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Chapter 179 Red Boy

Dead silence, absolute dead silence.

Everyone heard the military order, but no one moved.

Every heavenly soldier's face was filled with bewilderment.

They glanced at each other instinctively, their eyes darting away, yet they couldn't help but look at Li Jing, whose face was ashen, on the high platform.

A profound sense of absurdity permeated the air. The air seemed to freeze, leaving only the suppressed breathing and the occasional snort of a Pegasus in the distance.

The giant spirit's forehead veins bulged as he sensed the silent yet surging resistance below.

He gripped the mace tightly, took a deep breath, and his voice carried a hint of impatient intimidation, attempting to forcefully suppress the embarrassment with military orders, "Execute military orders! All units, heed my command! Execute immediately! Those who disobey will be..."

He hadn't yet uttered the second half of his sentence, "to be dealt with by military law."

"enough!"

A low growl suddenly exploded.

Li Jing, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, suddenly turned around, his face turning from ashen to deathly pale, his chest heaving violently. He glared fiercely at the Giant Spirit God, his gaze so sharp it seemed to rip flesh from his body, as if rebuking him for prolonging this humiliation.

Li Jing's gaze swept over the bewildered heavenly soldiers below, then turned to the still orderly and solemn horse formation, and finally, his icy gaze fixed on Chen Guangrui's calm face.

His lips were pressed tightly together, his jawline taut as if carved by a knife, and he didn't utter another word.

He abruptly flicked his golden cloak, turned around, and strode towards the commander's tent.

The commander-in-chief's departure made his stance clear.

The heavenly generals on the viewing platform, including the Giant Spirit God, instantly understood the Heavenly King's meaning.

No one spoke, no one looked at Chen Guangrui or the soldiers below. Their eyes met briefly and with complex emotions, and they all saw the same decision in each other's eyes: to leave this shameful place that made them feel utterly ashamed.

These high-ranking officers did not whisper among themselves, nor did they show any obvious mockery or panic. However, the hurried silence and the deliberate avoidance of the gazes of the soldiers below silently declared their stance.

They followed closely in Li Jing's footsteps, filing down from the viewing platform in single file, their steps sometimes heavy, sometimes hurried, quickly disappearing into the mist leading to the commander's tent.

With the generals gone, the 100,000 heavenly soldiers below were even more bewildered. They remained standing in place, unsure whether to advance or retreat. The giant spirit god's command still seemed to hang over their heads, yet no one dared to move, and no one was willing to move.

Several soldiers stared wide-eyed. "No way, I've already taken my pants off, are you still going to pull me up?"
On the massive platform, only a deathly silence and an lingering awkwardness remained.

"Hey! That's great!" Nezha's voice broke the suffocating silence.

Instead of leaving with Li Jing, he rode on his Wind Fire Wheels and flew to Chen Guangrui's side with a "whoosh".

A carefree smile played on his lips as he looked in the direction Li Jing had disappeared, then glanced at Chen Guangrui, his tone revealing a youthful, straightforward appreciation.

"Chen Guangrui, you're really something! That slap in the face is so good, that old man probably won't be able to eat for days. That was satisfying! Absolutely satisfying!"

Chen Guangrui sat upright on his horse, his face still calm and composed. He merely nodded slightly to Nezha in response to his words. His gaze swept calmly over the still chaotic army formation below, revealing no trace of smugness.

Nezha seemed completely unconcerned about Chen Guangrui's cold reaction, instead taking it for granted.

Just as he was about to say something more, Tang Sheng, who was beside him, suddenly tugged at his red ribbon, tilted her little face up, and whispered in her clear voice.

"Father, Third Prince just agreed. He said that as long as it's not something Buddha forbids, he'll help us go down to the mortal realm to subdue demons. He'll fight the great demons that Li Tianwang can't catch, make a great contribution, and make that old man furious."

Upon hearing this, Chen Guangrui's expression finally changed. His eyes flickered, he looked down at Tang Sheng, then turned to Nezha. He nimbly dismounted, stood before Nezha, and spoke with obvious enthusiasm.

"Oh, is what you say true, Third Prince? If we have your help, this trip will surely be twice as effective."

Isn't this change in attitude a bit too fast?

Nezha was taken aback by Chen Guangrui's sudden enthusiasm and Tang Sheng's "tattling." He looked at Chen Guangrui's smiling face, then at Tang Sheng's seemingly innocent big eyes blinking.

He scratched his head, his brows furrowed slightly, feeling that something was not quite right. He had clearly been angered by Li Jing and wanted to find someone to join forces with to see Li Jing suffer a setback, but how did it seem like he had offered himself up?

But he couldn't quite put his finger on what exactly he had been tricked about.

Nezha shook his head, temporarily setting aside his awkwardness, and asked his biggest question with intense curiosity.

"By the way, Chen Guangrui, your seal for the stable boy... is it really that magical? I didn't see you do anything other than blow the whistle, so how did you manage to train the horse like that?"

