novelden Chapter 148 Mahayana Ritual 6
Chapter 148 Mahayana Ritual 6
"What's wrong? What happened?" Li Weixin looked at Cheng Jiu, who was being helped over by the Gong brothers, with concern on his face, and pulled out the chair for Cheng Jiu to sit down.
Cheng Jiu's mind was still hazy, but she had regained some clarity, remaining in a semi-conscious state. She mumbled incoherently, rubbing her forehead with her brows slightly furrowed, as if she were in great discomfort.
Chang Yue took out a flat box made from a single piece of agate from her ring, activated the mechanism on the front to open it, and placed the box under Cheng Jiu's nose.
Cheng Jiu's nose twitched, and a blissful, cool sensation shot straight to the top of his head, instantly waking him up.
Opening her watery eyes, she instinctively pushed the box away: "That was awesome!" Her eyes cleared, and she felt instantly refreshed. "Thank you, Senior Sister."
"Junior Sister Cheng, you're too kind." Chang Yue saw that she was sober and carefully examined her to make sure she was truly sober before taking the box back.
"As expected of the hangover powder invented by Medicine King Valley, it's really effective." Cheng Jiu touched his still cool nose, feeling no longer drunk, and not even having a headache from being drunk.
Apart from feeling a little cold, I feel incredibly well overall.
"Weren't you entertaining guests? How did you get drunk? Did that Immortal Lord Mengya force you to drink?" Li Wei asked with concern.
"No." Although Cheng Jiu's memory was a little hazy, she was still certain that the other party had not forced her to drink: "However, the wine in Immortal Lord Mengya's wine pot was of such high quality that I got drunk just from smelling the aroma."
Cheng Jiu found it hard to believe; was his alcohol tolerance really that low? He was already drunk just from the aroma of the wine.
"I see!" Li Weixin nodded in understanding: "It's not surprising that you got drunk, Junior Sister. There are quite a few immortal lords in the cultivation world who love to drink, but Immortal Lord Mengya is one of them."
My master said that this immortal lord cultivates the mortal path and is fond of drinking. His obsession with alcohol is integrated with his cultivation of the mortal path. In order to comprehend the mortal path, this immortal lord often disguises himself as a beggar and runs to the mortal world.
The wine gourd at his waist was originally just an ordinary object, but after following this immortal for a long time, it unknowingly acquired a trace of spiritual energy.
Over time, the wine in this gourd has accumulated the immortal lord's insights into the mortal world over the years. Just smelling it is already a remarkable opportunity; it seems the Immortal Lord Mengya values you highly.”
After all, it would be too stingy to only let Cheng Jiu smell the aroma of the wine. He would definitely use the wine in the wine pot, which was personally nurtured and brewed by a Mahayana Immortal Lord.
No matter how cheap the raw materials of the wine are, once it is carried and nurtured by a Mahayana immortal, it will naturally transform from mortal to immortal, possessing endless wondrous uses.
This is an extraordinary opportunity, especially for disciples like Cheng Jiu who are at the Nascent Soul stage.
"Not only did Immortal Lord Mengya value it, but Immortal Lord Baixian and Immortal Lord Jinkun also bestowed opportunities upon Junior Sister Cheng Jiu," Gong Cheng added from the side.
Cheng Jiu sat at the table, feeling flattered by the attention shown to her by the several immortal lords. She secretly memorized the names of the three men.
She felt she had been given such a great opportunity, and she would definitely want to repay it someday.
In fact, everyone present knew the truth, but they weren't worried. The apprentice might not be able to reciprocate this opportunity immediately, but the master could.
Their gift was partly an investment in Cheng Jiu's future. With the three of them possessing the talent to succeed the two Immortal Lords in the cultivation world, befriending them in advance was a sure-fire way to make a profit.
On the other hand, it's about cultivating a good relationship with Immortal Lord Qingxu. Since Cheng Jiu is his only disciple, being kind to his disciple would be far more effective than currying favor with Immortal Lord Qingxu.
