Chapter 156: Protecting One's Own and the Seven-Feathered Fan

With the affair of the Roc concluded, the company gathered at the foot of Shadow-Hidden Mountain.

Nezha and Ma Lingyao, full of admiration for the formidable powers of the Nine-Spirited Saint and the Green Ox, stepped forward to exchange warm greetings.

The Nine-Spirited Saint wore a gentle smile. Though his junior brother had long resided deep within the mountains, his network of acquaintances was unexpectedly impressive; these two were figures of the highest echelon among the immortals in heaven.

Ma Lingyao sighed with a hint of regret, saying, "It is a pity our divine powers were far too fierce, leaving it impossible to discern who slew the greater number of demons."

Nezha chuckled and replied, "What is difficult about that? These fiends have committed countless wicked deeds. Now that we have eradicated them, once they descend into the netherworld and their crimes are reckoned, karmic merit will naturally be bestowed. When that time comes, whoever possesses the greater merit shall be the victor."

Ma Lingyao, possessed of a fiery and competitive temperament, rejoiced upon hearing this, fully convinced that he would not lose.

Cao Kong, however, cared little for victory or defeat. He bowed deeply with cupped hands to all present, saying, "My deepest thanks to my senior brother and to all of you for your gracious assistance. Without your aid, a great calamity might have befallen me today. I shall engrave this kindness upon my heart."

The Nine-Spirited Saint waved it off carelessly, and the others gestured that it was of no consequence. Only the Green Ox laughed and said, "What does such a trivial matter matter? Just be sure to allot me a few more spiritual oranges presently."

Cao Kong could not help but smile. "In that case, I pray you all follow me into the mountain, that I may prepare a feast to entertain you."

Ma Lingyao hesitated. Though he had crossed paths with Cao Kong before, he did not consider them particularly close. "My purpose in coming here was solely to retrieve—"

Before he could finish, Nezha interrupted, "For a dignified Grand Marshal, you certainly lack decisiveness. Could it be that you know Brother Cao has inherited the Heavenly Lord’s secret art of brewing, and you fear being drunk under the table?"

Cao Kong also smiled. "Please come, Marshal. Over the past decade, it was largely thanks to borrowing your treasured artifacts that my divine powers achieved success."

Hearing Nezha's teasing and Cao Kong's invitation, and recalling that the brewing art of the Primordial Lord of Universal Salvation was truly peerless across the three realms, Ma Lingyao immediately declared, "Nonsense! Since birth, I, Ma Lingyao, have never been made drunk. Come!"

Everyone laughed heartily.

Cao Kong led the company deep into Shadow-Hidden Mountain, where all manner of rare spiritual fruits, exquisite delicacies, and fine nectar had already been prepared. The most eye-catching among them were undoubtedly the spiritual oranges and fiery dates.

The Green Ox stood on no ceremony whatsoever. Before even taking his seat, he picked up an orange, peeled back the rind, and tossed it into his mouth. The fruit melted upon his tongue as if he were biting into clouds and chewing mist, offering an extraordinarily sublime texture. A look of pure bliss spread across his face.

"Exquisite! Truly exquisite!"

With that, he tossed a cluster of flowing gold toward Cao Kong—precisely the item he had plucked from the Golden-Winged Great Peng. He laughed and said, "This is that beast's primordial feather, exceedingly rare. While that creature is despicable, he was indeed richly endowed by nature among birds, and his cultivation is profound. I bestow this feather upon you so you cannot say I merely ate your oranges for free."

Cao Kong wore a look of astonishment. Beside him, the Nine-Spirited Saint also tossed over an object, which proved to be a plume from the Peacock Great Ming King. With a smile, the Saint said, "Accept it. Just give him a few more spiritual oranges in the future."

He continued, "That beast possesses a vicious nature and an intensely vengeful disposition. Although he has retreated today, once his injuries heal, he will surely return. Therefore, Junior Brother, you must prepare more means of defense. I observe that your cultivation is steadily growing and your magical arts are extraordinary, yet your magical treasures are somewhat lacking. Keep this plume for now; hereafter, you may request a proper method from the Heavenly Lord."

Cao Kong nodded repeatedly.

To prevent any lingering misgivings in Cao Kong's mind, the Nine-Spirited Saint explained, "Do not suppose that the Green Ox and I deliberately let that beast escape just now. At our level, defeating an adversary is simple, but slaying one—unless one is prepared to fight to the death—is exceedingly difficult. Furthermore, the Green Ox and I had seized the initiative and kept that beast firmly pinned down; otherwise, given his divine speed, it would have been hard to detain him. Consequently, we employed the tactic of slicing flesh with a dull blade, purposely eroding his cultivation. Unwilling to fight to the death to escape, he remained locked in combat with us. As for that Bodhisattva who appeared earlier, she is his elder sister—the Western Mother of Buddha, the Peacock Great Ming King Bodhisattva. Both were born of the Phoenix."

