The Battle in Journey to the West -
Chapter 135 - 132: Heart Moon Fox Transforms into Diao Chan
Chapter 135: Chapter 132: Heart Moon Fox Transforms into Diao Chan
As the four companions traveled together, they arrived at Hedong where they saw a red light descending from the sky. It was a Constellation undergoing reincarnation, aiming to align with the Heavenly Dao amidst the chaotic world.
The quartet flew on clouds and reached Xinzhou, only to see a house enveloped in red light, which seemed to be the place.
Lu Dongbin, most familiar with the Immortals of the Heavenly Court, said, "This is the East Yi Wood Constellation, the leader of the Heart Moon Constellation reincarnated to face the tribulation."
Inside the house, they saw a young girl lying on a bed, pale and breathing rapidly. Though young, she already possessed the grace and beauty of blooming youth.
The girl’s parents were by her side, in tears. Her mother said, "Poor my Diao Chan, so young yet stricken with a severe illness. We are too poor to afford medical treatment and can only watch our daughter suffer..."
The father, with a hunched back, also wept, "Being a man yet unable to support even my own daughter, it truly is a disgrace!"
Daoist Equal to Heaven found the name "Diao Chan" familiar. It seemed to be a humble name given by country folk, believing it would help in raising her; thus, names like Gou Dan, Gou Zi, and Da Niu were common in the countryside, taken by parents for good fortune, hoping their children would thrive with humble names. However, Diao Chan’s name sounded much nicer than those.
Thinking on this name reminded Daoist Equal to Heaven that this Diao Chan was a legendary beauty, renowned in the Three Kingdoms and even surpassing Eastern Rivers’ Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao. He smiled and nodded to himself, "Ah, that’s it."
The four’s mana was much higher than that of the Heart Moon Fox, who naturally couldn’t detect them standing in the clouds above, using their Heavenly Eye to look down.
The Heart Moon Fox thought to herself, "Once this Diao Chan dies, I will guide my Primordial Spirit and Soul into her body, and then I can follow the Heavenly Dao and achieve great fortunes in the next life."
As Diao Chan was about to die, the Heart Moon Fox was about to replace her, similar to the Nine-tailed Fox from the Ancient Era of Deification, and then use her body for her plans.
Suddenly, Lu Dongbin scolded, "You fox, being a heavenly constellation yet descending to harm humans?!"
The Heart Moon Fox was startled, only to see four Taoists appear from the clouds, all possessing extremely high levels of mana, easily capable of turning her into ash as if observing patterns in their palms.
"Greetings to Master Lu Chunyang!" the Heart Moon Fox hurriedly left the house and bowed before the four.
The Heart Moon Fox was also a vision of grace and beauty. In her panic, she truly appeared pitiable and precious. However, those of the Dao of Immortals possess clear and restrained desires, largely untempted by women, except Huang Tuqiu of Yao Pond, who leisurely collected Extraterritorial Heavenly Demons to seal them into paintings for his enjoyment.
Lu Dongbin said, "You, fox, came to the mortal world to harm people, is it not?"
The Heart Moon Fox replied, "Master Lu Chunyang, you exaggerate. My descent this time is to face tribulation by adhering to the Heavenly Dao, commanded by the Three Pure Masters! If you doubt this, feel free to inquire."
When Lu Dongbin heard the Heart Moon Fox invoke the Three Pure Ones, he was inwardly startled and asked, "Did the Ancestor Masters of the Three Pure Ones instruct you to seize this mortal body?"
The Heart Moon Fox replied, "Whatever plans the Three Pure Masters have, I do not know. They only told me that a great tribulation is upon me; they instructed me to face it by reincarnating and seizing the body of Ren Hongchang here in Xinzhou, and then to follow the Heavenly Dao."
Lu Dongbin wondered, "Isn’t this woman known as Diao Chan?"
The Heart Moon Fox answered, "Diao Chan is just a nickname; her real name is Ren Hongchang."