The world is bustling with activity, all driven by profit; the world is constantly in flux, all driven by self-interest.
Therefore, regardless of the other party's motives in giving Cheng Jiu this opportunity, Cheng Jiu should simply accept it openly.
Ultimately, regardless of their ulterior motives, the fundamental reason they were willing to give up this opportunity was that Cheng Jiu had a powerful master.
The customers were still queuing at the entrance, and the second batch of customers had not all entered yet. The junior sister in charge of registration was very busy.
The six of them had some free time, and Cheng Jiu touched his elaborately styled hair with a headache.
After what had just happened, things were in disarray. Senior Sister Chang Yue noticed this and shooed the male disciples aside, set up an illusion array to prevent them from peeping, and began to comb Cheng Jiu's hair.
The senior sister who designed this hairstyle is very skillful, and the hairstyle is quite complicated. It is a gorgeous yet elegant hairstyle, especially the pointed ends of the hair, which resemble the beak of a phoenix and are adorned with a hair ornament. The fiery red gemstone hanging down gives it a beautiful feeling of wings about to take flight.
One by one, the hair ornaments were removed, and the waterfall-like hair cascaded down. Senior Sister Chang Yue worked on Cheng Jiu's hair for a long time.
But her hair was slick and unruly, so she had to tie it up and untie it repeatedly.
Cheng Jiu sat upright in the chair, letting Senior Sister Chang Yue do as she pleased. It didn't hurt; the other woman's touch was very light, as if she was afraid of hurting her.
But she didn't dare to move around too much, for fear that if she did, she would mess up her hairstyle and Chang Yue would have to redo it.
But being completely still is also quite painful, like being dressed up like a doll.
Time passed second by second, and Chang Yue's movements became increasingly chaotic. After failing more than ten times, Chang Yue finally realized that she was not cut out for this.
He silently took out a jade slip to ask someone for help, but they couldn't handle it. They really couldn't handle it!
Cheng Jiu relaxed from her tense state, touched the hairpin on the table and simply tied her hair into a bun. Looking at her senior sister Chang Yue, who seemed a little guilty, she couldn't bear to speak and silently waited with her for the senior sister with the skillful hands.
"Would you like some tea, Senior Sister?" Cheng Jiu took out a teapot. As expected of a guest, offering tea was the best thing to do, without even needing to make up an excuse.
Chang Yue was about to refuse, but when she met Cheng Jiu's eyes, she silently swallowed her words of refusal: "Then have a drink!"
Cheng Jiu poured her a cup of tea as she spoke. Chang Yue sipped the sweet tea, her eyes constantly glancing at Cheng Jiu's head. Unlike her usual dignified and gorgeous appearance, Cheng Jiu now had a pure and natural beauty. Beautiful people look good no matter how they dress up.
She muttered to herself, "It does look really nice to touch!"
"Ah, what are you saying, senior sister?" Cheng Jiu couldn't quite hear Chang Yue's mutterings, so she subconsciously asked, "Is something wrong?"
"It's nothing, I was just wondering why Junior Sister Xiaoqing hasn't arrived yet." Chang Yue didn't say what was on her mind. Some things are better left unsaid. If she said it out loud, Junior Sister Cheng Jiu might get angry.
Inside the formation, the two female disciples were enjoying a harmonious atmosphere, while outside, Li Weixin, Qin Che, Gong Cheng, and Gong Yu could only maintain the demeanor of a grand sect leader, enduring the increasingly numerous gazes of those around them.
Most of the guests in this group were from sects, and many elders brought their outstanding disciples.
The reception hall was mostly filled with patriarchs from various sects, many of whom were Tribulation Transcending Venerables and knew each other well, so pleasantries were inevitable.
As for these disciples, aside from being initially dragged out by their master to show off to others, they were naturally excluded from the pleasantries of these Tribulation Transcending Venerables afterward.
