive, his heart is dead!

  Blood has stained the high platform of Luoyang, and loyalty and righteousness have been lost in the depths of one's heart.