Journey to the West: Signing in for 500 Years-Chapter 222 - 216: All the Immortals are shocked, the Black Bear Spirit presents a treasure [Subscription and Monthly Tickets Requested]_1
Li Jing finished speaking in one breath, and all the immortals were stunned. The Jade Emperor was also taken aback. Then, he looked behind Li Jing at Jinzha and Muzha. Indeed, Muzha was severely injured, while Jinzha was only slightly disheveled with minimal injuries. Although it was not as exaggerated as Li Jing had described, the facts remained. The Jade Emperor’s expression grew solemn, his gaze deep. All the immortals were silent. Fairy Chang E, who had been brought by the Jade Emperor to dance, also stopped, her eyes flickering with worry.
「The Flowing Sand River.」
After Sha Chen repelled Jinzha and Muzha, he returned to his cave dwelling and closed the door.
Tianpeng was excitedly howling, "Old Sha, well done! You should have shot those two brothers dead; they are truly detestable." He was so excited that he wanted to hug Sha Chen, but Sha Chen pushed him away.
Sha Chen’s face was serious as he said, "This time, I don’t know if it’s a blessing or a curse."
Tianpeng responded, "What are you worried about? There’s no need to worry. They were the ones at fault first; we were merely defending ourselves."
At this time, the Black Bear Spirit appeared, kneeling on the ground with his head down, silent.
Seeing this, Tianpeng went to pull him up, saying, "Old Sha, although Xiongheizi is a monster, he and I shared trials and tribulations overseas. You can’t just kill him." He was worried that Sha Chen would vent his anger on the Black Bear Spirit; after all, it was the Black Bear Spirit who led the others there.
Sha Chen said, "Mind your own business, and don’t plead on his behalf."
Tianpeng replied, "Old Sha, that’s not the way to talk. He indeed shared hardships with me, and we can’t just ignore him as we pass Fuling Mountain. Although he brought trouble to you unintentionally, he can redeem himself with merits. He obtained a treasure, didn’t he? Just hand that over as compensation."
Then, looking at the Black Bear Spirit, he said, "Xiongheizi, aren’t you going to take out the treasure?"
The Black Bear Spirit, without hiding anything, knelt on the ground, took out a black box, and presented it to Sha Chen with both hands.
Tianpeng was about to snatch the box, but the Black Bear Spirit slapped his hand away.
Tianpeng angrily said, "Xiongheizi, I was just speaking up for you, yet you won’t even let me see your treasure?"
The Black Bear Spirit said, "The treasure is for my master."
Tianpeng huffed, "You’re giving it to your master, do I not get a share...huh?" He paused, looking at Sha Chen in astonishment and then at the Black Bear Spirit, his mind blank.
Sha Chen calmly said, "He is my bear." He then took the black box and said, "Get up. Do you know why I am angry?"
The Black Bear Spirit said, "I do. I led trouble here and implicated my master."
Sha Chen huffed, "As long as you are aware. But considering you were desperate and also brought back such a treasure, I’ll let you off this time." His heart was somewhat excited, and he was also looking forward to what kind of treasure it would be.
He opened the black box and saw that inside was a banner.
The Xuan Yuan Water Control Flag!
The waters of the entire Flowing Sand River seemed to surge wildly at that moment. The Black Bear Spirit and Tianpeng both gasped, their eyes widening.
Especially the Black Bear Spirit, who was shocked and said, "Master really has great fortune. I had it for years but couldn’t open the black box. I didn’t expect Master to open it right away. And even obtained the mythical Innate Five-Color Flag, one of them being the Xuan Yuan Water Control Flag. Congratulations to Master, my felicitations."
As the former Marshal of the Milky Way Water Department, Tianpeng naturally understood what a remarkable aquatic magical tool the Xuan Yuan Water Control Flag was. At sea, this item was much more useful than the Golden Cudgel. Not only could it stop water, but it could also control it. Sha Chen, being at the Flowing Sand River and now possessing the Xuan Yuan Water Control Flag, would undoubtedly be able to use it even more effectively. Sha Chen already possessed the innate power of the water element, and now with the Xuan Yuan Water Control Flag, his control over water would be even more effortless. In time, the entire Flowing Sand River would be like his own body, allowing Sha Chen to repel anyone, increasing its power and thus strengthening its defense.
Sha Chen was also pleasantly surprised. At the same time, he felt a bit of regret. After all, this was given to him by the system, and he thought it was the Black Bear Spirit who had brought him a good treasure. If he had known earlier, he wouldn’t have forgiven him. No, the more he thought about it, the angrier he became; he had to find a way to trick him somehow.
Sha Chen discreetly put away the Xuan Yuan Water Control Flag and calmly said, "This treasure is not bad; I’ll accept it. Black Bear Spirit, you’ve been outside for a hundred years, have you brought back any good things? You haven’t forgotten my devoted guidance to you, have you?"
The Black Bear Spirit knew well what Sha Chen wanted and quickly said, "I dare not forget Master’s teachings. No matter how tough and exhausting it is outside, I always remember Master waiting for me here. I’ve stayed outside for a hundred years and have collected some good items; please have a look, Master."
He then brought out more than a dozen Qiankun Bags and emptied their contents.
Instantly, treasures piled up like mountains. There were several mountain-like stacks, including gold, silver, and gems that Sha Chen had no use for, as well as various elixirs and magical meats that were needed. In short, they were piled up like mountains. The shimmering light of jewels created a scene of auspiciousness. The fragrance of spiritual energy was overwhelming, filling the air with scent.
