Chapter 15: A Mishap Occurs at the Ges' Birthday Banquet
Autumn had already set in.
The sky was not yet fully bright.
Bicorn horse carriages sped along the road.
Kicking up the dust and fallen leaves.
On one of the carriages, Yu Qingtan admired the beauty beside her, yawning while her thoughts wandered.
Yu Qingtan and her party's destination was the Ges', one of the three major families of Suichuan Immortal City.
The grand elder of the Ges, the only cultivator in the family in the late Foundation Establishment stage, Ge Lian's two-hundredth birthday was today.
Yu Qingtan and others were invited to perform at the birthday banquet.
The three major families of Suichuan Immortal City, the Qis, the Ges, and the Songs, all had cultivators in the late Foundation Establishment stage.
The City Lord's Mansion was managed by Sunset Gate, and the City Lord was a Golden Core real person elder from Sunset Gate.
Sunset Gate was a subsidiary force of the Tri-Sun Sect.
Sunset Gate had a bit of a conflict with Tianxiang Valley; the Qis leaned towards the City Lord's Mansion, while the Ges and the Songs were close to Tianxiang Pavilion.
However, due to the pressure of demonic beast forces, the various factions in the city managed to coexist rather harmoniously, at least on the surface.
"There shouldn't be any problems, right?" Yu Qingtan thought about the unpleasant experience she had last time she visited the market.
Little did she know, a flag had already been planted behind her.
Upon arriving at the Ge household, everyone was led to a large side hall.
The lead manager of the internal section went to negotiate with the Ges' people, and she was also one of the officially invited guests.
Once everyone was seated, the Ges' servants brought breakfast.
It turned out to be Spirit Rice porridge and small dishes made with Spirit Vegetables.
"This Ge family really lives up to being a great clan, so generous. The taste of this Spirit Rice is just so fragrant; I've been craving it ever since I had Spirit Rice at Drunken Fairy Building last time," said Shen Wanning, eating porridge with the side dishes, chatting with Yu Qingtan.
"It is indeed delicious!" Yu Qingtan also praised.
The Spirit Rice grown near Suichuan Immortal City was basically White Crystal Rice of the first stage, with a low yield, priced at 1 Spirit Stone per 2 catties.
Yu Qingtan could eat half a catty a day, and if she ate it every day, it would cost almost 7 Spirit Stones a month.
But remembering the Spirit Stones in her System Space, Yu Qingtan felt she could afford it.
Not long after breakfast, Yu Qingtan and the others had to start working.
This side hall was not far from where the birthday banquet was held, where a large stage had been set up for the performances.
Yu Qingtan, having made some progress in her Zither Art and learning many new pieces recently, was chosen as a member of the musical band.
Shen Wanning was part of the Rainbow Robes Dance performance troupe.
Yu Qingtan followed the band to take the stage first, playing several rounds of lively and festive music as background music for the arrival of the guests.
"The Family Head of the You family congratulates Grand Elder Ge on his two-hundredth birthday, presenting a bottle of Spirit Dew!"
"The Gang Leader of the Green Wolf Gang congratulates Grand Elder Ge on his two-hundredth birthday, presenting ten stalks of Second Stage Earth Elm Flowers!"
...
"The Deacon Meng from Hundred Treasures Pavilion congratulates Grand Elder Ge on his two-hundredth birthday, presenting ten catties of Second Stage Cold Marrow Iron!"
"The Deacon Sun from Ten Thousand Laws Pavilion congratulates Grand Elder Ge on his two-hundredth birthday, presenting a copy of the Sun-Forging Body Technique!"
"The Family Head of the Song family congratulates Grand Elder Ge on his two-hundredth birthday, presenting a Foundation Establishment Pill!"
"Tianxiang Pavilion's Tower Master Gongsun congratulates Grand Elder Ge on his two-hundredth birthday, presenting a Rejuvenating Beauty Pill!"
"The Second Elder of the Qi family congratulates Grand Elder Ge on his two-hundredth birthday, presenting a top-grade Spirit Stone!"
"The City Lord's Mansion's Manager Kou congratulates Grand Elder Ge on his two-hundredth birthday, presenting a pair of East Sea millennium corals!"
Listening to the chant of the gift list, Yu Qingtan, who was playing the zither, couldn't help feeling envious.
She had recently interacted with many cultivators and borrowed many books from the library, broadening her knowledge quite a bit, and she was familiar with many items on the gift list.
Spirit Dew, she had used a drop before, but now someone was directly giving a bottle, typically containing about 100 drops, and this was just from a small family's head.
Second Stage Earth Elm Flowers, one of the main ingredients in elixirs to enhance Cultivation Level during the Foundation Establishment stage.
