In the next instant, everyone looked outside and witnessed the arrival of one of the Three Great Immortal Sects.
They were finally here. In her heart, Bai Luochu felt as though all her suffering was worth it. She was finally able to see those old acquaintances she had been expecting.
Once the report ended, a party strode over under everyone"s nose.
The old man leading the party might be old but he was energetic, hale, and hearty; both his eyes were gleaming and the shrewd look in them couldn"t be hidden. The three individuals behind him were all dressed in white and there were two males with the last member being a female. Each of them had straight and confident postures and they looked capable and experienced. Their looks were extraordinary, not letting down the demeanor of a great sect.
"This old one is late... I wish that His Majesty and the Empress Dowager would excuse us."
The old man leading the group spoke politely but his back was still straight like a pole, showing off the arrogance of someone from an immortal sect.
The ones who arrived were truly old friends and the leader was one of the Phoenix King Valley"s Three Halls and Six Palaces" Hall Master. This individual had an imposing aura that was extraordinary and there was a benevolent look on his face. It could even be said that he looked like a kind grandfather next door. However, the truth was that this person was extremely astute. He was an old fox no matter how others might describe him. Back then, Bai Luochu once fell for this person"s schemes.
In the past, Bai Luochu was a glutton and she prepared to sneak into the Phoenix King alley to steal a jar of wine. She was shocked at how easy it was to steal a jar when she realized that it had already been swapped with a jar of chili water. Bai Luochu choked on it pretty badly...
This old man was initially watching quietly from the tree but when he saw Bai Luochu"s hilarious expression, he couldn"t control his laughter. "pffff."
Bai Luochu had even fought against this old man because of this. No one was able to obtain the upper hand and when the old man saw how Bai Luochu had such an impressive cultivation base despite her age, he immediately started to sing her praises.
As the saying went, "no discord, no concord." Bai Luochu who was an evil dao witch had formed a rather good relations.h.i.+p with a member of a prestigious orthodox sect and the both of them became friends despite their huge gap in age.
The old man even took out a jar of excellent wine from his collection to compensate Bai Luochu. The two of them drank the wine and didn"t bother about their status and background. They spoke and laughed as they enjoyed a pleasant conversation.
The old man gradually felt that he had hit it off with this la.s.s and although she was from the evil dao, she had exceptional cultivation. Her view on the three outlooks was proper and her morality couldn"t be doubted. The more he looked at her, the more pleased he became. He even wanted to recruit Bai Luochu into the Phoenix King Valley.
In order to recruit Bai Luochu, the old man made use of his glib tongue to the fullest. Who knew that no matter what he did, Bai Luochu wouldn"t yield. The old man slowly became bewildered and he asked her, "The Phoenix King Valley is one of the Three Great Immortal Sects, a prestigious and orthodox sect. Why won"t you join us?"
"Prestigious and orthodox sect? What is righteous? What is evil? It is just the judgment of others who don"t comply with rules we set." Bai Luochu snorted with disdain and turned around to smile at the old man as she said, "You are pretty good yourself. Do you have any interest in joining my sect?"
When the old man heard this reply, he was stunned as he started reflecting on whatever she said. As a chuckle escaped his lips, he shook his head and sighed with emotion, "Tsk Tsk, this la.s.s is truly a crafty one."
But, righteous and evil would always oppose each other. The only thing he could hope for was that they wouldn"t be standing on the opposite side when the time to fight came.
When Bai Luochu thought back to her past, she couldn"t help but shake her head silently. Fate really loved to play tricks on humans. She might not have died in the old man"s hands but the Phoenix King Valley did ally with the other sects to surround her temple. There was no doubt the Phoenix King Valley was one of the main contributors to her death.
"Hahahaha, Elder doesn"t have to be so polite. The Phoenix King Valley is one of the Three Great Immortal Sects. I am grateful that you are willing to attend the Empress Dowager"s birthday banquet and take part in such worldly affairs. How will I dare to blame you?! Men! Quickly bring our esteemed guests to their seats!"
When the Emperor saw that the Phoenix King Valley really sent men to visit his nation, he was delighted. He didn"t even think that punctuality was a problem. He quickly arranged seats for the members of the Phoenix King Valley.
