My brother is so cunning

Chapter 950 Delay strategy
Upon hearing Wen Rui mention the million-strong puppet army, the Jade Emperor's eyes twitched almost imperceptibly. He forced a smile, trying to appear friendly, and said softly, "Alas, Creator, my dear Minister Wen, I must give you a good scolding..."

Upon hearing the Jade Emperor's words, all the immortals in the hall tensed up, their gazes constantly shifting between Wen Rui and the Jade Emperor, carefully observing Wen Rui's reaction.

"Making a million puppets in ten years, wouldn't that exhaust your immortal body?"

"I've wanted to give you a good talking-to for a long time. You're far too dedicated to being a deity. Mortals are the ones who die from exhaustion, not deities. Deities should be carefree, right? Who would be a deity if not carefree? Your dedication is ruining your health, which is a huge loss to the Three Realms."

The Jade Emperor said with a reproachful tone, "You are a pillar of our Heavenly Court, and you must not fail. There is no need to rush to wipe out the remaining demonic mosquitoes and recover the mortal realm. I can wait, and all living beings can wait too."

Wen Rui narrowed his eyes, not understanding what the Jade Emperor was up to for a moment. He hesitated and said, "Didn't Venerable Kasyapa just say that if the great calamity lasts for more than a hundred years, it will easily breed demons and cause immeasurable evil consequences? He even used the Witch Clan and the Heavenly Court of the Demon Clan as examples. I thought it made a lot of sense."

"He's spreading alarmist rumors and talking nonsense!"

The Jade Emperor said with a stern face, "The Blood Sea Demon Clan is nothing but a bunch of vermin hiding in the ground. How can they be compared with the Witch Clan, who possess the bloodline of Pangu? The current Heavenly Court was also established by a sage and is the orthodox one of Heaven. How can it be compared with the Heavenly Court of the Demon Clan, which was not properly established?"

At this point, the Jade Emperor paused, then said with a forced smile, "Furthermore, the Heavenly Court's financial situation is currently not good, and it cannot raise the funds to manufacture a million puppets in a short time. In my opinion, the matter of manufacturing anti-demon insect puppets on a large scale should be postponed for now. The important thing is to build the Heavenly Protection Array first."

"Besides, my dear minister, you have always been at the forefront of everything in your life, busy with official duties. I have heard that you have never taken a break and work almost twelve hours a day without rest. You must be very tired. It is time for you to enjoy the pleasures of being an immortal."

"This……"

Wen Rui said with difficulty, "The situation in the Three Realms is so urgent right now. I am shouldering the heavy responsibility of subduing demons. At this critical moment, all living beings and things have deviated from the right path. The mortal world is almost devoid of human life. It would be inappropriate for me to put down my work and rest."

"Ah, my dear minister, you are mistaken. Rest is for better work. Even though I bear the heavy responsibility of the Heavenly Emperor, is this not the time for me to enjoy myself? Do you think I would be too lazy to care even if the sky were to fall?"

The Jade Emperor waved his hand as if he were an experienced person, and said with his own experience: "There is no end to the work. The Three Realms can function without anyone. In the past, I was lazy for a hundred or two hundred years, and the Three Realms did not fall into great chaos, did they?"

"As for the common people, let them suffer a little, let them wait a few more years. What difference will a few more years make? I will bear the blame!"

The Jade Emperor, in the manner of a caring leader, sincerely said, "My dear minister, please rest assured and stop tinkering with any puppets. Go to the Jade Pool to soak in the hot springs, go to the Realm of Form to see the scenery, or if you don't want to go out, stay in your residence to refine elixirs and cultivate your mind and body."

"If you enjoy a lively atmosphere, I will temporarily lend you my celestial maidens and dancers, or rather, give them to you. If that's still not enough, go to the Jade Pool Wonderland and choose any fairy maiden or fairy beauty you fancy. You don't need to report to the Queen Mother; just bring her back to the Creation Palace."

"How can this be so embarrassing..."

