Yan Xianzhi stood on the second-floor windowsill of the Wenyuan Pavilion, watching the approaching figure of one man and one dog, his face deathly pale.
He knew that at this mont, he, the twelve high officials behind him, and all the civil and military officials of the court, had beco Chen Shi's hostages.
As long as they didn't deal with Chen Tang or move against Chen Shi's people, they would be safe, still serving as the lofty Cabinet Ministers, still leading the Western Capital court.
But if the Thirteen Great Clans acted against Chen Tang or hard Chen Shi's people, he, the Cabinet Ministers behind him, and all the court officials would be buried in the eerie-level catastrophe, utterly annihilated!
"Utterly audacious!"
Seeing Chen Shi lead the white-clad fairy through the collapsed ridian Gate and walk up the shattered stone steps of the Hall of Supre Harmony, Yan Xianzhi couldn't help but clench his fist tightly, yet he couldn't suppress a strong sense of powerlessness.
Even if Chen Shi was utterly audacious, what could he do about it? Weren't their lives and deaths entirely in the enemy's hands, relying on Chen Shi's rcy for them to survive?
Chen Shi led the white-clad fairy through the Hall of Supre Harmony, which was under repair, and then entered the area covered by the Nine Halls of the True King.
"Perhaps I shouldn't have taken back the position of Chief Grand Secretary from Zhang Fuzheng!"
Yan Xianzhi secretly regretted, thinking to himself, "If I were to resign now, retire and return to my hotown..."
Xia Canghai spoke behind him, "Your Excellency, he is now between the Nine Halls. Can we seize this opportunity to activate the Nine Halls and blast them all to death?"
Yan Xianzhi hesitated for a mont, then shook his head, "If the power of the Nine Halls erupts to the level required to eliminate this eerie, its force would surely flatten the Western Capital. Not even we would survive!"
Xia Canghai was quite indignant, "So we can only watch him swagger about?"
Yan Xianzhi said woodenly, "Then we watch."
Chen Shi's heart was also in turmoil at this mont, fearing that the Thirteen Great Clans and Chen Tang would completely fall out. He thought to himself, "Now, the forces of the Thirteen Great Clans in the Western Capital should see clearly, right? I am placed under the power of the Nine Halls; they can take my life at any ti, so they won't move against Chen Tang and my mother."
He was moved by his own actions, thinking, "I have fulfilled my filial duty!"
He took the white-clad fairy to visit these nine immortal halls. However, all nine halls were heavily guarded, and as he approached, the soldiers were about to take action.
But imdiately, eunuchs ca running, sternly reprimanding these warriors, telling them to be more polite to Attendant Chen.
"Attendant Chen?"
Chen Shi was taken aback. An Attendant was a sixth-rank official, mainly responsible for accompanying the True King or the Crown Prince in reading books and morials.
Of course, there was no True King now, nor a Crown Prince. The Young Master had also been publicly beaten to death by Chen Shi, so the position of Attendant was a promotion in na but a demotion in reality, with no real power and no chance to whisper in anyone's ear.
But he had only recently beco a Historiography Compiler not long ago. How had he been promoted a rank in just a few days?
The eunuch smiled and said, "Lord Chen is dedicated to scholarship, his works are as tall as his body, his reputation spreads throughout the capital, and this is evident to all. Today, the Cabinet has only tentatively decided on Lord Chen's position as Attendant. Tomorrow morning at court, there will be an official appointnt."
Hearing this, Chen Shi completely relaxed, thinking, "The Cabinet promoting is to appease . They are too embarrassed to tell directly that they accept as a hostage, so they are telling through this promotion. It seems Chen Tang and my mother are safe."
He let out a long sigh of relief, and his originally stern face relaxed considerably. He chatted and laughed with the white-clad fairy. Of course, it was him talking and him laughing. The white-clad fairy could only listen, occasionally uttering an "Ah-ba" to indicate she didn't understand.
The thirteen Cabinet Ministers, seeing more smiles on his face, also let out long sighs of relief.
Chen Shi took the white-clad fairy to visit the Nine Halls. Among the Nine Halls, two were pavilions: one was the Dongge Hall, and the other was the Wenyuan Pavilion.
As Chen Shi passed by the Wenyuan Pavilion, he inadvertently looked up and saw Yan Xianzhi in front of the windowsill, so he gave him a friendly smile.
Seeing this smile, Yan Xianzhi's heart skipped a beat for a mont, and he forced a slight smile in return.
Chen Shi led the white-clad fairy away.
"Ah-ba, ah-ba!" The white-clad fairy said to Chen Shi with a serious expression.
