The first prince Mingyue Qian had more authority and influence than his two brothers and the Revelry soon resumed its festivities. On the surface all three brothers acted respectful but this was merely one of many battles for power between them. While Mingyue Qian acted as the peace maker and showed off his leaders.h.i.+p skills, more people were undoubtedly impressed by the third brother"s ability to scheme and bring down the second brother"s monopoly on one of the priestess positions.Lin Qingcheng didn"t pay attention to any of these matters as she finally managed to lose the annoying and clingy Mingyue Jian in the commotion. She took her disciples back to the artistic compet.i.tion as she was impressed by their skills, especially at dancing. It was something that interested her a great deal and she wanted to learn more.
The remaining hours pa.s.sed uneventfully and it was soon the finale of the Revelry. It was past midnight and the moon was at its most splendid in the night sky. It was so bright it even s.h.i.+ned through the windows into the room, bathing the attendees in a soft white glow.
The five priestess selection events all finished and the five that were chosen stood on the stairs beneath the stone pillar. Hua Yulan ended up being selected, to no one"s surprise. The princes, lords, and everyone else gathered around them and a sea of faces stared intently at the Tear of Chang Xi. Lin Qingcheng was curious as well, eager to see just what kind of power this treasure had.
And soon, the tear pulsed with energy…
It was unmistakable and mysterious. Even with her terrible spiritual sense, Lin Qingcheng could follow it as it swirled around the stone pillar. The five women didn"t seem to sense anything at first because of their lower cultivation but soon the energy started to enter their bodies and they let out a sigh of comfort. Their bodies glowed a soft white and they seemed extremely happy and relaxed.
The energy did not linger for long and quickly disappeared. The tear went back to its original state and everyone cheered for the newly blessed Holy Lunar Priestesses.
The five were led off the platform by attendants in white robes while an elderly woman, much like the judges of the selection events, took to the steps. The yelling and clapping calmed down and she began to speak.
"The Full Moon Revelry is here. We wors.h.i.+p the G.o.ddess and her heavenly bestowment. Praise our G.o.ddess Chang Xi!"
Everyone bowed and chanted, "Praise G.o.ddess Chang Xi! Praise G.o.ddess Chang Xi!"
Their combined voices, fervor, and energy reverberated around the entire grand ballroom. The tear seemed to like it and Lin Qingcheng sensed it vibrate slightly.
"May the Tear of Chang Xi continue to lead the Bright Moon Kingdom to generations of prosperity! May our G.o.ddess bless us forever! Praise our G.o.ddess Chang Xi!"
"Praise G.o.ddess Chang Xi! Praise G.o.ddess Chang Xi!"
Lin Qingcheng gawked at these people from the back, feeling very awkward and out of place. She didn"t realize that Mingyue Jian really meant it as a religion. These people really took it seriously!
Her Lin Town also had supernatural beliefs and its citizens prayed to a variety of local G.o.ds. However, she had a decent upbringing as the mayor"s daughter and knew of those things to be fake.
She only believed in one thing, immortals and their immortal powers. Having joined the world of immortal cultivation, her view of the world was no longer the same as these mortals who saw everything they could not comprehend as supernatural. She didn"t need to bow to an object when her master was there by her side.
She smiled as her thoughts drifted to him, wondering where he was now. Chen Wentian had left on a two-week solo excursion and left his disciples to their own devices. She suddenly felt incredibly lonely in her heart and wished he could have taken her along.
Lin Qingcheng eventually felt a tug on her sleeves as Mo Yanmi brought her out of her daydream. The religious service had finally finished and the old priestess was talking about the sixth and final priestess selection.
"… The sixth priestess shall now be chosen by tear. All women here have an opportunity to be chosen. The G.o.ddess is kind and does not discriminate based on status or wealth. It can be any one of you…"
Lin Qingcheng suddenly had a bad feeling. She recalled what Mingyue Jian had told her about the sixth priestess and realized that he had omitted such details on purpose. It could be anybody? Then was possible it chooses her!
"… The G.o.ddess chooses her priestess based on her own heavenly reasons. Whether you are a princess or a servant, it doesn"t matter. Whoever is chosen is always an extremely blessed woman! Now… the G.o.ddess speaks!"
A hush came over the congregation as the tear pulsed with white light once again. This time, it was much stronger, as if it had absorbed the strength of ma.s.ses around it. The energy gathered in a cloud above the gem before spreading out. It washed down on every woman in the crowd, as if examining them at the same time. It only took a second before all of the energy coalesced together above the woman that was chosen. A beam of white light came down, illuminating a certain someone wearing a yellow robe and a mask.
"Oh, c.r.a.p…" Lin Qingcheng muttered.
Every head swiveled in her direction and every pair of eyes were immediately on her. They stared at her in shock, jealousy, fury, disbelief, worry, and a myriad of other emotions. Mingyue Jian looked giddy and about to jump for joy. She saw Mingyue Tian"s ugly face filled with rage while Mingyue Qian"s face was taken over by a queer smile. Her own disciples were looking at her in panic, uncertain of what to do.
Before she could do anything, the white spiritual energy suddenly gained intensity around her. It was not angry, more like extremely excited. The light became almost blindingly bright and everyone else had to look away.
Lin Qingcheng suddenly felt that this energy was extremely familiar and that she had felt it before. She tried to think but kept getting distracted by the swirling lights around her. She was still confused when she heard a soft voice by her ear.
"Little girl… you… your smell… You"ve met my daughter!"