The Journey of Immortal Cultivation

Chapter 939 - 516: Banquet

Once Jiu Mo was liberated from the chains, with her profound demonic power, she could recover in just half a day. He glanced at the sky, embraced the woman at his waist, and found a cave to enter.

...

When Jiu Mo was awake, Tu Jin was already fully dressed. As he turned around, his dark eyes held only a coldness.

"In the future, at times like this, you may come to find me. We can talk again about the rules." Tu Jin reached out and lightly caressed her face, but she gritted her teeth and dodged.

At this moment, the eastern sky just revealed the first ray of dawn.

Tu Jin left.

She lay back on the ground, biting her lip, quietly watching the sunlight dye the peach forest at her feet red.

######

By nightfall, Ning Xiaoxian found that her left arm could mostly move, although she couldn’t exert any force.

The Hidden Stream’s banquet, she really didn’t want to go. After all, Changtian would be in seclusion in three days, and time was pressing. But she was now the Hall Master of the Foreign Affairs Hall, and the task of interacting with various Great Immortal Sects fell on her in the future, making this an opportune moment to expand her network.

"Where has Tu Jin gone? I have a pile of things I need him to help handle." She cast an Ice Mirror Technique and then styled her hair in the reflection.

Changtian put down the book in his hand and helped her put on coral diancang jade earrings: "He and Jiu Mo have some matters to attend to tonight. You can have Qi Zai handle it."

She paused: "He and Jiu Mo?"

"Hmm," Changtian replied calmly, "something came up."

"The people caught by Thorny Hall need their confessions sorted and verified; can Qi Zai handle it?" She was very doubtful.

Changtian suggested: "Let Qingluan go. She has been a deputy for quite a while now and should have the experience."

The Hidden Stream’s banquet was held in the side hall on the second floor of the Forest Palace. In a hall that could hold over seven hundred people, with less than two hundred guests, there was clearly ample space. Large vats of Merfolk Oil were lined up along the wall, illuminating the entire side hall as bright as day. From her perspective, she genuinely disliked such glaring brightness; wasn’t banquet lighting supposed to have some depth?

Had it been half a year ago, Hidden Stream would certainly be scratching its head over hosting, as this sect had never hosted a large number of external guests before. Yet, after several months of opening up, they had accumulated some strategies for dealing with guests. Among Hidden Stream’s demon crowd, it was difficult to find even one or two skilled in the culinary arts, so the taste of the food left a significant impression on guests over the past few days. Therefore, the chef in charge of this evening’s banquet opted to present a variety of grilled foods, along with the unique fruits and fine wines from Bashe Forest.

In the forest, various delicious meats were constantly jumping around, and the Hidden Stream’s chefs were quite adept at barbecue. Ning Xiaoxian’s friendly contributions of cumin, Seven Mile Fragrance, and spicy powder added considerable flavor to the jungle barbecue. As for rice, noodles, or bread rolls, they were basically out of the question.

Laughter and banter echoed, as the third round of drinks came to a close. After two hours, she was nearly drying her mouth from talking, as guests seeking to negotiate with her regarding the Foreign Affairs Hall gradually dwindled. Humans, no matter the world, are humans, full of sharp wit and cunning calculations. Even though most present were cultivators rather than merchants, they were not easy to deal with. At this moment, she especially missed Ning Yu and Dou Er, who was making his way down from Great Snow Mountain. If she had these two around, how much of her troubles would be alleviated?

Huangfuming found Ning Xiaoxian just as she was lazily leaning against the wooden railing protruding from the side hall, lightly swirling a wine glass in her hand. It was very cold outside, and if not for her warming the wine with Divine Power, the wine would have frozen long before.

Ning Xiaoxian had long noticed him approaching. Not yet immune to cold and heat even in the Qi Refinement Realm, Huangfuming was dressed in embroidered attire adorned with auspicious clouds, with a jade headband on his head, his large eyes clear and bright, increasingly appearing elegant and handsome, already with the aura of a charming young man.

This kid, he’s bound to be trouble when he grows up. The Spiritual Energy in this world is truly abundant, no matter where you go you encounter handsome men or future handsome men. Just as she was thinking this, Huangfuming spoke up, his speech carrying the usual disdain: "Isn’t there a single demon in Hidden Stream who can cook? The food here is truly inedible!"

She subtly moved the corners of her mouth: "I thought kids love barbecue with strong flavors." This kid just couldn’t hold back his complaints. In Huaxia, fast food chains like McDonald’s and KFC weren’t kids running wild all over?

"It’s grilled too poorly, burnt on the outside and dry on the inside, like gnawing on firewood. And looking around, it’s all grilled beef, rabbit, and dog meat; I’ve been sick of these things for hundreds of years. Only the seasoning on top barely passes." Holding a plate, he stood outside, and the steam from the meat dissipated, instantly forming a layer of greasy white, with no appearance at all.

She deeply agreed with his complaints; in the evening, she hadn’t touched any meat, only munching on a few fruits. What the Hidden Stream chefs prepared was truly far below the reasonable standard of a proper Demon Sect. As Great Sects like Fengtian Prefecture or Chaoyun Sect always employed many skilled human chefs, but in Hidden Stream, mortals could hardly survive - if not chewed up by Cannibal Flowers in the wild, they might be dragged away by some demon for a meal...

Holding a fruit, Huangfuming took a bite and immediately spat out, frowning: "What is this? I thought it was a pear!"

At the sound, she turned her head, seeing indeed he was biting into something pear-shaped, but its skin was bumpy like crocodile skin. She gleefully joked: "Look, you’ve tasted a fruit you’ve never had before!"

He complained angrily: "This flavor is terrible, like rotten bananas. How can it be served to guests?" Raising his head to see her laughing, he fumed, "What’s so funny? Only pigs would eat such stuff, and the chef dares to deceive people with it!"

Though she knew she shouldn’t feel this childish satisfaction, but seeing this kid face defeat was immensely rewarding. She stifled her laughter: "If you knew what kind of demon the chef was, you’d understand why he served such things."

He stared blankly: "What kind of demon?"

"A pig."

Huangfuming was speechless, then was suffocated with anger.

"Moreover, this thing is actually quite good, you just don’t know how to eat it properly." Ning Xiaoxian took the fruit from his hand and said, "Omniscient young master, do you know what this is called?"

Being underestimated by this woman, despite having tasted countless delicious foods, he grumbled, "It’s just a fruit, what’s so strange about it?"(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendation or monthly tickets at Qidian (qidian.com), your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com for reading.)