Black Pot told Chen Shi that she felt these nine great halls were sowhat familiar. Seeing these nine halls made her uneasy and uncomfortable in her heart.
Chen Shi summoned the small temple. The white-clad fairy hurriedly walked into the temple, sat on the miniature shrine, but was still sowhat restless. So she lay down on the shrine, curled up her body, and only then felt more comfortable.
"This girl's mind has probably indeed been damaged by my blow."
Chen Shi showed a worried expression, thinking to himself, "If she never recovers her mory, wouldn't I have to support her for a lifeti... How much would that cost ?"
He returned to the Chen residence. Craftsn were still repairing the houses, and maids were tidying up Chen Tang's room. Now that Chen Tang had left, the master's room beca Chen Shi's bedroom.
Chen Shi had never been to Chen Tang's room. The bedroom was divided into inner and outer chambers. The inner chamber was where the master slept, a more private space. The outer chamber was where the maids slept, allowing them to attend to the master's daily needs.
At night, Chen Shi slept in the inner chamber, and two maids slept in the outer chamber.
Chen Shi was sowhat unaccustod to this. The two maids in the outer chamber always wanted to sneak into his inner chamber, lingering and unwilling to leave, which annoyed him. He shouted, "Are you going to sleep or not? If you don't want to sleep, give the bed in the outer chamber to Black Pot to sleep on!"
The two beautiful, flower-like senior maids looked at each other and reluctantly returned to the outer chamber.
Only then could Chen Shi close his eyes, thinking, "I might as well send the two maids away tomorrow and let Black Pot sleep inside. Having two won in the room is quite inconvenient."
He drifted off into a hazy sleep.
Early the next morning, Chen Shi woke up, put on his clothes, and walked out of the room. He saw three maids sleeping on the bed in the outer chamber — the white-clad fairy had sohow co out and squeezed onto the sa bed with the two maids.
The two maids were sleeping facing each other, and she was sleeping between them, nestled in their arms.
Chen Shi shook his head, opened the door, and went out to practice his morning cultivation.
The sound of him opening the door woke the three girls. The two maids then noticed there was an extra woman on the bed and scread in surprise.
The two maids then noticed that this woman had delicate skin, a soft figure, was much more beautiful than them, and her voice was sowhat charming. They thought, "No wonder Young Master Chen pays us no attention. He already has a hidden beauty."
The white-clad fairy hurriedly flew up in a flash and disappeared into Chen Shi's small temple.
After Chen Shi finished his morning cultivation, Black Pot had already cooked the al. Chen Shi called the white-clad fairy to co out of the temple to eat.
The girl shook her head, indicating she wouldn't eat.
"How can you live without eating?" Chen Shi didn't understand.
Black Pot barked twice. A fragrant breeze wafted over, and the white-clad fairy sat at the table, holding chopsticks in a proper manner, trying human food.
"Black Pot's words are still more effective."
Chen Shi thought to himself, "Today I still have to go to the Hanlin Academy. The Cabinet is promoting ; I have to go through the process."
After breakfast, he set off for the Hanlin Academy to check in, waiting for his promotion.
The girl ca out again, very interested in the books in the various study halls of the Hanlin Academy, picking them up to read.
Stone Ji Your Ladyship also gradually beca bolder, walking out of Chen Shi's small temple, her huge head moving between the bookshelves.
Her head was ten feet tall, and her body was also ten feet tall, quite astonishing.
"Top Scholar Chen now has a top-tier demon god by his side!"
Imdiately, a scout rushed to the Wenyuan Pavilion to report to the thirteen Cabinet Ministers, saying, "According to the 'Records of Omissions' in the Classics and History Departnt of the Wenyuan Pavilion, this demon is called Stone Ji, a disaster-level demon god from the True King's Era. It was suppressed by cultivators under the True King's command before it could fully awaken!"
Silence fell over the Cabinet.
Yan Xianzhi waved his hand weakly and said, "Investigate further."
The scout withdrew.
Xia Canghai couldn't contain his anger, slapping the table and exclaiming, "We've already promoted him. What more does he want? Now he's bringing out a disaster-level demon god to pressure us!"
Fei Zhong tentatively suggested, "Is the position we gave him too low-ranking?"
Gao Quan sneered, "A sixth-rank Attendant, is that low? Since ancient tis, the highest position a top scholar usually gets is about this rank. Giving him a higher position would violate ancestral precedent!"
Gu Yanshan said, "Ancestral precedents are ant to be violated! In my opinion, we should first satisfy his appetite. Otherwise, I'm afraid tomorrow he might release the hundred-plus demons in his head! We might as well give him what he wants directly, imdiately promote him to Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, just like his father, to avoid the situation spiraling out of control!"
