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Chapter 231 Doing one good deed a day

The silver fish, transformed from sugar, silently darted into the warm spring water, its nimble tail swaying as it swam swiftly towards the seven panicked women in the pool. Beneath the clear water, the view was actually clearer than on the surface.

He moved nimbly among the seven people like a real fish. As the water rippled, he deliberately used his slippery scales to search for any possible treasures, and even occasionally playfully nudged them with his head.

"Ah!" A woman who was frantically hugging her chest and looking around suddenly cried out, as if she had been electrocuted, and pulled one foot back sharply. Two red clouds appeared on her face, both ashamed and angry. "Water... something in the water touched me!"

"What's wrong, sister?" asked another woman next to her, whose head was the only part of her body submerged in the water. Before she could finish speaking, she felt something slippery brush against her calf, making her giggle. Then she realized something was wrong and hurriedly twisted her body. "Ouch, there really is something! It's slippery and crawling on my leg!"

"Ouch, my toes!" another woman cried out, instinctively kicking and splashing water. She looked down at the clear bottom and only vaguely glimpsed a silver glint flashing past her feet and disappearing into the depths. "A fish! A huge silver fish, it's tickling me!"

Panic and shame were instantly ignited by this underwater "harassment." The seven women were completely thrown into disarray.

Some people screamed and jumped up in an attempt to escape, their skin exposed to the sunlight, then hurriedly sank back into the water in embarrassment, creating even bigger splashes.

Some people were pushing and shoving each other, thinking it was a prank between sisters. "Stop it, was it you? Make it go away!"

But they found that the other person was also pale and confused, clearly being tricked by the "strange fish".

Someone frantically splashed around in the water, trying to scare away the elusive little fish. "Ugh, get away! It tickles!" Water splashed everywhere, leaving a mess.

Some were so terrified they nearly fainted, screaming in tears.

"There's a monster! There's a fish spirit in the water! It...it's doing bad things!"

The shout instilled immense fear in everyone.

The once clear and beautiful spring has completely lost its former charm. Only seven naked women are left, thrashing about in panic, screaming, and trying to dodge the "harassment" of a small silver fish. The scene is chaotic, filled with shame and fear.

Amidst the chaotic splashes and screams, Tang Sheng, the "little fish," swam triumphantly, his little eyes darting around as he dodged the wildly splashing hands and feet while searching for the treasure he imagined might exist.

Upon hearing Chen Guangrui's words, the color drained from Pleiades Star Lord's face, turning deathly pale in an instant.

He looked up abruptly, a hint of undisguised horror flashing in his eyes. He even forgot to straighten the cuffs of his official robe, and his voice trembled slightly. "Marshal, you know about Pilanpo? You also know about her relationship with me?"

Chen Guangrui looked at him calmly, her tone flat and even, as if she were talking about something trivial, "I've heard a little about it."

Pleiades's breathing quickened. He forced down the turmoil in his heart, trying to force a smile back onto his face, but it came across as stiff. He stared intently at Chen Guangrui, his voice low, with a barely perceptible sharpness.

"Since Marshal knows that Bodhisattva Pilanpo is my mother, then you should also know that her magical powers are extraordinary, far beyond those of ordinary immortals and gods. And you, Marshal..."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Chen Guangrui, and said meaningfully, "I heard that when you became Marshal Tianpeng, there were quite a few voices in the Heavenly Court saying that your strength was still too shallow to convince the people, right?"

These words were veiled in barbs, both praising the mother's authority and questioning Chen Guangrui's abilities.

Someone of your ability actually wants to concern themselves with the Bodhisattva Pilanpo's thoughts.

Upon hearing this, Chen Guangrui showed no anger on his face. Instead, he nodded slightly and said, "What the star official said is absolutely right. Bodhisattva Pilanpo has profound cultivation and divine power. My meager cultivation is naturally like a firefly compared to the bright moon in front of her, not worth mentioning."

He shifted his tone, his gaze fixed on the distant, vast mountains. His voice remained calm, yet carried an air of profound understanding.
"However, what does the Star Official think of the supernatural powers of Bodhisattva Pilanpo? How do they compare to those of the Buddha Tathagata of Mount Ling? And how do they compare to those of Laozi of the Tushita Palace?"

Pleiades Star Lord frowned, not understanding why Chen Guangrui suddenly mentioned these two supreme beings.

Chen Guangrui didn't give him time to think and continued,

"The Three Realms are currently rife with undercurrents, and the aura of an impending calamity is palpable. Surely, you, Star Official, a senior member of the Heavenly Court, are more aware of this than I am? At the eye of the storm are those two."

