Chapter 90 A Night of Watching the Moon and Mid-Autumn Banquet, Part 2

Though it was unpleasant, it was best to attend. He was neither like the Rain Master, who had been a recluse for centuries, nor like the Earth Master with secret duties, and certainly not like the Water Master who did as they pleased without fear of repercussions. If one kept becoming an exception, refusing to attend whenever they felt like it, others would grow discontent and gossip would spread. Even if he himself felt it was no big deal, it wouldn't do for Emperor Jun Wu. So, he agreed to Shi Qingxuan, "Alright, I'll be there for sure."

During the following days, Xie Lian tried several methods but failed to separate Qi Rong's soul from the man's body, and Qi Rong grew even more smug. Thankfully, there was a melon-seed-spitting man who didn't mind feeding "his father," or else Xie Lian truly wouldn't want to put anything in that mouth. On the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Xie Lian set up a formation outside the Pugilistic Shrine, locked the place tight, left Ruoye behind to keep Qi Rong bound, and set off for the Immortal Capital.

A poem says, "In the Jade Capital of Heaven, twelve towers and five cities. An immortal strokes my head, giving me eternal life." This Jade Capital refers to the Immortal Capital.

During the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Immortal Capital was transformed, and besides that, Xie Lian noticed many guards around the streets, corridors, and towers, probably a result of increased security since Hua Cheng's intrusion. The banquet was set outdoors under the moon, with fragrant aromas wafting through the air and clouds of auspicious omens.

Flowers bloomed like snowflakes, allowing one to dine and drink heartily on one side, while admiring the moon on the other. On Earth, when admiring the moon, you might make a circle with your thumb and index finger, framing the moon perfectly.

But in the Immortal Capital, the moon was a large, bright and white jade disc, apparently reachable with a few steps, unlike anything seen in the mortal realm.

Naturally, at the head of the banquet sat Emperor Jun Wu, but determining the seating order of everyone else involved a complex hierarchy with hidden meanings. Sitting too high was inexcusable, yet no god wished to sit too low either.

Xie Lian didn't mind much, but since the Mid-Autumn Banquet required formal attire—meaning one should dress as their statues on Earth were depicted—he had no statue to reference; so he donned his usual white Taoist robe and bamboo hat, a rather shabby appearance, but it was the best he had.

This look made him quite noticeable, so he thought it best to sit somewhere discreet.

Unexpectedly, he settled into a corner and looked up to see Feng Xin approaching. Both hesitated for a moment, gave each other a nod in greeting, and then Feng Xin, after taking a few steps, returned and asked, "Why are you sitting here?"

Xie Lian thought he had made a mistake and stood up, saying, "I thought any seat would do."

Feng Xin opened his mouth to speak, but then Xie Lian saw Shi Qingxuan ahead, waving at him. Shi Qingxuan was in a female form at the moment. Feng Xin turned back, seemingly startled by something, and hurriedly walked away, leaving Xie Lian behind. Shi Qingxuan called again, "Your Highness, over here!"

As the favored one in the Heavenly Court, the Wind Master's seat was naturally excellent, close to Jun Wu. This call drew many gods' attention, even the previously quiet Jun Wu nodded slightly at Xie Lian. So, Xie Lian had no choice but to go over.

Along the way, he indeed didn't see Lang Qianqiu, who had reportedly declined the Mid-Autumn Banquet early to search for Qi Rong's whereabouts. Shi Qingxuan found a seat for Xie Lian next to him, which had excellent "Feng Shui." Xie Lian felt it was inappropriate, but the Wind Master's enthusiastic insistence pressed him to sit down.

"I'll take you to find that kid after the banquet. He's ugly but rather well-behaved."

At this, Xie Lian could only thank him. Turning around, he found Ming Yi sitting nearby, fiddling with a jade cup, his hands astonishingly paler than the jade itself. He appeared unaffected, suggesting his injuries from the Ghost City were healed.

Xie Lian greeted, "Earth Master, I hope you're well."

Ming Yi nodded slightly, seemingly uninterested in conversation. Shi Qingxuan was his opposite, recognizing everyone and able to chat with countless others far and near, which Xie Lian admired for his ability to remember so many God's names. Beside him sat a young man of about eighteen or nineteen, with a high nose, deep-set eyes, and slightly curly black hair.

Xie Lian didn't know him, and the young man didn't know Xie Lian either. After a vague exchange of glances, they awkwardly greeted each other. Looking around, he noticed that Feng Xin and Mu Qing were sitting far apart, and directly opposite him were three gods happily conversing.

