Chapter 144 - 143 Jin Jiao and Silver Horn’s Little Gift

Chapter 144: Chapter 143 Jin Jiao and Silver Horn’s Little Gift The process doesn’t warrant much description; suffice to say, it’s not just some random stir-frying with an electric wok. With the assistance of Jin Jiao and Yin Jiao, everything went surprisingly smoothly. The elixir recipe had already been simplified by Nuwa, so it was just a matter of keeping an eye on the flame and waiting for the pills to form. Nezha felt an instant camaraderie with Jin Jiao and Yin Jiao. The main reason? They could have fun together and truly enjoy themselves. The trio spent half the day playing yo-yos, and then Nezha pulled out a premium deluxe edition gaming console, crafted by none other than himself. Its exterior looked like a sleek silver box. The energy source? Immortal mana. As for the games, they were all primordial-themed mods of games from his past life. Projection technology and the like were trivial matters for Nezha. It must be said, the primordial world had its conveniences. As long as you could imagine it, most things could be handcrafted—let alone by someone as nearly omnipotent as Nezha. He made the console out of nostalgia, but after playing for a while, he abandoned it. It wasn’t because it wasn’t fun, but because games without top-tier companions just weren’t the same for him anymore. However, to Jin Jiao and Yin Jiao, this was revolutionary. The brothers didn’t lack friends, but the novelty of the console was overwhelming. While Nezha tended to the flame, he watched the two brothers squeeze their heads together, gaming enthusiastically, occasionally giving them a pointer or two. Their bond transformed from a small boat into a giant ship in no time—not because of ulterior motives, but because they simply had fun together. Sometimes, men’s friendships form this easily. Nezha couldn’t quite determine the exact level of the Furnace of Eight Trigrams as a treasure, but its utility was undeniable. Refining elixirs required minimal effort on his part. With time to spare, he couldn’t help but craft a little something nice for his two younger brothers. He rummaged through his stash and pulled out a bunch of rare metals, switched the furnace’s position on the Eight Diagrams, and began tinkering. The Six Ding Divine Fire wasn’t just good for alchemy—it was great for artifact refining too. Whenever Nezha had free time, he’d extort his rich father-in-law without restraint. The man was loaded and indulgent, so these minor shakedowns didn’t bother him. Nezha busied himself melting, assembling, and adjusting the metals, quickly drawing the attention of Jin Jiao and Yin Jiao. It’s no secret—men just love this kind of stuff. Jin Jiao squatted to the side, staring at Nezha. "Brother Nezha, is this your new toy?" Yin Jiao picked up a metal tube and inspected it repeatedly. "It’s all parts; doesn’t seem that fun." Nezha sneered, "You two just don’t get it, do you?" Then, he pulled out a silver crystal summoning device. "Armor transformation!" In an instant, the sound of metallic clanking echoed as a suit of mercury-like armor with a crystalline sheen materialized. Nezha struck a series of dashing poses, triggering screams of excitement from Jin Jiao and Yin Jiao. "Wow!" "This armor is stunning!" Nezha smiled contentedly, his vanity getting a major boost. He then retracted the armor and said, "Don’t worry, I’ll make one for each of you!" Jin Jiao and Yin Jiao were ecstatic. "We’ll help!" They enthusiastically fanned flames on the side, exhibiting more diligence than when they assisted the Lord in refining elixirs. After a while, the elixirs were ready. Nezha’s two armors were also completed; their quality was undoubtedly superior to Yin Shou’s set, primarily because of the precious materials used. The effects were also much stronger, as Nezha’s cultivation level had significantly advanced. Each of them held a warm summoning device, shouting excitedly, "Armor transformation!" Golden armor, accompanied by a dragon’s roar, appeared in the Doushuai Temple. Jin Jiao’s armor was mighty and imposing, featuring a shield over his chest and an inexplicable air of dominance, complete with a pair of golden horns on his head. Yin Jiao’s armor was comparatively lean and agile. Though predominantly golden in color, its shoulder plates shimmered in silver, with three silver horns adorning his head. The two first