I am a fairy in Journey to the West

Chapter 266: Jade Emperor accumulates merits, Laojun gives guidance
Wuji Hall is one of the thirty-six halls in Taiwei Yuqing Palace. Unlike Tongming Hall, the occasion here is not so solemn. It is where the Jade Emperor summons his trusted ministers.

After Zhuang Yan and Taibai Jinxing arrived at the Wuji Palace, they were immediately summoned by the Jade Emperor.

Entering the Wuji Palace, there was only Yao Ji, the 'Zhong Sheren' of the Taiwei Yuqing Palace, and a group of female fairies and attendants from the Taiwei Yuqing Palace standing by.

The Four Heavenly Masters, the spiritual officials, and the Jade Emperor's close ministers who usually guard the Tongming Palace are not in the Wuji Palace at this moment.

Taibai Jinxing stepped forward first to report the order, then walked to the left side of the hall, standing upright with a whisk in his hand.

Zhuang Yan took a step forward, came to the center of the hall, bowed to the Jade Emperor and said, "Your Majesty, I, Zhuang Yan, pay my respects to you."

The Jade Emperor smiled slightly and said to Zhuang Yan, "No need to be polite here, Zhuang Yan, I asked you to come here to talk about your contribution this time."

Zhuang Yan asked doubtfully, "My contribution?"

The Jade Emperor nodded and said with a smile, "This time, you designed a plan with Erlang Shen to capture the Nine Heavens Blue Sky Demon King. I have ordered the four great celestial masters to record your merit, so I will not reward you this time."

At this point, as if worried that Zhuang Yan might be dissatisfied, the Jade Emperor continued, "You have accumulated a lot of merits, both big and small, here, but I have suppressed them and have not given you any credit. Do you know why?"

Zhuang Yan bowed his head and said, "I don't know. Your Majesty, please tell me clearly."

The Jade Emperor smiled calmly and said, "Why should I make this clear? Although you have accumulated a lot of merits now, they are not great enough to be promoted to the next rank, so I will accumulate some for you."

Zhuang Yan suddenly realized what was going on and immediately bowed his head and said, "I understand. Your Majesty has shown me so much kindness. I am deeply grateful."

"No need to say these empty words." The Jade Emperor raised his hand and said with a smile, "My dear, just understand it in your heart and don't complain."

Zhuang Yan bowed quickly and said, "The gods have their duties. They obey the laws of heaven and govern the sentient beings of the three realms. Even if there is no reward, I will still work diligently. How dare I complain?"

"Very good." The Jade Emperor nodded and said, "If you really think this way, it will be a blessing for the Heavenly Court and the Three Realms."

After saying this, the Jade Emperor said to Yao Ji, the attendant of the Taiwei Yuqing Palace, "Central attendant, give thirty of each of the imperial wine, golden flowers and other items to Lingtai Zhenjun."

"As you wish." Yao Ji nodded in response and then ordered her maid to bring thirty pieces of royal wine, golden flowers and other treasures to Zhuang Yan.

Although he said that he would not give any reward, the Imperial Wine and Golden Flower in front of him was actually a reward. Zhuang Yan took it and thanked the Jade Emperor for the reward.

The Jade Emperor smiled and said, "This is not a reward, but a treat."

Zhuang Yan bowed and said, "Thank you for the reward."

The Jade Emperor looked at Zhuang Yan and said, "Lord Lingtai, there may be many disturbances in the Three Realms in the future. Your Lord Yuji's Palace is stationed in the First Heaven, and you are in charge of the Demon Subduing Palace. You should be responsible for maintaining the stability of the Three Realms together with the other Immortal Lords."

Zhuang Yan bowed again and said, "I obey your order."

Afterwards, Zhuang Yan bid farewell to the Jade Emperor, exited the Wuji Hall, and left the Taiwei Yuqing Palace.

As soon as he left, an immortal official came to Zhuang Yan and bowed, "I am Li Jue, an official of the Dou Shi Palace, and I pay my respects to the True Lord of Lingtai."

Zhuang Yan was slightly surprised and asked, "Li Congshi, what do you want to talk to me about?"

Li Jue cupped his hands and said, "I, the little immortal, follow the order of the Supreme Lord Lao, and come to invite the True Lord of the Spiritual Platform to go to the Tushita Palace."

