"Someone come quickly! The Divine Emperor is missing again!"
A white-robed fairy maiden rushed out in a panic, the plate of fruit she was carrying scattering across the floor.
"What! Missing again!"
"Quick, start searching! If we can't find him, we'll be waiting to be cast into the animal realm!"
The Nine Sun Palace was abuzz with fairies, their expressions serious, turning the place upside down in their search.
Upon hearing the Emperor was missing, the Celestial Emperor's crown went askew.
He angrily addressed the crowd,
"How is he missing again? Didn't we agree not to bring him those mortal realm storybooks?"
Everyone lowered their heads.
Seeing their silence, the Celestial Emperor asked, "Have you checked the vegetable garden?"
The fairies shook their heads. "Your Majesty, we looked. He's not there."
"The Peach Garden?" the Celestial Emperor asked.
The fairies continued shaking their heads. "Not there either."
The Celestial Emperor pointed a finger at them, momentarily speechless.
The Celestial Empress hurriedly supported him. "Your Majesty, perhaps summon the Fate Scribe Star Lord for questioning? Knowing the general direction would be good. If the Divine Emperor does not wish to be found, turning the entire immortal realm upside down will be futile."
The Celestial Emperor, coming to his senses, quickly said to the kneeling figures,
"Quickly, summon the Star Lord!"
The kneeling attendants rose and hurried off to the Fate Scribe's hall to invite the Star Lord.
"Your Majesty, do not fret. As long as he is within the Three Realms, the Star Lord will surely divine his location," the Celestial Empress comforted.
The Divine Emperor's presence in the immortal realm was the very foundation of the Three Realms' stability. If he were to leave the Three Realms, chaos would surely follow.
Divine Emperor Ling Cang was the supreme sovereign of the Three Realms.
From the deities of the heavens above to the evil ghosts of the netherworld below, all were his devout followers.
The Three Realms had enjoyed a century of peace and stability, utterly devoid of conflict.
It wasn't that the demon and ghost races lacked ambition, but they dared not make a move, fearing utter annihilation at the hands of the Divine Emperor.
The Fate Scribe Star Lord followed the fairy maidens in haste, arriving to bow.
"Your Majesty, Your Highness."
"Fate Scribe, the Divine Emperor is missing. Quickly divine whether he is still within the Three Realms!" the Celestial Emperor said urgently.
For ordinary immortals, there was nowhere to go beyond these Three Realms, but this was the Divine Emperor. If he wished to go, the Three Realms ultimately could not hold him.
"Your Majesty, do not be anxious," the Fate Scribe said, then performed a divination with his fingers before bowing again to the Celestial Emperor and Empress.
The Celestial Emperor stepped forward anxiously. "Well?"
Fate Scribe: "Your Majesty, the Divine Emperor has not left the Three Realms."
The Celestial Emperor and Empress instantly breathed a sigh of relief.
"But he is no longer in the heavenly realm," the Fate Scribe added.
"Not out of the Three Realms, but not in the heavenly realm... then he has entered the mortal realm or the ghost realm. Star Lord, can you divine more precisely?" the Celestial Empress asked.
The Fate Scribe shook his head.
"Reporting to Your Highness, if the Divine Emperor does not wish for us to know his whereabouts, then even greater power would be useless."
Especially for a minor immortal like himself.
This was the Divine Emperor! How could a mere Fate Scribe possibly divine his location?
"Enough, you may go," the Celestial Emperor waved his hand.
The Star Lord withdrew.
"It's fortunate the Divine Emperor remains within the Three Realms. Perhaps, having read too many storybooks, he also wishes to experience it personally. Once he has had his fill of amusement, he will naturally return to the heavenly realm," the Celestial Empress said, supporting the Celestial Emperor.
Hearing this, the Celestial Emperor turned immediately to ask the kneeling fairies,
"Has the Divine Emperor been reading mortal realm storybooks lately?"
The kneeling figures shrunk their necks, hesitating.
"Y-yes, he has. The Divine Emperor has recently been reading mortal farming stories."
"A few days ago, he was utterly engrossed, even forgetting his midday meal," one fairy whispered, head lowered.
The Celestial Emperor whirled around, his finger pointing directly at the people kneeling on the ground.
The fairies shrank back involuntarily, falling deathly silent, lowering their heads even further.
They all knew perfectly well that if they incurred the Celestial Emperor's displeasure now, the fate awaiting them would be relegation to the animal realm.
