Chapter Summaries

After being transferred from the Bright Hall to the Immortal Works Bureau, Chen Wei was pressured to sign off on a cloud road inspection that could leave him responsible if anything went wrong. He refused both the signature and Lu Beiwang’s attempted bribe, and left to report the matter to their chief.

• Chen Wei completed his three-month secondment at the Bright Hall and learned that his advanced forging credential had earned him a transfer to the Immortal Works Bureau.
• Lu Beiwang presented Chen Wei with a jade slip for urgently signing the reinspection and verification of a half-built cloud road outside the Southern Heavenly Gate.
• Chen Wei suspected he was being set up to take responsibility for defects and pointed out that an official, not a newly transferred clerk, should sign the verification.
• Lu Beiwang tried to bribe Chen Wei with a storage pouch, but Chen Wei returned it and refused to sign.
• Chen Wei told Lu Beiwang they should report to their chief and flew away.

Chen Wei used the Heavenly Laws to avoid signing off on the faulty Cloud Road, but Zhong Heng dismissed him from the Immortal Works Bureau. Back at the Bright Hall, Chen Wei asked to stay under Hou Zong, who revealed that he had a task for him.

• Chen Wei refused to endorse the Cloud Road verification documents without inspecting the project, citing the Heavenly Laws.
• Zhong Heng pressured Lu Beiwang and Chen Wei to share responsibility, but Chen Wei proposed a thorough inspection that could delay delivery.
• Zhong Heng ordered Lu Beiwang to sign and dismissed Chen Wei from the Immortal Works Bureau.
• Chen Wei told Hou Zong that strict Heavenly Laws had sent him back and asked to remain at the Bright Hall.
• Hou Zong said that a task was available.

Chen Wei and Ma Muzhi searched Mount Hua for dust spirit grass before visiting the Third Holy Mother Temple, where a scholar prayed to Yang Chan for success and a good marriage. The chapter left the scholar being told he had worshipped the wrong immortal.

• Chen Wei and Ma Muzhi searched Mount Hua for dust spirit grass while discussing their hopes and duties in the Heavenly Court.
• A grand procession carrying Third Holy Mother Yang Chan passed overhead, and Chen Wei reasoned that her powerful relatives excused her extravagant display.
• Chen Wei found a stalk of dust spirit grass, and Ma Muzhi persuaded him to visit the Third Holy Mother Temple in search of an opportunity.
• The two immortals disguised themselves as mortal travelers and joined the pilgrims at the temple.
• Liu Yanchang prayed to Yang Chan for examination success, prosperity, a large family, and a good marriage, and someone nearby told him he had chosen the wrong immortal.

At the Third Holy Mother’s temple on Mount Hua, Chen Wei rebuked Liu Yanchang for treating the gods like paid servants and demanding blessings in exchange for incense. Yang Chan, disguised as a handsome scholar, watched Chen Wei defend her; Liu Yanchang was left speechless.

• Liu Yanchang argued that the gods should grant his wishes because he had offered incense, and the handsome scholar mocked his greedy reasoning.
• Chen Wei and Ma Muzhi entered the temple, and Chen Wei stepped in after hearing Liu Yanchang insult the gods.
• Chen Wei criticized Liu Yanchang for expecting divine favors to replace hard work and called his offering a bribe.
• Liu Yanchang claimed gods existed to dispel mortal hardships, but Chen Wei argued that people had to rely on themselves and immortals rose above worldly greed.
• Chen Wei declared that he revered the Third Holy Mother above all, leaving Liu Yanchang unable to answer and Yang Chan impressed by him.

Chen Wei defeated Liu Yanchang with a spontaneous poem at the Third Holy Mother's temple and met Yang Niansan, whom he suspected was a divine guardian general. As Chen Wei and Ma Muzhi returned to the Heavenly Court, Ma Muzhi showed him how to make their completed assignment look arduous before reporting to Hou Zong.

• Chen Wei rebuked Liu Yanchang's claims about literature with a poem praising the Third Holy Mother, and Liu Yanchang fled after losing the argument.
• Yang Niansan praised Chen Wei's poetry and insight, exchanged names with him, and departed after a brief conversation.
• On their way to the Southern Heavenly Gate, Ma Muzhi revealed that he recognized Yang Niansan as a powerful immortal, and Chen Wei guessed she served the Third Holy Mother as a divine guardian general.
• Chen Wei explained that showing allegiance to powerful immortals could earn him goodwill, while privately recognizing Ma Muzhi's skill at navigating Heavenly Court politics.
• Before reporting their assignment to Hou Zong, Ma Muzhi smeared dust on his shoes so they would look travel-worn, and Chen Wei understood that appearances mattered more than how hard they had worked.

