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Chapter 166 Laozi Searches

The last group of constables, their fates uncertain, looked at each other in bewilderment. Chen Guangrui's words, "If you leave, don't come back," weighed heavily on everyone's hearts.

Staying would mean siding with this stable boy who had just offended Li Jing, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, and his future would be uncertain. Leaving, on the other hand, was something he couldn't bear to give up.

Ding Chou and Ji Yong exchanged a glance, then turned and left without a word, their faces showing no hesitation. Their departure was like opening a floodgate; some quick-thinking constables immediately followed suit.

Of course, some stayed behind. A few honest, unassuming coachmen rubbed their hands together, their voices tinged with resignation.
"Sir, all we know is how to raise horses. This Imperial Horse Stable is where we work. If we leave, we don't know where to go."

Chen Guangrui glanced at the few people who remained and knew that those who stayed at this time would not cause trouble later, because their staying was equivalent to being tied to him. So he nodded, "It is your duty to raise horses in peace."

After saying this, he redefined the duties of these constables.

After all that commotion, a streak of green light, carrying the scent of oranges, landed in the arena, revealing the figure of a green ox. He chewed on an orange and mumbled indistinctly,
“Kid, I’m back! Laozi is at a critical juncture in refining the elixir, so I can’t say much. I’ll just ask that kid Jinlu to pass on a message when he has a chance. But I’ve run to a few familiar Heavenly Official’s residences for you and checked things out. Someone will put in a good word for you when the time comes.”

He swallowed the orange, his huge, bull-like eyes fixed on Chen Guangrui with utmost seriousness and worry.

"Are you really sure? If this gets reported to the Jade Emperor, there'll be no going back. What if your 'bottomless pit' theory doesn't hold water..."

The green ox didn't finish speaking, but shook its head vigorously: "Even if Laozi has face, you still have to eat the beating first."

Chen Guangrui remained calm and simply said two words: "Let's go."

"Fine! You're stubborn, kid!" Green Ox followed helplessly.

No one expected that the two had only walked a short distance from the gates of the Imperial Horse Stables and onto the stone path leading to the Cloud Road when they bumped into three celestial beings. They were none other than Li Jing, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King; the smiling Venus; and a young divine general following closely behind Li Jing.

The young man had his hair tied in two buns, his face was as white as powder, he wore a red bellyband, carried a Qiankun Ring on his shoulder, rode on Wind and Fire Wheels, and held a Fire-tipped Spear in his hand; he exuded a heroic aura. He was none other than Nezha, the Third Prince, the Great God of the Three Altars and Seas!

The blue ox immediately nudged Chen Guangrui gently with its hoof, lowering its voice.

"Look, Li Jing has called his three most capable sons over. Those little devils have quite a temper."

However, Li Jing at this moment was a completely different person from the one who had recently erupted in fury at the Imperial Stables. His usually dignified face was devoid of rage, replaced by an extremely complex and almost embarrassed expression. His straight back seemed to have hunched over slightly, and the hand holding the exquisite pagoda trembled almost imperceptibly. Upon seeing Chen Guangrui, he actually took a step forward, his voice hoarse and low…

"Chen Guangrui".

Chen Guangrui stopped and calmly looked back at him: "What instructions does the Heavenly King have for me?"

A clear hint of embarrassment flashed across Li Jing's face; his eyes darted away, and his voice was muffled and low.

"My previous words were offensive; it was my oversight."

He took a breath, as if he had made a tremendous decision, "As for that bottomless pit, Lady Earth Surge..."

At this point, Li Jing's voice lowered even further, carrying an unprecedented sense of dejection and helplessness.

“I did receive incense offerings and worship from her. She worshipped me and addressed me as her father. This person... can be considered an adopted daughter of Li Jing.”

Li Tianwang's face was flushed, and he uttered each word with great difficulty.

"puff!"

The blue ox beside him was munching on an orange when it heard this, so startled it choked and spat out a mouthful of orange pulp. Its huge bull eyes widened in disbelief as it stared at Li Jing.

"What? Li Jing, you old bastard, you really have a monster goddaughter who's a demon down there? My God, you've got no shame at all."

Li Jing's face flushed red and then paled as he listened to Qing Niu's blunt and vulgar mockery, his last vestiges of imperial authority shattering instantly. He didn't refute Qing Niu, but instead stared intently at Chen Guangrui, his eyes filled with an unprecedented plea.
"Chen Guangrui, this is a shameful and unfortunate matter for my family. I beg you to consider the dignity of the Three Realms and not to bring this matter to the Lingxiao Palace. I... I will accept your favor!"

