Wen Ning had just pushed open the door and returned to the shop. Before he could put away the box containing the Imperial Seal of China, the phone in his pocket began vibrating wildly.
It buzzed loudly even through his trouser pocket. He had only just set the box on the counter.
He fumbled for his phone, and the name Broom Star flashed on the screen.
The moment he answered, the voice on the other end nearly burst his eardrums.
"Wen Ning! What's going on with Feng Dema?! Did you promise him something?"
Broom Star was so loud that Wen Ning's eardrums throbbed even without the speakerphone on.
Wen Ning held the phone farther away, his brows knitting and his expression darkening.
"What has Feng Dema done now?"
"What hasn't he done!"
Broom Star sounded ready to fall apart.
"He's camped out in the square in front of the Heavenly Court's Southern Heavenly Gate, looking everywhere for a girlfriend! Every female immortal who passes by—officials on duty, immortals gathering herbs, even the young fairies serving the Queen Mother—he's gone up and asked every last one!"
Wen Ning's pupils contracted slightly. This was bad.
"I never told him to do anything like that."
"But he keeps insisting he heard it from you!"
Broom Star sighed, his helplessness evident even over the phone.
"He tells everyone that if you pass the exam for a permanent Heavenly Court position, you get assigned a girlfriend. Now the whole square is in an uproar. Several female immortals have come to the Misfortune Department to complain that he's blocking their way and hitting on them, disrupting traffic."
Wen Ning felt a headache coming on. He frantically searched his memory. When had he ever said anything so ridiculous?
"I really never said that."
"I don't care whether