Chapter 20: A Narrow Path

The Thirty-Second Heaven, Purple Bloom Hall.

The palace doors were tightly shut.

“What’s the news? Was the message delivered?” Jiang Yang was so anxious her white hair was about to sprout, urgently questioning the little servant standing before her.

Ever since the Heavenly Emperor visited two days ago and announced he was going to the Lower Realm, Jiang Yang had been plotting to send a message to Kunlun Mountain, telling them to delay their departure as much as possible—best to wait until the Heavenly Emperor returned before venturing out. Worried about arousing his suspicion, she didn’t dare leave the Purple Bloom Hall herself. So, she dispatched an old lotus from the lotus pond to descend to the mortal world and deliver the message.

This lotus just happened to have lived a long time. Although her appearance was still that of a proper eighteen-year-old, she hadn’t been professionally trained. The even older lotuses at home had taught her to be utterly respectful towards the immortal, making her exceedingly rigid. Right when Jiang Yang was beside herself with urgency, the little servant first unhurriedly kowtowed to her.

Jiang Yang waved her hand: “Oh, enough already! Spare me these fancy, ostentatious empty gestures. Speak quickly!”

The little servant replied: “Following the immortal’s instructions, I flew southwest all the way. However, my cultivation base was too shallow, my speed too slow, and my sense of direction not very good…”

Jiang Yang’s heart instantly went cold. She looked at the little servant, her eyes so gloomy they seemed green.

Why didn’t you mention your poor sense of direction when I selected you earlier?

Just as she was about to voice this, the little servant continued: “It took a full two days of flying before I found the foot of Kunlun Mountain.”

Jiang Yang: “!”

So she had found it after all. What a breathless way to speak.

She gritted her teeth and said, “Just tell me the result directly.”

“Oh.” The little servant seemed straightforward after all; all the tricks her elders at home had taught her for claiming credit were utterly forgotten. She stated bluntly: “The message wasn’t delivered.”

“Didn’t you find Kunlun Mountain?”

“But an unexpected issue arose midway.”

“What unexpected issue?”

The little servant looked up in surprise: “This servant was just about to explain when the immortal interrupted me.”

“Heh…” Jiang Yang smiled at her, eyelids fluttering twice, her eyes sparkling. “Do you believe I’ll break you right now? Quickly! Tell! Me!”

The eight large windows of the palace rattled loudly. The lotuses outside, who had been whispering amongst themselves, suddenly fell deathly silent, not even daring to let out a peep.

“Ah Yang, what’s the matter? Such a temper.”

The Heavenly Emperor’s voice reached her from far off. The little servant spoke rapidly: “There’s a huge guard dog inside Kunlun Mountain. The moment I entered, I was nearly swallowed by it.”

Ha! So you can speak properly after all.

Jiang Yang raised her palm and flicked her fingers forward twice, gesturing for her to leave.

When she thought it over carefully, she couldn’t help but laugh.

A guard dog on Kunlun Mountain? Who else could it be but the King? Truly, a lifetime of brilliance, only to be described this way in the end by a tiny lotus flower. She wondered if Chuci would be furious when she found out. And “nearly swallowed by it”? A creature like this little lotus wouldn’t even be enough to plug a gap in the King’s teeth. Oh no, she’d be too thin even to serve as a toothpick.

Come to think of it, she really had no competent subordinates at her disposal. She could try scouting a few when she descended to the mortal realm this time.

In the blink of an eye, the Heavenly Emperor had already arrived before the Purple Bloom Hall. He’d changed into a deep blue robe, his long hair bound under a crown, a jade pendant at his waist. He looked very much like a noble young master from the mortal world. Having been accustomed to occupying the highest position, even dressed in coarse cloth, he’d still resemble a crown prince—let alone dressed so ostentatiously.

The noble young master looked at Jiang Yang with a gentle smile.

Jiang Yang immediately donned a face still bearing remnants of anger and said indignantly: “I told my attendant to tidy up my tea set, and somehow one piece went missing. Now I can’t find it anywhere.”

“That is indeed something to be angry about.” The Heavenly Emperor consoled her: “If you truly can’t find it, I’ll find you an identical set.”

