Hongjun wanted to hit someone. He wanted to beat the Jade Emperor senseless. He could live with Qin Fen derailing things-he was used to it by now-but why the hell did the Jade Emperor have to give him trouble too? As the Heavenly Dao Incarnation, he had thought it through: as long as Qin Fen stayed away, there would be fewer unpredictable factors. That was why he had used the Heavenly Demon and Xi to help Chi-Mei-Wang-Liang and cause Big Chef some trouble. And it had worked pretty well. Just look!
Now Qin Fen kept such a close eye on Xi that he even held Xi while eating, afraid Xi would pull something. Worry clouded his judgment, and Qin Fen had therefore skipped today's court assembly. Everything had gone according to Hongjun's calculations. This move had been not only risky but ingenious, accounting for everyone's greed and conflicting interests. It was truly sinister and ruthless.
The Jade Emperor had been kept in the dark all along, advancing step by step exactly as Hongjun had predicted. Once the appointments were announced, Hongjun would have succeeded. The Jade Emperor might seem to have reaped all the benefits, but that was only one small part of the picture.
What did a city or a stronghold amount to compared with the whole world? A small, localized setback did not determine the overall outcome. Hongjun wanted to slay the great dragon-to destroy Qin Fen's path to becoming an incarnation.
He would use Chi-Mei-Wang-Liang to keep Qin Fen occupied and plant obstacles throughout the lottery reform, slowing his acquisition of merit. Then he would turn to helping Chi-Mei-Wang-Liang stir up trouble in the Mortal Realm. That would leave Qin Fen scrambling, and once his mind descended into chaos, everything would spiral out of control. Strengthening the