A month later, after many discussions and careful preparations, Ming Yue, Bai Lanxun, and a group of disciples arrived at the gates of the Celestial Realm. Their entrance was met with a majestic reception. Graceful maidens stood at the threshold, guiding each clan to their appointed chambers. Inside, each room was adorned with opulent dark purple silk draperies and intricately crafted dark lacquered wood furnishings, creating an atmosphere of unparalleled elegance. Yet, within this perfection was an absence of warmth, transforming the space from a gracious abode into a somber cell.
When the last of the invited clans arrived a few days later, a magnificent banquet took place. Despite the prevailing tension, Sect Leader Lei Weisheng relished the occasion. The air was filled with melodies from musicians and the graceful movements of dancers. Every guest made an effort to socialize and savor the delightful feast, ensuring not to be impolite.
Midway through the banquet, Lei Weisheng raised his hand, and all music and dancing ceased. While holding his wine cup, Lei Weisheng stood up and made an announcement.
"My dear cultivator friends, welcome to the Celestial Realm! I am pleased that you all could make it to our symposium. Over the next few days, we will be hosting various events so that everyone can bond with each other."
Bond? What are you planning, Lei Weisheng?
Ignoring everyone's various expressions, Lei Weisheng continued, "We will start with something simple—a tea party. Tomorrow, after everyone has eaten breakfast, you will be led to our garden to enjoy the scenery and tea. Alongside tea, you will be split into groups to create and recite poems. At the end of the tea party, whichever group has the best poem will win!"
"Oh! And one more thing," Lei Weisheng said, turning around to face everyone again—"this event is for our young cultivators. For our elders, you will all be enjoying tea and poems in a different area."
The guests plastered on strained smiles, making it seem like they were enjoying the banquet and the activities to come. Once the event concluded, a sense of relief swept over everyone as they retired to their rooms. However, an unexpected sight awaited them at their doors. Two sentries stood watch outside each guest house, their presence ostensibly for protection, yet everyone understood they were there to scrutinize their every move.
"Sect Leader Bai, this way, please."
After breakfast, Bai Lanxun was taken to a different area while Ming Yue and the other disciples were led to the garden. Over a thousand cultivators were present, but not once did anyone find the place overcrowded. Being one of the oldest clans, the Lei clan's wealth ran deep, allowing them to continuously expand their residence.
Along the way, the disciples of the Bai clan were dispersed once more. In the end, only Ming Yue remained when they reached her table. Seated by the pond, it was easy to see the koi fishes swimming back and forth. Gently, Ming Yue lifted the hem of her robe and sat down. Her white cloak, adorned with intricate embroidery depicting the ethereal beauty of the mountains, clouds, and graceful cranes of Yuecheng, unfurled behind her like a painting come to life. Within a few minutes, more and more people came into the garden, and each was led to their designated table. Moments later, two more souls arrived.
Seeing Ming Yue, the two were excited and wanted to sit beside her. However, when one of them saw the expression on the other's face, they smiled and slightly changed their direction while picking up their pace.
"Ming Yue!"
Lifting her gaze, Ming Yue spotted Long Hua swiftly drawing near. Yet, to her surprise, Long Hua settled adjacent to her, not beside her. Ming Yue's eyes questioned Long Hua, and in response, Long Hua simply offered a mischievous smile.
Ming Yue's brows furrowed, but she didn't ask any further. It was only when Kuanglan arrived that she caught onto Long Hua's smile.
Although Ming Yue shot Long Hua a glance so as not to play around, Long Hua ignored her and continued with her little plan.
"Feng gongzi, why don't you sit over here instead?"
Kuanglan, who was just about to sit opposite Ming Yue, stopped in his tracks and glanced at Long Hua, who pointed to the spot next to Ming Yue.
"Uhh... I don't think-"
"I heard that Feng gongzi was a master of the four arts. I would love to listen to some poems from you. But I have bad hearing, so won't you do me this favor?" Long Hua explained while using her sweetest smile.
Feeling that declining would be impolite, Kuanglan agreed and moved himself next to Ming Yue. However, secretly, he was very happy inside. As he sat down, Ming Yue slightly turned her head to Long Hua, who smiled while raising her eyebrows. Giving up on her friend, she sighed and shook her head. Even after becoming engaged and planning for her wedding, Long Hua still used the same tricks as when she was young to get what she wanted.
