I am a fairy in Journey to the West

"True Lord Lingtai." Venus, led by the two boys Baojie and Xiuhuang, entered the Hall of Fate and went to greet Zhuang Yan as soon as he saw him.

Zhuang Yan looked at Venus with a smile and asked, "Where does Venus come from?"

Venus smiled and said, "Firstly, I'm here to convey the Jade Emperor's decree, and secondly, to offer my congratulations to the True Lord."

"Oh?" Zhuang Yan asked, "What is the Jade Emperor's decree?"

Venus smiled, waved his whisk, straightened his posture, and said, "Zhuang Yan, the True Lord of the Jade Platform, hear my decree."

Zhuang Yan immediately bowed and said, "Your subject Zhuang Yan obeys the decree."

Venus then dictated the decree: "Order the Spirit Platform Manifestation of the Wondrous Jade Ultimate True Lord Zhuang Yan to ascend to Heaven immediately and participate in the grand court assembly at the Lingxiao Palace three days from now."

Zhuang Yan bowed and said, "Your subject Zhuang Yan accepts the decree."

After reading the Jade Emperor's decree, Venus bowed and smiled, saying, "True Lord Lingtai, congratulations! The Buddha of the Western Paradise recently visited the Great Luo Heaven to pay homage to the Jade Emperor and report on the successful completion of the pilgrimage and the return of the Five Saints to their true forms. He especially reported your achievements to the Jade Emperor, and the Jade Emperor was very pleased. This time, he summoned you to Heaven to reward you for your merits."

Zhuang Yan asked with a smile, "Does Venus know how His Majesty intends to reward me?"

Venus shook his head and laughed, "You overestimate me, True Lord. The Jade Emperor is discussing this matter with the Four Great Emperors. How could I possibly know?"

"Oh?" Zhuang Yan was quite surprised to hear this. "Discussing with the Four Emperors?"

Venus nodded and said, "That's right. We've been discussing it since yesterday, and I heard that there's still no conclusion."

At this point, Venus looked at Zhuang Yan and said, "But there's no need to worry. The longer the discussion goes on, the more generous the reward will be."

"I'm not worried," Zhuang Yan said with a smile. "I can accept any reward, but I'm afraid someone will be jealous of me."

Venus said, “That’s right. I’m very jealous. I’ve been in the Heavenly Court for so many years and I’m only a fourth-rank celestial official. You’re so young, and you’ve been in the Heavenly Court for less than a thousand years, yet you’re already a fourth-rank deity with real power. Now you’re about to be promoted again. How can I not be jealous? I’m so angry I could grind my teeth.”

Zhuang Yan clung to Venus's shoulder and asked, "So, how are you going to deal with me?"

Venus said, "Of course I'll treat you to good wine until you're stuffed."

"Wow, how insidious and vicious!" Zhuang Yan said. "I want the finest immortal wine."

Venus said, "No problem, shall we go now?"

Zhuang Yan pointed and said, "Let's go to heaven first. We can talk about drinking after the Grand Court Assembly."

As they spoke, the two had already left the Hall of Fate, riding on celestial light and auspicious clouds, and ascended straight to the Thirty-Third Heaven.

After arriving in the Great Luo Heaven, Zhuang Yan first went to the Lingguan Hall to sign his name. This was a report, indicating that Venus had completed conveying the decree and that Zhuang Yan had arrived in the Great Luo Heaven.

This is because the Jade Emperor is still discussing the matter of bestowing honors upon Zhuang Yan with the Four Emperors, and no conclusion has been reached yet.

There's a lot of talk about it in the Heavenly Court right now, with all sorts of opinions. Zhuang Yan is now a fourth-rank deity, but the power he wields is no less than that of a first-rank celestial official.

The fact that the Jade Emperor and the Four Emperors have been discussing for so long without reaching a conclusion is truly puzzling.

However, many veteran immortals believe that Zhuang Yan should be awarded the title of a first-rank immortal official, which means he should jump directly from the fourth rank to the first rank.

After all, Zhuang Yan is only a fourth-rank celestial official, while the Grand Master of Destiny in the mortal realm is a true first-rank deity with real power.

The speed of promotion from the fourth rank to the first rank is definitely the fastest in history. The reason why the Jade Emperor had to discuss with the Four Emperors for so long was probably to coordinate the power.

After all, even if Zhuang Yan is promoted to a first-rank celestial official, it is only to make up for the deficiency in his official rank. He used to be a fourth-rank official with the power of a first-rank official. Now he is given a first-rank official position.

It's unclear whether any new powers will be added, which may be why the Jade Emperor and the Four Emperors have been discussing this for so long without reaching a conclusion.

In any case, in the days that followed, Zhuang Yan was definitely the focus of conversation throughout the Heavenly Court. Even the fairies in the Imperial Garden were talking about this while tending to the celestial flowers.

