A Bizarre Engagement Banquet
Shi Xuan rode a magnificent dragon horse at the very front of the procession, enjoying the attention of everyone.
At the very back of the procession, Chu Feng, Bing Yan, and the Shi Clan patriarch rode together in a carriage.
Chu Feng parted the curtains and looked at the surging crowds along the way. All of these people were cultivators; there wasn't a single ordinary person among them.
Before they knew it, the group had left the imperial city and was heading towards a high mountain outside the city.
As the group got closer to the summit, the cultivation levels of the onlookers also increased, and cultivators below the Dao Foundation Realm were rarely seen.
Inside the carriage, Chu Feng gazed at the magnificent palace atop the mountain and subconsciously asked, "Fellow Daoist Shi, why is Xiao Xuan's engagement banquet being held in this place?"
The Shi Clan patriarch smiled and said, "This Moon-Gazing Palace is where my Shi Clan patriarch attained enlightenment. After our ancestor passed away, in order to commemorate him, all major events of the Shi Clan are held in this Moon-Gazing Palace."
Initially, we arranged for Xuan'er to get engaged here, firstly to show the world how much we valued Xuan'er, and secondly to symbolize that Xuan'er was engaged under the witness of the ancestor. Unfortunately...
Chu Feng naturally understood the unspoken meaning in the Shi Clan patriarch's words. He smiled and said, "It would be a wonderful story to have the Shi Clan patriarch witness Xiao Xuan overpowering all the Child of Destiny and embarking on the path to the highest realm."
Upon hearing this, the Shi Clan patriarch smiled and clasped his Fist Dao, saying, "Fellow Daoist is right. I am also looking forward to Xuan'er's performance next."
As the two were talking, the Shi Clan's group had already entered the Moon-Gazing Palace.
At this time, Moon-Gazing Palace was brightly decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers, creating a festive atmosphere.
The spacious square was already filled with guests.
Each cultivator wore a different expression: some were expectant, some were mocking, and some were disdainful.
After Chu Feng and the others got off the car, they did not join the crowd, but instead stood and chatted with the Shi Clan patriarch.
Time passed second by second.
More and more cultivators gathered in the square, but Shi Xuan, the main character, did not appear before them. He was currently chatting with the Shi Clan family members in a large hall of the Moon-Gazing Palace.
In another hall, nine beautiful women, each with their own unique charm, chatted idly in twos and threes, while Zhao Zhiruo was alone in a corner.
Looking at these women, she thought to herself: You bunch of fools, instead of being the future matriarch of the Shi Clan, you're hooking up with a bunch of Little White. You'll get what's coming to you today.
"The time has come. We cordially request that all distinguished guests proceed to the ceremony to attend the engagement ceremony."
A loud voice came from outside the door, and the group of female cultivators stood up and walked outside.
Every female cultivator in the main hall was dressed exceptionally beautifully, and each of them exuded unparalleled confidence as they stepped out, as if to say, "I am the most beautiful woman today."
After the female cultivators left the main hall, they ran into Shi Xuan. However, of the nine people present, only Zhao Zhiruo gave Shi Xuan a sweet smile; the rest all wore sour faces.
Their expressions seemed to say, "We're dressed up so beautifully today not for you, Shi Xuan, but for someone else."
Shi Xuan wasn't stupid; he could naturally see the sour looks on the women's faces. "I'll let you be happy for a little while longer. Soon, you and your Lineage will be settled by my Shi Clan!"
Ten people, each with their own agenda, walked towards the square as if they were complete strangers.
Representatives from various factions have arrived one after another in the square.
Chu Feng and the cultivators from the Shi Clan sat in a corner, leisurely sipping their tea.
"Newcomer here!"
As a loud voice rang out, everyone looked in the direction from which it came.
Shi Xuan and Zhao Zhiruo were the first to step out. Zhao Zhiruo had a happy smile on her face, while Shi Xuan had returned to his former self as the number one prodigy of the Shi Clan, exuding an air of arrogance that said "I am the only one who can do this."
His appearance immediately drew everyone's attention.
A gasp of surprise erupted from the onlookers. "Wasn't it said that this prodigy of the Shi Clan had wasted three years at the Dao-Seeking Academy and had long lost his former pride? How come he's back to his old self today?"
"It's just for show. After all, today is his engagement party, and he can't lose face in front of outsiders."
