Chapter 1153: Just a Gatekeeper
In front of the Main Palace Gate of the Celestial Pill Department, there were more than a dozen gatekeeping Venerables.
The leader was a Celestial Venerable.
They were actually also Pill Masters.
It’s just that what the Celestial Pill Department has the least shortage of are alchemists, so those whose level is a bit lower still have to do some odd jobs on the side.
Usually this bunch of gatekeepers looks at other passing Immortal Officials with their chins.
But this time when Jiang Cheng came over with the other three girls, that leading Celestial Venerable inside shot up like his butt was on fire.
Then he rolled and crawled his way outside.
"Jiang, Sect Leader Jiang!"
He was so excited his hands and feet were flailing, practically wishing he could give Brother Cheng a bear hug on the spot.
"My god, it’s really you?"
"You’re actually still..."
This was one of Pill Master Liuyuan’s disciples back then, named Han Qi, who had also come up all the way from the Lower Realm Ten Thousand Realms.
His master Liuyuan had once closely followed Brother Cheng for a while in the Middle Immortal Realm, and had naturally seen him many times.
It was just that back then, he had no chance to speak.
He could only silently look up from the side at Sect Leader Jiang, who dazzled in the crowd.
He watched him go to the Upper Immortal Realm and still slaughter on all sides, still crush everything, until he toppled the Three Great Realms of Yin, Yang, and Fire and then suddenly disappeared without a trace...
The seed of worship had long since grown into a towering tree.
Now, seeing that familiar face again after so many years, it was obvious how excited he’d be.
"Hahaha, you’re that who-who-who again?"
Brother Cheng recognized that he was Liuyuan’s disciple, but didn’t know his name.
Before coming, he really wasn’t sure if there were any acquaintances in the Celestial Pill Department.
Now at least he’d redeemed a bit of his pretentious aura.
He even couldn’t help raising his brows toward Yan Yi, Yue Zhi, and the others behind him.
The meaning being, you see that, right? I really do have a wide network; I’ve got acquaintances everywhere!
"Sect Leader Jiang, I’m Han Qi, back then you couldn’t possibly have noticed me, hahaha..."
Celestial Venerable Han Qi didn’t mind at all; with Sect Leader Jiang’s identity, if he remembered his name, that would’ve been the real oddity.
Just recognizing him at first sight was already enough to make him feel flattered beyond measure.
Sect Leader Jiang patted his shoulder in high satisfaction.
"Not bad, not bad!"
Yue Zhi and Bai Yan in the back were already showing expressions of both shock and wild joy.
"Great!"
The two were overjoyed, extremely excited.
"So Brother Jiang really does have acquaintances in the Celestial Pill Department."
"Now Sister Yue Yao is saved!"
Yan Yi behind them really couldn’t hold it in anymore.
"He’s just a gatekeeper, what’s there to be so pleased about?"
"With his status, he still can’t save her."
With that, Brother Cheng really had no way to refute.
Thinking about it, in either a Sect or a family, gatekeepers can only be considered the bottom rung, with no real say.
This connection wasn’t of much use.
However, the few Venerables behind Celestial Venerable Han Qi couldn’t help but jump out.
"How bold!"
"How dare you be disrespectful to Celestial Venerable Han Qi?"
"You Wolf Girl, you really think he’s just a gatekeeper?"
"Celestial Venerable Han Qi is a dignified Sixth-grade Emperor Alchemist!"
"What?"
Not just Yue Zhi and Bai Yan; even Yan Yi was greatly shocked.
"He’s actually a Sixth-grade Emperor Alchemist?"
Think of Celestial Venerable Hongqing of King Jia’s Daoist Field: as a Fifth-Grade Emperor Alchemist, he was already respected throughout the entire Daoist Field, with even Ji Cang and Venerable Xi Wu treating him politely.
You could imagine how hard it was to be a Sixth-grade Emperor Alchemist in the Primordial Immortal Realm, and how exalted that status was.
The Pills Brother Cheng had previously gotten from the Daoist Venerable were mostly Sixth-grade Emperor Pills at best.