Ancestor Chen Tuan couldn’t help but sigh, "Seeing Diao Chan’s family in such misery, I wanted to help her through this hardship. However, since this is the plan of the Three Pure Ancestor Masters, it would be inappropriate to interfere with their grand design. We shall not trouble you; you may go."
The Heart Moon Fox breathed a sigh of relief. Lu Dongbin then said, "If you seek to emulate Daji from the Shang Dynasty, beware not to lose your own life in the process!"
"Rest assured, Master, my name is already recorded in the Investiture of the Gods. Moreover, it’s only this physical body that’s tarnished. After reincarnation, I can rejoin the ranks of the Immortals." the Heart Moon Fox stated.
The Immortals of the Heavenly Court must not tarnish their bodies, for if they do, they will be ruthlessly cast down to the mortal world. Yang Jian’s mother was suppressed under a mountain by the Jade Emperor for becoming tainted with the mortal dust, ultimately leading to Yang Jian splitting the mountain to save her. Among the Immortals, there are indeed partners, but all have achieved the Dao of Immortals. The bodies of Immortals are pure and fragrant, thus dual cultivation does not violate the precepts. The Heavenly Court strictly governs Female Immortals; any violation of these celestial laws results in them being cast down to endure immense suffering. Women’s low status, even within the Heavenly Court, is not surprising.
Lu Dongbin nodded, feeling uneasy about it, but since the Ancestor Masters of the Three Pure Ones were scheming, he was reluctant to disrupt their affairs.
The heights of the Saints are beyond their reach; events that stir their sympathy might seem less significant than a speck of dust on their clothes to the Saints. They might dust off the speck, but such matters, they simply overlook.
The laws of Heaven and Humanity each follow their path; the births, aging, sickness, and deaths of mortals are governed by their own celestial fate.
Lu Dongbin said, "You may go! However, remember, do not bring harm or act unkindly, otherwise, even if the Ancestor Master of the Three Pure Ones protects you, I will let you experience the methods at my disposal!"
The Heart Moon Fox breathed a sigh of relief again, clasped his hands and said, "I take my leave!"
The Heart Moon Fox returned to the dwelling and coiled above the body of Diao Chan, noticing that Diao Chan was breathing in more than out, evidently not long for the mortal world and soon would die and reincarnate in the next life. As the Heart Moon Fox occupied Diao Chan’s body, which was evidently about to be tainted with the filth of the mortal world, returning to the Heavenly Court could only be achieved through rebirth and re-cultivation. This Body-Snatching of Diao Chan’s body was in accord with the Heavenly Dao, and there might be substantial opportunities for him in the future.
Lu Dongbin said, "It seems this Heart Moon Fox, transformed into Diao Chan, will bewitch the Son of Heaven of the Great Han, much like the Nine-tailed Fox of Qingqiu, Daji, did.?"
Daoist Equal to Heaven thought to himself, "No, no! I recall now, Dong Zhuo lacks the destiny to become the True Divine Emperor, so it’s fitting that he meet his demise. This Diao Chan is actually the adopted daughter of Wang Yun, given to Dong Zhuo to create discord between him and his sworn son, Lu Bu, enabling Lu Bu to kill him."
At that time, Dong Zhuo’s power was overwhelming, and although Cao Cao and Yuan Shao were just beginning to rise, Dong Zhuo was ambitious and coveted the imperial throne. However, he did not have the destiny of a Son of Heaven but was rather meant to disrupt the Destiny of the Great Han Dynasty, similar to Zhang Jiao. Thus, for People of the Immortal Path to intervene and eliminate Dong Zhuo was also acting according to the Heavenly Dao, not only avoiding punishment but accumulating merit and favorable transformation. And perhaps Heart Moon Fox also had a predestined calamity to face; otherwise, she would not have chosen this burdensome task, feeling disgust at the thought of human bodies’ filth.