"Laojun is looking for me?" Zhuang Yan nodded, then raised his hand and said, "Let's go."

A moment later, Zhuang Yan brought Li Jue to the Tushita Palace. After Li Jue's notification, Zhuang Yan entered the Tushita Palace unimpeded and came directly to the alchemy room.

Laozi was directing the boys to fan the fire. Zhuang Yan immediately saw Kuimulang squatting beside the alchemy furnace. He was holding a palm-leaf fan in his hands and, at Laozi's command, was swinging the fan with both hands to quickly fan the fire.

Zhuang Yan smiled and said, "The palm leaf fan is about to smoke."

Kuimulang was sweating profusely from fanning the fire. When he heard this, he looked up and quickly stood up and asked, "Master Lingtai?"

"Oh my!" Taishang Laojun exclaimed, and rushed over and pointed at the alchemy furnace and said to Kuimulang: "Quickly fan it, that's the smoke in the alchemy furnace, you must not let it smoke. If smoke comes out, the fire is not enough and the elixir will be ruined."

Upon hearing this, Kuimulang turned pale with fright. Without caring about Zhuang Yan, he quickly squatted down and swung the palm-leaf fan to fan vigorously.

When he saw the wisp of green smoke disappear and a blazing flame burning in the alchemy furnace, Taishang Laojun breathed a sigh of relief.

He looked around the alchemy furnace, and when he saw that there were no more problems, he said, "You just keep fanning the fire, don't slack off, I will stay away for a while."

"Yes." Kuimulang and a group of fire-fanning boys responded respectfully.

Then Taishang Laojun turned around and looked at Zhuang Yan, who immediately bowed and said, "Greetings, Laojun."

Taishang Laojun immediately changed his expression, walked forward with a smile, took Zhuang Yan's hand and said, "Come on, let's go outside the alchemy room and talk."

Zhuang Yan nodded and smiled: "Okay."

Then Taishang Laojun took Zhuang Yan out of the alchemy room. The two stood in the corridor outside the alchemy room. Taishang Laojun glanced around and said, "I'm busy today and don't have time to entertain you. Let's talk here."

"Okay." Zhuang Yan smiled and asked, "Old Master, you called me here during your busy schedule. I wonder if there is something important?"

"It's very important." Taishang Laojun said, "The Nine Heavens Blue Sky Demon King is a chess piece and doesn't even know it. He is too smart and is heading for his doom step by step. Now the Great Emperor Changsheng and the Great Emperor Hou Tu are about to start the 'Xuanxian Tribulation'. I, the old Taoist, need to give you a few words of advice."

When Zhuang Yan heard this, he said solemnly, "Please give me some advice, Master."

Taishang Laojun looked at Zhuang Yan and said, "You are now in the Heavenly Immortal Realm, right?"

"Yes, I am in the celestial realm." Zhuang Yan nodded.

Taishang Laojun smiled and said, "Yes, you are practicing the Huiyuan Jingxin Method that I gave you. The fact that you can practice this method and reach the Heavenly Immortal Realm in such a short time is enough to show how extraordinary you are."

Zhuang Yan was surprised and asked, "Old Master, you must have remembered it wrongly. I have been practicing the Hui Yuan Jing Xin Fa for nearly a thousand years. Is that still short?"

"Short." Taishang Laojun said, "Even a nap I take is longer than this."

Zhuang Yan: “.”

Laojun laughed and said to Zhuang Yan: "Realm is realm, and magic power is magic power. Although your magical power is invincible in the world, your realm of Taoism is too far behind, so your mind and nature are not in harmony, and your realm is not clear."

"Then what should we do?" Zhuang Yan asked, "How can we improve our realm?"

Laojun stroked his long beard and said, "This 'Xuanxian Tribulation' is a good opportunity. You can enter the tribulation to train your mind and cultivate your realm."

At this point, Taishang Laojun looked at Zhuang Yan and said, "I would not teach this method to ordinary people, because ordinary gods and immortals would turn into ashes once they enter the calamity, and fall into the reincarnation and find it difficult to escape. But you are different. This Xuanxian calamity is more of an opportunity than a danger for you. You can come and go freely in this calamity. You can enter the calamity to train, and you can also take care of the God Department and other affairs without affecting each other."

