Volume 11, Chapter 771 – Is She Holding a Funeral or a Celebration? (Part 2)

Qi Huang froze for a moment, realizing she had spoken too bluntly. She quickly corrected herself. “I meant, how could the mighty Immortal Alliance possibly be affected by dealing with a few rebellious cultivators? Don’t worry about things that don’t concern you.”

“But… but didn’t you just say that you were going to handle the Immortal Alliance?”

Manager Bao asked uncertainly.

“You must have misheard because you were nervous. Don’t scare yourself. Has the Immortal Alliance stopped you from hosting your banquet?”

Qi Huang swiftly changed the subject.

“No, they haven’t.”

Manager Bao answered honestly.

“Well, then that means the Immortal Alliance clearly doesn’t see those rebellious elements as a threat. Otherwise, they would’ve cleared the area. After all, if innocent people got hurt, their reputation would take a hit. Don’t you agree?”

Qi Huang retorted, then offered a suggestion. “If you’re really that scared, you can just stay far away. You don’t need to personally cook or serve the dishes, right?”

“Uh…”

Manager Bao hesitated, clearly wavering.

“Think it through. If you go back on your word, I’ll make it known far and wide. Who would still dare to book a banquet at Wenxiang Pavilion in the future?”

Qi Huang first reasoned with him, then gave a thinly veiled threat.

“Alright, alright. We’ll do it your way. I’ll leave Wenxiang Pavilion early and use the Thousand-Mile Communication Tube to instruct the chefs and attendants to prepare the banquet. If you need anything, just tell them directly.”

In the end, Manager Bao compromised. As the saying goes, people die for wealth, birds die for food.

“Now that’s more like it. As a proper manager, you should at least have some professional ethics.”

Qi Huang smiled with satisfaction.

“Yes, yes, you’re absolutely right.”

Manager Bao forced a smile, then added, “But there’s one more thing. While the Immortal Alliance hasn’t stopped us from holding the banquet, they have repeatedly asked me about your identity. They said they want to discuss something with you.”

“Oh? What do they want to discuss?”

Qi Huang’s interest was piqued.

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“It’s like this. On the thirtieth, the Immortal Alliance is going to deal with the rebels at the front gate of their main headquarters. If they win, of course, there’ll be a celebration. So, they were hoping to borrow your banquet as a venue for their victory feast.”

Manager Bao explained carefully.

“What? Borrow my banquet for their victory celebration? How calculating.”

Qi Huang sneered.

“Well, it’s not that bad. After all, it’s a flowing banquet that anyone can join. Rather than letting it go to vagrants and beggars, why not offer it as a favor to the Immortal Alliance? Maybe you’ll even build a connection with them.”

Manager Bao tried hard to persuade her, though it was clearly out of self-interest. If Qi Huang ended up at odds with the Immortal Alliance, he would be caught in the middle.

“So, Manager Bao, are you suggesting I say yes to them?”

Qi Huang asked without showing her thoughts.

“Well, can you even say no? When the Immortal Alliance asks for something, who in the world dares refuse besides that little demoness from Honghua Sect?”

Manager Bao said bluntly.

“Little demoness?”

Qi Huang was a bit annoyed by the nickname, but she couldn’t be bothered to argue. “No problem. You can tell the people from the Immortal Alliance that I agree to their request. Let them have their celebration banquet first.”

“You’re wise indeed.”

Manager Bao was overjoyed and quickly flattered her.

“They’re planning a celebration before the battle’s even begun. Aren’t they afraid it’ll turn into a funeral feast?”

After ending the call, Qi Huang muttered to herself. A few senior sisters gathered around curiously.

“Junior sister, what’s going on? I think I heard you mention the Immortal Alliance.”

Ruan Lingyu was the first to ask.

“Oh, it’s nothing. Here’s what happened…”

Qi Huang then explained the whole banquet situation.

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“Junior sister, when did you become so timid? You actually let the Immortal Alliance take the lead?”

Shen Yuan scolded indignantly.

“Look at you, getting all worked up again.”

Qi Huang rolled her eyes at her senior sister, then explained, “The Immortal Alliance wants a celebration banquet, but they still have to defeat me first. If they can’t, then it’ll be a funeral feast. Haven’t you heard the saying ‘the dead take precedence’? How could we fight over something with the dead?”

“Junior sister, you’re vicious!”

Shen Yuan’s eyes lit up, clapping excitedly.

“Senior sister, you’re the truly vicious one. You get more excited about killing than I do.”

Qi Huang couldn’t help but tease.

That afternoon, Elder Kang entered the discussion hall and reported his findings to Lu Lin.

