In Quhe Courtyard, a silver-blue intersecting light shone from the bed. Chi Lian lay fully clothed in the center of the spiritual formation, while Gui Heng sat opposite him, forming a hand seal and continuously channeling pure, pale green spiritual power into it.

The wound on his abdomen was healing rapidly at a visible rate, and after a moment, it had completely returned to normal. Aside from his slightly pale face, he looked no different from someone who was asleep.

Gui Heng withdrew his spiritual power, wiped non-existent sweat from his forehead, and even deliberately comforted Wei Ming, "Rest assured, this kid is tough and resilient. He has a strong life force, he definitely won't die..."

His carefree voice grew weaker and weaker under Wei Ming's indifferent gaze until it faded completely.

Wei Ming raised his hand to dispel the formation, pretending not to have heard his earlier nonsense. He carefully inspected Chi Lian's entire body and confirmed with him, "So he's fine now?"

Gui Heng tucked his tail between his legs guiltily and answered honestly, "He has the body of an immortal, after all. As long as his Divine Soul isn't injured, it's nothing serious. He'll just be asleep for a while and will wake up soon."

"That's good." Wei Ming nodded, his expression softening slightly, no longer so grave. He then asked, "And you? How are your injuries?"

"Ah?"

Gui Heng hadn't expected him to still be concerned about him. Tears almost welled up again as he gestured helplessly and stammered, "I'm fine, I-I'm alright. I recovered long ago, really!"

Wei Ming said, "I shattered the Tantian Pagoda, and Bai Hua is dead. I'm afraid your errand this time will be a fruitless one. My apologies."

"No, no, no, no, don't!" Gui Heng was so overwhelmed by the unexpected favor that he nearly sprang from his chair. "Your handling was correct. With the Demon Clan appearing in the world, the Tantian Pagoda falling into his hands would have caused a great disaster in the Three Realms. Bai Hua fell from an immortal to a demon, so even if he returned..."

He thought of the recent treacherous situation in the Heavenly Court, couldn't help but sigh, and swallowed the rest of his unspoken words.

Wei Ming understood and didn't press further. He added, "While he's still not awake, there are some things I'd like to ask you."

Gui Heng quickly said, "Em... You just ask. I will surely tell you everything I know."

His stuttering yet earnest and eager appearance was not at all like that of a majestic heavenly god, but rather like a small dog trying its best to wag its tail. Even though Wei Ming knew Gui Heng was mistaking him for someone else, he couldn't help but soften a little, his attitude becoming much gentler.

"I want to know, this Emperor Cangze of Jiangxiao Palace you speak of, who exactly is he?"

Gui Heng had previously heard him repeatedly claim to be a mortal, so he had somewhat anticipated this question and wasn't surprised. After a moment of thought, he said, "Regarding matters before the establishment of the Heavenly Court, I haven't experienced them personally either. It's all just recounting what I've learned, so just listen casually."

"In ancient times, heaven and earth were not yet separated, and all races fought in endless chaotic wars. The Taiwei Heavenly Emperor descended in response to the calamity, led the Heavenly Race to quell the strife, and used the knowledge of his entire life to create the 'Oath of the Nine Heavens.' This caused heaven and earth to separate, the Mortal Realm to first appear, and all living beings to find their proper place. The Four Heavenly Emperors—Taiwei, Ziwei, Changsheng, and Weiyang—established the Heavenly Court in the White Jade Capital. From then on, the entire Heavenly Race ascended, residing high above the Nine Heavens, becoming the rulers of the Three Realms."

"Strictly speaking, when the Heavenly Court was first established, there was no Heavenly Emperor. The Taiwei Heavenly Emperor was the lord of the Heavenly Race and could be considered the first Heavenly Emperor. Therefore, the immortals of the Celestial Realm took the last two characters from his title 'Taiwei Shangqing Dongyou Tongxuan Cangze Tianzun' and respectfully addressed him as 'Emperor Cangze.' Later, the Four Heavenly Emperors decided to re-establish the order of the Three Realms, starting with the apotheosis of gods in the Heavenly Court. The Emperor then supported Emperor Luanhua to become the Heavenly Emperor, while the Four Heavenly Emperors took on the role of assisting from the side. The myriad immortals each performed their duties, and the celestial hierarchy of the Heavenly Court has been the model ever since."