After hearing what Laojun said, Zhuang Yan hesitated for a moment, then bowed and said, "I understand. Thank you for your guidance, Laojun."

Taishang Laojun looked at Zhuang Yan with a smile and said, "Look, I have taken such good care of you. How are you going to repay me in the future?" Zhuang Yan thought for a moment and then said seriously, "I have no way to repay your kindness. How about I take care of you in your old age?"

Taishang Laojun laughed and said, "Not impossible, then it's settled."

At this point, Taishang Laojun suddenly stopped smiling and added, "Oh, by the way, I have one more thing to tell you."

Zhuang Yan's expression became serious, and he said, "Please speak, old lord."

The Supreme Lord Lao said: "If you enter the calamity to cultivate your state of mind, you need to remember one thing, don't be too merciful. All those who enter the calamity have a predetermined fate. If you have compassion, you can make a small change to the fate of these people who enter the calamity, but don't make a big change, otherwise you won't be able to cultivate your state of mind."

When Zhuang Yan heard this, he nodded solemnly and said, "I'll remember it."

"Yes." Taishang Laojun nodded and smiled: "Okay, that's all I have to say. Take care of yourself. Don't forget that I am still waiting for you to take care of me in my old age."

"Hahaha." Zhuang Yanlang laughed and said, "Don't worry, old man."

After all, Taishang Laojun could not forget his furnace of elixir, and after giving instructions to Zhuang Yan, he turned around and went into the alchemy room.

Soon, Laojun's shouting was heard again, as well as the respectful responses of Kuimulang and a group of fire-fanning boys.

Zhuang Yan smiled slightly, then turned and left the Tushita Palace.

After leaving the Tushita Palace, Zhuang Yan was still busy and went all the way to the Thunder Department Heavenly Court.

When the Thunder Generals of the Heavenly Court saw Zhuang Yan coming, they all stepped forward to greet him. Zhuang Yan returned the greetings one by one, and then they all went all the way to the Golden Law Hall.

Lord Yisheng was sitting high in the Golden Law Hall. When he saw Zhuang Yan walk into the hall, he quickly stood up to greet him.

"Oh." As Yisheng Zhenjun walked down to explain, he bowed and smiled, "How come Zhenjun Lingtai has the time to come to my Tian Court today?"

Zhuang Yan sighed and said, "I don't want to come, but I have to."

Yisheng Zhenjun laughed, looked at Zhuang Yan and said with a smile: "Let me guess, you are not here for your old subordinate Tiger Vanguard, right?"

Zhuang Yan praised: "You guessed it right."

“Hahaha, look at what you said.” Yisheng Zhenjun laughed and said, “He is being tortured right here with me. It would be strange if I guessed wrong.”

Zhuang Yan nodded slightly, then bowed to Master Yisheng and said, "I'd like to trouble you, fellow Taoist. I want to see Tiger Vanguard after he has been punished."

Yisheng Zhenjun waved his hand and said, "No problem. He was supposed to be released to the lower world after his punishment."

At this point, Yisheng Zhenjun said to General Lei who was standing beside the main hall: "Go to the execution platform and see if Tiger Vanguard has finished his punishment. If he has, bring him here. Lingtai Zhenjun wants to see him."

General Lei clasped his fists and accepted the order, then left the Golden Law Hall like a dragon or a tiger.

Yisheng Zhenjun said to Zhuang Yan, "Come, come, Lingtai Zhenjun, please take a seat over here and have some tea while you wait."

Zhuang Yan smiled and nodded, extending his hand and saying, "Please come in, fellow Taoist."

Then the two of them sat down aside, and the servants in the palace immediately made tea and served it to them. The two of them drank tea and chatted while waiting for Tiger Vanguard to come.

Not long after, the Thunder General, along with the other two Thunder Generals and the Tiger Vanguard, entered the Golden Law Hall. When they arrived at the center of the hall, Zhuang Yan took a closer look and saw that the Tiger Vanguard's skin was burnt and his flesh was rotten, his eyes were wrinkled and his brows were sparse, and it was obvious that he had been hit and burned by thunder and fire.

Even if one has an indestructible body, at least a layer of skin will be broken under the thunder whip.

General Lei came forward and reported first, "Reporting to Master Yisheng, the Great Divine Tiger from Lingtai Mountain has been brought here."

