Reporting to the Heavenly Court

By the time the mountain god's banquet ended, it was already well past midnight.

Wen Ning sat beside the bonfire.

He watched Xiong Batian carry the last drunken boar spirit back to its cave over his shoulder.

He watched Xiao Ya stand at the entrance to the mountain god's temple, waving goodbye to the departing spirits one by one.

It was so late that he probably couldn't get a taxi, so this time Wen Ning flew straight back to his shop.

The big golden retriever lay fast asleep by the entrance. When Wen Ning stepped over him, he didn't even lift an eyelid. If Wen Ning relied on him to guard the place, thieves would clean it out.

Wen Ning flopped onto his bed and fell asleep.

The next morning, his phone woke him.

It wasn't an alarm, but a message from the Heavenly Court Personnel Department's number.

"Thunder Department Heavenly Official Wen Ning successfully resolved the fixation of a soul who had lived nine virtuous lifetimes, helped her fulfill her wish, and ensured her smooth passage into rebirth. Pursuant to Volume Three, Article Twelve of the Heavenly Court Merit Assessment Regulations, a reward of ten thousand merit points has been deposited into your payroll account.

Additionally, please report to the Heavenly Court Personnel Department within three days for a debriefing.

Note: Bring your debriefing materials. Issued by the Heavenly Court Personnel Department."

Ten thousand merit points. Wen Ning stared at the number and counted the digits three times to make sure he hadn't misread it. His irritation at being woken so early vanished instantly.

He had received seventeen hundred points for handling the Zhou Hu incident. His monthly salary was five thousand points, and advancing to the middle stage of Earth Immortal had cost him five thousand.

This merit reward alone was more than two months of his salary put together.

Before he could even close his mouth, Lu Ming's messages exploded in the group chat.

Lu Ming: Ten thousand merit points! Wen Ning, what did you do? Ten thousand!

Bai Lu followed with a message of her own, just three words.

Time to report.

Only then did Lu Ming catch on, sending several exclamation marks in a row.

You're coming to the Heavenly Court to report! That means we can meet! Wen Ning, you have to come find me at the Thunder Department office. The documents I've been copying lately are piled half a person high. I desperately need someone to come cheer me up and treat me to a meal.

Wen Ning saw that Lu Ming, a fellow office drudge, was still as lively as ever.

Sure. I'll be there tomorrow.

Then he put his phone back under his pillow and sat up in bed.

He walked over to the offering table, took three incense sticks from a drawer, and lit them.

Stepping back twice, he solemnly kowtowed three times, his forehead knocking against the floor, then spoke to the statue.

"Godfather, I'm going to the Heavenly Court to report tomorrow. I'll bring you some good stuff while I'm at it."

Wen Ning rummaged through the shop for ages, but he had practically no stock left. He had to make a trip to the supermarket for cigarettes and liquor.

The cigarettes he bought this time were far more expensive and upscale than his last carton of Liqun: a carton of Huazi.

He wrapped the cigarettes and liquor in old newspaper, put them in a plastic bag, and set it beside the offering table. Patting the bag, he muttered to the statue.

"Godfather, you said that last carton of Liqun wouldn't light in the Heavenly Court. I've changed brands this time. Maybe these will light. Even if they don't, you can smoke them over the incense burner. They should smell better than the last ones."

The next morning, Wen Ning got up bright and early. He prepared water and food for the big golden retriever, hung a "Closed" sign on the door, and flew straight up to the Heavenly Court.

Wen Ning was now a proper immortal, so he no longer needed to travel to the Heavenly Court in spirit form. He simply circulated his magical power, turned his whole body into a wisp of white smoke, and flew toward the Heavenly Court.

When he arrived at the Southern Heavenly Gate plaza, there were no jostling crowds this time. Only scattered immortals were there on business, each hurrying on their way.

Carrying the plastic bag of cigarettes and liquor, he looked around and was about to head down the familiar route toward the Thunder Department when a jingling of bells suddenly came from behind him.

"Wen Ning!"

Lu Ming jogged over from the far end of the corridor, the bells on his antlers ringing merrily.

He was wearing the same Thunder Department uniform today.

He looked as lively as someone who had just been let out.

He threw an arm around Wen Ning's shoulders, grinning so broadly he couldn't close his mouth.

"I knew you'd come today! I specially took an incense stick's worth of leave to wait for you at the entrance! Doesn't my robe look brighter than the last time you saw me? I learned a new cleaning spell. I dust my robe with it every day!"

Wen Ning looked Lu Ming up and down.

"It does look brighter. But did you use the cleaning spell on the wrong thing? Your robe's bright, but why do the bells on your antlers still look the same? Take them off and I'll polish them for you."

Lu Ming immediately covered his bells, looking thoroughly wary.

"These bells can't be replaced! My ancestor gave them to me! Come on, come on. There's still time before your report. Let's sit in our office first. The four of us can make a table."

"A table for what? Mahjong?"

Wen Ning asked. Could you play mahjong in the Heavenly Court?

Lu Ming opened his mouth but said nothing.

Apparently, he had suddenly remembered being muted last time and forcibly swallowed the word "mahjong."

Instead, he said,

"A table for tea. Tea. Bai Lu brought some new tea from Zhongnan Mountain. It smells wonderful."

The Thunder Department office looked just as it always had. Lu Ming's desk was in the farthest corner, piled with documents half a person high. His writing brush rested on the inkstone, and the ink had already dried.

Clearly, its owner had been gone much longer than the incense stick's worth of leave he had requested.

"Wen Ning."

Bai Lu looked up at him.

"Remember to format your debriefing report according to the Heavenly Court's standards. Someone used a mortal-world official document format for a funding approval report last time, and it was sent back to be rewritten three times."

"That was me."

Lu Ming spoke quietly beside him.

Wen Ning sat down next to Lu Ming and set the plastic bag by his feet. Meng Jiang glanced at it, the faintest smile curving her lips.

"Brother Wen Ning, did you bring cigarettes and liquor for the Heavenly Venerable again? He smoked the last brand over the incense burner for three days. The entire Thunder Department office smelled of cigarettes. Sister Bai Lu nearly sealed off the archive room."

"I changed brands this time. It's a big-name brand."

Wen Ning's expression didn't change in the slightest, as though they weren't talking about him. There were all sorts of subtleties to maintaining social connections. How could he possibly not bring gifts?

While they were chatting, the office door opened. Everyone fell silent at once.

Wen Zhong walked in, still wearing his purple official robes, with lightning flowing slowly across the fabric.

His gaze swept around the office, finally settling on Wen Ning, and he asked,

"Did you bring your debriefing materials?"

"Yes."

Wen Ning stood up.

"Good. If you have them, come with me." Hearing his godfather call him, Wen Ning picked up the plastic bag at his feet and followed Wen Zhong to his office.

As soon as they entered, Wen Ning said,

"The debriefing materials are on my phone. This is for you."

Wen Zhong lowered his eyes to the plastic bag with its newspaper-wrapped contents.

He knew what was inside without opening it.

"You changed brands this time?"

Wen Ning scratched his head and chuckled.

"Wasn't the last one too strong? I got a better one this time. If it won't light, you can still smoke it over the incense burner. It'll definitely smell better than the last one."

Wen Zhong didn't answer. He simply set the bag quietly on a corner of the desk, then turned back to Wen Ning.

"Your report. The entire process of resolving the fixation of the soul who lived nine virtuous lifetimes, from beginning to end. Explain every step clearly."

Wen Ning began recounting Xiao Ya's story from the beginning.