This Old Man Happened to Have a Task at Hand

Taibai Jinxing exposed the matter at Mount Hua with a single remark. Waves surged in Chen Wei's heart, yet his expression only grew more respectful.

Before a high immortal, the greatest taboo was taking pride in one's own achievements.

"You praise me too highly, Star Lord." Chen Wei lowered his eyes, his tone sincere. "Regarding Mount Hua, I merely spoke out for what was right, upheld the dignity of the high immortals, and defended the Heavenly Court's good name. Those were simply an Immortal Official's duties. I dare not claim any credit; it was all thanks to your excellent guidance."

Hearing this, Taibai Jinxing stroked his beard and chuckled.

With his fishing rod set aside, the Star Lord turned and looked Chen Wei up and down. "An astute young man. Not only capable, but mindful of the rules as well. It seems your time copying records in the Bright Hall was not wasted."

"That Immortal Official outside has a good eye, too. He knows how to read the times and weigh the circumstances."

Chen Wei's heart trembled.

The Star Lord had even seen through Ma Muzhi, who was huddled outside the courtyard wall like a frightened quail. These mighty beings truly possessed unfathomable depths.

Taibai Jinxing leisurely straightened his cuffs. "This old man happens to have a task at hand that needs the two of you to handle."

A task at hand.

Those words fell lightly, yet struck Chen Wei's ears like an explosion of spring thunder.

Among the countless Loose Immortals in the Bright Hall, who had the good fortune to meet Taibai Jinxing even once?

Let alone work for him!

An assignment?

Was that merely an assignment?

It was a ladder to boundless seas and skies!

"I will brave boiling water and raging fire, and would not shrink from ten thousand deaths!" Suppressing his excitement, Chen Wei cupped his hands.

"You overstate it." Taibai Jinxing waved a hand, picked up his fishing rod again, and returned his gaze to the water. "Only a small matter. Go find Liang Ping."

With that, the Star Lord closed his eyes and said no more.

Chen Wei respectfully bowed in thanks, then backed out of the courtyard.

Outside the courtyard.

Ma Muzhi was crouching at the foot of the wall. Seeing Chen Wei emerge in one piece, he hurried forward to meet him.

Li Yin stood to one side, expressionless.

He was the Liang Ping whom Taibai Jinxing had mentioned. The Star Lord's personal name was Li Chang Geng, while his own surname was Li and his given name Yin.

Both bore the surname Li. Their relationship spoke for itself.

The Heavenly Court's waters ran deep, its ties of patronage intertwined. There were lessons to learn everywhere.

Without entering the inner circle, one did not even qualify to know the familiar names of the high immortals.

Chen Wei strode forward and cupped his hands toward Li Yin. "High Immortal, the Star Lord instructed the two of us to await your arrangements."

"Come." Li Yin raised his eyelids slightly, his manner as haughty as ever.

They rose on a cloud, circled around the Bright Hall's main complex, and flew farther and farther out of the way.

A short while later, the cloud descended before a secluded courtyard.

As an important precinct of the Heavenly Court, it naturally lacked the cobwebs, dust-covered floors, and decay of the mortal world. The side hall was built entirely from flawless white jade, glowing faintly with spiritual light. Its floor shone like a mirror, untouched by a speck of dust.

It was simply too bare.

There were no carved beams or painted pillars, no immortal maidens or mighty attendants-not even a plaque above the entrance.

Quiet, empty, and utterly devoid of life.

Li Yin pointed at the white-jade side hall, his tone indifferent. "From now on, this will be your office."

Ma Muzhi craned his neck to look inside. Apart from a long white-jade desk and a few chairs, there was nothing.

That was it?

"Thank you for the arrangements, High Immortal." Completely unconcerned by the desolate surroundings, Chen Wei immediately cupped his hands and accepted the order.

What did it matter if their workplace was out of the way?

So long as the Star Lord had assigned it, even a bare white-jade cave would be the Heavenly Court's most coveted treasure ground.

"High Immortal, forgive this lowly subordinate's ignorance." Ma Muzhi summoned his courage to ask, "May I ask what our office is called? I've never heard of an office here before."

"The Folk Customs and Morals Inspection Bureau." Li Yin casually supplied a name, then glanced at Ma Muzhi. "It just came into being."

Just came into being.

A casually invented name and a randomly chosen vacant white-jade hall were enough to conjure a Heavenly Court office out of thin air.

Throw in two random Loose Immortals, and the office was fully staffed.

Li Yin said no more. He took out two objects and casually tossed them onto the long white-jade desk inside the hall. "Collect your Command Tokens and begin your duties immediately."

