Above the Heaven-Reaching River
An unmarked Flying Boat cut through the river breeze, gliding over the water.
Inside the Flying Boat, Chen Wei handled the purple clay tea set on the tea table with the ease of flowing clouds and running water.
He drew water, lit the fire, warmed the cups, and awakened the tea leaves.
Every step was meticulous, his manner impeccable.
Before a senior who called himself Zhang Tian and whose cultivation was unfathomable, playing the humble grandson was nothing to be ashamed of. Waiting on him was simply a basic skill.
"Senior, please enjoy your tea." Holding the cup in both hands, Chen Wei respectfully offered it to the Great Heavenly Venerable.
"Fine tea." The Great Heavenly Venerable took the cup and gently brushed aside the floating leaves with its lid.
Yang Niansan sat beside them, her gaze flicking between Chen Wei and her uncle from time to time. Only she knew what she was thinking.
The Great Heavenly Venerable blew on the steam and took a small sip.
"Lord Chen." The Great Heavenly Venerable set down his cup and cast Chen Wei a sidelong glance, his tone easygoing. "Let us chat a little. Tell me, have you gained anything from this trip to the lower realm?"
Chen Wei's heart tightened.
This Senior Zhang was plainly dressed in casual clothes and presented himself as Yang Niansan's elder, yet the moment he spoke, the unmistakable air of an examination came rushing at Chen Wei.
This was a casual chat?
It was clearly a year-end performance review in the Bright Hall.
The figures of the Heavenly Court's mighty cultivators flashed through Chen Wei's Sea of Consciousness. Who among them bore the surname Zhang?
Zhang Daoling of the Four Great Celestial Masters?
No. Celestial Master Zhang spent his days refining pills and carried the scent of medicinal herbs. This man did not.
One of the Heavenly Lords of the Thunder Department?
He racked his brains, but could not find a single high-ranking immortal official surnamed Zhang who matched the man before him.
Naturally, Chen Wei did not dare let his thoughts reach as high as the Lingxiao Palace. To low-ranking immortal officials, the Great Heavenly Venerable's mortal surname was a secret.
All those thoughts flashed past in an instant.
Since he could not determine the other man's exact background, he could only aim high, sing lofty praises, and display flawless ideological awareness.
Chen Wei's expression turned solemn, and he replied respectfully, "To answer your question, Senior, this junior has indeed gained a great deal from coming to the Heaven-Reaching River. If I were to sum it up in one sentence, I would say that Demonkind has far too bitter a life."
At those words,
Yang Niansan froze, and the Great Heavenly Venerable stopped drinking his tea.
By the standard answers expected of Heavenly Court officials, when faced with Demonkind causing unrest, one should either speak of rooting out evil completely or proclaiming Heaven's might. Even the more slippery officials would advocate steady progress and gradual measures.
Neither of them had expected this.
Chen Wei, who had just stirred up infighting among the demons on the Heaven-Reaching River and burned a Demon Sage's vital supply base to the ground, had opened by expressing sympathy for demons.
"Oh?" The Great Heavenly Venerable raised his eyebrows, his tone still even. "Explain in detail, then. What makes their lives so bitter?"
Chen Wei met the Great Heavenly Venerable's gaze and spoke earnestly. "Senior, you see clearly. The lesser demons at the bottom are born in the wilderness and have never been educated. A few Peerless Kings at their head need only beguile them with a handful of careless words, and they muddle along after them, stirring up trouble and rebelling."
"What wrong have they done?
"They merely want a better life. Driven by Demon Kings to fight the Heavenly Court to the death, they suffer terrible casualties. How innocent they are!"
The more Chen Wei spoke, the more smoothly the words came. He clasped his hands and saluted toward the Heavenly Court from afar. "The Great Heavenly Venerable once said that the Heavenly Dao is benevolent and its radiance shines upon the Three Realms. This junior believes that blindly slaughtering Demonkind is an inferior strategy. As the rightful authority of the Three Realms, our Heavenly Court has both an obligation and a responsibility to reorganize them!"
"We must assign them honest livelihoods and guide them onto the proper path."
"Only then can we demonstrate the vast grace of our Heavenly Court! Only then can we demonstrate the benevolence of the Heavenly Dao!"
His words rang like stones striking the ground, their echoes lingering among the rafters.
