Chapter 30 Divine Cudgel (1/2)

The waters of the Jade Lake of the Queen Mother of the West were green and clear as day. All kinds of birds could be seen playing or gliding on its surface, and everything looked extremely peaceful. The grass on the banks of the lake was lush and a large variety of animals such as wild yaks, brown bears and Tibetan antelopes roamed in the surrounding area.

-Wang Bugui was consumed by the divine beauty of the lake and spent a long time immersed in the scenery before circling around it to resume his search. After walking for a while, he met a Taoist priest sitting cross-legged 100 meters away facing the Jade Lake.

He was dressed in the white robes of a Taoist priest and his long black hair cascaded down his shoulders. A Taoist sword was beside him, and he gave off a strong deity-like aura as he sat cross-legged observing the peaceful view in front of him. A few small animals were lying on the ground beside him, as if drawn to his aura. Upon seeing this, Wang Bugui dashed up to the priest and asked, ”Senior, are you a seeker of truth from this region?”

The Taoist priest turned around to face him. ”Haha, are you here to seek the true meaning of Tao as well, my young friend?” he asked.

His question made Wang Bugui feel delirious with joy- he had finally found someone who sought to understand Tao as well. ”Senior, do you know where Yuxu Palace is?” he hurriedly asked.

”Oh? You wish to go to Yuxu Palace, my little friend? I have a map showing directions to that place. You can have it, but you have to give me something valuable in exchange,” said the Taoist priest with a smile, as he got up.

”Something valuable? It just happens that I have some gems with me,” Wang Bugui replied as he fished out a few gems of various colors, each of them dazzling.

”Fine, you're indeed generous, my young friend. I'll give you the map,” the Taoist priest said with a smile, as he passed the map to Wang Bugui.

The young boy took the map from him. It looked a little ancient and seemed to be made of animal hide. He traced the path shown on the map backward and noticed that Yuxu Palace was on Yuxu Peak, but one could only spot it by using a special method, as it had been concealed by magic.

As such, Wang Bugui, once acknowledged as the God of Running of his generation, sprinted back to Yuxu Peak, arriving when it was already dark. ”Pant, pant, ah... I'm done for. This is too tiring, I should grab a bite first,” he said as he fell onto a small mountain top and howled. Fortunately, he had came prepared and got some food at the Kunlun Taoist temple when he passed by there.

He savored his food even though they were only buns and braised chicken, and he only stood up after having finished devouring them. He then resumed his hunt for the exact position of Yuxu Palace; he was not far from the spot marked on the map.

”70 steps to my left, then 90 steps forward before taking 30 steps to my right...” Wang Bugui muttered as he followed the directions shown on the map. When he reached the designated spot, however, he realized that it was empty.

”Right, I'm supposed to use a special method to make the palace show itself,” he said as he turned his attention to the footnotes on the map. First, he had to remove his shirt and meditate, before kowtowing and shouting 'Emperor of Heaven' at the top of his lungs and running one round around the entire mountain top.

”Old bastard, cheat! How dare you cheat me of my valuables. When I meet you again, I'll beat you till you cry for the Emperor of Heaven!” Wang Bugui roared, as he flung the map onto the ground angrily. He realized that there were no changes to his surroundings even after following all of the instructions, and that the animal hide map originated from Golmud- it was no 'ancient map'.

The blood vigour unleashed along with his anger shook the small mountain top, and his powerful shout traveled to the ears of the other visitors of Yuxu Peak. They could vaguely make out that it was from a youth, leading them to recall the mysterious boy they saw during the day. The fact that his voice sounded so clear and could even cause tremors in the ground after having traveled all the way across the mountain top startled them- did he actually possess divine might?

By this time, Wang Bugui was already sprinting back to the Jade Lake as he roared in anger. His rage allowed him to break through his usual speed limit, but the Taoist priest had already left. The boy could only kneel and pound the ground with his fists in anger and disappointment.

After Wang Bugui vented his anger, he gradually fell asleep on the grass patch by the lake. He was tired out from the day's activities and could no longer keep his fatigue at bay. Soon, he was slumbering.

”Oh no...” He was awoken by rays of piercing sunlight, and the bright light hurt his eyes the moment he opened them. He got up slowly to receive the warmth of the Sun, and realized that the Jade Lake looked even more surreal in the morning, as if sunlight had added a layer of gold glitter to it.