Yang Ren felt deeply wronged. He didn't say anything wrong! Yin Shou, you're indeed a foolish king!
Just like the original story, his resentment shot up to the heavens, but this time, it did not disturb Qingxu Daoist, who was still facing the wall in his own cave reflecting on himself!
Instead, it happened to catch the attention of Yun Zhongzi, who was traveling through the Primordial World. Yun Zhongzi's purpose in his travels was to find a disciple to bear calamities for him.
Yun Zhongzi wasn't one of the Twelve Golden Immortals, but he was blessed with profound fortune. It was said that he was the reincarnation of a wisp of spirit from the ancient great power, Hong Yun, restarting his cultivation.
When he saw the furious Yang Ren, Yun Zhongzi didn't particularly like him. However, after some thought, he decided to save Yang Ren and take him as a disciple. Just a toolman, after all!
As for the eyes, ears, and nose, being one of the top experts in counterfeit artistry of the Primordial World, Yun Zhongzi naturally had his own methods.
The first step was the eyes. Yun Zhongzi pulled out two crimson treasure beads and inserted them into Yang Ren's eye sockets with a lift of his hand. The beads emitted scorching heat, burning the blood in Yang Ren's eye sockets, creating a sizzling sound.
Yang Ren clutched his head and wailed in agony but didn't dare touch his face. When he finally endured through it and raised his head, his eye sockets were already covered by fiery red crystals. Yun Zhongzi then tossed out three pieces of high-temperature metal, embedding them into Yang Ren's ears and nose respectively.
After another round of anguished screaming, Yang Ren raised his head to reveal bronze vertical ears and a metallic sheen on his hooked nose.
It made one question whether the Chan Sect disciples had some peculiar aesthetic taste. The original Yang Ren had hands and eyes that pierced the heavens; Lei Zhenzi, once a handsome youth, turned into a creature with an eagle head and body; Nezha constantly roamed around in a red bellyband and green shorts. The only remotely normal one was Yang Jian, and even he had a third eye on his forehead.
Regardless, Yun Zhongzi looked at Yang Ren's current appearance with great satisfaction.
It was no secret that Nezha used the Qiankun Cauldron in Chaoge to test people's aptitude. Yun Zhongzi, with his profound knowledge, inquired a bit and learned about this treasure. He was instantly tempted. Back when the Qiankun Cauldron was in Lady Nuwa's possession, he wouldn't have dared to ask for it even if beaten to death. But now? Perhaps it was worth a try.
At that time, he didn't yet know Nezha had already visited the Yuxu Palace.
Thus, he brought the now-tamed Yang Ren to Nezha's residence.
When Nezha heard that another Daoist master was requesting an audience, he was thoroughly puzzled. What now?
Has my residence become a must-visit tourist spot in Chaoge?
Does everyone coming to Chaoge just have to swing by my place for a bit?
He raised his hand and gave Daji's rear a casual smack, blaming her, "It's all your fault. When I'm writing or cultivating, nothing happens. But the moment you start clinging to me, trouble comes knocking!"
Daji felt wronged. Why did these inconsiderate Daoists always come to ruin her good moments?
With the Mountain and River Map hovering above her head, she accompanied Nezha to the visitor's hall, only to be startled upon arrival.
Good heavens! Are there Ultramen even in the Primordial World?
Upon closer inspection, wasn't this the doctor Yang Ren? What a unique aesthetic!
Yun Zhongzi, having come to petition, greeted them warmly, "This humble Daoist is Yun Zhongzi, a disciple of the Yuxu Palace, traveling here to pay my respects, Brother Nezha."
"Disciple, hurry and apologize to your Uncle-Master!"
The now-docile Yang Ren obediently apologized.
Nezha didn't pay it much mind. Little Yang Ren was hardly worth his attention.
Seeing the atmosphere was favorable, Yun Zhongzi expressed his request: he wanted to take a look at the Qiankun Cauldron, the crowning dream of the Primordial counterfeit-artistry experts. He even offered to present his own collection and let Nezha pick an item as compensation.
Nezha hesitated. He was leaning toward agreeing, after all, this old codger had been initiated earlier and lived longer. He'd seen countless treasures. For Nezha, diving into the art of counterfeiting needed firsthand experience of Dao Qi upon seeing genuine treasures; otherwise, how could one concoct convincing fabrications?
The Path of Deception was no idle fantasy.
No matter how much you ruminated, if it didn't fit the logic of the Primordial World or align with the Great Dao, it was utterly useless.
