“Ah-choo——”
Strange, why did it feel so chilly?
Shen Fuxing lowered her gaze and hugged herself, puzzled.
The Heavenly Court always maintained a pleasant temperature, so why was Lingxiao Baodian so cold? Could it be that the Jade Emperor was so stingy he wouldn’t even pay the electricity bill?
The boss usually acted so arrogantly he might as well have torn down the Heavenly Court, and no one had ever seen him default on the electricity bill.
Shen Fuxing secretly curled her lips.
Only then did the Jade Emperor remember there was still a child in the hall. He quickly suppressed his laughter, coughed lightly, straightened his robes, and resumed his usual dignified and imposing image.
“The treasure is quite impressive. I like it very much.”
He stroked his beard, looking down from his elevated position with a meaningful glance at Shen Fuxing.
“Go on, what do you want?”
For her to have spent so much effort developing such a formidable hidden weapon and openly offering it to him, she must be seeking something substantial.
At sixteen, her ambition was certainly not small.
“Your Majesty, the core of this item lies with Giant Spirit God. Without him, it cannot be made. He deserves at least half the credit. Your Majesty need only reward him well.”
“As for this humble immortal, I seek neither Merit nor any other reward. I only wish to ask Your Majesty for a small favor.”
The Jade Emperor raised an eyebrow. This answer was not what he had expected, and he couldn’t help but feel curious. “Let’s hear it.”
Shen Fuxing lifted her head, gazing steadily at those shrewd eyes, utterly unbothered by their piercing stare. “This humble immortal’s grandfather, Shen Yuanling, ascended to the Heavenly Court on the same day as I did, but I do not know where he was assigned. I humbly request that Your Majesty check the new registrant roster and inform me of my grandfather’s whereabouts.”
“Is that all?”
Shen Fuxing confirmed, “That is all.”
The Jade Emperor had gained a great bargain this time, so there was no way he would refuse her.
“Very well, I shall help you with this. Once I find your relative’s whereabouts, I will immediately send an Immortal Attendant to notify you.”
His fingers tapped the imperial desk in a rhythmic pattern. “As for Giant Spirit God, I shall—”
Before he could finish, an attendant entered to report, “Your Majesty, Peony Fairy, Chang’e Fairy, the Seven Fairies, and a host of other female immortals request an audience outside the hall.”
“Summon them.”
The purpose of these female immortals’ visit was unanimous—they had all seen on the Heavenly Net that the “Juling Anti-Wolf Spray” had been suddenly taken off the shelves and that “Giant Spirit God had been summoned to Lingxiao Baodian to face questioning,” and had rushed over to plead for him.
Immortals of both fame and obscurity in the Heavenly Court knelt and kowtowed, some begging for his forgiveness, others volunteering to share his punishment.
The Jade Emperor privately found it strange. His decree had only said to summon Giant Spirit God to Lingxiao Baodian for an audience—nothing else.
Why, out of nowhere, did every female immortal in the Heavenly Court know he had called Giant Spirit God here to be questioned?
At that thought, his peripheral vision flickered toward the composed Shen Fuxing. He felt both admiration and a slight chill.
How old was this child? She had been in the Heavenly Court for barely half a month, and she had already used Giant Spirit God to set up such a scheme.
She had thrown the Heavenly Court into chaos, and after reaping the benefits, she still remembered to leave a contingency plan to ensure she and Giant Spirit God could walk away unscathed.
Her thinking was meticulous, her execution flawless.
The Jade Emperor’s gaze gradually deepened. His assessment: this girl was no ordinary being. Not simple at all.
Looking at the whole affair, the Jade Emperor felt he was the biggest winner. His mood was excellent, so naturally he would not make things difficult for Giant Spirit God or these female immortals.
With a grand wave of his hand, he pardoned Giant Spirit God of all wrongdoing and additionally granted him twenty thousand Merit as a reward.
From beginning to end, Giant Spirit God was nothing but bewildered.
Originally, he should have been severely punished by the Jade Emperor. But Shen Fuxing had charged in out of nowhere, and within less than a quarter of an hour, not only was he pardoned, he had also gained twenty thousand Merit for free?!
