I am a fairy in Journey to the West

The Great Luo Heaven, the Taiwei Yuqing Palace, the Tongming Hall.

After leaving the Tushita Palace, Zhuang Yan strolled slowly around, though his face was somewhat flushed.

The Mount Sumeru Dharma Assembly ended yesterday, and Zhuang Yan went to heaven to report to the Jade Emperor. Unexpectedly, he encountered Laozi on the way, so he went to the Tushita Palace and drank a few cups of immortal wine made with lotus root and purple gold pills, so he was a little drunk.

Upon arriving outside the Tongming Hall, Zhuang Yan, feeling the effects of the alcohol, saw several spirit officials patrolling ahead and quickly waved, saying, "You all come here quickly."

Zhu Lingguan frowned, turned his head and saw a drunk man standing there, holding his head, and the smell of alcohol emanating from him could be smelled from afar.

Zhu Lingguan was immediately enraged. "Fine, so they've come here drunk and causing trouble outside the Tongming Hall. I'd like to see which deity is so audacious."

Thinking of this, Zhu Lingguan drew his golden whip from his waist and waved to the other spirit officials behind him, saying, "Let's go, capture this madman, beat him up first, and then send him to the Thunder Department to be punished."

Upon hearing this, the spirit officials drew their golden whips, rolled up their sleeves, and surrounded him menacingly.

"Which deity do you think you are? How dare you cause such a drunken scene outside the Tongming Hall? You're courting death!" Zhu Lingguan shouted coldly, then stepped forward and grabbed Zhuang Yan's right wrist.

Zhuang Yan casually lowered his right hand from his forehead, revealing his entire face. The next moment, the golden whip clattered to the ground.

Zhu Lingguan and the other spirit officials were all dumbfounded, their faces filled with astonishment, and cold sweat poured down their foreheads.

"The Great Emperor Shenxiao?" Zhu Lingguan quickly changed his "pulling" to "lifting," supporting Zhuang Yan's right hand and saying, "Why did you come alone? Where is the imperial carriage? Where are the chariots? Where are the heavenly soldiers and generals who were escorting you? These people are really derelict in their duties!"

Zhuang Yan raised his hand and pressed it on Zhu Lingguan's shoulder. "Don't move. Let me hold on for a while. Laozi's wine is too potent."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Lingguan immediately said to one of the spirit officials, "Old Xie, quickly go and get some hangover soup."

Xie Lingguan responded and quickly turned to leave. Then Zhu Lingguan gestured to the other Lingguan, who immediately stepped forward, squatted down, and formed a support with their arms. Zhu Lingguan then helped Zhuang Yan sit down.

"Hmm," Zhuang Yan turned his head and glanced at him, then squinted and asked, "What's your name?"

Zhu Lingguan quickly replied, "Reporting to the Great Emperor Shenxiao, I am one of the five hundred spirit officials, and my secular name is Zhu Quan."

"Good, you're very good," Zhuang Yan said with a smile.

Zhu Quan was overjoyed and quickly bowed, saying, "Thank you for the praise, Great Emperor Shenxiao."

At this moment, Xie Lingguan also rushed over with a bowl of hangover soup. Although he was running, the soup in the bowl did not ripple at all.

"The hangover soup is here." Xie Lingguan handed the hangover soup to Zhuang Yan. "Divine Emperor Shenxiao, please have the hangover soup."

Zhuang Yan opened his mouth, and Xie Lingguan quickly and carefully fed him the soup. Zhuang Yan felt a sour and cool sensation upon entering his mouth, followed by a sweet and fragrant taste that lingered in his mouth.

After taking three sips, Zhuang Yan suddenly shuddered, a cool and sweet saliva welling up under his tongue, instantly sobering him up by more than half.

"Good stuff." Zhuang Yan instantly sobered up, got up and took the jade bowl from Xie Lingguan's hand, and drank all the remaining hangover soup in one gulp.

"What's this hangover soup made with?" Zhuang Yan asked.

Xie Lingguan shook his head and said, "Divine Emperor Shenxiao, this soup was specially prepared by the goddesses and fairies of Taiwei Yuqing Palace. I don't know what the recipe is."

"Oh, it's alright." Zhuang Yan understood. The Jade Emperor often hosted banquets for all the gods and Buddhas, so naturally he would always have some celestial soup to help people sober up.

Zhuang Yan had only asked casually, but then he noticed the golden whips scattered all over the ground and asked, "What happened here?"

Zhu Lingguan and the others were immediately embarrassed. They bent down to pick up the golden whip and said with a smile, "We were afraid it would hurt His Majesty, so we simply threw it on the ground."

