Chapter 1308: Unexpected Guests

Chapter 1308: Chapter 1308: Unexpected Guests

Lin Ruxue’s uncharacteristic remark left the sect leaders, used to being bossed around by her, unsure of how to respond. The atmosphere became quite awkward without anyone chiming in, and seeing this, Pei Yan stepped forward to ease the situation: "Has no one here ever dined with the Spirit Lord? Well, I must be superior to you all in this regard. The first time I met the Spirit Lord, she gifted me a fish. Later, we even had breakfast together at Yirong Pavilion."

"Hmph, at least you have a little gratitude! If it weren’t for my fish back then, you’d have disappeared without a trace! I meddled too much and ruined Jun Zhao’s plan. It would have been better to let her take your body, and we’d have one less troublemaker today." Lin Ruxue snorted coldly, looking at Pei Yan with a mocking gaze.

"Oh, come now! Without me, who would handle all the affairs for you?" Pei Yan grinned and echoed her words.

"You’ve caused me as much trouble as you’ve helped!" After complaining to Pei Yan, Lin Ruxue turned to the crowd with a smile and invited, "Alright, as I said before, there’s no need to be so formal today. Just like the boy said, he’s even had a meal with me, while some have worked for me for centuries without such an opportunity. It would seem I’m too coldhearted if it got out. Since the banquet is prepared, let’s all join in."

Upon Lin Ruxue’s words, everyone had differing thoughts, especially Su Fengchen and Li Ang, who were most troubled. What did she mean by "no opportunity in the end"? Could it be the Spirit Lord had sensed something? Su Fengchen glanced at Liu Xuanji beside him and found him unusually calm, even with a hint of joy. There was no trace of anxiety! Strange! Did he know he was cleared of suspicion, or was he masking so well that even he couldn’t decipher his thoughts?

"Pei Yan, do you have a vendetta against the fish in my Immortal Palace?" Lin Ruxue’s question jolted Su Fengchen back to reality. He then noticed Lin Ruxue was looking at the pool, originally sparkling clean, now dotted with floating breadcrumbs, frowning slightly in displeasure.

"Uh~! I didn’t know they wouldn’t eat this stuff! The carp in my courtyard eats the feed I give them." Pei Yan was at a loss, realizing Lin Ruxue had sharp eyes. Yet, those dozen breadcrumbs bobbing on the water were rather conspicuous.

"This is different from the Spiritual Carp in your courtyard. Those carp can breathe in Primordial Qi and have the power to harmonize and nourish spirit, but they are at the lowest level, with a bit of intelligence to please their master. Here, however, they are Dragon Carps that can transform into dragons once they leave the water. Each possesses strength close to the Heavenly Dao, sealing themselves here only to gain a trace of Heaven and Earth Origin Qi from the Spirit Lord, seeking to break through the Heavenly Dao. Upon breaking through, they would thank the Spirit Lord and leave, replaced by other fortunate Dragon Carps of strength. Hence, they wouldn’t eat your mundane food." Feng Tianhe, seeing Pei Yan’s embarrassment, leaned down to remind him in his ear.

"Why didn’t you tell me earlier!" Pei Yan chuckled awkwardly and muttered softly.

"How could I know you’d be bored enough to play with the fish? Look around; does anyone else here act like you?"

"Enough!" Lin Ruxue gestured calmly towards the pond, saying, "Since they kindly gave you a meal, don’t turn it down."

As soon as she spoke, the dragon carps’ intelligence became evident. They who previously ignored the breadcrumbs now swiftly cleared them away, and with a burst of liveliness on the pond, all returned to calm as if restored to its original state.

This small incident lightened the mood significantly among everyone. With several leaders surrounding Lin Ruxue, the group moved to the pavilion. Lin Ruxue naturally took the main seat, Lin Junzhao sat to her left, and Pei Yan originally wanted to sit beside Lin Junzhao. However, Lin Ruxue stopped him and ordered him to sit on her right.

Once everyone else took their seats inside the pavilion, the empty seat became conspicuous. At this moment, Lin Ruxue seemingly recalled something and turned to Lin Daozi, who had just sat beside Pei Yan, and chided: "Yiqiu! Where are the people I asked you to invite?" ℴ

"Disciple arranged them in a private room within the pavilion, getting caught up in the banquet preparations and forgetting Master’s instructions. It was my mistake; I will fetch them immediately."

Pei Yan watched as one rebuked another, who then left nervously. He was unsure if Lin Daozi really forgot or if the master and disciple were putting on an act, but either way it sparked his curiosity, making him turn to see where Lin Daozi was heading, eager to see who he would bring back.

Before long, Lin Daozi returned, leading two people through the corridor from outside the courtyard. One tall and one short, the tall man had a lean face and a cold expression. His triangular eyes, sharp as an eagle, paired with his fierce demeanor gave off a harsh impression. The short, elderly man, in contrast, was plump, affable, and good-natured. Upon entering the courtyard and seeing the pavilion’s occupants, he greeted acquaintances with distant bows.

Pei Yan had never seen these two individuals before, and could only rely on others’ reactions to gauge the newcomers. He noticed that apart from Lin Ruxue and Lin Junzhao, everyone at the table showed signs of surprise. Liu Xuanji and Su Fengchen were so shocked that their bodies instinctively stood up from their chairs, eventually sitting back down after those beside them subtly tugged on their sleeves, realizing their loss of composure.

Seeing their dramatic change in expression, Pei Yan had a rough guess who the newcomers were. Just as expected, after Lin Daozi led them into the pavilion, Lin Ruxue glanced at Pei Yan and said, "Back then, you were imprisoned because of him, and today your release is thanks to him as well. But you’ve never met each other, so why not get acquainted?"

"You must be Pei Yan, Pei Xiaoyou! I am Chu Luochen, master of Celestial Sword Manor, and this is my junior brother Wan Qianli."

The short, stout elder chuckled kindly, introducing himself to Pei Yan. Pei Yan never imagined that the Chu Luochen, whom he had pictured as a suave figure like Mo Baiqi, would be such a short, plump man. But despite his surprise, Pei Yan stood up smiling and responded, "In the past, our two sects had some friction, misunderstandings led your sect to endure a prolonged imprisonment. I, as a junior, failed to consider thoroughly and investigate adequately."

Saying this, Pei Yan poured himself a cup of wine from the table, raising it: "Today’s banquet is hosted by the Spirit Lord. Seeing you both, I realize the Spirit Lord wishes to use this occasion to resolve misunderstandings between us. Now that the misunderstanding is cleared, responsibility falls solely on me and is unrelated to the investigation hall. I hope both seniors will let bygones be bygones, and that any grudge between our sects will dissolve. Today, I borrow the Spirit Lord’s esteemed place to offer three self-punishing cups to apologize. If you have any lingering dissatisfaction or requests, do let me know, and I will ensure proper compensation."

With that, Pei Yan bowed to Chu Luochen, and amidst his bewildered gaze, he followed through with the agreement by downing three cups consecutively.