"You people in the Celestial Pill Department are really this packed with talent?"
Yan Yi couldn’t quite wrap her head around it.
"A Sixth-grade Emperor Alchemist is actually just used to watch the gate?"
"Watch the gate, my ass."
A Venerable behind him said solemnly, "Celestial Venerable Han Qi is a dignified Fifth-Grade Immortal Official, he’s not in the same class as us!"
In the Celestial Pill Department, Immortal Officials are usually ranked only by alchemy level, not combat strength.
Another Venerable said, "It’s just that he made a mistake in alchemy last time, accidentally blew up a precious Sixth-grade Pill Furnace and an entire Pill Array, so he was punished with guarding the gate outside for three years."
"For you to run into the old man here is your blessing!"
"After a while, the old man won’t be staying out here anymore."
His words left Yue Zhi and Bai Yan almost speechless with choked-up emotion, and also left Sect Leader Jiang with nothing to complain about.
Celestial Venerable Han Qi blew up a furnace and a Pill Array and was only punished with guarding the gate for three years.
For an Immortal, that punishment was about the same as being fined three cups of wine, right?
Yet Yue Zhi’s elder sister Yue Yao merely made a small mistake channeling Immortal Power during alchemy, causing a single furnace of Pills to fail, and was punished with being suppressed for one hundred million years.
Comparing the two, the difference in treatment was enough to make anyone who heard it grieve and anyone who saw it weep.
"What nonsense are you spouting, what ’blessing’?"
Celestial Venerable Han Qi didn’t dare show the slightest bit of pride; he even kicked those two Venerables hard.
Then he bowed and scraped toward Brother Cheng.
"Being able to see Sect Leader Jiang is my blessing!"
"No wonder I’ve been feeling these last few days that the Purple Rainbow Star was stirring, that some good fortune was approaching; turns out it was your honored self about to arrive."
"This is just wonderful..."
He was so happy he was literally waving his hands and feet, his mouth grinning up to his ears.
Yan Yi beside Brother Cheng was already staring blankly.
This guy was a dignified Sixth-grade Emperor Alchemist; could you please show a bit of a master’s demeanor?
How did you turn into some sycophant in front of this guy?
Is it really that serious?
The gatekeeping Venerables of the Celestial Pill Department behind them also secretly frowned.
Usually Immortal Officials from other departments were the ones who needed favors from the Celestial Pill Department; even when a Supreme arrived, they would often speak politely and try to curry favor.
That had long since bred their habit of looking down their noses at others.
They were a bit unimpressed by Jiang Cheng.
"Master, who is this, anyway? He looks like just an Emperor Realm Ninth Layer, and doesn’t seem like an Emperor Pill Master."
"Yeah, is he really worth you valuing so much, Master?"
"I don’t think he’s even worthy of being treated as your equal, Master."
Slap! Slap! Slap!
As soon as their words fell, three resounding slaps landed like lightning.
The three Venerables who had just shown disdain for Brother Cheng were slapped silly, seeing stars.
Yet they didn’t even dare stomp their feet; instead, they immediately dropped to their knees and kowtowed with a thump-thump.
"Master, forgive us..."
"Master, calm your anger!"
Celestial Venerable Han Qi’s right hand, which he had just withdrawn, might be fawning like a bootlicker in front of Brother Cheng, but in front of this crowd, he was unrivaled in authority.
The Sixth-grade Emperor Alchemist’s face was full of fury.
"What the hell are you to dare look down on Sect Leader Jiang?"
"Saying he’s not worthy of being treated as my equal?"
Even though Brother Cheng was currently only in the Venerable Realm, back then Han Qi had seen Sect Leader Jiang leap five or six Realms to kill enemies more than once.
In his heart, when Brother Cheng shows up, even the Celestial Emperor has to step aside.
Now that this thick thigh finally appeared again, how could he not cling on for dear life?
"Let me tell you the truth: the one who’s unworthy is me!"
"Being able to serve as his subordinate back then was the greatest honor of my life. You lot really are full of hot air, infuriating this seat..."