Bo Yikao had already heard about Yin Shou's obsession with cultivation, so in addition to the three treasures of Xiqi, he brought many mineral ores and spiritual materials, presenting them first to Nezha for inspection.
Nezha glanced at them but didn't take any. Since all of these ultimately belonged to Yin Shou anyway, he could just trade with Yin Shou later instead of incurring a debt of cause and effect now.
Bo Yikao was deeply moved. Truly worthy of the Sage who wrote the Taiping Heavenly Book—helping without expecting anything in return, just to aid him in saving his father.
Nezha did not show himself openly. The next day, Bo Yikao officially entered Chaoge to pay homage to the Great King. Yin Shou initially had no desire to meet him, but upon hearing that Bo Yikao came to offer treasures, he grew curious about what treasures there might be and decided to go take a look.
Bo Yikao's etiquette was meticulous, his words sincere, and most importantly, the spiritual materials he presented were highly valuable. He even offered up three exotic treasures of Xiqi.
The Seven Fragrance Car, the hangover blanket, and the White Ape.
In the original texts, these were described as incredibly mystical. However, now that Yin Shou had cultivated, his standards were much higher—a tattered car, a ragged blanket, and a White Ape? What's so interesting about these?
Bo Yikao then presented the collected spiritual materials, which finally piqued Yin Shou's interest a little.
Shang Rong and other elder officials, who actually had a good relationship with Ji Chang, stood against him due to differing allegiances, compounded by the debacle surrounding the Heavenly Book.
For Yin Shou, the spiritual materials collected in such a short time were average; if no one objected, he could release Ji Chang. But now, his loyal "tools" responsible for collecting spiritual materials were against it, so there was no harm in not releasing him.
Old Jiang, meanwhile, was pondering how to break through to the Nascent Soul stage and had no care for Ji Chang. Ji Chang? Who? Never heard of him.
After weighing his options for quite some time, Yin Shou ultimately turned to his own circle of advisors and began, "Since…"
Before he could finish, a ripple-like fluctuation revealed Nezha's figure below.
Yin Shou reacted quickly—the words of refusal he was about to say immediately shifted to: "Since this is so, why not hear what the Great Sage has to say?"
Nezha didn't hold back, speaking openly and straightforwardly: "Ji Chang and I share a certain fate. His commentary also resonates deeply with me. O Great King, might you spare his life and allow him to return to Xiqi to live out his old age?"
As he spoke, he pulled out a pair of emerald-encrusted wristbands from within his sleeve.
"If the Great King releases Ji Chang, I will gift these Heavenly Crystal Bracelets to you—how about that?"
Yin Shou's eyes immediately lit up upon seeing the bracelets. These were far superior to the so-called three treasures of Xiqi. He agreed without a second thought.
Nezha lightly tossed the bracelets, and they landed in Yin Shou's arms.
As Yin Shou played with the bracelets, he pretended to be magnanimous and said, "Great Sage, releasing Ji Chang is but a trivial matter. Why should you need to offer treasures in exchange? These treasures offered by Bo Yikao—how about all of them belong to you instead?"
Shang Rong's faction wanted to advise again, but Yin Shou slammed the armrest decisively and said, "I am the proud Golden Core cultivator and King of Great Shang—how could I be afraid of an eighty-year-old man?"
And thus, the decision was made.
Bo Yikao acted promptly, knowing Chaoge was a dragon's den and a tiger's lair. After court, he immediately prepared to take Ji Chang away, recounting his experience in Chaoge along the way.
Ji Chang, upon hearing this, was overcome with emotion—my idol holds me in his mind!
Then he refused to run. Run? Why run?
I must see my idol!
He believed that if he missed this chance, he might never have the opportunity again.
Bo Yikao had no choice but to make a detour and pay another visit to the Great Sage Master Mansion.
Nezha, already knowing the old man would come, had long been prepared this time, avoiding any awkward situations.
Reception Room.
Ji Chang gazed at Nezha with a face full of excitement. Then he knelt down immediately, but Nezha shifted slightly to dodge, using spiritual power to lift Ji Chang up.
"Duke Xibo, why be so extreme?"
Ji Chang composed himself slightly and said, "The Heavenly Book is truly a world-shaking work. Its ideal of universal unity is truly the… Saint's…"
Nezha quickly formed a seal and shut Ji Chang's mouth, thinking to himself, You old man, are you trying to repay kindness with betrayal?