After Kuanglan settled down, two more guests were brought to the table.
"Kuanglan gege!" Yichen exclaimed. Happy that he wasn't at a table full of strangers, Yichen ran over.
Quickly, Yichen greeted everyone else at the table before taking a seat across from Kuanglan. The last person to take a seat was Jin Tianming.
Once everyone was in place, the maids came over and poured the guests a cup of tea as another servant announced the start of the tea party.
At first, everyone was silent, waiting for someone to make the first move. However, when no one did, Long Hua broke the silence. She started by reciting a famous poem, and slowly, everyone took turns. When the best poems, or those that everyone found to be the most meaningful to them, were recited, they moved on to creating their own poem.
Drawing inspiration from the view and objects around them, each poem was different and unique. While Yichen did not enjoy studying and learning martial arts, he did enjoy poetry and the arts.
"A cup of tea from dawn till dusk. The seasons change without waiting. When I look back, my hair is grey. The only thing left is my cold cup of tea."
"Wow! What a great poem Yu gongzi!" Long Hua praised.
Hearing the praise, Yichen blushed. It was rare for others to praise his poetry skills. Most of the time, people wished that he would improve his martial arts rather than spend so much time reading about the arts. So, the compliment from Long Hua and the others felt like a big achievement to Yichen. It felt as though the time and effort he spent wasn't a waste.
The next person to go was Jin Tianming. Having chosen his object of focus, he began his poem, "Bright as the Moon. Pure as the Snow. Dark as the Shadow. The secrets are hidden within you."
Although everyone praised Jin Tianming, Ming Yue could not help but feel that something was off about the poem. She could feel his eyes on her the entire time they were reciting and creating poems. Rather than normally looking at her, Ming Yue felt his gaze was trying to pierce through her mind and read all her secrets. However, to not make the tension around them even worse, she kept quiet.
Next, it was Kuanglan's turn. He looked around to see what would be a good subject. Since the others had used the ideas of tea, time, snow, and the moon, Kuanglan decided to use the cloak he was wearing as the theme of his poem.
"We met in the spring when the flowers first bloomed. Journeyed together when the winter snow blew. Parting with no words, I sit and wait. A single cloak as the memories of my wake."
As usual, Long Hua was the first to applaud and praise. However, before she got the chance to say anything, another voice interrupted her.
"I heard that Feng gongzi was a master of the arts. But hearing this poem, I think rumors may have been exaggerated."
All eyes swiveled towards the speaker. Ming Yue, strikingly composed, lifted her delicate teacup to her lips. Leisurely strolling up to them was a tall young man dressed in a resplendent dark purple robe. Intricate silver lightning embroideries on his robe matched the silver crown he wore in his hair.
Although it took a second, everyone realized the person who made the comment was Lei Weisheng's youngest son, Lei Ziwei. Like his father, Lei Ziwei was cocky and arrogant, disregarding his manners. However, they all knew better than to provoke him at a time like this.
Politely smiling, Kuanglan said, "My apologies that the poem does not suit your taste, Lei Er gongzi."
Taking the comment as a sign of obedience, Lei Ziwei smirked and nodded. He liked it when people went along with him, not against him.
Glancing around the table, Long Hua caught his eye. He knelt down and ran a lock of Long Hua's hair through his fingers. Although Long Hua knew better than to cause trouble, she could not stand Lei Ziwei touching her hair. Swiftly, she moved over, pulling the rest of her hair away from him.
"What is the meaning of this? It should be an honor for you that I even paid attention to you?"
Annoyed by Long Hua's rejection, Lei Ziwei's face became dark, and his eyes sharp. If things did not go the way he wanted, he would rather destroy them than leave them be.
"Lei Er gongzi, I mean no disrespect, but I am an engaged woman about to get married. Your actions will make it hard for me to explain to my fiancé and your wife."
Long Hua inclined her head and did her best to hold back any witty remarks about Lei Ziwei's wife. During the banquet the night before, everyone saw Lei Ziwei's wife and how he acted around her. As flirtatious and arrogant as he was, he still cowered around his wife. Using her as an excuse was the perfect way to make him back off without offending him outright. And as if luck was on their side, they all heard Ming Yue say, "Lei Er gongzi, it looks like your wife is looking for you."