"Oh," Zhuang Yan said with a smile, "I believe you."

Zhu Lingguan and the others were even more embarrassed, and the atmosphere fell silent for a moment. Zhuang Yan laughed and said, "Alright, alright, I am not a petty person."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and bowed to Zhuang Yan, saying, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Immediately, the official in charge of prayers asked, "Your Majesty, where are your imperial carriage, ceremonial guards, and attendants?"

Zhuang Yan waved his hand and said, "I don't like bringing those things. I'm more comfortable on my own. It's too much trouble to always make such a big show of things."

"I see," Zhu Lingguan nodded.

Zhuang Yan straightened his clothes and asked, "Is the Great Celestial Venerable in the hall?"

"Yes," said Zhu Lingguan. "The Great Celestial Venerable has been in the Tongming Hall all day."

Zhuang Yan nodded, glancing towards the Tongming Hall. He paused slightly upon seeing it, then asked, "What's going on with them?"

Following the direction Zhuang Yan pointed, Zhu Lingguan saw a group of female immortals kneeling outside the Tongming Hall. Each of these immortals was beautiful and graceful, with a full figure and elegant bearing. They were like white lotuses under the moon, quietly blooming with fragrance, each with their own unique charm.

But this group of stunningly beautiful female immortals were kneeling outside the hall, heads bowed in silence, their faces filled with fear.

Zhu Lingguan replied, "Your Majesty, they are all medicine-serving fairies from the Realm of Illusion. They were captured here for committing crimes and are awaiting the judgment of the Great Heavenly Venerable."

Zhuang Yan asked, "What crime did they commit?"

Zhu Lingguan shook his head and said, "I don't know either. I only know that the Grand Master of the Taixu Realm, Fairy Jinghuan, has been captured and is currently being interrogated in the Tongming Hall."

Zhuang Yan nodded, then stepped forward to the fairies and asked the one kneeling at the front, "What crimes have you committed?"

The leading fairy didn't even dare to raise her head; she just knelt there trembling, her voice hesitant and unsteady, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't.

Zhu Lingguan, who was standing to the side, shouted sternly, "This is His Majesty the Great Emperor of Shenxiao! Answer him immediately!" The fairy trembled and suddenly raised her head. Her eyebrows were delicate and her face was beautiful. She was pale and hurriedly kowtowed and said, "Qin Keqing, the head of the Fengyue Sect of Taixu Illusionary Realm, pays respects to His Majesty the Great Emperor of Shenxiao, who is enlightened by the Spirit Platform."

Zhuang Yan nodded slightly and then asked, "What crimes have you committed?"

Qin Keqing said, "Your Majesty, it is because Fairy Jiangzhu descended to the mortal realm without permission to repay the debt of gratitude owed to Attendant Shenying that she was discovered by the Wandering Spirit Official and reported to the Spirit Official Wang. As a result, we were arrested and brought here for questioning."

Zhuang Yan asked, "Why did Attendant Shenying descend to the mortal realm?"

Qin Keqing said, "Because the celestial tribulation has arrived, I have descended to the mortal realm to help people overcome the tribulation."

Zhuang Yan then asked, "What emotional debt does the Crimson Pearl Fairy owe?"

Qin Keqing said, "The Crimson Pearl Fairy was originally the Crimson Pearl Immortal Herb, which was originally intended for the Great Heavenly Venerable to refine elixirs. Later, she gained sentience and was pardoned, and was named the Crimson Pearl Fairy. She has been cultivating and serving in the Realm of Illusion ever since. Before she took human form, she received the kindness of being watered and blessed with sweet dew from the Divine Stone Attendant. She had no water to repay him, so she followed him to the mortal realm to be human and repay this debt of gratitude with her tears."

"Understood." Zhuang Yan said indifferently, then turned and left. Qin Keqing knelt down again, anxiously awaiting the Jade Emperor's decree on how to deal with them.

Zhu Lingguan and the others bid farewell to Zhuang Yan and turned to continue their patrol. Zhuang Yan then went to the outside of Tongming Hall, where the Lingguan on duty immediately went in to inform Zhuang Yan.

Soon after, Venus strode out of the Tongming Hall and bowed to Zhuang Yan, saying, "Great Emperor Shenxiao, the Great Heavenly Venerable summons you to the hall for an audience."

Zhuang Yan nodded and was about to enter the hall when he saw two spirit officials from the Palace Guard escorting a pale-faced, disoriented female immortal out of the hall.

The female immortal was dignified and graceful, and extremely beautiful, but at this moment her face was deathly pale with fear.

