Chapter 64

That night, Yang Zhen called the steward of the National Master’s residence, gave him all the necessary instructions, and then left the Kingdom of Bìqiú with Jiayao, flying towards the Heavenly Court.

This departure from the Kingdom of Bìqiú might mean that Yang Zhen would never return. Therefore, his instructions were given with great solemnity. First, Yang Zhen instructed the steward to report to the king early the next morning that his mission was complete and he was going to take up a position in the Heavenly Court, thus no longer serving as the National Master of the Kingdom of Bìqiú. Then, Yang Zhen provided the king with some suggestions for governing the kingdom, all of which were sound strategies derived from his memories of his past life.

This departure also signified the end of Yang Zhen’s connection with the Kingdom of Bìqiú, and from then on, there would be no further ties. However, since Yang Zhen had lived in the Kingdom of Bìqiú for over sixty years, he naturally hoped for its long-term peace and stability. Therefore, his suggestions were extremely valuable, and some of his insights far exceeded the understanding of people in that era.

Upon their first visit to the Heavenly Court, Jiayao was immediately captivated by its beautiful scenery, and her originally sad mood gradually dissipated.

Seeing the exotic treasures and mythical creatures within the Heavenly Court, Jiayao was not afraid. She touched one thing after another, playing with great joy.

Yang Zhen originally intended to take Jiayao directly to the Fire Department, but considering the environment there, he ultimately abandoned this idea. Given Jiayao’s current cultivation level, if she were to encounter the extreme heat of the Fire Department, the water in her body would instantly evaporate, leaving her no chance to resist and leading her straight to the underworld.

Therefore, Yang Zhen took Jiayao to the residence of Tai Bai Jin Xing, entrusting her to his care.

Jiayao, of course, did not want to be separated from her master, whom she had just met. Upon hearing that Yang Zhen was going to leave her with Tai Bai Jin Xing, she naturally cried and clung to Yang Zhen’s sleeve, refusing to let him go.

Seeing how dependent Jiayao was on him, Yang Zhen felt both happy and troubled. He could only explain, “Jiayao, listen. If you go to where your master lives with your current cultivation level, you will die immediately. If Jiayao dies, you will never see your master again. Do you want to temporarily not see your master, or do you want to never see your master again?”

“Um... I don’t want either. I want to be with my master forever,” Jiayao said.

“Since Jiayao wants to be with your master forever, from today on, you must work hard to cultivate. When your cultivation level improves, you can go to your master’s place,” Yang Zhen explained.

“Really?” Jiayao tilted her head and asked.

Scratching Jiayao’s little nose, Yang Zhen smiled and said, “Of course, when has your master ever lied to you?”

“Alright, from today on, I will work hard to cultivate and strive to meet my master soon,” Jiayao clenched her right fist, full of determination.

“Star Lord, I’ll leave Jiayao in your care for a while. This little girl is quite mischievous, so you’ll have to be patient with her,” Yang Zhen instructed Tai Bai Jin Xing.

“Ah!” Tai Bai Jin Xing waved his hand and said, “Brother Yang, you’re being too formal. I’m a few years older than you, so if you don’t mind, call me Brother. In the Heavenly Court, we can look out for each other. Brother Yang, you should know that the waters in the Heavenly Court are very deep.”

Hearing this, Yang Zhen did not refuse and thanked Tai Bai Jin Xing again.

After settling Jiayao, Tai Bai Jin Xing escorted Yang Zhen to the door and whispered, “Brother Yang, the Jade Emperor has agreed to let you see Sun Wukong. However, since Sun Wukong is still a major criminal in the Heavenly Court, allowing you to visit him is already a special favor. Therefore, it’s best not to stay too long or do anything inappropriate.”

“I understand,” Yang Zhen nodded.

After leaving Tai Bai Jin Xing’s residence, Yang Zhen went directly to the Five Elements Mountain to visit Sun Wukong.

This visit lasted for three hours, but no one in the three realms knew what Yang Zhen and Sun Wukong talked about. According to the celestial deity who guarded the Five Elements Mountain that day, all that could be heard was occasional laughter from the foot of the mountain, but the specific content of their conversation was unknown.

After visiting Sun Wukong, Yang Zhen secluded himself in the Fire Department’s residence to cultivate. This seclusion lasted for eight months, and in the lower realm, over 240 years had passed.

During these eight months, Yang Zhen only left the Fire Department to visit Jiayao, otherwise, he remained in seclusion, focusing entirely on his cultivation.

With such a long time and such favorable conditions, Yang Zhen’s strength grew at an alarming rate. Now, even Yang Zhen himself did not know how powerful he had become, as he had yet to test the effects of the skills he had purchased from the store and did not know their exact power. However, based on past experience, the skills from the store were extremely powerful, and if he could find a way to level them up to their maximum, they would likely surpass the most advanced magical abilities in this world.

Originally, Yang Zhen planned to use this opportunity to take up a position in the Heavenly Court to break through to the Golden Immortal realm. However, today was an important day in the Heavenly Court, and even Yang Zhen had to end his seclusion and attend the Jade Pool Feast.

Indeed, today was the annual Jade Pool Feast, also known as the Peach Feast. On this day, the Queen Mother of the West would bring out the peaches she had painstakingly cultivated for the immortals to enjoy. Along with the nectar and ambrosia and exotic delicacies, even the immortals, who no longer cared much about food, would find their appetites whetted and enjoy themselves on this day.

Yang Zhen’s position was sufficient to attend the Peach Feast, and he was now sitting in his designated seat, savoring the Heavenly Court’s delicacies and enjoying the performances.

It was indeed a delightful experience.

Yang Zhen also took this opportunity to relax and ease the fatigue from his prolonged seclusion.

During the feast, Yang Zhen encountered an old acquaintance, the Marshal of the Heavenly River, who commanded the ten thousand water troops. However, while Yang Zhen recognized the Marshal, the Marshal did not recognize him. After all, the last time they met, Yang Zhen had hidden in the shadows and played a prank on the Marshal.

If the Marshal knew that the person who pranked him was Yang Zhen, he would probably tear Yang Zhen to pieces.

During the banquet, Yang Zhen noticed that several immortals were constantly toasting the Marshal, and the Marshal accepted all the toasts, drinking each one without hesitation, appearing very generous.

However, Yang Zhen soon realized something was amiss, as the Jade Emperor and Tai Bai Jin Xing were also subtly watching the Marshal. Seeing that the Marshal was already thoroughly drunk, Tai Bai Jin Xing gave a subtle signal to a celestial deity, who then approached the Marshal with a cup of wine and said, “I have long heard that Marshal Tianpeng is not only powerful in magic but also excels in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. It is truly a blessing of ten lifetimes for me to be able to toast Marshal Tianpeng today.”

“Ah~ Hahahaha!” The Marshal laughed loudly, took the wine offered by the celestial deity, and drank it in one gulp.