Chapter 6 The banquet begins, and demonic energy arises.

Two days later, at the City Lord's Mansion.

"Vice Envoy Bai, this is a gift of ten clear water pearls, each one round and lustrous!"

"Master Gao, this is a landscape scroll by a famous artist as a congratulatory gift. The brushwork is exquisite and the artistic conception is profound!"

"Vice Envoy Chen, the congratulatory gift is ten bolts of Qingshui silk, which are soft in texture and have brilliant colors!"

The city lord's mansion, with its vermilion gates wide open, exuded a festive atmosphere. A servant in neat clothes stood at the entrance, his clear and loud voice announcing the gift list.

The servant's voice rang out the gift list, and guests arrived in an endless stream, some with their families and others with gifts, laughing and entering the city lord's mansion.

Inside the city lord's mansion, a small bridge spans a flowing stream, where fish swim freely, creating ripples in the water.

Along the winding corridors, artificial hills and strange rocks stand tall, covered with lush green vines and dotted with unnamed wildflowers. Light and shadow fall, sparkling everywhere. In the distance, pavilions are also arranged in a pleasing manner, their eaves outlining graceful contours in the sunlight.

The city lord's mansion is divided into a front hall and a rear hall. The front hall is used as a banquet venue, while the rear hall is a sacrificial site prepared in advance. The usual procedure for the inauguration banquet is to first perform the sacrificial ceremony and then start the banquet.

The sun was shining brightly, and the servants, dressed in uniform, moved about in an orderly fashion.

Their steps were light and their movements skillful; every detail was handled perfectly, showcasing the orderly and extraordinary demeanor of the inauguration banquet at the City Lord's Mansion.

Li Yan, dressed in a white robe, smiled warmly at the guests, exchanging pleasantries and introducing details of the banquet, making everyone happy.

Li Yan was satisfied with everything that happened today; it was worth the hard work he and his wife had put in these past few days.

Zhang Ling confirmed that most of the guests had arrived, checked the time, and nodded to Li Yan.

Li Yan understood and hurriedly went to change his clothes, while Zhang Ling arranged for the guests to move to another location to prepare for the sacrificial ceremony.

...

The rear hall.

Since ancient times, humankind has revered three gods—Heaven, Earth, and Man, with the Heavenly God being the most revered. Qingshui is special because it lives by the sea and worships the ocean. Therefore, the sacrificial verses discussed by Zhang Ling and Li Yan were in accordance with the principles of Heaven and the sea, in order to ensure a smooth and prosperous year.

Li Yan:

Heaven and earth are above, and the vast sea is our witness.

Li Yan of the Li family, by virtue of his blessing, has succeeded to the position of Lord of Qingshui City.

The gods have shown mercy, bestowing blessings upon all directions, ensuring favorable weather, and protecting all living beings.

The sea god's vast expanse brings calm and tranquility, ensuring safe and secure navigation and facilitating trade.

From the day I assume this post, I will remain loyal and dutiful, fulfilling my duties as a subject; I will care deeply for the people. I will be upright and incorruptible, impartial in judgment, and safeguard the peace and well-being of the people. I will develop agriculture and sericulture, promote commerce, and ensure that Qingshui is prosperous and its people live in peace and contentment.

May the gods of heaven and sea continue to protect this city, helping me to fulfill my duties smoothly and live up to their trust.

After saying this, Li Yan bowed three times and lit incense under the watchful eyes of everyone.

Everything is proceeding smoothly.

Zhang Xuan stood behind, carrying the Blood Moon Blade, watching Li Yan perform the ritual of offering sacrifices to the Heavenly Sea step by step, and thought it was quite novel.

Unlike Lin Fengdu, who was well-traveled and had been traveling throughout the land for many years and was naturally uninterested in such things, this was his first time attending a banquet to mark his appointment, which he considered an opportunity to broaden his horizons.

Thinking of this, he regretted that Wen Chuan and Qing Yu hadn't come. Speaking of which, the banquet his sister arranged for his new post was absolutely perfect. Even the food at the banquet was chosen to suit local tastes, such as that old-fashioned Linfengtai.