"Your Majesty is too courteous." The old man responded to the Emperor politely and took a seat. As for the disciples, they took their seats as well.
When everyone saw the old man, their eyes were glowing fervently and all of them wanted to curry favor with him. In the end, they knew that an immortal sect wasn"t an existence that they could suck up to just because they wanted to. They had no choice but to watch and smile as they waited for the members of the immortal sect to notice them.
The Third Prince, Pei Wuchen, was originally the Phoenix King Valley Master"s last disciple and had been cultivating in the valley since a young age. He was the individual that was the most familiar with the members of the Phoenix King Valley and he hastily went up to greet them the moment they sat down.
"Elder, is Master doing fine?" The Third Prince bowed to the old man and asked about the current situation in Phoenix King Valley the moment he opened his mouth.
"Hahahaha, you are really a considerate disciple. Don"t worry, the Valley Master is doing well. However, there are plenty of affairs to handle in the valley and he has to oversee everything. Otherwise, he would definitely come and take a look at his personal disciple!"
The old man responded to the Third Prince"s inquiry and his manner of speech was much more intimate compared to his conversation with the Emperor.
There was a lady beside the old man who was as attractive as a fairy. Perhaps due to her ident.i.ty as a member of the Phoenix King Valley, she seemed as though she possessed the aura of a G.o.ddess from the nine heavens. She was the Phoenix King Valley Master"s daughter... Feng Wan"er.
"Senior brother."
Feng Wan"er"s voice was gentle and graceful. She looked at Pei Wuchen with eyes filled with affection as she called out to him softly.
Everyone present understood that the Phoenix King Valley Master"s daughter and the Third Prince were probably in love with each other. They were really a match made in heaven.
"Junior sister, have you been doing well recently?" The Third Prince responded and everyone could hear how gentle he was. There were even traces of affection in his eyes.
"Being able to see senior brother… It"s all that matters." Feng Wan"er said as she smiled at Pei Wuchen. Her beautiful eyes were glowing and she revealed a charming and lovely smile.
"Hey, la.s.s Wan, don"t you feel ashamed to behave like this in front of so many people?" The old man saw the sweet affection between the couple and couldn"t help but make fun of Feng Wan"er.
"Elder, I finally got a chance to see senior brother! Stop making fun of Wan"er." As she spoke, she stomped her feet and acted like a spoiled child.
"Hahahaha, that"s true. Elder, they have not met in a long time and must have many things to talk about. Let us speak among ourselves and leave them alone!"
The Emperor was actually glad to see this happen, after all, the Valley Master had intentions to treat Pei Wuchen as his son-in-law. Of course, he also had the intention of treating Feng Wan"er as his daughter-in-law. For the Cloud Water Nation to form an alliance with an immortal sect through marriage was a matter of great honor! They would definitely be able to provide a huge amount of a.s.sistance to the nation!
Today was also an occasion where there weren"t too many rules. In the end, the emperor allowed them to do as they pleased.
When everyone saw that the Phoenix King Valley Elder was enjoying a joyous conversation with the Emperor while the Third Prince had an affectionate conversation with the Valley Master"s daughter, envy filled their hearts. Turning to look at the members of the immortal sect, all of them were speaking to the imperial clan members.
They thought about how great it would be if their child could enter the Phoenix King Valley as well. They would definitely be able to receive preferential treatment from the emperor if that were to happen. When they thought about how their clan would be able to obtain more opportunities if they had such status, one of them gathered some courage and asked, "I wonder if Elder can inform us if the Phoenix King Valley has any intentions to accept disciples? Are there any conditions for accepting disciples? I have admired the Phoenix King Valley for the longest time, but my own cultivation standard is limited. My only wish is to send my child into the valley to pick up some skills. I hope for the Elder"s forgiveness for being so bold."
Everyone looked at the courageous man who spoke up. Even though they might feel that he was someone who didn"t know his place, they were grateful he asked the question in their stead.
"This lord, there is no need to hurry. Since the Phoenix King Valley sent us here, we naturally have a job to do. Please wait for a moment. This old one will give everyone a satisfactory answer."