To the left was a black-clad civil god, appearing poised and refined, drumming his fingers lightly and rhythmically on the table, looking familiar but unreadable; in the middle was the well-known Pei Ming; and to the right was a gentleman in white robes, fanning himself with a paper fan that had "Water" on the front and three flowing water lines on the back. His features were quite similar to Shi Qingxuan's by six-tenths, but his gaze held a scornful pride. Apart from the "Water Master," who else could it be?

Understanding filled Xie Lian's heart, "'The Three Tumors.'"

That black-clad civil official must be Ling Wen's strongest male form, indeed elegant. The three of them exchanged pleasantries, praising each other in various ways, and Shi Qingxuan frequently muttered about their hypocrisy. Xie Lian, however, found it amusing. Then, he saw in front of the banquet a small luxurious pavilion, covered in red curtains on all sides, and asked, "What is that?"

Shi Qingxuan chuckled, "Oh, something you might not know. It's a popular game in the Heavenly Court. Come, let me show you, it's starting now!"

No sooner had he spoken, a few rumbles of thunder sounded from beyond the sky. Jun Wu glanced upward, poured a cup of wine, and sent it down. Amidst the continuous thunder, the gods began to laugh and shout while passing the wine cup around, saying things like, "Not to me! Not to me!" and "Pass it to him!"

From watching the others, Xie Lian could tell it was a game similar to the Earth version of "Pass the Parcel." The point was to pass the cup given by Jun Wu without spilling it, and while you could pass it to anyone, you couldn't pass it back.

Whoever ended up with the cup when the thunder stopped would be the target of some amusement of sorts. Exactly what the amusement entailed wasn't clear. This game wasn't very friendly to Xie Lian.

Who you passed the cup to was typically who you wanted to tease, so it usually went to those you were friendly with. But since Xie Lian didn't know most of the gods present, how could he arbitrarily choose someone to mess with?

The best he could do was pass it to the Wind Master, but who knew if the Wind Master had passed it to him?

Xie Lian thought, "Hopefully, no one passes it to me. But maybe I'm just overthinking." Before he could say anything, the first round concluded. Predictably, the cup ended up with Pei Ming. Apparently used to it, Pei Ming drank it down amidst thunderous applause, and the other gods cheered, "Rise, rise!"

In the cheering, the pavilion's curtains slowly lifted. A tall general strode about the stage, full of vigor. He seemed oblivious to the gods below or the rarity of the Celestial scenery beyond the pavilion. After a few steps, he began a high-spirited aria.

So it seemed that when the wine cup landed on a deity, this pavilion would stage a performance recounting tales about that deity from the human world. Given humanity's penchant for fabrications, no one could predict which shocking tale might be presented or if they would be selected, making it a shameful and thrilling game.

The humor lay in just that element of unpredictability. One must know that the performances about General Pei were always splendid because each time the female lead was different.

Sometimes a celestial maiden, other times a demoness, or even an aristocratic lady, each more beautiful and the stories increasingly unrestrained, making the other gods watch with interest, eagerly anticipating the appearance of the female lead. Sure enough, before long, a maiden in black appeared on stage, with a voice as melodious as an oriole.

The two of them sang together for a while with bold, flirtatious lyrics. As the performance continued, everyone noticed something odd and began to ask, "What's this play called?"

"Who's the woman Pei General is involved with this time?"

At this point, the "General Pei" on stage exclaimed, "Jian Qing—"

In the audience, Pei Ming and Ling Wen both spat out their wine.

Jian Qing could only refer to Ling Wen, whose full name was Nan Gong Jian. The gods were shocked: could it be that the two had something going on?

Ling Wen wiped the corner of her mouth with a cloth and said calmly, "No need to think about it. Made-up."

Though the affected parties felt a bit annoyed, fortunately, they were thick-skinned enough. Up on stage, they performed, and down below, they pretended not to see. But Shi Wudu didn't let them off, shaking his fan and laughing, "Quite a performance! Any thoughts?"

Ling Wen replied, "Not much. This is an old story, back when my statue wasn't like it is now. Just a folk legend, if you think about it, in folk legends, which woman hasn't been linked with General Pei?"

Everyone agreed. Pei Ming retorted, "Hey, you can't put it that way. In the folk tales, indeed, I've been linked with nearly everyone, except this one, which truly isn't. Don't wrong a good man."

Ling Wen added, "Based on what you say, according to folk legends, I've been linked with more male gods than what's possible, and I haven't even been linked with one. Yet here I sit."