"It's alright, it's alright! I have always been fair in rewarding and punishing. My dear minister has made great contributions to the Heavenly Court, but I have not been able to bestow a suitable reward upon you. This is my fault. My dear minister, please do not refuse. To refuse is to show that you do not forgive me and will ruin our relationship as ruler and subject."

Wen Rui rolled his eyes. After a series of exchanges, he finally understood the Jade Emperor's intentions. The old man had made the best response he could muster, given his level of understanding: a delaying tactic to slow down Wen Rui's creation of the anti-demon insect robot army as much as possible. If he could lure Wen Rui into a land of blissful pleasure, allowing him to indulge in unbridled enjoyment and forget all his worries about building that million-strong puppet army, then the Jade Emperor could sit securely on his throne.

As for the threat of the demonic mosquitoes from the mortal realm, since the sky is protected by the sun-blocking canopy on the path to heaven, they won't be able to attack the Heavenly Court for the time being, so we can delay it as long as we can.

Wen Rui feigned a troubled expression and slowly shook his head, saying, "It's still not appropriate. Currently, only the Western Sect is struggling to resist the invasion of the demonic mosquitoes and protect the last human settlement in the mortal realm. Now that the demonic mosquitoes have evolved and even the sacred land where Buddha attained enlightenment has fallen, it's clear that they can't hold on any longer. Although I have never liked the Western Sect, the three sects are all of the same lineage and belong to the same righteous path. I can't just stand by and watch my allies and fellow practitioners perish."

"Celestial Venerable, there is no need to worry about the safety of our sect!"

Venerable Kasyapa immediately said, "After being enlightened by the Heavenly Venerable, I have realized that we should not be too hasty in eliminating the demonic mosquitoes. As the saying goes, haste makes waste. If the opportunity to quell the demonic calamity has not yet arrived, it would be better to force it."

"Ok?"

Wen Rui was somewhat taken aback by his 180-degree change in attitude and asked in surprise, "Are you really not in a hurry anymore? Lingjiu Mountain has been captured. Next, the demonic mosquito army will surely covet Lingshan. Are you confident that you can win the battle to defend Lingshan? Even if the demonic insects cannot attack Lingshan, the millions of believers who have taken refuge at the foot of the mountain will suffer."

"If you lose your last believer, your religion's incense offerings in the mortal world will be cut off. Without the support of the will, the power of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas will gradually wither away. Are you sure you're okay with that?"

How could there be no problem?
Venerable Kasyapa's face alternated between pale and flushed, suppressing endless anger and delusion, yet daring not to show it. With exceptional composure, he forced a smile and said, "Thank you for your concern, Heavenly Venerable. This humble monk has already devised a solution, which is to request the Heavenly Venerable to grant me the authority to create a sky-covering canopy..."

He glanced at Wen Rui's expression halfway through his sentence, only to see Wen Rui's face instantly fall. He quickly changed his words: "Of course it's not a free gift. My sect will gladly offer the corresponding level of data usage fee, and it will be a ten-year data purchase, cash transaction, no credit. Heavenly Venerable, could you give me a discount?"

Venerable Kasyapa and the Jade Emperor, without prior communication, worked together in perfect harmony, sharing the same goal: to prevent Wen Rui from focusing on creating an army of anti-demon insect puppets, and to delay the inevitable as long as possible.

If Wen Rui were to create a million puppets to wipe out the remaining demonic mosquitoes, neither the Jade Emperor nor Venerable Kasyapa dared to think about what to do with this army next.

"Your Majesty is so considerate of your subjects, your humble servant will gladly comply."

Although Wen Rui guessed what they were thinking, he didn't go against them. Instead, he went along with it and readily agreed.

Clearly, these two haven't studied the new knowledge of the Intercepting Sect in depth enough. They don't know that automated factories don't need Wen Rui to keep an eye on them all the time; they can produce piles of deadly weapons as continuously as sausages.

Whether Wen Rui rests or not, the production line for the metal puppet army will never stop for a second.

(End of this chapter)