Chapter 19: The Emperor of the Eastern Florescence and Lu Dongbin

"What kind of background do these heavenly generals and soldiers have, appearing in their true forms in the Continent of Dongsheng Shenzhou?" a mountain deity asked, puzzled.

Another mountain deity relaxed, saying, "Perhaps they are under the command of the Heavenly King of the East, acting under his imperial decree."

A local earth god added, confused, "Dongsheng Shenzhou is part of the mortal realm. When have heavenly troops ever been so ostentatious here? Even if the Heavenly King allowed it, are they not afraid of a strong reaction from the demon tribes?"

The earth goddess accompanying him chuckled, "How could we lowly deities fathom the motives behind the actions of the immortals?"

...

"What are those people shouting at us?" a heavenly soldier asked Jiang Wang, pointing at the mortals kneeling and praying below. "Are they begging for our blessing?"

Jiang Wang nodded perfunctorily. "Likely so."

Parading through the territory of Dongsheng Shenzhou gave him an unsettling sense of danger. Something was constantly watching their troop—not a human, not a god, but an inexplicable presence. It felt like a gaze of assessment, or perhaps scrutiny. The critical point was that Jiang Wang himself could not detect the source; it was the Fortune Jade Plate that kept alerting him. Although the gaze lacked malice, being watched so unreservedly made Jiang Wang uneasy.

Back in the Heavenly Court, if anyone dared to scan the Southern Heaven Gate with such brazenness, even without Jiang Wang saying a word, sword light from the Nine Heavens would instantly descend to execute the offender. Great Emperor Gouchen, in particular, detested such petty scoundrels.

"Brothers, do not make contact with the mortals! We are here to apprehend the Dragon Maiden and bring her to justice; this has nothing to do with the mortal world, understand?" The heavenly general, seeing some soldiers staring unblinkingly at the world below, issued a warning.

The Heavenly Code stipulated that any immortal, official, general, or soldier who maintained entanglements with the mortal realm would be cast down, never to ascend again.

Jiang Wang did not avert his gaze. He had no particular opinion on the general's words. Having already attained immortality, why would one run down to the mortal realm to interact with humans? That would be pure folly. Take the story of Dong Yong and the Seventh Fairy, for instance—that was Dong Yong being shameless. The Seventh Fairy was simply bathing, and Dong Yong had stolen her clothes!

Jiang Wang called out to the general in the lead, "General, where exactly is this Dragon Maiden? Should we not capture her and return quickly? If the Heavenly King conducts an inspection at the Southern Heaven Gate and finds us absent from our posts, he may be displeased."

The general's expression tightened. Jiang Wang’s reminder hit home; their excursion was a last-minute decision! If they did not return on time and the Heavenly King discovered half his guard missing from the Southern Heaven Gate, he would be unable to bear the responsibility.

"The Dragon Maiden is just ahead. Let us move quickly to apprehend her," the general commanded.

"Yes, General!" the soldiers chorused.

The troop followed the general, speeding toward the location he pointed out.

***

As they arrived, Jiang Wang realized something was wrong. It was a mountain—a very ordinary mountain. Yet, it was this very mountain that made the general hesitate.

Jiang Wang’s celestial insight allowed him to quickly perceive the abnormality. Beyond the lingering dragon aura, there were other presences here. They felt like immortals, yet not quite! And there was more than one. He stopped immediately and looked at the general.

The general had clearly sensed it too. "Halt!"

The troop stopped instantly. They stood upon the clouds, looking down at the unremarkable peak below.

"Might I ask what sacred being resides here? We come under imperial order to apprehend the Dragon Maiden Yancai. Please, grant us convenience; this general would be most grateful," the general said, lowering his posture.

Seeing the general act this way, Jiang Wang felt even more convinced that the Heavenly Court was truly a sheltered place. The terrors of the mortal realm could not be described in words. In this day and age, the mortal realm was a place where all sorts of characters mingled. Dongsheng Shenzhou was better, as it was a place of great talent and spirit, rarely prone to major conflicts. But places like Xiniu Hezhou were essentially demon kingdoms. Even the Heavenly Court could not claim full jurisdiction there. Apart from the formidable reputations of Great Emperor Gouchen and Great Emperor Zhenwu, the great demons there did not even fear the Great Heavenly Venerable.

"The Heavenly General is too polite." As the general lowered his stance, a figure flashed from the ordinary mountain.

The person stepped on clouds and arrived before them. He wore white robes with a long sword strapped to his back. His features were not strikingly handsome, but he possessed a gentle, warm air that made it easy for others to feel a sense of affinity. Most importantly, as soon as he appeared, everyone present could sense a surge of pure yang energy.

Jiang Wang marveled inwardly. This man was essentially a female demon's dream. Wait—pure yang energy? A white-robed man with a sword on his back?

This image... was it not too similar to Lü Dongbin, one of the Eight Immortals?

Jiang Wang was not actually afraid of the Eight Immortals, but he was very wary of Lü Dongbin. It was rumored that Lü Dongbin was the reincarnation of the Eastern Flower Emperor! The origin and depth of the Eastern Flower Emperor were beyond imagination; he was a true ancient powerhouse. He was one of the Five Emperors—along with the Shaoyang Emperor, Zhengyang Emperor, Dadao Emperor, and Fuji Emperor—who shared a deep bond; to provoke him was to provoke the other four as well.

"Who might you be?" the general asked, puzzled.

The white-robed man was full of spiritual energy, appearing like a true, enlightened immortal. Why would he be in the mortal realm? Had he not ascended yet?

The white-robed man smiled and bowed to the general and the soldiers. "I am Lü Dongbin, a practitioner of the mortal realm. Greetings to the General and the heavenly troops."

Lü Dongbin’s gentle demeanor greatly increased the group's favor toward him. The general returned the bow. "Since you are a mortal practitioner, I will speak plainly. We are here for the Dragon Maiden Yancai. Please, grant us convenience and hand her over."

Lü Dongbin hesitated for a moment upon hearing this. He looked back at the mountain beneath him and smiled bitterly. "General, it is not that I refuse to hand over the Dragon Maiden, but doing so now would likely invite disaster. I beg your understanding; I truly cannot fulfill your request."

The general was stunned.

Lü Dongbin continued, "I came here at the request of the Dragon Maiden, asking for him to come to my residence for a cup of wine." He pointed to Jiang Wang among the soldiers.

Jiang Wang was bewildered. What business did the Dragon Maiden have with him? He looked at the general, hoping he would put a stop to Lü Dongbin’s preposterous request.

To his surprise, after a moment of thought, the general nodded. "Mortal practitioner, I will send Jiang Wang to accompany you. I grant you only the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn. If you still refuse to hand over the Dragon Maiden Yancai after that, do not blame us for acting recklessly."

Lü Dongbin did not reply, simply looking at Jiang Wang. "Brother Jiang, please, come with me."

Jiang Wang felt helpless. He was not afraid of Lü Dongbin; at this moment, the spiritual energy flowing through the man showed he was at most at the Tribulation Transcendence stage. Despite his rich immortal aura, he had yet to become a true "immortal." But he feared Lü Dongbin’s past life and his status in the Heavenly Court.