But the Qiankun Cauldron was his master's treasure; he had no authority to allow others to see it. Just as he was about to refuse, his master's voice echoed, "Allow it."
Nezha silently thanked his master in his heart and agreed with a nod.
In truth, while the Qiankun Cauldron was an innate top-grade spiritual treasure, Lady Nuwa only found it novel when she first acquired it. Soon after that, it was left to gather dust and wasn't really put to use.
After becoming a Saint, whether Lady Nuwa used magical treasures or not, her opponents typically fell with a single blow. Against other Saints, it was only supreme treasures that proved effective, and while the Qiankun Cauldron was a supreme treasure, it wasn't meant for combat.
Yun Zhongzi was overjoyed when Nezha agreed. Nezha expressed his own interest, stating, "I'd also love to take a look at those rare collectibles of yours. Let's exchange notes."
Yun Zhongzi had the expression of someone finding a kindred spirit. "You're into this too, huh?" He hastily corrected himself, "Ahem!"
The two of them found a room and set up an array. Yun Zhongzi appeared rather proud, pulling out item after item, each accompanied by a lengthy introduction.
At one point, Yun Zhongzi smugly took out a treasure seal and declared, "Brother Li, behold! This is my imitation of Senior Brother Guang Chengzi's Sky Flipping Seal. Though the materials fall far short of Zhou Mountain, it retains roughly one or two percent of the original's power."
Nezha took the seal and inspected it carefully, finding the artifact still somewhat lacking.
Once Nezha felt he had seen enough, he brought out the Qiankun Cauldron. Yun Zhongzi's eyes practically glowed as he admired it with a fanatical expression, studying it detail by detail.
Yun Zhongzi was elated. Although Nezha couldn't compare to Yun Zhongzi in the artifact refining arts, he was definitely no novice.
The two of them exchanged insights. Yun Zhongzi introduced several artifact refining techniques unique to Lady Nuwa's lineage, though it seemed he imparted more than he learned from Nezha.
Whether or not he kept secrets to himself was uncertain, but Nezha's artifact refining skills certainly improved rapidly.
Sharing a common passion, the two quickly became friends.
Yun Zhongzi delved into examining the Qiankun Cauldron and the treasures Nezha had previously obtained from Nuwa Palace, while Nezha focused on Yun Zhongzi's collection of imitations. In the end, Nezha underestimated Yun Zhongzi.
The old codger eventually even pulled out imitations of the Four Immortal Slaying Swords, the Tai Chi Diagram, and the Pangu Banner. Nezha trembled just holding them. "You dare replicate these? Are you insane?"
He glanced upward for a long time, only relaxing after confirming nothing catastrophic had happened.
Since Yun Zhongzi hadn't faced any misfortune, Nezha figured he was probably safe as well.
Although it was unclear whether those replicas held any of the original Dao Qi, one thing was certain: Yun Zhongzi had definitely seen the real versions.
Clutching the replicas, Nezha hurried into seclusion, using the Creation Jade Scroll to record and study the Dao Qi contained within.
Meanwhile, Yun Zhongzi ignored him, engrossed in artifact refining. With genuine treasures at his disposal, why worry about his imitations being snatched away?
As for Yu Yuan, he was feeling a bit sulky. Ever since Yun Zhongzi had shown up, Nezha hardly spent any time practicing the Eight-Nine Profound Skills with him anymore. Truly, the Chan Sect produced nothing good!
Yu Yuan had secretly been itching to join in, but alas, he didn't understand a thing. Even his magical treasure had been crafted as a gift from someone currying favor with him and had taken years to properly refine before passing it down to his disciple, Yu Hua.
Daji, on the other hand, had grown quite accustomed to this. Every time a Daoist showed up, they seemed to steal away her cherished moments of affection. She resolved that once her cultivation was stronger, she'd teach every last one of them a lesson!
Motivated by this frustration, her cultivation progressed rapidly. With the treasures Nezha had given her, she figured even some so-called mystics might not be her match.
Secluded in the palace for training, Yin Shou remained oblivious to the fact that the Upper Doctor he had just executed had been resurrected. Not that he cared anyway.
He slowly exhaled as threads of lightning arcs flickered across his body. Clenching his fists, he suddenly thrust out a palm. A thunder dragon wrapped in golden lightning surged forth, blasting a large hole in the palace wall. Tiny electric currents danced along the bronze walls, spreading in all directions.
King Zhou glanced at the destruction, extremely pleased with himself. "Now, what monster'll dare to come for me next?"
"I've grown terrifyingly strong!"