Qi Yu, holding a steel comb, chased after Si Qing, "Don't worry, it won't hurt. Come on!"
"Don't come near me!" Si Qing turned and roared.
Qi Yu caught up and pinned him down.
Si Qing dared not struggle and was eventually subdued by Qi Yu and thoroughly dealt with.
By the time Qi Yu let him go, Si Qing was floating on the water like a salted fish, his whole body aching.
From being struck.
"Let's go, let's go, Si Qing, are you asleep? Hurry up and get up, we still have unfinished business." Qi Yu urged him, "We still need to handle the enfeoffment of Jin Yan and Yu Yuan together."
Thanks to the brilliant ideas of Yan Hua and Chen Xi, Qi Yu had now decided to promote Jin Yan and Yu Yuan to be the guardian generals of the Thirteenth Heaven.
Once these two were elevated to the Thirteenth Heaven, the minor tasks such as running errands in the Thirteenth Heaven could be delegated by them to subordinate deities.
This way, by issuing orders layer by layer, she would have more time to travel the beautiful mountains and rivers of the mortal realm.
"Eh..." Si Qing felt as if he had been skinned alive. He finally managed to climb out of the pool and used his magic to dry his clothes when he heard Chen Xi beside him tease,
"Qi Yu, do you want to know what happened when we were searching for your three souls and seven spirits? Si Qing was very protective of you back then."
"Cough, cough," Si Qing immediately gave Chen Xi frantic signals.
Chen Xi raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised, and closed his mouth, not understanding why Si Qing didn't want him to speak.
Becoming a demon, fighting against heaven for his sister, absorbing spiritual energy from heaven and earth, and nearly crippling the Blood Demon Fiend with a single palm – how cool was all that?
It was a pity Qi Yu hadn't seen it at the time.
"Hmm? Is that so? I'd like to see it," Qi Yu's curiosity was piqued by Chen Xi's words.
"Uh, that..." Chen Xi rubbed his nose and quickly changed the subject, "If you want to see it, no problem. I'll sort out my memories another day and make it into a water screen for you. You two should go and do your important business first."
Qi Yu nodded, not noticing Si Qing's change in expression.
Si Qing walked calmly beside Qi Yu, his gaze fixed forward. Seeing that Qi Yu didn't seem to be paying attention to the signals he had given Chen Xi, his heart finally settled.
It wasn't that he thought this matter shouldn't be told to Qi Yu, but rather that he didn't want to.
He didn't want Qi Yu to know how much he had done, or even that he had become a demon.
Because he worried that it would make Qi Yu think, "My brother sacrificed a lot for me, so I should indulge him more, or be more grateful to him."
That wouldn't be his original intention.
From beginning to end, he only felt pity for his sister and wanted to see her smile.
If his actions became a burden to his sister, then everything he had done would be meaningless.
Within the South Sea.
When Qi Yu and Si Qing arrived, Jin Yan and Yu Yuan were playing chess face to face.
One held white pieces, the other black, completely dominating each other.
They had turned the game into a dead end.
Qi Yu waved her hand to greet them, but the two were so engrossed in their game that, let alone someone greeting them, Jin Yan hadn't even placed his teacup steadily and nearly knocked it to the ground without noticing.
Fortunately, Qi Yu was quick-witted.
She hooked it back with a flick of her wrist.
Jin Yan was startled by Qi Yu's sudden appearance. Upon realizing it was Qi Yu, he breathed a sigh of relief, "Little Heavenly Dao, it's you. You startled me by appearing so suddenly. Why are you here instead of staying in the Thirteenth Heaven? Is the Thirteenth Heaven too boring, so you came to play in the mortal realm?"
"That's not it. We're here for work. We shouldn't have come down personally, but the Thirteenth Heaven has just been re-established, and besides the two of us, there isn't a single living soul. So we need to summon ten guardian generals and also re-elect a new Dragon King of the South Sea."
