“You are not human.”
Nezha stepped down from his throne, arms crossed, his icy gaze looking down upon Shen Fuxing from above, an aura of killing intent radiating from his entire being.
“Truly worthy of the Great God of the Third Altar,” Shen Fuxing lowered her eyes slightly, a mysterious smile curling at the corners of her lips. “That’s right, I am not human.”
“I am a macaque from Siberia, and my mission is to occupy the Heavenly Court! Assassinate Heavenly King Li! Then snatch his Seven Treasure Exquisite Pagoda, throw it to the ground, and stomp it into a pulp!!”
“…Hah, with just you?”
Nezha scoffed disdainfully.
He took the Fire-Tipped Spear from her hand, stepped onto his Wind and Fire Wheels, and turned to leave without another word.
Due to his extreme speed, a golden brick fell out from within the Sky-Mixing Silk, landing right at Shen Fuxing’s feet.
With a heavy thud, the sound was lost in the roaring wind by Nezha’s ears, unheard.
Shen Fuxing was a good follower. Seeing that her boss had dropped something, she bent down to pick it up and, without hesitation, took it upon herself to keep it safe for him.
Before leaving, she casually pocketed a handful of nuts from the table.
As the only follower in centuries to successfully remain by the Third Prince’s side, Shen Fuxing’s days were undoubtedly comfortable.
Those in the Cloud Tower Palace who aspired to climb higher all came to curry favor with her, hoping she would put in a good word for them before the Third Prince.
Potato chips, fried chicken, crispy shrimp—if Shen Fuxing wanted to eat it, there was nothing they couldn’t bring back from the mortal realm for her.
Privately accepting bribes never ended well, especially for a rogue like Shen Fuxing who wanted to eat but had no intention of doing favors in return.
Out of a weakling underling’s devout loyalty to her overwhelmingly awesome boss, Shen Fuxing would always set aside two-thirds of the snacks as tribute for Nezha.
The Third Prince was upright and incorruptible; he could refuse them, but Shen Fuxing couldn’t not offer them.
For a full week, every time Nezha returned from vanquishing demons, he would find an assortment of miscellaneous snacks on the table in the Crown Prince’s Hall.
All were things mortal children liked—he had long since stopped eating such fare.
Nezha sat before the table, leaning the Fire-Tipped Spear to one side. The same cold, detached expression that had been etched on his face for a decade remained—devoid of emotion, devoid of human warmth.
He had intended to summon someone to clear the items away.
But as his gaze swept past, the scene before him overlapped with a memory buried deep in his mind.
Nezha’s eyes focused slightly.
In years past, when he was still the little tyrant of Chentang Pass wreaking havoc, every time he returned home after causing trouble and was punished by Li Jing, his mother would gather some malt candies and snacks, ordering someone to secretly deliver them to his room.
A thousand years passed in the blink of an eye. After the Great War of the Gods, there was no more Yin Shiniang in this world—only the Bedside Grandmother who would bow deeply in reverence whenever she saw him.
The Third Prince seemed preoccupied, and the Celestial Attendants in the hall dared not linger to be an eyesore, fearing they might provoke misfortune and bring trouble upon themselves. They all retreated outside the hall.
In the evening, when Shen Fuxing entered to deliver official documents, Nezha was not in the hall. The spicy strips on the table remained largely untouched, but the stick of candied hawthorn she had casually placed there was nowhere to be seen.
“Immortal Shen, the Great God of the Assembly has gone with Heavenly King Li to train the newly enlisted Heavenly Soldiers. He is not in the Cloud Tower Palace. Do you need him for something?”
The speaker was Yan He, the steward of the Cloud Tower Palace.
A flicker passed through Shen Fuxing’s eyes. “Are they newcomers who ascended to the Heavenly Court in the same batch as me?”
“Indeed,” Yan He replied with a smile. “This year’s Lower Realm Ascension Examination had quite a high acceptance rate. Your batch alone numbered a full hundred thousand.”
“Sixty percent of them went to the Ministry of War, while the remaining forty percent, like yourself, Immortal, were assigned to various palaces as Celestial Attendants.”