Turning their heads, they could see a very pissed-off young mistress headed their way. Now, it was everyone else's turn to watch Lei Ziwei become obedient. Quickly, he turned his arrogant expression into that of a scared, smiling puppy, coaxing her as she dragged him away.
Thinking that the interruption was over, they all let out a sigh of relief. However, a maid arrived at their table soon after with a new pot of tea and a couple of plates of pastries.
"Sect Leader Bai, Feng gongzi, Jin gongzi, Yu gongzi, and Long guniang, this is from my master as an apology for what happened earlier," the maid explained.
"Who is your ma-"
Before Yichen could finish his question, Ming Yue looked at the maid and said, "Please tell your master that we appreciate the gesture."
The maid then curtsied and left.
Still unsure who sent over the tea and dishes, Yichen looked at Ming Yue and asked her who the sender was.
"Cao Qianghua"
"You mean Lei Ziwei's wife?"
Ming Yue nodded and left Yichen shocked. He had expected Lei Ziwei's wife to be just as arrogant and annoying as her husband.
"This isn't a trap, right?"
"She won't do that. Not with all the clans here."
Feeling better with Kuanglan's words, Yichen decided to try the pastries, and to his surprise the dishes were terrific. Each was flavorful, bringing out the essence of the dish. With his praises, Kuanglan, Long Hua, and Jin Tianming also tried the food. Only Ming Yue declined, sticking to her tea.
Soon, the event ended, and every table submitted their best poem. Due to the interruption at Ming Yue's table, she did not have time to come up with one, so after a quick vote, they agreed to submit Kuanglan's poem. Although many were eager to see who the winner of the contest was, the results would not be announced until later, so everyone was escorted back to the guest houses.
On the way out, Long Hua sneaked up to Ming Yue and asked, "Did you gift that cloak to him?"
Well aware of what Long Hua was trying to ask, Ming Yue said yes.
"Really? I thought you were going to say no. Amazing, you actually gave someone outside of your family a gift!"
"It was a thank you gift. Don't overthink."
As it turns out, before Ming Yue returned to Yuecheng, she had stopped by a clothing shop and purchased a cloak for Kuanglan as a thank you gift for assisting her in the past few weeks. However, as a person of few words, she left a letter along with the cloak to be delivered to him after she was gone.
"Hmm. Okay."
Without another word, Long Hua sped up and left Ming Yue behind, but just before she was out of sight, she turned back to take a peek at Ming Yue.
You may not know your feelings, but someone else does. The way he looks at you is too obvious, my dear friend. He accepts you for who you are. Just imagine how happy he will be when he knows that you are actually a girl. I wish you happiness, just as you have wished for me.
-----------
Various activities were presented daily over the next few days, from strategy competitions to martial arts contests. Every time, one of the children from the major clans was the winner or at least placed within the top five positions. Yet each time, there was no reward for the winners. Ever since they announced the same message after declaring Kuanglan the winner of the poetry contest, Ming Yue had a bad feeling that the symposium was more than just an excuse for the Lei family to show off their power and wealth while observing the clans. So, even though she did her best in each competition, she only displayed seventy percent of her skills.
On the last day of the symposium, a grand hunting competition was held. Following breakfast, all cultivators under the age of 21 were given a striking dark purple round-collar robe complemented by a black leather belt with the family insignia intricately embroidered on the back to change into. The robe's sleeves had a subtle puffiness, fitted with black wrist bracers, and the hem fell gracefully to their mid-shin.
Once everyone was changed and had their bow and quiver prepared, they were led to the hunting grounds, where all the elders were seated on either side of the Lei family. On this particular day, the sun was shining, and the air was warm, making it more comfortable for everyone to spend the day outside.
"Welcome!" -Lei Weisheng stood up from his seat and began his speech- "As you all know, today we will be having a hunting competition. The rules are simple, each clan will enter through their assigned gate, and you may only use your bow as a weapon. Your scores will be tracked individually. Each prey will have varying points, depending on their difficulty, and when you take one down, a signal will be released for us to record your scores. Also, anyone who fails to catch a prey within the first hour will be disqualified. Oh, and one more thing."
Lei Weisheng clapped his hands, and a cage was brought out. Inside were the ferocious beasts that had been haunting the clans.
