My brother is so cunning

Chapter 957 No good banquet
Inside the Queen Mother's Palace of the Jade Pool Immortal Palace, clouds and mist drifted like a light veil over the white jade floor, and the luminous pearls embedded in the ceiling fell like stars, illuminating every detail of the carved beams and painted rafters.

The jade table in the center of the hall is over ten feet long, its surface as smooth as a mirror, reflecting the colorful glass lamps hanging above.

There were only two seats on the table. The left seat was reserved for the Queen Mother, with a cushion made of ten-thousand-year-old cloud brocade, embroidered with the lotus sea of ​​the West Pond and the bluebird carrying a branch. The right seat was even more prestigious, with a jade base carved with the scene of the beginning of chaos, and a cushion made of celestial brocade mixed with phoenix tail feathers, with bright pearls the size of pigeon eggs adorning the corners. It was prepared for the Creator God.

The banquet dishes on the table were truly rare treasures from the Three Realms: Kunlun Jade Nectar was served in a crystal goblet, shimmering with a faint glow; thousand-year-old peaches were arranged on a jade plate, their red blush resembling that of a young girl, and their fragrance drifted through the clouds and out of the palace; and there was also a soup made with phoenix gall, served in a white jade bowl, the steam condensing into a phantom image of a dragon and phoenix, which lingered for a long time.

One hundred maids from Yaochi, dressed in plain white gauze, stood behind the palace pillars with their heads bowed, their breathing so light it was almost inaudible.

The trays they carried contained celestial wines and delicacies yet to be served—including crystal sugar formed from the tears of mermaids from the East Sea and pastries made from the pith of laurel trees, each requiring a thousand years of effort to produce.

Every Yaochi maid was just as beautiful as the two fairies, Yunxiu and Yueli, each with her own unique charm. If an ordinary person saw these hundred fairies, even a well-traveled modern person who had seen countless films, regardless of age or gender, they would be immediately stunned as if under a spell, and faint on the spot as if suffering from aesthetic overload syndrome.

Wen Rui entered through the main gate of the hall and walked along the center line of the hall with the same square steps as Zhenyuan Daxian, walking slowly and gracefully toward the jade table.

The Queen Mother of the West sat behind the jade table, her magnificent robes adorned with nine phoenixes facing the sun already arranged. Her fingertips gently brushed against the whisk inlaid with warm jade on the table, her eyes filled with anticipation for this exclusive banquet.

As Wen Rui strode over, the Queen Mother did not rise to greet him, but bowed slightly and said softly with a smile, "Little Heavenly Venerable Wen, I have long heard His Majesty say that you are selfless and the most diligent and virtuous minister among all the gods in Heaven. Today I know that this is indeed true."

"Even though His Majesty issued an edict requesting the Little Celestial Venerable to take a break, the Little Celestial Venerable was still concerned about the construction of the Heavenly Protection Array and has been busy until now, only managing to find some time to attend the banquet. He is truly a model for all immortals."

Wen Rui had met the Queen Mother of the West a few times, but they didn't have much interaction. Generally speaking, as long as the male gods in Heaven didn't get caught messing around with fairies, they wouldn't offend the Queen Mother of the West.

The female immortals in Heaven are nominally under the jurisdiction of this Supreme Heavenly Empress, and thus have more opportunities to interact with the Queen Mother of the West.

Wen Rui bowed respectfully, then feigned apology, saying, "Your Majesty's invitation was kindly extended, but I have arrived late due to unforeseen circumstances. Please forgive me."

"It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter."

The Queen Mother smiled warmly and kindly, looking like a kind and gentle middle-aged woman. She treated Wen Rui as if he were an elder meeting a beloved junior.

"Yueying, Jiangyun, what are you two silly girls standing there for? Go and serve your savior to take his seat!"

Behind the Queen Mother of the West stood two stunningly beautiful fairies. These two were old acquaintances of Wen Rui, two of the seven fairies he had recruited into the Heavenly River Guard.

They were both dressed in their favorite colors, and they had taken special care to dress up today. After their careful grooming, they looked even more charming.

These two fairies were even more beautiful than the other maids in the Jade Pool Wonderland. Their radiant beauty was beyond compare; even lecherous men would be stunned by their breathtaking looks and dare not harbor the slightest impropriety. Of course, when they served as executioners in the Heavenly River Guard, these two fairies were not as charming and lovely as they were today. The Western Arhats who had been tortured by them already had some misogynistic tendencies, and after being released, they developed a psychological trauma towards women. Their legs would tremble at the sight of women, and in severe cases, they would even suffer from incontinence.

This effectively reduced the possibility of the five hundred Arhats breaking the precept against lust to an absolute zero.

The two fairies had long been familiar with Wen Rui. The more they interacted with him, the more they understood his character. From their initial respect and restraint, they gradually became more informal and stopped bowing to him and using honorifics when speaking to him.

Wen Rui was never arrogant towards those around him, and he had always disliked the strict hierarchy of the Heavenly Court, which used the severe punishments of the Heavenly Laws to restrain the order of rank and status.

This is not only because his soul comes from the modern world, but more importantly because the Jie Sect does not follow such rules. When all the immortals gather, no one is more noble than anyone else. They never label or define people based on their level of cultivation or whether they are human.

Adhering to this philosophy, Wen Rui made some progress in improving the completion of the mission to revive the Jie Sect, and he naturally went with the flow and never put on airs.

If the system's task for him is to revitalize the Chan Sect, he would definitely not act this way; he would be an extreme feudalist who prioritizes human supremacy.

When acquaintances meet, there should be nothing special about it, and everyone should just get along normally. However, the two fairies were acting strangely today, and they had returned to the restraint they had when they first met Wen Rui.

When they came to invite Wen Rui to the banquet at the behest of the Queen Mother of the West, their cheeks flushed, and they were not yet daring to look Wen Rui directly in the eye, their gazes darting away, which made them look somewhat shy.

Wen Rui had witnessed them laughing "Hehehe" while whipping the muscular monk with their celestial ribbons, and for a moment she couldn't accept them acting like such a girlish person towards her.

But Wen Rui did not expose them. He followed them to the jade table and sat cross-legged facing the Queen Mother of the West.

Although it was a private banquet, a family feast held to thank Wen Rui for saving the two fairies, the identities of the host and guests determined that this banquet would not be so simple.

Wen Rui is a title bestowed by the Heavenly Venerable, and he presides over the important task of subduing demons and helping the Three Realms overcome tribulations. He is at least equivalent to a member of the Ming Dynasty's cabinet, or even a Grand Secretary, or the Chief Grand Councilor of the Qing Dynasty's Grand Council.

This single identity alone wouldn't be enough to allow him to speak on equal terms with the Queen Mother of the West, but Wen Rui's network of relationships is far more complex, giving him even more leverage.

The current direct descendant and leader of the Jie Sect, son of the Thunder God Jiutian Yingyuan Leisheng Puhua Tianzun, and the chief disciple of the Doumu Yuanjun, the Dou God, with friends and acquaintances throughout the court and the country...

From the perspective of the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother, if it weren't for the presence of Hongjun Daozu and the three sages above him, Wen Rui would have rebelled long ago. The fact that he has managed to wait until today and still maintain at least some respect for them deserves praise as a descendant of a renowned loyal minister throughout the ages, whose self-control is far beyond that of ordinary people.

(End of this chapter)