Yun Heng watched the figures of the Jade Emperor and Taishang Laojun disappear beyond the palace gates. His dark, bright eyes darted around, and he joyfully scampered off in the opposite direction, shouting as he ran, "Wait for me, wait for me!"
The two Immortal Children turned around and saw the little one running unsteadily, wobbling and swaying in the most adorable manner. They couldn't help but laugh. "Your Highness, please wait here for a moment. We'll be right back."
Yun Heng waved his hand dismissively. "No, no, I want to go with you."
After all, he was the Crown Prince, the son of the Jade Emperor. Since he insisted on following, the two attendants couldn't refuse and had no choice but to take him along to the alchemy room.
Along the way, the two Immortal Children curiously asked Yun Heng, "Your Highness, earlier when Lao Jun opened the furnace to retrieve the elixir, you took one. How did it feel?"
"Feel?" The little one tilted his head, looking at them with confusion. "What feeling?"
The other attendant explained, "That was the Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir. Immortals who consume it can greatly enhance their cultivation, while mortals can ascend to immortality in broad daylight. My senior brother and I have guarded the Eight Trigrams Furnace for countless years, yet we have never tasted the flavor of this golden elixir."
Yun Heng understood—they were asking about the taste of the golden elixir. The little one thought carefully for a moment, then gently patted his chest with his small hand. "It choked me."
"…"
Yun Heng added, "It was a bit bitter, a bit astringent, with a faint fragrance of immortal fruit. It wasn't as tasty as glutinous rice balls."
The two attendants were puzzled. "What are glutinous rice balls?"
Touching on something Yun Heng was passionate about, the little one gestured animatedly as he explained, "They're a type of food from the mortal realm."
The two Immortal Children grew even more confused. "Food from the mortal realm?"
Yun Heng nodded vigorously. "They're white, soft, and look like clouds. Inside, they have sesame filling. Take a bite, and they're fragrant and sweet—I love them the most!"
"You've eaten them?"
"Of course!" Yun Heng counted on his fingers as he introduced them. "There are many other pastries in the mortal realm too—osmanthus cakes, lotus puff pastries, cloud slice cakes…"
The little one enthusiastically described these pastries—their shapes, flavors, ingredients—vividly and with great detail, occasionally even sucking in his drool. The two attendants listened with keen interest.
One of them asked, "Has Your Highness been to the mortal realm?"
"Of course…" Yun Heng thought about it. He had only been to Mount Tai and the shores of the Eastern Sea and hadn't even seen a single mortal. He could only answer dejectedly, "No."
"…"
The two attendants exchanged a glance, pushed open the door to the alchemy room, and walked straight inside.
The alchemy room was filled with the unique bitter scent of medicinal herbs. The little one, who only liked sweet things and disliked bitterness, decided not to enter.
He wandered alone through the courtyard of the Tushita Palace, and before he knew it, he had strayed into an unfamiliar area.
Suddenly, Yun Heng noticed something shiny up ahead. As he approached, he realized it was an ox—a large, dark azure water buffalo.
The shiny things he had seen were the great azure ox's pair of eyes.
"Wow!" The little one dashed forward, but in his haste, he tripped over something and stumbled forward. His hands flailed wildly, and he ended up clutching one of the great azure ox's legs.
Yun Heng looked down and saw that what had nearly tripped him was actually an attendant. This attendant wore the same Taoist robe as the two who guarded the Eight Trigrams Furnace.
The child lay with one hand pillowing his head, sound asleep. Even when Yun Heng kicked him, he merely rolled over without waking.
Yun Heng steadied himself by holding onto the ox's leg, then raised his head to meet a pair of eyes as large as bronze bells—the great azure ox was also looking down at him.
"Hello, great azure ox."
"…"
"Are you Taishang Laojun's mount?"
"…"
"Huh?" Yun Heng tilted his head, carefully examining the great azure ox before him. "Your horns are really strange."
The little one stood on tiptoe, wanting to touch the single horn rising straight up from the center of the great azure ox's forehead. However, he was too short, and the divine beast was exceptionally tall and majestic, making it impossible for him to reach.
"Great Emperor Dongyue's Five-Colored Divine Ox has two horns. Why do you only have one?"
"…"
"Are you hungry? I'll give you something delicious to eat."
Yun Heng opened the pouch at his waist and took out a piece of pine nut cake missing a corner—one he had bitten into in the morning but couldn't finish and was reluctant to throw away.
Then, the Jade Emperor brought up another matter: "Heng'er is mischievous. The other day, he secretly boarded the Nine-Dragon Imperial Carriage and followed me on the Tour of the Three Realms. In the Netherworld, he unexpectedly encountered a Malevolent Ghost. But as soon as the ghost touched Heng'er, a cluster of flames erupted from his shoulder, instantly reducing the ghost to ashes, and the flames vanished just as quickly."
"Later, while Heng'er was sound asleep, I used my magical power to examine his body but found no trace of those flames."
Taishang Laojun pondered for a moment: "Even with my level of Spiritual Cultivation, I cannot detect any unusual flames on the Crown Prince."
