Journey to the West: Starting from the Imperial Horse Stable

Outside the South Heavenly Gate, the sea of ​​clouds rises and falls, while the Jade Pillar stands majestically.

The two heavenly soldiers who had been whispering amongst themselves earlier still stood upright, halberds in hand, their eyes unable to resist glancing toward the tightly closed guardhouse.

The young heavenly soldier said to his companion in a very low voice, "We've been inside for quite a while now, and we haven't heard any loud noises."

The older heavenly soldier, his eyes fixed straight ahead, murmured, "It's more frightening if there's no movement. Given the Heavenly King's temper these past few days, if it were a normal reprimand, it would have been heard by now. I'm afraid..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear: he feared that something might have happened inside, in which case there wouldn't be a sound at all.

Both of them secretly felt that the celestial official from the Imperial Stables was likely to be in trouble. After all, what the Heavenly King of Growth feared most was others mentioning the day the demon monkey broke through the Southern Heavenly Gate. This celestial official, carrying the document from the Heavenly Censorate, was essentially reopening old wounds. Would the Heavenly King give him a good outcome?

Just as he was pondering this, the door to the duty room creaked open.

The two heavenly soldiers immediately perked up, stood even straighter, and kept their eyes down, only glancing at each other out of the corner of their eyes.

This sight almost made them lose their solemn expressions.

The Heavenly King of Growth was seen carrying a scroll in one hand, while his other thick arm was affectionately draped over the shoulder of Wang Chen, the celestial official of the Imperial Stables. The two walked out almost arm in arm.

The Heavenly King's crab-like face, which had previously been filled with irritation, was now beaming with smiles, even glowing with a rosy complexion. He was muttering something, looking relaxed, a stark contrast to his previous demeanor.

Wang Chen, whom they thought was going to be in big trouble, also had a moderate smile on his face, listening to the Heavenly King speak with a slightly tilted ear, his attitude respectful but not humble.

What's going on?

The two heavenly soldiers were a little taken aback. Shouldn't they have been blasted out, or at least left looking disheveled? Instead, it looked like the Heavenly King's old friend had come to visit, and they were having a pleasant conversation.

What surprised them even more was that the scroll in the Heavenly King's hand appeared to have been stamped with an official seal. Could it be... that the celestial official had actually accomplished the task? In such a short time?

The two exchanged an incredulous glance, both seeing shock and bewilderment in each other's eyes. What exactly did this celestial official named Wang Chen say and do in the duty room?

"Brother Wang, we really owe you a debt of gratitude today!" The Heavenly King of Growth patted Wang Chen on the shoulder, his voice booming, clearly in a very good mood. "Come on, come on, we absolutely have to go have a couple of drinks! I'll have the chef prepare some good dishes, and we'll chat while we drink!"

Wang Chen wore a smile, but maintained a polite posture with a slight forward lean, neither overly intimate nor distant.

"I appreciate Your Majesty's hospitality. However, I have official duties to attend to and need to return this document as soon as possible. I dare not let wine interfere with my work. When Your Majesty has some free time in the future, I will prepare a small feast and seek your guidance."

His words were reasonable and his attitude was sincere.

Upon hearing this, the Heavenly King of Growth, though somewhat disappointed that he couldn't immediately enjoy a drink, nodded understandingly: "Indeed, official business is paramount. Then it's settled, another day, definitely another day!"

As the two were talking, a figure came from the corner of the corridor inside the South Heavenly Gate in the distance.

The man was dressed in the robes of a celestial official, and his rank seemed quite high, but his face was somewhat gloomy, his brows were slightly furrowed, as if he had a lot on his mind, or as if he found everything displeasing.

He was originally walking this way, but when he looked up and saw the Heavenly King of Growth and Wang Chen with their arms around each other, he paused for a moment. Then his face turned even more sour, and he turned around and walked straight away along the other side of the jade pillar without even saying hello.

The Heavenly King of Growth also saw the man. His smile faded slightly, and he snorted and muttered, "Bad luck."

Wang Chen's heart skipped a beat. Following the Heavenly King's gaze, he only saw a slightly hurried and distant figure. He asked softly, "Heavenly King, who was that just now...?"

"Who else could it be?" The Heavenly King of Growth curled his lip, his tone filled with undisguised contempt. "Azure Dragon Star, Deng Jiugong. An old bastard who doesn't know what's good for him."

He seemed quite dissatisfied with this person, and he started talking non-stop.

"We all came up on the Investiture of the Gods together, so we're old acquaintances. But this Deng Jiugong is aloof and arrogant, and he can't get along with anyone. His skills are just so-so, but he thinks he's so great, and he looks down on this person and that person."

The Heavenly King of Growth was clearly holding a grudge for a long time. "It's only natural for the old brothers who came from the Investiture of the Gods to visit each other and share what they have. But he's different. He never hangs out with us. It's like he'd be offended if he even spoke a word to us."