With that, he transformed into a streak of light and vanished into the sky.

"Farewell, High Immortal..." Ma Muzhi gave a couple of dry chuckles, rubbed his hands, and walked into the hall, looking around. "Brother Qingquan, we've really made something of ourselves. We've even landed inspection posts in the Bright Hall. Our ancestors can bask in the glory!"

Chen Wei did not answer.

His eyes were fixed on the two Command Tokens Li Yin had left behind, his gaze burning.

Whether the place was deserted or bustling did not matter to him at all.

On the long white-jade desk, a faint golden sheen flowed across the two tokens, making them entirely different from the Loose Immortal badges hanging at their waists.

Ma Muzhi followed Chen Wei's gaze and glanced at them as well.

The next instant.

He shuddered all over and stammered, "H-Heavenly Immortals?"

Loose Immortals and Heavenly Immortals were separated by a mere word, yet the gulf between them was as vast as heaven and earth.

Only with Heavenly Immortal registration did one truly enter the ranks of the official immortals.

Besides serving as identification for the Folk Customs and Morals Inspection Bureau, these Command Tokens were the essential credentials for entry into the Heavenly Immortal Register!

Chen Wei closed his eyes and drew a deep breath.

Steady.

He seized his own Heavenly Immortal token. Immortal energy passed through his palm and reached every limb and bone.

Ma Muzhi lifted his Command Token in both hands, his grin nearly reaching his ears. He could not stop smiling. "We've struck it rich! Struck it rich! To think I, Ma Muzhi, would live to become a Heavenly Immortal! Seventh Great-Uncle, do you see this? Little Ma has finally made something of himself! I'm a Heavenly Immortal!"

Overcome with emotion, he shed tears, his eyes reddening.

Only those at the bottom who had truly struggled and scraped their way through knew the bitter hardship of being a Loose Immortal in the Heavenly Court.

Every day was spent trembling with apprehension, at the beck and call of the gods.

Of course, Immortal Second Generations with powerful connections were an exception. They wore the title of Loose Immortal merely as a form of training and could not be considered genuine Loose Immortals.

Chen Wei did not mock Ma Muzhi's loss of composure. Without suspecting anything amiss, he decisively extended his spiritual sense into the Command Token in his palm.

A moment later.

Golden light blazed across the Command Token's surface. Runes of the Heavenly Dao intertwined and spiraled before finally settling into several seal-script characters. Immediately afterward, vast, pure heavenly court origin immortal energy poured back into his body from the Command Token. Like parched land receiving sweet rain after a long drought, Chen Wei's long-constrained Loose Immortal body completely transformed into a flawless, immaculate Heavenly Immortal body.

An Immortal Official had become an immortal officer.

A fish had leaped through the Dragon Gate. From now on, boundless seas and skies awaited.

Beside him, Ma Muzhi opened his eyes half a beat later than Chen Wei.

The pure aura of a Heavenly Immortal likewise lingered around him, and even his back had straightened somewhat.

Ma Muzhi reined in his earlier loss of composure, then stepped half a pace back, bent at the waist, and bowed to Chen Wei with cupped hands. "Lord Chen. My surname is Ma, my given name Muzhi, and my courtesy name Bang De. From now on, we'll be wielding ladles over the same pot! Please look after me, my lord!"

Hearing this, Chen Wei raised an eyebrow.

His courtesy name was Bang De?

Ma Muzhi, Ma Bang De.

His colleague certainly had a fine courtesy name.

The Command Token stated it perfectly clearly: the Folk Customs and Morals Inspection Bureau would have one Chief Official and one Deputy Official.

Chen Wei held the position of Chief Official, while Ma Muzhi occupied the subordinate post of Deputy Official.

A makeshift troupe it might be, but the Heavenly Court's hierarchy was set in stone.

Ma Muzhi was an astute immortal. He had already determined their respective ranks within the tokens. Calling Chen Wei "my lord" was entirely proper, both demonstrating his willingness to obey and drawing them closer as colleagues. He was slippery enough to slide right out of one's grasp.

Chen Wei reached out as if to help him up, his tone gentle. "You're too courteous, Brother Bang De. We both serve under the Star Lord, so we brothers should cross the river in the same boat. Our office has only just been established, and a hundred neglected tasks await attention. I'll certainly be relying on your efforts in the days ahead."

"Wherever you point, my lord, I'll strike! Without the slightest hesitation!" Ma Muzhi straightened with the gesture and thumped his chest in assurance.

Inside the white-jade side hall, the two newly promoted immortal officers swiftly established their superior-subordinate relationship.

The chessboard had been laid out.

Now, it remained to be seen who would enter the game first.