A little child less than three feet tall, dressed in a moon-white immortal robe, wearing a silver crown, and girded with a jade belt, was as beautiful from head to toe as if sculpted from a snowball.
The boy and girl attendants beside the various Bodhisattvas were each exceptionally beautiful, one in ten thousand, and even Tathagata’s disciple Ananda was a rare and handsome youth across heaven and earth.
Yet, compared to this delicate, jade-like little child before them, they all seemed rather ordinary and unremarkable.
Yun Heng, surrounded by a crowd of Immortals, showed not the slightest hint of timidity. He tilted his little head, his gaze sweeping over the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Arhats. Seeing them either solemn, compassionate, or dignified… none seemed to be the person he was looking for.
So the little one stamped his foot, ran up to the Jade Emperor, and tugged at his Immortal Robe: "Father Emperor, Father Emperor, who exactly is the Peacock Great King? Hurry and call him out."
"…"
The Jade Emperor hadn’t expected that after all this time, his son would still remember this matter. He glanced at the child with an inscrutable expression: "Crown Prince, do not be impudent!"
"Do not be impudent!"
These four words Yun Heng heard several times almost every day. When few people were around, he was called Heng'er; when many were present, he was addressed as Crown Prince. As soon as the Jade Emperor spoke, Yun Heng knew exactly what he would say, mimicking his tone and demeanor perfectly.
Seeing his clever yet mischievous little appearance, if not for the public setting and the presence of the Western Buddhas, the Jade Emperor would have truly wanted to pick him up and give his little bottom a couple of pats.
The Immortals of the Heavenly Court all knew that the Jade Emperor was not a benevolent ruler. On the contrary, toward those Immortals who dared violate the Celestial Laws, his methods were quite severe; even facing his own younger sister, Fairy Yunhua, he would not show mercy.
Yet, whenever facing his little son Yun Heng, he would indulge him without principle, at most uttering phrases like "do not be impudent" or "the Crown Prince is mischievous."
The Immortal Ministers were already accustomed to the Crown Prince’s mischievousness, but it gave the Western Buddhas a glimpse of just how familiar and uninhibited their little Crown Prince could be.
Yun Heng looked at Tathagata, who held a withered branch in his hand, then at Guanyin Bodhisattva, who held a pure vase. Both wore compassionate smiles on their faces, but Yun Heng simply did not like them.
His gaze fell upon Ananda beside Tathagata, and only upon seeing him did he feel a surge of joy: "Do you know where the Peacock Great King is?"
Ananda also looked at him with a gentle smile: "The Peacock Great King practices spiritual cultivation deep within Lingshan, detached from worldly affairs. I fear the Crown Prince may not find him."
Yun Heng tilted his head: "You mean the Peacock Great King is hiding and can’t be found?"
Countless mortals and Immortals came to Lingshan seeking an audience with his master Tathagata, but only this one came to Lingshan looking for the Peacock Great King. Finding him utterly adorable, Ananda smiled and coaxed him: "Crown Prince, why not take a stroll around Lingshan? If fate permits, perhaps you may encounter the Peacock Great Bright King Bodhisattva."
Yun Heng looked around: "Lingshan is so big; how long would it take me to find him? Never mind, I’ll let him off this time."
The various deities and Buddhas thought they had misheard—whom had the little Crown Prince just said he would let off?
Ananda bent down and gently stroked his head: "There is a grove of Zizhulin on the back mountain, with splendid scenery. The Crown Prince might as well go take a look."
"Venerable Ananda." Tathagata’s tone carried a hint of warning, reprimanding his disciple for not maintaining enough composure before the Jade Emperor and the Heavenly Court deities.
Ananda took a step back, standing properly by his master's side once more.
Yun Heng called out to him, "Thank you!"
Ananda couldn't help but look up and smile at him. He had been practicing by his master's side for far too long, and it had been ages since he had seen such a beautiful and adorable little one.
Yun Heng reminded him of someone—he had once been husband and wife with a woman for five hundred lifetimes. He wondered if they had ever had such a lovely son back then.