The presence of so many patriarchs in the main hall was simply too much for these junior disciples to bear.
These young disciples had never been to Guiyuan Sect before, and their curiosity was understandably high when the patriarch brought them there.
When peers gather together, there are too many people, so people don't really want to stay in the main hall. Who would want to play under the ancestor's nose? It's very uncomfortable, okay?
The Guiyuan Sect did not stipulate that one must stay in the Reception Hall.
So, those who were already acquainted with each other of the same age, the bolder ones called their friends and took the initiative to leave the reception hall.
Once someone took the lead, those who had been restless for a long time immediately followed suit, and so these disciples left the reception hall one after another.
Although the reception hall is in front of the Jade Platform, a place for receiving guests, Penglai Island is so large that it can accommodate these disciples for fun.
There was a small garden next to them. Although it was called a small garden, it was actually quite large. If all the disciples were scattered in this small garden, you probably wouldn't see a single one.
There are many places to have fun, but the disciples are most curious about the protagonist's three disciples.
Previously, when my master led me into the reception hall, I could only watch from afar.
Now that they've come out, how could they not be curious? They're bound to take a good look at them.
However, they didn't dare to be blatant, but deliberately pretended to casually glance at the four male disciples standing outside.
Although the female disciple was inside the formation, they didn't care. Both of the two Immortal Lords' personal disciples were still there, which was enough to satisfy their curiosity.
The four disciples standing outside, in particular, were exceptionally elegant and each had their own unique charm. In addition to the male disciples who were curious and inquiring, they attracted the attention of the female disciples even more.
Women in the cultivation world are generally generous and cheerful. When facing four outstanding and extraordinary male disciples, their eyes were full of admiration. The female disciples who had their eyes on the four men were even more fiery, making the four men feel like they had nowhere to escape.
But that gaze was quite pure and not at all unpleasant.
On the surface, the four of them still maintained the air of disciples from a major sect, seemingly not caring at all, but they were already quite uncomfortable standing there.
Gong Cheng and Gong Yu had never experienced such a scene before. If they weren't required to stay here to receive guests, they probably would have already fled.
Li Weixin, a sword cultivator who appeared to be quite dashing on the surface, was even less able to resist this.
He's a disciple of the Dragon Abyss Sect, why does he have to stay here?
Seeing that Li Wei was trying to escape, his fellow sufferers quickly grabbed him, saying, "Don't even think about escaping."
Li Weixin was pulled so hard by the two brothers that he couldn't move, but to outsiders it looked like the two brothers had said something to Li Weixin.
The three of them became very close, and everything felt natural, except for Li Weixin.
"You don't want us to fight here and lose face, do you?" Gong Yu threatened in a low voice.
"I am a disciple of the Dragon Abyss Sect, why should I have to be here and make things awkward for you two?" Li Weixin said with a bitter face, trying to reason with the two brothers.
Then you see the two brothers, Gong Cheng and Gong Yu. Gong Cheng is looking at the fan in his hand and fanning himself from time to time, while Gong Yu is looking to the other side, seemingly very serious.
Seemingly noticing that Li Weixin's gaze lingered on him for too long, Gong Yu pointed in the direction his gaze was directed: "Senior brother, look! That little bird is so lively. I'm sure Junior Sister Cheng Jiu would love it if she saw it."
Li Weixin's gaze unconsciously turned to the direction Gong Yu was pointing. There were two bellbirds, one large and one small. It was obvious that the large bellbird was out foraging with the small bellbird. With their round bodies and clear, bell-like calls, they were one of the cutest creatures in the cultivation world. Li Weixin's heart melted at the sight.
The tiny lark stood on the fence, its beady eyes curiously observing the humans below. The larger lark stood beside it, its wings slightly spread, seemingly ready to take the little lark away at any moment.
