Chapter 35
The next morning, someone knocked on the door. Sui Qian stood in front of the door, with a maidservant beside her carrying some desserts and wine. Sui Qian smiled at Xie Wen and said, "Because our area has many mountains and forests and abundant spiritual energy, it is inevitable that many little demons will emerge. Yesterday, we heard that the Peach Blossom Demon broke into Miss Xie's room and stole Miss Xie's magic artifact. We feel very sorry and have come here to apologize."
In any case, Xie Wen successfully retrieved his magical artifact, and he didn't care much. It wasn't the people from Huangqi Palace who did it, so Xie Wen didn't blame them.
However, Sui Qian's meticulous preparation of gifts and personal apology demonstrated her sincerity, which pleased Xie Wen greatly. After thanking Sui Qian, Xie Wen happily enjoyed the wine and desserts.
Suddenly remembering Chu Xianyue and Yun Yan, Xie Wen looked at these things and, not wanting to keep them for himself, knocked on Chu Xianyue's door with a plate of fine wine and various desserts.
Just then, they ran into Yun Yan, who was looking for Chu Xianyue. Yun Yan said, "Senior Sister? Are you also looking for Master?"
Xie Wen smiled brightly and showed the fine wine in his hand to Yun Yan, "I was thinking of bringing you and Master to try the good wine that the people from Huangqi Palace brought earlier."
Yun Yan squinted his narrow eyes and asked curiously, "Why did the people from Huangqi Palace only send it to you?" Yun Yan looked left and right to make sure there was no fine wine at the door of his room before looking at Xie Wen again.
The door suddenly opened, revealing a stunningly cold face. Xie Wen said to Chu Xianyue, "Master, this was just delivered by people from Huangqi Palace. Let's drink together."
Xie Wen entered Chu Xianyue's room with practiced ease, opened the door, and sat on the long corridor. Outside the corridor was an endless peach blossom forest, with large swaths of peach blossoms fluttering in the air. This scene was perfect for enjoying oneself.
Chu Xianyue and Yun Yan also sat by the long corridor. Outside the corridor was a suspended structure, and beyond that was a grove of peach trees.
Today is a rare day with nothing to do, a moment of leisure. The three of us will sit here until dusk falls and the wine and food are in full bloom.
Tomorrow is the Flower Banquet at Huangqi Palace.
Today, many people who came to attend the flower banquet were arranged to stay at Zuiwanting. Xie Wen, who was almost drunk, came out of Chu Xianyue's room, but happened to run into Jin Huaran in the corridor. He walked over gracefully, his eyes were gentle, and when he saw Xie Wen, his eyes lit up, "Miss Xie, oh no, Xie Wen."
Xie Wen was also pleasantly surprised, "I told you, we'd see each other again soon. Are you here for the flower banquet too?"
Jin Huaran nodded and said gently, "Xie Wen, do you live over here? I live over there, quite close by."
Xie Wen said, "Perfect timing, I'll come visit you sometime."
As Xie Wen spoke, she was completely unaware that Chu Xianyue had left the room and was now standing right behind her, watching Xie Wen grinning and being incredibly enthusiastic towards Jin Huaran. How come Chu Xianyue hadn't noticed when these two had become so familiar? When did their relationship become so good? So good that Xie Wen needed to come to his room to hang out with him?
Chu Xianyue asked, "Xie Wen, have you made friends?" He didn't look at Jin Huaran, as if who he was didn't matter at all.
Xie Wen was startled and turned around awkwardly, saying, "Yes, Master, you know him too."
Chu Xianyue remained silent, while Yun Yan crossed his arms and looked at Xie Wen with a hint of schadenfreude in his eyes.
Why did Xie Wen feel a strange sense of unease, like she'd been caught fooling around with someone? What was she feeling guilty about? Even if he was her master, he couldn't possibly interfere. Thinking this, Xie Wen felt righteous and no longer guilty.
Suddenly a noisy sound arose, a cacophony of chatter and footsteps. Looking around, one could see several Huangqi Palace attendees leading a group of disciples in golden robes, who were also there to attend tomorrow's flower banquet. The Huangqi Palace attendees were arranging accommodations for them.
Disciples of Kunlun Palace. Leading them was Zhenxi Daoist of Kunlun Mountain, with a white beard, drooping white eyebrows, and a whisk in his hand, exuding the air of a true immortal.
When Daoist Zhenxi saw Chu Xianyue, he made a special trip to pay his respects and then exchanged a few pleasantries with Chu Xianyue, saying, "Immortal Venerable Qingheng, what brings you here today to attend the flower banquet?"
Chu Xianyue said calmly, "I've had some free time lately, so I came."
Zhenxi Daoist said, "Oh, it's rare to see Qingheng with some free time. It's truly a rare treat." With that, he stroked his beard and led his disciples away.
