Nezha had no idea how much chain reaction his arrival had caused. He spent his days writing, cultivating, and playing around with Daji (ahem! Scratch that), playing with Daji.
Occasionally, he'd go out and preach the Way of Peace. If someone wanted to learn cultivation, he'd impart it for a fee. Nezha was quite content with this kind of lifestyle.
Daji was very content too—she clung to Nezha every day, cuddling and sticking close to him. She enjoyed the lack of constraints on her time for cultivation, reading, and writing. Life couldn't get better.
Yu Yuan was also content. He felt as if he had returned to the old Beggar Gang days, scheming and deceiving as the leader of street beggars to gather resources, while leaving the martial intimidation duties to himself.
Nuwa was delighted. Seeing Nezha thriving in Chaoge without a break was deeply entertaining to her—I want this to go on forever, she thought.
King Zhou was likewise pleased. Though his cultivation progress wasn't as rapid as before, he improved bit by bit every day.
The court officials were overflowing with satisfaction: Yin Shou, that Great King, was no longer engaging in all kinds of nonsense. Their workload had drastically decreased, and their efficiency had shot up. Everyone's old faces wore flower-like grins.
Ying ying ying ying ying ying, everybody won spicy hotpot (winning big)!
But who exactly was losing in all this?
Kunlun Mountain
The consequence of Yu Yuan joining Yuxu Palace was this: Jiang Ziya was summoned downhill.
Jiang Ziya, for his part, had no desire to leave the mountain. Unfortunately, it wasn't up to him. Before descending, Yuanshi Tianzun had this to say: "You have no destiny with immortality, but you are destined for worldly wealth and prestige."
Kneeling, Jiang Ziya dared not refute. He replied, "This disciple is willing to endure hardship on the mountain and would never dare to covet mundane wealth and honor."
But deep inside, he thought, I'd rather stay here on Kunlun cultivating until I die of old age. I want to ascend as an immortal! Alas, he had no grounds for rebellion.
In this respect, Jiang Ziya bore a striking similarity to Yin Shou.
After descending the mountain, the old man was truly at a loss. He had cultivated on the mountain for forty to fifty years without achieving immortality. His parents were gone, leaving him rootless. He was told he had an important destiny awaiting him—but was he even worthy?
Save for knowledge, insight, and a handful of magical techniques, he felt he had nothing.
Just as he was lost in his thoughts, a voice from behind called out, "Senior Brother, please wait!"
Turning around, Jiang Ziya saw it was none other than his good junior brother Shen Gongbao. Shen Gongbao had not had it easy either—he wasn't well regarded by their teacher, though he was far more talented and had already attained immortality. Jiang Ziya couldn't help but envy that.
And Shen Gongbao?
He envied Jiang Ziya too. Why was someone so woefully untalented favored more by their teacher?
Why was he, with superior abilities, constantly ignored by their teacher?
Neither of them realized they envied each other—one with sincerity, the other with masked intentions. This mutual yet unacknowledged admiration made for a peculiar camaraderie. Thus, they got along very well.
Carrying an old, tattered bag downhill, Jiang Ziya was genuinely moved that his junior brother had come to see him off. Grabbing Shen Gongbao's hand, he said, "You've come to send me off, Junior Brother. It does justice to the years we've cultivated together as fellow disciples. Alas, from now on, one of us will be mortal, the other divine!"
Shen Gongbao, as a Heavenly Immortal, had access to vastly more information than Jiang Ziya. But given his low rank, he only knew bits and pieces of significance without understanding their larger context.
He'd heard rumors of the Divine Enthronement and thought it must be a significant event. Why should Jiang Ziya be involved and not him? Driven by jealousy, he wanted to prove to their teacher that he was superior to Jiang Ziya.
Honestly, this was no different from little kids fighting for a gold star in kindergarten.
Feigning sincerity, he said, "Senior Brother! The bond between us runs deep. As you descend the mountain, is there a grand mission our teacher has entrusted to you? This junior brother is willing to support you however I can!"
Jiang Ziya was moved again. What a good junior brother!
Then he replied, "Nope."
Yuanshi Tianzun had simply told him he'd have worldly wealth and honor. Beyond that, his teacher had said nothing. So indeed, there was nothing to share.
An icy glint flashed through Shen Gongbao's eyes. Villains have a habit of thinking others are like them—he now believed Jiang Ziya's sentimentality to be all an act, a ploy to exclude him and hog the glory all to himself.
He didn't let it show, however, and instead earnestly advised Jiang Ziya to be careful on the road, saying, "If anything happens, come to me." And so on.
