Wangshu's eyes, as cold as ten-thousand-year ice, clearly reflected Xiao Kuang's eager, utterly punchable "Want a membership card, darling?" smile, along with the bizarre scene of Zixiao Palace, where laws and hedonism had fused in a grotesque blend.
She remained silent for a full three breaths.
During those three breaths, Zixiao Palace was so quiet that a pin dropping could be heard. Every great power held their breath, afraid that the slightest sound would ignite this ancient sacred being's fury and cause a "Lunar Apocalypse" to play out across the Primordial Chaos ahead of schedule. Xi He and Chang Xi were trembling at their fingertips, on the verge of fainting.
Yet the expected freezing of ten thousand miles never came.
Wangshu's gaze shifted from Xiao Kuang's face and slowly swept across the palace once more. Her eyes paused in turn upon the bubbling hot spring pool, the crystal walls flashing with game screens—the internet café area—the KTV rooms filled with wailing and howling, where Jieyin and Zhunti were still inside, and the plump, sturdy dragons, phoenixes, and Kirin in the rear courtyard, who were clearly living quite comfortably.
At last, her gaze returned to the silent Xi He and Chang Xi, lingering briefly on their visibly more solid and profound origins, as well as the nearly negligible karmic burden upon them.
Her cool voice rang out again, carrying the faintest hint of inquiry. "This place... is how you 'teach the Dao'?"
Seeing an opening, Xiao Kuang immediately pressed his advantage, grinning as he stepped closer twice—only to be stopped by an invisible barrier of moonlight. "Oh, Sister Wangshu, you're truly a woman of insight! You grasped the essence at a glance! That's right, my Zixiao Palace specializes in 'cultivating happily and attaining sainthood with ease'! So, what do you think? The environment's not bad, right? Our employee benefits are among the best in the Primordial Chaos!"
He pointed at Xi He and Chang Xi. "Look at them. Back when they worked in the Heavenly Court, they got up earlier than chickens, worked harder than oxen, and still had to bear karmic risks. Since coming here, they get food, lodging, and entertainment included, their karma has been completely cleared, and their cultivation has been soaring! Oh, right!"
As though recalling something, Xiao Kuang slapped his forehead and shouted at Xi He and Chang Xi, "Quick! Show Sister Wangshu our 'core corporate culture'!"
Under their master's gaze, Xi He and Chang Xi were so ashamed that they nearly wanted to burrow into the ground. Yet under Xiao Kuang's tyranny—and the Heavenly Dao's faint threats—they still trembled as they unwillingly... pulled three streams of Primordial Violet Qi from their sleeves, which they had been using as hand warmers.
In an instant, the splendid radiance of the Primordial Violet Qi, mysterious and profound and containing the opportunity for sainthood, illuminated Wangshu's cool eyes and nearly blinded every great power secretly watching within the hall!
The Three Purities dropped their fly-whisks. Di Jun Tai Yi nearly crushed the wine cups in their hands. Jieyin and Zhunti poked their heads out from the KTV, drooling all over the floor. Every great power's heart convulsed wildly! Primordial Violet Qi! And three streams of it! They were just casually being held in their hands? Used as toys?! What a waste of heavenly treasures! How unfair was the Heavenly Dao!
Wangshu's pupils also contracted slightly. Naturally, she recognized the item. It was a symbol of the Heavenly Dao's authority, the key to attaining sainthood. Back then, Fellow Daoist Hongjun had exhausted every scheme and plotted through countless epochs for even a single stream. Yet this unreliable young man had casually produced three streams for his... maidservants to warm their hands?
It was utterly absurd! Yet it was happening right before her eyes.
Xiao Kuang planted his hands on his hips smugly. "See that? Those are our benefits! Primordial Violet Qi, as much as you want! Sister Wangshu, if you stay, your compensation will only be better! I'm still lacking a Technical Director, specifically responsible for... uh... lowering the air-conditioning temperature throughout the palace? Or perhaps an Image Ambassador. The endorsement fee is negotiable!"
Heavenly Dao (flashing wildly): Warning! Core assets are being used for illegal recruitment! Logic error! Values conflict! @#￥%&*...
Wangshu fell silent again. She looked at the three streams of Primordial Violet Qi, then at her two disciples, whose faces were full of shame but whose condition was indeed astonishingly good. Finally, she looked at the young Dao Ancestor, whose face plainly said, "Come switch jobs, the benefits are amazing."
Within the icy lake of her heart, the pillar of ice called "common sense" was developing more and more cracks.