Zhuang Yan reached out to stop them and asked the two spirit officials, "Who is this person?"

Upon seeing Zhuang Yan, the two spirit officials hurriedly bowed and said, "Reporting to the Great Emperor of Shenxiao, this person is the Fairy Jinghuan, the Master of the Illusionary Realm of the Great Void."

Zhuang Yan then asked, "What is her punishment? What is the Great Heavenly Venerable's decree?"

The spirit official on the left said, "She's unlucky to have encountered such a thing. The wandering spirit official reported it to the king spirit official for impeachment. There's no way it will end up with the Great Celestial Venerable. They'll have to go to the execution platform."

Zhuang Yan asked in surprise, "Sentenced to be executed?"

The official nodded and said, "Yes, we are about to escort them to the Thunder Department."

Zhuang Yan was somewhat surprised and asked, "Why must they all be executed? This Fairy Disenchantment is the head of the department, but the others are not?"

The spirit official on the right said, "Your Majesty Shenxiao may not know, but the incident of the Crimson Pearl Fairy descending to the mortal realm without permission has been going on for quite some time. Everyone in the Taixu Illusionary Realm knew about it but did not report it. If it weren't for the wandering spirit official discovering it, they would still be keeping it from us. Therefore, the Great Heavenly Venerable has decreed that the Taixu Illusionary Realm Master and all the fairies below her be executed."

After listening, Zhuang Yan immediately said to the two spirit officials, "Wait here for a while, don't send them to the Thunder Department yet."

The two spirit officials were slightly surprised upon hearing this, but still accepted the order and said, "Yes."

At this moment, the Fairy Disenchantment, who had been somewhat distraught, regained some vitality. She looked up and secretly glanced at Zhuang Yan with a desperate gaze, but quickly lowered her head again.

A moment later, Zhuang Yan entered the Tongming Hall and immediately rose on a cloud of auspiciousness, flying to the top of the Golden Hall and taking a position to the lower left of the Jade Emperor.

"Your subject Zhuang Yan pays respects to the Jade Emperor, the Supreme Heavenly Venerable, the High God of the Mysterious Vault," Zhuang Yan bowed and said.

The Jade Emperor laughed and said, "Divine Emperor Shenxiao, please rise."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Zhuang Yan bowed and rose, then reported, "Your Majesty, I have made progress regarding the selection of the Great Emperor of the Western Mountain."

The Jade Emperor said, "You've already met those human emperors at the Mount Sumeru Dharma Assembly, haven't you?"

"Your Majesty, I have indeed seen him," Zhuang Yan replied.

The Jade Emperor nodded and said, "Well then, tell me, which human emperor is suitable to serve as the Great Emperor of the Western Mountain?"

Zhuang Yan said, "I believe that the most suitable person is Suihuang, recommended by the Queen Mother of the West."

The Jade Emperor was not surprised by Zhuang Yan's decision, but Zhuang Yan's next words surprised him.

Zhuang Yan said, "I believe that the eight emperors can complement each other. We can let Emperor Sui occupy the rightful position of Emperor of the Western Mountain, and let the other seven emperors assist him."

A hint of surprise flashed in the Jade Emperor's eyes, and then he looked at Zhuang Yan with a slightly thoughtful expression and said, "But there can only be one emperor. Can the other seven human emperors be subordinate to Suihuang?"

Zhuang Yan wasn't sure about this, but he was certain that if Emperor Sui was in the position of the Great Emperor of the Western Mountain, and the other seven human emperors assisted him, then there would be nothing to worry about in Xiniu Hezhou.

Therefore, Zhuang Yan said, "I think we can try to summon the eight human emperors to heaven to discuss this matter together."

The Jade Emperor closed his eyes slightly and remained silent for a long time. After a while, he suddenly opened his eyes and said to Master Xu, "Issue a decree to summon all the human emperors to Heaven for a meeting."

Master Xu bowed to receive the decree, then began to write the edict, which was then personally delivered by Venus.

Then the Jade Emperor said to Zhuang Yan, "After the eight human emperors ascend to heaven, you should go and discuss this with them first, and then report back to the emperor once you have a result."

Zhuang Yan bowed and said, "Your subject obeys the decree."

The Jade Emperor smiled and said, "My dear minister, there's no need for such formalities. Is there anything else you wish to report?"

Upon hearing this, Zhuang Yan immediately replied, "Your Majesty, I do indeed have something else to report to you."

The Jade Emperor nodded slightly and smiled, "Please speak, my dear minister." (End of Chapter)