He emphasized the words "to receive kindness" very much.

Venus's smile remained unchanged as he spoke at the opportune moment.
“Guangrui, Heavenly King Li has already made it clear that there are obstacles involved, and his situation is truly pitiful. This is ultimately a matter of the Heavenly King's private affairs, involving some past karmic connections within Buddhism. Now that the misunderstanding has been cleared up, resolving it privately is the best course of action. Why insist on making a scene at the Lingxiao Palace, letting the Heavenly King's past become a hot topic, adding to the gossip, and damaging the Heavenly Court's reputation? This is also a good thing for you and for the Tushita Palace. Forgive and forget, and everyone will be happy, don't you think?”

He cleverly downplayed the major event of Li Jing recognizing the demoness as a "past event" or "private matter," but he never mentioned what family matter it was, and he didn't say a word more. As for how they recalled this event, he didn't mention it at all.

Chen Guangrui looked calmly at Venus beside him.

"Star Lord, if I go to the Lingxiao Palace to complain now, will no one arrest me again?"

He asked very directly, referring to the veiled meaning in Venus's previous words.

Venus's smile remained unchanged, as if nothing had happened.
"Lord Chen, what are you saying? You're too kind."

He flicked his whisk lightly, "You acted impartially, and what you said was all true and reasonable. Who would dare to arrest you? Even His Majesty the Jade Emperor will surely investigate thoroughly."

Chen Guangrui then asked, "Then shouldn't I also be given the authority and seal for the position of弼马温 (Bima Wen, a minor official in charge of stables)?"

He turned his gaze to Li Jing, his meaning clear: things had come to this point, it was time to fulfill his promise.

Li Jing seemed to have been stung, and he suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with humiliation and resentment. In the end, however, he still reluctantly took out an ancient and heavy bronze seal from his wide robe sleeve.

Chen Guangrui caught it steadily. The bronze was cold and heavy in his hand, with a faint radiance of celestial court restrictions flowing across it. He carefully sensed the authority within it that allowed him to command spirit beasts, and after confirming that it was correct, he put it away.

Li Jing seemed to squeeze out the sound through clenched teeth.

"It was my oversight... The authority of the Imperial Stables should rightfully be held by the Keeper of the Heavenly Horses. Keeper of the Heavenly Horses, I hope that in the future we can cooperate seamlessly and avoid such setbacks as today."

His words were harsh, every word carrying a warning: "We have a long road ahead of us."

"I will certainly do my duty." Chen Guangrui's reply was as concise as ever.

Li Jing was unwilling to linger any longer. His face turned ashen, he let out a heavy snort, and with a flash of golden light around him, he disappeared with the heavenly soldiers.

Venus smiled and nodded to Chen Guangrui, then politely nodded to the Green Ox before riding away on auspicious clouds.

Nezha, the third prince, who had been silently following behind Li Jing, did not immediately leave with his father.

With a slight movement of his fiery wheels, he floated in front of Chen Guangrui. The massive body of the Green Ox instinctively stepped forward to block him, watching the young god warily, its demonic power surging slightly, fearing that this young master, known for his fiery temper, might stand up for his father.

Nezha, however, did not look at the Green Ox. His bright, clear eyes, filled with youthful vigor, looked directly at Chen Guangrui, his face showing neither anger nor humiliation, but rather a pure expression tinged with curiosity and admiration.

He only glanced at Chen Guangrui for two breaths before uttering two words crisply, "Not bad."

Without waiting for Chen Guangrui's response, he unleashed a torrent of flames from his Wind and Fire Wheels, transforming them into a streak of fire as he sped off in Li Jing's direction.

Chen Guangrui was slightly taken aback. The reaction of Li Tianwang's third son was...unexpected. His father had just lost face and been forced to admit to his adopted daughter's shameful affair, and this son wasn't angry but praising him?
The blue ox scratched its huge head, somewhat puzzled. "These three young men from the Li family have never been very bright."

With the authority and seal returned by Li Jing, no one dared to deliberately make things difficult for Chen Guangrui. Chen Guangrui finally escaped the entanglements and troubles.

