"""
Nezha returned to his residence and immediately went into seclusion, instructing Daji that unless Yin Shou was dead, no one should be granted an audience. Then, he activated his array formation.
In his heart, he silently murmured, "Teacher, teacher, I've found another big treasure!"
Nuwa, who had been watching the live stream all along, glanced around her slightly messy palace. Thinking to herself, "If Nezha comes, wouldn't my image be ruined?"
With a wave of her hand, Nezha suddenly appeared at Lishan Old Mother's place.
Nezha, dazed and disoriented, quickly saw Old Mother in front of him. He hurriedly performed a formal greeting and presented the Chaos Bell Fragment.
Old Mother, slightly disdainful, cast a glance at Nuwa Palace, then casually studied the fragment for a while and sighed, "Nezha, your fortune is remarkable. This fragment still retains traces of spatial Dao Qi—take your time understanding it later. But first, let's head to the Fire Cloud Cave for a visit."
Then, she concealed the traces of destiny and secretly took Nezha to the Fire Cloud Cave. A doting brother, Fu Xi, was delighted to see his sister again and, upon hearing her request for help with calculating the Chaos Bell, immediately began setting up an array.
Nezha paid his respects to his granduncle and attempted to return the Xuanyuan Sword. Fu Xi cheerfully responded, "Just keep it for now; there's no rush to return it—the task isn't complete yet, is it?"
Enveloped by the River Map and Luo Book, Fu Xi was surrounded by profound runic lights, spinning rapidly using the fragment as a pivot, until everything settled into tranquility.
Fu Xi opened his eyes and shook his head—not that he couldn't solve it, but rather, the Chaos Bell was currently far in Chaos and moving at high speed. It was simply impossible to obtain it now.
Old Mother and Nezha weren't discouraged. As long as there was a clue, they knew they'd eventually get their hands on it.
Returning the fragment to Nezha, Old Mother waved her hand and sent him away.
And as for herself?
Now that she was here, having been interrupted during her last visit, she thought, "Might as well stay a while longer and chat."
Fu Xi watched Nezha leave and remarked with emotion, "Not only is Nezha pure-hearted and filial, he also possesses extraordinarily deep blessings."
Old Mother chuckled and said, "That rascal is quite the sly one. Let me tell you—during his time in Chaoge, he developed an entire cultivation system and has been driving Yin Shou in circles."
"That kid uses grass scraps and boiled eggs infused with Five Elements Spiritual Power, swindling Yin Shou by calling it a spiritual elixir in exchange for spiritual materials."
"Earlier, he even traded two worthless items—not even real spiritual treasures—for a fragment of the Chaos Bell, and Yin Shou actually thanked him for it!"
Fu Xi couldn't help but find it amusing.
The two chatted cheerfully, and Old Mother, in a great mood, promised to return in a while to calculate the Chaos Bell again, which Fu Xi happily agreed to.
After Old Mother left, Fu Xi leisurely wandered over to visit the Yellow Emperor's residence, and the two engaged in casual conversation.
Fu Xi offhandedly said, "Have you heard? This generation's Human King doesn't seem all that bright."
Yellow Emperor curiously asked, "Oh? What's the story?"
Fu Xi, smiling, replied, "Nezha—you know, right? He went to Chaoge, and then… Nezha traded two worthless scraps for an innate spiritual treasure."
After sharing this, Fu Xi happily strolled off.
Lei Mother returned and, seeing the Yellow Emperor's amused expression, asked in confusion, "What's making you so happy?"
The Yellow Emperor chuckled and pulled Lei Mother over, saying, "This generation's Human Emperor—seems a bit dim…"
...
Meanwhile, far away on the East Sea Three Immortal Islands, Qingluan, dressed in a blue gown, animatedly narrated stories about Yin Shou to the surrounding female immortals.
Nearby, a youthful and innocent-looking loli burst into uncontrollable laughter, exclaiming, "Auntie, this Li Nezha is so bad!"
Beside her, Bixiao, draped in a green gown, retorted, "Little Qingluan, how is Nezha bad? It's obvious that Yin Shou is just too dumb—he mistook wild grass for elixir pills."
The only burly man present kept grinning sheepishly, nodding in agreement—whatever his little sister said was undoubtedly correct.
