NovelYeni #410 - Immortal Methods
#410 - Immortal Methods
Although they had been left waiting for almost two hours, surrounded by a group of strange foreign people, most of them felt that the trip was worthwhile when the dishes were served.
Because there were as many as eighteen plates of various dried and fresh fruits, all rare items that were hard to buy in the market on ordinary days. Then there were also strands of golden incense, carved candied fruits, and twelve flavors each of dried meat and pickles. And this was just the fruit and snacks before the meal.
When the main course began, the palace maids brought up fifteen small dishes to go with the wine, six plates of skewers, seven dishes to encourage drinking, and ten cups for paired eating, followed by the evening meal.
All of them were made by the imperial chefs, with perfect color, aroma, and taste. Even Lü Ping, who came from the Xiaoyao Villa, had never seen such a display. No wonder everyone in the world wanted to be an emperor, possessing the wealth of the nine provinces.
However, even with the delicacies in front of them, the disciples of the academy still maintained restraint.
They didn't forget the purpose of their trip. They could eat the dishes, but very few people touched the wine that was served.
Besides that, they were also waiting for the follow-up from the person behind the main table. Zhu Xie had summoned so many strange people and strangers into the palace tonight, and it was obviously not just a whim to invite everyone to taste the palace delicacies.
However, Lu Jing and the others couldn't guess his intention for a while. Could it be that he suspected that there were evil things in the palace, so he gathered all the people in the world who could exorcise evil, to see which one was effective?
Just as he was thinking, the eunuch's announcement came from outside the door again, "The Eastern Xuan Zhenren has arrived!"
Zhu Xie behind the main table was obviously shaken when he heard this sentence. He put down the vinegar-soaked crab in his hand and stood up, striding towards the entrance of the hall. Judging from his appearance, he seemed to be preparing to go out to greet him.
Considering his status, this courtesy was quite significant.
Moreover, judging from the name, Zhu Xie was not going out to welcome a general who had returned in triumph or a monarch from another country, but a Taoist priest.
If he remembered correctly, Zhu Xie had missed the time for the evening banquet because he was too fascinated by listening to this Eastern Xuan Zhenren's lecture.
Cheng Guan was quite dissatisfied when he saw this, threw down the shrimp bun in his hand, and snorted coldly. He seemed to want to say something, but he held back in the end when he thought of his identity.
After all, he was a member of the Sitianjian. According to the rules of the Sitianjian, he should not interfere in the affairs of the palace.
In fact, his previous advice was already a bit presumptuous, but he was ultimately different from Guo Shouhuai, and he couldn't be as indifferent to the change of the dynasty and the rise and fall of the world as the latter.
As a native of Lintian Prefecture, whose grandfather had once served as an official in the court, he had a lot of sense of belonging to the Chen Dynasty.
Especially when he thought that if a great chaos were to arise, he didn't know how many people would be displaced or die in the war, and he didn't know how much of the prosperity of Lintian Prefecture would be left, he felt even more唏嘘.
So, seeing Zhu Xie, this official, not busy governing the country and dealing with the crisis, but messing around with these messy people, listening to some dog-shit Taoist preaching, Cheng Guan felt a burst of unhappiness in his heart.
He reached out and grabbed the wine pot beside him and drank alone. Anyway, he was just a clerk in the Sitianjian. He had neither cultivation nor martial arts. Even if he remained sober, it would be of little use if something happened. It was better to drink when he should.
A moment later, he squinted and saw Zhu Xie pulling an old Taoist who looked like an immortal from outside the door, walking in while talking and laughing.
"I said that this evening banquet should have waited for the Zhenren to arrive before starting. The Zhenren is kind-hearted and afraid that others would be hungry, so he insisted that we eat first."
The Taoist waved his hand when he heard the words, "The official doesn't need to worry about me. The old Taoist has been fasting for more than twenty years, and now only drinks morning dew and absorbs the morning glory. The old Taoist is not blessed to enjoy these fine wines and delicacies of the official."
"Eastern Xuan Zhenren truly deserves to be a master, and can directly absorb the essence of heaven and earth." Zhu Xie praised sincerely.
Cheng Guan almost spat out the wine in his mouth when he heard this sentence.
However, Xia Huai's expression moved slightly in the distance, and he said in a low voice, "Be careful, I have sensed the existence of secret power on him."
"A cultivator?" Lu Jing raised his eyebrows.
Unlike Xia Huai and others, he could not sense the secret power between heaven and earth, but Lu Jing also did not underestimate this Eastern Xuan Zhenren.
Because he had been silently paying attention to the reactions of the others in the hall, and found that including the foreign man who claimed to be a prince, they all showed considerable respect for this Eastern Xuan Zhenren, and even had a hint of hidden awe in their eyes.
So this old Taoist was obviously not simple.
Of course, fasting was just nonsense. Cultivators also need to eat. To only bask in the sun and not eat anything for twenty years is a solar panel.
However, Zhu Xie was obviously very receptive to this. He pulled the old Taoist to his table and let the old Taoist sit beside him, and then couldn't wait to say, "Zhenren said earlier that he would introduce a few of his disciples to me tonight. I wonder where they are now?"
"Official, don't worry, my disciples have already arrived. They will appear as soon as the steward summons them."
"Is the Zhenren's statement true?" Zhu Xie said in surprise.
You must know that this is the imperial city, with strict guards. Whether entering or leaving, you need to go through strict checks. The guest list for tonight had already been handed over to Zhu Xie, and Zhu Xie was very sure that there were no disciples of Eastern Xuan Zhenren on it.
Eastern Xuan Zhenren did not explain, but just stroked his beard and smiled呵呵, "Whether it is true or false, the official will know as soon as he tries it."
"Okay." Zhu Xie nodded and did not talk nonsense. He said directly, "I wonder which is the Tongxuan Zhenren's best disciple, can you meet with me."
Just as he uttered the first word, a crow flew in from outside the hall, scaring the two palace maids at the door. Then, worried that the crow would bump into Zhu Xie, they quickly asked people to find a net to catch the bird.
But then they saw the crow circling a few times in the air above the hall, and suddenly swooped down, landing on the ground when Zhu Xie's last word landed.
In the next moment, everyone saw the crow protecting its two wings in front of its chest, and its body began to swell rapidly, becoming more than one person tall in the blink of an eye.
Then its wings reopened, revealing a naked boy inside, and the black feathers turned into the boy's long hair, draped over his shoulders, all the way to the ground, like silk.
"Yeya has met the official." The boy said with a grin to the stunned Zhu Xie.
The Eastern Xuan Zhenren frowned and scolded, "Why don't you put on your clothes quickly, what kind of manner is this now."
The boy looked a little innocent, "Master, you know, I can't bring anything when I transform into a crow, so it's not that I don't want to wear clothes, but I really don't have any clothes now."
Before the Eastern Xuan Zhenren could say anything, he heard Zhu Xie suddenly shout "Good!", then his eyes lit up and he said excitedly, "Wang Dabao, hurry, go get a set of my casual clothes and give it to this little immortal."