Chapter 131: The Lion Slave: L-little Master?

The Nine-Spirited Sage had a brilliant idea.

He rose to his feet with a sway, and the Lion-Attendant, sharp-eyed, stood up and placed his hands on his hips. "Nine-Spirited Sage, what are you doing? The Master gave orders that you are not to descend to the mortal realm without permission!"

"You lion-boy," the Nine-Spirited Sage replied, "I was merely standing up to stretch my limbs. Why so tense?"

The Lion-Attendant said nothing, only rolled up his sleeves and fixed his gaze firmly on the Sage, clearly intending to grab him and prevent him from going anywhere should he make a move.

The Nine-Spirited Sage chuckled inwardly and silently recited a mantra, traveling to the "Green-Flower Eternal Joy Realm," a domain specially created by the Great Honorable Celestial of Saving Suffering for Cao Kong.

At this moment, Cao Kong was in the Green-Flower Eternal Joy Realm, reading medical texts. The collection in this realm was vast; there were tens of thousands of volumes on medicine alone. Even though Cao Kong read them without seeking deep mastery, it still took an immense amount of time. Nevertheless, he was nearing the day when he would finish bringing them all out—at most, a year or two more.

"Senior Brother, it has been a long time," Cao Kong said, pleasantly surprised to see the Nine-Spirited Sage appear.

The Nine-Spirited Sage laughed heartily. "To you, it has been a long time, but for me, it has only been ten days or so in the heavens."

"May I ask why you have come, Senior Brother?" Cao Kong asked with a smile.

The Nine-Spirited Sage did not stand on ceremony. "I have come because I need your help with something."

Cao Kong looked surprised; he truly could not imagine what the Nine-Spirited Sage would need his help with. "Please speak, Senior Brother. If it is within my power, I will certainly do my utmost."

"Ahem, well, I have been feeling quite bored in the heavens lately. That Lion-Attendant by my side lacks any sense of tact and restricts me all day long. Perhaps you could help me say a few words to him?"

Cao Kong was stunned. "This... will the Lion-Attendant listen to me?"

The Nine-Spirited Sage smiled. "That fellow is extremely rigid, pedantic, and obsessed with etiquette. As the Master’s disciple, he will surely be respectful when he sees you. He will definitely heed what you say. Rest assured, I will only slip away for half a day—which is half a year in the mortal world. The Celestial has gone to visit friends recently and will not return, so he will not know. If any trouble arises, you can simply push the blame onto me."

Once he finished speaking, the Nine-Spirited Sage looked at Cao Kong with anticipation.

Cao Kong’s heart stirred. The Nine-Spirited Sage had helped him immensely; indeed, without him, Cao Kong would never have been able to become a disciple of the Great Honorable Celestial of Saving Suffering. He thought, 'I shall agree to this. Once Senior Brother has had his fill of fun, I will take the initiative to confess to the Master and shoulder the responsibility myself.'

Just then, a voice echoed in Cao Kong’s mind—it was the voice of the Great Honorable Celestial of Saving Suffering.

"The Holy Sage has been quite restless of late. To temper his nature, I have refrained from speaking, but you may grant his request. I shall pretend to be unaware."

Upon hearing this, Cao Kong could not help but chuckle as he looked at the Nine-Spirited Sage, who had just insisted that the Celestial would never know. He quickly composed himself and said, "Senior Brother, what are you saying? But how am I to find the Lion-Attendant?"

The Nine-Spirited Sage was also surprised by Cao Kong’s readiness; he had agreed without even asking why he wanted to go to the mortal realm or worrying about the risk of being discovered by the Celestial, which touched him deeply.

"Simple. Follow me. I will take you there. One day in the heavens is a year on earth, so we must be quick; don't let it interfere with your mortal affairs."

With that, the Nine-Spirited Sage pulsed with Daoist energy. Cao Kong felt as if his spirit were being drawn in, and in the next moment, he appeared within the palace.