Second Stage Cold Marrow Iron, a spiritual material that can be used as a supplementary material in the crafting of Magical Treasures.
Rejuvenating Beauty Pill, a second-stage side elixir capable of restoring an aged face back to its appearance before aging.
Top-grade Spirit Stone, which even those in the Golden Core Stage could only use occasionally.
Millennium coral, which can be used as a spiritual material for crafting elixirs to assist in forming a Golden Core.
There's no need to mention the Foundation Establishment Pill.
As for the Sun-Forging Body Technique, Yu Qingtan hadn't heard of it, but since it was given as a congratulatory gift, it must surely be extraordinary.
The gift-giver, apart from Tower Master Gongsun, included someone Yu Qingtan had met before, Dream Deacon of Hundred Treasures Pavilion, the boldly dressed beautiful female cultivator who sat next to Luo Xiang during her examination.
Today, she was still dressed boldly.
In Suichuan, female cultivators dressed conservatively, mostly in long dresses, and shoulder-revealing outfits didn't show too much.
Dream Deacon, with her smooth, fragrant shoulders and slender white legs on display, emanated a holy light, drawing the eyes of many young male cultivators, who couldn't look away.
Unfortunately, although Yu Qingtan was somewhat excited, her body gave no reaction.
Her body, "What reaction do you want?"
About an hour later, the guest greeting part finally ended, and Yu Qingtan could go to rest.
"Thanks to all fellow Daoists for coming, I am greatly pleased..."
Returning to the side hall, Yu Qingtan sat next to Shen Wanning, who was gesturing her over. From here, the sounds of the Birthday Banquet could be heard.
To catch the excitement, everyone fell silent.
The speaker must be the protagonist of today's Birthay Banquet, Ge Lian, the Great Elder of the Ges.
After Ge Lian finished speaking, the much-anticipated competition among the younger generation began.
Soon, the sound of a magical duel emanated from outside.
"Song Zhenkai wins!"
"These competitions are too boring, why don't I help them out, as a gift to Elder Ge."
Suddenly, a loud and sharp voice unexpectedly rose, interrupting the rhythm of the Birthday Banquet's host who was about to arrange the next challenge.
"You are, Ying Jiukong."
"Trial Demon Tower, you've got guts~"
As an exasperated voice followed, Yu Qingtan suddenly felt a sense of disorientation.
Then she found herself on a vast grassland.
There were no people in sight.
Yu Qingtan was bewildered; what was this situation?
She then remembered the phrase she heard just before her moment of disorientation and a book she had read not long ago about the Demonic Beasts of the Yunhua Mountain Range.
The Trial Demon Tower was a legacy treasure of the Skyscraping Ridge, a power of the Demonic Beasts in the Yunhua Mountain Range, and it could be activated once every five years.
The Tower would be open for one day, but inside, three days would pass.
The Trial Demon Tower was only meant for cultivators at the First Stage, filled with numerous perils but also opportunities and treasures.
"A plant, I'm just a noob who can only use the Cleansing Spell, why can't the villains follow the script?"
...
Meanwhile, at the Ge family's place.
All cultivators below sixty from the Qi Cultivation Stage were forcibly teleported into a five-foot-tall tower-shaped magical treasure suspended in mid-air, known as the Trial Demon Tower.
"Ying Jiukong, do you wish to violate the agreement between Skyscraping Ridge and Suichuan Immortal City, stirring up war?" Ge Lian asked with an ashen face.
The others also stared at Ying Jiukong with unfriendly expressions. If it weren't for him being a Third Stage Heavenly Demon, they would have already attacked.
"Youngsters, it's actually me who, wanting to wish Elder Ge a happy birthday, spared no effort in using a directed Escape Talisman to rush over before the entrance to the Trial Demon Tower closed, bringing this opportunity to your juniors. How can you be so ungrateful."
Ying Jiukong spoke leisurely.
"City Lord Ouyang, right?"
A feeling of relief arose in everyone's hearts; the person they had been waiting for had finally arrived. Indeed, an elder in a green robe appeared before them.
It was none other than Ouyang Wenjian, the City Lord of Suichuan Immortal City.
"City Lord..." Just as Ge Lian and the others were about to speak, Ouyang Wenjian's telepathic message had already arrived.
"There are two Heavenly Demons outside the city; do not act rashly!"
To Ying Jiukong, he added, "Since that's the case, please take a seat, Fellow Ying."
"City Lord Ouyang understands reason."
Ying Jiukong sat down right beside a table, as the Trial Demon Tower could not be easily moved once the trial had begun.
He had also used the only Second-Stage, high-quality Escape Talisman from his clan to teleport the Trial Demon Tower to this place.