"This is pandering! His father beca Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue and even played Lord Cui into a fool! If he becos Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, the Great Ming could be emptied by him, and all of us here will be played into fools!"
Xia Canghai was furious, slapping the table and standing up, "Today we cede five cities, tomorrow we cede ten cities, in exchange for a night's peace. When we look around the borders the next day, the enemy has arrived again!"
Gu Yanshan also couldn't bear it anymore, slapped the table, stood up, and glared at him, "Then what brilliant suggestion does Brother Xia have? When we go to war with the eerie, can we ask Brother Xia to lead the charge and sacrifice yourself heroically?"
The two n's tempers flared hotter. Yan Xianzhi coughed once, and they imdiately stopped arguing, both looking at Yan Xianzhi.
Yan Xianzhi asked, "Has Chen Shi's promotion to Attendant been carried out yet?"
"The eunuch has already gone to the Hanlin Academy to deliver the decree," Cui Baihe said.
Yan Xianzhi said leisurely, "Then issue an additional decree, promote Chen Shi again, to Deputy Fifth Rank Attendant Academician. It's just a sinecure anyway. Even if we continue to promote him, letting him beco a Fifth Rank Hanlin Academy Academician would be fine too."
Xia and Gu stopped talking and each sat back down.
In the Hanlin Academy, Chen Shi had just received the decree and was about to leave when suddenly another eunuch ca running over, shouting loudly, "Lord Chen, Lord Chen, please wait! The Cabinet has issued another decree. Lord Chen has been promoted again!"
Chen Shi had no choice but to receive the decree again. Hearing that he was only promoted to Deputy Fifth Rank Attendant Academician, he couldn't help but shake his head and say, "Couldn't you have combined the two promotions into one?"
He received the decree, called Stone Ji Your Ladyship and the white-clad fairy, and left with Black Pot.
The decree-delivering eunuch returned to the Wenyuan Pavilion and repeated Chen Shi's words to the thirteen ministers. Xia Canghai and the others looked at each other.
"Is he dissatisfied with the rank being too low, or with us being too slow?"
"Although it was a bit slow, it seems he reluctantly accepted it."
Yan Xianzhi looked around and said, "He's already been promoted three tis in a row. We can't promote him again. If word gets out, not only will our Cabinet lose face, but the court's authority will also be damaged."
Everyone nodded in agreent.
Yan Xianzhi thought to himself, "Unless he brings out a hundred-plus demons tomorrow, we can't promote him again."
In the following days, Chen Shi behaved much more docilely, but he was always running around the Western Capital city.
When Chen Tang was around, he had been sowhat restrained. Now that Chen Tang was gone, he took the black dog, followed by the big-headed Stone Ji and the prehistoric fairy, wandering all over the Western Capital city.
The entire Cabinet was on edge every day, especially Yan Xianzhi, who even lost the desire to have fun with his thirteenth concubine, earning him quite a bit of bla.
"Chen Shi has left the city, gone to Gaoshan County!"
The Cabinet Ministers received this news and were overjoyed, all looking at Yan Xianzhi.
"He is, after all, a hostage of the Chen family. It seems he might be trying to escape. Should we stop him?" Gao Quan inquired.
"Why stop him?"
Yan Xianzhi was so angry he laughed, unable to help saying, "We are the ones who are the hostages! Let him run if he wants to run! Why stop him? Minister Gao, will you go stop him?"
Gao Quan hemd and hawed, repeatedly saying he didn't dare.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and waited quietly for the outco.
Chen Shi went to the Red Mountain Hall to ask Granny Sha about the spells for entering the Primordial Palace and to learn the Topographic Map of the nine regions of the underworld from her.
The underworld was extrely dangerous. He didn't want Granny Sha, Blue Goat, and Hu Xiaoliang to follow him. He planned to go to the underworld with just himself and Black Pot, which is why he ca to learn Granny Sha's spells.
— After all, Granny Sha had just been reunited with her son. He didn't want Granny Sha to take risks for him.
Granny Sha also knew the purpose of him coming to learn spells and was deeply moved. She said, "I'll teach you another one, called 'Temporary Abode,' which can ensure your safety. I didn't even teach it to your father!"
Chen Shi stayed in Gaoshan County for two days before mastering the 'Temporary Abode' spell. He bowed to Granny Sha and said, "Aunt Qiu Tong, tomorrow I will go to the underworld to search for my mother. You, Uncle Blue Goat, and the others must leave the Western Capital as soon as possible. Let's et again at Qianyang Mountain in Xinxiang!"
