Chapter 243: My Friend the Jade Emperor

Hua Ri, Ri Tian?

Your Majesty, why...

Cough, be serious—Ri Tian is just the character Hao, and in the Hong Huang, there aren't so many implied meanings!

The issue is, how has this Yu Di Majesty ended up clashing with the rules of the Hai Shen Temple?

As Yu Di's incarnation went to a nearby stall, took a stick of long incense, and entered, Li Changshou's mind raced, and he quickly made a decision.

This matter wasn't hard to resolve.

Once the crowd gradually dispersed, Yu Di's incarnation held the incense in his left hand and a folding fan in his right, drawing the attention of the two divine messengers as he glided inside with a relaxed and contented air.

At that moment, Li Changshou keenly caught a key word from Yu Di's demeanor:

Rules.

Yu Di walked a few steps and saw Li Changshou's old immortal disguise as the Paper Daoist. He couldn't help but chuckle and bowed with hands clasped, saying,

"Subordinate reports as ordered, coming to pay a visit."

The use of "subordinate" made it clear that Yu Di's incarnation wished to remain unrecognized.

Li Changshou, who had been about to return the bow, stopped upon hearing this and instead gave a slight bow, flicking the dust from his whisk as he replied,

"General, you've had a hard journey. Please, follow me."

Li Changshou gestured invitingly, and Yu Di's incarnation nodded with a smile, walking beside him as they circled around the main hall toward the back courtyard.

As they passed a corner outside the main hall, Yu Di glanced at the Hai Shen Temple's main shrine, spotting the large and small divine statues, the carved dragon pillars on either side, and the colorful glazed murals throughout the hall.

The content could be described as quite rich.

Yu Di's incarnation casually asked,

"Beloved... Changgeng, why is the area behind the statues backed by plain white walls? Why not add some paintings or hang some silk curtains?"

Li Changshou smiled and transmitted his voice: "This humble god has received Your Majesty's great favor and been granted the seal of a proper deity, so I must reserve the main position in the temple for hanging Your Majesty's divine statue in the future, to properly represent the Heavenly Court's authority."

Yu Di's incarnation raised an eyebrow slightly and nodded, transmitting back: "Changgeng, my beloved minister, you've put thought into this."

Li Changshou said: "It aligns with both heavenly regulations and reason.

Your Majesty, please rest in the back hall.

Your sudden arrival here has caught this humble god off guard—my abilities are limited, and I didn't prepare anything."

"Acting on a whim, just wandering around—there's no need to be tense."

Yu Di chuckled lightly, holding the incense in his hand, "Then this item..."

"Your Majesty, please don't overwhelm this humble god," Li Changshou said with a bitter smile. "Aside from the Heavenly Dao and the lords in Zixiao Palace, who could possibly receive a stick of pure incense from Your Majesty?

Your Majesty, you see...

When this humble god set the rules for the Hai Shen Temple back then, it was only to allow incense to be brought inside, not to offer it as tribute."

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Yu Di's incarnation burst into laughter. "I was trying to give you a little test, but you answered it so easily. How dull, utterly dull!"

As he laughed, Yu Di handed the incense to Li Changshou, who hesitated for a moment before accepting it.

"Today, with no outsiders around, there's no need to be so formal," Yu Di's incarnation said, patting Li Changshou's arm. "Come on, show me around your Hai Shen Temple properly."

Li Changshou agreed, but in his heart, he began to wonder about the true purpose of Yu Di's visit.

To play it safe, he assumed Yu Di might be here to hold him accountable for mishandling affairs and decided to respond carefully later.

But to be fair, the matter of the Dragon Clan ascending to heaven had been left to him, Li Changshou, to plan, and so far, the results had been quite good.

If he were to be punished for that, then he might as well give up on the "amiable old immortal" route to Heavenly Court and aim straight for infiltrating Doushuai Palace.

Being a deity also requires conscience!

Shifu Jiu is practically a legend in the realm of conscience!

Uh, that was just his own assumption. Judging by Yu Di's demeanor, it probably wasn't about punishment.

Later, Yu Di would likely just offer some words of encouragement and urging, something like, "I am always watching you..."

Li Changshou led Yu Di's incarnation around the back courtyard of the Hai Shen Temple for half a circle, then glanced at the front hall where worshippers continued to stream in, before finally settling in the back hall to sit down.

Upon entering the back hall of the Hai Shen Temple, guests with deeper cultivation would first admire that landscape painting, and Yu Di was no exception.

"Changgeng, this painting..."

"It was a gift from Yunxiao Xianzi," Li Changshou said with a smile. "This humble god didn't know where else to place it, so I hung it here."

"Hiss, a true work by Teacher Tongtian—truly a rare treasure!"

