Chen Wei and Ma Muzhi had only just settled their roles as chief and deputy; they had not even had time to wipe down their chairs.
Outside the hall, a streak of golden light tore through the air, shot inside like a flying sword, and hovered steadily above the long white-jade desk.
The light faded, revealing a scroll in the Heavenly Court's standard format.
Li Yin had sent it. He would not even meet them face-to-face, instead using magic to assign work from afar.
Chen Wei swept it with his divine sense, taking all the information in the document into his mind.
A moment later, he handed the document to Ma Muzhi beside him. "Lord Ma, we'll need to make a trip to the mortal realm."
"Flower-Fruit Mountain?" After reading the document, Ma Muzhi wore a peculiar expression.
For those serving in the Heavenly Court, some names were always on their lips, while others were forbidden words kept buried at the bottom of a chest.
What sort of place was Flower-Fruit Mountain?
It was the stronghold where Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, had first risen to prominence!
Back then, that formidable figure had carried his As-You-Will Golden-Banded Staff from the Southern Heavenly Gate all the way to the doors of Lingxiao Palace, fighting the whole way. Every one of the Heavenly Star Generals had fallen beneath his staff. What a dazzling record of battle!
Now the Great Sage had attained enlightenment, been named the Victorious Fighting Buddha, and taken up residence in the Western Heaven.
But everyone in the Heavenly Court had tacitly buried that old history deep in the Heavenly Treasury. No one wished to touch it lightly.
By now, Flower-Fruit Mountain had become a special territory beyond the Heavenly Court's jurisdiction.
Investigate a case in the Victorious Fighting Buddha's old home?
The cause was this: the lands under Water Curtain Cave on Flower-Fruit Mountain produced a rich variety of spirit fruits. With harvest approaching, the spirit-fruit plants covering the mountains had mysteriously withered within just a few days.
On the surface, it was a matter of fruit.
But to the Heavenly Court's seasoned old hands, these waters ran very deep.
If they failed to uncover anything, the higher immortal would blame them for incompetence, and their new bureau would have its signboard taken down before it had barely opened.
If they uncovered something shady and it implicated the monkeys of Flower-Fruit Mountain, who would take the lightning strike if the Victorious Fighting Buddha raised a ruckus?
Li Yin had sent the document without a single personal word. Clearly, he wanted to watch them make fools of themselves.
"Lord Ma." Chen Wei's expression grew solemn. "The higher immortal's wording in this document is quite stern. The withering of spirit fruits concerns the livelihoods of the common people below. As the Discipline Inspection Bureau, we cannot afford to be careless!"
"Let's gather our things and head down immediately!"
His bureaucratic rhetoric rang loud enough to shake the heavens.
In truth, he was setting the tone for this operation: handle official business by the book and leave no opening for criticism.
Ma Muzhi understood at once. Straightening his back, he solemnly clasped his hands. "A wise judgment, my lord! There's no time to lose. Let's depart at once!"
Neither needed to spell it out.
They put away the document, turned, and headed out of the hall.
Meanwhile.
Outside the Quiet Courtyard where Taibai Jinxing cultivated in seclusion, an unusual fragrance drifted in on the breeze.
A graceful figure appeared at the end of the courtyard path.
She wore a Moon-White Tassel Dress and no makeup, her dark hair pinned up with a single plain jade hairpin.
Once Li Yin recognized her, his perpetually stern expression vanished.
The ice melted, and a spring breeze caressed his face.
Li Yin hurried forward, his face brimming with an eager smile as he bowed slightly. "Third Holy Mother!"
Yang Chan stopped, glanced at him, and gave a slight nod in acknowledgment.
Her manner was distant, utterly unremarkable.
Li Yin did not mind the cold reception. The woman before him was the Jade Emperor's own niece and True Lord Erlang's own younger sister. With such exalted standing, what god or buddha in all the heavens would not show her a measure of deference?
Besides, the Holy Mother had always been aloof, keeping everyone a thousand miles away.
"This way, Third Holy Mother." Li Yin stepped aside and personally led her, keeping half a step ahead. "The Star Lord is fishing inside. What perfect timing for your visit today. Yesterday, I went to the Jade Pool on an errand and thought I might bring you some newly offered Immortal Tea along the way, but I couldn't find you..."
