Water Margin: The Tale of Li Erlang of Guankou

Chapter 156 Chen Tuanzu's First Encounter with the Lotus Lantern, 3 The Holy Mother's Part

Li Hanxiao then realized that the Golden-Winged Roc's descent to the mortal realm was not without reason; these circumstances were all interconnected.

After all, the Buddha had been implementing the "Eastward Expansion" plan, so the Jade Emperor's suggestion of cooperation at this time was undoubtedly a timely help. Just like arranging for Jin Chanzi to be reincarnated as Tang Sanzang, there had to be a reason for arranging for the Great Protector, the Golden-Winged Roc, to descend to the mortal world.

Just then, the Buddha was giving a sermon when the female bat suddenly farted. People often say that you can control heaven and earth but not defecation and farting. The mindless Golden-Winged Roc, however, didn't care about such things. This breach of decorum before the Buddha was intolerable, so he pecked the female bat to death.

The female bat died after farting, and filled with resentment, she was reborn as a woman surnamed Wang.

The Buddha thus sent the Golden-Winged Roc to reincarnate. In "Journey to the West," the Golden-Winged Roc was forced to become the Buddha's great protector, and his mind was constantly suppressed. On his way down to the mortal world, he passed the Yellow River and saw the Iron-Backed Dragon leading shrimp soldiers and crab generals in training. He took a bite and pecked out the dragon's eyes.

The loyal fish spirit under the dragon's command was also pecked to death and was reincarnated as Wanqixie.

The Golden-Winged Roc was reincarnated into the Yue family. Just after Yue Fei was born, the Iron-Backed Dragon flooded the village. The Jade Emperor then sent the dragon to the Dragon-Slaying Platform, where it was reincarnated as Qin Hui.

Throughout this process, Chen Tuan, the patriarch who was the plenipotentiary ambassador of the Heavenly Court and the beneficiary of the Song Dynasty's rule over the world, also kept a close eye on the descent of the Red-Bearded Dragon and the Golden-Winged Roc to the mortal realm.

When he discovered that Yue Fei was in trouble, he actively helped him, ensuring that the Golden-Winged Roc did not "die before achieving its goal."

Now that Li Hanxiao has come to him and said something, wouldn't he just take action and kill Li Hanxiao on the spot?

This is like walking right into a trap!

Thinking of this, Li Hanxiao felt a chill run down his spine...

"Um... Auntie, should I go or not..."

Li Hanxiao couldn't help but ask about the Third Holy Mother.

"Go away, I also despise these people from the Heavenly Court who cause all sorts of disasters in the mortal realm for their own benefit. They have been immortals for too long. They talk about being pure of heart and desire and eliminating love every day, but they have not erased their own desires at all."

The Third Holy Mother frowned, her reaction quite strong. Indeed, what she said was a deep-seated pain. Back then, she had violated the Heavenly Laws by descending to the mortal realm, getting married, and having children, and was thus imprisoned under Mount Hua.

They say that when immortals fall in love, the Three Realms are in turmoil, but isn't it true that they are causing great turmoil and stirring up conflict in the mortal realm for their own selfish reasons?

Perhaps they weren't actually experiencing romantic love, but didn't they also have desires and lusts?

Therefore, when the Holy Mother talks about these things now, she is very angry!

"it is good!"

Just as Li Hanxiao finished agreeing, the Lotus Lantern in the hands of the Third Holy Mother flashed with light, and both Li Hanxiao and Xu Guanzhong were enveloped in that ball of light.

When they opened their eyes again, they found themselves on the Jade Maiden Peak of Mount Hua, and in a pavilion in front of them lay an old man with white hair and a youthful face, who was presumably the Patriarch Chen Tuan.

Although he appears to be sleeping, Chen Tuan is actually practicing his martial arts. He is known as the "Sleeping Immortal" because he often cultivates in his dreams.

The "Sleeping Immortal Skill" of later generations of martial arts sects was created by Grandmaster Chen Tuan. Our sect's predecessors treasured this skill after obtaining it and included it in the martial arts sect's internal martial arts secret system.

"Ah~ Your Highness has arrived! This old man has failed to greet you properly. Why have you brought two young men with you today?"

Chen Tuan, the patriarch, could naturally sense the arrival of the Third Holy Mother and immediately rose to greet her.

"These two are my second brother's disciple and a descendant of Master Xu. They have come here specifically to talk to you about some things."

Although Ancestor Chen Tuan was smiling, Li Hanxiao felt an extremely powerful pressure emanating from him.

"So it's Li Hanxiao, the chieftain of Liangshan Marsh, a disciple of Erlang Shen Zhenjun!"

Chen Tuan's voice suddenly turned deep.

Li Hanxiao was somewhat surprised, not expecting that Ancestor Chen Tuan would actually recognize him, but he still bowed politely and said, "Senior recognizes me?"