Zhang Xuan looked at the slightly cold food on the table, tasted it, and felt that it wasn't as delicious as the dumplings he had a couple of days ago.

The young man tapped the knife on the table absently. He was dressed in a red brocade robe today, exuding an air of nobility. He leaned back in his chair and lazily glanced at Li Yan and the others as they socialized.

Li Yan, seated at the head of the table, smiled gently and raised his glass with Zhang Ling to drink with everyone. The young city lord possessed a gentle yet dignified demeanor, and his relationship with his wife was the envy of all.

A man in a blue robe stood up from the stage. He was a wealthy merchant surnamed Gao from Qingshui City. He looked like he had drunk quite a bit of wine. His face was flushed as he toasted Li Yan, praising the city lord and his wife for their harmonious and loving relationship.

Someone next to him overheard this and secretly scoffed. As a wealthy man from Qingshui, Master Gao was a master of scheming. It was one thing for him to flatter the city lord, but everyone knew that the Gao family had a large number of concubines and that he and his wife were always quarreling.

Look at him, he came to the banquet with his wife today, but before the banquet was even halfway over, his wife had already disappeared. This fact is a stark irony compared to his praise of the city lord and his wife.

Li Yan on the stage was unaware of all this. He smiled and returned the wine, but Zhang Ling frowned slightly and looked at the empty seat next to Master Gao.

Zhang Xuan, who was drinking, clicked his tongue when he saw this scene. His sister was worried that he would drink too much and had specially prepared sake for him, but he found it utterly boring.

Just as he was thinking about going to find Wen Chuan and the others to play, the Blood Moon Blade on the table trembled a little more.

Zhang Xuan patted it affectionately. "You're bored too, right? Let's go then."

Zhang Xuan blushed slightly; although the wine was sake, it was quite strong.

He stood up, intending to tell Zhang Ling he was leaving, but found that Zhang Ling was no longer in the main seat. Perhaps she had gone out to sober up, he thought.

...

Qingyu stood on the street, carrying the shoulder bag she had bought earlier and holding a string of candied hawthorns she had just bought.

That's right, she ran away. Wen Chuan left in the morning, and she didn't make it to say goodbye to him. It's not her fault; he left too early, and she missed him!

She sighed, thinking that it was alright, she would come back someday!

Chewing on the last candied hawthorn, she walked out of the city. As she passed a certain spot, she paused.

Wow, what a strange spiritual energy! It's even more demonic than she is.

Qingyu looked up and wondered where it was, since there were quite a lot of people.

—The City Lord's Mansion.

Qingyu: "..."

Oh, that farewell banquet.

Oh, who's up to with their dirty work, deliberately choosing someone's big day to do it?

That's so unfair.

Qingyu kept walking, wiping the sugar syrup from her lips with the handkerchief she carried with her, then carefully folding it and putting it into her small bag. As she folded it, she sighed, feeling sorry for Zhang Xuan, who had been fighting with her for chive and shrimp dumplings just two days ago.

Just as she was thinking this, she stopped again.

Looking back, a faint wisp of black smoke appeared again in the sky above the bustling city lord's mansion.

It was a trace of pure, alluring, demonic aura.

Demons are half born to cultivate and half to kill. In particular, pure demon spirits of their own kind are a great source of nourishment for them. However, such things are rare and can only appear when a demon is on the verge of death or has just died.

In a short while,

Qingyu shook her head and sighed dramatically. Really.

She had shared a meal with Zhang Xuan once, so it was only right for her to go and visit him.

Patting her small handbag, Qingyu looked in the direction where the demonic energy was moving.

Let's go!

The eerie spiritual energy disappeared, and Qingyu followed that demonic aura eastward for a while.

She looked at the nearby waves.

Qingyu remained silent.

That's good, time to go home for dinner.

...

"Have you heard? The city lord's wife has gone missing during what should have been a proper farewell banquet!"

"Not only that, I heard that Madam Gao has also disappeared!"

