Before Erlang Shen could arrive, he had already subdued the demon and sealed him inside the Exquisite Demon-Suppressing Pagoda. Although Grand Supreme Lord Lao had helped, Leon Lee still felt immensely proud of himself.
He handed the task of reorganizing the Heaven Soldiers and Generals to the Mo Family Four Brothers, then led his three sons toward Lingxiao Hall to report to the Jade Emperor.
Feeling elated, Leon Lee walked with an especially vigorous stride.
Soon, he arrived outside Lingxiao Hall.
“Summon the Heavenly Court’s Grand Marshal, Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Leon Lee, to attend!” Before he could report, a palace boy’s voice rang out from inside Lingxiao Hall.
For a moment, Leon Lee felt even more pleased with himself.
But as he stepped into Lingxiao Hall, he quickly restrained the pride on his face and adopted a solemn expression.
“Your servant Leon Lee greets the Jade Emperor!”
“Your servant Jason Lee greets the Jade Emperor.”
“Your servant Mark Lee greets the Jade Emperor.”
“Your servant Nate Lee greets the Jade Emperor.”
“No need for such formalities, all four of you—rise quickly!” The Jade Emperor sat on his throne with a stern expression, but the joy in his eyes was clear. Leon Lee was his most loyal general, and now that Leon had earned merit, the Emperor himself felt honored.
As he spoke, the Jade Emperor swept his gaze around the hall, pausing on each immortal present, as if to say: See? Even without your help, my own minister was able to capture the demon.
“Thank you, Your Majesty!” Leon Lee straightened up as he spoke.
“Mm, Leon, you did very well this time. You deserve a rich reward!” The Jade Emperor finally let a smile show and nodded approvingly.
Praised by the Jade Emperor, Leon Lee was delighted, but he replied modestly, “Your Majesty flatters me. I only did what I ought to do. Besides, without Your Majesty’s wise leadership, I never could have captured that demon!”
Leon Lee’s attitude pleased the Jade Emperor greatly. He laughed, “Leon, being too humble is just another kind of pride. All right, now, tell us the details of your battle with that demon!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!” Leon Lee puffed out his chest and began to recount his battle with Ian Song in detail.
In fact, all the ministers in the hall already knew every detail of the fight. There was no need for Leon Lee to tell the story again—the Jade Emperor only made him do it to show off.
Although the Heavenly Court ministers didn’t really take the Jade Emperor seriously, they still had to give him this bit of face. So everyone put on a look of rapt attention, listening to Leon Lee’s story and reacting with all sorts of expressions, thoroughly satisfying the vanity of both monarch and minister.
A battle that lasted less than a quarter of an hour, Leon Lee managed to stretch into a full hour of storytelling—yet the Jade Emperor listened with relish.
“Your Majesty, that’s how it all happened!” Leon Lee wrapped up his tale with this line.
The Jade Emperor praised him again: “Very good! Leon, you truly are a key minister of my Heavenly Court. Well done—keep up the good work!”
“Rest assured, Your Majesty, I will never let you down!” Leon Lee quickly promised. The old immortals watching couldn’t help feeling a bit of contempt in their hearts.
“By the way, Leon, now that the demon has been sealed inside your Exquisite Demon-Suppressing Pagoda, is there any chance he might escape again?” The Jade Emperor voiced his concern—after all, Sun Wukong was once trapped in the same pagoda, but managed to break free not long after.
Leon Lee thumped his chest and promised, “Rest assured, Your Majesty—the Exquisite Demon-Suppressing Pagoda is even more powerful than before. In just two or three days, this demon will be completely refined into a puddle of blood!”
“Good.” Hearing this, the Jade Emperor was reassured. His expression turned solemn. “Leon Lee and sons, receive your rewards!”
Immediately, Leon Lee and his three sons bowed deeply.
“Grand Marshal Leon Lee, for your merit in subduing the demon, you are awarded one hundred thousand merit points, ten immortal treasures, fifty bottles of immortal pills refined by Grand Supreme Lord Lao, and a luxurious mansion!”
“Thank you, Your Majesty!” Leon Lee said excitedly.
The Jade Emperor nodded and continued, “Jason Lee, Mark Lee, and Nate Lee fought bravely in the battle against the demon, their contributions were great. Each is awarded ten thousand merit points, three immortal treasures, and ten bottles of high-grade immortal pills!”
“Thank you, Your Majesty!”
The three brothers all broke into smiles and hurriedly expressed their thanks.
The court session ended.
Full of pride, Leon Lee led his three sons back toward the Marshal’s Mansion, and happened to run into Lord Venus and the Judicial God (Erlang Shen) heading for Lingxiao Hall.
“Congratulations, Marshal! I heard you’ve already captured that demon!”
Lord Venus hurried over, his face full of flattery, while the handsome, upright Judicial God (Erlang Shen) stood off to the side, looking distinctly cold.
“You flatter me, Lord Venus. I was just lucky this time!” Leon Lee pretended to be modest, though his face was full of pride. Suddenly, he put on a surprised look. “So it’s True Lord Erlang himself! My respects, True Lord!”
“Greetings, Heavenly King Lee.” Erlang Shen replied coolly.
Leon Lee chuckled, “True Lord Erlang, you really arrived late this time—made you come all this way for nothing. I feel quite guilty! How about you join me at my mansion for a few drinks, as my apology?”