Chapter 15
If Feng Chiyue had any “virtue,” it was definitely the “virtue” of being “wicked.”
Zhu Wan watched the half-dead Jiang Zi Hua with a worried frown, fearing retaliation from the Morning Sun Assembly. But if she didn’t follow Feng Chiyue’s orders, she feared that Feng Chiyue would simply decapitate him with her sword, making the situation even more irreversible.
Feng Chiyue watched Zhu Wan carry out her punishment before returning to the hall to sleep. As she left, she remarked, “That iron urn is quite nice.” Zhu Wan shuddered, convinced that it was a threat directed at her. If the urn needed to be filled with someone, Jiang Zi Hua was indeed a more suitable candidate than she was.
Jiang Zi Hua hadn’t concealed his presence when he attacked, and the commotion was impossible to miss. Many nearby immortals had been alerted, but none of them intervened. They watched from a distance, and only when Jiang Zi Hua was defeated and captured did they withdraw their gazes and turn to the Chaos Mirror to gossip.
— Isn’t the Morning Sun Assembly supposed to be so powerful? Why are they so useless now?
— The Morning Sun Assembly’s strength lies in their unity. They’re more disciplined than the Heavenly Soldiers. This time, they probably underestimated Feng Chiyue and only sent Jiang Zi Hua. If they all came out in full force, even the Heavenly Soldiers wouldn’t be able to handle them. That’s why the Heavenly Court has been tolerating them.
— I’m sick of the Morning Sun Assembly. They’ve taken over several of our immortal mountains and islands.
— Looks like there’s going to be some excitement at the Morning Sun Gate.
The Morning Sun Gate was indeed bustling with activity.
The Morning Sun Assembly, enraged by Jiang Zi Hua’s capture, arrived at the gate before dawn, ready to teach Feng Chiyue a lesson and intimidate the other immortal officials. The Chaos Mirror still hung high in the sky, emanating a strange glow in the dim light of dawn. However, the table and chairs were empty. There was no sign of Feng Chiyue or even her attendants. They waited angrily for her arrival, but even as the sun reached its zenith, she didn’t appear.
“Did she chicken out and hide in Dong’e Mountain?”
“With that formation protecting Dong’e Mountain, it’s the perfect place to be a coward.”
“Senior Brother, I’ll go check on Dong’e Mountain.”
Their voices, overlapping and intermingling, turned the usually quiet Morning Sun Gate into a noisy marketplace.
However, Feng Chiyue wasn’t at Dong’e Mountain. She was seated imposingly in the Heavenly Mechanism Department, surrounded by bruised and battered immortal officials who were bowing and scraping, apologizing profusely. Feng Chiyue pointed at a random official and asked casually, “Is the complaint drafted yet?” The official opened his mouth, unsure whether to say yes or no.
Early in the morning, just as they were preparing to start their day, Feng Chiyue had barged in, declaring that she wanted to file a complaint against the gate emissaries for bending the rules, defying the Heavenly Dao, and allowing unqualified cultivators to ascend. Her words offended more than a few officials. They all did it secretly, but she had to bring it out into the open. How could anyone be so tactless? But then, considering it was Feng Chiyue, they supposed it made sense. They couldn’t let her cause chaos in the Heavenly Mechanism Department, but Undefeated’s sharp sword intent suppressed their own power, making them unable to fight back.
“Immortal Monarch Feng, it’s just common practice,” someone muttered.
“Isn’t the Heavenly Court founded on upholding the Heavenly Dao? When did the rules change? Why wasn’t it announced on the Chaos Mirror?” Feng Chiyue asked with feigned curiosity.
The official immediately shut his mouth. Unlike Feng Chiyue, he couldn’t just say whatever he wanted.
Just because something was customary didn’t make it right. If this reached the Heavenly Emperor, no matter how conflicted he felt, he wouldn’t contradict Feng Chiyue. Chaos reigned in the Heavenly Mechanism Department. The Star Monarch in charge seethed with anger, his head pounding. He silently cursed Chang Li for recommending Feng Chiyue to the Heavenly Mechanism Department. She clearly had no understanding of social etiquette and only knew how to act recklessly. Perhaps she knew she had offended too many people and had decided to just go all out. But while Feng Chiyue could afford to do that, they couldn’t! They still cared about their reputation.
“Star Monarch, this matter needs to be resolved within the Heavenly Mechanism Department. We can’t admit that we condone such behavior. The solution is simple: rewards and punishments. As for everything else, the key is to ‘delay,’” the Star Monarch’s attendant said.
The Star Monarch remained silent for a moment, taking a sip of his spiritual tea. “Of course I know how to handle it, but Feng Chiyue… can we get rid of her?” He shouldn’t have been so eager to watch the drama unfold. Now he was part of it.
The attendant said, “The Morning Sun Assembly will take care of her.” He didn’t believe they would let this slide. He had heard that those fiends were currently laying siege to the Morning Sun Gate.
The Star Monarch’s eyes flickered, but he didn’t respond. He whispered instructions to someone nearby and sent him out to announce the decision. It was just a small reward for Feng Chiyue, something the Heavenly Mechanism Department could afford for now. But before long, the official returned, his face grim. “I-Immortal Monarch Feng is asking how her performance review on the twenty-eighth of each month will be handled,” he stammered. The sixty percent retention rate for Human Immortals was one of the main reasons why the gate emissaries secretly relaxed the standards for the tribulation lightning. As for Feng Chiyue’s Morning Sun Gate… it was highly likely that there wouldn’t be a single ascending Human Immortal, rendering the retention rate a moot point.
A vein throbbed on the Star Monarch’s forehead. “Exempt her from the standard,” he said through gritted teeth.
The official, seeing the Star Monarch’s expression, scrambled out of the hall.
Feng Chiyue, having received confirmation, smiled in satisfaction. “If you had just said so from the start, we wouldn’t have had this whole ordeal.”
The other immortal officials: “…”
“Why is she exempt from the standard?” the other gate emissaries whispered, their teeth clenched. They knew all too well the effort and compromises they had to make to meet their quotas.
“Because… she won’t be around much longer?” someone suggested.
At those words, their resentment vanished.
That was right. Feng Chiyue was the Morning Sun Emissary. She had offended the entire Morning Sun Assembly.
Once she was gone, everything would return to normal.
In Qingjun Palace.
Chu Yi sat up abruptly upon receiving the news. “Did Feng Chiyue just accidentally do something good?” she asked, surprised.
A female immortal beside her spoke up. “Bribery has been rampant in the Heavenly Mechanism Department for a long time, and the Morning Sun Gate is a special case. Could it be that Feng Chiyue acted this way because she didn’t receive any ‘gifts’ from the Morning Sun Assembly?”
Chu Yi: “…” Considering Feng Chiyue’s terrible character, it was highly likely. After all, she had just kidnapped a Vermilion Bird and demanded a ransom from Danxue Mountain. She was utterly shameless.
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