On this side, the old white-browed monkey scooped another ladle of monkey wine. Xu Qing tilted his head back and drank it all, only to feel a jumble of fruit stones in his throat, as if he had swallowed an entire blooming orchard.
In his mouth, throat, and stomach, peach blossom buds and plum stems were bouncing around. The sensation in that moment was something he would not forget even after a thousand or ten thousand years.
Xu Qing's gaze fell on the Chih-wei Monkey. Originally, he had no real interest in the Monkey Immortal Hall, but the wine he drank today piqued his curiosity.
"Hou Immortal Family, if you have something to say, say it now. After today, if you come to find me, you'd better bring a tree hole full of monkey wine, or I won't agree."
The Chih-wei Monkey, good with people, had learned the culture of the wine table instinctively. After toasting both Xu Qing and Xuan Yu twice, the Chih-wei Monkey spoke:
"Brother Xu, let's speak frankly. While learning from the Monkey King in the cave, he told me that in today's world, the path to heaven is severed, the balance of yin and yang is lost, and the immortals and gods have abandoned the mortal realm. This world has already become one of the Five Filthy Evil Worlds, and human hearts are dark and difficult to understand, far different from the past."
"During my travels in the central state, I saw too many natural and man-made disasters, and even immortals could not escape the influence of the great trend. Brother Xu, have you ever seen an immortal possessing the body of a Galloping Immortal Disciple, devouring humans and proclaiming themselves gods?"
The Chih-wei Monkey, with a lingering fear, said: "Those immortals think that by possessing disciples, their sins would not fall onto themselves when they kill and harm others. Little do they know, this is exactly the result of the vile qi from the Ancient Yin River Dao polluting the Yang realm, affecting them."
"Demons, being less wise than humans by nature, also cultivate the vile qi, making them more susceptible to the qi from the Ancient Yin River Dao. Now that the Heaven-Reaching Road is broken, immortals with a singular focus to become true immortals are left hopeless, so who would still cultivate their hearts and minds? Everyone cultivates the mind to become an immortal, and if you can't achieve that, how is it different from working in vain?
The little merit and incense they struggle to obtain, can they avoid the disaster of thunder, let alone the disasters of fire and wind?"
The Chih-wei Monkey, who had seen the world with open eyes, felt somewhat helpless as he said, "It was only after returning from my travels in the central state that I learned the monkeys on the mountain were causing trouble among the peasants in my absence. Galloping Immortal Disciples, for their livelihoods, abandoned the hall and took the old and young monkeys to the Jin Sect to perform on the streets..."
"This must certainly be due to the influence of the vile qi!"
The Chih-wei Monkey swore.
Xu Qing was thoroughly silent upon hearing this.
The Heaven-Reaching Road had been severed for thousands of years, the Five Filthy Evil Worlds had been around for who knows how long, and as for the Ancient Yin River Dao... The radicals attempting to penetrate the netherworld and the conservatives guarding the entrance have fought for years without result, and all those in the mortal realm—humans, ghosts, and monsters affected—have already picked their sides.
The immortals of the Jin Sect, holding fast to their conservative ideals, continued their meritorious deeds to save the world and resist calamities, so there wouldn't be much change.
Even if one or two immortals got crooked ideas about changing the Jin Sect, they'd need to be stronger than the whole Jin Sect circle!
Xu Qing pondered and explained, "The central state is quite different from the Jin Sect. The central state is vast with complex and intertwined immortal forces, so conflicts are naturally unending. Hou Immortal Family may be overthinking it; the good thing about the Jin Sect is that it's small, the immortal circle is just so many, unlike the central state, where monkeys, foxes, and yellow weasels can be divided into a thousand or a hundred branches in every family."
"As for why the monkeys of the Monkey Immortal Hall would go astray, perhaps there are other reasons?"
"Impossible!"
The Chih-wei Monkey bristled at this, having found a reasonable cause with great difficulty. If this reason wasn't accepted, wouldn't it imply that the characters of its monkeys and grandchildren were flawed?
"Absolutely impossible!"
After pondering for a moment, Xu Qing said, "If nothing else works, how about bringing your Monkey Immortal Hall to me, serving as a Hall Guardian, and receive incense distributed from the main hall every year..."
The Hall Guardian Xu Qing spoke of was actually a protective department of a grand hall, where the guardians of the altar and hall were under the jurisdiction of the Small Hall Guardian.
"Sect Leader Xu is joking. As a Branch Hall Master, how much incense can one get in a year? You should know that at its peak, Monkey Immortal Hall was receiving an incense amount of over twenty thousand a year, even in bad times, it's at least half..."
Seeing the Chih-wei Monkey's cooling attitude, Xu Qing didn't mind. He stood up and said, "For a century, Hou Immortal Family has operated the hall with its unique approach. What I said was just an offhand remark; there's no need for Hou Immortal Family to pay it any mind."
The zombie and the monkey exchanged more pleasantries until Xu Qing was ready to leave, when a flushed-faced Xuan Yu, slurring his words, asked, "Xu Immortal Family, how much incense does the Hall Guardian get per year?"
