They've all become top scholars in the imperial examinations, and you're telling me this i

Chapter 173 I Don't Like That Old Guy

The atmosphere inside the command tent plummeted to freezing point after Li Jing issued the order to "make the warhorses eat, drink, and relieve themselves at the same time every day."

The giant spirit remained silent, keeping his eyes down and not daring to look at Chen Guangrui's expression.

Li Jing sat upright in his commanding position, his face still dignified, but deep within his hawk-like eyes lay a trace of confident calculation.

His purpose in giving Chen Guangrui this almost obstructive task was to force him to disobey orders!

If Chen Guangrui dared to utter even half a word of "no," or even just show a troubled expression, Li Jing could immediately use the pretext of disrespecting military orders and missing a battle opportunity to go straight to the Great Celestial Venerable to lodge a complaint.

He had even prepared the wording for the impeachment in his mind, just waiting for Chen Guangrui to fall into the trap.

This Chen Guangrui has a shallow foundation and relies entirely on the support of the Tushita Palace. I also know that the authority and seal of the Bi Ma Wen (a minor official) are simply incapable of doing these things.

Li Jing sneered inwardly, as if he could already see Chen Guangrui hitting a wall in front of him and then being trampled under his feet.

However, Chen Guangrui's answer was calmer than anyone expected.

"Your subordinate obeys." Chen Guangrui bowed slightly, his tone completely calm.

Did he just agree like that? Li Jing's heart was filled with doubt. Did Chen Guangrui really have some kind of backing?
He stared intently at Chen Guangrui, trying to find a flaw in her calm face, but to no avail. This surprised him, even unsettled him.

Then Chen Guangrui continued,

"The Heavenly King's discipline in governing the army is impeccable, and I admire him greatly. Although the Heavenly Horses are animals, they are still part of the army, and obeying orders is their duty. Since the Heavenly Horses can eat and defecate at the same time to maintain military discipline..."

He paused, then looked up at Li Jing.

"Then I dare to say that the 100,000 heavenly soldiers and generals under the Heavenly King's command are more disciplined than warhorses, move in unison, obey orders without question, and eat and excrete in unison. Only in this way can they be truly unified and demonstrate the might of our Heavenly Court."

Li Jing's face twitched almost imperceptibly.

He had intended to humiliate the other party with this sordid affair, but unexpectedly, the other party outmaneuvered him instead.

Chen Guangrui's words cleverly pinned the huge label of "heavenly soldiers and generals being in charge of eating, drinking, and defecating" on Li Jing's head.

If the Heavenly Horse can truly do it, and Li Jing's Heavenly Soldiers cannot, wouldn't they be even less than beasts? If he were to refute this, it would make his earlier emphasis on military bearing and dignity seem untenable.

Li Jing was furious, but he couldn't vent his anger. The other side had obeyed the military order and even invoked the banners of "military discipline" and "uniformity." If he continued to argue, he would only appear unreasonable. He could only let out a heavy "humph," his tone icy.

"Since you have obeyed the military order, let's see how things go! Within three days, I want Wanma Ping to be as clean as ever, and the horses to be moved in an orderly manner! If there is any mishap, you will be punished according to military law!"

"This subordinate obeys the order." Chen Guangrui bowed again, pulled the bewildered Tang Sheng along, and calmly withdrew from the command tent.

Upon exiting the tent, one sees a vast, open cloud-covered plain outside the gate, known as Wanma Plain.

The thousands of magnificent celestial horses that had been scattered elsewhere had indeed been gathered here, some neighing with their heads held high, some pawing restlessly, and some nibbling at the scattered immortal herbs. A few grooms were busy at the edge, but it seemed like a drop in the ocean.

Chen Guangrui glanced at them only once before leading Tang Sheng to a soft patch of grass at the edge of the cloud-covered ground, where they lay down and closed their eyes. Several cranes gracefully flew over, gently landing and placing a few fresh, tender fruits beside them.

"Dad, that old bastard Li Jing is shameless. He made Ma Tong defecate and urinate. How could he even think of such a thing?"

Tang Sheng picked up a fruit, took a bite, and mumbled something indistinctly, his little face showing disdain.

Chen Guangrui frowned slightly. The Heavenly Army camp was now firmly under Li Jing's control. If he really wanted to go down to the mortal realm to do something, it would obviously be difficult here.

Now it seems that the Yellow Wind Monster really was one of his helpers.

At the time, the two attendants from the Tushita Palace only said that the Yellow Wind Monster had gone west, but they didn't know exactly where he had gone.

This is quite a challenge for Chen Guangrui.

His gaze swept over the chaotic Wanma Ping, and a thought flickered in his mind. He saw a celestial horse that had been grazing with its head down raise its head, leisurely stroll out of the herd, and actually stand facing the other horses.

As the horses neighed, all the grazing horses silently lined up in neat rows.