After arriving in the Heavenly Court, Zhuang Yan did not stay at Fengzhen Courtyard, but went directly to Doushuai Palace.

"You have the Fengzhen Courtyard to stay at, but instead you come to my palace to sleep on a hard bed. I've never seen anyone like you before," Laozi said to Zhuang Yan beside him.

Zhuang Yan said, "The 'Huiyuan Jingxin Fa' you gave me has changed."

"Oh?" Lao Tzu raised an eyebrow and asked, "What has it turned into?"

Zhuang Yan said, "The Jade Purity Divine Firmament Great Dao Treasure Record." Upon hearing this, Laozi nodded and said, "Hmm, not bad, not bad. This is the supreme and wonderful method of the Three Pure Ones, worthy of your great power."

Zhuang Yan asked, "Does the Huiyuan Jingxin Method involve different things, and therefore the Daoist methods it ultimately manifests are also different?"

Lao Tzu stroked his long beard, pondered for a moment, and then replied, "Yes."

Zhuang Yan said, "Then why didn't you say so sooner?"

Lao Tzu smiled and said, "Everything is predestined."

At this point, Laozi asked Zhuang Yan, "How do you think the Jade Emperor will reward you this time?"

Zhuang Yan stared at the alchemy furnace in front of him and said, "Let fate decide."

Lao Tzu: "It seems you have deeply inherited the true teachings of my Taoism."

Zhuang Yan chuckled and pointed at the alchemy furnace, asking, "What new golden pills or divine medicines have you had lately?"

Laozi said, "No, they're all the same old pill formulas. What? Do you have a new one?"

"I am not skilled in alchemy," Zhuang Yan said, shaking his head.

Lao Tzu said, "I can teach you, starting with fanning the fire to teach you alchemy."

Zhuang Yan looked at him and said, "Do you need a fan boy? If so, just say so."

Laozi laughed heartily and was about to speak when the gatekeeper rushed in, "Master, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven has arrived!"

Upon hearing this, Laozi was startled and quickly said, "The thief is here! Quickly, collect all the golden pills!"

At this moment, the attendants and celestial officials in the alchemy room all changed their expressions drastically and instantly panicked.

Seeing this, Zhuang Yan spoke up, "What are you all panicking about? I'm here."

Upon hearing this, Laozi suddenly realized what was happening and then said with a smile, "Don't panic. With Lingtai Zhenjun here, that monkey won't dare to act recklessly."

As they were speaking, a lithe figure leaped into the alchemy room and said, "Laojun, I, Old Sun, have come to see you."

The surrounding attendants and celestial officials hurriedly bowed, saying, "Greetings, Victorious Fighting Buddha."

Sun Wukong waved his hand and laughed, "No need for formalities, no need for formalities at all."

Just as he was feeling smug, he suddenly saw Zhuang Yan standing to the side. Sun Wukong was startled for a moment, then quickly composed himself and stepped forward to bow, saying, "Uncle."

Zhuang Yan laughed and said, "I heard you've been traveling around a lot lately? You've been to Lingtai Mountain, Wuzhuang Temple, Luojia Mountain, and the Dragon Palace of the Four Seas. You've been having quite a leisurely time."

Sun Wukong scratched his ears and cheeks and said, "Hehe, Uncle, you don't know, I have old friends in all these places. Now that the journey to the West has been successfully completed, I naturally want to visit them all and continue to build up those relationships."

Zhuang Yan said, "So, you've come to this Tushita Palace today to continue a favor?"

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong quickly nodded and said, "Yes, yes, no one can hide anything from Uncle. I have indeed come to visit Laozi."

After saying this, Sun Wukong turned around and asked Laozi with a serious expression, "How has Laozi been lately? How are you eating? How are you sleeping? Is the alchemy going smoothly?"

When Laozi saw Sun Wukong's appearance, he immediately laughed and teased him, "Thanks to the great fortune of the Victorious Fighting Buddha, this old Taoist has been eating and sleeping well lately. It would be even better if that number one thief in the world didn't come to hang around this Tushita Palace."

Sun Wukong: "."

Zhuang Yan then asked Sun Wukong, "Wukong, did you go to Heaven just to see Laozi?"

Sun Wukong turned around and laughed, "No, it's just that a god asked me whether I should attend the grand court assembly at the Lingxiao Palace now that the journey to the West is over, even though I am already the Victorious Fighting Buddha."

At this point, Sun Wukong looked at Zhuang Yan and said, "I didn't want to come, but they said that the Jade Emperor was going to reward my uncle, so I came."

Zhuang Yan nodded slightly and said, "In that case, stay with me at the Tushita Palace, and we'll go to the Grand Court Assembly together later."

Sun Wukong quickly replied, "Nephew obeys." (End of Chapter)