In the nine heavens above, the always dignified fate's scribe, Shun Tao, finally couldn't take it anymore and threw the scroll of fate in front of him across the room. "Damn this!"
He really couldn't believe it. How come everything was going wrong? How difficult could it be to let one person experience one major trial? In the end, he could only sigh. It really seemed as if it was especially difficult as long as the person in question was the son of heaven.
"So, does heaven favor you and doesn't want you to suffer down there or does heaven have some sort of vengeance against you and doesn't want to let you pass the trials so that you'll die in the end?"
He shook his head, stood up and went to pick up the scroll. He dusted it off and put it back into his sleeve. It seemed he had to go to the Heavenly Emperor once again to report. Ah, it wasn't even the next day yet. It had only been a few hours!
Shun Tao contemplated if he should just wait but finally reconsidered. No, he couldn't just sit here. He had to go now. After all, the situation was getting worse. The Heavenly Emperor had to be informed. Mn, maybe he should try to get the Heavenly Empress to be there. With her around his head might be safe.
In the end, that notion was wishful thinking. When Shun Tao arrived at the high hall and was announced, there were only the Heavenly Emperor and the god of war, Qiang Yan, present.
Shun Tao stepped inside and knelt down. "Fate's scribe Shun Tao greets His Majesty Tianjun."
The Heavenly Emperor frowned. "Why have you come again? It can't be that there's something else to report already, can it?"
Shun Tao repressed a sigh. How couldn't it be? Everything had been going wrong from the moment His Highness left the nine heavens. "This one indeed came to report, Your Majesty."
The Heavenly Emperor leaned back on his throne and put a hand to his forehead. "What happened now?" His voice was laced with resignation.
Shun Tao took a deep breath. "It isn't looking good, Your Majesty. After His Highness rejected Longjun, the two of them somehow reconciled."
"So it's that dandy again. Tell me, what has he done now?"
"He tried to show His Highness how to cultivate. It yielded only marginal results, though. His Highness managed to sense spiritual energy but couldn't take it in and was thus unable to truly start cultivating."
"That's worrying, though", injected Qiang Yan. "If he was able to do this much, then the rest will happen sooner or later."
Shun Tao nodded. "I thought so, too. Thankfully, His Highness and Longjun separated because of the circumstances and His Highness was left alone for a week. I thought …" He gulped and took a peek at the Heavenly Emperor's face. He didn't look as angry as he had seen him before. Maybe he would get through this without problems. "I thought it would be a good opportunity and …" He cleared his throat and lowered his head a little further. "This one unauthorizedly decided to end His Highness' trial."
"What?!" The Heavenly Emperor jumped to his feet but luckily Qiang Yan was there.
"Ah, Your Majesty, please calm your anger. I'm sure there is a good reason for this." He lifted his palms in a pacifying gesture and then turned toward Shun Tao. "Ending his trial ahead of time could have grave consequences. You surely know of that. Why did you still …"
Shun Tao nodded. "I know. It's just … even though the Heavenly Empress told him how important this trial is for His Highness, Longjun is still interfering. I'm afraid he won't stop with that. It might not even be because he wants to disturb the trial. Most likely he just doesn't understand in what dire straits His Highness would be if his mortal reincarnation succeeded with his attempts at cultivation. So I reckoned that His Highness wouldn't be able to pass his trial peacefully as long as Longjun is around."
"I agree with that." Qiang Yan looked up at his brother-in-law and slightly raised his brows.
The Heavenly Emperor breathed deeply and finally sat down again. "That's indeed true. So you thought to end Jing He's trial in the time Longjun wasn't there. Why didn't you just make him pass a trial?"
Shun Tao smiled wryly. "Your Majesty, a major trial needs preparation. How could a love trial happen while he isn't even in love? And how should he be betrayed when he doesn't trust anybody besides his mortal mother and Longjun enough to feel the betrayal? And there was no decision to be made. I only had the choice to attempt a death trial."
The Heavenly Emperor closed his eyes. "Dying young. Indeed. It's only been a little more than two weeks since he left. He isn't even considered an adult down there yet."
Shun Tao nodded. "Indeed. But I had planned some other things as well. I wanted him to pass the major trials of dying young and dying with regrets, as well as the medium trial of being unable to attain a lifelong dream and the minor trial of succumbing to emotions. All of that could have been achieved with just his death. He would have fulfilled heaven's requirements like that and his trial period could have ended without problems. Unfortunately …" Shun Tao sighed. "In the last moment, His Highness managed to save himself. Not only that but in this moment of great need, he was actually able to understand what Longjun taught him. He isn't fully aware of how he did it yet but I'm afraid His Highness has already stepped onto the path of cultivation. It's only a question of time when he'll become an immortal."
The Heavenly Emperor closed his eyes and silently clenched his fists. My son, my precious son … This can't be happening to you. It just can't. He took a trembling breath and looked at the two men who stood below his throne.
"Then … How about sending someone down to kill him?"
Shun Tao shook his head. "Killing him in that situation would have worked. But now … I'm afraid the consequences would be dire."
Qiang Yan nodded, too. "It could work if the person to do it would be Longjun but … If you will excuse me, that's even more unlikely than you descending and killing him yourself, Your Majesty."
The Heavenly Emperor could only sigh. Indeed. He wouldn't have the heart to kill his own child. And as much as he hated that dandy, he couldn't deny that that bastard loved Jing He wholeheartedly. Even if you put a weapon into his hand and placed the tip against Jing He's chest, he still wouldn't be able to take that last step forward.
"Then there is nothing that can be done?"
Shun Tao shook his head. "Nothing besides observing further and waiting for another opportunity. But with His Highness starting to cultivate it'll get harder. A cultivator is hard to kill and the trials he can pass are getting fewer. He has already partly attained his lifelong wish and it'll only be a few more days until he should be able to lay his regrets to rest."
"What about Leng Jin Yu?", asked Qiang Yan. "He is supposed to help you. Didn't he have any ideas?"
"He did. In fact, he is down in the mortal world right now and laying the groundwork for possible future trials. Actually, without him, His Highness might have been able to become a true cultivator much earlier. He has worked hard."
"That's good to hear."
The two of them grew quiet and looked up at the Heavenly Emperor. Rong Su was still sitting there with his eyes closed. He didn't want to be too harsh to his son but what could he do? Jing He needed to pass these trials.
"Fate's scribe", he started to issue his command in a hoarse voice. "We don't care how you do it but you should find the fastest way to end his trial. If you have to be cruel … then do so. It wouldn't hurt Jing He if he experienced how vicious fate can be. After all, he'll return home soon."
"This one obeys the command." Shun Tao bowed once again and then left the high hall. He wasn't sure on how to be cruel and fast, though. Mn, he'd have to take a look at the scroll of fate again. Maybe there was a hint on how to proceed.