The Jade Emperor glanced at his son and ordered, "Nezha, take the Crown Prince away."
Then, surrounded by the gods and buddhas of the heavens, the Jade Emperor entered the main hall of Leiyin Temple.
Only after his Father Emperor had gone far did Yun Heng tug on Nezha's Hun Tian Ling and eagerly say, "Brother Nezha, let's go see that purple bamboo quickly."
"What purple bamboo?" Nezha laughed as he picked him up. "That's called Zizhulin."
The little one tilted his head. "Isn't that just purple bamboo? So peacocks like to eat bamboo?"
"Who knows what peacocks like to eat?" The two of them burst into laughter together.
After laughing enough, Yun Heng pouted. "I don't like it here."
Nezha was surprised. "Why?"
"I just don't like it, no reason." He was too young—likes and dislikes came purely from the heart, with no logic behind them. "I don't like the Immortals here either, except for that Venerable Ananda."
Nezha explained to him, "It is said that among Tathagata's disciples, Venerable Ananda is foremost in learning, possessing profound wisdom and quite favored by Tathagata. Yet, to this day, he has not attained enlightenment and remains merely a servant by Tathagata's side."
Yun Heng thought very seriously for a moment. "Maybe he doesn't like enlightenment. Maybe he prefers other fruits."
Nezha was taken aback, then laughed heartily. "That makes some sense."
After laughing together for a while, Nezha added, "I can take you to Zizhulin, but first you have to accompany me to meet two people."
Yun Heng asked curiously, "Meet who?"
"My two elder brothers."
Yun Heng wondered, "Why are your two elder brothers here?"
Nezha countered, "Then why is Kong Xuan here?"
"Right," Yun Heng wrapped his arms around Nezha's neck. "My Father Emperor said the Peacock Great King is incredibly powerful, even Heavenly King Li and Brother Nezha couldn't defeat him."
"Uh…" Nezha said awkwardly, "Didn't your Cousin also fail to defeat him?"
The little one's eyes darted around. "My Cousin… my Cousin was going easy on him."
"Your Cousin's Xiaotian Quan was swept away by Kong Xuan. If he hadn't run fast…"
Yun Heng couldn't bear to hear anyone say his Cousin wasn't capable, so he covered Nezha's mouth. "If the Peacock Great King is so powerful, why doesn't he become a great bird in our Heavenly Court and instead comes to Lingshan for spiritual practice?"
Nezha pulled his hand away. "His mother was the Mysterious Bird of the Heavenly Court. After cultivating into human form, he inherited his mother's will to protect the Shang Dynasty. During the Investiture of the Gods War, Kong Xuan's Five-Colored Divine Light could sweep away anything—truly formidable. Our generals took turns facing him but still couldn't do anything. Later, it was Daoist Zhunti of the Western Sect who, using his Magical Treasure—the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree—defeated Kong Xuan. He also claimed Kong Xuan had a connection with the West, taking him as both a mount and a disciple. Later, Kong Xuan cultivated into the Peacock Great King."
Nezha said so much, and Yun Heng only half-understood, but one word he did grasp—mount.
"Such a powerful peacock was originally a mount too."
"Exactly, before attaining enlightenment, Kong Xuan was also someone else's mount."
The little one clenched his fist, his expression resolute: "If I defeat him, then he'll be my mount!"
Nezha, from who knows where, pulled out a candy bean and popped it into his mouth: "Alright, I'll cheer you on from the sidelines."
Yun Heng chewed the candy bean with a "munch munch": "Doesn't that Daoist Zhunti have his own Immortals? Why does he have to snatch the Immortals from our Heavenly Court?"
Nezha pinched his nose: "You hit the nail on the head. His catchphrase is 'You are destined for our Western Sect,' and he often uses this line to recruit many disciples. Even my three uncles—Daoist Cihang, Universal Worthy of Manjushri, and Samantabhadra—have joined the Western Sect."
"My eldest brother Jinzha is a disciple of Universal Worthy of Manjushri, and my second brother Muzha is a disciple of Samantabhadra. So, they followed them into the Western Sect."