Ever since Ling Wen was elevated, there's been a popular notion that she only achieved her position through connections, leading to her temple being overlooked by worshippers. Rumor had it that during times of great protest, people would throw undergarments and sanitary items into her offering box. However, in male deities' cases, similar rumors earned them reputations of charm, something they could even enjoy. Though the situations were similar, gender differences made the outcomes entirely different.

Just as he considered this, the next round had started. Shi Wudu, having just laughed, now found himself as its target. His two fellow calamities gave simultaneous congratulatory gestures, "Immediate karma, be sure to accept it."

Shi Wudu frowned, drank his wine, and the curtains rose once more. They hadn't lifted fully when two voices were heard:

"Madam—"

"My Lord—"

With affectionate tones, they unfolded a tale tangled with love and hate, a perennial favorite in storytelling. If it existed, wonderful; if not, people would freely concoct it. Normally, deities' lawful deeds were the canonical myths, but with the inventions attributed to them, they couldn't help but admire them as true myths. With Shi Wudu's command, the curtain did indeed lower swiftly. The gods wanted to laugh but dared not do so overtly, resisting the urge with difficulty. Xie Lian laughed, "Can the curtain really be called to lower this way?"

Shi Qingxuan finally calmed down, saying, "It can, easy enough—just donate a hundred thousand merits!"

"……"

As Xie Lian sat there unable to retort, the third round began. This time, the thunder rumbles lasted only briefly before the wine cup landed with the young man next to Xie Lian.

Upon seeing this, the gods had a peculiar reaction. They weren't overly enthusiastic, yet not indifferent either, showing interest but not making it explicit. The young man seemed uninterested in the game but drank the wine nonetheless. As he set the cup down, the curtains lifted again.

On stage stood two figures: one a young general, hair rolled like a lion's mane, striking yet imposing, likely portraying the young god; the other, a greasy, vile-looking comedian hopped about. When facing the young god, he feigned seriousness but was otherwise appalling; when the young god turned, he grimaced and unsheathed a sword, embodying a two-faced villain.

This performance was exaggeratedly comical, eliciting varied reactions from the gods. Xie Lian noted that junior-ranking gods laughed heartily, while senior ones like Shi Qingxuan and Shi Wudu frowned in silence, finding no humor in it. He also noticed the young man's hand suddenly tense, veins bulging, raising a warning in his mind. Although unfamiliar with what the play depicted, he assumed it was an insult to someone else. Even with no specifics, its mocking nature felt deeply unsettling. Just as the young man seemed to act out, Xie Lian took a chopstick and flicked it at the curtain's rope.

Despite its bluntness, the chopstick severed the cord, bringing the curtain down. The gods expressed surprise, murmuring, "What’s this about?" "Why’d he do that?" Many turned to Xie Lian, some standing to stare. Before he could respond, a crackle echoed beside him—it was the young man, having shattered the cup.

Enraged by the play, he tossed the jade fragments aside, sprang onto a table, pushed off, and darted into the pavilion. Several gods rushed forward to lift the red curtain, only to find the place empty. In panic, some cried, "Oh no, Prince of Valor is off beating people again!"

Xie Lian thought, "Prince of Valor? Hall of Valor? Western Martial God Quan Yizhen?" He urgently asked Shi Qingxuan, "Wind Master, what's the matter with him beating people?"

Shi Qingxuan snapped back to reality, saying, "Oh, 'beating people' is quite literal. Uh, funny enough, he often strikes his followers."

This shocked Xie Lian, as he’d never heard of a god assaulting their followers—such acts diminish a god's standing significantly. He wanted to inquire further when a disgruntled god below said, "Quan Yizhen's clueless. Everyone's having fun, and he can't just play along? Haven’t Pei Ming or True Lord Ling Wen ever been mocked? Besides, it wasn't even mocking him, so why the scene?"

"Agreed, he’s too full of himself. Even if annoyed, this was no time to show it. Good banquets aren’t meant for his tantrums. Truly…"

"All right, enough. Hot-headed youngster is just that. Now he's gone, we can enjoy it more."

Hearing this, Xie Lian fell into contemplation. After a brief disorder, Ling Wen seemed to send someone to manage Quan Yizhen's issues, and after a few gods soothed matters, the banquet and game continued. Amid the thunderous din, the fourth round commenced.

Xie Lian, who initially remained on the sidelines, found solace in not being involved. Preparing to speak with Shi Qingxuan, he unexpectedly found a hand extending towards him, offering the white jade cup.