Bai Jin raised his hand with a laugh and said: "Please, get up quickly! What brings Gold Star Taibai here?"

Gold Star Taibai rose to his feet and said respectfully: "Your Majesty has set up a banquet in the Turquoise Pool, inviting the Emperor to attend."

Bai Jin's expression flickered, Eh~ What does the Jade Emperor want me at the banquet for now? Could it be he's bored again?

He stood up and instructed: "Shi Ji, Shen Gongbao will return soon; he's greatly merited this trip. You go in place of Gouchen Palace to receive him."

Shi Ji replied: "Yes!"

"Gu Liang, deduct the direct broadcast rewards proportionally, and give the rest to Shen Gongbao; it's what he deserves."

"Brother, shouldn't the Heavenly Soldiers and Generals from the envoy also get a share?"

"You don't need to worry about that; Shen Gongbao has always been a man of great honor. How could he shortchange them? He will distribute it himself."

"Yes!" Gu Liang also responded respectfully.

...

In the Turquoise Pool, the Jade Emperor was setting up a grand feast in the plaza, replete with five-colored gold-edged tables and thousand flower jade bowls. The tables bore dragon liver and phoenix marrow, bear paws and gorilla lips. A hundred delicacies so exquisite, and fruits and dishes of every hue newly splendid.

Bai Jin and the Jade Emperor sat opposite each other, surrounded by delicious dishes and fragrant aromas.

The Jade Emperor said with a laugh: "Enjoy, enjoy, Bai Jin, you have no idea how stifled I've been feeling lately. Buddhism has been acting all high and mighty before the Heavenly Court Gods, and even the Primordial Beings of the Lower Realm have been criticizing Heavenly Court. I was so angry I almost sent troops to attack the Spiritual Mountain."

As if, you haven't stopped singing and dancing these days? Bai Jin inwardly muttered, then lifted his cup with a smile, saying: "This trouble is due to me; let me punish myself with a drink." And with that, he downed a cup of Jadescent Nectar.

The Jade Emperor said with a chuckle: "Ah~ Nephew, you're too serious, what trouble between us? This time, Shen Gongbao's envoy mission to Buddhism truly gave us a breath of fresh air, truly delightful."

Lifting his drinking cup, he said: "Bai Jin, come~ come~ I toast to you."

Bai Jin, who had just set down his cup, hurriedly picked it up again, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

"I've just received news that The Buddha was so furious he almost demolished the Great Leiyin Temple. Let's drink heartily to The Buddha's rage."

"With your planning, Bai Jin, Heavenly Court thrives ever more. Even with Buddha's Ascension Calamity approaching, Heavenly Court remains unscathed. To our united and prosperous Heavenly Court, let us drink together!"

"...For the Heavenly Court Gods, we shall drink!"

"...For the peace of the Three Realms, we shall drink!"

"...For the great Tao, we shall drink!"

...

The Jade Emperor kept finding excuses to urge drinking, and before much food was had, two pots of drink were already gone.

Moments later, Bai Jin, dizzied, supported his head, propped against the seat, repeatedly waving his hand and saying: "Uncle, I cannot drink anymore, I truly can't.

What kind of drink is this? The alcohol really packs a punch."

The Jade Emperor held up his cup with a hearty laugh and said, "This is Heavenly Emperor Hao Tian's privately hoarded fine wine, which I found with great difficulty. For the sake of good wine, let's drink together."

Bai Jin felt dizzy and drank another cup, belching out a loud hiccup, and slammed the cup heavily on the table.

The Jade Emperor walked over to Bai Jin with a wine cup in hand, sat by his side, and with a beaming smile, said, "My dear nephew, I've heard that Buddhism compensated you with a lot of Merit Coins."

Bai Jin, in a drunken haze, replied, "Not much, not much, just two million."

The Jade Emperor's eyes lit up with excitement, two million! That would last me a long time to spend, truly envious of my nephew who doesn't have to worry about money!

His smile immediately grew even warmer, and in a soft voice, he said, "Nephew, it's not easy to spend those two million, is it?"

"It's okay; I'll deposit them in the bank to earn interest."

"Earning interest from the bank is a loss! I'll be honest with you, nephew, I accidentally spent all the treasures in my treasury to save Shen Gongbao's face. I wonder if you could lend me some, just until I can turn things around. I assure you the interest will be higher than the bank's, and I'll repay you as soon as Heavenly Emperor Hao Tian returns."

Bai Jin waved his hand dismissively and, with a grand drunken gesture, declared, "What are you talking about lending? I'll give my uncle one million."

The Jade Emperor's eyes sparkled, and he rubbed his hands together with a smile, saying, "Giving it for free would be too embarrassing; I'd better write an IOU."

Bai Jin abruptly grabbed the Jade Emperor's arm, hiccuping drunkenly, and protested, "Don't write an IOU. If you do, it means you don't consider me a brother. A mere million in Merit doesn't mean a thing! I may not have much else, but I have plenty of Merit. If I wanted, I could buy the Four Immortal Slaying Swords. So, do you think I have a lot of Merit or not?"

The Jade Emperor nodded repeatedly, lamenting, "You really do have a lot! But how will you spend all that money?"

Bai Jin revealed a simple, honest smile and patted the Jade Emperor on the shoulder, his slurred speech betraying his inebriation, "Not spending it... gonna save it... save it for a wife!"

The Jade Emperor's eyes lit up with surprise, Oh! An unexpected windfall? Not a bad tradeoff for accompanying you in this drinking session with water. He glanced around slyly and whispered, "Nephew, which fairy has caught your eye? To repay my nephew, your uncle will personally act as the matchmaker to ensure a grand and proper arrangement."

"Nu... Nuwa Niangniang..." Bai Jin murmured.

The Jade Emperor's face paled abruptly, he stood up swiftly, and with a crash, his body collided with the banquet table, sending it flying and smashing to the ground in the plaza, dishes and plates shattering everywhere.

Bai Jin leaned on the chair, his head down and mumbling softly, "Need... to ask Nuwa Niangniang..."

At this moment, the Jade Emperor was greatly shocked, not hearing a thing from the latter half of Bai Jin's sentence.

The servants hurried over, witnessing the mess in the plaza, their hearts filled with shock. Did His Majesty and the Emperor have a disagreement?

The Jade Emperor waved his hand imperiously and barked, "Everyone get out, no one is to enter!"

The servants all bowed and hastily retreated.

The Jade Emperor, looking at the drunken Bai Jin and stroking his beard, appeared deeply conflicted, his mind as chaotic as Chaos itself.

Hiss~ The Jade Emperor quickly let go, and a few strands of his beard floated down. Coming back to his senses, he pressed his hands together in salutation towards all directions, his face pained as he muttered, "Dear God, bless me~ Dear God, bless me~ I heard nothing, I truly heard nothing."

"Fair... Fairy Ping Xin~"

The Jade Emperor's eyes bulged in alarm, and in the blink of an eye, he pounced beside Bai Jin, covering his mouth, You even dare to have improper thoughts about Fairy Ping Xin?!

Bai Jin hummed twice, flailing his arms and legs before finally passing out completely.

The Jade Emperor then stood up, wiping away beads of sweat from his forehead, his eyes filled with terror, murmuring, "This is deadly, truly deadly. Knowing such an earth-shattering secret, could I be silenced?"

The Jade Emperor looked around warily. The Turquoise Pool should be safe, right? Right then, he felt a massive headache and decided he dare not get Bai Jin drunk again. From now on, if anyone in the Heavenly Court dares to invite Bai Jin for a drink, I'll have their guts for garters.

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