"These are the beasts that will be used during the hunt. I am sure most of you have seen these beasts before. Those beasts were our test subjects that got loose. I do hope that they have not caused you all too much trouble," Lei Weisheng explained with an arrogant smirk.
Clenching her fist, Ming Yue wanted to shoot one of her arrows at Lei Weisheng. However, she caught a glance from her grand-uncle telling her to stay calm.
Taking a deep breath, she relaxed her hand and focused back on the event.
Once Lei Weisheng finished his little speech, the horn was blown, signaling the start of the competition. Everyone gathered at the assigned gate and prepared to enter the grounds. Taking a look around, noticed that not many of the female disciples participated. However, Long Hua, who was always up for a challenge, was geared up and standing beside Yuzhe, and at the Lei clan's gate, Cao Qianghua was also geared up, ready to hunt. As arrogant as she may seem, Cao Qianghua truly carried herself as a cultivator and fighter.
"Remember to move with extreme caution, and do not take any risk if you are not confident," Ming Yue reminded the disciples.
"Understood."
Equipped and ready, they entered the hunting grounds. The area was located in a valley, and the thick fog made it difficult for everyone to navigate around the unfamiliar land. However, thanks to growing up in Yuecheng, the members of the Bai clan had a slight advantage, as they were used to the mist enveloping the mountains year-round.
Following the poison trail left behind by the beast, Ming Yue caught a large deer within the first 20 minutes. The moment the deer died, a signal flare shot up into the air and exploded with the family insignia. Exactly how they would differentiate who was who and what prey was caught, Ming Yue had no clue.
Back at the rest area, the announcer announced Sect Leader Bai as the first to catch a prey while someone else marked down the score. Everyone congratulated Bai Lanxun, who simply smiled and thanked everyone. Soon after, the Feng family's insignia bloomed in the sky, followed by the Long family. Within the next half an hour, many of the insignias exploded in the sky, and some were more often than others.
When the one-hour mark arrived, the participants who had not caught any prey were summoned back when the transportation talisman attached to their quiver was activated. Within a few minutes, only half of the participants remained. The cultivators who were disqualified came from middle—to low-ranked clans. Defeated, they could only return to the tents that were prepared for them to rest and wait for the competition to be over.
Meanwhile, in the grounds, those who remained had to split their attention between finding their way around, catching the beast without hurting anyone else, and ensuring they don't get injured or poisoned by the beasts. Although, at first, it was easy for Ming Yue and her group to move around, the deeper they went into the valley, the harder it became to see through the fog. At some point along the way, everyone was separated, leaving her alone.
"AHHHHHHH!"
Unsure of what had happened, Ming Yue ran toward the scream. When she arrived, she saw a group of cultivators from the smaller clans huddled together, slowly backing away from a giant tiger. Typically, tigers won't attack humans unless provoked, but the tiger in front of them had already lost its mind and reasoning. If one wrong move was made, then everyone there would lose their life in a blink of an eye.
Quietly, she moved to a comfortable shooting range. Nocking her arrow in place, she carefully aimed before releasing the string. In a flash, the arrow sliced through the air and pierced through the tiger's heart. When the tiger lay on the ground lifeless, Ming Yue went over to check on the cultivators.
"Are you guys alright?"
Multiple nodded, but a few were scratched up from the rocks and stones they stumbled over. After moving them to a safer place, she began to treat their wounds. Most of the cultivators were around Ming Yue's age. However, one of them was a little bit younger than the rest. When treating his wounds, she saw that he was scratched up more than the others, and little tears were forming at the corner of his eyes. Yet, putting on his brave face, he did his best to hold back his tears.
Reminded of her junior siblings, she smiled and gently comforted him.
"Is this your first hunt?"
"Yes, Sect Leader Bai."
"You know who I am?" Ming Yue asked. Besides the few events she had attended the past two years, she rarely left Yuecheng. So, it was a surprise that the boy had recognized her.
"Of course, it was your medicine that helped save our people."
"I see."
During the last outbreak, Ming Yue had sent medicine to so many clans that she lost count of which clans she had sent them to. But seeing that the medicine had helped made her feel relieved.