Yang Niansan fixed her beautiful eyes on Chen Wei, feeling as though a dazzling halo surrounded him.
The Third Holy Mother chiefly cultivated the compassionate Great Dao and naturally resonated with words such as universal love, enlightenment, and redemption.
Of course,
those words could only stir that resonance when they came from Chen Wei's mouth.
If another immortal delivered the same speech?
No.
"Well said!" Before the Great Heavenly Venerable could comment, Yang Niansan immediately cheered. "Lord Chen, your words have swept the fog from this humble official's mind. My lord, your awareness truly is lofty."
The Great Heavenly Venerable took in every change in his niece's expression without exposing her. He merely smiled meaningfully. "A fine idea."
"You flatter me, Senior. These truly are this junior's sincerest thoughts." Chen Wei lowered his head slightly, his face full of humility.
It truly was an honest expression of his innermost thoughts.
It was just that his understanding of the Heavenly Dao's benevolence differed from Yang Niansan's by roughly a hundred and eight thousand miles.
What skill was there in fighting and killing?
Kill a wild ox demon with a single sword stroke, and at most you could skin it and strip out its sinews. A one-off deal-not worth it.
But what if you brought it into the fold?
Give the wild ox demon a Heavenly Court badge and send it to reclaim spiritual fields. It could work for five hundred years and still have to say thank you.
With a legitimate trade and livelihood, who would still follow a Demon King into trouble?
As for the demons' chaotically managed holdings, those too would have to come under the Heavenly Court's jurisdiction. The Heavenly Court would establish an independent office to assist with their management, bringing not only Demonkind but humans and aquatic races into one coordinated system.
Over time, everyone would have a bright future.
With that cycle repeating, the Heavenly Court could shine upon the Three Realms and endure for ten thousand ages.
If that was not the benevolence of the Heavenly Dao, what was?
After a moment of silence, the Great Heavenly Venerable said slowly, "Qingquan, serving as a True Immortal is beneath your talents."
How could Chen Wei dare put on airs?
When navigating the Heavenly Court, the greatest taboo was climbing the pole the moment someone held it out.
A superior immortal's praise was courtesy. Taking it seriously was foolishness.
He hastily composed his expression and bowed even deeper. "Senior, you honor this junior far too much. Cultivation ranks are merely empty titles. Whether one is a True Immortal or a Heavenly Immortal, ultimately, it is all for the Three Realms. If we hold the title of immortal, we must shoulder an immortal's burdens. If we care only for our own freedom and never think of relieving the troubles of the Three Realms,
"then why be immortals at all?"
"We might as well go farm in the mortal world!"
"Good!" His gaze deep as an abyss, the Great Heavenly Venerable stared steadily at Chen Wei for a long while. "Remember what you said today. Let us return."
With that, the Great Heavenly Venerable swept his wide sleeve, signaling that their conversation was over, and had Chen Wei steer the Flying Boat back to the Vanguard Camp.
Chen Wei and Yang Niansan stood shoulder to shoulder, watching the Flying Boat slowly rise into the sky and head straight for the Heavenly Court.
Yang Niansan had not left with her uncle.
Her reason was unimpeachably proper: her assignment was unfinished, so how could she abandon her post?
The Great Heavenly Venerable could do nothing about his niece. Besides, he had already given his promise in private, so he could only let her stay.
All around them was quiet. Ma Muzhi had long since found an excuse to send the patrolling Heavenly Soldiers away.
The spacious deck was empty, with only the two immortals remaining.
Yang Niansan glanced left and right before edging half a step closer to Chen Wei. "Lord Chen."
"What is it?" Chen Wei kept his eyes forward.
"This humble official has an immortal friend..." Yang Niansan's gaze wandered. "She has recently encountered a difficult matter and feels quite confused. She does not know what choice to make. I was thinking that, since you are so widely experienced and your plans never miss a thing, might I ask you for some advice?"
Chen Wei turned his head, his expression odd.
One of the great lies of the Three Realms: I have a friend.
That line was exactly the same in the Heavenly Court as in the mortal world.
Chen Wei raised an eyebrow, amusement in his eyes. "An immortal friend?"
"Yes! Truly an immortal friend!" Yang Niansan steeled herself and nodded.
"Lady Yang!" Chen Wei sighed and asked pointedly, "You are that immortal friend, aren't you?"
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