My brother is so cunning

Chapter 951 Welcoming Distinguished Guests
Above the Jade Pool, auspicious light swirled and auspicious energy surged. The nine-tiered platform was constructed of Kunlun jade, its railings inlaid with red gold and carved with auspicious dragon and phoenix patterns. When the wind blew, the patterns seemed to ripple, as if the roars of dragons and the cries of phoenixes could be faintly heard. Below the platform, the vast expanse of blue water was crystal clear, where spirit turtles spat out pearls, koi carp leaped in the waves, and pearls and jade fell into the water, splashing up white lotus blossoms, which in an instant transformed into five-colored auspicious clouds, swirling around the base of the platform.

Inside the main hall, nine Chaos Pearl Lamps hang from the dome. The wicks are formed from the tears of mermaids. As the flames flicker, they illuminate the four walls painted with the constellations of the heavens. The stars move and shift, seemingly mirroring the Milky Way in the sky.

The palace was filled with rare and precious items: on the jade table was a purple-gold alms bowl, filled with pears and jujubes, their fragrance so sweet that it made one feel light and refreshed; on the white jade plate was a thousand-year-old lingzhi mushroom, shaped like a canopy, covered with purple frost, warm to the touch, and with a subtle shimmering light.

Dozens of fairy maidens, dressed in colorful robes, moved about in the corridor, each carrying a jade pot and fine wine. Their steps were light and graceful, and wherever their skirts brushed past, orchids would bloom.

Before the steps, there were hundreds of kinds of birds: white cranes dancing, black cranes calling out, peacocks displaying their plumage, and parrots mimicking speech with melodious calls, harmonizing with the sound of jade chimes inside the hall. It was truly a magnificent scene rarely seen in heaven and earth.

This magnificent scene was not the Queen Mother of the West hosting a new Peach Banquet for all the immortals; rather, it was to entertain a distinguished guest.

The auspicious hour had arrived, but the distinguished guest had not yet appeared. The fairy maidens waiting under the eaves dared not be negligent in the slightest, maintaining their best appearance, holding jade plates and dishes, and patiently waiting for the summons.

The head fairy has issued a strict order: this reception of distinguished guests is of utmost importance. If the Empress's important matter is ruined, it will not be as simple as being punished according to palace rules and suffering some physical pain. The crime will be tripled and punished according to the Heavenly Laws, and the person will be sent directly to the Execution Platform to die a horrible death.

The jade plates and platters held by the fairies seemed to contain not dragon liver and phoenix marrow, or celestial fruits and nectar, but rather the heads of the people on their necks.

Every fairy maiden trembled with fear, taking utmost care and summoning the composure she had when she underwent her heavenly tribulation, treating serving dishes as the most important task in her immortal life.

At the very back of the procession of waiting fairy maidens, two beautiful fairies stood side by side, one carrying a plate of thousand-year-old stone milk and the other carrying a plate of thousand-year-old vermilion fruit.

Although she was just a nobody among the maids, the fairies who could enter the Jade Pool Wonderland to perform their duties were all of the most beautiful in the Three Realms. If a ranking of beauties in the Three Realms were made, she would at least be in the top 100.

"Bah————"

Perhaps because they had been waiting for too long, one of the fairies quietly sent a signal to her companion. This girl had extremely bright apricot eyes, and when she smiled, fine golden lines would appear at the corners of her eyes—marks left by the sunlight filtering through the peach leaves from her years of tending to the peach tree.

The girl wore her hair in a double bun, adorned with two jade hairpins. The hairpins were carved into the shape of peach blossoms, giving her a lively and playful appearance. Her features were also cute, with round cheeks and a touch of baby fat. Before she even spoke, her dimples were already showing.

"Sister Yue Li, how much longer do we have to wait? Is our distinguished guest not coming?"

The fairy beside her was tall and slender, with a skin that was almost transparent and cold white, like uncarved ice jade from the Kunlun Mountains. Only the tips of her ears had a faint bluish tinge, like a moon halo falling on snow.