He gestured with his eyes towards the west and the Thirty-Three Heavens, saying, "If the Bodhisattva is still entangled in this game, what good will her divine power do? When the storm comes, the nest is overturned, and no egg remains unbroken."

These words struck Pleiades like a hammer blow to his heart. The tension on his face deepened, and his lips moved as if he wanted to refute something.

Chen Guangrui looked at him, her tone carrying a barely perceptible sigh, "No matter how high your magical power is, you might still be standing in the wrong position."

The Pleiades star official fell silent. His eyes flickered, as if he were rapidly weighing the pros and cons. After a long while, the stiff smile on his face returned to its smooth form, as if his earlier lapse in composure had never occurred. He bowed slightly, resuming his respectful posture, and his voice became much gentler.

"Marshal, you are overthinking it. My mother has been living in seclusion for over three hundred years, detached from worldly affairs and devoted to spiritual cultivation. What do the conflicts between Mount Ling and Mount Tushita have to do with my mother? She would never get involved in them."

Chen Guangrui watched as the Pleiades Constellation Lord quickly put on his mask, and understood. This old fox clearly didn't want to discuss it further, much less admit that Pilanpo had any connection with any party. He didn't press further, simply replying, "That's good then."

Just then, a distinctive whistling sound, characteristic of a whirlwind, came from afar.

"Chen Guangrui, Pleiades Star Lord!" Nezha's voice rang out excitedly. A flash of red light, and he and Tang Sheng had landed back beside them. Nezha was still carrying the several brightly colored women's gauze robes, which he casually shook. Tang Sheng's little face was rosy, his dark eyes sparkling with pride, and his bald head particularly dazzling in the sunlight. With his hands behind his back, he skipped and hopped over to Chen Guangrui, tilting his head up with a "praise me!" expression. "Daddy! The Third Prince and I are back!"

Chen Guangrui's gaze swept over the clothes in Nezha's hands and Tang Sheng's barely concealed excitement, and he asked, "How's the investigation going? Are there any demons lurking here?"

Nezha casually tossed the few pieces of gauze clothing on the ground, clapped his hands, and looked relaxed.
"Hey, there were a few clueless female demons hogging the hot spring pool. But they're pretty mediocre. They were scared off by me and Little Baldy... uh, by us. They screamed and disappeared. They must have been terrified."

He spoke casually, as if he had merely chased away a few wild rabbits.

Tang Sheng immediately nodded in agreement, like a chick pecking at rice.
"Yes, yes, yes! They're just little demons and monsters, their cultivation is very shallow, they can't even transform into human form very skillfully!"

He puffed out his little chest and added with a serious expression, "I went into their cave and saw them hurriedly scurrying away, so I didn't chase after them. Heaven cherishes life, after all. Do one good deed a day, and you accumulate virtue! Do two good deeds a day, and you accumulate even greater virtue!"

He stretched out two chubby fingers and gestured with great seriousness.

Standing to the side, Pleiades listened to Nezha and Tang Sheng's casual description, looked at the few gauze garments on the ground that were clearly worn by female demons, and glanced at the direction of the hot spring. His tense body finally relaxed without being noticed.

His face regained that standard official smile, and he let out a long sigh, as if a heavy burden had been lifted. "So that's how it is, so that's how it is! They were just some insignificant little demons. Let them go if they've run away. It saves us the trouble of taking action and getting involved in unnecessary karma. The Third Prince and the Young Master are truly kind."

As he spoke, he habitually raised his hand and carefully adjusted the collar and cuffs of his official robe, his expression returning to its usual composure.

Chen Guangrui asked in a calm tone, "So, we've won this battle?"

The Pleiades star official immediately put on a perfectly timed smile and bowed without hesitation,

"With the Marshal's divine might, the villains fled at the mere sight of him, which naturally counts as a victory. Without losing a single soldier, the demonic aura of Pansiling has been eradicated, a truly meritorious deed."

Chen Guangrui didn't say anything more, just nodded slightly and turned to leave. Nezha followed beside him on his Wind Fire Wheels, asking with a hint of lingering excitement, "Hey, Chen Guangrui, where are we going next? We need to find a decent monster hideout, right? Those few we just saw weren't even good enough to fill a tooth gap."

Chen Guangrui did not stop walking, but turned his gaze to the Pleiades Star Official who was half a step behind, and clearly uttered three words: "Huanghua Temple".

"Huanghua Temple?" Nezha scratched his head, feeling that the name sounded familiar, but he couldn't remember exactly where it was.

He subconsciously looked at the Pleiades Star Lord, only to find that after hearing those three words, the other party's body seemed to stiffen almost imperceptibly, and the standard smile on his face froze, revealing an extremely strange expression, as if he had suddenly swallowed a fly.