"Guardian generals of the Thirteenth Heaven, that title sounds familiar. I've often seen others chosen for this position in my long life. It's said to be a difficult role to fill." Yu Yuan, holding a round chess piece, said as he placed it in the correct position.
"So you've both heard of it? Are you two interested in these guardian general positions?" Qi Yu asked tentatively.
Jin Yan and Yu Yuan refused without hesitation.
"The job of a guardian general is not easy. There are many problems, many tasks, and it's troublesome," Jin Yan said with disdain. "Besides, this job is essentially running errands. Who would be interested in such a thing?"
"That's how you used to think. It's different now. I'm in charge of the Thirteenth Heaven now, and I've already changed the responsibilities of the guardian general position." Qi Yu said, racking her brain to persuade them. "The guardian generals of today are no longer the errand-running generals of the past. The top two guardian generals can now reside in the main divine hall and enjoy all the benefits of the Thirteenth Heaven, with treatment equivalent to that of the Heavenly Dao itself."
If Jin Yan and Yu Yuan had been more cautious, they would have realized that a position with treatment equivalent to the Heavenly Dao usually meant doing chores for the Heavenly Dao.
If they weren't doing chores, how could they receive treatment comparable to the Heavenly Dao?
Unfortunately, compared to Yan Hua, Jin Yan and Yu Yuan were somewhat less astute, so they completely missed the implied meaning of the statement. Both were captivated by the prospect of "treatment equivalent to the Heavenly Dao."
"Treatment equivalent to the Heavenly Dao, what does that mean? Does it mean the treatment is really similar to the Heavenly Dao?" Yu Yuan was somewhat tempted.
"It can't be said to be exactly the same, but it certainly won't be much different, right?" Qi Yu smiled slyly. "Except for lacking real power, but in terms of food, clothing, housing, transportation, and all the things you desire, as long as it doesn't involve harming the common people or the three realms, you can generally have it."
Si Qing joined the persuasion team, "For example, playing chess. Playing chess by yourself is boring. In the Thirteenth Heaven, you can openly order people from the Ninth Heaven to come and play chess with you."
Of course.
That's assuming you still have time then.
Jin Yan narrowed his eyes, looking at Si Qing and Qi Yu, "With such good conditions, do Yan Hua and Chen Xi know about this?"
After asking, Jin Yan continued on his own, "You siblings have always favored them. It goes without saying that they must have heard about it already. Then we definitely can't be the first two guardian generals. Since we can't be the first two, it's even less interesting. We won't do it."
"Exactly. If we're going to do it, we'll only be the first two guardian generals with exceptionally good treatment," Yu Yuan agreed.
Upon hearing this, Si Qing's heart leaped with joy, and he was about to agree when he heard Qi Yu deliberately hesitate, "Oh dear, I'll have to think about it carefully..."
Jin Yan, who always took pleasure in snatching things from Chen Xi, heard Qi Yu say she needed to think and immediately slammed the table, "Little Heavenly Dao, I don't care. I must be one of the top two guardian generals of the Thirteenth Heaven. If I'm not among the top two, then I won't do it. You must give this position to me, not to Yan Hua and Chen Xi."
"That's right," Yu Yuan nodded in agreement.
"Alright," Qi Yu feigned great reluctance and reluctantly produced two enfeoffment scrolls, handing them to the two of them. "Then I'll give these two spots for the top guardian generals to you. Remember to report on time."
Jin Yan and Yu Yuan wore expressions of having achieved a great victory.
Si Qing watched the entire process in a daze.
After they flew away on the clouds, he asked Qi Yu in a puzzled voice, "Master and Chen Xi never agreed to be guardian generals of the Thirteenth Heaven. Why did you lie to them?"
"Silly boy, you don't understand this," Qi Yu put an arm around Si Qing's shoulder. "As the saying goes, what comes easily is not valued. What is snatched from others is more precious. They are in this situation."