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If it weren't for Li Jing's special status as a bridge between Buddhism and Taoism, this could have been punished as a breach of etiquette before the emperor.
"Indeed, True Lord Baizhi has done us a great favor, turning hostility into friendship."
Li Jing quickly replied.
"Good good."
The Jade Emperor turned his gaze to Bai Zhi, quite pleased. "My dear minister, you have worked hard. It is no easy feat to win over that monkey. Such merit deserves a great reward."
He had also heard about Laozi taking Bai Zhi as his disciple.
It can be said that when this news came out, Bai Zhi's status instantly soared. In the Heavenly Court, she enjoyed a high status even if she did nothing.
However, even though he could have done nothing, he was still willing to lend a helping hand, unlike his nephew Yang Jian, who only obeyed orders and not commands.
What is this? This is a truly loyal subject!
"Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty. I have only done my duty and dare not take credit for it."
Bai Zhi said fluently.
The Jade Emperor nodded in approval: "I am very pleased with your loyalty and wisdom. I hereby bestow upon you a thousand taels of gold and a pair of peaches to express my appreciation."
"Peaches?"
When Bai Zhi heard this term, she was stunned for a moment. Putting aside things like "golden essence," it was similar to the essence of gold, which was a kind of precious material that could be used as money when necessary.
The real heavyweight is this peach in the back.
It is said that even the lowest grade of this thing, a three-thousand-year-old fruit, can grant immortality, a six-thousand-year-old fruit can allow mortals to ascend to heaven, and a nine-thousand-year-old fruit can greatly increase the power of immortals.
Bai Zhi couldn't help but wonder, although she couldn't bring back any magic spells, if she ate a few of these peaches, would it increase her power?
"System, can I take the power from the peaches of immortality back with me?"
[Please explore on your own, host.]
The system didn't give a direct answer, but that was practically the same as an answer.
Anyone with a modicum of intelligence could understand the underlying meaning of the system's words: if it didn't work, the system would probably just say no.
Now let's talk about exploring on our own...
That means that even if there are limitations in the end, you can still make something out of it.
If they weren't in the Lingxiao Palace, Bai Zhi would have licked her lips.
It seems inevitable that the monkey will wreak havoc in the Heavenly Palace, and... since he's going to cause trouble in the Peach Garden anyway, perhaps he could plan ahead and get some peaches for himself too.
Upon hearing this, the other immortals also cast envious glances at Bai Zhi.
These peaches of immortality are not something you can easily eat. Except for special occasions, they only bloom once every three thousand years.
Moreover, not everyone can enjoy it. There are countless gods in the Heavenly Court, but only a few can speak in the Lingxiao Palace. Only these few, along with a handful of powerful beings, can enjoy it.
At other times, these peaches are mostly used as major rewards.
As the Jade Emperor spoke, two maids stepped forward from the side, carrying glittering golden essence and a pair of peaches that looked as big as half a person's head.
"A peach from the immortals that are nine thousand years old, that's incredible!"
Upon seeing the size of the peaches, Venus gasped and whispered to Bai Zhi, "Miss Bai Zhi, His Majesty's reward this time is truly exceptionally generous."
Few of the other immortals remained calm either. This level of peach was not the kind that was enjoyed more for its taste than the peaches of three thousand years, but rather an unparalleled delicacy that was greatly beneficial to oneself.
Li Jing's eyes were almost red with anger. He had fought to the death, lost the tower, and even offended his superiors because of it, without gaining any benefit whatsoever.
Bai Zhi obtained so many things with ease.
In an instant, he felt incredibly cheated.
Chapter 646 System Task Release
"Hehe, Little White, this time I'm the Great Sage Equal to Heaven! How about it, you little True Lord, why don't you come and pay your respects to me?"
Inside the Louvre-style palace, the monkey casually lay on its side on the table in front of Bai Zhi, propping its head up with its hand and grinning at her.
"Oh my, isn't this our Great Sage? Look at your complexion, you look so energetic! Today, this humble immortal pays his respects to you."
That's what she said, but Bai Zhi remained seated, not moving an inch.
"What you're saying sounds disgusting."
The monkey bared his teeth; he felt that Bai Zhi's words sounded rather sarcastic and disgusting.
"Oh dear, Great Sage, what's wrong with you? Your face is as long as a donkey's today. Who offended you? Don't be so hard on yourself. If you're upset, tell me and maybe I can help you vent your anger."
"Look, we old Heavenly Court people believe in harmony bringing wealth. It must be tiring for you to keep such a stern face! Let's talk things out slowly, don't bottle it up. Keeping things bottled up makes you unhappy and it's bad for your health. Here, have some tea first, and we'll chat."
"Stop, stop, stop talking like that."
The monkey immediately surrendered. He couldn't stand this tone at all. There was nothing wrong with what he said, but the tone was full of sarcasm.
It gave him goosebumps all over.
"You rascal, you actually know what disgusting is?"
Bai Zhi said irritably.
"Hehe, Xiaobai, you know, I just love this kind of thing."
The monkey grinned and said, "I liked this style back in the Crescent Moon Cave, and I can't change it."
"Showing off in front of others, huh? You got something good, so you have to show it off."
Bai Zhi knew this guy all too well. Although he was a monkey, he cared a lot about his reputation. If anyone embarrassed him, this monkey would probably turn around and bite them immediately.
"You know me so well. I'm so happy now. People call me Great Sage wherever I go. Before, when I entered and exited the South Heavenly Gate, the guards would stop me, but now they all respectfully call me Great Sage and don't stop me anymore."
The monkey couldn't help but laugh when he thought about how those who had once looked down on him were now all acting like nice guys.
"Now that you are the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, you should fulfill your duties properly and stop causing trouble. If you rebel again this time, the Heavenly Court will not let you off easily."