Everyone in the immortal sect knows that Immortal Venerable Qingheng, Chu Xianyue, as the last descendant of the Chu family, bears a heavy mission. He does not easily leave the mountain gate.
I wonder what that old Taoist priest meant by speaking like that.
However, Chu Xianyue didn't care at all. He waved his hand and told Xie Wenwen and Yun Yan to go back to sleep. It was getting late, and they shouldn't linger outside.
Xie Wen said "oh" and thought to herself, "If you don't want me to wander around outside, then I won't." But she just wouldn't.
Well, actually, she didn't have anywhere to wander around. Seeing that Jin Huaran was all alone, Xie Wen asked her, "Did the palace only send you to attend the flower banquet this time?"
Jin Huaran paused for a moment, then shook his head and said, "No, my imperial brother will also be coming tomorrow."
Xie Wen didn't really care who his elder brother was; he was just looking for a topic of conversation out of boredom. At this moment, dusk was falling, the sky was a dark blue, and lightning flashed on the horizon, making it gloomy. It seemed like a summons for a heavy rain. Seeing that Jin Huaran didn't have an umbrella, Xie Wen was worried that he would get soaked on his way back, so he urged Jin Huaran, "It's getting late, you should go back to your room soon."
"I'm going back to my room too." Xie Wen returned to her room and closed the two doors. Xie Wen's bright face slowly closed between the two doors.
Xie Wen lay casually on the bed. Not long after, the sound of raindrops pattering down came from outside. Sure enough, it was raining.
The rain beat down on the delicate peach blossoms outside, scattering the petals and rain together, swaying in the wind and rain, each petal falling into the mud.
In the quiet rainy night, someone suddenly knocked on the door. Xie Wen thought it was Jin Huaran who hadn't left yet and wanted to borrow an umbrella from Xie Wen.
To everyone's surprise, when Xie Wen opened the door, an exceptionally handsome face appeared in the rainy night. He stood tall and elegant in front of Xie Wen, with the relentless downpour behind him, the rain pounding incessantly against the doors and windows.
Xie Wen asked in surprise, "Master, what brings you here?"
Chu Xianyue reached out and handed Xie Wen a fan, saying, "You left your Yaofang in my room."
Xie Wen recalled that this afternoon, when they were drinking together in Chu Xianyue's room, he had thought the bottle's opening was too small, so he picked up Yao Fang and cut it in half. He figured he must have used it then and forgotten to put it away.
Xie Wen smiled and accepted Yao Fang. "I'm so grateful that Master sent it to me. Actually, you didn't need to send it. It would have come back on its own without any external interference."
Chu Xianyue lowered his gaze and glanced at Xie Wen, who then shut up. It was rare for him to be so kind; Xie Wen shouldn't spoil his fun.
As their eyes met, the rain poured down, threatening to engulf the world. Xie Wen said, "This rain is so heavy. Um, Master, would you like to come in and sit down?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Xie Wen wanted to slap himself. What kind of talk was that...?
Chu Xianyue refused as expected, coldly saying, "No need." He turned and his desolate blue figure disappeared into the rain.
The following day, the flower banquet at Huangqi Palace was held on the Sun and Moon Terrace, which is located at the highest point of Huangqi Palace. It is surrounded by a ten-mile-long peach forest, and the view overlooks the entire Fufeng City, which is incredibly breathtaking.
However, as Xie Wen walked up the stairs with Chu Xianyue, they saw many Huangqi Palace disciples still busily dealing with the potted plants that had been broken by the heavy rain the previous night. The back-and-forth movement was somewhat chaotic.
However, amidst this chaos, a different scene unfolded. A large group of guards in tight-fitting clothes carried an extremely luxurious sedan chair, making a grand show of carrying the person inside to the Sun and Moon Platform.
You should know that the Sun and Moon Platform has about a hundred steps. Even Xie Wen herself had to climb up it and she secretly complained. She felt a little sorry for the guards.
People from all the major immortal sects gathered here. Apart from the four leaders of the immortal sects, there were more than a hundred other small and medium-sized sects. Huangqi Palace also invited some well-known sects to participate in this flower banquet.
Among so many people, no one seemed to need to be carried up in a sedan chair. Seeing that even Immortal Venerable Qingheng was personally going up, everyone was astonished. Their attention shifted from Chu Xianyue to the mysterious person riding in the sedan chair.
On the steps leading to the Sun and Moon Platform, Xie Wen saw Jin Huaran walking ahead. For some reason, Xie Wen found his figure easy to recognize and recognized him at a glance. Looking at his back, he did indeed appear somewhat frail.
Xie Wen jogged forward and greeted him, "Jin Huaran, Jin Huaran."
Jin Huaran stood atop the steps and gracefully turned to look at Xie Wen, who smiled.
At the bottom of the steps, Chu Xianyue paused, looking up at Xie Wen's beautiful figure.