This mature and elegant fairy had her hair meticulously styled in a strict flying bun, secured only by a single, pure white jade hairpin. The hairpin was unadorned, yet it shimmered with iridescent light under the sun—it was originally cast from fragments of a Western Heavenly Glass Cup.

A snow lotus, sculpted from ice, was tucked diagonally into her hair. Its petals were layered upon each other, never to melt, and a chill emanated from them, giving her a faint, ethereal fragrance. The fairy maiden, her brows furrowed slightly as she was summoned, cautiously scanning her surroundings. Making sure no head fairy was watching, she lowered her voice and replied, "Yunxiu, be quiet! If the head fairy sees you, you'll be in for a beating."

"It's alright. That distinguished guest has been a month late, and we've been standing here for a whole month. Even the head maid couldn't take it anymore and secretly went to the back hall to rest. Only we powerless and poor maids have no choice but to wait foolishly for a guest who will never come."

The fairy maiden called Yunxiu complained helplessly, "That guest is really something. He never says whether he's coming or when he'll come. Yet the Empress values ​​him so much that she ordered everyone in Yaochi Wonderland to stand by until he arrives. A month is fine, but if he doesn't come for a year, are we supposed to stand here like this for a whole year?"

The reason these two unlucky fairies were forced to stand as punishment under the corridor of the Jade Pool Palace was all thanks to Wen Rui.

The Jade Emperor publicly announced that he would grant the Creator Heavenly Venerable a celestial leave, and the Queen Mother of the West immediately sent an invitation to the Creator Heavenly Palace, inviting him to a banquet in the Jade Pool Wonderland, saying that it was to repay his kindness in rescuing two fairies.

Since ancient times, there has never been a truly good banquet.

It's been almost fifty years since Wen Rui rescued the two fairies from Lion Camel Ridge, yet he's only now thinking of hosting a banquet to express his gratitude.
When the fairies were first rescued, the Queen Mother of the West didn't seem to care much for them. If Wen Rui hadn't formed the Heavenly River Guard and brought them over as executioners, they would still be suffering in the Heavenly Prison.

The Queen Mother of the West's banquet invitations have been accepted by everyone in the Three Realms, and even the gods and Buddhas consider it an honor to receive one.

In a sense, Yaochi Wonderland is the heavenly realm of immortals, the most exclusive high-end club in the entire Three Realms. Without a certain status and position, one cannot even enter the gate.

Wen Rui received the invitation, which was a private one, but he had no desire to go at all. However, he couldn't refuse the Heavenly Sovereign's request, so he could only reluctantly reply, saying that he was honored, but he had some issues to handle regarding the handover of the construction work of the Heavenly Protection Array after his vacation. He promised to visit her as soon as he finished.

Originally, it was just a casual excuse; they thought they could get away with it and delay it for a year or two, thus ruining the banquet.

Unexpectedly, the Queen Mother of the West was no ordinary person. Every day, she set up a grand welcoming ceremony in the Jade Pool Wonderland, declaring that she was ready to welcome the Creator Heavenly Venerable at any time. She said that the welcoming ceremony would not be discontinued until the Heavenly Venerable came, as a sign of respect.

The two important figures got entangled in this way, which was a pity for the fairy maidens, fairy ladies, fairy nuns, and fairy grandmothers of Yaochi Fairy Palace. In the past, the Peach Banquet and the Ullambana Festival were held only once every hundred years or so, and they were only busy for ten days or so. Usually, apart from serving the Queen Mother of the West during her bath, they didn't have much to do and were quite leisurely.

Now, however, they have to be on duty every day, working twelve hours straight without eating, drinking, or sleeping, enduring the hardships alongside these two important figures like a hawk enduring the heat.

Fortunately, immortals have special constitutions and can fast for a hundred years without starving to death. However, they have to keep holding a plate and dare not move at all, which is really too restrictive. After a while, even the more lively immortals feel that it is no different from being tortured.

(End of this chapter)