Just as she finished treating everyone, she heard two groups approaching them from different directions. On guard, she shielded the group while waiting to see who was coming. When the group came into hearing range, she could hear the voices of a young woman from the left side and a young man from the right. Realizing it was Long Hua's group, Ming Yue called out to her. Not long after Long Hua responded, the group of the right also called out to Ming Yue.
"Bai gong- Sect Leader Bai?" the voice asked.
Although Ming Yue could not fully identify the voice, she knew it was Kuanglan's group from how he addressed her.
"Feng gongzi."
When everyone came into sight, the small group of less than ten people was now nearly twenty. After everyone exchanged their greetings, Yuzhe turned to Ming Yue and asked.
"Ruyi, what are you doing here? Where is everyone else?"
"I heard some screaming, so I came over to see what happened and ran into these cultivators attacked by a tiger. As for everyone else, we got separated due to the thick fog."
"It's good that you are alright. The beasts in the valley are scary," Long Hua commented.
"Will your people be alright?" Kuanglan asked.
Ming Yue turned back to answer, but Long Hua quickly peeked out from behind her and placed her hands on Ming Yue's shoulders, answering for her instead.
"The Bai family's disciples grew up in the mountains of Yuecheng. A little mist won't be able to stop them, right?" Long Hua nudged Ming Yue, to which she replied with a simple mn.
With Ming Yue's short response, silence fell over the crowd. However, being the chatterbox he is, Zhiyu went over to Yuzhe and struck up a conversation about how much prey they had caught. Unexpectedly, the ground beneath them began to shake violently, causing everyone to stumble and some to fall.
Everyone began reaching out to those around them to steady themselves. Ming Yue stood firmly where she was, observing her surroundings. Yet, to her surprise, Kuanglan reached out a hand to offer some support.
"Feng gongzi, I'm okay."
Rejected by her, Kuanglan withdrew his hand back to his side.
"Wh...what was th-"
SWISH!
THUMP!
THUD!
"Ruyi!"
"Ming Yue!"
"Bai gongzi!"
Blood dripped from Ming Yue's palm as it slowly covered the arrow in her hand. While most of the people rushed to her side, a few went to check on the cultivator, who had fainted.
"Are you alright?!" Kuanglan reached into his robe and pulled out a handkerchief. Gently, he took the arrow away and applied pressure on Ming Yue's palm.
"I'm alright."
Without any help, she quickly poured some powdered medicine on her hand and wrapped it with the handkerchief. Then she turned around to check on the fainted cultivator. Seeing as they had only fainted due to fear, she let them rest.
"Where did the arrow come from?" Zhiyu asked as he examined it.
"That would be me."
From the mist, a figure emerged. Lei Ziwei strolled up to them with his men trailing behind. Seeing the aftermath of his job, he could not help but sarcastically ask if they were all okay.
A scowl grew on Yuzhe's face, and he stepped towards Lei Ziwei. However, Ming Yue grabbed his wrist to stop him. In the Lei clan's territory, it was better to take a step back than to step into their traps.
Scoffing at them, Lei Ziwei walked to where the fainted cultivator and used his feet to nudge him.
"Lei Er gongzi, this person was frightened by your arrow. Do you think you could have some of your men take him back to get some treatment?"
"Treatment?" Lei Ziwei looked back at Ming Yue and laughed. "Sect Leader Bai, just a little arrow like this, and he can not stand it. Then how can he survive an actual war?"
Smiling back, Ming Yue responded, "Lei Er gongzi, we are currently in your family's territory for a hunt you guys organized. If someone gets hurt, especially by members of your clan, shouldn't you guys be responsible for treatment? Besides, we are in a peaceful time, for you to mention war, isn't that a little inappropriate?"
"You!"
"What Sect Leader Bai said was correct. Since the young man is hurt, we are indeed responsible for treating him."
Cao Qianghua emerged from the fog with her bow and a nearly empty quiver. Motioning her hand, two of her servants came forward and carried the young cultivator away. Skipping the formalities, she simply bowed her head at everyone and pulled her husband away with her. Although embarrassed by his wife's actions, Lei Ziwei did not show any signs of displeasure. Instead, his eyes sparkled with malice, and a wicked grin spread across his lips.
Feeling uneasy, they all shared a glace. Just what could Lei Ziwei have planned? Although it was his family's territory, he couldn't have been rash enough to try and harm them when all the clans were present, right?