A dragon! An omen of emperors

Chen Wei neither blushed nor lost his breath as he spouted outrageous boasts.

He spun his boasts into a shower of heavenly blossoms without so much as drafting them first, utterly unaware that the True Lord of Manifest Divinity had already begun paying attention.

But!

Yang Niansan listened with relish instead, her eyes sparkling as she privately calculated, Second Brother has always held his eyes above his head, never showing any favor to the Heavenly Hosts of Gods and Buddhas. Yet today he actually praised Qingquan in public? It seems he approves of his conduct. In that case...

Her thoughts drifted, wandering farther and farther.

Since Second Brother was pleased, she would have to find a free moment another day and invite Chen Wei to Guanjiangkou. She would prepare a few pots of Immortal Brew, and the two could play a board game and sip tea before the True Lord Temple.

Second Brother would surely be happy. He might even offer a few words of praise!

At that thought.

Yang Niansan's heart skipped a beat, and even the tips of her ears reddened.

Just then.

"My lord! Your subordinate has urgent business to report!" Ma Muzhi's voice sounded outside.

"Come in!" Chen Wei coughed lightly, dropped his boasting manner, and straightened in his seat.

Yang Niansan woke as if from a dream and lifted her cup, pretending to drink tea to conceal her fluster.

The door curtain was swept aside. Rubbing his hands, Ma Muzhi stepped over the threshold with a face full of smiles and cupped his hands toward the two exalted immortals. "Forgive me for interrupting your discussion, my lords. While on patrol yesterday, I happened upon a colleague from the Bright Hall. We had a most pleasant conversation-as they say, a thousand cups are too few when drinking with a kindred spirit."

"I found this immortal colleague steady in his conduct, with considerable depth and skill. Our Discipline Inspection Bureau is in need of personnel just now, and he happens to be seeking a better position and wishes to join us. He is waiting outside at present. My lord, would you..."

Chen Wei raised his brows slightly at that.

Anyone who could earn praise for his skill from an old hand like Ma Muzhi, who would never loose his hawk before sighting a hare, was certainly no ordinary figure.

The Folk Customs Censorate had only three and a half immortals, even counting generously. If an immortal volunteered to join them, why turn him away?

"Oh? Since he is a talent recommended by Old Ma," Chen Wei agreed at once with a nod, "invite him in!"

Delighted, Ma Muzhi hurried back outside.

A moment later.

A somewhat lean figure lifted the door curtain and walked slowly inside.

The newcomer wore blue-gray Daoist robes. His face was thin and refined, and he sported three long wisps of beard-the very picture of a strategist.

Ma Muzhi stepped forward and introduced him warmly. "Brother Wenhe, these two are our office's white-jade pillars holding up the sky, our purple-gold beams spanning the seas! Lord Chen and Lord Yang!"

The immortal took two steps forward and bowed to the ground, adopting an exceedingly humble posture. "Pang Long pays his respects to you both!"

Hearing his name, Chen Wei was a little startled.

Pang Long?

With the courtesy name Wenhe?

What a commanding name!

In the mortal world, a dragon was an omen of emperors!

Any family bold enough to include "dragon" in a name would inevitably attract suspicion. In the Heavenly Court, however, it was nothing remarkable. The Dragonfolk had long since declined, reduced to laborers under the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas, responsible for summoning clouds and bringing rain.

A fine name, but unfortunately born in the wrong realm.

Still, one paid a thousand gold pieces for a horse's bones to attract fine steeds.

Chen Wei understood well how to manage his subordinates. He promptly hurried around the magistrate's desk and personally took Pang Long by the arms. "Lord Pang, you simply must join our office! Though our bureau is newly founded and its foundations are somewhat thin, this is precisely the time when a hundred neglected undertakings are flourishing anew, with great things waiting to be done! I have long heard of your great talents, Wenhe. Now that we have you, my joy is beyond measure!"

"My lord, you have heard of your subordinate?" Pang Long asked, rather overwhelmed by the favor.

"That isn't important!"

Chen Wei patted his hand firmly and said with overflowing enthusiasm, "Your face is full of stories."

"I am moved to tears by your kindness, my lord." Something occurred to Pang Long, and his expression grew troubled. "It is just that... I originally served in the Bright Hall's Records Copying Office. A transfer between bureaus involves complicated procedures, and the clearance documents and transfer orders..."

No sooner had he finished speaking.

Yang Niansan swept her hand grandly, taking everything upon herself. "It is only a matter of a few approval papers. I will personally make the trip for you!"

Painting grand promises, offering favors.

Chen Wei and Yang Niansan struck from both sides, their combination flowing like clouds and running water.

Hearing them, Pang Long's eyes reddened.

He had wasted a full five hundred years in the Bright Hall's Records Copying Office, copying Case Files and carrying ink sticks day after day, suppressed by higher immortals and ostracized by his colleagues.

A large bureau sounded impressive, but its strict hierarchy left little hope of rising. A small bureau, by contrast, offered ample room for achievement.

Heavenly Court Iron Law: the smaller the bureau, the greater its authority!

Better the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix.

Establishing a firm foothold in a small bureau would be worth a thousand years of drudgery in the Records Copying Office!

"For granting me a new lease on life, my lords, I would die ten thousand deaths without hesitation!" Pang Long cupped his hands again, his loyalty now wholehearted.