The Jade Emperor sighed: "No matter what, I only wish for him to grow up safely and peacefully."
Taishang Laojun smiled: "Your Majesty need not worry. In my view, although the Crown Prince possesses no magic art, there is a mysterious power hidden within him. Perhaps he is inherently connected to flames in countless ways, which is why the ancient divine fire could not harm him in the slightest."
"Has Your Majesty forgotten that before him, there was another person who was deeply accomplished in water-based magic arts…"
Before Taishang Laojun could finish, the Jade Emperor waved his hand to interrupt: "The Crown Prince is naturally lively and active, and as he grows older, his courage only increases. This time, he managed to secretly follow me on the Tour of the Three Realms; who knows what outrageous things he might do next."
"The Queen Mother and I are usually busy with celestial duties, and the Fairy Maidens of the Jasper Pool cannot keep an eye on him. I was thinking of finding him a teacher."
Taishang Laojun asked: "Does Your Majesty intend for the Crown Prince to begin learning Immortal Arts now?"
The Jade Emperor shook his hand: "Spiritual practice is not something to be taken lightly. Heng'er is still young, so there is no rush for that. I simply want someone who can teach him to read and write, and keep him in check."
Taishang Laojun thought for a moment, then smiled: "I do have someone in mind."
"Please go on, Lao Jun."
"He is knowledgeable, gentle in temperament, and extremely patient—certainly the best companion for the Crown Prince."
Upon hearing this, the Jade Emperor suddenly understood: "How did I not think of him? Lao Jun is absolutely right; he truly is the best candidate. After returning, I will send Celestial Master Zhang to invite him."
When the two returned to the Tushita Palace, the sight before them made the Jade Emperor frown again. Taishang Laojun stroked his silver-white beard, finding it quite amusing.
Two Immortal Children were both afraid and hesitant to approach, unsure of what to do: "Crown Prince, this is Lao Jun's mount, the Rhinoceros King. How did you manage to ride it here?"
Yun Heng said: "I met him in the courtyard, gave him some pine nut cakes, and now he's mine."
"…"
The other Immortal Child said: "Perhaps you should get down first. The Rhinoceros King has a terrible temper; don't let him hurt you."
Yun Heng patted the great azure ox's head: "How could he? His temper is wonderful. I tell him where to go, and he goes."
As he spoke, he even had the great azure ox circle around the Eight Trigrams Furnace. Noticing what the two Immortal Children were holding, he asked: "What is this?"
One Immortal Child replied: "This is thousand-year jade marrow, used for alchemy."
Yun Heng examined it more closely: "Too hard, can't bite it. Change it to glutinous rice flour—soft and stretchy."
He then pointed at the other Immortal Child: "And what is that?"
"This is ten-thousand-year lingzhi."
Yun Heng broke off a small piece and put it in his mouth, immediately wrinkling his little face like a bun: "Too bitter, no, no. Change it to sesame seeds—sesame seeds are so fragrant."
"Add a little more white sugar, put it in the furnace, and the refined elixir will taste just like pastries."
The two attendants had listened to talk of mung bean cakes, lotus seed pastries, and glutinous rice balls all the way. Seeing his utterly content expression, they couldn’t help but wonder what those mortal pastries really tasted like. They even felt a twinge of envy toward the Great King Ox nearby, who had at least gotten a taste of the delicacies he described.
The two attendants couldn’t help but swallow their saliva: "Is… is it really that delicious?"
"Yes," Yun Heng generously waved his hand, "Next time, I’ll ask Sister Cai Ying to make more, and I’ll bring some for you to try."
"Ahem…" Taishang Laojun cleared his throat, descending the steps. "Just the other day, I heard Taibai Jinxing praising the Crown Prince for his innocent charm and clever wit. Seeing you today, it truly is so."
Taibai Jinxing was a disciple of Taishang Laojun. Having returned from the Tour of the Three Realms with the Jade Emperor, he came to pay respects to his master. When recounting the experiences along the way, the one he mentioned most often was Yun Heng.
His exact words were that the Crown Prince was mischievous and sharp-tongued, leaving Tathagata, Guanyin, and others speechless at Leiyin Temple.
The Jade Emperor, watching the little one dancing gleefully on the back of the Great King Ox, felt no surprise in his heart.
After all, his son had ridden both the Third Prince of the East Sea Dragon Palace and the Peacock Great Bright King Bodhisattva of Lingshan as mounts—what was Taishang Laojun’s Great King Ox in comparison?
"Heng’er!"
With a sweep of his wide sleeve, the Jade Emperor lifted Yun Heng from the back of the great azure ox. In the blink of an eye, the child flew to the Jade Emperor’s side and landed in the broad embrace of his Father Emperor.
The Jade Emperor gave his son a light pat on the bottom, intending to set him down. "Mind your manners. Apologize to Lao Jun at once."
The little one slipped out of his Father Emperor’s arms and indeed bowed respectfully to Taishang Laojun, his eyes crinkling into a smile. "I’ll come again tomorrow."
Taishang Laojun: "…"