"Hmph!" The little one lunged forward and wrapped his arms around Nezha's neck. "Brother Nezha, you're still the best."
"Hehe~" Nezha patted his little bottom. "Now you know I'm good."
The two arrived at the path leading to the back mountain, where Jinzha and Muzha were already waiting at the fork. The three brothers, reunited after a long separation and able to seize this chance for a small gathering, were naturally overjoyed.
Yun Heng followed behind Nezha, and the four of them headed toward the back mountain together. Before long, they indeed saw a bamboo grove.
In the middle of the bamboo grove was a large clearing. Nezha, being young and competitive by nature, hadn't seen his two elder brothers in a long time. Now that they finally had a chance to meet, it was only natural to spar a bit.
Along the way, not to mention the Peacock Great King, Yun Heng didn't even catch a glimpse of a single peacock feather. He was now craning his little neck, peering deep into the bamboo grove.
Nezha led him to sit in front of a large rock: "Your Highness, there are many monsters on Lingshan…"
"Monsters?" Yun Heng asked. "Are they monsters raised by the Western Sect?"
"Uh…"
Nezha patted his head: "Monsters love to eat little kids like you, all white and chubby. You mustn't run off, understand?"
Yun Heng nodded, smiling at him with eyes curved like crescent moons: "I definitely won't run off. Don't worry, Brother Nezha."
Nezha didn't believe a single word he said. While sparring with his two elder brothers, he kept an eye on the little one from the corner of his eye.
Although Yun Heng had no magic art and knew no martial skills, he could still tell that Jinzha and Muzha's abilities were mediocre, far inferior to their third brother.
The personalities of the three brothers were also worlds apart: Jinzha was steady, Muzha was dull, and Nezha was flamboyant.
Compared like this, Yun Heng naturally preferred his Brother Nezha.
Jinzha and Muzha combined were no match for Nezha. The fight looked far less thrilling than when Nezha sparred with Yang Jian, Lei Zhenzi, or even Ao Bing.
A large bird swept across the sky, trailing long and magnificent tail feathers as it flew deep into the bamboo grove.
Yun Heng remembered that Ziyuan had once said that a single feather from the Peacock Great King was bigger than he was.
So, while the three were locked in fierce combat, Yun Heng climbed down from the edge of the rock and, without looking back, ran deep into the bamboo grove.
The further he went, the taller the bamboo grew, their leaves blotting out the sky, with mist swirling all around.
Yun Heng ran quite a distance but still didn't see a single peacock feather. The little one felt somewhat disappointed and, remembering Nezha's warning about monsters on Lingshan and not to run off, decided to turn back.
But as soon as he turned around, he realized the surroundings were densely packed with bamboo so tall he couldn't see the tops, and he couldn't find the way back at all.
Yun Heng wandered around for a bit but still had no sense of direction. He called out "Brother Nezha" twice but received no response.
With no other choice, Yun Heng decided to head back. He had only taken a few steps when suddenly, a fierce gust of wind swept in from nowhere, making it impossible for him to keep his eyes open. Immediately after, he felt something lunging toward him.
The little one was terrified. As he scrambled back, he fumbled for his golden bow and silver pellets. In his panic, he tripped over a stone and tumbled forward.
Just as he was about to face-plant into the ground, he felt his body lighten, floating into the air before landing in someone's embrace.
Clutching his bow in one hand and a pellet in the other, the little one squeezed his eyes shut and shouted with all the bravado he could muster, "Monster! Let me go!"
"Let me go, and I won't hit you!"
He shook his golden bow for emphasis. "I can be really fierce, you know!"
"…"
A moment later, a cool, detached voice sounded by his ear. "Where did this child come from on Lingshan?"
"Huh?" Yun Heng cautiously opened his eyes, only to be met with an extraordinarily handsome face. Even as a little Immortal accustomed to seeing beauties in the Heavenly Court, he couldn't look away. "Such a pretty monster probably doesn't eat children, right?"