“Alliance Leader, the manager of Wenxiang Pavilion, Manager Bao, doesn’t know who booked the banquet. He only knows their surname is Huang. But that person asked him to pass along a message: they’re willing to fully cooperate with the Immortal Alliance.”

Elder Kang reported.

“That person seems tactful. In that case, there’s no need to press further.”

Lu Lin smiled with satisfaction, then added cautiously, “But I still want to know what dishes this person ordered. We’re entertaining some of the most influential figures on the cultivation continent, we can’t be negligent. If the food’s not up to par, have them add more dishes.”

“No need to worry, Alliance Leader. I’ve already checked. That person was very generous, ordered all of Wenxiang Pavilion’s best dishes, thirty per table.”

Elder Kang replied.

“Ha! Seems this Huang fellow does have some resources. Once we deal with those rebels, try to get close to him. Making friends like that would benefit the Alliance.”

Lu Lin instructed.

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“Understood!”

Elder Kang responded respectfully.

“One more thing. Since we’re holding a victory banquet, we can’t let it get messed up beforehand. On the thirtieth, take a few dozen disciples to maintain order. If we’re not at the table, no one else is allowed to sit. Got it?”

Lu Lin added another command.

“Don’t worry, Alliance Leader. With me there, no one will dare sit before the Immortal Alliance does!”

Elder Kang promised with full confidence.

As all of Cultivation Continent waited in anxious anticipation, June 30th finally arrived.

Qi Huang slept in until she woke naturally, then lazily got up to wash. She showed no signs of nervousness, because for her, this was just going to be a slaughter. She felt no pressure at all.

Her family had to urge her several times before she finally left the house, still looking drowsy.

“Let’s hurry. Sect Master Qin has already come by multiple times to rush us. He said everyone from Honghua Sect and Shuiyu Valley is assembled and waiting for your command. We shouldn’t be late.”

Her makeshift father, Cheng Yuan, urged her.

“They’re quite eager. Aren’t they afraid I might not be able to handle the Immortal Alliance and end up walking into a trap?”

Qi Huang joked.

“Little Huang! Don’t joke about something like this. If you really can’t defeat the Immortal Alliance, don’t be reckless. If we surrender early, we might still have a chance.”

Her makeshift mother, Jiang Linian, advised.

“Relax. Since when has this son-in-law fought a battle I wasn’t confident in?”

Qi Huang comforted them confidently.

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“What do you mean ‘son-in-law’? It’s daughter-in-law!”

Cheng Hongling interjected, then mocked, “How many reckless fights have you gotten into? When you first joined Honghua Sect, you said life was like a play and relied entirely on acting. You nearly blew your cover several times.”

“Uh…”

Qi Huang looked slightly embarrassed, then defended herself. “My dear, what you said isn’t quite right. If I dared act that way, it means I believed my acting alone could beat them. That’s also a form of confidence.”

“Heh…”

Cheng Hongling smiled ambiguously, not bothering to expose her.

And so, the family chatted and laughed as they arrived at Honghua Sect’s central square. Qi Huang looked around and saw that five to six hundred people were already gathered, both disciples of Honghua Sect and Shuiyu Valley.

“Qi Huang, can we depart now?”

Mu Ruoyi ran up excitedly. Ever since Shuiyu Valley was destroyed, and the Immortal Alliance not only stood by but even kicked them while they were down, she had come to utterly despise them.

“Any time.”

Qi Huang blinked her big eyes.

“Then let’s go quickly, I can’t wait anymore.”

Mu Ruoyi urged as she excitedly pulled out two spatial rings and handed them over. “Qi Huang, I know you’re strong, but carrying hundreds of people with just Divine Sense is still a heavy burden. These are my spare spatial rings, they can hold people. If it’s not enough, we’ll figure something else out.”

Qi Huang was touched, but she had more than enough rings already. Softly, she replied, “No need, Sister Ruoyi. I have plenty of rings. Forget five or six hundred, five or six thousand would be no problem.”

“Oh! That’s good.”

Mu Ruoyi breathed a sigh of relief.

Qi Huang stepped past her and addressed the assembled crowd from both sects. “Everyone, sorry to keep you waiting. We’ll depart immediately. But some of you have weaker cultivation and won’t be able to withstand the burden of high-speed travel. I’ll have to trouble you to stay inside the rings for now. Once we reach Wuye City, I’ll let you out.”

“We shall obey the Grand Elder’s instructions.”

The leaders and disciples of both sects respectfully answered.

Qi Huang wasted no words and stored all five to six hundred friends and comrades into her rings. Then, taking Cheng Hongling with her, she vanished into thin air.