There stood a young boy, glaring unkindly at the nine-headed lion. "You lion, sit back down at once, or don't blame me for being discourteous!" the Lion-Attendant barked.

Seeing the Lion-Attendant treat the Nine-Spirited Sage with no respect, Cao Kong frowned. "Are you the Lion-Attendant?"

"Who are you, and how did you appear in my Lion Palace?" The boy jumped, startled by Cao Kong’s voice, and turned around in a panic to ask.

"I am the Daoist Dongzhen," Cao Kong replied. "I have had the good fortune to be a direct disciple of the Great Honorable Celestial of Saving Suffering and have been cultivating in the mortal realm."

Hearing this, the boy recalled that this was indeed true. Now that he heard Cao Kong speak of it, he had no doubts; after all, this was the Green-Flower Eternal Joy Realm. If someone were truly an impostor, the Celestial would certainly know.

In an instant, his expression turned respectful. He hurriedly bowed, stuttering, "L-Little Master, I apologize for my lack of manners just now. Please forgive me, Little Master."

The Nine-Spirited Sage, seeing the boy’s behavior, laughed inwardly. He had expected this; the boy only dared to put on airs with him, but as soon as he met someone else, he immediately softened.

Cao Kong shook his head. "It is no matter. I have come to attend to a matter with my Senior Brother. I hope you will allow him to accompany me to the mortal realm for a few days before he returns."

The Lion-Attendant hesitated. "This... the Master..."

"I shall speak to the Master about it myself. You need only let him go."

"Very well, I shall defer to the Little Master," the attendant said respectfully.

The Nine-Spirited Sage was overjoyed and prepared to use his magic to send Cao Kong back before descending to the mortal realm himself. Just then, Cao Kong walked over to the boy and said gently, "Lion-Attendant, I know the Master tasked you with guarding my Senior Brother, and this is your duty. However, my Senior Brother is a being of true enlightenment. Even if you must restrain him, could you refrain from acting with such disrespect?"

Hearing this, the boy bowed repeatedly. "The Little Master is right; it was my fault. I will certainly be mindful of my words and actions in the future."

The Nine-Spirited Sage said nothing, but a warmth flooded his heart, and he looked at Cao Kong with even greater affection.

"After you, Senior Brother."

The Nine-Spirited Sage smiled and nodded.

***

After helping the Nine-Spirited Sage with the Lion-Attendant, Cao Kong was sent back and returned to his medical texts. Ten days passed quietly, and he returned to the Zheyue Cave, accompanied by the books he had been reading.

"Senior Brother," Cao Kong said, slightly startled. It seemed the Sage had arrived at Hidden Mist Mountain first.

The Nine-Spirited Sage looked at Cao Kong and nodded. "Excellent. Your natural talent is truly extraordinary."

He then flipped his hand to produce two objects—a cloth bag and a wooden box—and tossed them to Cao Kong.

Cao Kong caught them as the Sage continued: "I came to look around your Hidden Mist Mountain; the spiritual energy here is quite good, a true paradise on earth. However, the spiritual plants within are somewhat lacking. These are spiritual seeds that the Old Lord’s Green Ox once gave me. If you have any spare time, you might try planting them. It is said that depending on the soil, their flavor and efficacy will vary."

"The other item is a jade talisman and a map. Thousands of years ago, I happened to go to the mortal realm and discovered an extraordinary treasure there. It was not yet mature, so I placed a restriction on it and noted the location. I suspect it should be ripe by now. If you find the time, follow the map, and you can use the talisman to open the restriction and retrieve the treasure."

Cao Kong did not stand on ceremony. Holding the items, he said, "Many thanks, Senior Brother." He then asked curiously, "Senior Brother, what sort of treasure is it?"

The Nine-Spirited Sage laughed heartily. "You will know when you go. I shall keep it a secret for now. Rest assured, it will certainly be of use to you."

With that, he did not linger and immediately rode a cloud to go find his little lions.

But just as he stepped into Bamboo-Joint Mountain, the Nine-Spirited Sage froze. Why were there no lions to be seen?