"Hey, don't worry, I'm so free now, I definitely won't rebel again."
"It's this job of managing the Peach Garden that makes me extremely unhappy. Look at Li Jing, he's clearly such a useless person, yet he can command so many heavenly soldiers and generals. I, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, am just here to look after a garden."
Bai Zhi shook her head. "That's no ordinary garden. Guarding it is far better than leading troops into battle."
Bai Zhi didn't just say that casually. As a strategic asset of the Heavenly Court, the Peach Garden was roughly equivalent to the national treasury of various countries on Earth, and the monkey was like the Minister of Security in charge of the treasury.
"They're just some broken peaches; it's not as exciting as leading troops into battle."
The monkey waved its hand dismissively, looking completely unconcerned, and didn't seem to care about the job at all.
"Those peaches of immortality are something many immortals desire but cannot obtain, and I am no exception."
"Little Bai, do you really like those rotten peaches?"
The monkey's eyes darted around, and it asked with concern.
"You like it? What, you want to give it to me? Let me tell you, you're the Monkey King now, you can't steal from me."
"No way, I can only say that if I have the chance, I'll get you a few to try, since that peach orchard is so big."
"Don't you dare. Just be a good Monkey King and fulfill your duties. Unless you ever want to rebel against Heaven again, you can pick some for me to satisfy my craving."
The monkey waved his hand, "No, no, I'm already the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, I'm satisfied. But if there's a chance, I'll get you a few more."
"Hopefully."
Bai Zhi sighed. Given how much the monkey cared about its reputation, she figured her warnings were pointless.
It would be good enough if the monkey brought himself a few more peaches before rebelling against Heaven.
"Xiao Bai, you're so boring. It's like you always think I'm going to cause trouble."
The monkey pouted unhappily, "Fine, I'm going to find someone to have some fun with."
As soon as he finished speaking, the monkey transformed into a streak of light and disappeared from the mansion.
Bai Zhi's expression was quite calm. That's just how monkeys are; they're easily startled and have a severe case of ADHD.
Bai Zhi took out the pair of enormous peaches from her spatial equipment, took a deep breath, and a refreshing fragrance filled her nostrils, invigorating her.
Bai Zhi habitually washed the peaches with water, then opened her mouth and took a bite.
Bai Zhi swallowed it in one gulp and smacked her lips. To say that this thing tasted particularly wonderful wouldn't be an exaggeration. Although it was delicious, it didn't exceed her expectations.
But beyond the taste, there was something even more important: an indescribable sense of pleasure welled up inside me.
[Consuming a nine-thousand-year-old peach has slightly increased the strength of one's soul and spirit.]
"It really works!"
Although in the setting, this thing can make someone instantly become an immortal with just one pill, and not a weak one at that, when I ate it, I only received a slight improvement in my soul and spirit.
But Bai Zhi was already quite satisfied. Her foundation was already high enough. Although she had never actually fought against these gods, after watching Li Jing, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, she felt that she could still crush most of the gods.
Not to mention the added blessing of the power of will.
If someone already has a high foundation, expecting their strength to multiply after taking one pill is clearly wishful thinking.
However, although the strength increase from a single peach is very limited, if there are enough of them, the increase can be quite substantial.
Little by little, a large amount accumulates, and quantitative change leads to qualitative change; this is the essence of the saying.
Subsequently, accompanied by continuous system notifications, Bai Zhi quickly eliminated the remaining peaches, leaving only some peach pits.
Bai Zhi originally intended to throw away the peach pit, but an idea suddenly popped into her mind.
I wonder if this thing can grow back on its own.
Logically speaking, many deities must have tried this idea, but the final result should have been that there was no way to achieve it.
but……
Bai Zhi stretched out her hand, and the power of the Horse Talisman and Abundant Destiny resonated upon it.
She felt that maybe she could give it a try, in case she could grow it herself?
These two forces, representing endless vitality, might just have a miraculous effect.
Seemingly detecting Bai Zhi's idea, the system immediately gave a prompt:
[Ding, quest issued: Plant the peach seeds, reward: the peaches will be able to be brought out of this world after being properly managed]
Chapter 647 Nezha: You are my second parents!
"What a... understanding system."
Bai Zhi was stunned for a moment, then laughed. She had originally thought that if she could grow this thing, she could eat more fruit to strengthen herself in this world. She never intended to take it out with her.
But I didn't expect the system to give me this choice.
"Alright, let Huang Quan have a taste then."
If she could take it out with her, Bai Zhi didn't expect that the effect of gaining immortality from eating one pill would be preserved. After all, the idea that this thing only produces fruit once every 3000 years was too abstract, and she couldn't wait that long. Shortening the time and preserving even a little bit of the strengthening effect and taste would be more than enough for her.
"However, growing this thing might not be easy."
Bai Zhi tossed the peach pit in her hand, trying to infuse it with the power of the horse talisman and abundance. Then she casually found a flower bed and was about to bury the peach pit there.
Whether it works or not, let's give it a try first.
But just then, there was a knock on the door, and a boy's voice came from behind.
"True Lord Baizhi, are you there?"
Hearing this voice, Bai Zhi was a little surprised. Wasn't that Nezha's voice? How could it be here?
After thinking for a moment, Bai Zhi replied, "Please come in."
Nezha followed the instructions and went in. As soon as he entered, he saw the pit that Bai Zhi had dug on the ground, and then saw the peach pit placed in it.
"Good afternoon, Third Prince."
Bai Zhi greeted them and prepared to cover the soil with earth.
Anyway, this isn't something that needs to be kept secret from people.
"Greetings, True Lord. You... want to plant peaches of immortality?"
Nezha peeked out and asked curiously.
RNP