Journey to the West: I have Nine Golden Crows Inside Me-Chapter 1365 - 924 BC

Luoyang City, Cai Mansion!

The Amitabha Buddha strode forward, traversing several streets until he halted in front of Cai Mansion.

Cai Mansion was the residence of Cai Yong, a great Confucian scholar of the time, and Amitabha Buddha had come here to seek him as a mentor.

Having submitted his writings to the gatekeeper, Amitabha Buddha then bid farewell and left. Given his status, he was not yet qualified to see Cai Yong, and could only hope that Cai Yong would be impressed by his writings and agree to meet with him.

If he felt that Amitabha Buddha was suitable upon meeting, he would take him on as a disciple; otherwise, he would simply offer encouragement and send him away. Of course, there was another possibility that he would refer Amitabha Buddha to another great Confucian scholar.

Before long, after Amitabha Buddha had departed, Jiang Chen’s figure appeared at the entrance of Cai Mansion and then confidently strode inside.

Cai Yong, whom Jiang Chen had already met, was one of the six great scholars from Dongguan. Now closed off at home, Cai Yong was busy compiling all the evidence he had gathered.

In the future foreseen by Amitabha Buddha, his attempt to find a mentor was unsuccessful because Cai Yong did not even grant him an audience, let alone take him on as a disciple.

The reason why Cai Yong did not meet him was related to Jiang Chen. Now, all of Cai Yong’s efforts were devoted to fulfilling Jiang Chen’s tasks, with no time to look at any writings.

Despite Amitabha Buddha’s talents, obtaining a great Confucian scholar as a mentor would not have been a problem, but due to Jiang Chen’s interference, his path to mentorship encountered many obstacles.

This was the reason for Jiang Chen’s presence here — he intended to steer Amitabha Buddha’s future back on course.

"Who is it?"

Although distracted by organizing the evidence he had collected, Cai Yong’s vigilance had not dissipated, so the instant Jiang Chen entered, he sensed something amiss and burst out in a shout in Jiang Chen’s direction.

In that moment, the overwhelming aura of righteousness mixed with boundless scholarly aura surged towards Jiang Chen.

Alas, this powerful force, which could have sent an Innate Dao Sovereign flying, felt like a mere gentle breeze upon Jiang Chen, ruffling only a few strands of his hair, without causing him any harm.

"Cai Yong, your mansion truly holds an abundant collection of books," Jiang Chen quietly remarked as he materialized from the void.

Indeed, there must be at least tens of thousands of volumes within Cai Yong’s residence. Otherwise, that blow from before could not have carried such immense force, nor would he have detected Jiang Chen’s presence.

The most formidable aspect of the Confucian Dao lies precisely here, where the awe-inspiring righteous energy blends with the texts of Sages, multiplying its power manifold. The more texts of the Sages there are, the more terrifying the stacked power becomes!

In a residence like Cai Yong’s, with tens of thousands of these texts, an ordinary Innate Dao Sovereign would find it impossible to get close.

"Father, be careful!"

In the room, apart from Cai Yong, stood a young girl dressed in green robes. Seeing Jiang Chen suddenly appear, she swiftly grasped the long zither near her, as mysterious power pulsed within her, resonating with the zither’s strings.

Zheng~~

The sound of the strings echoed abruptly, and a piercing force manifested, firmly fixating on Jiang Chen.

"Qin Dao?"

"To achieve the Way through music, impressive indeed," Jiang Chen praised after a glance at the girl.

The Way of Qin, a part of the musical arts, originated with the Heavenly Emperor Fuxi and has been studied by successive emperors. Even Jiang Chen had learned the musical arts in his youth.

But even he, as a mortal at the time, did not achieve the Way through music. Now he could, but that was due to his profound cultivation, not a deep study of the musical arts.

"Zhaoji must not be impolite!"

Seeing his daughter about to act against Jiang Chen, Cai Yong could not help but break into a cold sweat inwardly, and hastily scolded her.

Having admonished his daughter, Cai Yong then bowed to Jiang Chen and said, "My ignorant daughter has offended the king, I implore the king to quell your anger."

"What is there to blame? It was I who intruded into your residence uninvited, in the wrong first. Even if she truly struck at me, it would have been entirely justified. What reason would I have to blame her?"

Jiang Chen smiled and gestured for Cai Yong not to worry too much.

Then he looked once more at the girl in green robes. If he was not mistaken, this person should be the talented Cai Zhaoji, quite beautiful indeed, though not comparable to Chang’e or the Seven Fairies.

After a mere glance, he diverted his gaze and then spoke to a just relieved Cai Yong, "Is she your daughter? Judging by her appearance, you are planning to arrange a marriage for her soon, aren’t you?"

Cai Yong did not understand Jiang Chen’s intention but still replied truthfully, "Replying to the king, I have no sons, only two daughters. As I grow old and frail, it is natural that I make early preparations for them."

Scholars speak with delicacy, extending what could be answered with a single word into an elaborate discourse.

"Then don’t finalize it. The family you’ve chosen is not suitable; they seem to be sickly. I suspect your daughter would barely be married before they pass away," Jiang Chen shook his head and said.

Encounters signify fate. For matters easily within his reach, he did not mind giving Cai Yong a word of caution. Of course, whether Cai Yong would take heed was none of his concern.

"Ah~~"

Suddenly hearing this news, Cai Yong appeared very startled. If his daughter’s husband were to die soon after marriage, she would bear the reputation of bringing bad luck to her husband, potentially ruining her life.

Thinking this, Cai Yong’s heart chilled, and after a long while, he recovered and thanked Jiang Chen, "Thank you for the warning, your majesty. I nearly brought disaster upon my daughter."

As he spoke, resentment also welled up in his heart towards the Wei family of Hedong. Their own son was in such a state, yet they dared to afflict his daughter, as if he could be easily bullied?