Jiang Yang feigned fury: “How could you find an identical set? This was something I secretly buried in the dragon vein of the East Sea many tens of thousands of years ago. It was nurtured for ages before it was ready.”

The truth was, during a time when Jiang Yang was still playful, she’d gone to the East Sea for fun and casually buried a set. Later, when it occurred to her to dig it up, she found the tea set had actually developed spiritual intelligence. The tea it brewed was exceptionally delicious, so she’d kept using it ever since. After tasting the benefit, she buried several more sets in the four seas—east, west, south, and north—planning to dig them up after another few tens of thousands of years and present them to the King.

The Heavenly Emperor: “This… how about this: I’ll give you the set from my palace. It was tribute from the Dragon King, so I don’t know if it was nourished by any dragon vein, but it likely won’t be too inferior. Just make do with it for now. We should prioritize going to the Lower Realm.”

Jiang Yang: “…”

She was just about to come up with another excuse to stall when the Heavenly Emperor asked her, glowing with delight: “Ah Yang, what do you think of my attire? Does it look too ostentatious?”

He was an epitome of unselfconscious self-flattery.

Jiang Yang thought to herself: Yes, yes, it is very ostentatious. You’re basically a walking signboard proclaiming: ‘Zhen is on an incognito inspection tour,’ for fear people won’t know who you are. Could the dragon embroidered on your boots be any tinier? Could the silver dragon thread on your cuffs perhaps not gleam in the sunlight? If not, just tell the Golden Crow to take a few days off, or feed some beans to the Divine Dragons pulling your chariot—then nobody would see you.

Her mind spun an elaborate, entirely irrelevant rant. Outwardly, however, she praised: “We’re just going to observe the Lower Realm, not to experience hardship. There’s no need to dress shabbily. A’Jun, you’re just right like this. Dressing nobly might also attract a little less… mm, unnecessary trouble.”

For instance, trouble from the King. If, seeing such a glaring signboard, he still insists on walking into the blade’s edge—well, then there’s really nothing she could do. Even if the King hadn’t returned yet, then she’d simply have to…

She shot an extremely quick glance at the Heavenly Emperor, whose back was now turned to her. Between her brows, there seemed to flash the sharp edge of a blade, gone in an instant.

…then she’d simply have to deal with him first.

Hearing her words, the Heavenly Emperor instead became puzzled: “Ah Yang, what do you mean by ‘unnecessary trouble’?”

Jiang Yang replied without changing her expression: “Mortals, naturally, can’t compare to the Heavenly Realm. Many of them bully the weak. Even the poor oppress each other. If they see you dressed shabbily, they’ll inevitably try to push you around.”

“You make a very good point.”

“Naturally, I’ve traveled the Lower Realm before.”

“Then what will you wear?”

“Me?” Jiang Yang raised her finger and swiped it across her forehead, materializing the teardrop-shaped jade. Her entire attire was suddenly exactly what she’d worn when she met the Little King on Kunlun Mountain. “This will do.”

“Eh, why do you look even more noble than me?”

“Mortals, we must intimidate them!” Jiang Yang said.

King, oh King. Jiang Yang silently wiped two handfuls of bitter tears from her heart. I can only help you this far. You’re on your own now.

The weather was fine and clear.

Somewhere in the Lower Realm, on a wide official road leading to an unknown city, a magnificent horse-drawn carriage was slowly progressing.

Driving it was a man with a stiff, wooden face. On closer inspection, there was even an unnatural grayish hue to his complexion. He held a horsewhip and stared straight ahead without glancing sideways.

Chuci, clad in a white fur robe of a nobility that put the Heavenly Emperor’s to shame, lifted a corner of the carriage curtain with a delicate white finger and instructed: “Turn left at the next intersection.”

The man replied stiffly: “Yes.”

Chuci triumphantly dropped the curtain and flashed a beautiful smile at the woman in cyan beside her: “See? Isn’t transforming a person from a stone just the same? When not needed, it can be changed back, simple and convenient. Much better than bringing Meng Zhaozhong.”

The silver dragon thread at her cuff flashed a brilliant silver light, catching Kunlun’s eyes almost off guard.

She really looks just like a peacock spreading its tail.