Chen Wei and Ma Muzhi returned to the Bright Hall, where Hou Zong revealed that Li Yin had summoned them to meet Taibai Jinxing. Chen Wei met the Star Lord and tried to prove his usefulness, but Taibai Jinxing restrained him and praised his actions on Mount Hua.

• Chen Wei and Ma Muzhi reported their assignment to Hou Zong, who welcomed them warmly and asked about Chen Wei's background.
• Hou Zong told them Li Yin would take them to see Taibai Jinxing and asked them to help advance his career.
• Li Yin brought Chen Wei and Ma Muzhi to a secluded courtyard, then told Ma Muzhi to wait while Chen Wei went inside.
• Chen Wei found Taibai Jinxing fishing with a straight hook and offered to enter the pond to help catch the dragon carp.
• Taibai Jinxing stopped Chen Wei, warned him against acting recklessly, and praised his work on Mount Hua.

Taibai Jinxing assigned Chen Wei and Ma Muzhi to work under Li Yin, who established the Folk Customs and Morals Inspection Bureau for them. Chen Wei became its Chief Official and Ma Muzhi its Deputy Official after they received Heavenly Immortal tokens, leaving the newly formed office ready to begin its work.

• Taibai Jinxing praised Chen Wei and assigned him and Ma Muzhi to follow Li Yin’s arrangements.
• Li Yin led Chen Wei and Ma Muzhi to a secluded white-jade hall and named it the Folk Customs and Morals Inspection Bureau.
• Li Yin left two Heavenly Immortal tokens at the office and departed.
• Chen Wei and Ma Muzhi used their tokens to become Heavenly Immortals and transform their bodies.
• Chen Wei took the Chief Official post, while Ma Muzhi became Deputy Official and pledged to serve under him.

Chen Wei and Ma Muzhi received an assignment to investigate the withering spirit-fruit plants on Flower-Fruit Mountain, while Yang Chan visited Taibai Jinxing to thank him for helping Chen Wei. Yang Chan questioned whether immortality required endless loneliness, and Taibai Jinxing told her to return to cultivation as he offered to keep an eye on Chen Wei.

• Chen Wei and Ma Muzhi read Li Yin's order to investigate the withering spirit fruits on Flower-Fruit Mountain and set off for the mortal realm.
• Li Yin greeted Yang Chan at Taibai Jinxing's courtyard, but she brushed past him and went inside.
• Yang Chan thanked Taibai Jinxing for helping Chen Wei ascend and join the newly formed bureau.
• Taibai Jinxing warned Yang Chan not to let her involvement with Chen Wei grow beyond repaying her karmic debt.
• Yang Chan asked whether immortals had to abandon their emotions and endure loneliness, and Taibai Jinxing avoided answering while promising to watch Chen Wei.

Chen Wei and Ma Muzhi arrived at Flower-Fruit Mountain to investigate a suspicious blight affecting its spirit peach and Immortal Apricot trees. They encountered an inscrutable monk, while mountain god Xiahou Lie prepared to deal with them at the temple.

• Chen Wei and Ma Muzhi bypassed the mountain god's temple and headed straight to Flower-Fruit Mountain to catch its officials unprepared.
• Chen Wei and Ma Muzhi found orchards of withered fruit trees and confirmed that the blight described in the case records was real.
• A monk suddenly appeared nearby, recognized them as immortal officials, and mocked their ability to investigate the case.
• Ma Muzhi protested the monk's contempt, and the monk sarcastically urged them to investigate with all their might.
• At the mountain god's temple, Xiahou Lie told Big Bear to pretend to cooperate with the heavenly officials while secretly plotting against them.

Chen Wei and Ma Muzhi investigated the dead fruit trees on Flower-Fruit Mountain and caught Shen He poisoning their roots. At the Mountain God Temple, Shen He took the blame, but Chen Wei rejected the flimsy confession and pressed for the real motive.

• Chen Wei tried to revive a dead apricot tree with immortal energy, but it withered again, confirming that the trees’ deaths were no ordinary matter.
• Chen Wei caught Shen He fleeing with a pouch of black pills and brought him and the evidence to the Mountain God Temple.
• Xiahou Lie recognized Shen He, berated him, and steered him toward confessing that he had acted alone out of hatred for the monkeys.
• Shen He claimed he had poisoned the trees because he could not stand the monkeys on Flower-Fruit Mountain.
• Xiahou Lie declared the case solved, but Chen Wei questioned why Shen He would target the fruit trees instead of the monkeys.

Chen Wei and Ma Muzhi interrogated Shen He over the poisoned fruit trees, while Xiahou Lie tried to shield himself from the investigation. Just as Shen He was about to confess, Big Bear burst in and stabbed himself, threatening to make the heavenly officials answer for his death.