Yu Di's incarnation's eyes lit up, and Li Changshou stood by with a smile, saying nothing.

If this were a painting by anyone other than a saint, no matter how valuable, Li Changshou would have offered it to Yu Di without hesitation.

But this was a piece by a saint, gifted by Yunxiao Xianzi—the karmic ties from passing it on were far too great...

Yu Di's incarnation looked at Li Changshou's Paper Daoist form, his admiration growing even more.

"Changgeng, your circle of friends is truly vast.

Legend has it that the Sanxiao Xianzi possess immense divine powers and great abilities, especially Yunxiao's Hunyuan Jindou, which is renowned as a fearsome treasure."

"This humble god doesn't know much about that—I only have some minor interactions with the Sanxiao predecessors."

Li Changshou smiled and steered the conversation away. "Your Majesty, please take the seat of honor."

With that, Li Changshou quickly removed the chair from his own main seat and replaced it with a jade treasure chair.

Yu Di didn't say much and naturally took his seat.

"Changgeng, you sit too. I'm just a guest here—this is starting to feel like the guest has taken over the host's role."

Li Changshou nodded with a smile and, without further pretense, sat down beside him.

Although he would serve under Yu Di in the future, establishing a ruler-minister relationship, there was no need for excessive subservience. Deities should maintain their dignity, especially since behind him stood the two great figures of Renjiao.

Strictly speaking, Yu Di was also a properly appointed deity by the Heavenly Dao, responsible for leading all heavenly deities.

Once they were seated, a slight awkwardness settled in.

Although Li Changshou couldn't quite figure out Yu Di's purpose, he couldn't let the atmosphere grow too uncomfortable, so he took the initiative to speak, reporting on his arrangements concerning the Dragon Clan, as well as the current troubles and concerns.

Yu Di's incarnation listened carefully for half an hour and was surprised to find...

The affairs were far more complex than he had imagined.

Yu Di sighed: "I never realized, Changgeng, that you had to handle so many major and minor matters. Originally, I... I thought it was just about adapting as things came."

Li Changshou laughed: "Actually, it's also about adapting as things come.

It's just that we prepare everything in advance, so when the opponent makes a move, we can counter accordingly."

"What you say is absolutely right," Yu Di said seriously. "It's truly demanding for you to exhaust your efforts alone. Even if this matter doesn't succeed in the end, I will still credit you with a great achievement."

Li Changshou replied: "If it fails, there should be blame, so how dare I claim credit?

Your Majesty, rest assured—the mandate of heaven lies with Heavenly Court and with you. This humble god is merely going with the flow."

"Excellent! With you planning this matter, my heart is at ease!"

Yu Di's words came from the heart, and he continued,

"Changgeng, the decree for your position as a proper deity will come down in another three years.

I have already sealed you as the God of the Four Seas, also serving as the Marshal of the Heavenly Court's Supervisory Army, ranked after Dong Mu Gong. What do you think?"

Li Changshou quickly stood up and bowed with hands clasped. "This humble god has not yet established any merits and dares not accept such a generous reward!"

"It's precisely because your merits aren't evident yet that I can only give you this level of divine position and office," Yu Di said with a laugh. "The heavenly deity ranks are divided into six tiers, and this is merely the fourth tier.

Once the Dragon Clan's ascension is successful, you can directly enter the second tier, like Mu Gong, so that you can command respect."

Only then did Li Changshou breathe a slight sigh of relief.

It turned out that the position of Supervisory Army Marshal wasn't some "major office"—it had given him a start.

The higher the position granted, the more responsibilities he'd have to shoulder later; he wasn't lazy, but he wasn't a workaholic either and wouldn't go looking for extra tasks.

Moreover...

Excessive promotion could be a trap, a great taboo for staying steady!

"Your Majesty, this humble god is bold enough to ask you to explain the ranks of Heavenly Court deities," Li Changshou said with a serious expression. "It would help this minister prepare for the future and avoid offending anyone."

"Ha ha ha," Yu Di chuckled. "Changgeng, you're always so cautious.

Very well, since we have time today, I'll explain the ranks of Heavenly Court deities to you properly."

Yu Di then personally explained the system of divine ranks, which he had largely devised.

Yu Di's way of dividing the heavenly deity ranks was somewhat...

Simple.

Divine ranks differed from official positions and were divided into six tiers, with Daozu Sanqing transcending heaven and earth, not included.

The first tier consisted of Yu Di, Wangmu, and Laojun.

The second tier included figures like Dong Mu Gong as the foremost male immortal, along with powerful territorial deities like the Four Supremes, though their positions were currently vacant.

The third tier encompassed titles like Zhenjun and Tianwang, as well as the main deities of various departments.