Facing the cave entrance, Xu Qing replied as he walked, "The Hall Guardian is a crucial position, responsible for the safety of all halls. Their salary should at least be higher than Guan Dazhuang's team."
"Guan Dazhuang manages more than fifty thousand in incense each year. For a Hall Guardian, it would have to be at least eighty or ninety thousand, and if they perform well, even a hundred thousand isn't impossible..."
As Xu Qing was about to exit the cave, a figure suddenly appeared before him.
"Brother Xu... Grand Sect Leader! Great Hall Master!"
The Chih-wei Monkey grinned, quickly changing his terms of address for Xu Qing and Xuan Yu.
The Cat Immortal Hall's reputation within the Jin Sect's immortal circle is known to be superb. If there were really so much incense in offering, it might as well be better being a Branch Hall Master, so even if one day it couldn't resist its playful nature and had to travel far, it wouldn't worry about its Monkey Immortal Hall monkeys and grandchildren having no caretaker.
Moreover, if the Branch Hall was uncomfortable to stay in, it could always return to its Mountain of Monkey Hall.
The Chih-wei Monkey calculated eagerly, but Xu Qing seemed completely oblivious, easily taking on the mess that was the Mountain of Monkey Hall.
But did Xu Qing really not understand the nature of monkeys?
Of course not; Xu Qing had learned well from Master Yuan; monkeys could never be completely reassured.
As for the Hall Guardian...
The Chih-wei Monkey could quit anytime, but as long as it worked for a year or even a month, the entire Monkey Mountain had to obey its orders.
Xu Qing already had a plan for how to use these monkeys.
And the monkey wine, that stuff was good. If the monkey quit, it could leave, but it was certain to brew again.
Both Xu Qing and the Chih-wei Monkey were pleased, and the zombie and monkey got along surprisingly well.
After setting up the incense table and inviting the immortals from each hall to witness, the Chih-wei Monkey became a monkey with a master.
Yet, this monkey was still all smiles while counting incense with Xu Qing.
"The Sect Leader really trusts people. This incense, said to be given in advance, is indeed given early."
Xu Qing smiled, then looked towards the immortals and said, "Hou Immortal Family has excellent skills. In the future, if any hall encounters an extremely urgent matter, and I'm not at the main hall, you can burn incense to send a message requesting Hou Immortal Family to protect the hall."
That night, the celestial phenomena suddenly changed, with the light of the Purple Palace star dimmed as though covered by dust. Meanwhile, in the northern part of the Big Dipper, there appeared a red ray shooting through the sky, brilliant as the golden crow spreading its wings, pointing directly at the boundary of Youyan. The tri-armed troops looked at the change in stars with awe, while the imperial historian wept on the ground, proclaiming, "This is what 'The Book of Heavenly Officials' describes as the star of virtue appearing in the northern shrine, a sign of the sage receiving destiny! Now the Purple Palace star has lost its splendor, the Son of Heaven declines religious observances and has disrupted rites and music; the northern star shines over the field, a wise ruler harboring benevolence and moral influence, inheriting the celestial will." The next day, the righteous army raised their flags and troops commenced, spreading proclamations across the four seas: "When a king loses the way, the celestial signs warn; when the people's hearts are distant, divine beings cast their bright rays. Thus, we must receive the mandate of heaven and punish the faithless to restore order to the world!"
Both Xu Qing and the Chih-wei Monkey were pleased, and the zombie and monkey got along surprisingly well.
After setting up the incense table and inviting the immortals from each hall to witness, the Chih-wei Monkey became a monkey with a master.
Yet, this monkey was still all smiles while counting incense with Xu Qing.
"The Sect Leader really trusts people. This incense, said to be given in advance, is indeed given early."
Xu Qing smiled, then looked towards the immortals and said, "Hou Immortal Family has excellent skills. In the future, if any hall encounters an extremely urgent matter, and I'm not at the main hall, you can burn incense to send a message requesting Hou Immortal Family to protect the hall."
That night, the celestial phenomena suddenly changed, with the light of the Purple Palace star dimmed as though covered by dust. Meanwhile, in the northern part of the Big Dipper, there appeared a red ray shooting through the sky, brilliant as the golden crow spreading its wings, pointing directly at the boundary of Youyan. The tri-armed troops looked at the change in stars with awe, while the imperial historian wept on the ground, proclaiming, "This is what 'The Book of Heavenly Officials' describes as the star of virtue appearing in the northern shrine, a sign of the sage receiving destiny! Now the Purple Palace star has lost its splendor, the Son of Heaven declines religious observances and has disrupted rites and music; the northern star shines over the field, a wise ruler harboring benevolence and moral influence, inheriting the celestial will." The next day, the righteous army raised their flags and troops commenced, spreading proclamations across the four seas: "When a king loses the way, the celestial signs warn; when the people's hearts are distant, divine beings cast their bright rays. Thus, we must receive the mandate of heaven and punish the faithless to restore order to the world!"