The two faced each other in silence, the atmosphere heavy and tinged with a hint of awkwardness.
Of course, the awkwardness wasn’t on Nezha’s side.
The Heavenly Court was vast, and Shen Fuxing, a mere Celestial Attendant of the Third Prince’s palace, trying to find someone was like searching for a needle in a haystack.
Initially, she thought she could ask Nezha for help, but he refused.
Later, when she finally had the chance to meet the Jade Emperor, Shen Fuxing’s mind was filled with thoughts of her grandfather, her grandfather… The Great God of the Third Altar or whatever “boss” she had was long forgotten, tossed to the far ends of the heavens.
Having skipped work for days, she knew she was in the wrong. Shen Fuxing lowered her lashes, her gaze shifting guiltily to the side. For the moment, she couldn’t think of how to appease this ancestor.
Wherever her grandfather was, she would be there. She couldn’t risk being expelled from the Heavenly Court for angering Nezha just as she found her grandfather.
“I’m sorry, punish me,” Shen Fuxing looked up, her eyes misty and red-rimmed, looking utterly pitiful.
Anyone who didn’t know better would think Nezha had beaten her up.
Though Nezha did want to hit her.
But he hadn’t even laid a hand on her, and she was already on the verge of tears.
Nezha frowned, his gaze shifting from icy to complicated, with a trace of resentment if one looked closely.
Hitting her wasn’t right, but not hitting her wasn’t right either.
Forget it. He was the mighty and illustrious General, and picking on a little kid would only invite ridicule. Better to just scare her a bit.
Nezha closed his eyes and opened them again, speaking indifferently, “Where have you been these past few days?”
Shen Fuxing hung her head, poking her fingers together, lying through her teeth, “Looking for my grandfather.”
Hearing her soft, hesitant voice and seeing her innocent appearance, most people would likely believe she had realized her mistake and let her off the hook.
But who was Nezha? The deputy military commander of the Heavenly Court, overseeing the armies of the Three Realms, with eyes and ears everywhere.
At the slightest disturbance, his trusted subordinates would report back immediately.
Shen Fuxing pulling tricks right under his nose—did she really think he knew nothing, like that old man the Jade Emperor, who’d been fooled and still helped her count her gains?
Seeing Nezha’s anger, which had just subsided a little, about to flare up again, Shen Fuxing decisively sacrificed Heavenly King Li, offering to attend to him in his illness and take care of all Li Jing’s daily needs.
Nezha raised an eyebrow.
Shen Fuxing’s eyes were resolute, as if she had found a new mission, and she quickly added, “Don’t worry, boss. With me here, within three days, the Heavenly King will surely be reborn from the ashes!”
She could guarantee the ashes, but rebirth was another matter.
The Samadhi True Fire blazing on the Sky-Mixing Silk completely extinguished, now calm as could be.
To show his filial piety, Nezha took the Fire-Tipped Spear, turned his back, and casually twirled it, instructing, “Make sure to take good care of my father. If anything happens to him, report to me immediately. Go.”
“As you command.” Shen Fuxing glanced at him—seemed like he was appeased.
But Li Jing… Rumor had it that after getting a close taste of the Giant Spirit God’s breath that day, he suffered both physical and mental trauma and had been staying at the Medicine King’s residence.
He only moved back to Cloud Tower Palace to recuperate yesterday.
And today, she happened to return as well. What a coincidence!
—Your Fu Xing will arrive in three minutes. Wishing you good health and a long life.
Li Jing lay on his sickbed, watching the girl sitting by his bedside patiently blowing on the medicine bowl, and snorted inwardly.
At least this unfilial son still had some conscience, sending a well-behaved little Celestial Attendant to take care of him.
But… why did this girl look so familiar?
He felt like he’d seen her somewhere before.
Li Jing had been bedridden for a long time, his memories filled with the Giant Spirit God’s enormous mouth and the lingering, overwhelming stench. After a moment of reflection, he still couldn’t recall anything.