Shen Fuxing: “Ascension Examination? Wasn’t it the Jade Emperor who sent Taibai Jinxing to the underworld to—”
Yan He covered her mouth, the corner of his lips curving slightly. “What is the immortal saying? I don’t understand.”
“…”
So that’s how it is.
Yan He released his hand, tucked his sleeves, and smiled faintly. “His Majesty’s rule over the Three Realms is no easy task. Some matters must be recorded in the year-end report to be submitted to the Three Pure Ones. In the future, do not speak such embarrassing words.”
Shen Fuxing changed the subject. “Where are they training the troops?”
“Near the Southern Heavenly Gate.” Yan He turned and placed a stack of documents on the table before looking back. “Wait here—”
Shen Fuxing was already gone.
Outside the Southern Heavenly Gate, sixty thousand Heavenly Soldiers stood in formation, their momentum soaring.
There were too many people, and at a glance, it was a dizzying sight, impossible to take in all at once.
Shen Fuxing stealthily and furtively hid behind a cloud, poking her head out, trying to spot that familiar face in the crowd.
Lost in her search, she was caught off guard before she knew it.
Sensing something amiss, she turned her head and—oh my heavens, a giant!
His nostrils were bigger than her head!
He came right up to her face, eyes wide with anger, a blue-faced man with a thick beard, fully armored, carrying two battle-axes on his back. At first glance, he looked just like Zhang Fei.
Shen Fuxing had no time to appreciate his “magnificent beauty.” She tilted her head and pinched her nose, thinking, how many years has this big guy gone without brushing his teeth? The breath from his nostrils was even fouler than her boss’s reputation in the East Sea!
So close, and it all blew right into her face!
No—she was going to retch.
Seeing the little immortal before him merely glance up at him before retching violently the next second, Giant Spirit God’s eyebrows shot up.
“—Huh!?? What do you mean? Do I look that disgusting?”
Shen Fuxing straightened up, struggling to lean against a pillar. “Here, follow my lead.”
“Cover your mouth and nose with both hands.”
“Exhale.”
“Take a deep breath.”
Giant Spirit God did as instructed.
Giant Spirit God collapsed.
His massive body, like a mountain, crashed down into slumber, shaking the sea of clouds.
The weather was exceptionally fine today, with bright sunshine. The sixty thousand new recruits were drilling in unison under the commands of the divine generals when suddenly, the sunlight above them was blocked.
Looking up, they saw some troublemaker using them as a mattress!
The orderly formation instantly fell into chaos.
No one wanted to be flattened into a pancake on their first day on the job. They scattered in all directions, fleeing for their lives.
Heavenly King Li, clad in his commander’s uniform and holding the Seven Treasure Exquisite Pagoda, stood on the command platform, frowning and shouting, “Do not panic! Do not panic!”
In the critical moment, no one listened to him.
The originally solemn and dignified scene had turned into a chaotic marketplace.
“Who is it! Who is causing trouble!” Heavenly King Li yelled angrily. “Nezha, apprehend the troublemaker at once!”
“Nezha obeys the command.”
Realizing she had caused trouble, Shen Fuxing crouched down, ready to slip away, when a red figure appeared before her, riding the Wind and Fire Wheels.
His expression was cold and devoid of any emotion.
Poor Shen Fuxing had nowhere to run. She could only retreat step by step as the Third Prince advanced, small and helpless.
Nezha: “How long have you been in the Heavenly Court?”
Shen Fuxing slowly raised her hand, gesturing a “nine.”
“Nine days and you can still get lost? Pathetic.” Nezha crossed his arms, giving her a disdainful glance.
He stepped past her, lifted the massive Giant Spirit God with one hand, and soared into the air, tossing Giant Spirit God in front of the command platform.
Leaving Shen Fuxing standing there in a daze, unable to process what had just happened.
There was no dust at the Southern Heavenly Gate, but there were clouds. Nezha roughly tossed Giant Spirit God aside, and the effect was like giving a wooden house that hadn’t been cleaned in ten years a thorough sweep.