Granted, the Jade Emperor intended to use those twenty thousand Merit to buy the permanent rights to “Dusk of the Scarab,” but that thing was refined from his own mouthwash.
Just like the Anti-Wolf Spray, it cost absolutely nothing to produce.
All told, Shen Fuxing had already helped him freeload seventy to eighty thousand Merit.
That was equivalent to thirty years of his salary!
“Congratulations, congratulations!” Taibai Jinxing smiled warmly, being the first to offer his felicitations.
“L-likewise.”
Giant Spirit God nodded blankly. The God-Binding Rope had long since fallen away, and he walked out of Lingxiao Baodian with Shen Fuxing in a daze, as if sleepwalking.
Just as they neared the General’s Mansion, Shen Fuxing suddenly spoke up: “Add up all the Merit you’ve earned during this period, take out thirty percent, and personally deliver it to Taibai Jinxing’s doorstep tomorrow.”
“Huh? Why?” This statement snapped him out of his thoughts.
Shen Fuxing stopped walking. “He was the one who brought me into Lingxiao Baodian earlier. He helped us, so we should remember that kindness.”
“Besides, he’s eloquent and persuasive—a favorite of the Jade Emperor. If you build a good relationship with him, then even if you make a mistake in the future, with him putting in a good word in the Jade Emperor’s ear, you’ll suffer less punishment.”
Giant Spirit God nodded without hesitation. “Alright, I’ll go tomorrow.”
Since meeting Shen Fuxing, he truly felt he had grown considerably and could see things more clearly.
In the past, he would have considered giving Merit to colleagues to build relationships a disgrace to a god’s dignity—utterly contemptible, something he would never have done.
Now, the world knows no good or evil—mortals chase wealth, while immortals carve up merit. What use is a single sincere heart? Rules are rules. Greed weaves a whirlpool from which none can escape. Above in heaven or below on earth, be it immortal or mortal, there is no distinction between you and me.
Along the way, the Giant Spirit God was not particularly pleased by the reward he had received.
On the contrary, his heart was in turmoil.
Pushing open the door and stepping into his residence, he was greeted by a riot of colorful blossoms—the female immortals who had earlier gone together to Lingxiao Baodian to plead for his pardon.
Seeing him return, they surged forward, surrounding him in their midst, fussing over him, and offering him hand-sewn sachets and pastries.
The Giant Spirit God was dazed for a moment—was this really not a dream…
Snapping back to reality, he clumsily thanked each of them in turn, his blue face gradually turning red amidst the stream of praise, looking somewhat foolish.
Ah well—there was still true feeling in this world. As a mighty heavenly general, why should he fear the filth!
While others basked in their moment of glory, Shen Fuxing quietly slipped away.
She had already achieved her purpose in coming here; all that remained was to await word from the Jade Emperor.
Returning to Cloud Tower Palace, she had just set one foot across the threshold when the Fire-Tipped Spear flew past her cheek and, with a thunderous boom, shattered the Coiling Dragon Jade Pillar at the palace gate.
The two Immortal Attendants who happened to be entering behind her were so frightened their knees went weak, and they immediately dropped to the ground, kowtowing frantically.
In the courtyard, Nezha stood with his arms crossed, staring coldly at Shen Fuxing, who remained expressionless as if nothing had happened. The Sky-Hiding Silk pulsed with a restless red glow, enveloping his entire being in a suffocating aura of murderous intent.
“You still dare to come back.”
The Fire-Tipped Spear that had grazed past her face, the icy fury in his questioning voice—like a passing breeze that came and went in an instant—the former entered Shen Fuxing’s eyes, the latter entered her ears.
Nezha had been seething for some time, yet his little follower seemed to be in a rather good mood. She turned around slowly, picked up his Fire-Tipped Spear, and handed it back to him without the slightest hesitation.
Calm. Composed. Not a trace of fear.
Faced with his intimidation, Shen Fuxing seemed to have only this one reaction. Nezha truly wanted to know—above heaven or below earth—what could possibly make her afraid.