Chapter 243: My Friend the Jade Emperor

"Hua Ri, Ri Tian?"

"Your Majesty, why..."

"Ahem, let's be serious. 'Ritian' simply means 'Hao' (昊). The Primordial World doesn't have so many extended meanings! The problem is, why did His Majesty the Jade Emperor decide to challenge the rules of his Sea God Temple?"

Watching the Jade Emperor's avatar actually go to a nearby stall to pick up a long stick of incense, Li Changshou's mind raced, and he immediately made a decision. This matter wasn't difficult to resolve.

As the crowd gradually dispersed, the Jade Emperor's avatar, holding incense in his left hand and a folding fan in his right, strolled gracefully inside under the watchful eyes of the two divine envoys, looking completely at ease.

At this moment, Li Changshou keenly caught a key word from the Jade Emperor: Rules.

After taking a couple of steps, the Jade Emperor saw Li Changshou's old immortal paper-effigy Daoist and couldn't help but chuckle. He cupped his hands in greeting to Li Changshou and said, "This humble general has been ordered to come and visit."

The words "this humble general" indicated that this avatar of the Jade Emperor did not wish to be known by others.

Li Changshou, who was about to perform a Daoist bow, immediately stopped upon hearing this. He changed his posture to a slight bow, flicked the whisk in his hand, and said, "General, you've had a difficult journey. Please follow me."

Li Changshou then made a gesturing invitation, and the Jade Emperor's avatar nodded with a smile, following closely beside Li Changshou. They bypassed the main hall and headed towards the backyard.

As they passed a corner outside the main hall, the Jade Emperor glanced at the Sea God Temple's main hall, seeing the two large and small divine statues, the golden pillars carved with dragons standing on either side of the statues, and the colorful glazed murals throughout the hall. The content could be described as quite rich.

The Jade Emperor's avatar casually asked, "My dear... Changshou, why is there a white wall behind the divine statue? Why not put up some paintings or hang some gauze curtains?"

Li Changshou replied with a smile via divine sense: "Since this humble deity has received Your Majesty's gracious favor and permission to be officially appointed as a righteous god, I naturally must reserve the main position in the temple to display Your Majesty's divine image in the future, to affirm its affiliation with the Heavenly Court."

The Jade Emperor's avatar raised an eyebrow, nodded slightly, and transmitted, "My dear Changshou, you are thoughtful."

Li Changshou said: "By Heavenly Rules and common sense, it should be so. Your Majesty, please rest in the back hall. Your sudden arrival here, this humble deity, with my meager abilities, truly couldn't detect it, and thus couldn't make any preparations."

"I came on a whim, just strolling around. No need to be nervous," the Jade Emperor responded with a light chuckle, holding the incense stick in his hand, "Then this object..."

"Your Majesty, please don't humble this humble deity," Li Changshou said with a wry smile. "Aside from the Heavenly Dao and the Patriarch of Zixiao Palace, who else could receive a stick of pure incense from Your Majesty? Your Majesty, about that... when this humble deity set the rules for the Sea God Temple back then, it was merely to bring incense inside, not to offer incense inside."

"Hahahaha!" The Jade Emperor's avatar burst into laughter. "I intended to give you a test, but you answered it so easily. How uninteresting, truly uninteresting."

Amidst his laughter, the Jade Emperor handed the incense stick to Li Changshou, who hesitated for a moment before taking it.

"There are no outsiders today, so no need to be overly reserved," the Jade Emperor's avatar said, patting Li Changshou's arm. "Come, show me around your Sea God Temple properly."

Li Changshou assented, but his mind couldn't help but ponder why His Majesty the Jade Emperor had truly come to this place. To play it safe, he decided to assume the Jade Emperor was here to hold him accountable for ineffective work, and he would simply respond carefully later.

However, speaking of which, the matter of the Dragon Race ascending to the Heavenly Court was entrusted to him, Li Changshou, to plan, and so far the results had been quite good. If he was still going to be blamed for this, then he might as well abandon the 'amiable old immortal' route in the Heavenly Court and simply aim to infiltrate the Tushita Palace instead.

Even as an immortal, one must have a conscience! Martial Uncle Jiu was practically a legend in the realm of conscience!

Uh, this was just his own assumption. Looking at the Jade Emperor's demeanor, it was highly probable he wasn't here to assign blame. Soon, the Jade Emperor would probably offer a few words of encouragement and admonition, telling him, "I've been watching you..."

Li Changshou led the Jade Emperor's avatar on a half-tour of the Sea God Temple's backyard, then observed the continuous stream of pilgrims in the front hall for a few moments, before finally seating themselves in the back hall.

Upon entering the back hall of the Sea God Temple, guests with higher cultivation levels would immediately appreciate the landscape painting, and the Jade Emperor was no exception.

"Changshou, this painting..."

"It was a gift from Fairy Yunxiao," Li Changshou said with a smile. "This humble deity didn't know where to display it, so I hung it here."