Wei Ming was listening intently when Gui Heng suddenly shut his mouth. Wei Ming glanced at him quizzically, only to see Gui Heng scratch his cheek and admit in great embarrassment, "Actually, there's another part about the Emperor pacifying the turmoil of various races in all eight directions and enfeoffing the Ten Continents, but I forgot it... It's really because the place names are too hard to remember, I just can't memorize them."

Wei Ming: "..."

'How did you not forget your head back in the Heavenly Court?'

"Alright, let's just say I know it." Wei Ming said as tolerantly as possible. "Never mind his great achievements. You can continue from where Chi Lian comes in."

Gui Heng showed a 'phew, that was close, I escaped disaster' expression and hurriedly tried to save the situation, "I am clear on the matters of Jiangxiao Palace!"

Wei Ming raised a hand in a "please speak" gesture.

"The Emperor has six Immortal Lords under him. Beichen, Mingshu, and Xianzhen joined earlier; they all followed the Emperor since the establishment of the Heavenly Court's ranks. The other, Immortal Lady Yingling, and I joined a bit later. Chi Lian is the youngest, and he's different from the other Immortal Lords—he came from Xuanjian Pavilion as an Immortal Attendant."

Wei Ming frowned and interjected, "I've been meaning to ask, what exactly is an Immortal Attendant of Xuanjian Pavilion? How can there still be ranks of high and low, noble and humble, when you've all become immortals?"

"There's a history to that," Gui Heng explained. "The immortals of the Heavenly Court are roughly divided into several categories: First are those of the Heavenly Race, born from the essence of the sun and moon and blessed by spiritual energy. They have high cultivation and long lifespans, and are the most noble. Second are those of the Human Race, most of whom ascended to immortality through meritorious deeds during the great war of the Three Realms. Later, after the order of the Three Realms was established, the spiritual energy in the Mortal Realm became thin, and not a single one has appeared in thousands of years. Third are those of the Spiritual Race. They were originally a part of the Spirit Race, who sided with the Heavenly Race during the great war, so they benefited from the Heavenly Race's glory and had the chance to attain the Dao and ascend. Those of the Spirit Race who chose the wrong side were not so lucky. After being defeated, they retreated to the Ten Continents overseas and would start a rebellion or two when they had nothing better to do. It was only after the Emperor pacified the Ten Continents that the Spirit Race temporarily laid low, living under the rule of the Continent Lords."

"Immortal Attendants, however, do not belong to any of these races. They are plants that transformed after absorbing the spiritual energy of the Heavenly Realm. Their spiritual power is low, their intelligence is ordinary, and they didn't become immortals to assist the Heavenly Court, but simply to be servants to the gods."

"Xuanjian Pavilion is actually the largest garden in the White Jade Capital, filled with rare flowers and exotic plants. It is a place where the Heavenly Emperor and the gods hold banquets. During one banquet, the Heavenly Emperor suddenly lamented that while the immortal wine was fragrant, there was no one to pour it; while the gods were gathered, there was no music or dance for entertainment, making the banquet ultimately dull. At this thought, the revered god casually splashed the imperial wine onto the flowerbeds. The flowers and plants of Xuanjian Pavilion were thus imbued with the Heavenly Emperor's spiritual energy and transformed into immortal spirits on the spot. Following the Heavenly Emperor's will, they poured wine and performed for them, serving at the banquet until it ended."

"The Heavenly Emperor set a precedent, and the other gods quickly followed suit. In truth, serving tea and pouring water could be done with a simple spell, but they felt more comfortable only when they had others to serve them. Thus, the plants of Xuanjian Pavilion transformed one after another. The various palaces took pride in raising Immortal Attendants, even competing with each other. The trend became chaotic, and there were even frequent rumors of Immortal Attendants being killed or abused. However, since it is a great sin for an immortal to kill without reason, no one would ever admit to it."

"At that time, Emperor Cangze was away pacifying rebellions. When he returned to the Heavenly Court, he was enraged. He put great effort into rectifying this conduct, purging many gods, and managed to suppress this perverse trend. But the Heavenly Emperor felt he had lost face, so he retained the custom of cultivating Immortal Attendants from Xuanjian Pavilion. He decreed that a new batch of Immortal Attendants would be created every hundred years for the use of the various palaces in the Heavenly Realm, to do miscellaneous chores like cleaning and serving. All matters concerning their life, death, and placement were to be managed by Bitai Palace."

Wei Ming recalled the name that had been repeatedly mentioned in their conversation the previous night and confirmed, "Immortal Venerable Qingyang?"