"Of course! The inauguration banquet turned into complete chaos. The new city lord spent a whole day searching for him!"

"It's said that a demon is causing trouble; this new city lord is really unlucky!"

The hour of Xu (7-9 PM).

The once bustling night market in Qingshui was now eerily quiet, with only a few fearless vendors remaining, occasionally whispering about the day's major events.

It was a proper farewell banquet, the sacrificial ceremony had ended, and the banquet was more than halfway through.

First, Madam Gao left the banquet, and then the city lord's wife also disappeared. Some said it was the work of thieves, while others said it was the new city lord's lack of virtue. In any case, the banquet was in complete chaos. Furthermore, a young man in red claimed that there was a demon and drew his sword on the spot, making the chaos even worse.

The City Lord's Mansion.

"Any news about Uncle Lin?"

Zhang Xuan, holding the knife, looked anxiously at Li Yan.

Li Yan smiled wryly: "The people I sent out today all said they didn't see Lord Lin, and neither did A-Ling..."

Zhang Xuan tightened his grip on the knife. He had only been a little confused at the time, but he never expected his sister to disappear from the city lord's mansion like this. There must be something behind this!

Zhang Xuan: "Where is that Master Gao?"

Li Yan shook his head. Gao Yuan was so drunk, and after failing to find his wife at the city lord's mansion, he went straight back home. It was difficult to communicate with him.

"He's gone. I already asked him. He and his wife had a bit of an argument. Madam Gao said she couldn't hold her liquor and went out to sober up. Not long after, A-Ling was called away by a maid. It seems there was some problem with the banquet's proceedings..."

Li Yan smiled bitterly. It had been almost a day. He looked dejected, with a faint stubble of bluish beard on his chin, and he looked powerless. Everyone said he was a demon, but he had no evidence. He had only disappeared. Even though he sent people to the Demon Suppression Pavilion branch in Danzhou for help, they could not get timely assistance.

Li Yan looked at Zhang Xuan. Now that Lord Lin couldn't be found, everything depended on his sixteen-year-old brother-in-law...

Zhang Xuan didn't know what Li Yan was thinking, but he could guess most of it.

He lowered his eyes, a sharp, murderous glint flashing in them. "I understand."

Lin Fengdu is elusive and unpredictable; he's not there when you need him, and the people from the Demon Suppression Pavilion might not come either. In the entire Qingshui City, only he can save my sister.

He turned and left. How could a person disappear into thin air from the mansion? There was something wrong with his wine. When his sister was called away by the maid, she also told Li Yan that there seemed to be something wrong with the food at the banquet.

Even though Li Yan checked everyone who was busy in the mansion today, and especially questioned the cooks at Linfeng Terrace, everyone said there was no problem, as if Madam Gao, her sister, and the maid had vanished into thin air.

Zhang Xuan still harbored doubts.

He had to go to Linfengtai, on the east coast, in person.

...

East of the coast, wooden houses.

An eerie fog spread, yet it failed to affect the residential area in the slightest.

Outside the courtyard, a cold, grayish-white mist hung in the air, and the night was as dark as ink. Occasionally, a breeze would blow, bringing a chill.

Cai Cai was shivering with her head buried under her wings in the chicken coop.

Inside the room, Wen Chuan sat quietly.

The flickering candlelight blurred the boy's vision.

Against the eerie backdrop of the night, his beauty was accentuated.

He stared at the bowl of fish soup in the middle of the table, which had long since gone cold, and recalled Qingyu's words from the previous night.

"I thought the fish soup you made the other day was especially delicious."

"I want to drink more, really."

"Let's drink it tomorrow. It's perfect timing since it's the banquet for my new post. You'll have to get up early to buy the freshest fish."

"I just want to drink it. I suddenly wanted to, I really wanted to."

The boy remained silent, glancing slightly at the deep night outside.

He just didn't quite understand.

For a moment, the white and gray mist that had been tentatively probing outside the courtyard retreated a few more times.

a long time.

He stood up.

I walked into the fog.