"Hiss, a genuine work by Senior Brother Tongtian, truly a rare treasure!" The Jade Emperor's avatar's eyes lit up, while Li Changshou stood by with a faint smile, not interjecting. If it had been a painting by a non-Saint, no matter how valuable or expensive, Li Changshou would have offered it to the Jade Emperor without hesitation. But this was the brushwork of a Saint, a gift from Fairy Yunxiao; the karma involved in re-gifting it would be truly immense.

The Jade Emperor's avatar looked at Li Changshou's paper-effigy avatar, and the admiration in his eyes deepened.

"Changshou, your friendships are truly extensive. It is rumored that the Three Xiao Immortals possess great divine abilities and formidable powers, especially Yunxiao's Primordial Golden Dipper, which is said to be a truly formidable weapon."

"Regarding that, this humble deity doesn't know much. I merely had some minor interactions with the Three Xiao seniors due to some small matters." Li Changshou smiled and deftly changed the subject, "Your Majesty, please take the main seat."

With that, Li Changshou immediately removed the chair from his own main seat and replaced it with a jade treasure chair. The Jade Emperor didn't say much and naturally took his seat.

"Changshou, you should sit too. I am merely a guest; this is already a bit presumptuous of me."

Li Changshou nodded with a smile, not being overly modest, and sat directly to the side. Although he would serve under the Jade Emperor in the future and have a lord-vassal relationship, there was no need to be obsequious. Immortals, too, must possess immortal dignity, and moreover, he had two great figures from the Human Path backing him. Strictly speaking, the Jade Emperor was also merely a righteous god appointed by the Heavenly Dao, responsible for leading the righteous gods of all heavens.

The two sat down, one after another, and there was a slight lull in the conversation. Although Li Changshou couldn't quite fathom why the Jade Emperor had come, he couldn't let the atmosphere become awkward. He quickly took the initiative to report his arrangements concerning the Dragon Race, as well as the current troubles and concerns he faced.

The Jade Emperor's avatar listened carefully for half an hour, and then suddenly realized that the matter was far more complex than he had imagined.

The Jade Emperor sighed, "I never imagined, Changshou, that you would have to meticulously plan so many major and minor matters. Originally, I... I thought it was merely a matter of adapting to circumstances."

Li Changshou chuckled, "Actually, this is also adapting to circumstances. It's just that we first make all the preparations, and when the opponent makes a move, we can naturally counter it."

"What Changshou says is very reasonable," the Jade Emperor said solemnly. "For you to exhaust your mental efforts alone is truly not easy. Even if this matter ultimately fails, you should still be credited with great merit."

Li Changshou replied, "If the matter fails, there will be blame; how dare I claim merit? Your Majesty, please rest assured. The mandate of Heaven rests with the Heavenly Court and with you. This humble deity is merely acting in accordance with the trend."

"Excellent. With you, Changshou, planning this matter, my heart is at ease!" The Jade Emperor's sigh of emotion came from the heart. He then continued:

"Changshou, the decree for your righteous god position will be issued in three years. I have already appointed you as the Sea God of the Four Seas, and concurrently as the Heavenly Court Grand Marshal, ranking after Duke Dongmu. What do you think?"

Li Changshou quickly rose and performed a Daoist bow, saying, "This humble deity has not yet established any merit, and dares not accept such a generous reward!"

"It is precisely because your merits have not yet manifested that I can only grant you such a divine position and official title," the Jade Emperor chuckled. "Heavenly Dao divine positions are divided into six ranks in total, and this is merely the fourth rank. Once the matter of the Dragon Race ascending to Heaven is accomplished, you can directly enter the second rank, like Duke Mu. Only then will it be convincing to the masses."

Li Changshou finally breathed a slight sigh of relief. So, the Grand Marshal was not some 'high official'; it had given him a scare. The higher the position given to him, the more matters he would have to plan in the future. Although he wasn't lazy, he wasn't a workaholic either and wouldn't seek out tasks unnecessarily. What's more, being overly praised (to the point of detriment) is also a great taboo for maintaining one's path!

"Your Majesty, this humble deity boldly asks, could you perhaps explain the Heavenly Court's divine positions?" Li Changshou said with a solemn expression. "This subject would also like to be prepared for the future, so as not to offend anyone."

"Hahaha," the Jade Emperor was also amused. "Changshou, you are truly meticulous and cautious. Very well, since I have nothing to do today, I will tell you all about the Heavenly Court's divine positions."

Thereupon, the Jade Emperor personally acted as an explainer, fully detailing this set of divine position settings, most of which originated from him.

The Jade Emperor's method of dividing the Heavenly Court's divine positions was a little... simple. Divine positions differed from official ranks. There were six ranks of divine positions, with the Dao Ancestors, the Three Pure Ones, being beyond heaven and earth and not included.

The first rank consisted of the Jade Emperor, the Queen Mother, and Laozi.

The second rank included the head of male immortals like Duke Dongmu. More typical examples were the Four Sovereigns, powerful regional great immortals, though all Four Sovereign positions were currently vacant.

The third rank included titles ending with 'True Monarch' and 'Heavenly King,' and the main divine positions of various departments were also in this category.