'Tiger Vanguard' has become Hu Da's 'nickname', which basically represents this person, but for the sake of rigor, General Lei still calls him Hu Da.

Yisheng Zhenjun waved his hand, and General Lei immediately bowed and retreated. Then Yisheng Zhenjun pointed at Zhuang Yan and asked Tiger Vanguard with a smile: "Big Tiger, look who this is?"

Tiger Vanguard had already seen Zhuang Yan, but at this moment he could only pay his respects to Yisheng Zhenjun first, and then walked forward, knelt down in front of Zhuang Yan and said, "Your subordinate greets Zhenjun."

Zhuang Yan looked at the dejected Tiger Vanguard in front of him, and instead of asking him to stand up, he asked, "What happened to those spiritual peaches? When the Fire Spirit True Immortal was here, there were no mistakes. How come this happened when you became the God of Lingtai Mountain?"

Tiger Vanguard immediately bowed and said, "Please forgive me, Master. This is all my fault."

"What's the fault?" Zhuang Yan asked.

Tiger Vanguard hesitated for a moment and said, "The ripe peaches on Danchi Ridge have already been picked, and the remaining unripe ones can only be offered as tribute to the Heavenly Court."

Upon hearing this, True Lord Yisheng's eyes widened immediately, and the Thunder Generals and their subordinates in the hall looked at each other in bewilderment.

Zhuang Yan also took a deep breath and kicked Tiger Vanguard on the shoulder.

The Tiger Vanguard, who had received dozens of thunder whips but only suffered minor injuries, was kicked by Zhuang Yan and had several ribs broken, but the Tiger Vanguard did not make a sound.

"You idiot, the ripe peaches were picked, but you offered unripe peaches to the Heavenly Palace as tribute. Don't you know that those peaches are offered as tribute to the Jade Emperor?" Zhuang Yan scolded.

Tiger Vanguard said in a muffled voice: "The Jade Emperor is the supreme ruler of the Three Realms. He usually eats the golden elixir of Taishang Laojun, the peaches of Yaochi Jinmu, the dragon liver of the North Sea, and the phoenix gall of the South Mountain. How do I know that he will really eat the spiritual peaches of our Danchi Ridge?"

"Heh." Upon hearing this, True Lord Yisheng at the side laughed out loud.

Zhuang Yan's face turned dark, and he raised his foot to kick again, but when he saw the sunken ribs on the left side of Tiger Vanguard, he withdrew his foot.

Then Zhuang Yan said, "The Jade Emperor's words are golden. He will eat whatever he asks you to pay as tribute. You dare to fool the Jade Emperor like this? You must be tired of living."

Hearing this, Tiger Vanguard broke out in a cold sweat. Zhuang Yan asked again, "Who picked those ripe peaches?"

Tiger Vanguard's eyes immediately started rolling. Zhuang Yan saw this and said sternly, "Don't make a mistake."

Tiger Vanguard raised his head to glance at Zhuang Yan's face, then lowered his head, sighed deeply and said, "Master, those spiritual peaches were picked by Hu Lailai. This is all my fault. I didn't discipline him well enough."

Before Tiger Vanguard could finish his words, Zhuang Yan raised his hand to stop him and asked in confusion, "Why did Tiger Lailai pick those peaches?"

Hu Xianfeng's eyes flickered for a moment, but in the end he still didn't dare to lie to Zhuang Yan, so he reported the truth: "Replying to Master Zhen, Hu Lailai is in love with a female demon, and he brought people to steal the peaches and took them to the demon's cave."

Hearing this, Zhuang Yan burst into laughter and said, "Like father, like son." Then he said to Tiger Vanguard, "I understand. You can go back first."

Tiger Vanguard, who had already prepared himself to be scolded, was stunned when he heard this and said, "Master, you mean..."

Zhuang Yan waved his hand and said, "I'll ask you to leave and go back to Lingtai Mountain Divine Palace first."

Hearing this, Tiger Vanguard's heart rose to his throat, but he didn't dare to ask, nor did he dare to say anything more. He could only stand up with his body bowed, then bid farewell to Zhuang Yan and Yishen Zhenjun, and went straight out of the Golden Law Hall, leaving the Thunder Tribe and going back to the lower world.

(End of this chapter)