The Green Ox added, "Indeed. Since the Mother of Buddha showed herself, and given that the beast is extraordinary of birth, it was better to let him depart, which at least allowed us to reap some benefits."

Cao Kong recalled that in times to come, the Golden-Winged Great Peng would be subdued only when the Buddha led a multitude of Arhats to surround him impenetrably, and he well understood the creature's terrifying velocity.

He then asked, "What if this Golden-Winged Great Peng comes to trouble me again in the future?"

The Nine-Spirited Saint burst into loud laughter. "You are the true disciple of the Heavenly Lord; His Holiness surely knows of these matters. As the saying goes, there is a first, but no second. If this beast dares to show his face here again in days to come, should your cultivation remain unaccomplished, simply summon me. Should your cultivation reach fruition, beat him to death as you please! Let us see how many in the Western Spirit Mountain dare step forward to wag their tongues. Have you not heard that heavenly principle outweighs Buddhist principle?"

Hearing these words, Cao Kong's heart instantly settled. Nezha and Huaguang cast a subtle glance sidelong at the Nine-Spirited Saint, thinking to themselves: *What an unashamed protector of his own.*

For a moment, the two could not help feeling a twinge of envy—especially Nezha, whose own father had been such that he would never have been reduced to his current body of lotus roots.

Cao Kong suddenly hesitated and asked, "Senior Brother, since Master is already aware of this affair, your descent to the mortal realm must have had his venerable consent, surely?"

At these words, the hitherto majestic and imposing Nine-Spirited Saint suddenly found his spine losing its stiffness; despite his noble and divine physique, he actually felt a cold sweat breaking out.

The Green Ox chuckled unkindly.

Yet, with everyone present, the Nine-Spirited Saint was unwilling to lose face. He forced his composure and said, "Fear nothing! Come, let us drink."

Cao Kong smiled and urged his guests onward, while Hu-Yan and the others attended nearby, pouring wine and presenting fruits.

Every single person seated at the banquet possessed an extraordinary foundation. As they drank and conversed, the atmosphere grew warm and harmonious, and imperceptibly, their bonds grew closer.

Yet anxiety lingered deep within the eyes of the Nine-Spirited Saint. With matters weighing on his mind, he could neither eat nor drink with true enjoyment.

When he glanced at the Green Ox nearby, who was carefree, eating oranges, and entertaining the others with amusing tales of the heavens, it only added to his internal gloom.

Therefore, he quietly transmitted a thought to the Green Ox: "If I am caught red-handed by the Heavenly Lord, I shall tell the Supreme Old Lord that you descended to the mortal realm in private."

Instantly, the Green Ox stopped chewing. He stared at the Nine-Spirited Saint, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

He cursed back via voice transmission: "You lion are utterly devoid of fraternal loyalty!"

Hearing this, the Nine-Spirited Saint felt more than half of his anxiety vanish, and he laughed aloud. "Come, let us eat and drink!"

...

The joyous gathering eventually dispersed. Nezha and Ma Lingyao returned to the heavens, the Nine-Spirited Saint departed for Bamboo-Joint Mountain, and the Green Ox resolved to wander the mortal world for a time to sample the spiritual oranges of various regions.

Qingfeng and Mingyue also wished to travel abroad for a while.

Before leaving, the Green Ox gifted Cao Kong a strand of ox hair, telling him that if Cao Kong could cultivate the remaining four varieties of spiritual oranges so that they tasted as exquisite as the Cloud-Mist Spiritual Oranges, he would reward him with another strand of ox hair for every single variety successfully propagated. Such a hair could be used to summon him from perilous situations or to request his aid.

Cao Kong was pleasantly surprised, realizing how deeply enamored this divine beast truly was with oranges, and he respectfully bid the Green Ox farewell.

After seeing everyone off, Cao Kong returned to the mountain and discovered that upon the seats where Ma Lingyao and Nezha had sat, each had left behind an item: a pair of fire pellets, condensing the essence of pure flames.

Cao Kong could not help but smile, deeply moved. He treasured these gestures in his heart; whenever he acquired fine treasures in the future, he must bestow them in return. Only through such reciprocal giving and taking would bonds of affection be sustained.

That night, recalling the words of the Nine-Spirited Saint, Cao Kong lit three sticks of incense and devoutly bowed before the statue of the Heavenly Lord.

Presently, blue smoke drifted upward in curling wisps, and before his eyes, two objects materialized out of nowhere.

The first was a cluster of seven streams of flowing light.

The second was a jade volume, upon which five characters were inscribed: *[Five-Fire Seven-Feather Fan]*