“Heavenly King, it’s time for your medicine.” Shen Fuxing smiled gently, holding a bowl in one hand while using the other to help Heavenly King Li sit up. She brought the spoon to his lips.
Throughout the entire process, he didn’t need to exert even the slightest effort or lift a finger.
See how considerate a young woman could be? Unlike his rebellious son Nezha, who visited his room daily but only stared at the Seven Treasure Exquisite Pagoda, as if the pagoda were his father and he were merely an insignificant pedestal.
It truly infuriated him!
With someone conveniently by his side, Li Jing intended to open his mouth and pour out his grievances about the hardships of fatherhood, while also condemning Nezha’s unfilial behavior.
But before he could utter a sound, a spoonful of medicine, emitting faint wisps of black vapor, was shoved into his mouth by Shen Fuxing.
All his lengthy grievances were stifled right then and there.
And this was only the beginning.
The moment the medicine touched his tongue, Li Jing felt an extreme blend of sourness, sweetness, bitterness, spiciness, and saltiness explode one after another on his taste buds.
The hellish flavor instantly turned Heavenly King Li’s face pale and green, and he nearly choked on his breath.
With great difficulty, he shifted his gaze, only to see Shen Fuxing still wearing her gentle, obedient smile, seemingly unaware of the immense harm the medicine had inflicted upon him.
Spoonful after spoonful, her movements were swift and efficient.
By now, even Li Jing, slow as he was, had realized that this was no act of filial piety sent by Nezha. Instead, it was a deliberate attempt to hasten his demise, as if his illness weren’t severe enough!
But he was at her mercy. Dizzy, weak-limbed, and barely able to move, Li Jing gritted his teeth and stammered, “…You! How dare you… poison this Heavenly King!”
Shen Fuxing looked innocent. “Not at all. This is the medicine sent by the Medicine King’s residence.” She smiled again. “Heavenly King, drink up. You’ll feel better afterward.”
Nonsense! Would he even be alive after drinking it?
Shen Fuxing remained silent, simply continuing to feed the medicine into Li Jing’s mouth.
Poor Heavenly King Li, his tongue numbed by the foul taste and his mouth occupied by the spoon, tried to call for the Heavenly Soldiers but could only mumble incoherently. He could do nothing but stare wide-eyed, completely at Shen Fuxing’s mercy.
By the time the last spoonful was fed, Li Jing could no longer feel his tongue.
His throat had lost the ability to speak.
Shen Fuxing considerately helped him lie back down, tucked him in, and carefully wiped the remnants of medicine from the corners of his mouth with a handkerchief.
Her movements were incredibly gentle.
As if the person lying in bed were not someone else, but her own father.
Even Yan He, the steward of Cloud Tower Palace, couldn’t help but praise her for her dedication.
Standing in front of Heavenly King Li’s bed, Shen Fuxing accepted all the compliments with a clear conscience, responding shyly and humbly that it was merely her duty.
From then on, Shen Fuxing’s reputation in Cloud Tower Palace grew even better.
Countless Celestial Attendants came and went, but not a single one noticed the desperate, wide-eyed Li Jing behind Shen Fuxing, frantically pleading for help.
There was no helping it—though Shen Fuxing was petite, her position completely obscured the upper half of Heavenly King Li’s body.
One day, two days passed. Li Jing remained immobile, his face haggard, each day feeling like an eternity.
Yet, despite his usual appearance of being on the brink of death, whenever Shen Fuxing’s soft voice whispered, “Heavenly King, it’s time for your medicine~” by his ear, Li Jing would instantly perk up. His eyes would fixate on her with intense hostility, his limbs flailing in resistance, a hint of fear subtly seeping through.
He remembered now. He finally remembered!
It’s her! That little sidekick of Nezha!! The one who tricked him into approaching the Giant Spirit God during the new recruits’ training day, causing the foul breath to shoot into his nostrils with lightning speed and linger for ages—Shen Fuxing!!
Damn it all.
What Fu Xing? Clearly, it’s retribution!
Not only did she laughingly force poison down his throat for two days straight, but yesterday afternoon, while she was away, he finally managed to crawl out of bed to find a sip of water.