In the heavens, immortals, who are often destined to be reborn and re-cultivate, abound, and Lu Dongbin was among them. In his next life during the Tang Dynasty, he still had a calamity to face, which required him to spread the Way of the Complete Truth in the mortal world, building the merit of founding the religion to resolve it. Thus, he reincarnated, re-cultivated the Dao of Immortals, and established the state of the Complete Truth Sect in the human world. This matter belongs to later times and deserves no further mention here.
The Three Disasters and Nine Tribulations cannot necessarily be avoided by possessing a powerful cultivation technique; those with bad luck will still encounter them. If they sense the approach and know they cannot avoid these, the immortals often temporarily resign from their posts and reincarnate to re-cultivate and evade the disaster. Before their reincarnation, they all find someone to lead them back, such as Donghua the Great Emperor reincarnated and selected Han Zhongli to guide him, thus allowing him to rejoin the ranks of immortals.
Heart Moon Fox had naturally found her guide, who were her fellow Constellations.
Wukong knew some tales of the Three Kingdoms from his previous life, including Wang Yun using a linked chain plan allowing Lu Bu and Dong Zhuo to kill each other while Dong Zhuo, whose character was reprehensible, would even sleep with Lu Bu’s concubine and have Lu Bu guard the door. No matter what, Lu Bu was a man of strong principles and was deeply angered, prompting Diao Chan’s instigation to finally kill Dong Zhuo, who had effectively sealed his own fate.
Mentioning that Diao Chan’s life force was weakening, Heart Moon Fox thought, "You suffer in the human world; better to die soon, so I can utilize your body."
However, Diao Chan seemed to hear her, unexpectedly opening her eyes and staring straight at her. Heart Moon Fox was surprised; normally, mortals couldn’t see her. Could it be her soul was about to leave her body and had spotted her during a fleeting moment of spiritual clarity?
"Rest assured in your passing, I am no demon or ghost, but an immortal from the Heavenly Court, intending to use your body to comply with the Heavenly Dao! I will not harm your parents," Heart Moon Fox said.
Yet Diao Chan continued to look at her, remaining silent.
Heart Moon Fox added, "After you leave, I will surely take good care of your parents, ensuring they lack nothing. Moreover, your body has accumulated merits, so in your next life, you will likely be reborn into a good family."
Upon hearing this, Diao Chan finally closed her eyes in peace. Then, two figures emerged from the ground, one dressed in white, the other in black — they were Black and White Impermanence, tasked with soul-reaping for the Underworld.
"Greetings, Great Immortal of the Eastern Constellation!" Black and White Impermanence were surprised to see Heart Moon Fox.
Heart Moon Fox said, "Very well, swiftly take the soul of Ren Hongchang to the Underworld to report, and do not speak of my presence here to anyone."
Being minor officials of the Underworld, Black and White Impermanence were no match for her, a star of the Heavenly Court. Naturally, they dared not disobey Heart Moon Fox and responded, "As you command."
Black and White Impermanence produced chains and hooked Diao Chan’s soul from her body, then used an Escape Technique to descend to the Underworld.
Heart Moon Fox pinched a spell and the soul and Primordial Spirit entered Diao Chan’s body. She thought to herself, "This Diao Chan, though young, was exceedingly beautiful, surely no less than Su Daji!"
The girl’s parents, witnessing their daughter’s death, could not help but weep bitterly, deeply distressed.
Shortly after, Diao Chan slowly opened her eyes and exclaimed, "Why are you crying, father and mother?"
Her parents, shocked to see Diao Chan awake again, asked in astonishment, "Diao Chan, are you well?"
Diao Chan weakly smiled and said, "I still feel a bit unwell, but it’s nothing serious, and there’s no need for you to worry."
Overjoyed, her mother hurriedly went to the backyard to fetch an egg, deeming it worth the effort for her daughter’s health.
The four observers above, seeing all clearly, nodded slightly and rode the clouds away.
To find out what happens next, please wait for the next installment.
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