During the day, he would either sit quietly in his office at the Imperial Stables or go to the Water Curtain Cave on Flower Fruit Mountain to practice breathing exercises. The celestial energy of the Heavenly Court and the pure vitality continuously nourished by the ginseng fruit merged together, and under the powerful impetus of the elixir bestowed by Laozi, it tirelessly strengthened the foundation that he had barely managed to fill with the Nine-Turn Golden Elixir.

Time flies, and three years have passed in the blink of an eye.

The inherent fragility and hidden dangers left by congenital deficiencies in the body have quietly melted away like snow in spring under the gentle care and cleansing over the years. The resonance from the depths of the bone marrow has become clearer and clearer, and the surging blood and qi in the internal organs have a powerful sense of strength. The limbs and bones seem to have been reborn, full of unprecedented resilience and vitality.

On this day, Chen Guangrui was refining a substandard pill outside the Water Curtain Cave.

Not far away, Sun Wukong was squatting on a peach tree branch, crunching away at a peach.

"Not bad. With your current strength and a little bit of magic power, you can go down to the mortal realm and deal with some weak little demons and monsters without getting beaten so badly that you have to come back crying for your parents."

Chen Guangrui slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air carrying the scent of metal, feeling the stable flow of power within his body, and was not annoyed by the monkey's usual derogatory tone.

Just then, a youthful voice, tinged with boyish pride, came from the side, earnestly lecturing someone.
"Only three baskets of peaches a month, and you think you can get the attention of a fairy in heaven? Brother, that's too pathetic! These peaches aren't even enough to fill a tooth gap, let alone talk about marriage."

The one speaking was the young monk Tang Sheng.

Three years have passed, and he has grown quite a bit taller.

At that moment, he sat cross-legged among a group of monkeys of various colors, speaking in an old-fashioned manner to a younger monkey holding a large handful of peaches, its eyes gleaming with eager anticipation. A group of monkeys nearby listened, scratching their heads and occasionally letting out a few squeaks of laughter.

The monkey holding the peach lowered its head in dejection, took out the fine wine and meat it had prepared earlier, and handed them over.

Upon seeing the item, Tang Sheng changed his tune, winking and making faces.

"However, as the saying goes, good steel should be used on the blade! If these three baskets of peaches are used wisely, who knows, they might even have a story with a fairy..."

He deliberately dragged out his words, causing the monkeys around him to prick up their ears, saying, "It's even possible to have a child with a fairy."

The dejected monkey's eyes lit up instantly.

Tang Sheng was about to begin teaching his twisted and heretical theories.

"Listen up, you need to tidy yourself up first. Look at you, all messy and ugly, neither human nor monkey, even fairies would find it an eyesore. Use two baskets, just two baskets, to get some decent clothes. Wear whatever your king wears. What? He wears all treasures, you can wear fakes."

He gestured wildly, spitting as he spoke.

"Then, here comes the key point: you just stand there and let the fairies take a good look! They've all heard the story of the Monkey King, right? When they see your heroic figure and see how much your monkey appearance resembles their king, do you think they won't be captivated?"

Before he could even fully express his "unruly gaze" and "unwavering heart," what other name could be given to him as "Supreme Treasure"?

"Little brat! What nonsense are you spouting again!" Before he could finish speaking, Sun Wukong, who was squatting on a tree branch eating a peach, couldn't hold back any longer. A playful glint flashed in his golden eyes, and he grabbed Tang Sheng by the ear, lifting him up and laughing as he scolded him.

"What do you mean by 'not only has a story, but may also have children'? You're just learning all this nonsense from your unreliable father."

A group of monkeys nearby immediately burst into laughter upon seeing this, chattering and pointing at the candy, making a fuss.

"Exactly! They don't study hard!"

"You've corrupted him!"

Chen Guangrui, who had just been awakened from his meditation, was about to defend himself when he heard this: "Ahem, that's not quite right..."

Before the words were even finished, a sudden change occurred! A swift streak of light flashed across the sky, and a pure white crane, exuding an ethereal aura, gracefully swooped down, landing silently on the peach tree branch where Sun Wukong had just been crouching.

The crane did not cry out, but its jewel-like eyes precisely locked onto Chen Guangrui's direction, and it nodded very slightly three times.

Because of his authority and seal as the Keeper of the Heavenly Horses, Chen Guangrui has become increasingly able to sense the thoughts of some unenlightened animals in recent years.

"Go quickly to the Tushita Palace, Laozi is here."

(End of this chapter)