"Bold rascal, how dare you be so impudent!"
"In front of the Queen Mother, how dare you be so rude! Kneel down at once!"
Although they were scolding, the words didn't anger anyone.
Actually, fairies who truly scold were rare. Li Changzhou, with his outstanding appearance and divine aura, had just skillfully and handsomely taken down Zhu Bajie. They were more about "teaching a lesson," and some even seemed to be "flirting."
Their attitude was influenced not only by Li Changzhou's looks and power... They were many, and with the Heavenly Immortal Queen Mother and numerous goddesses present, they had enough confidence to be relaxed.
Li Changzhou's life-or-death crisis was merely a game to vie for favor in front of the Queen Mother for them.
The fairies stopped scolding after a few words, demonstrating the etiquette of the Heavenly Palace.
A fairy dressed in a splendid orange robe, wearing a jeweled hairpin and a phoenix bun, holding a jade tablet, stood on an Immortal Crane with a wingspan of five meters, advancing above the crowd, with a jade belt fluttering and four attendants following her.
This person in the clouds addressed Li Changzhou:
"Who is below, state your name."
— Nine Heavens Mystic Goddess, ranking just below the Queen Mother of the West, an Earth Immortal. （Yang Qinglan whispered softly）
Li Changzhou suddenly realized why there was an aura of slaughter; it turned out to be the Nine Heavens Mystic Goddess, who had experienced military strategies in the war between the Yellow Emperor and Chi You.
However, by her outfit, though regal and delicate, she seemed more like a dignified and luxurious consort, embodied in brilliant yellow aura.
It was not only the attire of the Nine Heavens Mystic Goddess that exceeded Li Changzhou's expectations, all the fairies did as well, dressed colorfully with floating garments, and their heads invariably adorned with jewels and ornaments.
High-ranking female immortals were surrounded by lower-level immortals and auspicious beasts as mounts.
The luxury and immortal qi of the Heavenly Palace were fully displayed.
They were also quite beautiful, each possessing a fraction of Yang Qinglan's beauty, especially the Nine Heavens Mystic Goddess and the fairy next to Yang Qinglan, wearing a light purple long dress and holding a rabbit, nearly half as beautiful as Yang Qinglan.
I just wonder what the Queen Mother is like.
These thoughts flashed by in an instant, and Li Changzhou replied, "A drifting traveler, my name is not worth mentioning."
"If you are a traveler, why linger in the Tongtian River and hinder Tang Seng from going to the Western Heaven to obtain the scriptures?" the Nine Heavens Mystic Goddess asked again.
"Eating Tang Seng's flesh grants immortality; his guilt is manifested. As for me, having a bit of skill and holding a lethal weapon, the intent to kill naturally arises; it's that simple."
"A frog in a well, ignorant of the vast sky." the Nine Heavens Mystic Goddess scoffed coldly, "The Queen Mother and the revered Guanyin are compassionate. They give you a sliver of a chance, commanding you to solve riddles with the immortals. If you beat them, you may leave the way you came if you lose, your spirit and form will be annihilated, doomed forever."
"I am willing to compete, but if it's about grooming and dressing up, you might as well annihilate my spirit and form right now."
The Nine Heavens Mystic Goddess said indifferently, "The Queen Mother is compassionate, the questions will certainly be fair, prepare to hear them."
A purple-robed fairy stepped out of the Cloud Palace, conveying the Queen Mother's decree.
"The first question concerns the Immortals who govern the Three Realms and benefit all living beings, the most critical aspect is understanding the operations of heaven and earth—demon and all fairies may pick from 'rain, snow, clear' according to their choice, whosoever can cause the Tongtian River to reflect their chosen weather will be deemed the winner."
[This first question is designed to bring you down, to humble you.] Guanyin said.
Hearing this, indeed many fairies showed an expression of watching a spectacle.
"Ah, it's a pity I failed the first challenge; otherwise, I might try this first question." Countless fairies thought alike.
"With Master of Rain there, what chance do you have?" a fairy laughed.
It wasn't that they knew Li Changzhou was poor at this, but praying techniques were too common in the Heavenly Palace!
There is only one Master of Rain per position, and only one had advanced to the third challenge.
"Who wants to go down and solve it?" Master of Rain asked with a smile.
"Master of Rain, senior, I would like to try."
Master of Rain looked towards the speaker, smiling, "Third Holy Mother, you control Hua Mountain and also command wind and rain, defeating that monster is enough, but I will not show mercy."
Third Holy Mother also smiled, "Of course."
"Anyone else?" Master of Rain asked again.
Flowers Fairy pondered for a moment, then laughed, "Although I slightly understand the techniques of summoning rain or clear skies, I'd rather not embarrass myself in front of everyone."
"If you're not participating, don't talk."
"You!" Peony and Mu Dan behind Flowers Fairy glared at Chang'e.
"Whether other immortals participate or not doesn't concern the Deity of the Moon, right?" Flowers Fairy said slowly.
Chang'e didn't even look at them, playing with the jade rabbit in her arms.
Golden Dipper Cloud above, Li Qianxia took the opportunity to tug at Yang Qinglan's sleeve.
Yang Qinglan spoke up, "I also enjoy watching the weather on Gu She Mountain, count me in."
Asking around, for this first question, only Master of Rain, Rain Master, Third Holy Mother, and Yang Qinglan participated.
This was just the first question; losing meant more than merely failing the challenge. Many immortals dared not try lightly, but Third Holy Mother and Gu She Fairy's participation surprised them.
— A one-in-four chance of winning, old friend you better put your heart into it!
Li Qianxia had already resigned herself to Li Changzhou relying on his wife to let him win.
And to let her and the Turquoise Pool participate too would be far too obvious.
The purple-robed fairy waved her sleeve lightly, and a purple magpie flew out, circling twice in the sky under the watchful eyes of the fairies before landing gently on Third Holy Mother's slender shoulder.
Third Holy Mother toyed with the magpie, which seemed to adore her.
"The first question, the solver is Third Holy Mother." the purple-robed fairy announced.
"Be careful, sister," Flowers Fairy cautioned," Bodhisattva mentioned that monster has vast divine skills and resides in the Tongtian River, he may not be ignorant in the technique of praying to Heaven."
"Thank you, sister." Third Holy Mother spread her sleeve, and floated down like a feather, landing on the Tongtian River.