Tianpeng was stunned, his eyes bulging with disbelief. He blurted out in shock, "Old Bear, you’re carrying around so many good things? When we were caught overseas together, how come no one plundered these from you?" He had already changed his tone, addressing him as Old Bear, no longer with the disdainful moniker of Xiongheizi. Then he started grabbing a few elixirs that looked pretty good and stuffed them into his bosom, reaching out for more little by little.
Sha Chen swatted his hand away and collected the rest. With such a greedy one around, he’d have to count them some other day.
However, at a rough glance, Sha Chen could be sure that the treasures the Black Bear Spirit had brought back—minus the gold, silver, and other trinkets he didn’t need—were comparable to what the Dragon Girl had brought back last time in terms of materials suitable for cultivation. But that was just it, only comparable. They were not surpassed. It wasn’t really the Black Bear Spirit’s fault; after all, with his limited strength, the resources he could collect were naturally limited as well. Furthermore, the Black Bear Spirit had his own cultivation to sustain, and he had brought back whatever he could scrounge up for Sha Chen. Having this much was also commendable.
Sha Chen could sense the effort and praised the Black Bear Spirit a few times. "Not bad, you’ve put in some effort."
Then, Six Ears of All Heavens overheard the Black Bear Spirit’s inner thoughts: That bear was hiding at least ten percent for his own use. But he dared not speak out.
Sha Chen didn’t expose him either; after all, it made no sense to expect the horse to run without letting it graze. If he took everything the Black Bear Spirit had hidden now, next time, the fellow would definitely make sure to eat his fill before coming back, and the amount he brought back would certainly not be much. Occasionally tolerating a subordinate’s greed is a quality of a competent leader. But still, ten percent was a bit too much.
Sha Chen coughed and patted the Black Bear Spirit’s shoulder, saying, "Old Bear, you’ve had a hard time out there. These years without my guidance, your cultivation must have been difficult."
The Black Bear Spirit perked up and excitedly said, "Yes, Master, please teach me your Dao techniques." When he had left, Sha Chen was just a common Greater Primordial Golden Immortal, but now he had already reached the middle level of Daluo Golden Immortal. Such a pace in cultivation was truly awe-inspiring. Naturally, the Black Bear Spirit wanted to learn from Sha Chen. If he could be guided by Sha Chen and learn the rapid cultivation methods, it would be better than him struggling in the outside world for thousands of years.
Sha Chen said, "It’s not a problem to teach you the Dao techniques, but as you know, I’m someone who needs something in return to provide guidance. Not that I want much from you, but you know, a token gesture is necessary."
The Black Bear Spirit immediately got the hint and hurriedly took some stuff from the portion he had hidden and slapped his own forehead. "Oh my, Master, look at my memory! I had some resources in my pocket that I had completely forgotten to take out for you. Please accept them, Master." And then he took out a pile of elixirs, all of which were for refining the body.
Sha Chen took them, chuckled, picked out three items, and tossed them to the Black Bear Spirit, saying, "How could I take everything from you? Take these back and make a soup."
The Black Bear Spirit thanked him profusely.
Tianpeng, watching from the side, was astonished. Old Sha is indeed Old Sha; his scraping techniques are beyond me. Then he looked on with immense envy. Sha Chen was just staying put, and people were working for him, collecting resources for his cultivation. And there he was, fighting life-and-death battles outside, with his cave dwelling burned down and being chased by monsters as soon as he stepped out the door. Where on earth do you go to make sense of this?
Since the Black Bear Spirit had honestly paid up, it was only right that Sha Chen didn’t clean him out completely. As for nurturing the Black Bear Spirit and teaching him the Dao techniques, that was always part of the plan. Even if the Black Bear Spirit didn’t bring out any of those things, he would still have instructed him. After all, the Black Bear Spirit had to be strong enough to gather sufficient resources. If he were weak, not only would collecting resources be an issue, but he could also get killed on his ventures, disgracing the name of the Flowing Sand River.
Sha Chen planned to teach the Black Bear Spirit the Da Luo methods next.
However, suddenly, a burst of light shone forth. Everyone turned to look at the source of the light, which turned out to be Lady Di Yong, who had been deeply absorbed in comprehending the Tai Chi Diagram. Her body radiated light, startling both the Black Bear Spirit and Tianpeng.
Afterward, Tianpeng’s eyes nearly popped out. Upon entering earlier, both of them had gone directly to the inner courtyard and hadn’t noticed that at the base of a distant cliff, there happened to be a stunning beauty.
Tianpeng said with delight, "Old Sha, where did you find such a beauty? You’re quite something, hiding a beauty in a golden house."
Sha Chen rolled his eyes and said, "Stop talking nonsense; she’s one of mine, working for me."
After the light around Lady Di Yong had shone out, it then retracted, and she soon came to her senses. This time, her comprehension didn’t take much time, but she’d gained a lot. Upon waking, she bounced around excitedly, saying, "Master, my Primordial Spirit has reached the peak of Greater Primordial Golden Immortal. As long as I keep up with my cultivation and mana, I’ll be able to keep up too."
Sha Chen smiled and said, "That’s pretty good."
Lady Di Yong rushed over and gave him a kiss. Sha Chen pushed her away, but Lady Di Yong didn’t seem to mind.
Tianpeng, however, watched, drooling. When he saw Sha Chen push Lady Di Yong away, he chided, "Old Sha, that’s no way to treat a lady. How can you be so rough with a fairy?" He reached out to catch the lamp—no, to hold Lady Di Yong, to prevent her from falling.
However, he was flipped over her shoulder by Lady Di Yong and slammed onto the ground, with her foot stepping on his face. She spat and scolded, "Where did you come from, you pig sprite, trying to take advantage of me?"
Lying on the ground, Tianpeng wore an expression of utter despair. Why is there such a vast gulf between people!?