Faced with Ji Chang's doubtful and shocked gaze, Nezha gently smiled, shook his head, and stepped forward to pat Ji Chang's shoulder as a gesture of encouragement.
"Duke Xibo, return home."
…
Ji Chang and his son departed.
On the carriage, Ji Chang stared into the distance, deeply immersed in thought after leaving Nezha's presence. Suddenly, he called out in a loud, passionate voice, "Great Sage, I have understood! I, Ji Chang, will exhaust my final breath to realize the vision of universal unity that you and I share!"
Bo Yikao looked at his exhilarated father, his head filled with question marks. Understood? Understood what? Didn't the Great Sage just shake his head, pat his father's shoulder, and say nothing else?
After pondering for a good while without finding an answer, he finally asked, "Father, did the Great Sage offer any guidance at the end?"
Ji Chang stroked his beard with a chuckle and said with great wisdom, "It is unspeakable, unspeakable indeed."
…
Nezha had no idea what Ji Chang had comprehended from his final gestures, nor did he care.
Although there were some unexpected outcomes, Ji Chang had successfully delivered the magical artifact resembling a human form back to Shang. Only Jiang Ziya—who seemed to be living quite a pleasant life in Chaoge—showed no signs of leaving.
Rumor had it that he had even married a sixty-year-old wife a few days ago.
Yin Shou couldn't quite understand Jiang Ziya's tastes but offered him his blessings.
Once, Yin Shou commented that if Jiang Ziya liked beautiful women, he could simply reward him with more. Even if he wanted to marry, he should have wed someone young and attractive. Marrying a sixty-year-old—what was the point?
Old Jiang rationalized that he himself was already over eighty years old. While his cultivation progress was promising, he wasn't entirely sure if he could cross the final hurdle. Having spent forty or fifty years cultivating in Yuxu Palace, he was very strict with himself when it came to propriety. Marrying some young girl would never sit right with his conscience.
Now, his wife was a materialistic woman, but with his high position and authority, she dared not control him. He could cultivate in peace, which suited him just fine.
And so, Chaoge returned to tranquility, with the three great cultivators resuming their routines of cultivation.
Meanwhile, the fame of Nezha, the Great Sage Master, had spread far and wide.
Some revered him; others dismissed him.
At Three Mountains Pass, General Deng Jiugong had a daughter named Deng Chanyu, known for her radiant beauty and mischievous personality.
Her slender, snow-white fingers incessantly fiddled with two multicolored stones as she curiously asked the old man beside her, "Father, everyone says the Great Sage Master in Chaoge is a true enlightened being and can even teach people the path to Immortal Ascension—is that true?"
Before the old man could respond, the young man nearby interjected disdainfully, "I think it's nonsense. I heard the Great Sage Master is just a boy of ten or so. Even if he started cultivating in the womb, what great abilities could he possibly have?"
"But I heard that the Great King learned Immortal Law from him and even slew the Three Demons," Chanyu argued.
Deng Xiu was ready to keep debating, but the elder spoke up: "It should be true. I have some old friends in Chaoge, and this Great Sage Master's cultivation is undoubtedly legitimate. However, his motives in teaching the Great King cultivation may not be entirely pure."
Upon hearing this, Deng Chanyu became excited. "Then, Father, that means it's true that cultivation can be learned from him!"
Knowing exactly what his beloved daughter was planning, the old man shot her a glare and said, "Even if it's true, it has nothing to do with you! The affairs of Chaoge run deep. Don't you go gallivanting around—stay put at Three Mountains Pass!"
Deng Chanyu pouted but didn't argue back. Later that night, she packed her belongings and stole away on horseback.
From the city wall, Deng Xiu watched his sister's figure disappear into the distance, growing anxious. "Father, my little sister has never traveled far before, let alone ventured to Chaoge—it's too dangerous!"
The old man sighed as he headed back inside, saying, "You can restrain her body, but you cannot restrain her heart."
What he didn't mention was hearing about Su Hu's daughter in Jizhou. Originally meant to be a concubine for the Great King, she had been intercepted by the Great Sage Master and now served beside him—not only stepping onto the Immortal Path but also living quite comfortably.
His own daughter was surely no worse than Su Daji. If she went, she surely wouldn't suffer.
As for other concerns, he hadn't given them much thought. After all, what could a ten-year-old boy do?