On the command platform, Li Jing coughed violently from the disturbance.
Today really pissed him off!
Nezha could deal with teaching her a lesson later; first, he needed to see which reckless deity had the audacity to cause trouble on his turf.
“What happened to Giant Spirit God? Who did this?” Li Jing scanned the crowd and shouted.
The sixty thousand people in the arena fell silent as if turned to stone, with no one daring to respond.
Shen Fuxing tucked her hands and hid behind Nezha, trembling like a quail.
“Scared?” Nezha glanced back at her.
“…I didn’t even touch him,” Shen Fuxing lifted her head slightly, whispering innocently in her defense.
Nezha remained expressionless, keeping his head slightly turned.
“Nezha, who are you whispering with?”
On the high platform, Li Jing frowned deeply, casting a questioning gaze toward them.
“A minor celestial, recently assigned to serve as an attendant in the inner palace.”
Nezha had always been a loner. Over the centuries, the personnel department had recommended no fewer than a thousand attendants for him. He never accepted them, nor did he outright refuse; instead, he would toy with them before tossing them out of the palace.
Now, suddenly, there was an exception.
Reportedly only fifteen or sixteen years old, born a mortal, she had lucked out when the Heavenly Court faced a shortage of personnel and was recruited by Taibai Jinxing.
Li Jing had long heard of Shen Fuxing’s name.
“Shouldn’t she be in the Cloud Tower Palace? Why is she here?” Li Jing demanded.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Nezha replied calmly, “The girl is foolish and forgetful. She got lost and wandered here by mistake.”
Li Jing narrowed his eyes, shifting his gaze to Shen Fuxing. “She’s the only outsider here. For no reason, why would Giant Spirit God collapse unconscious?”
“Guards, seize this Celestial Attendant for this Heavenly King!”
Nezha stood in front of Shen Fuxing, his Sky-Mixing Silk fluttering fiercely in the wind, his proud and upright figure never moving an inch.
With an indifferent expression, he said, “The Heavenly King overestimates her too much.”
Though Shen Fuxing was strong, knocking out Giant Spirit God was nothing short of a fantasy.
Li Jing, holding the pagoda, paid no heed. “Whether she did it or not, we’ll find out after an interrogation!”
In front of the entire crowd, the Heavenly King ordered her arrest, but the Third Prince acted as if he hadn’t heard, standing motionless.
The Heavenly Soldiers dared not approach, and naturally, they couldn’t capture Shen Fuxing without getting past him.
The air seemed to freeze, and the atmosphere grew increasingly tense.
Li Jing was greatly displeased.
This rebellious son was becoming more and more lawless!
Openly defying his father’s orders—if he didn’t have the pagoda in hand, wouldn’t Nezha be climbing all over him?
“Reporting to the Heavenly King, this humble celestial did witness how Giant Spirit God collapsed. May the Heavenly King please step forward.”
Amid the dead silence, Shen Fuxing voluntarily stepped out from behind Nezha, breaking the tense atmosphere.
There was no other way. Nezha was now the only one who could protect her and was willing to do so. To please him, she had to sacrifice Heavenly King Li.
Upon hearing this, Li Jing waved his commander’s robe and walked down from the platform without any precautions.
He approached the massive head of Giant Spirit God.
Shen Fuxing said nothing, merely pointing repeatedly at Giant Spirit God’s slightly open mouth.
Thinking that Giant Spirit God had been poisoned through the mouth, Li Jing took a step closer, bending down to get a better look.
A suffocating odor assaulted his nostrils, instantly overwhelming his entire nasal cavity and entering his lungs through his respiratory tract.
Li Jing’s face turned purple, and he instantly lost the ability to breathe.
Relying on his last shred of consciousness, he clutched the Seven Treasure Exquisite Pagoda to his chest, rolled his eyes back, and collapsed stiffly to the ground—his “state of death” identical to that of Giant Spirit God.
“Quick! The Heavenly King has been attacked! Seal off the entire arena!”