William Carter smiled and said, “The way you put it is like playing the lute half-hidden behind a screen, or admiring flowers through the mist—everything seems more beautiful than it is. People think they’re working for the Emperor, so of course they’ll come when called. But if they arrive and find out they’re working with me, I’m afraid there’ll be trouble, and how could we work together with one heart? I’m used to being alone anyway, and I haven’t lost an arm or a leg, so let’s leave it at that. Thank you for your trouble, I’ll be on my way now.”

Edward had no other choice. She cupped her hands and said, “Very well. I wish Your Highness a smooth journey. Heaven bless you.”

William Carter replied, “Nothing is taboo!” He waved his hand and left with a flourish.

Three days later, in the mortal realm, in the north.

By the roadside stood a small teahouse. The shop wasn’t big, the staff was simple, but the scenery was excellent. There were mountains and water, people and a city. Everything was there, but not too much; not too much, just right. To be in such a scene—if you happened to meet someone here, it would surely become a wonderful memory. The teahouse master was extremely idle; when there were no customers, he would move a stool to the door, sit and watch the mountains and water, the people and the city, grinning with delight. One day, he saw a white-robed Daoist walking from afar, covered in dust as if he’d been traveling for a long time. As the man drew near and passed by the shop, he suddenly stopped, slowly backed up, adjusted his bamboo hat, looked up at the wine sign, and smiled, “ ‘Chance Encounter Teahouse’—what an interesting name.”

Though this man looked a bit weary, his expression was cheerful, making others’ lips involuntarily curl up as well. He asked, “Excuse me, is Yu Jun Mountain nearby?”

The teahouse master pointed him in the right direction and said, “It’s in this area.”

The man let out a breath, almost as if his soul escaped with it, and thought, “I’ve finally arrived.”

It was William Carter.

The day he left the Celestial Capital, he had originally set his descent point to land near Yu Jun Mountain. Who would have thought that as he left with such flair and leapt down, his sleeve got caught on a passing cloud—yes, caught on a cloud. He had no idea how it happened, but after tumbling from the sky, he had no idea where he’d landed. After walking for three days, he finally arrived at his intended destination, and for a moment, he was filled with emotion.

Entering the shop, William Carter chose a table by the window, ordered tea and snacks, and had just settled in when he suddenly heard the sound of crying, drums, and gongs coming from outside.

He looked out onto the street and saw a group of men, women, old and young, crowding around a bright red bridal sedan chair as they walked down the road.

This procession exuded an unmistakable air of strangeness. At first glance, it looked like a wedding party, but on closer inspection, the expressions on their faces were serious, sorrowful, angry, or fearful—anything but joyful. No matter how you looked at it, it didn’t seem like a happy occasion, yet they were all dressed in red, wearing flowers, and playing music. The scene was truly bizarre. The teahouse master, holding a copper kettle high, also noticed this, but only shook his head and went back inside.

William Carter watched the strange procession disappear into the distance, pondered for a moment, and was about to take out the scroll Edward had given him for another look when something dazzling flashed by.

He looked up to see a silver butterfly flutter past his eyes.

The silver butterfly was crystal clear, leaving a trail of brilliance as it flew. William Carter couldn’t help but reach out his hand. The butterfly was quite intelligent; instead of being startled, it landed on his fingertip, its wings shimmering—so beautiful, so mysterious. In the sunlight, it looked like a dream bubble that would shatter at a touch. After a moment, it flew away.

William Carter waved goodbye to it, and when he turned back, there were suddenly two more people sitting at his table.

The table was square, and the two sat on either side, each occupying a spot. Both were young men of about eighteen or nineteen. The one on the left was taller, with striking, deep-set features and a rebellious glint in his eyes. The one on the right was extremely pale, delicate and refined, but his expression was a bit too cold and indifferent, as if he was in a bad mood. In fact, neither of them looked very happy.

William Carter blinked and said, “And you two are?”

The one on the left said, “George.”

The one on the right said, “Emma.”

William Carter thought, “I wasn’t asking for your names…”

At that moment, Edward suddenly sent a voice transmission. She said, “Your Highness, there are two young martial officers from the Middle Heavenly Court willing to assist you. They’ve already gone down to find you, and they should have arrived by now.”

The so-called Middle Heavenly Court, naturally, was in contrast to the Upper Heavenly Court. The gods of the heavens could be roughly divided into two categories: those who had ascended on their own, and those who had not. The Upper Heavenly Court was made up entirely of self-ascended gods—there were only about a hundred in all the heavens, extremely rare and precious. The Middle Heavenly Court, on the other hand, was made up of those who had been “appointed,” strictly speaking, their full title should be “Associate Divine Officials,” but people usually dropped the “Associate” when speaking.

So, if there’s an Upper Heavenly Court and a Middle Heavenly Court, is there a Lower Heavenly Court?

No, there isn’t.