Jiang Ziya assured him, "Rest assured. If anything happens, I'll definitely seek you out."
Finally, Jiang Ziya set off downhill. Mulling over his teacher's words about mundane wealth and honor, he thought, Well then, I'll head to Chaoge first. If I'm to become a feudal marquis or prime minister, that's bound to be the place to start!
As he journeyed, the closer he got to Chaoge, the more hopeful he became, for Chaoge also presented opportunities for cultivation!
After arriving in Chaoge, Jiang Ziya didn't rush to visit Nezha. Instead, he devoted himself to studying the "Taiping Heavenly Book."
Old Jiang had maxed out his skills in politics and strategy. As he read, he marveled at the book's lofty ideals, yet lamented that such a world was impossible to realize.
Having thoroughly studied the text, he still didn't go looking for his friend but went straight to pay Nezha a visit.
When the servant reported the guest, Nezha quickly let go of Daji's jade-like foot he had been toying with and stood up. Daji immediately got the hint—this visitor was important. She rose to help Nezha tidy his attire and appearance.
Nezha proceeded to the guest hall. Jiang Ziya, despite Nezha appearing as a mere child, did not look down on him. Rising, he politely offered a formal greeting: "Jiang Ziya, disciple of Yuxu Palace, pays respects to the Great Sage Master."
Nezha sized up Jiang Ziya—the old man's aura of immortality and refined demeanor was indeed impressive.
Currently, Nezha had no ties to the Chan Sect anymore and had no intention of becoming any kind of vanguard. Therefore, currying favor with Old Jiang wasn't necessary. However, basic courtesy had to be observed—after all, they were now from the third generation of the Mystic Sect.
Nezha helped the old man up, saying, "I am Li Nezha, disciple under Nuwa's tutelage. Greetings, Senior Brother."
The old man hurriedly replied, "I don't dare, I don't dare."
"Brother Jiang, what brings you here today?"
Jiang Ziya rose and replied formally, "Junior Brother! I want to cultivate immortality!"
Nezha scratched his head. You want to learn, but I'm not sure I dare teach!
After all, those three celestial scholars had been stripped of their Three Flowers and Five Qi before joining the Saints' Sects. You, already equipped with knowledge, now boldly want to expand into new arts? That's quite the audacity.
Besides, is switching professions something of a Chan Sect tradition?
Jiang Ziya, being astutely perceptive, noticed Nezha's hesitation and immediately added, "Junior Brother, you needn't worry. I swear to the heavens that all repercussions tied to this will be borne solely by me."
Truth be told, Jiang Ziya could indeed bear them—after all, he couldn't die even if he wanted to now.
In the end, Nezha decided to teach him but made it clear that he couldn't guarantee Jiang Ziya would succeed in achieving immortality. As a parting gesture, Nezha effortlessly shuffled Jiang Ziya over to Yin Shou.
In the Divine Enthronement, selling a favor here or there was all part of the Mixed Primordial game. It wasn't about battle—it was about human connections.
The message passed to Yin Shou went like this: "I've got a great master here who can guide you in cultivation."
No problem there. Jiang Ziya, being just shy of facing his Immortal Ascension Tribulation, could certainly teach someone at the Foundation Establishment stage with ease.
Yin Shou was thrilled and wasted no time welcoming Jiang Ziya.
Upon meeting, the two exchanged glances and saw within each other a mutual understanding.
You're into cultivation too?
Though their goals differed, their shared fervor for immortality burned the same.
They chatted at length, growing more and more in tune. With Jiang Ziya's knowledge spanning from astronomy to geography, and his cultivation now at the Nascent Soul peak under Nezha's system, the two bonded deeply.
Yin Shou held Old Jiang's hand and exclaimed, "Great Shang needs talents like you!"
Given that Jiang Ziya had been a merchant before going up the mountain, he held a strong affinity for Yin Shang. Right after descending, his direction toward Chaoge was telling enough. Now that the Great King valued him so greatly, Jiang Ziya felt utterly vindicated, as years of pent-up frustrations were released.
The very next day, the cultivation-obsessed Great King went to court and announced Jiang Ziya's appointment as the State Preceptor, a position equal to the Three Ministers.
Compared to Nezha, Old Jiang's appearance was clearly more reliable. Moreover, after the prior experiences with Senior Upper Doctor Mei Bo, no one dared to voice their opposition this time.
Prime Minister Shang Rong and Imperial Uncle Bi Gan subtly tested him later. Scoring 120 out of 100—10 points extra from each—we were left with only one conclusion: The Great King is wise, and here's another rare talent he's recruited!