The Bai family's flowing banquet was divided into upper, middle, and lower tiers, plainly sorting the guests into three classes. Xiang Yang and the other two had been placed by Ruan Hanyun among the upper-tier tables, where both the dining environment and the food and wine far surpassed those of the middle and lower tiers.
This was an open-air square, enclosed on two sides by high walls covered in gray vines. They twisted and interwove densely, like countless gray serpents guarding the square.
At the front and rear stood two enormous stone archways, each flanked by a massive stone lion and guarded by experts clad in fitted white garments. Their martial cultivation was formidable, displaying the foundation and strength of a great family.
As this was a joyous occasion of taking a concubine, every guard wore a red ribbon at his waist, and even the stone lions' nose rings were no exception.
Around thirty banquet tables had been arranged across the center of the square, laden with abundant dishes. Though they could not compare to Hongtu Tower's extravagant excesses, they were still an expense beyond the reach of ordinary people. Jianghu folk who braved wind and rain rarely enjoyed such refined and delicious fare.
Xiang Yang sat with Huang Shaoxiong and Nan Fenglan at an empty table on the right. Before the banquet began, they carefully observed their surroundings and the people present. The nearby guests had not noticed the trio's arrival, as though a drop of water had melted into a river.
Ordinarily, as one Dao-Manifestation expert and two Celestial Beings, the three of them would have been the center of any crowd and drawn eyes with ease.
Yet Xiang Yang used a small trick, employing a secret spiritual art to make their bearing and presence far more ordinary.