admired their own armor and then circled around to inspect each other, overjoyed. Finally, they mimicked Nezha’s poses, standing side-by-side and saying, "Golden Horned King!" "Silver Horned King!" "Brothers united, invincible under the heavens! Hahaha!" Nezha stifled laughter, thinking to himself that these two brothers seriously needed to work on their vocabulary. He suddenly had a bizarre thought—if there really was going to be a Journey to the West, and Brother Monkey fought two armored warriors wielding Jingu Bang, what a sight that would be. The trio played for a while longer. By then, Nezha had spent quite some time in the Doushuai Temple and decided to collect his elixirs and leave. Jin Jiao and Yin Jiao, though reluctant, knew Nezha couldn’t stay with them indefinitely. After exchanging meaningful glances, they ran off and came back with a red gourd, offering it to Nezha. Nezha glanced at it and immediately recognized it—it was *the* famous red gourd from Journey to the West, the one where you’d better think twice before answering when it calls your name. The gourd’s aura was somewhat similar to the one Nuwa gave him to store the Evil Summoning Banner. Presumably, it was a seed of the Innate Gourd from Saint Taiqing. Nezha quickly waved it off. "Is this something I can even take?" Jin Jiao patted his chest confidently. "Don’t hesitate. It’s just the Lord’s elixir-storing gourd. There are plenty more where this came from!" Unable to refuse, Nezha used the gourd to store nine Golden Cores refined with Houtu’s essence blood. He ate one on the spot, letting it gradually digest in his system. Then, Jin Jiao and Yin Jiao pulled out a small cloth bag they’d dug out from under a table and gifted it to Nezha. Though he initially wanted to refuse, their insistent puppy-dog eyes and "Aren’t we good brothers?" attitude left him no choice but to accept. As Nezha departed the Doushuai Temple, the two brothers poked their little heads out, waving fervently. "Brother Nezha, come visit us again when you have time!" Nezha waved back, shouting, "I’ll bring you new toys next time!" On his journey back to the Thunder Mansion, Nezha opened the small cloth bag to take a peek. Inside, there were three items: a miniature axe, a fine needle, and a vibrant green plantain leaf. Alongside the red gourd, which even contained extra elixirs they’d snuck in for him, Nezha was puzzled. "Wow, just how rich are these two little brothers?" Stashing the bag, Nezha returned to the Thunder Mansion, where Long Ji had been waiting for quite some time, comforting Yang Chan. Long Ji hadn’t met this aunt of hers many times, but her kindhearted nature showed she genuinely cared. She had even pestered her mother endlessly to intervene. Contrary to what some old TV dramas might depict, Queen Mother Yaochi was not opposed to freeing Fairy Yaoji. In reality, this wasn’t even her fault. Queen Mother had actually treated her mysteriously emerged sister-in-law quite well. Fairy Yaoji’s real name was Zhang Yunhua; both Yunhua and Yunhua Fairy referred to her. After ascending to the heavens, Queen Mother gave her the title "Yaoji." The care Queen Mother showed was evident in this title. Among the many fairies of Turquoise Pool, how many had titles bearing the character "Yao"? This title alone declared to everyone that Fairy Yaoji was under Queen Mother’s protection. As Hao Tian’s junior sister, Queen Mother’s cultivation wasn’t below Hao Tian’s. Unfortunately, confronted with the Chan Sect and Western Sect, each backed by a Saint, the Quasi-Saint Queen Mother, who had slayed two corpses, ultimately failed to protect her sister-in-law. Now, Queen Mother didn’t want to intervene. After all, if Hao Tian didn’t care about his own sister, why should she meddle? Upon learning their positions, Nezha had some ideas of his own. As someone currently benefiting from the rules, he had to support the current order. On the surface, at least, he couldn’t be seen breaking the rules. So, the original story of Yang Jian cleaving the mountain to rescue his mother—Nezha couldn’t do it, nor could he let Yang Jian do it. Otherwise, his aunt-in-law would certainly face dire consequences. Breaking the rules now would mean directly opposing Hao Tian, the ruler of the Heavenly Court. Right now, the Sealing God Tribulation was in full swing. But who truly was the protagonist of this world? The Chan Sect? The Jie Sect?