novelapdf Chapter 142 Returning Home in Glory, A Childhood Dream
Chapter 142 Returning Home in Glory, A Childhood Dream
Jiang Hao listened quietly, feeling somewhat emotional. No one's cultivation journey is ever smooth sailing; crises are inevitable.
In the world of cultivation, progress requires struggle, and struggle inevitably leads to injuries and deaths. This is a normal phenomenon, and it is impossible to avoid such things in any world or under any circumstances.
"I see." Jiang Hao nodded slightly. "The Great Dao is ruthless, and life and death are predestined. If Zhou Ming could know this from beyond the grave, he would be gratified that you two have been able to uphold your principles and come this far."
"However, now that you have joined the Hall of Law Enforcement, you are people of the Heavenly Court. Do not dwell on past opportunities. Remember what I say today and protect the order of this world. That is the best way to comfort and repay everything."
"Yes!" Zhao Meng and Li Rui kowtowed again, their inner turmoil gone, leaving only clarity and determination.
"To repay your kindness on the golden platform, I would gladly die for you, like a jade dragon." This was the sentiment in their hearts at that moment.
Jiang Hao said no more, nodded slightly to Lin Mo and the others, and then his figure faded away like a phantom, as if he had never appeared.
But the ripples he left behind lingered long afterward in the Hall of Law Enforcement.
Lin Mo stepped forward, gave Zhao Meng and Li Rui a deep look, and patted Zhao Meng on the shoulder:
"Good lad, you have such a fortunate destiny. The Heavenly Emperor is benevolent and his blessings extend to all living beings. You two should work even harder and live up to the Heavenly Emperor's expectations, and also not let down your brother."
"Understood!" Zhao Meng and Li Rui straightened their bodies.
Now that they have confirmed that it was the Heavenly Emperor who gave them this opportunity, they will naturally work even harder to live up to the Heavenly Emperor's expectations.
The other new recruits around them looked at the two with an indescribable envy.
Who would have thought that these two seemingly ordinary colleagues would have such a connection with the Heavenly Emperor?
Although it was just a chance given casually by the Heavenly Emperor, the fact that the Heavenly Emperor remembered it and even took the initiative to ask about it was already an incredible stroke of luck.
……
Ten days later, a celestial patrol starship slowly sailed out of the teleportation array.
The ship's hull is silver-white, with the sword and shield emblem of the Hall of Law Enforcement branded on its side.
Inside the cabin, Zhao Meng and Li Rui had changed out of their silver robes and were wearing more casual clothes, but the apprentice token was still hanging from their waists.
The two gazed at the approaching azure stars through the porthole, their expressions complex.
Douming, their hometown.
However, they had been away from their hometown for a long time, leaving with dreams and anxieties.
Want to stand out from the crowd.
Now he has returned as the Great Sage, bearing the Heavenly Court's silver decree, and has achieved his dream.
"If Zhou Ming were here..." Li Rui began softly, then stopped.
Zhao Meng patted him on the shoulder, his tiger eyes slightly red.
As the starship approached the atmosphere of the Beacon Star, both of them were taken aback.
Outside the Big Dipper, countless starships and flying pavilions floated in the void, arranged in neat rows.
At the very front, a magnificent carriage carved from a single piece of star jade floats in the air, pulled by nine purebred star-patterned celestial horses.
Beside the chariot, tens of thousands of soldiers of the Fighting Star Army, clad in bright armor, stood in square formations.
Further away, there were various ceremonial guards and banners, as well as many richly dressed and distinguished cultivators standing in mid-air.
The carriage door opened, and an old man dressed in the crown and robes of a star lord, with an aura as deep as the sea, stepped out with a smile. He was none other than the star lord who was in charge of the Battle Star, the quasi-emperor Mingyuan.
"Welcome back to your hometown, Enforcer Zhao and Enforcer Li!" The Star Lord's gentle voice echoed throughout the starry sky.
Immediately, ten thousand people shouted in unison, "Welcome back in triumph for the law enforcement!"
The sound was deafening.
Zhao Meng and Li Rui took a deep breath, straightened their clothes, flew out of the starship, and returned the greeting: "Zhao Meng (Li Rui) greets the Star Lord. We are unworthy of such a grand greeting from the Star Lord!"
The Star Lord also belongs to the Heavenly Court, so the group can be considered colleagues.