"Of course I know! It was you and Luo Cheng's disciple from Erxian Mountain who were trying to overthrow the Song Dynasty all over the country, and you even wanted to seduce the Golden-Winged Roc!"

At this point, some purple aura appeared around Ancestor Chen Tuan. Xu Guanzhong's expression changed upon seeing this. This was "purple aura coming from the east," meaning he was about to make a move!

"what are you up to?"

At that moment, the voice of the Third Holy Mother rang out, and the Lotus Lantern in her hand immediately emitted a colorful light, enveloping Li Hanxiao and Xu Guanzhong.

"He is my second brother's disciple, which makes him my nephew, and also a fourth-generation disciple of the Jade Void Palace. If you want to bully the younger one, ask me first if I'll allow it!"

Although the Holy Mother of the Third Princess helps the needy and relieves suffering in the human world, she is actually somewhat similar to her second brother, Erlang Shen, among the gods. She is not a traditional lady, but rather someone who dares to love and hate, speaks and laughs freely, and has a clear sense of right and wrong. Otherwise, she would not have fought with her second brother to protect her family back then. She really used the Lotus Lantern to fight against the heavenly soldiers and generals!

"What? Has Your Majesty forgotten the days at the foot of Mount Hua?"

Upon seeing this, the purple aura surrounding Chen Tuan intensified, and he spoke with a hint of sarcasm.

"Brother is still brother, we are family, how dare you, an outsider, criticize and judge us!"

The lotus lantern in the hands of the Third Holy Mother shone brightly, instantly dissipating the purple aura around Ancestor Chen Tuan. Upon seeing this, Ancestor Chen Tuan said, "Let's stop fighting, let's stop fighting. Alright, I'll listen to what this brat has to say!"

Although the old master Chen Tuan was very powerful, he was still no match for the Lotus Lantern.

Li Hanxiao couldn't help but examine the Lotus Lantern closely. The Lotus Lantern was nine inches tall, pure white, like ice and snow. Its shape was that of a blooming lotus, as large as a large bowl. The lotus heart was the wick. Legend has it that only those with incomparably benevolent power could activate its divine power to shake the heavens and earth and reverse the universe.

In terms of magical treasures, the Lotus Lantern is considered to be among the most senior in the Three Realms. Long ago, before the primordial chaos was created, there was no distinction between the pure and the impure, before heaven and earth were separated, and all things were in chaos; the whole world drifted in endless cold and desolation.

Nuwa borrowed heavenly fire to illuminate the universe and create the world. That heavenly fire, the essence of the sun and moon, transformed into a magical lotus lantern.

Legend has it that this Lotus Lantern was a magical artifact used by the goddess Nuwa when she mended the sky. It was later passed down to the Third Holy Mother and used to initiate a great calamity of rewriting the laws of heaven and earth during the conflict between heaven and man.

Now, Li Hanxiao has come to explain to Ancestor Chen Tuan that this is actually the embodiment of the struggle between Heaven and Man. The Heavenly Court is still the orthodox lineage, and because of its function, it is acceptable for it to try to draw power from the lower realm to make changes.

However, just because Emperor Huizong of Song wrote "Jade Emperor" as "King Emperor Dog Emperor," which led to the Jade Emperor sending the Red-Bearded Dragon to the mortal realm, causing great turmoil and bringing devastation to China, Li Hanxiao absolutely could not allow it.

It seems that the Jade Emperor wanted to punish the Song Dynasty and did not intend for it to perish, but in reality, it triggered a chain reaction, ultimately leading to the fall of the Song Dynasty, the rise of the Mongols, and the invasion of the Central Plains by foreign tribes, setting a precedent!

As a result, the Chinese people and civilization faced a crisis that nearly led to the extinction of the nation!

Isn't this man rebelling against Heaven?

"Senior, I'll just say one thing: gods each have their own duties, but gods are meant to save people, not harm them. To stir up a monstrous wave and wreak havoc on the mortal realm because of a single word is absolutely not the right way!"

Li Hanxiao knew that his ancestor Chen Tuan would understand what he was saying.

Ancestor Chen Tuan smiled and said, "A mistake is a mistake. It is unacceptable not to punish it."

"Fine, if you want to punish, I'll punish you. I'll overthrow the Song Dynasty and make them fall off the throne. Is that not enough?"

"No, because while punishment is necessary, it must not lead to death."

"Then must the people suffer for no reason?"

Li Hanxiao questioned.

Ancestor Chen Tuan smiled again and asked, "When immortals assist in managing the Three Realms, wars must be waged when necessary. Just imagine, if peace lasts too long and you humans continue to multiply, will there be any room left for you on this earth? It is the natural order to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new. If we did not restrain the affairs of the human world, would you humans have done better?"

Li Hanxiao was speechless for a moment, because the concept mentioned by the patriarch Chen Tuan seemed to be similar to the population theory of later generations, but it was also somewhat ambiguous.