• Ma Muzhi silenced Shen He and beat him while accusing him of poisoning the fruit trees.
• Chen Wei told Xiahou Lie that Shen He’s pill suggested someone else was behind the crime and proposed they investigate together.
• Chen Wei described the Netherworld punishment awaiting Shen He, frightening him into preparing to confess.
• Big Bear stormed into the hall over delayed mountain excavation papers, and Xiahou Lie blamed the investigation for holding up local affairs.
• Big Bear stabbed himself in the chest and threatened Chen Wei and Ma Muzhi with responsibility if he died.

Chen Wei resisted Xiahou Lie’s attempts to bribe the Heavenly Court officials into blaming Shen He for Flower-Fruit Mountain’s withered trees. He ordered an investigation into the real cause, and Xiahou Lie tried to stop him.

• Chen Wei subdued Big Bear and repeatedly pulled out and replaced his knives until Xiahou Lie pleaded for him to stop.
• Xiahou Lie offered Chen Wei and Ma Muzhi Merit Gold Bricks as local specialties and proposed blaming Shen He for the ruined orchard.
• Chen Wei questioned why Flower-Fruit Mountain had Merit Gold Bricks and refused the growing bribe despite Ma Muzhi’s temptation.
• Chen Wei warned that Taibai Jinxing would see through a false report and ordered Ma Muzhi to investigate the roots of the withered trees.
• Xiahou Lie declared that Chen Wei could not investigate because he was in charge of the Mountain God Temple.

Chen Wei and Ma Muzhi exposed Xiahou Lie’s attempt to obstruct their investigation, then Chen Wei explained to Taibai Jinxing why he had refused a thousand years of merit. Taibai praised his pragmatism and sent him to Mount Potalaka, where Chen Wei noticed an unusual fragrance on his Auspicious Cloud.

• Chen Wei accused Xiahou Lie of obstructing the Flower-Fruit Mountain investigation, and Ma Muzhi revealed that a Recording Stone had captured Xiahou Lie’s remarks.
• Chen Wei and Ma Muzhi returned to the Heavenly Court with the Recording Stone, and Xiahou Lie warned them that they would meet again.
• Taibai Jinxing asked Chen Wei whether he had been tempted by the offered merit, and Chen Wei admitted he had but explained why accepting it would be unwise.
• Taibai Jinxing praised Chen Wei, gave him a personal token and an Auspicious Cloud, and ordered him to visit Mount Potalaka.
• Chen Wei passed Li Yin, flew to Mount Potalaka, and noticed a faint, unusual fragrance coming from the cloud.

Chen Wei received Guanyin's spiritual water and revived Flower-Fruit Mountain's dead orchard, while Xiahou Lie and Big Bear were found dead in a staged suicide. The Monk rewarded Ma Muzhi with a golden hair and offered to guide Chen Wei's descendants, but refused to take Chen Wei as a disciple.

• Muzha gave Chen Wei a Jade Bottle of spiritual water on Guanyin's instructions.
• Ma Muzhi told Chen Wei that Xiahou Lie and Big Bear had been found stabbed and hanged, with suicide notes blaming themselves for destroying the fruit trees.
• Chen Wei refused to investigate the deaths, citing the limits of the Folk Customs and Morals Inspection Bureau's authority.
• Chen Wei used the Jade Bottle's sweet dew to restore Flower-Fruit Mountain's withered trees and bring forth immortal fruit.
• The Monk praised Chen Wei and Ma Muzhi, gave Ma Muzhi a golden hair, and promised to guide Chen Wei's descendants, but rejected Chen Wei as a disciple.

Chen Wei closed the Flower-Fruit Mountain case and proposed buying its surplus spiritual fruit for the Heavenly Court, earning Taibai Jinxing's approval and a new assignment. Taibai also appointed a deputy to Chen Wei's bureau, and Chen Wei returned to find the newcomer already waiting.

• The monk hinted that Flower-Fruit Mountain's surplus spiritual fruit could be put to use, and Chen Wei returned to the Heavenly Court with Ma Muzhi.
• Li Yin tried to take over Chen Wei's case report, but Chen Wei insisted on reporting directly to Taibai Jinxing.
• Chen Wei reported the case's resolution and proposed purchasing Flower-Fruit Mountain's fruit as official tribute for the Heavenly Court.
• Taibai Jinxing approved Chen Wei's proposal and told him to negotiate with the Jade Pool, then appointed another deputy to the bureau.
• Chen Wei returned to the bureau and was surprised to see the incoming deputy waiting in the inner hall.

Yang Niansan joined Chen Wei and Ma Muzhi's office as their new colleague, and the two immortals tried to assess her powerful connections while flattering her. After she shattered a floor tile in protest at their calling the Holy Mother old, Chen Wei mistook her devotion for romantic affection and left her unable to correct the misunderstanding.