The fourth rank comprised various Star Lords and righteous gods of various departments, responsible for overseeing the cosmic cycles and maintaining the stability of the Heavenly Dao; Marshals appointed by the Heavenly Court who commanded over a hundred thousand troops were also included in this rank of divine positions.

The fifth and sixth ranks were more miscellaneous, primarily serving as 'assistant gods' to the second and third-rank righteous gods. Additionally, there were Heavenly Court immortal officials and rogue immortals, who were not ranked.

The various departments primarily referred to the eight departments, such as Thunder, Fire, Dipper, Plague, Pox, Grand Commander, and Wealth; Star Lords mostly referred to the Twenty-Eight Mansions.

Divine positions had no direct correlation with strength; they merely represented one's place within the Heavenly Court's divine hierarchy, determining the treatment one received and the amount of Heavenly Dao merit rewards...

Li Changshou secretly calculated in his mind, realizing that the six ranks of divine positions established by the Jade Emperor could actually be more finely divided into nine or twelve ranks. However, from the faint sense of pride revealed in the Jade Emperor's words as he explained this system... "Hmm, this was the most perfect divine position system! No problems!"

To ascend to Heaven and start at the fourth-rank divine position was also something Li Changshou hadn't expected. The main reason was that most of the righteous god positions in the Heavenly Court were currently vacant, so the Jade Emperor could casually bestow high-ranking positions.

While discussing this matter with the Jade Emperor, Li Changshou pondered in his mind, and suddenly a flash of inspiration struck him, revealing the crucial point. Could it be that the numerous divine positions corresponding to the six-tier divine hierarchy established by the Jade Emperor at this moment were precisely the vacancies to be filled in the future Investiture of the Gods?

If he were to influence the Jade Emperor's current conception by adding, reducing, or adjusting various divine positions, wouldn't that directly affect the Great Tribulation of the Investiture of the Gods?

As soon as this somewhat crazy idea popped into Li Changshou's mind, he immediately suppressed it deep within. He even dug a pit, buried it thoroughly, and didn't forget to stomp on it a couple of times. "Why bother with such reckless calculations when there's nothing wrong! The Investiture of the Gods was a Great Tribulation; how could a mere ordinary Golden Immortal disciple of the Duxian Gate participate in it!"

After chatting with the Jade Emperor for a while about divine positions, Li Changshou realized that the Jade Emperor's enthusiasm for conversation was growing. Just then, as the lanterns began to glow outside, the Jade Emperor smiled:

"Changshou, why don't we go outside and take a look? I've rarely visited the mortal world."

"Since Your Majesty is interested, this humble deity will naturally accompany you. Should I make some arrangements first?"

"No need. Arrange what?" The Jade Emperor waved his hand. "The original flavor is the most authentic."

Li Changshou smiled and followed beside the Jade Emperor, leaving the back hall and heading towards the back door of the Sea God Temple.

What exactly did the Jade Emperor come here for? There must have been some other profound meaning, but despite several attempts to probe, he always failed to understand. In any case, it couldn't simply be that he was bored and came to chat with him to pass the time.

Just as they were about to leave, the Jade Emperor's avatar frowned slightly, looking towards a corner of the backyard; a dark shadow quickly concealed itself in the darkness, silently vanishing.

"Changshou, it seems rather restless here."

"You make His Majesty laugh," Li Changshou transmitted. "Someone has been watching this humble deity's Sea God Temple for quite some time; this humble deity has long grown accustomed to it."

"Oh?" The Jade Emperor's avatar frowned even deeper and transmitted, "Do you need assistance?"

"Thank you for Your Majesty's concern, but there's nothing major here for this humble deity," Li Changshou said with a smile. "All of my presences here are avatars, and they have only been conducting investigations."

"If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have almost forgotten," the Jade Emperor's avatar chuckled lightly. "Come on, once we're past this door tonight, let's not use divine sense to communicate. I'll call you Brother Changshou, and you can call me Brother Ritian. Let's explore the mortal world properly today."

Li Changshou: "..."

*Your Majesty, could you please choose another name? Those two characters are truly a bit difficult to utter.* However, this was also because his own thoughts were too complicated...

Li Changshou complied, continuously calling out "Brother Ritian, Brother Ritian," which further pleased the Jade Emperor.

It was unclear whether it was truly a coincidence or a case of misfortunes never coming singly. Li Changshou was accompanying the Jade Emperor on a stroll through the streets, observing the mortal scenery and browsing the night market. The Jade Emperor seemed highly enthusiastic about everything, especially small items like sugar-coated snacks, candied hawthorns, and masks, showing great interest but not trying them. Li Changshou, of course, merely accompanied him, wandering and chatting, quietly waiting for the moment the Jade Emperor would reveal his true purpose.

Just then, a familiar buzzing sound entered Li Changshou's ears. The Jade Emperor's avatar's gaze swept across the sky. With a casual flick of his sleeve, a faint golden immortal light vanished from his palm, only to reappear in the air the next instant, piercing a blood mosquito.

"Changshou, it truly isn't peaceful here. I'm quite worried."

Li Changshou: *If he got a Tushita Palace admission ticket, he'd definitely move there immediately!*

Ahem, just kidding, just kidding.