Chapter 107: Heavenly Master Kills the Dragon
Li Daoxuan's eyes moved and he asked, "Master, is there really a dragon in this place?"
He had killed a snake demon with true dragon blood, but it was just the offspring of a true dragon and a rattlesnake, and could not be considered a dragon.
Ever since the disappearance of the immortals and Buddhas, there has been no trace of real dragons in this world.
Zhang Qianyang nodded and said, "There really is a dragon in Longyou County, in the Octagonal Dragon Locking Well in the Wanshou Palace!"
Li Daoxuan quickly asked: "Master, what is going on?"
"This matter has to start with the founder of Wanshou Palace, Tianshi Xu Jingyang."
"Master Xu is as famous as our founder of Longhu Mountain. In the first year of Taikang in the Jin Dynasty, he studied under the Great Cave True Lord Wu Meng, and later founded the Supreme Spiritual Treasure Pure Bright Method. He is the master who founded the school. When he traveled around the world, he encountered a dragon that caused trouble in Jingzhou!"
"That dragon has been cultivating for who knows how many years. Its magical power is so profound that even the Dragon King of Dongting Lake is bullied by it and feels ashamed of his invincibility. The dragon acts recklessly in Jingzhou. Every year, countless people are drowned in the raging floods alone."
"Master Xu hates evil, so he will not sit idly by. He resolutely draws his sword and kills the dragon. The two of them fight for seven days and seven nights. In the end, Master Xu is more powerful and is about to kill the dragon!"
Li Daoxuan frowned and said, "Something must have happened. Did someone come to rescue the dragon?"
Zhang Qianyang nodded and said, "The gods and Buddhas had not completely disappeared at that time. Just when Master Xu was about to kill the dragon, the incarnation of Guanyin Bodhisattva appeared and pleaded for mercy, hoping that Master Xu would show leniency and spare its life."
Li Daoxuan was stunned for a moment. He didn't expect that even the Bodhisattva had come. It seemed that this monster had a background or extraordinary bloodline, so the gods and Buddhas condescended to save it. They probably wanted to make it a great god guarding the mountain.
"Then Master Xu agreed?"
Zhang Qianyang chuckled, a trace of admiration in his eyes, and said, "Master Xu has a fiery temper and hates evil. He apparently agreed to the Bodhisattva's request and said he was willing to give the dragon a chance, as long as it could dig a hundred ditches before dawn to benefit the people."
"The dragon used all his strength to dig through ninety-nine ditches before dawn. It seemed that the work was almost done, but Master Xu had already persuaded the Lord of the Maori Star in the Heavenly Palace to make the dawn come a quarter in advance, so that the dragon failed at the last moment."
Li Daoxuan couldn't help but give a thumbs up to Master Xu in his heart. He was worthy of being one of the four great Taoist priests. He didn't even give face to Guanyin Bodhisattva. Just for this point, he was admirable!
In Journey to the West, Li Daoxuan was very disgusted with those monsters who could survive because of their background. After they came to the earth, they did countless evil things and ate countless people. However, because of their background, not only were their lives safe, but they could also return to heaven and become the high and mighty immortal gods.
The most typical ones are the three monsters of Lion Camel Ridge.
To use the original words from the book, "There were mountains of skulls and forests of bones. Human hair had turned into felt, human flesh had rotted into mud, and human tendons were entangled in trees, dry and charred, shining like silver. It was truly a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, and it was indeed smelly and unpleasant."
It used to be the Celestial Empire, but now it has turned into a city of tigers and wolves!
Even though they had done such evil, the three demons finally just walked away and returned to heaven to continue enjoying their life.
So after hearing about Xu Tianshi's behavior, Li Daoxuan couldn't help but feel a strong liking for him.
"Master, what happened next?"
Zhang Qianyang continued, "When the dragon saw that it was getting light, it knew it had failed, so it damaged its own power and fled in a bloody manner. It came to a place and transformed itself into a teacher."