He knew the true nature of that seal well; it shouldn't have such power.

Chen Guangrui's smile remained unchanged, but his eyes grew somewhat profound. He didn't directly answer Nezha's question, but instead changed the subject, his tone calm yet pointed.
"The duties of the stable master of the Imperial Stables are not just to supervise whether the heavenly horses run fast or not."

His gaze swept over the piles of grain and supplies in the distance, then fell upon the heavenly soldiers who still stood there, bewildered.
"The fodder and provisions for the celestial horses, the logistical supplies for the celestial soldiers... and the official seals—you have jurisdiction over all of these. Tell me, is this official position important or not? Is this authority important or not?"

Upon hearing this, Nezha frowned even more deeply. The answer was ambiguous, sounding as if it were both about the broad authority of the seal and the tedious but important logistical matters.

He couldn't quite grasp the deeper meaning, so he could only mumble a vague "hmm".

Nezha glanced in the direction of Li Jing's command tent, then looked around at the heavenly soldiers and generals whom Li Jing had trusted, and his face showed disdain and annoyance.
“However, Chen Guangrui, it’s really pointless for you to stay here. These 100,000 heavenly soldiers, from top to bottom, are all his men. Your position as deputy commander sounds good, but it’s utterly useless. Nobody listens to you, nobody helps you. When we get to the mortal realm, you’ll do all the dirty work, the credit will go to that old bastard, and if anything goes wrong, you’ll definitely be the one to take the blame. What’s the point? You might as well leave now and go out on your own!”

Chen Guangrui's enthusiasm faded slightly, but his smile remained. He neither immediately refuted nor agreed, but calmly looked at Nezha and asked in return,

"Oh? Where do you think we should go and start our own business now, Third Prince?"

Seeing that Chen Guangrui seemed somewhat interested, Nezha immediately lowered his voice, his tone tinged with the excitement of sharing a secret.

“I know. That Yellow Wind Monster seems to have some unclear connection with Red Boy from the Fire Cloud Cave in the Dry Pine Stream of Mount Hao. Red Boy is the son of the Bull Demon King and is quite capable. The Yellow Wind Monster is even more powerful; you've seen his Samadhi Divine Wind! Why don't you go find them and team up to pull off a big heist? Wouldn't that be better than following that old bastard Li Jing?”

After hearing this, Chen Guangrui did not show the surprise or immediate action that Nezha had expected.

He merely raised an eyebrow slightly, his gaze thoughtfully fixed on the west, as if assessing something. He neither nodded and said, "Okay, let's go," nor did he shake his head in refusal.

He stood there silently, his smile becoming somewhat enigmatic.

Nezha waited a moment, but received no clear response, and his eagerness seemed to be doused with cold water. He stomped his foot in annoyance, and the flames of his Wind Fire Wheels shot up several degrees.
"You're really boring. Talking to you is like arguing with a block of wood. Fine, stay here if you want. I can't be bothered with you anymore."

He felt that Chen Guangrui was too indecisive, or too preoccupied. Despite being in an awkward situation and having a good opportunity, he didn't seize it decisively. Nezha felt increasingly frustrated and irritated, feeling that his good intentions had been ignored.

"Hmph!" Nezha snorted heavily, no longer looking at Chen Guangrui. The flames of his Wind Fire Wheels surged wildly, and with a "whoosh," he transformed into a blinding streak of fire, carrying a bellyful of displeasure and confusion, and instantly shot into the high-altitude clouds, disappearing from sight.

Tang Sheng looked in the direction where Nezha disappeared, sighed like a little adult, shook his head, and had an expression that said, "This older brother has a really short temper."

Chen Guangrui withdrew his gaze, the enigmatic smile on his face completely disappearing, returning to his usual calm.

Red Boy.

That Yellow Wind Monster is really spineless. Why did he have to argue with a child?
However, knowing the clues about the Yellow Wind Monster was crucial. If he could descend to the mortal realm and recruit the Yellow Wind Monster as an ally, it would be far better than being trapped in Li Jing's camp as a nominal deputy commander, constantly constrained. But how to leave became the immediate problem.

He tried to mentally reconcile several possibilities, but he felt that each one was unreliable.

They had to leave with a legitimate reason, as it was to carry out the Jade Emperor's decree to subdue the demon.

But that's the reason.
It's really hard to think about. Chen Guangrui's fingers unconsciously caressed the smooth, cold edge of the saddle, his brows furrowing almost imperceptibly.

Tang Sheng keenly caught the subtle hint of annoyance in his father's eyes. He tugged at Chen Guangrui's robe, lowered his voice, and asked in a childlike, innocent tone,

"Dad, what's bothering you? Is it because you felt good seeing those guys get humiliated, but then you feel like it's pointless to stay here?"

Chen Guangrui lowered her head, meeting Tang Sheng's seemingly innocent yet shrewd eyes. She didn't answer directly, but instead asked in a low voice,
"What do you think would be the best way for us to leave?"

(End of this chapter)