Gui Heng nodded affirmatively and continued, "Chi Lian's original form was a Red Lotus in the Ice Heart Pond of Xuanjian Pavilion. He was a troublemaker from the start—in that pond of over fifty lotuses, all were white lotuses, and he was the only red one. Wouldn't you say that's aggravating?"

Wei Ming: "..."

"Immortal Venerable Qingyang found the Red Lotus to be inauspicious and originally wanted to uproot him. But you... no, but the Emperor spoke up for him, and that's how he was able to transform successfully. When he went to Bitai Palace to pay his respects, Immortal Venerable Qingyang said he had transformed too late, several days later than the other lotuses, and so bestowed upon him the name 'Chi Lian'."

At this point, Wei Ming began to understand why Chi Lian held Emperor Cangze in such high regard. As expected, he heard Gui Heng continue, "Chi Lian was not cut out for serving tea and pouring water at all. I heard that back then, when he had nothing to do, he would practice his sword in Xuanjian Pavilion by himself, and sometimes even fought with other Divine Lords."

Not sure what painful memory he recalled, Gui Heng touched the back of his head with lingering fear. "To this day, I still suspect his origin is an aloe vera, not a lotus. All the immortals in the Celestial Realm say they've never seen an Immortal Attendant with such a bad temper."

Wei Ming: "..."

"He was... how should I put it, completely unlike an Immortal Attendant. But then again, who decreed that Immortal Attendants must be meek and submissive?" Gui Heng lamented. "Not long after, during the Ten Directions Annual Banquet, Continent Lord Ye Xuan of Li Continent brought his spiritual pet to the Heavenly Realm for the feast. For some reason, the pet suddenly went berserk and caused a commotion in Xuanjian Pavilion. A dozen or so Immortal Attendants were right by its mouth, about to be eaten. At the critical moment, it was Chi Lian who rushed forward to fight the spiritual pet, beat it half to death, and saved the lives of those dozen Immortal Attendants."

"But he was gravely injured, and no immortal was willing to save him. His eyes were blind, and he stumbled all the way to the bank of the Heavenly River. Luckily, he was found by the Emperor who happened to be passing by." He even smiled as he said this. "The Emperor healed his eyes, probably saw that he was good fighting material, and didn't make him go back to Xuanjian Pavilion. He kept him directly in Jiangxiao Palace and began to train him properly as a disciple."

Gui Heng glanced at the unconscious Chi Lian on the bed and realized that when this guy was asleep, he could actually be described as "quiet and frail." There was no trace of the caustic person who bickered with him, nor did he seem as scheming, perverse, and gloomy as the rumors in the Celestial Realm made him out to be.

In the end, he was just a blockhead who would risk his life to protect what was most important to him.

"Chi Lian's bond with the Emperor is deep. It's not just the grace of saving his life, but also the grace of raising him and recognizing his worth... What's that saying in the Mortal Realm? Heaven, Earth, Sovereign, Parent, Teacher. Except for not being his biological parent, the Emperor has fulfilled all these roles. So, I wouldn't be surprised by anything Chi Lian would do for the Emperor."

"At first, I thought he had gone mad, treating a Highness who looks identical to the Emperor as a substitute. That's why I said things I shouldn't have and offended you. I am truly sorry."

Wei Ming sat there quietly, noncommittal about his apology. Instead, he asked, "From the beginning, you seem to have been treating me as Emperor Cangze. What reason made you certain that I'm not a substitute?"

Gui Heng was struck speechless by his question, as if he couldn't comprehend it at all. He choked for a long moment before saying, "That formation just now... the one that crushed both the Tantian Pagoda and Chou Xinwei. Besides the Emperor, there isn't a second immortal in the world who could use it..."

This time, Wei Ming truly began to doubt the overall skill level of these immortals. He asked, puzzled, "Why can't they use it? It's not difficult."

Gui Heng: "..."

He recalled the unbearable time when he, Yingling, and Chi Lian studied formations under the Emperor, and he finally couldn't hold back any longer, exploding, "Shut up! You have the least right to say something like that!"

Wei Ming: "..."

"What level of spiritual artifact do you think the Tantian Pagoda is? That's an immortal artifact created with the combined power of the entire Bitai Palace! It didn't even last for the time it takes an incense stick to burn in your formation, and you still have the nerve to say the formation isn't difficult!"

"It's obviously difficult as hell! Besides you, no immortal could possibly learn something like that!"

Author has something to say:

Wei Ming: What's so hard about it? You just do this, then that, then give it a little shake, and you can destroy the world~