"Thank you, Lord Li." Yang Chan's voice was flat, without the slightest inflection. Cutting off his chatter, she walked straight through the Moon Gate into the courtyard without even looking at him.
The smile froze on Li Yin's face. Embarrassment flashed in his eyes, but he quickly concealed it.
Once that cool fragrance had drifted away, he stared fixedly at the Moon Gate, both hands clenched into tight fists.
The Holy Mother is aloof.
As long as I keep greeting her, year after year, I'll surely knock open the door to her heart.
At the Clear Pool.
Taibai Jinxing still sat upright beside the pool, holding the Straight-Hook Fishing Rod.
Yang Chan walked gracefully to his side and shed her icy mask.
"You're here." Taibai Jinxing spoke with a chuckle, without turning around.
"Star Lord." Yang Chan gave a sweet laugh and dipped in a slight bow, a touch of girlish satisfaction in her voice. "Thank you."
The bureau had only just been established.
The Heavenly Immortal Token had only just been made.
For Chen Wei, a Loose Immortal with no backing whatsoever, to ascend to heaven in a single stride was naturally not a matter of good luck. It was all thanks to Yang Chan working behind the scenes and personally asking Taibai Jinxing for a favor.
"That lad is reasonably sharp." Taibai Jinxing gave a soft grunt and shook the fishing rod in his hand. "He knows how to judge the times and circumstances, and he has a nimble tongue."
"Still, pulling up seedlings to help them grow may bring fortune or disaster. That will depend on his own destiny. I won't meddle."
"I understand."
A sly gleam flickered through Yang Chan's beautiful eyes.
All the gods and buddhas believed the Third Holy Mother was unapproachable, cold as ice. None knew that her supposed coldness was merely a cloak of self-protection.
Whether she was cold depended entirely on whom she faced.
That lowly Immortal Official had disregarded life, death, and personal stakes in the Holy Mother Temple, denouncing mortal greed and publicly defending her good name.
Naturally, Yang Chan was willing to guide the boat along the current and grant him an opportunity.
At the thought, she gave a sweet laugh. "Star Lord, next time I'll make your favorite Tangyuan for you."
"Tangyuan?" Taibai Jinxing's hand trembled, and he nearly lost his dignified bearing as a Star Lord.
The Tangyuan the Third Holy Mother made herself were sweet enough to choke an immortal. Back then, he had merely offered one compliment: "I love these!"
And the Third Holy Mother had remembered it ever since.
"Well..." Taibai Jinxing's eyes shifted slightly, and he laughed. "I looked over that lad's record. It seems he likes Tangyuan too-the extra-sweet kind, at that."
"Oh?" Yang Chan blinked. Only she knew what she was thinking.
Seeing her reaction out of the corner of his eye, Taibai Jinxing muttered inwardly.
The old Star Lord had lived for countless years. What storms and waves had he not weathered?
The Great Heavenly Venerable's family affairs had always been the greatest taboo in the Three Realms. Fairy Yunhua's tragic descent to the mortal realm in pursuit of mortal love, Erlang Shen's cleaving a mountain to rescue his mother-each incident was a sharp sword hanging overhead.
"Chan'er."
Taibai Jinxing put away his smile and spoke earnestly. "The Heavenly Laws are strict. Do not act recklessly. Repaying the karmic debt from the temple is enough; don't let fresh branches grow from the matter. We immortals may seem lofty and mighty, able to summon wind and rain, but in truth, we are not masters of our own lives. There is so much we cannot help. Everything must follow the rules."
At his words, the sweet smile gradually faded from Yang Chan's lips.
She fell silent for a long while, then sighed softly. "Star Lord, the Heavenly Laws are merciless. Must becoming an immortal mean severing the seven emotions and six desires, and enduring boundless loneliness?"
Taibai Jinxing closed his eyes and said nothing.
The straight hook hung above the water. There was neither wind nor ripple, and even the Dragon Carp below no longer dared leap above the surface.
Through wind and rain, how many yuanhui had the old Star Lord spent maneuvering within the whirlpool of power in Lingxiao Palace?
Every day, he had to fathom the Great Heavenly Venerable's wishes and balance the various powers. Even drinking a sip of tea required his thoughts to round three bends.
Loneliness?
There was no such thing.
"Go back and cultivate in peace." Taibai Jinxing did not answer directly. He merely shook his fishing rod and spoke mildly. "I'll help you keep a closer eye on that lad."
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