"..."
The members of the Great Abyss Imperial Clan looked at Shi Xuan, who was both familiar and unfamiliar, and a look of surprise flashed in their eyes.
Xu Wanshun murmured, "Cousin, Shi Xuan is acting strangely today. He's a completely different person from the one in the palace that day."
Xu Chengjie laughed and said, "No matter what he becomes, he's destined to be disgraced today. Just look at those eight fiancées behind him."
Upon hearing this, everyone glanced at the eight women who were half a step away from Shi Xuan. They all wore sour expressions, as if it were incredibly lucky for Shi Xuan to be engaged to them.
The old patriarch of the Shi Clan looked at the expressions of those women, and a ruthless glint flashed in his eyes.
"They're all ingrates! They're taking my Shi Clan Shi Clan's cultivation resources and then giving us attitude at a time like this. I will absolutely not let the forces behind them get away with this."
Chu Feng joked, "Fellow Daoist, you forgot one thing. These women are using your Shi Clan's cultivation resources to support their Little White."
"..."
The Shi Clan patriarch: If you can't speak properly, then speak less. I'm already exhausted enough, why do you have to add insult to injury?
The assembled cultivators completely ignored the disdain on the beauties' faces, and instead began to comment on them.
"Jade Sword Sect of the Bai Su Qing and Jin Xi of the Jin Clan are so beautiful! Zhao Zhiruo from the Wind and Snow Kingdom is also quite stunning. I really envy Shi Tianjiao."
"I think these three are just average among the nine women. Xue Jiang from the Ice Heart Palace, Han Lu from the Northern Tableland Kingdom, and Yan Ruhua Moon-Embracing Sect are the most beautiful."
"You two are only talking about appearances. If you ask me, Tao Yaoyao of the Jade Cauldron Sect, Tong Ziyi of the Spirit Vulture Gate, and Mu Rong of the Great Snow Mountain are the real top-tier steeds. They look so..."
These discussions were not loud, and naturally could not affect today's protagonist Shi Xuan.
He glanced indifferently at the guests present, trying to see if there were any familiar faces among them.
His gaze quickly swept across the front row and landed on a fellow he had seen in the palace that day.
The other party seemed to sense Shi Xuan's gaze and then gave him a provocative look.
Shi Xuan didn't react at all, continuing to search with his eyes to see if there were any familiar faces. With only one Child of Destiny arriving, the scene wasn't exciting enough.
Just then, a loud voice rang out.
"Welcome everyone to the Shi Clan Moon-Gazing Palace for Shi Xuan's engagement ceremony. I, Shi Zhennan, greet you all."
Along with the sound came a statue.
Everyone present bowed to the old man and said, "King Who Pacifies the South Highness, you are too kind. It is our honor to attend the engagement banquet of the Shi Clan's prodigy."
The Prince of King Who Pacifies the South smiled slightly, "Distinguished guests, the auspicious time has arrived. I hereby declare the engagement banquet officially open. Now, please invite the elders of the newlyweds to come and witness this."
After speaking, ten figures landed on the stage in unison, where the servants of the Shi Clan had already prepared chairs and tables.
One of the men, who bore a striking resemblance to Shi Xuan and wore a light gold robe, sat in the main seat, while the other nine sat in the remaining seats.
What's puzzling is that, despite it being a joyous occasion, none of the ten people wore any smiles.
It was as if they weren't there for a wedding banquet, but rather to go to jail.
This scene gives people a very eerie feeling.
But the King Who Pacifies the South seemed oblivious to the expressions on everyone's faces.
The complicated procedures continued, and for a moment only the voice of the King Who Pacifies the South could be heard on the stage.
As the ceremony progressed, the atmosphere at the engagement party became increasingly strange.
Half an hour later, the King Who Pacifies the South spoke, "Next, we will proceed with the final ceremony of the engagement ceremony: the exchange of tokens."
He paused deliberately, then turned to the ten newlyweds present and said, "Now that you've exchanged tokens of your love, you're family. You must live well together from now on. Now, let's begin exchanging tokens."
The eight women present frowned subconsciously upon hearing this, but Zhao Zhiruo happily took out her token from her storage ring.
Seeing this, the other eight women couldn't delay any longer. Just as they took out their tokens and were about to exchange them, an untimely voice rang out.
Wait a minute!!!