Banquet

With the Xiao Clan working together, Xiao Manor was transformed in the blink of an eye, every corner brimming with a lively, festive atmosphere.

Broidered floral silk wrapped around the vermilion corridor pillars, while red-and-gold ribbons draped from the upturned eaves, unfurling in the breeze like flowing clouds of sunset. Strings of dazzling glazed palace lanterns hung beneath the corridors, their unlit forms already radiating splendor. The courtyard was filled with rare flowers and exotic plants gathered from across Jia Ma Imperial City, their rich fragrance mingling with the fresh scent of greenery and spreading through every corner of the residence.

Such grand decorations surpassed even the Xiao Clan's past holiday celebrations, every detail conveying solemnity and heartfelt enthusiasm in welcoming the clan's legends home.

Amid the busy figures of the clan members, time slipped away like sand through fingers.

High in the sky, the blazing sun gradually drew in its sharp brilliance. Its golden-red afterglow gently fell upon the upturned eaves of Xiao Manor, casting a warm halo over the exquisite carved beams and painted rafters.

When the final streak of sunset vanished beyond the horizon, night descended slowly like a heavy expanse of black brocade.

Cool moonlight poured down from the heavens, like frost or snow, shrouding the entire Xiao Manor in hazy silver radiance.

The flowers and plants that had seemed languid beneath the daytime sun appeared to awaken, stretching their branches and leaves beneath the moonlight. They complemented the glazed palace lanterns gradually lighting up beneath the corridors, making the elegant manor seem even more refined and lively.

On the vast square before the main hall of Jia Ma Imperial Palace, banners snapped in the wind and armor glinted coldly. A procession had long since formed up in orderly ranks, ready to depart.

Black iron spears