Emperor Mingyuan stepped forward to offer a gesture of support, and said with a smile, "You two need not be so modest. Entering the Heavenly Court's Enforcement Hall is a great honor for my Douming Star Domain. I have prepared a small gift, firstly to celebrate, and secondly to let the disciples of the Douming Star Domain know that Heaven rewards diligence, and those who are devoted to the Heavenly Court will surely have a bright future!"
In his words, he had already elevated the two men's deeds to a level that inspired the entire star field.
Next came the elaborate and grand welcoming ceremony.
Emperor Mingyuan personally introduced the sect leaders and family heads of various sects who came to greet them.
Everyone's face was beaming with enthusiastic, even ingratiating, smiles.
"Enforcer Zhao, I am the Sect Master of the Lingyun Sword Sect, and we have a history with your ancestors!"
"Fellow Daoist Li, there is a junior in my clan who has long yearned for the Hall of Law Enforcement. Could you perhaps offer some guidance?"
"These two young talents are truly the pride of my team!"
These people, who once held themselves high above celebrities, now humbly bow before these two.
This is the prestige of joining the Heavenly Court.
After a long period of socializing, Zhao Meng and his companion were finally able to leave and return to their respective families.
This left the two deeply moved. Entering the Heavenly Court's Enforcement Hall and returning home in glory, they were personally received with high honors by the Star Lord. The goals they had dreamed of as children had now been achieved.
This gave the two of them a feeling of being in a dream.
This feeling is wonderful.
However, Zhao Meng's beloved senior sister did not end up with him; instead, she married someone else, a newcomer who appeared out of nowhere. Neither he nor his senior brother got to be with her.
But Zhao Meng wasn't heartbroken, because he later realized that it was just a youthful infatuation, not true love.
As he grew older, he felt that cultivating himself to become stronger and joining the Heavenly Court was his most important goal and what he should pursue.
The city where Zhao Meng and his family lived was called Jianghai City, and the news of their selection into the Law Enforcement Hall had already caused a stir.
The whole city was decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers, and congratulatory couplets were hung high on the city gates.
The Zhao family ancestral home was packed with people.
However, when Zhao Meng stepped into the house and saw the group of excited yet unfamiliar faces that greeted him, an indescribable sense of vicissitude welled up in his heart.
His parents passed away eight hundred years ago.
The current head of the family is his junior, a middle-aged cultivator at the second level of the Sendai realm. He looks somewhat similar to him, but is respectful to the point of being apprehensive.
Inside the ancestral hall, incense smoke curled around.
He took out two jugs of sacred wine, one to offer to his parents, and the other...
"Li Rui is here." A voice came from the doorway.
Li Rui entered the ancestral hall, carrying a pot of wine in his hand. The two looked at each other in silence, then walked side by side to an inconspicuous corner of the hall.
There were no memorial tablets there, only a blank jade disc.
Zhao Meng slowly poured the wine onto the jade wall: "Zhou Ming, Li Rui and I... are back."
Li Rui poured wine onto the ground and said softly, "This is the Bi Chao Brew that you love to drink. It was brought from the South China Sea Star Region. You always say that when we become successful, we should drink it to our hearts' content."
"Li Rui and I met that person, we met the Heavenly Emperor. Our guess was right, it really was the Heavenly Emperor who gave us this opportunity, and the Heavenly Emperor still remembers the three of us."
Li Rui said softly, "The Heavenly Emperor said that if you knew, you would be pleased. We will continue on this path together, including yours."
After the ceremony, Zhao Meng solemnly addressed the numerous young admirers who had gathered around him.
"We cultivators must have dreams, and never lose our most sincere dreams. Just walk the righteous path and don't worry about the future. Perhaps, right before your eyes, starlight will already be guiding you."
These words are less an encouragement to future generations and more their understanding of this cause and effect that spans more than two thousand years.
Deep within the Thirty-Three Heavens lies the Lingxiao Palace.
Jiang Hao leaned against the railing, toying with a smooth, warm chess piece in his hand.
His gaze seemed to pierce through the endless void, seeing the scenes on the Dipper Star.
"Old dreams of the tea stall, a new look for sharpening the blade, the strings of cause and effect, when plucked, will resonate." Jiang Hao murmured to himself, placing the chess piece on the board, making a crisp tinkling sound.
A few seeds scattered at random sprouted quietly, braving wind and rain, breaking through the soil and reaching the sky, and began to give back to the land and sunlight that nourished them.
This, perhaps, is the most moving inheritance of order and hope in this cold world.