Seeing this, Ma Muzhi stepped forward and draped an arm around Pang Long's shoulders, winking at Chen Wei. "My lord! Just look! From now on, you can sit securely in the central hall, with Bang De on your left and Wenhe on your right! With Lord Yang assisting and coordinating from the center, your smooth ascent into the azure clouds is only a matter of time!"

Bang De on the left, Wenhe on the right.

Excellent!

That called for draining a great cup of wine!

Chen Wei was overjoyed. With another trusted right-hand man, his makeshift team was growing ever more substantial.

However.

Joy was one thing, but the necessary testing could not be skipped. He had to take the man out for a run and discover what he was truly made of.

"Wenhe," Chen Wei said, lifting his teacup and blowing away the foam, "a great army is bearing down upon us, and the situation at the Heaven-Reaching River shifts like treacherous waves and clouds. Tell me, how should our bureau respond to the present turmoil?"

His original intention was to use the opportunity to discuss the essence of prudent survival: protecting oneself and fishing in muddy waters.

They would settle on a strategic policy of retreating to the second line and firmly refusing to stick their necks out.

Who could have imagined.

"How astute, my lord! Your subordinate has already devised a plan!" Pang Long's expression abruptly turned solemn, and he produced a rolled Cloud Map of the Heaven-Reaching River's waters.

On the scroll, densely packed red and blue dots interlaced. The troop deployments of the Three Demons and the Five Great Demon Sages, patrol routes across the river, and even hidden reefs and whirlpools on the riverbed were all clearly marked.

The instant Yang Niansan's gaze touched the Cloud Map, her eyes sharpened. "Lord Pang, where did this map come from?"

"In answer to Lord Yang," Pang Long stroked his beard with a light chuckle, his face full of pride, "your subordinate spent the past few days surveying the waterways and making calculations and deductions, then drew this comprehensive Cloud Map."

After studying the Cloud Map, Chen Wei's heart gave a jolt.

Good grief. He had wanted to hear about fishing in muddy waters, and Pang Long had produced a Cloud Map instead?

Pang Long cleared his throat and explained to his superiors, "In my view, the balance between us and the enemy appears clear, with our great army bearing down upon them, but fierce undercurrents are surging beneath the surface. If the True Lord orders an assault, the demons will certainly resist to the death. Therefore, your subordinate has a plan! Rather than fight, negotiate!"

"Negotiate?" Chen Wei froze.

"Precisely!" Pang Long's eyes shone as he spoke with easy confidence. "The two factions are already as incompatible as fire and water. All we need do is secretly sow discord! First, spread word in the Three Demons' camp that the Five Demon Sages have secretly sent an envoy with a letter of surrender, intending to help the heavenly troops close in in exchange for the title of Water Earl of the Heaven-Reaching River. Then spread word before the Five Demon Sages' lines that the Three Demons intend to coordinate with the Heavenly Court from within and without, sweeping up all hundred thousand demon soldiers in a single net!"

Growing more excited as he spoke, he chopped his hand downward. "Once suspicion has been stirred up, the Heavenly Court will push its army forward, presenting an overwhelming threat with the crushing force of thunder. But it must surround them without attacking, using intimidation alone! This is fighting to promote negotiation, and negotiating to promote fighting! Force the demons to slaughter one another amid terror and suspicion as they scramble for a chance to survive. Thus, without so much as the effort of blowing away dust, we can sweep the Heaven-Reaching River clean!"

What a venomous scheme!

Pull the firewood from beneath the cauldron, and borrow another's blade to kill the demons.

"Brother Wenhe..." Ma Muzhi gave an awkward chuckle. "Our bureau oversees folk customs and Conduct Discipline. Wouldn't a matter of this magnitude overstep our authority?"

"You are mistaken, Brother Bang De!"

Pang Long waved a hand with righteous solemnity. "One must attend to the duties of one's position! Since our lord has taken me in, I must repay him by weaving grass and bearing rings, offering a strategy to bring peace to heaven and earth. Only then can I repay his kindness in recognizing my worth! Even mountains of blades and seas of fire would not make me hesitate!"

Chen Wei's scalp prickled as he listened. He only wanted to play things safe. Who had asked for a strategy to bring peace to heaven and earth?

He was just about to offer a reminder.

But Yang Niansan slapped the magistrate's desk. "Brilliant! This plan is brilliant!"

She rose, her eyes blazing. This scheme was nothing short of charcoal delivered in a snowstorm!

If the plan to sow discord succeeded, it would not only dismantle Demonkind from within but also reduce casualties among the Heavenly Court's officers and soldiers, earning an unparalleled achievement.

If Second Brother won the battle, Chen Wei would naturally receive no small share of the credit.

At that thought.

Yang Niansan lifted her delicate brows and proposed to Chen Wei, "My lord, a splendid opportunity lies before us. We should immediately present this plan to the True Lord of Manifest Divinity, quell the Demon Calamity of the Heaven-Reaching River, and fight our way to a bright and peaceful world! How could we waste such an excellent scheme? How could that possibly be allowed? We must not permit it!"

Seeing her so enthusiastic, Chen Wei found himself too embarrassed to object.

He glanced over his colleagues. Ma Muzhi was drinking tea, plainly content to drift with the current.

Pang Long looked excited, and Yang Niansan was brimming with enthusiasm.

Xiao Yan...

Never mind. He had no say for the moment.

Could a lineup like this truly quell the Demon Calamity of the Heaven-Reaching River?