……

"Dad, it's so stuffy in here."

After finishing the fruit, Tang Sheng listlessly tugged at a blade of grass. "Can I go play in the Heavenly Court? See the fairy sisters, try the new snacks, and I'll come back to find you when the army goes to war?"

Chen Guangrui glanced at him and said, "The Heavenly Court is very complicated, unlike Flower Fruit Mountain. It's dangerous for you to go there by yourself."

After listening, Tang Sheng felt that Chen Guangrui was right.
“I’ll go by myself. It’s indeed a bit dangerous for others if you’re not around.”

Chen Guangrui sighed helplessly and was about to say a few more words of instruction when a voice with a clear provocative tone interrupted.
"Oh, Chen Bimawen is quite leisurely. With the army about to set off, he still has the leisure to sunbathe here?"

Nezha appeared nearby at some point, his arms still crossed over his chest, his Wind Fire Wheels hovering half a foot off the ground, looking down at Chen Guangrui lying there, a mocking smile on his lips.

Clearly, he was still resentful of Chen Guangrui's ignoring him outside the gate and had come specifically to cause trouble. With his arrival, the Pegasus horses that had been lined up immediately resumed their grazing or strolling, as if their previous neatness had been an illusion.

Tang Sheng immediately opened her eyes wide and looked curiously at the young man wearing a red bib and riding on fire-breathing wheels.

Chen Guangrui didn't even lift his eyelids, merely swatting away a fly that had somehow landed on his shoulder, and replied indifferently.

"It is my duty, and I will take care of it. There is no need for you, Third Prince, to worry about it."

The horses on Wanmaping remained scattered and disorderly.

Nezha was taken aback by this nonchalant attitude. Seeing Chen Guangrui shooing away the flies, and then looking at the group of carefree celestial horses in the distance, his mockery deepened.
"Arrangements? Based on your seal of office as a stable boy? Ha, that thing has been gathering dust in my storeroom for longer than you've been in Heaven. Do you think I don't know what it can do? Letting stable boys do whatever they want, I think you've been driven crazy by that old man!"

The "old thing" he was referring to was naturally Li Jing.

Chen Guangrui then slowly sat up, brushed off non-existent grass clippings from his robes, and calmly looked at Nezha.

“Li Tianwang commands 100,000 heavenly soldiers with strict military discipline. It may not be difficult for me to command a few thousand warhorses.”

His tone was flat, as if he were stating a fact.

"It might not be that difficult?" Nezha scoffed.
"Stubborn to the end! Even heavenly soldiers and generals can understand you. Your flattery might not be human-like. You'll have to listen to him in everything you do on this mission, and he'll definitely make things difficult for you at every turn. More importantly,"

He leaned closer, lowered his voice, and added a touch of mystery.
"The demon he's going down to catch this time is probably not the one you're looking for, is it?"

Chen Guangrui's eyes flickered slightly when he heard the hidden meaning in Nezha's words, but he still didn't reply. He just waved his hand to shoo away the fly buzzing around him.

Seeing that Chen Guangrui was unmoved and wouldn't respond at all, Nezha's nameless anger flared up again. He wasn't a patient person to begin with, and Chen Guangrui's attitude was making him uncomfortable, so he couldn't help but speak his mind.
"Hmph! I just don't want him to have such a smooth trip! Seeing him so smug makes me unhappy!"

Chen Guangrui finally raised his eyes, looked at Nezha seriously, and spoke in a calm tone.

"It's because he didn't make you the vanguard, right?"

Nezha was suddenly startled, his face showing obvious astonishment for the first time, his bright eyes filled with disbelief.

"You...how do you know?"

This incident happened not long ago, during his argument with Li Jing. How could Chen Guangrui know so much about it?

Chen Guangrui did not answer, but the fly that had been hovering around them landed lightly on his shoulder and stopped quietly.

Nezha took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the shock and slight apprehension in his heart. He decided to stop worrying about how Chen Guangrui knew and instead said angrily,

"Hmph! That old bastard only cares about gold and silver. That idiot Giant Spirit God has no skills other than being big. If you stuff him with gold and silver, he can get the vanguard position."

"That old man, he's saved up enough gold and silver to exchange for some more powerful magical treasures from Buddha!"

"I'm not convinced! Why should I? That's why I've come to find you."

He took a step forward, the flames of his Wind and Fire Wheels flickering slightly, his voice carrying an alluring quality.

“Chen Guangrui, I know you don’t get along with him. If you can make him suffer a big defeat this time, I’ll be happy. If I’m happy, I might be able to tell you some news.”

Nezha paused, and seeing that Chen Guangrui finally showed some interest, he continued,

“I know the whereabouts of the Yellow Wind Monster. You were in contact three years ago at Little Sumeru Mountain, right? He owes you a favor.”

(End of this chapter)