Taishang Laojun did not make the decision himself. Instead, he lowered his gaze and patted the child in his arms.
Because Li Jing had threatened to harm her grandfather, Shen Fuxing had spent the past two days with her eyes reddened by killing intent, refining pills day and night without rest, even developing dark circles under her eyes—all for the sake of blasting Li Jing to pieces.
Laojun’s embrace was warm and cozy. After nestling there for a while, she began to feel an illusion that her grandfather was right beside her, and before she knew it, she dozed off.
A vein throbbed on the Jade Emperor’s forehead. He slightly clenched his fist, yet maintained a smile on his face.
She really… I’m fuming.
Shen Fuxing paid no attention to the Jade Emperor’s expression. She looked up at Laojun and gave a slight nod, indicating her willingness to accept the punishment of guarding the Peach Garden of Immortality.
Only then was the matter considered settled.
Before leaving, Taishang Laojun, in front of all the deities, handed her a token granting free access to the Thirty-Three Heavens and Tushita Palace—its meaning was self-evident.
From now on, although this child would nominally be a Celestial Attendant in the Heavenly Court, no immortal would dare to truly regard her as one.
Given the circumstances, even if she wasn’t Laojun’s granddaughter, it wouldn’t be long before she became his disciple, placing her seniority above most of the deities present.
She was not to be easily offended.
Shen Fuxing knew that Taishang Laojun’s appearance today was likely because he had heard that a low-level immortal like her had refined the Thunderous Divine Fire Pill. She did not decline but accepted the token openly and graciously.
Since she had talent in this area and had inadvertently caught Laojun’s eye, this was a good thing for her. There was no need for excessive politeness.
As for Li Jing, the power of her counterfeit Divine Fire Pill, mixed with many chemical additives, was still too weak—it had only given him superficial injuries.
Though her attempt to perish together with him had failed, with the sage’s arrival, Li Jing hadn’t gained any advantage either.
For the mighty Heavenly King to be punished with cultivating peach trees was, for the arrogant and face-conscious Li Jing, no less than a death sentence.
Thus, as soon as Taishang Laojun left, Li Jing gritted his teeth and, supporting his severely injured body, knelt before the Jade Emperor, trying to win a slight turn in events. “Your Majesty, this subject did not know that her grandfather was someone Your Majesty had sent people to search for. That day, when this subject administered a minor punishment to her, she did not utter a single word about Your Majesty’s oral decree, which led to this misunderstanding—”
“Misunderstanding?” In the center of Lingxiao Palace, Shen Fuxing tilted her head, feigning confusion, and smiled. “That day, Celestial Master Zhang personally came to Yunlou Palace. Wasn’t he a walking oral decree?”
In the Heavenly Court, aside from the Jade Emperor himself, who else could command the number one secretary before His Majesty?
“Heavenly King, you eavesdropped outside the door for so long. Surely you didn’t only have eyes for this annoying Celestial Attendant and treated Celestial Master Zhang as thin air, did you?” Shen Fuxing narrowed her eyes slightly, her smile hiding a blade.
Yang Jian concealed his slightly upturned lips, maintaining an impartial and selfless demeanor as he said casually, “According to your words, it is truly surprising to Yang that the esteemed leader of the Heavenly Kings would privately engage in eavesdropping.”
His words seemed to exonerate Li Jing but actually drew the attention of all the deities to Li Jing’s petty act of eavesdropping outside the wall—another instance of killing without bloodshed.
Li Jing, now flustered and with his mind filled with curses for the damned wicked girl, could no longer distinguish between good and bad words.
Yang Jian set a small trap, and Li Jing eagerly walked right into it. “Your Majesty, this subject did not eavesdrop! It was—”
“Was what? If the Heavenly King did not eavesdrop, how would you know my grandfather’s name, and where did you hear that he was a Heavenly Soldier?”
“These matters, this humble immortal believes, were never mentioned in the Heavenly King’s presence.” Shen Fuxing turned and bowed respectfully toward the Jade Emperor.
Li Jing was vexed and agitated—why was it becoming increasingly impossible for him to explain himself clearly?
After a whirlwind of thoughts, he had an epiphany.
No wonder she had concealed the Emperor’s oral decree despite having it, and never once mentioned her close relationship with Laojun from start to finish, enduring his kicks without complaint.
So she had been waiting for him here all along.
Playing the victim card, just to give herself a righteous pretext for openly attacking him in the Heavenly Court, and then claiming she was forced into it.