She jogged forward, walking towards Jin Huaran with a beaming smile.
It turns out that kind of smile wasn't just reserved for him.
It turns out that Xie Wen also has such a genuine nature, treating you and calling you in a very straightforward and unpretentious way.
That was a completely different side of her from how she appeared in front of him. Xie Wen seemed somewhat afraid of him and avoided him. But in front of Jin Huaran, she had so few reservations and was completely open and honest.
Chu Xianyue lowered his eyes and continued walking, feeling that the rising sun was somewhat dazzling, its light outlining the slender back of the laughing girl ahead. It was truly blinding.
A large group of people walked up to the Sun and Moon Platform. The new Palace Master of Huangqi Palace, who sat at the top of the platform, had been in office for the past few years. Chu Xianyue was busy with his affairs and rarely went out. This was the first time he had seen the new Palace Master of Huangqi Palace.
At that time, the curtains on the pavilion were hanging down in layers, and no one could see her face clearly. There was only a vague shadow, unclear and indistinct.
The person riding in the sedan chair finally arrived at the Sun and Moon Platform. As the sedan chair landed, the attendants outside thoughtfully lifted the curtain, revealing the face of a young man. The attendants beside him said things like, "Your Highness, be careful."
The members of the Immortal Sect whispered among themselves, for this person was none other than Jin Anxu, the Crown Prince of Jin.
Jin Huaran silently walked to Jin Anxu's side and said, "Your Majesty."
Jin Anxu arrogantly raised his head, ignoring Jin Huaran, and went to sit down on his own amidst the welcoming crowd.
Xie Wen was surprised. When he sat back down, he heard people around him whispering, "Jin Huaran is the son of a demon queen. It's already a miracle he was even released from the cold palace. What right does he have to be compared to the Crown Prince?"
"Yes, they've probably come here to carry the Crown Prince's shoes."
"I heard that normally, he would just be the one to carry the Crown Prince's shoes."
"There's nothing we can do. He's the son of the vile queen who wreaked havoc in Jin. The emperor of Jin probably hates him to the core."
...
Xie Wen found it extremely unpleasant to hear, so he shouted in that direction, "You keep calling him the son of a demon empress, what evidence do you have to prove that the former empress was a demon empress? In any case, he is one of the princes, how is it any of your business to discuss him?"
Xie Wen's voice was neither too loud nor too soft, but just as loud as the other people talking. They made no attempt to hide their conversation from others, and their voices could be heard several meters away. It was clear that they wanted to embarrass Jin Huaran, who was present.
Xie Wen was equally unreserved and ruthless, his voice resounding.
The area within a dozen meters of Xie Wen's center fell into an instantaneous, deathly silence.
Xie Wen seemed to hear Chu Xianyue click his tongue, and the next moment Chu Xianyue raised his finger and cast a silencing spell, truly silencing Xie Wen.
Xie Wen opened his mouth, about to speak, but couldn't utter a single syllable. He could open his mouth, but couldn't make a sound, as if his vocal cords had disappeared.
Xie Wen glared at Chu Xianyue with resentment. She had only said one sentence; was it really necessary?
Meeting Chu Xianyue's cold gaze, Xie Wen thought, "Never mind." His cheeks puffed out in anger, unable to speak, he could only sullenly eat his food.
This matter ended with Xie Wen being silenced. Of course, some people were dissatisfied with Xie Wen, such as the Kunlun Academy who had just participated in gossiping. Daoist Zhenxi stroked his beard and shook his head, saying, "Qing Heng has also fallen on hard times. His only two disciples are nothing special."
Xue Zhao, the disciple standing next to the old Taoist, said, "Master is right. I think the people of the Tianyan Sword Sect are getting worse with each generation. They are only holding on because of the older generation. They are nothing like our Kunlun Academy."
The old Taoist priest squinted his eyes, seemingly quite pleased with Xue Zhao's words, as if they were an established fact.
Even if they were dissatisfied, the people of Kunlun Academy could only say such things in private. No matter what, Xie Wen was Chu Xianyue's disciple, and everyone had to give him some face.
Almost everyone invited to the flower banquet arrived, making the Sun and Moon Terrace a lively and bustling place. The banquet seats on both sides were arranged in order of precedence, with Huangqi Palace as the head, creating a grand spectacle.
As the bells tolled, the flower banquet officially began. The layers of curtains above the Sun and Moon Terrace were automatically drawn back, revealing the youthful face of a woman.
Xie Wen's gaze pierced through the hall, finally settling on the woman's face on the stage. A sense of familiarity washed over her. In a daze, the woman's appearance overlapped with a scene from the Ghost Palace Master's illusion. Xie Wen's eyes widened, and she anxiously tried to say something to Chu Xianyue, but a silencing spell had been cast, and Xie Wen couldn't utter a single syllable, only able to fret helplessly.
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