Auspicious clouds filled the sky, and the scene was bright and bustling.
Where ten thousand flowers bloomed, immortals gathered in abundance. Laughter and merry voices reveled in the spring breeze; fragrant mist drifted, and warm winds lingered beneath the lovely sun. Before the halls, flowers and trees seemed to bring forth spring itself as the Primordial Universe's grandest and most revered feast began.
Bai Yujun noticed that some seats were empty...
"Immortal Lord Xia, Immortal Lord Li, and the other six Immortal Lords haven't come. Interesting."
She saw through it but did not expose it.
A Lishi quietly stepped forward and removed the empty seats.
Bai Yujun stood on tiptoe, peering into the distance. She spotted a girl beside Immortal Lord Xia—Xia Lan. Perhaps it was Xia Lan's first time attending the Peach Banquet; she seemed timid yet curious. Dressed in finery, she was beautiful, but Bai Yujun preferred Fairy Chang'e, with that faint thread of melancholy and sorrow around her.
The auspicious hour arrived.
Rosy clouds stretched ten thousand miles, and purple qi billowed through the air.
Immortal officials and heavenly generals stood guard as the Queen Mother and Jade Emperor entered in magnificent golden robes. The immortals rose to welcome them. Immortal music drifted softly, golden light shone ten thousand fathoms high, and Bai Yujun did not dare lift her head to look around. Standing at a distance, she bowed together with the immortal maidens and female officials.
At a time like this, it was best not to raise one's head and look around. The lower-profile one could be, the better.
Next came the immortals' birthday blessings, and the atmosphere was full of joy and harmony.
More than a hundred immortal maidens, graceful and elegant, carried peaches from near to far and placed them upon the tables. The