The myth begins with the Lotus Lantern

Chapter 266 Full Moon
Actually, at this time, it would be better for Ding Lin to conduct the patrol secretly by himself. Having Xin Jia by his side would give people the impression of putting on a show.

But Ding Lin had no choice but to bring Xin Jia along, as Xin Jia handled everything. Ding Lin was only nominally in charge. Although he had just taken a quick look around, and Tian Peng was likely to just glance at it without asking any questions, it was better to be safe than sorry.

What if Tianpeng suddenly had a sudden urge to show concern for his subordinate and asked him a few questions? With Xin Jia, the person in charge, present, even if he couldn't answer, someone could always smooth things over and prevent the situation from becoming too awkward.

After thinking for a moment, Ding Lin asked Xin Jia to summon the two extra heavenly soldiers. This way, the abruptness would be slightly better. Then, the four figures kept patrolling between the eight gates, again and again, seemingly tireless.

Xin Jia and the two heavenly soldiers couldn't figure out his thoughts, so they could only follow him step by step. The most hardworking ones were the heavenly soldiers guarding the gate. They were on high alert, no longer as relaxed as they had been a few days ago. They stood straight, afraid that Ding Lin would catch them making the slightest mistake.

From dawn until dusk, a touch of crimson appears on the western horizon, reflected in the Milky Way, creating a different kind of magnificent beauty never seen before.

Suddenly, a streak of light appeared from the direction of the Water Mansion, barely noticeable in the crimson glow of the setting sun.

Although Tianpeng was not able to conceal his aura, given his level, no one below the Golden Immortal realm could detect his aura until he was truly close. Fortunately, Ding Lin's physical body was actually at the Golden Immortal level. Due to the feedback from his physical body, his spiritual sense had also changed, becoming more acute than others at the same level. In addition, because of his deliberate effort, he still noticed it when the escape light was about to fall.

Xin Jia followed behind Ding Lin, only to feel that Ding Lin's temperament suddenly changed, becoming solemn and imposing. As he walked, the sound of his armor clashing became more crisp and clean. Ding Lin subtly adjusted his neck, straightening his back even more. Just as Xin Jia was wondering, he suddenly saw a beam of light descend in front of him, and Tian Peng's tall and robust figure appeared in his field of vision.

Tianpeng glanced at the focused heavenly soldiers, then at Ding Lin's upright posture, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.

"marshal!"

Ding Lin greeted him.

“Vice General Jin,” Tianpeng called out, paused, and then added, “Not bad!”

This is already very high praise. A qualified leader won't praise you for doing a good job, because "good" means there's no room for improvement. What leaders always need is for you to do even better.

"It is my duty!" Ding Lin said, his voice firm and resolute.

Tianpeng nodded. Several days had passed, and he had already found out where Ding Lin came from.

Although Ding Lin's reputation in the Heavenly Court was not prominent, his tracks were extremely clear and could be easily investigated. Even his relationship with the seven fairies was kept in the open.

Tianpeng originally planned not to speak unless Ding Lin went too far. In fact, he didn't even intend to linger. He just planned to take a quick look and then enter the mansion. After all, although the seven granddaughters were not powerful figures, they had imperial blood and he had to give them some face.

To his surprise, Ding Lin's actions were beyond his expectations. While the soldiers' formations and movements were merely basic skills, their spirit and morale were immediately apparent. Ding Lin's constant patrols throughout the day had kept the soldiers in a state of high alert, naturally resulting in them displaying excellent spirit and morale.

"Tell me how you're setting up your defenses!"

Tianpeng suddenly became interested and casually asked a question.

"Reporting to the Marshal, the Tianpeng Temple has eight entrances in total, in addition to the four main gates. I have assigned eight men to guard each of the four main gates and four men to guard each of the corner gates. The remaining two men, along with Xin Jia, will patrol the area daily to ensure that the defenses are not neglected."

"Eight gates, personnel mixed and scattered, rotating three times a day, and then rotating again every four hours," Ding Lin said eloquently. Behind Ding Lin, Xin Jia and the two heavenly soldiers had kept their heads down ever since Tian Peng appeared. When superiors were speaking, silence and respect were all that was needed.

Xin Jia suddenly opened his eyes wide. He felt that what Ding Lin had just said sounded very familiar.

"Hmm." Tianpeng nodded. With his divine sense, he could see the layout of the Tianpeng Temple as soon as he got close. Asking was just to show his attitude.

“It’s good to be loyal to your duty, but you don’t need to overwork yourself. You just need to take charge of the overall situation and leave the rest to Xin Jia and the others,” Tian Peng said.

"Guarding the gates for the Marshal is no hardship. It is my duty, and I am happy to do it. I dare not slack off in the slightest," Ding Lin said. His face was solemn, and he focused his gaze to make himself look firm and serious, which came from the bottom of his heart.

Tianpeng patted Ding Lin on the shoulder, said nothing more, and strode into the temple.

“Continue the inspection!” Ding Lin said, glancing back at Xin Jia with a natural expression, showing no embarrassment whatsoever at having plagiarized someone else’s work.

"Yes!" Xin Jia was a little distracted, paused for a moment, and quickly responded.

……

The sun sets, and night falls.

The Milky Way is even more magnificent at night. Looking up at it from the mortal world is an endless mystery. But what would it feel like to be inside it?
Like a dream.

Thousands of stars scatter down, each one different, as if you are surrounded by dazzling light.

As the night deepened, Ding Lin continued his patrol. Xin Jia, having understood his intentions, diligently followed with the two heavenly soldiers, as had been the case for the past few days.

Once again, as Ding Lin passed the main gate on the west side, he glanced at the eight heavenly soldiers on duty, and out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of the courtyard behind the gate.

Tianpeng sat alone in the courtyard. From this angle, only his profile could be seen. On the open-air stone table, there was a wine pot and wine cups.

The shape and emerald green color of the wine pot looked very familiar to Ding Lin; it was indeed a vessel for holding fine wine.

Ding Lin turned his head, shifting his gaze. He looked up at the sky. From this angle, the moon could be seen through the gaps between the stars, only slightly obscured. In the Milky Way, the stars were scattered, and the celestial phenomena were different from place to place. Ding Lin guessed that perhaps moving a little further indoors, not too much, just a few dozen or a hundred feet away, would clear the obstruction, like—Tian Peng's current position.

"Wow!"

The clanging of armor made Ding Lin understand why Tianpeng came here every full moon on the fifteenth of the month. He wasn't an ungrateful demon, but leaving now would be too conspicuous, so he planned to inspect this side gate before leaving and never come back tonight.

Not only tonight, but also in the future, when patrolling on the full moon of the fifteenth day of the lunar month, I will control the frequency and try to come here as little as possible so as not to arouse Tianpeng's suspicion.

(End of this chapter)