The Battle in Journey to the West
Chapter 130 - 127: Daoist Equal to Heaven Meets Xuande

Chapter 130: Chapter 127: Daoist Equal to Heaven Meets Xuande

As the Daoist Equal to Heaven conversed with Zhuang Zhou atop the mountain about the current situation in the Eastern Han, chaos had already begun to unfold. People destined by fate were emerging one after another, and before long, a battle of heroes vying for supremacy would unfold.

Through his dialogue with Zhuang Zhou, the Daoist Equal to Heaven came to know that Buddhism had already been secretly supporting a few individuals. It seemed that Buddhism was indeed acting swiftly.

If the Daoist Equal to Heaven were to support Cao Cao, it would be akin to Mount Tai crushing an egg, sweeping through the world unhindered, as he knew past and present. Although he was not fond of studying in his previous life, he was aware that Cao Cao met with a great defeat at Red Cliffs, suffering a severe blow to his primordial Qi, which led to the tripartite division of the realm. Otherwise, how could Liu Bei and Sun Quan have each occupied a region? However, it seemed that the opportunity had passed, and Buddhism had gotten there first. Should he rashly intervene, it would likely provoke powerful individuals.

Speaking of the fates of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, it was Confucianism that was strongest in the mortal world, partly because Confucianism wasn’t a religion. This reassured the Buddhist and Daoist sects; otherwise, conflicts might have arisen. Moreover, there weren’t as many Immortals in Confucianism—from ancient times to the present, how many Confucian scholars ascended to Immortality through their studies? They were few and far between.

The Daoist Equal to Heaven wasn’t very familiar with the history of The Three Kingdoms, only knowing of some major battles, events, and a few famous figures. After all, he was suppressed for five hundred years in his previous life, and upon his release, much of what he knew was hearsay. Besides, given his nature, how could he sit still to read history books?

The Daoist Equal to Heaven lamented, "It seems that Buddhism and Daoism are about to clash again. Emperor Huan of Han was a devout Buddhist, which allowed Buddhism to grow rapidly during his reign. This truly complicates matters."

Zhuang Zhou then said, "It appears that fellow Daoist is no minor figure, to be aware of the conflict between Buddhism and Daoism."

Zhuang Zhou had long been in seclusion, and even if the Daoist Equal to Heaven truly was a person of importance, he would not have known. In the past century, the Daoist Equal to Heaven had taken action and gained a reputation as a virtuous and moral individual in the mortal world. However, as he later devoted himself to refining Shariras, his renown gradually faded, for cultivation is extremely self-forgetting. Time passed unnoticed, and the plans he had initially set were disrupted.

Although he could still act in the same manner, it would now easily attract Buddhist attention. To avoid early conflict with Buddhism, the Daoist Equal to Heaven needed to keep a low profile and plan behind the scenes.

The Daoist Equal to Heaven merely smiled faintly without responding, for there was still plenty of time. Since both Buddhism and Daoism had already chosen their candidates to support, he couldn’t easily intervene. What troubled him was that this was history from his previous life, yet he had no idea how it would unfold, knowing only that the realm would be divided into three. He was also worried that due to the reversal of time, many things might have changed. Seeing Buddhism’s strength, he feared that Cao Cao might truly conquer Liu Bei and Sun Quan in one fell swoop... A tiny event could change the course of history.

At the moment, the Daoist Equal to Heaven was extremely anxious.

Thus, he could only watch in secret. Zhuang Zhou’s words had disrupted his plans, and he would now have to strategize carefully. Since he was in good standing with Laojun, the Supreme commander of Taoism, his premature interference would not draw any resentment from his Sect.

The Daoist Equal to Heaven was truly vexed, lamenting why he hadn’t read more history books in his previous life to understand the intricacies of The Three Kingdoms and better plan his moves!

At this thought, he couldn’t help but beat his chest and stomp his feet, yearning to roar to the heavens.

Zhuang Zhou asked, "Why so vexed, fellow Daoist? Speak and let me hear, perhaps I can offer some comfort."