Granny Sha nodded solemnly.
Chen Shi handed the Fox Grape Mirror to Granny Sha and said, "Aunt Qiu Tong, take this mirror imdiately and travel east for a thousand li. Wait for in the mountains."
He returned to the Western Capital.
Yan Xianzhi and the others received the news of Chen Shi's return to the Western Capital, each feeling their heads swell and worries clouding their brows.
The next day, Chen Shi quietly found the house rented by the boat girl and said to her, "We leave the capital today for the Immortal Capital. Get ready."
The boat girl was solemn and said, "Will the Western Capital let you leave?"
"I have a secret thod that can travel a thousand li through the minor heaven. I will teach you the spell today!"
Chen Shi gave her a Celestial Court token and taught her how to use it to open the minor heaven. He said, "Half an hour after I leave, you must imdiately use the thod I taught you, activate the jade pendant, and open the minor heaven. I'll be waiting for you inside the minor heaven. As soon as you arrive, I'll take you to the exit a thousand li away! Don't delay, rember, rember!"
The boat girl was extrely nervous and said, "Can't we go through the underworld?"
Chen Shi shook his head and said, "Everything that happens in the Western Capital's underworld is clearly visible and fully understood by those at the Return to Emptiness and Great Ascension Realms. If we go through the underworld, we will definitely be detected and die without a burial place!"
The boat girl beca even more nervous and hurriedly practiced the thod of opening the minor heaven again to ensure there were no mistakes.
Chen Shi left and returned to the Chen residence, deliberately maintaining a normal deanor, showing not a hint of nervousness.
Black Pot was so nervous that his two hind legs kept trembling, and he didn't know where to put his tail, feeling that whether it was raised, hooked, dragged, or tucked, it all felt unnatural.
He was too nervous. Seeing Chen Shi's calm and composed deanor, he couldn't help but admire his young master's composure.
Chen Shi returned to the Chen residence, entered the bedroom, and instructed the maids, "I didn't sleep well yesterday. I need to rest and catch up on sleep. You are not to disturb ."
The maids acknowledged the order and left the bedroom.
Chen Shi closed the door, unable to control the trembling of his hands.
Seeing this, Black Pot realized that Chen Shi was also extrely nervous.
One man and one dog stayed in the bedroom. Chen Shi cald his mind, waited for a mont, pretended to snore, and the snoring gradually started. After a while, he lowered the snoring.
Gradually, the snoring beca lighter and lighter.
After an unknown amount of ti, Black Pot suddenly pricked up his ears, looked at Chen Shi, and signaled that the ti had co!
Chen Shi imdiately took out the Celestial Court token, opened the minor heaven, and entered with Black Pot.
He closed the portal, waited a mont, and saw the portal in the minor heaven open. The boat girl appeared.
Chen Shi didn't have ti to say much and imdiately flew out of the minor heaven with Black Pot and the boat girl, erging from the Fox Grape Mirror.
The boat girl looked around and saw they were already far from the Western Capital. The surrounding mountains were lush and green, a great river cut through the mountain range, its waters turbulent. They had actually entered the Huangyan Mountain Range!
Granny Sha had already set up an altar and prepared the Spirit Transformation thod. The five Ghost Kings stood around, and Xiang Tianyu also stood beside the altar.
Everyone was extrely tense. Even Xiang Tianyu was affected, his expression very serious.
Seeing the two people and the dog fly out of the mirror, Granny Sha also breathed a sigh of relief. She imdiately activated the Spirit Transformation spell, turning Chen Shi and the boat girl into two green-faced, fanged ghost gods. She said, "Little Ten, there's no ti to lose. Go to the underworld quickly!"
Chen Shi bowed and said, "Please, Aunt Qiu Tong, return to your hotown and wait quietly for my news! Black Pot!"
Black Pot roared, and a yin wind suddenly rose, carrying Chen Shi into the underworld!
Granny Sha imdiately stepped down from the altar, ordered the five Ghost Kings to move the altar away, and left hurriedly with Little Tianyu.
Western Capital.
The thirteen Cabinet Ministers watched this scene from afar. Suddenly, thunderous cheers erupted in the Wenyuan Pavilion.
Everyone cheered, embraced each other, celebrated, and were so excited that tears welled up in their eyes.
"He's gone! He's finally gone!"
Yan Xianzhi also seed to have exhausted all his strength, slumping into the grand tutor's chair, a long-lost smile appearing on his face.
"He left well, he left well! Finally, we've sent off this plague god! We're safe!"
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