That girl shot out like a cannonball, holding a bowl of noodles from who knows where, and with a sliding tackle, blasted him three meters away. His head hit a pillar, and one of his front teeth got knocked out.
And the zhajiang noodles that flew out of her hands due to inertia traced a beautiful parabolic arc through the air, bowl and all, landing perfectly on Heavenly King Li’s head.
The noodles, resembling dreadlocks, and the deep brown sauce smeared all over Heavenly King Li’s face gave off a distinctly African vibe.
Li Jing was furious. The weakened and enraged Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King raged in his rage, and in the end, he was helped back to bed by Shen Fuxing, fuming with suppressed anger as she cleaned the zhajiang noodles off his head and the sticky sauce from his face.
But what made him even angrier was yet to come.
After delivering such a vicious kick, Shen Fuxing’s explanation to him was that she had accidentally stepped on a banana peel when entering.
Ridiculous. In the bedchamber of Heavenly King Li, who would dare to recklessly toss banana peels around?
Shen Fuxing grinned cheekily, “Sorry about that. Actually, I ate it and forgot to have someone clean it up.”
Li Jing: “…”
Well, that explains it.
Lying flat on his bed, with the Seven Treasure Exquisite Pagoda nestled in the crook of his arm, he pulled the blanket over his beloved pagoda, then stared expressionlessly at the canopy above.
Amidst the calm, there was a faint hint of madness.
For the first time in his life, he missed Nezha intensely.
Even if that rebellious son ignored him, it would still be better than Shen Fuxing personally handling every single thing.
Just as he was thinking this, Shen Fuxing returned with another bowl, plopping down on the edge of his bed and saying excitedly, “Since the noodles spilled, let’s just take the medicine directly.”
“Open your mouth, ah—”
In just two short days, her gentle tone and familiar words had become Li Jing’s nightmare.
Just smelling the scent of that small spoonful near his lips, he hazily seemed to see his great-grandfather.
Jin Zha, Mu Zha, my sons, return quickly! Your father is about to be poisoned to death!
To prevent Shen Fuxing from pulling the same trick—shoving the spoon into his mouth the moment he opened it—Li Jing immediately rolled his eyes back, kicked his legs out, and passed out.
Fainting so conveniently, Shen Fuxing raised an eyebrow but didn’t give him a hard time. As he wished, she set the medicine bowl aside.
With a casual grab in the air, a syringe produced by the Medicine King’s residence appeared in Shen Fuxing’s hand as a flash of light passed by.
Since the Heavenly King refuses to take medicine orally, this humble immortal also knows a thing or two about intravenous injections.
Grandfather said one must be honest and keep one’s word. Making Li Jing undergo nirvana for three days—she had plenty of methods for that.
As for being reborn anew, losing forty pounds in two days—how could that not count as a complete transformation and a fresh start?
Also, Li Jing had truly misunderstood her. Even with Nezha backing her up, she wouldn’t be foolish enough to blatantly poison the Heavenly King’s medicine.
She had merely added a concentrated essence extracted from ten tons of lemons, ten tons of sugar, ten tons of coptis, ten tons of ghost peppers, and ten tons of salt.
The people from the Medicine King’s residence said it wouldn’t affect the efficacy of the medicine.
But intravenous injection might be just a tiny bit uncomfortable.
Out of pity for Li Jing, Shen Fuxing deliberately refrained from adding any “extra ingredients” to the medicine she brought this time, instead sprinkling in a bit of peach-colored powder.
It didn’t have any tormenting effects—only that after the medicine took effect, it would induce hallucinations, causing the person to fall helplessly in love with the first person they saw upon waking, followed by a fiery passion… ahem.
Shen Fuxing had heard that in the afternoon, the Barefoot Immortal—Heavenly King Li’s former wardmate, who had been ambushed by Taibai Jinxing with the Giant Spirit Anti-Wolf Spray—would come to visit him.
Just thinking about that scene made Shen Fuxing unable to suppress a smile.
So wicked.
And she was preparing to be even wickeder.