Wang Chen listened quietly without interrupting.

The Heavenly King of Growth got more and more excited as he spoke: "He doesn't hang out with us roughnecks, but he does have somewhere to go. I don't know how he managed to curry favor with that old man, Venus. Hey, Venus is the same, he's all alone with hardly anyone around him, only two people who always follow him, and they both came from the Investiture of the Gods. One is this Deng Jiugong, and the other is Bai Jian, who's also a quiet fellow."

As he said this, a hint of schadenfreude crept into his tone.

"But now, they can't really show their strength. Venus caused this huge mess by recommending that monkey demon to heaven, and he himself was implicated before the Great Celestial Venerable, so he's in trouble. What good can these two by his side do? Look at that old rascal Deng Jiugong's face, he looks like he's lost his parents, I reckon he's not having an easy time either."

Wang Chen's heart sank slightly.

The fact that the Heavenly King of Growth and Deng Jiugong were at odds might have been a trivial piece of gossip for him. But the information that the Heavenly King of Growth inadvertently revealed made him instantly think of much more.

Venus only had two people who were always by his side: Deng Jiugong and Bai Jian.

Just now, Deng Jiugong clearly witnessed a rather intimate scene between himself and the Heavenly King of Growth. Given this relationship between Deng Jiugong and the Heavenly King of Growth, what would Deng Jiugong think?

He most likely believes that he is on the side of the Heavenly King of Growth, or at least that he is close to the Heavenly King of Growth.

This misunderstanding could be quite troublesome.

Deng Jiugong is close to Taibai Jinxing. If he has a bad first impression of me, or even harbors hostility towards me because of Zengzhang Tianwang, would he say anything good about me in front of Taibai Jinxing? Would he obstruct my connection with Taibai Jinxing through Baijian?

Wang Chen remained calm on the surface, even showing a perfectly appropriate expression of agreement as the Heavenly King of Growth spoke, but in his mind he was already making plans quickly.

It's true that plans can't keep up with changes. Just when one crisis was resolved, it seems we've inadvertently gotten caught up in another layer of complicated interpersonal relationships.

However, he did not voice these concerns. It would be unwise to reveal his interest in the lineage of Deng Jiugong or Venus to the King of Growth.

At this moment, the Heavenly King of Growth seemed to feel he had said enough, and handed the document in his hand to Wang Chen. "Here, Brother Wang, everything you asked for is clearly written down as we agreed, and the seal has been affixed. Take it back, and I guarantee you'll be able to complete your mission."

Wang Chen took it with both hands, unfolded it slightly and glanced at it. Sure enough, the key parts were written according to the instructions he provided, and it was stamped with the official seal of the Heavenly King of Growth and the seal of the Southern Heavenly Gate.

He solemnly put it away, bowed, and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness. This document is of utmost importance for the official business of the Imperial Horse Administration, and I, Wang Chen, am deeply grateful."

"No problem at all!" The Heavenly King of Growth waved his hand heartily, then patted Wang Chen on the shoulder. "If you ever need anything, just come find me at the South Heavenly Gate! I, the Heavenly King of Growth, consider you my brother!"

These words were spoken in a lively and affectionate manner.

Wang Chen's face was full of gratitude. After saying a few more polite words, he respectfully took his leave.

The Heavenly King of Growth stood at the entrance, watching Wang Chen descend the cloud steps and disappear into the swirling celestial clouds. The warm smile on his face slowly faded. He turned and walked back, muttering to himself, "A clever lad indeed... too bad, just a celestial official."

His earlier fraternal address was seven parts genuinely because he felt Wang Chen's words had saved him from a difficult situation, and three parts were just polite formalities in high spirits.

After calming down, the difference in their social status resurfaced. He was a fifth-rank Heavenly King guarding a region, while Wang Chen was merely a celestial official without rank or title. This "brotherhood" couldn't be taken seriously. Perhaps he would forget about this person tomorrow when he sobered up.

Wang Chen was fully aware of this. He didn't take the King of Growth's enthusiasm seriously. He listened to three parts of what he heard, believed one part, and the remaining six parts depended on his interests and the situation.

Today I did the Heavenly King a great favor, and in return, he offered enthusiasm and promises—it's an equal exchange. If I were to act on that small favor tomorrow and come knocking on my door for everything, that would be incredibly rude of me.

All he needed was a smooth completion of his task and a favor that might serve as a stepping stone in the future. As for a deeper relationship, now was not the time, nor could he afford to cultivate one.

After leaving the area of ​​Nantianmen, Wang Chen did not rush back to the Imperial Horse Stable to report.

He glanced at the document in his hand bearing the seal of the Southern Heavenly Gate, then thought about Deng Jiugong, whom he had just met. He turned and headed straight in another direction.

That's the direction of the Suspended Pearl Collection.