Sitting at the head, a stunningly beautiful female immortal in white, elegant and graceful even in the smallest movements, sipped some immortal brew and smiled softly, saying, "This transaction was mutual. Yin Shou improved his cultivation, and Nezha gained resources. How can this be called deception?"
Zhao Gongming nodded again. His eldest sister was absolutely right!
...
After the banquet ended, Qingluan returned to Nuwa Palace. Zhao Gongming, as the Outer Sect's eldest disciple, was both loyal and highly cultivated—his popularity was unparalleled. Banquets followed one after another without pause.
Amid his drinking, Zhao Gongming began recounting tales of Yin Shou to the surrounding Jie Sect disciples: "Speaking of this Human King Yin Shou, can you believe he was beaten by a monkey? One staff broke his move, and another left him sprawled on the ground, hahaha!"
"Hahaha! I heard the Inner Sect's senior sister's disciple is also in Chaoge—no wonder they haven't come back yet!"
That crowd erupted in laughter, thoroughly amused. However, truth be told, most of them couldn't withstand even one strike from Yuan Hong's staff—but that didn't stop them from mocking Yin Shou.
Word spread quickly, from one to ten, and soon it became a widely circulated joke.
Eventually, even the senior disciples of Jie Sect were aware of this. Most didn't care, though Jin Ling Saint Mother furrowed her brows slightly before dismissing it. Wen Zhong, on the other hand, was beyond saving. As for Yu Yuan, whose praises had recently been sung by his teacher—he was in the clear.
...
This joke reached not only the Jie Sect but even the Chan Sect.
And the reason? It was thanks to Yun Zhongzi. Despite not being one of the Twelve Golden Immortals, Yun Zhongzi was skilled in artifact refining and maintained excellent relations with everyone. During a conversation with Master Taoyi, he was asked:
"Junior brother, where have you traveled lately? Did you find a disciple for the upcoming tribulation yet?"
Yun Zhongzi responded, "I've been wandering in Chaoge, and let me tell you—this place is full of talent. I've already selected a disciple."
That was essentially the gist of it.
Then, he excitedly shared stories about Nezha and Yin Shou. Of course, he didn't mention the Chaos Bell Fragment—he wasn't aware of it. He only knew Nezha had traded for something valuable.
Yun Zhongzi was a man of discretion. "If you don't bring it up, I won't ask. In the Primordial world, who doesn't have secrets? I've already got the Qiankun Cauldron to study—that's satisfying enough."
From Master Taoyi, he also learned about Huang Feihu searching for his son. But what did that have to do with him? He wasn't the one who kidnapped the boy.
His disciple, Yang Ren, was still at home. When Yun Zhongzi eventually brought him out, he would ensure no scenarios akin to "Where's Daddy?" would occur.
As for Master Taoyi, he had his own disciple and stopped worrying about other matters. However, upon hearing the tale of Yin Shou, he eagerly ran off to share it with Yu Ding, whose attendants then passed it on to Manjusri's disciples.
In the end, Yuanshi Tianzun himself heard it and remarked with a sigh, "The Rise of Zhou and Fall of Shang—it is the order of the heavens."
Whether he knew before or not didn't matter. If Yuanshi Tianzun said so, it was certainly true.
Yin Shou, oblivious to his newfound fame across the Primordial world, kept diligently cultivating, plotting revenge against the monkey. He even issued an order demanding that all messengers spread the word: "I, Yin Shou, will avenge my humiliation. Monkey demon, come face me for another battle!"
This message spread far and wide. Unfortunately, Yuan Hong was trapped in the Mountain and River Map and couldn't hear a thing.
The news reached Beihai, where Wen Zhong remained utterly unperturbed. With his senior brother from Chaoge and the Great Sage Master in charge, what havoc could a little ape demon possibly wreak?
Wen Zhong had no idea how close Yin Shou came to being finished off.
When Yuan Futong heard the news, he was utterly baffled. Based on the rumors, it seemed Yuan Hong hadn't been captured—but where was the monkey?
Considering Yuan Hong's proud nature, he would never shirk an agreed task. The only explanation was that he'd been silenced.
Finally grasping the gravity of the situation, Yuan Futong thought, "This Human Clan is too treacherous—I'm retreating to the North State."
But by now, it was far too late for him to retreat.
To challenge the Human Clan, destined protagonist of heaven and earth, was never something one could just walk away from as they pleased.
"""