Was he out of his mind to force someone to hunt him down?
Hmph! That unfilial son Nezha hadn’t spoken a word in his father’s defense all this time.
Now it seemed he was likely in cahoots with that wicked girl!
Deliberately descending to the mortal realm to vanquish demons, just so he could wash his hands clean after the incident!
After causing him such trouble, did they think they could walk away unscathed? Dream on!
“Your Majesty, though I am guilty, my third son Nezha failed to discipline his subordinates strictly, allowing such a reckless Celestial Attendant to emerge. He should be held equally accountable!”
“I dare not show favoritism. I implore Your Majesty to punish him alongside me!”
Li Jing spoke with righteous conviction, putting on the act of a loyal minister sacrificing his own kin for justice. In truth, he was using his son as a shield, smoothly shifting the focus away from whether he had been eavesdropping.
Nezha remained indifferent, not even blinking at his words, showing no reaction whatsoever.
Beside him, Yang Jian and Sun Wukong lost their interest in the spectacle, their expressions turning cold as they frowned in unison.
These two, tempered by millennia of experience, were men of immense patience.
But Shen Fuxing was not. She was just a sixteen-year-old child, quick to anger.
Especially since her only family in childhood was her grandfather, which had fostered an extremely protective nature.
The flames that Taishang Laojun had painstakingly soothed were reignited as she sneered, “My temper is innate and has nothing to do with the God of the Assembly of Seas.”
“If we’re talking about recklessness, who could surpass you, Heavenly King?”
She steered the conversation back, each word a blade that left Li Jing utterly defenseless: “Even Celestial Master Zhang has personally appeared. With your intelligence, could you truly not connect this to His Majesty?”
“Or are you admitting to being a fool, or perhaps pretending to be one, deliberately opposing His Majesty, relying on your military authority to disregard His Majesty’s authority!”
Shen Fuxing descended the steps, pressing forward relentlessly, giving him no chance to catch his breath: “How do you think you attained your position as Heavenly King? My boss nurtured you for so long with his military achievements, elevating you to the foremost among Heavenly Kings.”
“Not only have you failed to repay this kindness, but you’ve also repeatedly humiliated my boss alongside yourself. Such an unfilial father is truly a first for me.”
“If it weren’t for that pagoda in your hands, the position of Heavenly King rightfully belongs to my boss! Without the Seven Treasure Exquisite Pagoda, in a one-on-one fight, you are no match for my boss!”
At this point, Shen Fuxing raised an eyebrow and slowly smiled. “By the way, if this humble immortal recalls correctly, wasn’t your precious pagoda damaged by the Divine Fire Pill?”
As if triggered by a mechanism, Nezha abruptly turned his gaze, his eyes blazing like the Samadhi True Fire, fixed unerringly on Li Jing.
Lingxiao Palace fell so silent you could hear a pin drop.
Li Jing’s face turned deathly pale, a drop of sweat sliding down his cheek and falling to the ground with a soft plop.
But Shen Fuxing had no intention of letting him off.
Just as he had never spared the young Nezha.
Fortunately, the punishment of a thousand cuts must be carried out slowly, so that he could truly understand the pain of having his bones scraped and flesh carved.
Shen Fuxing deliberately paused for a moment, watching as Li Jing showed a flicker of panic. She inwardly scoffed—so you can feel fear too.
Never intending to deliver a fatal blow, Shen Fuxing shifted her tone, patted his shoulder, curved her lips, and said with a mischievous glint, “Actually, it might not be that way. Perhaps you just don’t think much of certain colleagues, so you’re giving them a chance to serve you and realize their value.”
What a brilliant move—cutting off both the path ahead and the retreat behind! Absolutely splendid!
Sun Wukong’s monkey eyes sparkled brightly. In his heart, he was applauding with admiration, almost openly clapping for Shen Fuxing.
What to do? He wanted her so badly!
He nudged Nezha’s arm, his monkey face leaning in close, and said with a playful, conspiratorial tone, “Brother Nezha, I find this follower of yours quite amusing.”
“Anyway, the Heavenly Court has plenty of Celestial Attendants. How about giving this one called Fu Xing to me, Old Sun?” How about it? How about it?
Whenever the monkey saw something he fancied, he would make such a ruckus regardless of the occasion.
It was said that during his journey to retrieve the scriptures, he had shamelessly pestered Guanyin Bodhisattva or Taishang Laojun more than once—no wonder he was called a troublemaking monkey.
Yang Jian rubbed his forehead, utterly helpless with him.