Attend a banquet

On the evening of mid-autumn, when Xiao Wan'er was watering the vegetable garden, Liuyun and Pei Yingguan returned from their shift.

"Master, you're back!" Xiao Wan'er stopped her magic and ran to them.

"I'm back. The commander of Fengming Guard is hosting a banquet tomorrow night. Let us take you and your junior brother with us." Liuyun said as he put down his weapon.

Fengmingwei had previously taken on a difficult task, for which Liuyun and Pei Yingguan were away for a whole month. Fortunately, the task was successfully completed, and the commander was so happy that he decided to hold a banquet to celebrate.

In the evening of the next day, the four masters and apprentices arrived at the residence of the commander of Fengming Guard.

As soon as they arrived, a young monk led the way to the banquet hall. Liuyun was led to the lower left seat of the main seat, while Xiao Wan'er and Liu Mingyin sat down with Pei Yingguan.

When the four masters and apprentices arrived, most of the invited guests had already arrived. Soon everyone was there, and then a monk wearing a luxurious robe walked to the main seat.

"Thank you all for attending the banquet hosted by this humble monk. Over the past month, it was thanks to the concerted efforts of our Fengming Guard that the task assigned to us by Her Majesty the Queen was completed. Today is a celebration banquet, so please enjoy yourself!" After saying this, he picked up the wine glass and drank it all, and then the banquet began.

"Senior Brother, is this the commander of Fengming Guard?" After the banquet began, Xiao Wan'er asked Pei Yingguan via voice transmission.

"Yes. His Dharma name is Huai Ming. He has been following Her Majesty since she was still a Zhaoyi. After Her Majesty ascended the throne, she appointed him as the commander of the Fengming Guard."

"I see," Xiao Wan'er suddenly felt that the fifth rank of Fengming Guard Commander seemed a bit low. "Then who is more powerful, him or Master?"

"If we only talk about divination, he is better. If we talk about fighting, Master is far better than him."

As they spoke, the dishes were served one by one. Since this dynasty revered Buddhism, and the banquet was hosted by a monk, it was natural that all the dishes served were vegetarian. Xiao Wan'er ate haphazardly; despite the wide variety of vegetarian dishes, they didn't pique her interest. Fortunately, the main course arrived soon, and Xiao Wan'er's attention immediately shifted to the various pastries.

As everyone ate, actors arrived at the table. As the music began, dancers danced to the strains of stringed instruments. Just then, dough figurines, ready from the kitchen, were served. The dough figurines included musicians and dancers, their faces and clothing meticulously carved, lifelike and lifelike. Amidst the music, dance, and dough figurines, everyone was in high spirits and feasted heartily.

At the height of the feast, someone suddenly spoke up: "This music and dance is indeed pleasing to the eyes, but it's still not quite up to par for us."

Huai Ming, who was sitting at the main seat, put down his cup and asked, "Captain Linghu, do you have any suggestions?"

"Who is this person?" Xiao Wan'er secretly conveyed the message to Pei Yingguan.

"The captain of Team B2 is Linghu Yan, one of the only three transcendent cultivators in Fengming Guard, and he is good at medicine." Pei Yingguan also put down his chopsticks. It seemed that he could not eat the meal anymore.

"Why not let the younger monks here have a competition?" Linghu Yan suggested this, and the other captains echoed him as soon as he finished speaking.

"Excellent!" Team Leader Ding Si actually took out a set of formation plates. "This formation in my hand is enough to allow a cultivator at the Daoist level to fight with full force. I'll hand it over to you all!"

"In that case, let the younger generations have a competition!" Huai Ming made the final decision.

Seeing that they all looked well prepared, Xiao Wan'er felt bored and picked up the cakes and started eating with the soup. She also sent a message to Liu Mingyin: "Just eat in peace. You won't be the one to compete. If you want to see a fight, you can just go and watch me practice with your senior brother one day."

Liu Mingyin then brought a bowl of soup noodles to herself and continued to eat it.

Across the table, the younger cultivators were engaged in a fierce battle. Xiao Wan'er occasionally glanced up and saw the ordinary members of the Fengming Guard, who had not yet entered the Dao, using all their skills for victory. It was indeed a pleasure to watch.

The only drawback was that as the fire went on, it eventually spread to Biyun Temple.

"I heard that Deputy Commander Liuyun has two young disciples besides Captain Pei. I wonder if we can get to know these two young friends?" Captain Ding Si looked at Xiao Wan'er and Liu Mingyin with a smile.

"I'm sorry, my junior brother has just entered the Dao and isn't yet qualified to fight on stage," Xiao Wan'er immediately refused. "I've already entered the Dao, so it's not appropriate for me to fight now."

The whole room was in uproar, and Captain Ding of Team 4 said nothing more.

The competition continued, and soon the younger players from each team had already taken the field, but some were still not satisfied.

Linghu Yan looked unsatisfied. "Captain Yuankong and Captain Pei are disciples of Commander Huaiming and Deputy Commander Liuyun respectively. I wonder if the two captains would like to compete?"

Hearing this, the glutinous rice cake in Xiao Wan'er's mouth almost fell directly onto the plate.

"Master, I knew they had bad intentions!" She angrily sent a message to Liuyun.

Yuan Kong was the captain of Team A and Huai Ming's first disciple. Unlike his master, Yuan Kong was a martial monk. Under normal circumstances, Pei Yingguan, a mere swordsman, wouldn't be afraid of Yuan Kong. However, before the banquet, all the guests had laid down their weapons. How could a swordsman without a sword fight against the host, who was armed with a monk's staff?

"Senior Sister, aren't they bullying me?" Liu Mingyin, who hadn't mastered the art of telepathy, could no longer tolerate it and spoke out loud. All the guests heard it clearly.