The Celestial Empress glanced at the kneeling fairies and said,
"Enough. These fairies meant well. It is rare for the Divine Emperor to take a liking to something; there was no reason to deny him."
Not giving them to him would have been more problematic.
If only she had known, she would have had Yu'er deliver them, to at least leave an impression and deepen her admiration for the Divine Emperor.
Yu'er was the Celestial Empress's niece, a recognized beauty in the heavenly realm.
Dressed in white robes, she was like a lotus emerging from water, captivating the eyes of many male immortals. For years, this fairy had been unable to forget the Divine Emperor, visiting the Nine Sun Palace daily under the guise of chance encounters. But the Divine Emperor paid her little attention. Despite this, she persisted tirelessly.
All because the Divine Emperor's peerless beauty, coupled with a temperament that, while somewhat aloof, was ultimately the most gentle. For millennia, he had never punished the fairies serving him, nor deliberately found fault or reprimanded them. Ordinarily, the fairies of the Nine Sun Palace were the envy of those from other palaces. Not only did they frequently glimpse the peerlessly beautiful Divine Emperor, but they also had no fear of punishment, living more comfortably than many immortals in the celestial court.
"He has gone to the mortal realm," the Celestial Emperor said with certainty, gazing towards the distant Heavenly Gate.
"The Divine Emperor really went farming?" a fairy exclaimed without thinking, then immediately covered her mouth, looking panic-stricken at the Celestial Emperor and Empress.
[Mortal Realm]
On a path near Junjun Mountain, a man wearing a straw hat leaned against the haystack on an ox cart, dozing slightly as the cart swayed along. The old man driving the cart upfront rambled,
"Youngster Ling, you just moved here. Winter's coming soon, you need to be diligent. Gather firewood while you can, buy enough provisions. Get it all ready."
As he spoke, he seemed to truly feel the winter's bitter wind, grabbing the reins with one hand and holding the other to his mouth to blow warm air onto it.
"Winters here can freeze a man to death. Without enough firewood and food, you won't make it through the winter."
The man slightly opened his eyes, glanced at the bare tree trunks on either side, and uttered an "Mmm."
The old man driving the ox cart ahead shook his head upon hearing this, wondering if Young Ling had really taken it in.
He had arrived in Yunxi Village last month.
At the time, Village Chief Wu was gathered under the village's east-end century-old withered tree with everyone, discussing tax payments, when this man appeared. Dressed in black robes embroidered with gold thread and wearing a jade crown, he walked slowly from the end of the road towards the rising morning sun, like an immortal descending to earth.
At that moment, the village chief and the villagers of Yunxi Village were struck speechless, thinking a celestial being had indeed descended.
The man stood before the crowd, his face like exquisitely carved jade, with sharp, distinct features. His deep, abyss-like eyes seemed to hold endless stars, his lips slightly pressed together in a faint, seemingly smiling yet distant expression that commanded awe and respect.
"I am a merchant from the capital," he said, glancing up at the nearby century-old withered tree before continuing,
"This place is endowed with the finest spirits; might I reside here temporarily?" His voice was cool and distant.
Merchants passing through often sought lodging in the village, but one of such transcendent beauty was a first.
"Oh, young master!"
a matron immediately stepped forward, reaching out, but the 'immortal' subtly sidestepped her grasp. Unfazed, the woman wiped her hands on her apron, smiled obsequiously, and continued,
"We Yunxi villagers are good people, you can rest assured and stay."
Then she called out to the village chief, "Right, old man?"
Village Chief Wu Tian looked around at the crowd. He saw the village's young men and daughters blushing, casting hopeful glances his way. Looking again at the man before him, truly not even half his equal could be found in ten li (miles) around.
Seeing the eager anticipation in his own son, Wu Xiaoshu, and daughter, Wu Xiaohe's eyes, he agreed. "The people of Yunxi Village are charitable and hospitable, simple and kind-hearted. If you wish to stay temporarily, young master, we naturally welcome you."
"Elder Brother," Clan Leader Wu Tian said, stroking his beard,
"We haven't questioned this man clearly yet. We can't just take in anyone recklessly. If he's brought trouble, harboring him in the village could harm everyone."
The Village Chief nodded upon hearing this and said to the newcomer,
"Do you have any documentation proving your identity?"
The visitor asked, "What kind of documentation does the Village Chief require?"
As he asked, he gleaned the format of such documents from the Village Chief's memory.
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