The fourth tier comprised the various Star Lords and departmental proper deities, responsible for monitoring the workings of the heavens and maintaining heavenly stability.

Marshals in Heavenly Court who commanded over ten thousand troops were also included in this tier.

The fifth and sixth tiers were more miscellaneous, mainly serving as "assistant deities" to those in the second and third tiers.

Additionally, there were heavenly officials and scattered immortals, not assigned to any tier.

The departments mainly referred to the eight departments: Thunder, Fire, Fighting, Plague, Smallpox, Taisui, Wealth, and others.

Star Lords mostly referred to the Twenty-Eight Lunar Mansions.

Divine rank had no direct connection to strength; it simply represented one's position in the Heavenly Court system, determining the treatment received and the amount of heavenly merits rewarded...

Li Changshou silently calculated in his heart and realized that Yu Di's six-tier divine rank system could actually be more finely divided into nine or twelve tiers.

However, from the subtle pride in Yu Di's words as he explained the system...

Well, this was the most perfect divine rank system!

No issues at all!

His entry into Heavenly Court would start at the fourth-tier divine rank, which was something Li Changshou hadn't expected.

It was mainly because most heavenly deity positions were currently vacant, so Yu Di casually assigned a high one.

As Li Changshou discussed this with Yu Di, a sudden insight struck him, revealing a key point.

The six-tier divine rank structure Yu Di had established, with its numerous corresponding positions, might just be the vacancies to be filled in the future Feng Shen list.

If he influenced Yu Di's current design—by adding, reducing, or adjusting the various divine ranks—couldn't that directly affect the Feng Shen catastrophe?

As soon as this somewhat reckless idea emerged in Li Changshou's mind, he suppressed it immediately.

He even dug a pit, buried it deeply, and stomped on it for good measure...

Why bother scheming about nothing!

Feng Shen was a great tribulation—how could a mere ordinary Yuanxian realm disciple from Duxian Sect get involved?

After chatting with Yu Di about the divine ranks for a while, Li Changshou noticed...

Yu Di's interest was growing.

By now, the lanterns were just being lit outside, and Yu Di said with a smile,

"Changgeng, why don't we go out for a walk? I've rarely visited the mortal world."

"Since Your Majesty is in the mood, this humble god will accompany you. Shall I arrange something first?"

"No need, what's there to arrange?"

Yu Di waved his hand. "The original flavor is the most enjoyable."

Li Changshou smiled and followed Yu Di, leaving the back hall and heading toward the rear gate of the Hai Shen Temple.

What was Yu Di really here for?

There must be some deeper intention, but after probing a few times, he still couldn't figure it out.

In any case, it couldn't just be boredom leading him to chat and relax with Li Changshou.

Just as they were about to step out, Yu Di's incarnation frowned slightly and looked toward a corner of the back courtyard, where a black shadow quickly vanished into the darkness, silent and unseen.

"Changgeng, this place of yours doesn't seem very secure."

"You've seen through it, Your Majesty," Li Changshou transmitted. "Someone has been watching this humble god's Hai Shen Temple for quite some time now—it's become routine, and I've grown used to it."

"Oh?"

Yu Di's incarnation furrowed his brow deeper and transmitted back, "Do you need any assistance?"

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty, but this humble god has no major issues here," Li Changshou said with a smile. "What I have here are all incarnations, and they've only been observing."

"I almost forgot about that," Yu Di's incarnation chuckled softly. "Let's go. Once we step out that door, let's not use transmission anymore.

I'll call you Brother Changgeng, and you call me Brother Ri Tian. Today, let's just wander the mortal world like ordinary people."

Li Changshou: ...

Your Majesty, could you pick a different name? That one is really hard to say.

But that was just his own overthinking...

Li Changshou followed along, calling out "Brother Ri Tian" repeatedly, which only made Yu Di's mood even more cheerful.

Whether it was sheer coincidence or just bad luck piling up, as Li Changshou accompanied Yu Di strolling the streets, taking in the human scenery and browsing the night markets,

Yu Di seemed enthusiastic about everything, especially little things like candied hawthorn, sugar coatings, and masks, showing great interest—though he didn't try them.

Li Changshou naturally just played along, chatting and waiting quietly for Yu Di to reveal his true purpose.

Right then, a familiar buzzing sound entered Li Changshou's ear.

Yu Di's incarnation glanced up at the sky, casually flicked his sleeve, and a faint golden immortal light appeared in his palm before vanishing the next instant, piercing a blood mosquito in the air.

"Changgeng, this place of yours is truly unsettling—I'm quite worried."

Li Changshou: Get him a ticket to Doushuai Palace, and he'd move in immediately!

Cough, just a joke, just a joke.