With a graceful clap of the Jade Emperor's hand, the banquet officially began.
Celestial palace maids moved like drifting petals, bringing trays of celestial dishes to each table with practiced elegance.
Celestial Banquet Dishes:
Golden Peaches of Immortality – Said to grant centuries of youthful vitality. Their nectar glows softly, infused with pure qi and the essence of golden sunrises.
Moonlit Grapes – Translucent silver grapes imbued with lunar essence. Eating them brings clarity of thought and a gentle calm, like moonlight brushing across still water.
Starlight Plums – Deep violet with flecks of starlight, each bite surges with refined celestial energy.
Cloud Lotus Petals in Dew Nectar – Ethereal lotus petals soaked in dew gathered from the upper heavens. Restores spiritual harmony and enhances balance.
Dragon Scale Roasted Carp – Fished from celestial rivers and roasted over divine flames. Its golden scales shimmer with latent power, enhancing the eater's internal qi flow.
Phoenix Flare Pheasant – Infused with Phoenix fire. The meat is tender, warm, and said to fortify the soul with blazing resilience.
Glacial Essence Crab – From the Northern Ice Realm. Boiled in snowflake broth, it bestows a sensation of pure, icy clarity.
Jade Spirit Dumplings – Stuffed with rare herbs and wrapped in cloud silk rice. Each bite is a soft surge of qi, opening one's meridians.
Celestial Orchid Honey Cakes – Light pastries infused with orchid nectar. Sweet, comforting, and known to soothe unsettled hearts.
Moonshadow Pear Sorbet – A dessert of cooling starlight. The pears absorb lunar energy, leaving the eater wrapped in tranquil warmth.
Solar Nectar Wine – Golden wine brewed from sunfire blossoms. Fiery and fragrant, it bolsters divine aura.
Mistflower Tea – Steeped from petals kissed by clouds. It clears the mind and sharpens spiritual perception.
___
As trays of food were set before each deity, the scent of incense and divine cuisine mingled with the ambient notes of celestial music.
An elder from the Phoenix Clan bit into a Golden Peach of Immortality. A faint golden halo flared around him. "Ah... the taste of centuries renewed," he murmured.
A Dragon Lord cracked into the roasted carp, golden qi rippling from his core in approval.
Qingfeng, ever casual, leaned over with a lazy grin. Without asking, he plucked a piece of Glacial Essence Crab and set it on Yanxia's plate, then added a scoop of Moonshadow Pear Sorbet for good measure.
Yanxia scowled. "I'm not a child," she muttered, arms crossed—though she didn't stop him.
"Did I say you were?" Qingfeng twirled his chopsticks with a wink.
Across the table, Wenlan smiled faintly, watching the exchange before quietly placing a Jade Spirit Dumpling in Xiao Zhu's bowl.
"Eat this. It's rich in spiritual energy," she said gently.
Xiao Zhu blinked, then gave a soft "thank you," savoring it with reverent care.
Not everyone enjoyed the feast equally.
Yunhua's cup remained untouched, her gaze unfocused—flitting from dish to dish, but never settling. None of it eased the bitterness that simmered beneath the surface of her skin.
Her eyes, again and again, found Mo Chen.
He didn't look back.
Expressionless. Cold. Impossibly far.
She looked down, fingers tightening inside her sleeves.
He had always ignored her affections. But now—now, there was a girl. A girl with a pearl mark on her brow and a fragile beauty that turned heads.
She smiled—but her smile was hollow.
Midway through the feast, a voice draped in silk and honey rang through the banquet hall.
"Lord Xingyao, it has been over 900 years since I last saw you at one of these banquets."
The words carried an enticing lilt, deliberate yet smooth, tugging attention toward their source.
A fairy of the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan, draped in silver-veiled robes, peach blossom eyes shimmering, framed by lashes that fluttered just so. Her plump red lips curved into an enchanting smile, the kind perfected through centuries of effortless allure.
As she spoke, she rose with practiced grace, fingers brushing against the stem of a crystal wine cup, her movements slow, deliberate.
With measured steps, she approached Xingyao's table, each sway of her nine tails mesmerizing under the lantern's glow.
"Can you drink a cup of wine with me?" she asked, her voice lilting, enticing.
A few turned to watch.
Some were curious, intrigued by the unfolding moment. Others leaned in, their expressions sharpened with anticipation, waiting for a play to unravel.
But Xingyao, unmoved, merely twirled his wine cup between elegant fingers, his gaze unfocused, his expression unreadable.
His lips curved, yet his smile never touched his eyes.
"Who are you again?"
A single question—low, effortless, laced in quiet disinterest.
Bai Xiang froze, the poised elegance in her stance faltering for the briefest second.
A flush of embarrassment colored her cheeks, though she masked it quickly, reclaiming her smile—polished, refined, determined not to crack.
"This fairy is Bai Xiang," she said softly, smoothing invisible wrinkles from her sleeve. "Have you already forgotten me?"
Xingyao's gaze, sharp and unreadable, finally lifted—his ethereal beauty dazzling like stars against the night sky.
For the briefest moment, Bai Xiang faltered, a flush of crimson spreading across her cheeks.
Just before she could speak again, his voice—low, cold, detached—cut through the space between them.
"I prefer to be alone."
No explanation. No softness. Just finality, smooth and unwavering.
He didn't glance at her again. Didn't wait for a response.
With measured ease, he tilted his wine cup, swirling the golden liquid as though the moment had already passed—as though her presence had never mattered.
Ashamed and embarrassed, Bai Xiang stood stunned, then gave a quick bow and retreated with as much grace as she could muster.
Even now, she could feel eyes on her, the mocking whispers curling between the silken air of the banquet hall. But the worst part was that Lord Xingyao had already dismissed her, had forgotten her before she even turned away.
Still, something tugged at her.
On instinct, she glanced back, a fleeting look toward the man who was beautiful yet untouchable—the man who had spared her not even a second thought.
And then, she saw it.
His gaze—fleeting, yet deliberate—was not lost in idle thought.
It was focused.
Following it, her beautiful eyes traveled, seeking its target.
Lord Mo Chen.
Confusion flickered across her features. Why would Lord Xingyao look at Lord Mo Chen?
But then—there, just behind him.
A tiny figure, seated gracefully, untouched by the tension that curled through the air.
She was delicate yet striking, the kind of beauty that was neither crafted nor practiced, but natural—effortless.
Bai Xiang froze, her breath caught in a quiet, imperceptible gasp.
Her peach blossom eyes widened, the realization sinking in like a blade of ice.
And then—hatred spread like flame.
A slow, creeping fire, curling at the edges of her expression, though her lips remained curved in quiet restraint.
And from across the hall, Yunhua saw.
She had seen everything.
The subtle shift in Bai Xiang's eyes, the burning contempt, the jealous recognition that came too late.
And so, Yunhua smiled coldly, a quiet, knowing glint flickering beneath her gaze.
A scheme was already hatching in her mind.