"Huh? Pleiades Star Lord, what's wrong with you? Your face turned green just hearing the name Yellow Flower Temple?" Nezha, ever outspoken, immediately pointed at his face and asked.
"Is that place particularly eerie, or are the monsters there especially powerful, that you're so afraid of it?"

The Pleiades Star Lord, having been exposed by Nezha, snapped back to reality and forced a smile, though it looked rather strained. He waved his hands repeatedly,
"Your Highness, you misunderstand. How could I be afraid? It's just that Huanghua Temple sounds like a Taoist hermitage. We are here on imperial orders to subdue demons, so going to someone else's Taoist temple seems a bit unreasonable, doesn't it? What if it's inhabited by a disciple of a high-ranking immortal, or enshrining a deity? If we rashly go there to subdue the demon, wouldn't we be like the flood washing away the Dragon King's temple, needlessly offending someone?"

His words were perfectly worded, subtly shifting the concern to "potentially harming friendly forces" and "offending people."

Nezha curled his lip and said nonchalantly, "Tch, I thought it was something serious. What are you afraid of? We are here to subdue demons in the mortal realm on the orders of the Jade Emperor. We are doing this openly and aboveboard. If it were some big shot's territory, we would just turn around and leave as soon as the demons there gave their names. Or we would just let their masters deal with them themselves. It's no big deal. Why are you so scared?"

The Pleiades Star Lord's smile grew even more bitter. He glanced furtively at Chen Guangrui's back, and seeing that he had no reaction, he lowered his voice and leaned closer to Nezha, saying...

“Third Prince, while that may be true, don’t forget that you descended to the mortal realm this time with the Marshal, not by order of the Grand Celestial Venerable. Strictly speaking, this counts as descending to the mortal realm without permission. I certainly won’t say anything, but if you get to the Yellow Flower Temple and run into someone who takes things seriously, or if the abbot really has powerful connections and reports this to the Grand Celestial Venerable, and he blames you for disregarding the Heavenly Laws and leaving your post without permission, I’m worried for you.”

These words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly extinguishing Nezha's previous enthusiasm. The flames on his Wind Fire Wheels dimmed slightly, and his little face wrinkled. The crime of descending to the mortal realm without permission could be a serious matter, especially given the current undercurrents in Heaven; it was indeed a troublesome one. He couldn't help but look at Chen Guangrui, his eyes filled with hesitation and inquiry.

Just then, Chen Guangrui, who had been walking silently, spoke without turning his head. His voice was calm but carried a reassuring power: "It's alright."

His steps remained steady, and his voice carried clearly: "The Jade Emperor, the Great Heavenly Venerable, has appointed me Marshal Tianpeng, ordering me to select generals to descend to the mortal realm, patrol the four directions, and cleanse the demonic forces. Choosing who to accompany me is within my authority. The Pleiades Star Lord was personally appointed to me by the Jade Emperor—Nezha."

He paused for a moment, then said, "I appointed him. This is official business, not a private matter. If anything goes wrong, I, Chen Guangrui, will take full responsibility."

Chen Guangrui's words were decisive, directly defining Nezha's entourage as part of an "official mobilization," completely clearing him of any suspicion of "descending to the mortal realm without permission," and taking the blame upon himself.

Upon hearing this, Nezha's eyes lit up instantly, all his previous hesitation vanished, and he straightened his back. He slapped his chest forcefully, and the Wind-Fire Wheels roared back to life, nearly scorching the hem of the Pleiades Star Lord's robe, startling him into taking a step back.

"Haha, with you saying that, I'm relieved!" Nezha immediately reverted to his fearless, mischievous self, proudly raising his chin at the Pleiades Star Lord.

"Did you hear that? The Marshal appointed me, even the Jade Emperor has to acknowledge it. Let's go, let's go to that Yellow Flower Temple, I want to see what kind of dragon's den and tiger's lair it is that scared you so much, old man!"

After he finished speaking, before Pleiades could say anything more, the Wind and Fire Wheels beneath his feet erupted with flames, transforming into a streak of red light, and he sped off towards the direction of Huanghua Temple that Chen Guangrui had mentioned.

Little Tangsheng blinked her big, dark eyes, looked at Chen Guangrui, then at the Pleiades Star Lord with a complicated, hesitant expression, and then skipped and jumped to follow Nezha's red light.

The Pleiades Constellation watched Nezha and Tang Sheng disappear into the distance, then glanced at Chen Guangrui's unreadable back. He opened his mouth, but swallowed the words that welled up inside. He simply sighed heavily and silently, resignedly straightening his robe sleeves, which had been slightly curled by Nezha's Wind Fire Wheels, and quickly followed. Even his seven-inch-tall crown seemed to have lost some of its luster in the sunlight.

(End of this chapter)