"But people live in peace and prosperity, and their numbers have not exploded to that extent as you say. After Zhuanxu severed the connection between heaven and earth, humans and gods each performed their duties. But you treat humans as playthings to be manipulated at will, and you arbitrarily decide their life and death. Do the gods have this right? Is this the law of heaven?"

Li Hanxiao's words stumped Chen Tuan, because the Heavenly Rules had always been in place, but the Jade Emperor's actions this time did indeed violate them.

In ancient times, humans and gods coexisted harmoniously, connected by a mysterious ladder.

However, a grand undertaking called "Severing the Connection Between Heaven and Earth," presided over by Zhuanxu, brought about a radical change to this model of coexistence between gods and humans.

This epic story originates from the Book of Documents, specifically the chapter "Lü Xing," which describes Zhuanxu's world-shaking act of "severing the connection between heaven and earth."

Emperor Zhuanxu commanded Chong, the Southern Minister, to govern the heavens, and Li, the Fire Minister, to govern the earth, thus separating heaven and earth and preventing them from flowing together. This mythical feat is vividly described in the Classic of Mountains and Seas, much like Pangu creating the world. From then on, heaven and earth, gods and humans, each performed their duties without interfering with each other.

However, as the number of cultivators in the human world increased, the connection between heaven and earth became more and more extensive. Eventually, because the gods had the power to control the human world, they did begin to arbitrarily decide life and death for mortals.

They had long forgotten that the Heavenly Laws also stipulated that gods could not arbitrarily and wantonly influence matters on a large scale in the human world...

To be honest, Li Hanxiao's words resonated with Chen Tuan, since he had only recently become an immortal and he understood that Li Hanxiao was right.

After a long pause, Ancestor Chen Tuan made his decision and said, "Your destiny is ethereal and elusive, beyond the Three Realms and outside the Five Elements... and will not be noticed by those above. Fine, go ahead and do it. I will not stop you, but you must be lenient and not kill everyone."

Having received the approval of Ancestor Chen Tuan, it means that this person who was in charge of overseeing the entire Heavenly Court and the Ling Mountain plan has relinquished control. As long as he doesn't interfere, Li Hanxiao can proceed with his plans without further intervention.

"This junior will remember!"

Upon hearing this, Li Hanxiao bowed again.

After finishing his words, Master Chen Tuan turned around and went back down to the pavilion. He yawned and said, "This old Taoist priest is going to have a chat with the Duke of Zhou in his dreams. I'll have to stay and not keep you company!"

The Holy Mother of the Three Kingdoms ignored him, and the Lotus Lantern flashed again, and the three of them returned to the Temple of the Holy Mother of the Three Kingdoms.

"I never expected you to have such courage and ambition at such a young age. If you really succeed, you might actually be able to change the Heavenly Laws!"

The Holy Mother of the Three Kingdoms said with great approval.

"Modify the Heavenly Laws?!"

Li Hanxiao asked in surprise.

"If the Heavenly Court's decisions cause major problems in the mortal realm, the Heavenly Laws should theoretically be able to be changed. Unfortunately... since their inception, the Heavenly Laws have never been changed..."

As the Holy Mother of the Three Kingdoms spoke, her gaze dimmed slightly.

"Then, what will happen after the Heavenly Laws are changed..."

"In that case, there will be five hundred years during which, apart from the natural workings of heaven and earth, the gods will not interfere too much in human affairs, unless something happens that requires intervention. These five hundred years will be used to implement the new heavenly laws."

It's important to note here that the five hundred years mentioned by the Holy Mother of the Three Kingdoms is not five hundred years on earth, but five hundred years in heaven.

As we all know, a day in heaven is equivalent to a year on earth!

Li Hanxiao didn't have time to convert the units, but he knew that if he could win this battle in the next five hundred years, at least the people of the world would no longer be manipulated by the gods at will...

Perhaps this is the extent to which he can shoulder this responsibility; any more, and he will no longer be able to bear these things...

But if one is concerned with what one should do in life, why should one care about what will be said after death?

"This disciple will certainly do his utmost!"

The Holy Mother nodded slightly and said, "Good, good, a real man has ambition. Since that's the case, I don't have anything to give you. I imagine you must have someone you love at your age. I have a bottle of Heavenly Fragrance Jade Dew here. You can take it back to her. If there is any danger during childbirth, she can take it to ensure the safety of both mother and child!"

Li Hanxiao took the small jade bottle, knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "Thank you, Aunt!"

"Go ahead. If you encounter any trouble in the future and my second brother doesn't help, you can come to Mount Hua to find me, and I will send my son to lend you a hand!"

Upon hearing this, Li Han smiled and thought, "The son of the Third Holy Mother, isn't that Liu Chenxiang?"

That's right. Since Liu Chenxiang was able to split the mountain to save his mother and rescue the Third Holy Mother back then, his magical power must not be weak. He must be at least in the state of a god now. It's just that I didn't see him this time when I went up Mount Hua.