• Yang Niansan arrived at the office and confirmed she was the assistant Taibai Jinxing had appointed.
• Chen Wei and Ma Muzhi silently concluded that Yang Niansan had powerful backing and treated her with exaggerated respect.
• Chen Wei asked about the Holy Mother, and Ma Muzhi and Chen Wei praised her for helping them attain the Heavenly Immortal Dao fruit.
• Yang Niansan stamped and shattered a white jade floor tile when Chen Wei and Ma Muzhi called the Holy Mother a venerable elder.
• Chen Wei and Ma Muzhi praised Yang Niansan's footwork, easing the awkwardness and making her laugh.
• Yang Niansan explained that the Holy Mother was unmarried and not old, but Chen Wei took this as proof of a secret romance and invited her to take the seat of honor.

Yang Niansan joined Chen Wei and Ma Muzhi’s office and offered them tangyuan, which they found unbearably sweet but praised out of deference to Her Holiness. When Yang brought out more boxes, Chen Wei redirected the gathering into an official discussion about the Flower-Fruit Mountain fruit tree case.

• Yang Niansan accepted the seat of honor by instinct, then hurriedly gave it to Chen Wei and explained that she had forgotten the rules.
• Yang Niansan presented tangyuan as a welcoming gift and said that Her Holiness enjoyed them.
• Chen Wei and Ma Muzhi forced themselves to eat the overly sweet tangyuan and praised them, inventing sentimental memories to please Yang Niansan.
• Yang Niansan brought out three more boxes of tangyuan, and Chen Wei solemnly shifted the gathering to official business.
• Chen Wei praised the office’s success at Flower-Fruit Mountain and began issuing instructions while Ma Muzhi applauded and Yang Niansan joined in.

Chen Wei agreed to take Yang Niansan with him to the Jade Pool, where her token let them pass the guards without question. After she nearly mentioned entering the Lingxiao Palace freely, Chen Wei suspected she was the secret lover of Mount Hua's Third Holy Mother.

• Yang Niansan asked to accompany Chen Wei to the Jade Pool, while Ma Muzhi volunteered to handle the fruit inventory on Flower-Fruit Mountain.
• Yang Niansan reminded Chen Wei and Ma Muzhi to finish the tangyuan before they left, and they ate the blessed food.
• Yang Niansan assured Chen Wei they could go straight to the Jade Pool without filing an official document, then led him there on an Auspicious Cloud.
• Yang Niansan showed the Gate-Guarding Heavenly Generals a jade token, and they let her and Chen Wei enter without checking their identities.
• Yang Niansan began to boast that she could enter the Lingxiao Palace, then stopped herself and hurried deeper into the Jade Pool.
• Chen Wei inferred that Yang Niansan might be the Holy Mother's secret lover and that the Great Heavenly Venerable tolerated their relationship.

Chen Wei accompanied Yang Niansan to the Jade Pool, where the Seven Fairies approved Flower-Fruit Mountain’s spirit fruits for the Heavenly Court’s supplies. As the fairies teased Chen Wei and invited him closer, Yang Niansan sharply forbade him from approaching.

• Yang Niansan brought Chen Wei into the Jade Pool’s Main Hall, where all Seven Fairies welcomed and teased them.
• Yang Niansan asked the Seven Fairies to register Flower-Fruit Mountain’s spirit fruits as Jade Pool supplies, and Hong'er approved the request.
• The Seven Fairies reminisced about their encounter with the Great Sage Equal to Heaven in the Flat Peach Orchard and said there was no need to report the matter to their mother.
• Lu'er invited Chen Wei to come closer to thank her, and Chen Wei decided to approach and flatter the fairies.
• Yang Niansan turned around and sharply forbade Chen Wei from going closer.

Chen Wei secured the Jade Pool’s approval for the Heavenly Court’s fruit tribute while Yang Niansan handled the Seven Fairies alone. After learning the tribute could earn his group a share of merit, Chen Wei celebrated the opportunity, while Yang Niansan left abruptly after asking for two days’ leave.

• Yang Niansan warned Chen Wei to stay away from the Seven Fairies, then let Zi’er pull her into their playful embrace as Chen Wei left the hall.
• Ma Muzhi told Chen Wei that the monkey clan had agreed to let them claim twenty percent of the merit from Flower-Fruit Mountain’s tribute fruit.
• Chen Wei planned to divide the merit between himself, Ma Muzhi, and Yang Niansan and use the rest to smooth the assignment’s path through the Heavenly Court.
• Yang Niansan emerged with the Jade Pool’s stamped register, and Chen Wei praised her for securing the assignment and its credit.
• Yang Niansan requested two days’ leave and flew away, leaving Chen Wei confused as he clutched the register.