"It's a coincidence that the dragon was afraid of being found by Master Xu, so he worked very hard and didn't dare to do any evil. He actually started to study the books of sages and taught many good students. He was usually kind and generous, and had a good reputation in the local area."
Li Daoxuan's eyes lit up and he said, "Master, could that place be Longyou County?"
Zhang Qianyang nodded and said, "At that time, it was not called Longyou County, but Xinjian County. The dragon lived in seclusion in Xinjian County, but after hiding for several years, it was found by Master Xu and subdued again."
"But the people of Xinjian County pleaded for him, and even the county magistrate vouched for him. In the end, Master Xu did not kill it. Instead, he took the essence of cold iron, made eight chains, imprisoned it in a well, and founded a sect here, Wanshou Palace."
"Before Master Xu ascended to heaven, in order to prevent the dragon from escaping one day, he left behind his magic sword for beheading the dragon. He also ordered people to build an iron tree by the well, and said that the dragon would be able to escape only when the iron tree bloomed."
Li Daoxuan laughed and said, "How can an iron tree bloom? Master Xu is doing this to keep the dragon trapped forever!"
Zhang Qianyang stroked his beard and smiled, saying, "That's right. From then on, dragon roars could be heard occasionally from the underground of Xinjian County. As time went by, the county was renamed Longyou County."
Li Daoxuan nodded, thinking that he had snatched the Chixia Sword from a Taoist priest in Wanshou Palace, so it seemed better not to expose it easily to avoid unnecessary trouble.
The two chatted as they walked and soon entered Longyou County.
This county is much larger than Xinyang County and more prosperous. The streets are smooth and the people have rosy complexions, looking very lively.
"When a dragon is on the ground, wind and clouds gather together, and naturally there will be some luck. Over the past hundreds of years, this Longyou County has produced many talents, and it can be said that it is a place of outstanding people and beautiful scenery."
Zhang Qianyang explained.
The two walked for a long time according to the location recorded on the deed and finally found the Qingniu Temple.
This Taoist temple is not shabby, with a red door and a tall plaque, it even looks quite impressive.
But it's very quiet around here, and there's no noise at all.
Li Daoxuan saw an old man sitting at the door of the house opposite, with empty eyes, and seemed to be blind.
He just sat there at the door, with a hint of numbness on his wrinkled face.
Li Daoxuan walked over and asked, "Old man, can you hear me?"
The moment he heard the sound, the old man's body trembled violently and he seemed very nervous.
"Don't be afraid, I am a Taoist priest from Qingniu Temple."
The old man raised his empty eyes, shook his head and said, "You are not...the Taoist priests of Qingniu Temple...are all dead!"
Li Daoxuan's heart sank. There was indeed something strange in the Qingniu Temple.
No wonder the Taoist priest surnamed Wu gave them the land deed. He probably wanted to use the dirty things in the Qingniu Temple to teach them a lesson.
"Old man, I am a new Taoist priest. What happened to the Qingniu Temple? And what about the people nearby? Why are they so quiet?"
When the old man heard that he was a new Taoist priest, he could not help but persuade him: "Master, judging from your voice, you should be young. Listen to my advice and leave quickly. The people around here have all left. No one dares to live here!"
Li Daoxuan smiled and said, "But don't you live here?"
"I am blind, old man. I have nowhere to go if I leave here."
As if he had sensed that Li Daoxuan was unwilling to leave, the old man sighed and said, "The sound of sharpening a knife!"
Li Daoxuan was startled and asked, "What do you mean by that, old man?"
The old man's hands kept shaking, with the amplitude getting stronger and stronger.
"Every night, you can hear the sound of sharpening knives. It's very loud. It's like slaughtering pigs and sheep."
After a pause, the old man's voice trembled a little, and he said: "The first ones to be slaughtered... are the Taoists from Qingniu Temple !"
