The myth begins with the Lotus Lantern

Chapter 261 Exclusion
Compared to when he went to report, this commander was now dressed in silver armor and blended into the crowd, completely inconspicuous. If it weren't for the fact that his face looked somewhat familiar, he would not have been recognized at all.

The leader had been replaced by a heavenly general dressed in black robes and golden armor.

The general in black robes held a halberd and carried a bow. His face was as red as a date, and he rarely smiled. Several guards surrounded him, and a small jade seal hung from a silk ribbon at his waist beside his armor.

Jade is of noble and pure nature.

According to the official system of the Heavenly Court, even the lowest-ranking officials wore gold and iron ornaments, and only those who reached the fifth rank were entitled to a jade seal.

The golden armor and jade seal were the symbol of a military officer of the fifth rank or above.

"Wang Lingguan." The divine general greeted him, seemingly familiar with Wang E. He waved his hand, and the barrier in front of him rippled, opening a gap as tall as a person, allowing Wang E and Ding Lin to enter.

"It's General Wang who's come to greet us." Wang said with a smirk, introducing Ding Lin as he said, "This is Wang Yu, the Grand General of Hunyuan Yiqi under the Marshal. He and I were promoted to the fourth rank together 1,300 years ago, so we're old acquaintances."

“General Wang,” Wang E introduced Ding Lin to Wang Yu, “this is Deputy General Jin Lin, a newly promoted Celestial Immortal. Emperor Wenchang selected him to serve as Deputy General in the Heavenly River and ordered me to bring him here to take up his post.”

Wang Yu glanced at Ding Lin, his eyes indifferent, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, showing no attitude whatsoever.

Sometimes, having no attitude is itself an attitude.

"Please, Spirit Officer. The Marshal is already waiting in the main hall," Wang Yu said to Wang E, seemingly ignoring Ding Lin entirely.

As a result, Ding Lin realized even more clearly that he was not well-liked.

This is no longer a lack of stance; it's a clear and unequivocal declaration.

Wang E's eyes flashed. He could see right through what Ding Lin could, but he simply smiled and remained silent. It was just official business. Although he had some goodwill towards Ding Lin, it was only fair that he do him a favor without expecting anything in return. Offending a colleague for Ding Lin's sake seemed like a bad deal. After all, Ding Lin wasn't really anyone to him, and he hadn't received any benefit from him.
With Wang Yu deliberately ignoring them, they naturally remained silent throughout the journey.

They continued until they reached the vicinity of the main hall.

The main gate was open.

Wang Yu gestured, and Wang chuckled. Without refusing, he led Ding Lin inside first. Although he wouldn't offend his colleagues for Ding Lin's sake, Wang Yu's behavior was undoubtedly a blow to his pride, so he was naturally unhappy. This was also a way of expressing his dissatisfaction.

Inside the hall, Marshal Tianpeng stood with his back to the main entrance, his hands clasped behind his back. Today, he was not wearing civilian clothes; his black robes had been replaced with pure purple court attire, which made his imposing figure appear even more majestic.

Hearing the noise behind him, Tianpeng turned around.

"Greetings, Marshal." Wang Yu, along with the commander and a group of heavenly generals and guards, all paid their respects, but deliberately omitted Ding Lin.

"Hmm." Tianpeng nodded without any expression on his face, signaling everyone to stand up.

"Wang E, the Spirit Officer of the Thunder Department, greets the Marshal."

"Meet the Marshal!"

Ding Lin was a little slower, and naturally knew that he had been ostracized. He could only bow to Tianpeng together with Wang E.

Tianpeng gave Wang Yu a deep look. "Wang Lingguan, there's no need for such formalities," Tianpeng said, gesturing with his eyes for Ding Lin to rise.

"Marshal, this is the newly promoted Celestial Immortal Jin Lin. According to the Heavenly Law, Emperor Wenchang has granted him the rank of Fifth Grade and the position of Deputy Commander of the Heavenly River Navy. I am here on the Emperor's orders to bring him to the Heavenly River to assume his post. The Emperor's decree is here and has been stamped with His Majesty's Five Dragon Seal. Please check it, Marshal."

As Wang E spoke, he presented a scroll of official documents.

Tianpeng took it, opened it, and found a white brocade with only one short line of text: "Appointed as Deputy General of the Golden Scale Heavenly River, Rank 5 - Wenchang".

Then there is a large blank space, with the seal of Emperor Wenchang stamped on the two characters 'Wenchang'. Above that, in the most conspicuous place, is a large seal with five dragons, solemnly endowing it with legal principles.

Originally, the decree was not visible when it was closed.

As soon as it was opened, wisps of golden light flowed out from the Five Dragon Seal, swirling around the text and highlighting the bright light throughout the scroll.

"The document issued by the Hall of Immortal Selection has the endorsement of Emperor Wenchang and is stamped with the Five Dragon Seal of the Great Heavenly Venerable. The system and procedures are all in accordance with the law," Tianpeng shifted his gaze from the decree, glanced at Ding Lin imperceptibly, and then looked at Wang E. "In that case, Tianpeng shall obey the order and act in accordance with the Great Heavenly Venerable's will."

Marshal Tianpeng raised his head and bowed respectfully towards the direction of the Lingxiao Palace.

Below, Wang Yu remained expressionless, but the leader behind him had a constantly shifting expression, revealing a deep sense of resentment.

"Golden Scales, heed my command!" Tianpeng declared in a majestic voice. "Recommended by Emperor Wenchang and by the decree of the Great Heavenly Venerable, you are hereby appointed as the Deputy General of the Heavenly River, and according to regulations, you are granted golden armor and a jade seal, and permitted to have fifty heavenly soldiers as your personal guards, to be in charge of..." Tianpeng paused, as if pondering for a moment, "...the Tianpeng Divine Palace!"

"The last general takes command!"

Ding Lin said loudly, finally feeling a little relieved. Being ostracized by colleagues is not scary; what's scary is when your boss also has a problem with you.

If Tianpeng is also dissatisfied with him, then he will only have one way to transfer him away from the Tianhe Navy.

It seems that things are not going well, but they are not the worst yet.

Although Tianpeng did not show any favoritism towards him, he readily accepted the imperial decree and was given all the benefits in accordance with the system. Of course, these were all things that should have been given in the first place, but within the system, what should have been given was not necessarily given. Being willing to allocate according to the system was at least an attitude of not resisting.

So that means neutrality?
"The Marshal truly cherishes talent. On our first meeting, he entrusted General Jin with such an important task as guarding the mansion. General Jin, you must not let the Marshal down," Wang said with a wicked smile. He glanced at Ding Lin and then looked at Tian Peng. "Since the Marshal has made the arrangements, my mission is now complete. Marshal, I must return to report to Emperor Wenchang."

Ding Lin stood straight, his posture like a pine tree. He naturally knew that Wang E was giving him a hint, but he did not respond. Now that the handover was complete, he was officially under Tian Peng's command. If he were to casually respond to his superior, it would not only be disrespectful, but it would also appear that he was too close to outsiders. No superior would not mind such behavior. It would be a detriment to his standing. He could only keep Wang E's kindness in his heart.

The silence at this moment is not just silence, but also an attitude—an attitude of actively moving closer to Tianpeng.

“The spirit official may go on his own,” Tianpeng said.

"I'm resigning!"

Wang E bowed to Tianpeng again, took a few steps back to show respect, and then turned around. In that instant, he glanced at Ding Lin with some doubt, surprised that Ding Lin could already demonstrate such a level of political stance.

But if she has such keen insight, why didn't she understand his extremely obvious hints of wanting benefits before?

(End of this chapter)