"They are quite cute." Li Weixin smiled warmly, then realized, "Wait, why do I have to stay here with you and suffer..." His voice lowered, "It's so awkward, okay!"
Gong Yu chuckled sheepishly, "I think so too!"
“Then why don’t I…” Li Weixin gestured to him as if to walk.
"No way!" Gong Yu said decisively.
"Why?!" Li Weixin's voice trailed off, filled with resentment.
"Because we'll be jealous!" Gong Yu said with an air of self-righteousness.
Li Weixin was speechless for a moment, then his gaze met Qingche and Gongcheng's. Qin Che gave him a hearty and generous smile: "Junior Brother Li, just accept your fate!"
Looking at his three fellow disciples beside him, Li Weixin could only sigh deeply. What could he do? He had entered the den of thieves and had no choice but to accept his fate.
Fortunately, it didn't last long. After all, the three of them held high positions in the Guiyuan Sect, and the sect didn't want them to be treated like monkeys.
Soon, the disciples of the Enforcement Hall began to silently clear out the people, especially those who seriously affected the four.
Senior Sister Xiaoqing also arrived on her spirit beast and entered the formation.
Under her skillful touch, Cheng Jiu quickly regained her previous look. To prevent the look from being ruined again, Senior Sister Xiao Qing took out a hair clip that had no other purpose than to fix the look and fastened it to Cheng Jiu's hair.
The hair clip is adorned with rare pearls, which shimmer brilliantly against the dark hair.
Senior Sister Xiaoqing looked at her work with great satisfaction: "With this hair clip, Junior Sister Cheng Jiu, you won't have to worry about your hair getting messed up. Once your hairstyle gets messed up, it will automatically restore it."
"This is good stuff!" Cheng Jiu's eyes lit up.
Senior Sister Xiaoqing chuckled at her expression: "It's just a minor skill. Senior Sister Chang, Junior Sister Xiaojiu, I'll take my leave now."
With that, she rode away on her spirit beast.
With their hair done and the illusion array removed, the four of them surrounded the area.
Gong Yu examined it carefully, muttering, "It's not much different from before."
Gongcheng gave him a sharp slap on the wrist: "Junior Sister Jiu, I meant you're as beautiful as ever."
"Thank you for the compliment, Senior Brother Gongcheng." Cheng Jiu's eyes crinkled into a smile.
"Junior Sister Jiu is as beautiful as ever!" Gong Yu realized he had misspoke and quickly added.
"It looks great. The senior sister who did your hair is really skilled," Li Weixin affirmed from the side.
Compared to the harmonious atmosphere here, Chang Yue on the other side was furious with her junior brother.
"I thought Senior Sister could really do Junior Sister Cheng Jiu's hair, and I was looking forward to it for a long time. Turns out she's clumsy, and we had to ask Senior Sister Qing to come and save the day," Qin Che said in a cheeky tone.
"Clumsy? Look at how clumsy I am when I hit you!" Chang Yue squinted her eyes. If you don't beat someone for a day, they'll climb on the roof and tear off the tiles.
Upon hearing this, Qin Che trembled slightly and said with a fawning smile, "Senior Sister, I was wrong. I spoke without thinking. Please don't be angry! I'm clumsy, I'm clumsy, okay? It's such a joyous occasion for our two senior uncles, please don't be angry."
Chang Yue couldn't help but laugh in exasperation as she listened to her junior brother's succinct apology. This guy always had a very proper attitude when admitting his mistakes, and he rarely made any of the shameful mistakes he was supposed to make.
Seeing Qin Che's cautious demeanor, he could only sigh. What else could he do? He was his junior brother, and he could only forgive him.
The timing of Chang Yue and Cheng Jiu's appearance was very subtle; the Enforcement Hall had already made its move when they came out.
Therefore, neither of them experienced the embarrassment of being watched by disciples.
The second batch of guests had almost finished registering, and now it was time for the main event: the last batch of guests.
The five of them had to be on their guard to greet them.