The Daoist Equal to Heaven bowed slightly and said, "Today, thanks to the words of fellow Daoist, I am deeply grateful. I have matters to attend to and must leave now! If there is a chance in the future, I would enjoy discussing the Dao with fellow Daoist once more."

With his mind in turmoil, the Daoist Equal to Heaven somersaulted and rose into the clouds, disappearing in an instant.

Zhuang Zhou watched him leave indifferently, simply closing his eyes and silently murmured, "Before long, I shall have to descend into the world once again! With Buddhism growing rampant, I must show them the might of our Daoist path."

The Daoist Equal to Heaven flew to a large mountain and paused, musing, "I wonder if the three heroes of the Peach Garden have sworn brotherhood yet? If not, I might have to facilitate this affair. Ah, blast it, what a tangled mess, a tangled mess indeed, and I’ve no idea where to start!"

The Daoist Equal to Heaven was worried that events would not unfold as they had in his previous life’s history, and also feared that his involvement might disrupt the plans laid out by the Three Pure Ones. He was in a state of utter confusion!

"Well, no matter! I shall first seek out Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei! Regardless, I must ensure the trio swear brotherhood. Although Liu Bei is fated to rise, without these two formidable generals to stabilize his destiny, he might meet an early demise," the Daoist Equal to Heaven thought to himself.

The Daoist Equal to Heaven rode the clouds to Zhuo County and found the Zhang Family Manor. Zhang Fei was but a butcher, making a living by selling wine and pork, but he was generous and enjoyed befriending the world’s heroes.

With his Heavenly Vision, the Daoist Equal to Heaven saw the large, dark-skinned man with eyes like copper bells, resembling a black iron tower, tending to the weeds in the Peach Garden. He secretly thought, "Is this the fierce Zhang Fei? How curious that a mere butcher possesses such martial skills."

The Daoist Equal to Heaven grabbed a handful of pebbles and flicked two out. Zhang Fei, hearing a noise behind him and not understanding why, was struck by the pebbles and toppled to the ground.

"Hm?" The Daoist Equal to Heaven was surprised. The speed at which he had flicked the pebbles was not fast; anyone with a bit of agility could have dodged them.

Zhang Fei’s voice was gruff as he cursed loudly, "Who’s the damn bastard ambushing me with rocks?!"

Standing atop the clouds, Daoist Equal to Heaven watched as Zhang Fei, unable to see him, stood with hands on his hips, cursing vehemently. Being a butcher, Zhang Fei’s curses were particularly vicious and he spared no insult towards Daoist Equal to Heaven’s eight generations of ancestors—though this Daoist had none, having been born from a stone.

"With such a venomous tongue, no wonder he was beheaded by his own men. He truly is a brute!" Daoist Equal to Heaven listened to the ferocious insults without getting angry; instead, he found it somewhat amusing.

Seeing that his curses drew no one out, Zhang Fei lowered his head to continue weeding. This time, Daoist Equal to Heaven threw another stone, making sure it made a louder noise.

Zhang Fei, hearing the sound, quickly dodged, but the stone still grazed his waist and rear. He yelped, "Ow, that hurts!" and fell face down on the ground. Where was any sign of martial arts? Daoist Equal to Heaven thought to himself in surprise, "This Zhang Fei is just a mere butcher. Where would he have learned martial arts? Could it be that he was taught later by immortals? Right now, he has no martial skills, and soon the Yellow Turbans will rise... I’m no expert in spear techniques, proficient only in stick fighting. What should I do?"

Suddenly, he remembered Yang Jian, who wielded a Tri-Point Double-Edged Saber that could also be referred to as a Three-point Double-edged Spear—it could be used as a saber or a spear. Yang Jian was exceptionally skilled at using the spear, and having fought numerous famous generals during the Divine Enthronement, he would be the ideal candidate to teach Zhang Fei spear techniques.

Daoist Equal to Heaven thought to himself, "First, I must take a look at that Liu Bei and see what his fate holds!"