When someone spoke directly, others became quiet.

After a long while, Huai Ming slowly spoke, "Young friend Liu, your words are quite serious. Competitions are also about making friends through martial arts. To say that it is bullying is too biased."

At the guest table, Xiao Wan'er finished her glutinous rice cake, sipped her vegetable soup, and volunteered, "Brother, you don't have a sword, so you can't fully demonstrate your strength. Even if we were to compete on stage, it wouldn't be enough to satisfy everyone. I'm also in the Entry Dao Realm, so I'll take your place and compete with Captain Yuankong."

The captains looked at each other, then simultaneously looked at Huai Ming. Huai Ming thought for a moment and then agreed.

"Can."

Xiao Wan'er walked into the formation.

At the same time, Yuan Kong also walked into the formation, leaning on his staff. The copper staff was tall and heavy, and it struck the ground with a dull thud, seemingly shaking even the edges of the formation. Among the guests, some cultivators who had not yet entered the Dao gasped in surprise, then whispered among themselves.

Xiao Wan'er remained unmoved and turned directly to Linghu Yan, who was hosting the competition. "Captain Linghu, I'm ready."

Linghu Yan looked at Yuan Kong, and seeing that Yuan Kong also made a gesture to show that he was ready, he announced the start of the competition.

Yuan Kong approached with his staff in hand, and suddenly a mud wall appeared before him. Just as he was about to turn around, he discovered he was sealed inside a giant, sealed mud box. He raised his staff and began to smash it.

As the earthen box continued to vibrate, dense vines surrounded the outside. These vines looked slender but were actually tough and difficult to cut. When Yuan Kong finally broke through the earthen wall, what came into view was the impenetrable vines, and he felt that the vine box was sinking.

In the guest seats, more and more people were whispering or communicating with each other.

"What a fast casting speed!"

"It's incredible! Captain Yuankong was beaten right from the start."

"Senior Brother Yuankong..."

Yuan Kong could also hear whispers from outside the formation, feeling incredibly anxious. As the vine box continued to sink, he was certain Xiao Wan'er had transformed the land beneath it into a swamp. In this moment of crisis, he unleashed his full strength. Buddha's light pierced through the vines, instantly igniting a raging fire. The swamp gradually solidified under the flames, and Ming Kong finally stopped sinking.

In the burning fire, the vines fell off with a bang, and Yuan Kong stepped forward under the reflection of Buddha's light, like a furious Vajra.

Xiao Wan'er's face was solemn as she cast a spell to resist his attack.

In the guest seats, Pei Yingguan's face was grim. If Xiao Wan'er hadn't fought on his behalf, he would have undoubtedly lost. Even with a sword in hand, his chances of winning were slim. Watching the fierce battle within the formation, he clenched his fists.

The battle was so intense that the spectators dared not even breathe. Only Liu Mingyin, who had unknowingly put down her food, suddenly shouted, "Come on, Senior Sister!"

"You are an interesting junior brother," Yuan Kong suddenly commented on him, "but if your level is only this high, no matter how much he encourages you, it will be useless."

"But fighting against an eleven-year-old cultivator, even if you win, it wouldn't be very glorious, right?" Xiao Wan'er's words successfully made Yuan Kong's face darken.

After a few more rounds, he finally said, "Losing would be even more shameful!"

He was right, but Xiao Wan'er didn't want to lose either. She tried to divide her attention, focusing half on divination. For a moment, Yuan Kong gained the upper hand, and Xiao Wan'er's defenses became fragile. Several times, if she hadn't dodged at the last moment, she would have been hit by the monk's staff.

"Is this little girl going to lose?" Someone in the guest seats was talking in a low voice. Liu Mingyin had already unconsciously held her breath.

But the situation soon changed. Yuan Kong felt that each of his attacks failed to hit the vital points, while Xiao Wan'er's magic always hit him where he felt the most pain. His movements gradually became distorted, and scars began to appear on his body. He realized that he was about to lose.

With a deep sense of reluctance, he decided to give it his all. He suddenly retreated, stabbing his staff into the ground and rapidly chanting Buddhist scriptures. A golden light permeated the formation. To everyone's surprise, Xiao Wan'er abandoned her defense, using a vine as a bow and the blazing flames as arrows. Under the onslaught of the golden light, she pulled the bow with all her might, concentrating all her spiritual energy on the arrow.

Before the golden light completely erupted, the rocket broke away from the longbow. Under the compression of the spiritual energy, the bright white rocket became extremely condensed and flew straight towards the monk's staff. The monk's staff slowly melted under the continuous burning of the rocket.

Seeing the staff about to be destroyed, Yuan Kong immediately admitted defeat, and the golden light and the rocket disappeared simultaneously. At the same time, the formation was reclaimed by Captain Ding of Team 4.

"What a thrilling competition!" He praised with a smile, "The strength of both of you is astonishing."

"Captain Hou, thank you for your praise. It's getting late and I'm exhausted. I won't stay any longer." Liuyun had already stood up and left the table. While casting medical spells on Xiao Wan'er, he said goodbye to Huai Ming.

The first disciple lost the competition, and Huai Ming had no intention of continuing the banquet, so he let Liuyun and the other three leave, and the banquet ended soon.

After returning home, the exhausted Xiao Wan'er went straight back to her room and slept for the first time since she became a disciple. When she woke up, it was already the afternoon of the next day.

"Sister, you're awake!" Seeing her walk out of the house, Liu Mingyin threw down his sword and ran over. "Senior Brother brought you some snacks at noon today. Go check out the main house!"

Xiao Wan'er walked to the main room, opened the snack box, and saw the crystal dragon and phoenix cake and her favorite cherry biro.