After a long while, just as everyone thought she would refuse or fly into a rage, she slowly spoke. Her voice remained cool, but her words left everyone dumbfounded.
"Yes."
"???" Everyone was stunned.
Xiao Kuang was overjoyed. "You agreed?"
Wangshu replied flatly, "I wish to reside here temporarily and observe." Her gaze swept over Xi He and Chang Xi, lingering slightly on the word "observe." "Observe how you 'teach the Dao,' how you 'manage,' and... the source of the disturbances in this place's laws."
After all, she could not rest easy leaving her two disciples in such a bizarre place. Moreover, she felt an extraordinarily rare curiosity toward the being who had awakened her from slumber, could casually distribute Primordial Violet Qi, and seemed to have even left the Heavenly Dao helpless.
Xiao Kuang did not care about her reasons. As long as she was willing to stay, that was enough! He immediately pulled out a glittering golden... employment contract drafted from the laws of the Heavenly Dao—a template he had made up himself.
"No problem! An observer is great! Observers work hard! Come, sign this 'Zixiao Palace Senior Consultant Employment Contract,' and we'll be one of our own! Food and lodging included, three catties of Innate Spirit Fruit and ten catties of Chaos Spirit Spring every month, double pay at year's end, and if you perform well, you'll even get a Primordial Violet Qi year-end bonus!"
Wangshu's gaze swept over the contract, which was filled with bizarre clauses such as "slacking-off allowance," "paid leave," and "free KTV singing coupons." The corner of her eye seemed to twitch almost imperceptibly. Yet she said nothing, merely extending a slender jade finger and lightly tapping the end of the contract.
A cool moonlight seal was branded upon it. The contract was established! The laws of the Heavenly Dao notarized it automatically!
Bzzzz—!!!
At that moment, the heavenly secrets of the entire Primordial Chaos suddenly descended into chaos!
High above, the intangible and formless core of the Heavenly Dao that maintained the operation of the Primordial Chaos seemed to have been forcibly connected to an extraordinarily ancient, extraordinarily cold, and extraordinarily "noncompliant" variable!
The Heavenly Dao, already frequently crashing and producing garbled code because of Xiao Kuang, now detected that an ancient sacred being who should have been asleep had not only been tricked awake by its proxy, but had also formally joined "Zixiao Palace Entertainment Co., Ltd." and signed that employment contract which severely violated the Heavenly Dao's original intent...
Deep within the Heavenly Dao's core, countless chains of law collided wildly, twisted, and knotted together!
A series of enormous, glaring crimson garbled messages containing endless chaotic information, like a cascading waterfall of system failure, instantly flooded the spiritual senses of every great power in the Primordial Chaos above the Quasi-Saint realm:
[Heavenly Dao Gibberish]...
Every great power who sensed the garbled heavenly secrets spat out a mouthful of blood in unison, their Dao hearts suffering another devastating blow!
What the hell was all this?! Paid leave? KTV coupons? Heavenly Dao, wake up! You're the Heavenly Dao! Why were you spouting nonsense too?! And it even seemed like you had gotten so angry that you flipped a table and went to sleep?!
Xiao Kuang sensed the ridiculous gibberish as well. Stroking his chin thoughtfully, he said to the bewildered Wangshu, "See? Even the Heavenly Dao is so happy that it's speaking incoherently and setting off fireworks to celebrate your hiring! That proves my management philosophy has received the highest recognition from the higher-ups!"
Wangshu: "..." Looking at this Dao Ancestor who was spouting nonsense with a perfectly serious face, then sensing the Heavenly Dao's obviously collapsed garbled messages, she felt a deep emotion called "regret" toward her decision to "observe" for the first time.
After spewing out that massive pile of gibberish, the Heavenly Dao seemed to truly enter some kind of "standby hibernation" state. Only a few meaningless fragments of code still flickered occasionally: "#overtime... forbidden... blessings... are blessings... #Primordial Violet Qi... hand warmer... #salted fish... eternity... #Zzzzz..."
Zixiao Palace's new Technical Consultant/Image Ambassador/Observer—Wangshu—officially began her employment amid the Heavenly Dao's garbled background noise. As she watched Xiao Kuang excitedly drag her off to try the "latest massage service at the foot bath parlor," alongside her two disciples' expressions that said, "Master, please take care of yourself," a trace of indescribable... confusion and heaviness appeared in her cool eyes for the first time.
Keeping him from harming her disciples? This task... seemed hundreds of millions of times more arduous than she had imagined.
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