Liu Bei was born in Lousang Village, Zhuo County, residing in the southeast, as his destiny determined. Outside his door grew a large tree, resembling the canopy of the emperor’s carriage. As a child, Liu Bei played under it with other children, proclaiming, "I am the Son of Heaven and shall ride under this canopy!" He made the children kneel and shout long live, which left onlookers amazed, believing he was no ordinary child. Disinterested in formal studies, Liu Bei traveled to learn from various heroes at the age of fifteen. And now, he was no longer young.

Daoist Equal to Heaven made his way to Lousang Village in Zhuo County and headed southeast, where he indeed saw a lush and majestic tree resembling the emperor’s carriage canopy. He nodded to himself, "The dragon Qi has dispersed from Luoyang, most of it entering Chang’an, but some has reached here and been absorbed by this tree, causing it to grow so magnificently." Under the tree, he saw a man sitting, "Could this be Liu Xuande? Let’s take a closer look."

Approaching, he found the man weaving sandals from straw, interspersed with sighs. Upon closer inspection, he saw that the man had a noble countenance, glowing cheeks, and lips as red as if they were painted. Standing at seven feet and five inches tall, with ears reaching his shoulders and unusually long arms.

"Eh, this man indeed possesses a fortunate appearance, that of the Western Heaven Buddha Ancestor!" Seeing Liu Bei’s ears hanging down to his shoulders, Daoist Equal to Heaven thought to himself about the prophecy, which states that those whose ears reach their shoulders are invariably of noble and unspeakable rank.

The Western Heaven Buddha Ancestor and Bodhisattvas are often depicted with long ears, and Liu Bei’s pair indicated that he was not of common stock.

Upon seeing the dignified Taoist approach, Xuande curiously asked, "What brings the Taoist here? Is there something interesting about me weaving sandals?"

However, Daoist Equal to Heaven smiled and said, "Contemplating your distinguished features, I took an extra glance. Surely, there’s no harm in looking?"

Xuande was overjoyed and bowed, "Not to conceal from the Taoist, I was told as a child that my face bore marks of fortune. However, I’m already twenty-six or seven, and have yet to achieve anything great. I wonder if the Taoist might offer guidance?"

Daoist Equal to Heaven replied, "Worry not, worry not. Sitting under this canopy, you’ve long been imbued with dragon Qi and have good fortune within you. Next year, you will surely achieve great things. However, although your fate bears the mark of an emperor, you lack the Left and Right Assistants. Without wise and virtuous counselors, I fear you may meet an early demise."

Xuande exclaimed, "Please, I ask for the Taoist’s guidance. If I do achieve great things in the future, I shall never forget the incense owed to the Taoist!"

Daoist Equal to Heaven helped him up, saying, "No need for concern. When the time is right, it will come naturally. As for your Left and Right Assistants, they will seek you out when the time comes. But be aware, these two individuals bear unusual features. Do not scorn them. Embrace them as brothers with respectful treatment of the worthy."

Xuande promised, bowing, "I thank the Taoist for the advice; I shall remember it carefully!"

At that time, the influence of the Taoist Sect was immense in the mortal world, with morally elevated individuals traversing the earth, offering guidance. However, in later times, a number of incompetent individuals would appear, fortune-telling on the streets and swindling money, tarnishing the reputation of the Taoist Sect.

Daoist Equal to Heaven advised, "Wait patiently, and within a year, an opportunity will arise. Then you can emerge and vie for control of the realm!"

With those words, he transformed into a refreshing breeze, ascending into the clouds. Liu Bei was astonished, exclaiming, "This is indeed a True Man of Dao and Virtue! Could it be that I’ll truly come upon great fortune next year, as he said?"

No longer in the mood to continue weaving sandals, Liu Bei hurried home, took up a bamboo slip and brush, and carefully recorded everything Daoist Equal to Heaven had said, finally feeling reassured.

After meeting Liu Bei and feeling somewhat at ease, Daoist Equal to Heaven proceeded to Guan Jiangkou in search of Yang Jian.

If you want to know what happens next, please listen to the following part.