Journey to the West: Treasure Vase of the Great Dao

"Then where are you from, Demon, daring to create mischief here?" Lu Yu asked with a smile, finding the little black bear quite amusing, and thus teased him.

The little black bear, upon hearing Lu Yu address him as a mischief-making demon, was very pleased, thinking that only evil demons were the strongest, and thus looked smugly at the young monk.

Pounding his chest, he loudly declared in his distinct squeaky voice, "Remember the name of this Great King, King Xiao Hei."

Upon hearing Xiao Hei's name, Lu Yu could not help but laugh, which immediately angered the little black bear who glared at the young monk and complained, "Look at the ridiculous name you picked, yet you dare say it is mighty and majestic."

The young monk, however, ignored the little black bear's anger and turned to Lu Yu, saying, "Please forgive us, the little one is still young and doesn't understand human ways." After saying this, he even stroked the little black bear's head with his hand.

The little black bear was naturally displeased with being petted by the monk, feeling it undermined his status as a greater demon, and shook his head continuously to escape the monk's "clutches."

Seeing this, Lu Yu also chuckled knowingly; he had realized that this little black bear did not have the heart to harm others, was simple-minded like a blank sheet of paper, and lacked any sense of good or evil.

"The Mage jests, the little one is quite adorable. I am Lu Yu, may I ask for the Mage's Dharma name?"

"So it is Scholar Lu, I am Golden Cicada," the young monk said with a smile, bringing his hands together in greeting.

"Golden Cicada, what a good Dharma name!" Lu Yu had intended to politely praise the monk's Dharma name no matter what it was, but when he said this, he was quite shocked.

"Wait, Golden Cicada? The second disciple of the Buddha Ancestor, Golden Cicada." Lu Yu looked at the young monk in surprise, yet failed to detect any mana fluctuations on him. Thus, he could not be sure if the monk before him merely shared a similar Dharma name.

"Oh! Scholar, have you heard my name before, have we met?" Golden Cicada also carefully examined Lu Yu, who rarely ventured out of Mount Ling, and not many knew his name.

"That's not the case, I have just heard of the Mage's name before," Lu Yu laughed it off, handling the matter quickly - he knew the name only from knowledge of his past life and could not provide Golden Cicada a reasonable explanation.

However, Golden Cicada did not press further, knowing all too well that among the three realms, numerous powerful beings hid, their mana reaching the heavens and earth, foreseeing past and future; perhaps Lu Yu had heard from them.

"Mage, if you are not practicing on Mount Ling, what brings you to this land of Kyushu?" Lu Yu felt he was touching upon some secrets.

"Take a closer look, Scholar, I am no longer the Golden Cicada of Mount Ling," Golden Cicada said with a carefree laugh.

With Golden Cicada's acquiescence, Lu Yu then opened his Dharma Eye to carefully observe, discovering indeed, there was no sign of mana fluctuation on Golden Cicada, his chest's Five Qi did not open, and his Primordial Spirit lacked any radiance; he was clearly a mortal.

"Reincarnation?" Lu Yu asked incredulously. Only reincarnation could explain the current situation, and Lu Yu also guessed that this monk calling himself Golden Cicada might be the Tang Monk in his first reincarnated life, but due to Golden Cicada's profound Buddhism, a single cycle of reincarnation could not conceal his True Spirit, hence the quick recovery of his memories.

"Scholar has keen insight, responding so swiftly," Golden Cicada applauded and sighed.

"It's nothing, Mage, one cycle of reincarnation could not obscure the True Spirit, showing profound skill," Lu Yu sincerely complimented.

"You two never stop, do you? So much idle talk," the little black bear couldn't stand the mutual praise between the two and muttered.

This comment made both of them feel somewhat embarrassed, and Golden Cicada, in particular, got annoyed and clapped the little black bear's head with a chestnut, causing a crisp thump that made him clutch his head.

Seeing the interaction between the two, Lu Yu also chuckled softly and asked, "Mage, where are you planning to go?"

"I was just about to head to the old capital Changan. Do you, Scholar, have a destination?" Golden Cicada also smiled.

"I am traveling around, planning to go to Yongzhou, it would be great to travel together with Mage," Lu Yu said, but indeed, it was out of curiosity about Golden Cicada that he wished to accompany him.

Golden Cicada had no objections to Lu Yu's suggestion and gladly agreed. Thus, a scholar and a monk, along with a little black bear and a big black donkey, formed an unusual traveling party, setting out for Changan, the capital of the former Han dynasty.

As they traveled, Lu Yu learned that in this life, Golden Cicada was in a mortal body, but because of his high Buddha skills in past lives and his origins from Ancient Exotic Species, he was born with a Luminous Body, an ability only attainable at a high realm of body refinement in Buddhism.

Therefore, although currently without any mana, his physical body alone made him almost invincible in Kyushu.

Changan City, once the bustling capital of the Han dynasty, was meaningful to the people as the former economic and political center. Although the capital had moved to Luoyang since Emperor Guangwu ascended the throne, Changan still held a special place in Han subjects' hearts, attracting scholars and artists to visit.

Having experienced wars, Changan no longer held its former glory and could not revive its past scenery after losing its status as the capital. However, its depth remained, the vast city sprawled on the land of Yongzhou like a prehistoric giant beast poised to devour.

The city has 12 gates, each with three gateways.

From north to south on the eastern side were Xuanping Gate, Qingming Gate, and Bacheng Gate; from east to west on the southern side were Fuyang Gate, An Gate, and Xi'an Gate; from west to east on the northern side were Heng Gate, Chucheng Gate, and Luocheng Gate; from north to south on the western side were Yong Gate, Zhicheng Gate, and Zhangcheng Gate.

The main structures within the city included the Changle Palace, Weiyang Palace, North Palace, Gui Palace, and Armory.

This morning, the gates of Changan opened just like any other day, and folks from outside gradually made their way into the city, the ancient city stirring to life at this moment.

Suddenly, the previously tranquil streets became bustling with people talking loudly, countless passersby moving to and fro, with local vendors speaking in a thick Shaanxi accent, loudly hawking their wares.
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At that moment, two unusual figures appeared on the noisy street, one a green-robed scholar leading a fat, shiny black-furred donkey, captivating some who traded livestock. The other was a monk carrying a small basket on his back, inside which a cute little black bear looked around curiously.

As Buddhism was still fairly new in Kyushu, the people found the monk quite exotic, and they curiously looked over Lu Yu and his party.

However, both Lu Yu and Golden Cicada had seen much of the world and were not at all discomforted by this, continuing to walk calmly on the grand streets of Changan, completely indifferent to the surrounding crowd's stares.