Inside, the seats were arranged according to a roster. They had just found their places and sat down when the camellia demon began looking around eagerly.
The peony demon asked suspiciously, “What are you looking for?”
“I don’t see him,” the little camellia demon said, drawing back her gaze with a flicker of disappointment and melancholy. He must be busy elsewhere in the palace. But she quickly gathered her spirits—after all, the Flower Festival would last three whole days. There was still time to see him again.
It was her first time attending such a grand event, and she couldn’t help feeling a little nervous. “Has the inner banquet started yet?” she asked.
“Not even close,” the peony demon replied.
The little camellia demon lifted the lily-petal wine pitcher filled with immortal brew and took a deep, reverent breath. With great conviction, she declared, “Next time, I’ll definitely survive the heavenly tribulation and come to the inner banquet again!”
The peony demon scoffed, “You barely made it this time. What if the next tribulation knocks you back four hundred years? You wouldn’t get in at all.”
The camellia demon shot her a glare, then lowered her voice and asked, “You’ve attended so many of these inner banquets—do you know a lord named Jin Xiu?”
The peony demon shook her head. “Never heard of him. Probably just some minor celestial. What ‘lord’?”
But he didn’t look like some minor celestial at all… The camellia demon kept that thought to herself and turned her gaze elsewhere.
On the raised main stage, the jade balustrade gleamed with inlaid pearls, ethereal and resplendent. Once the immortal maidens had finished setting out fruit and flower wine, they all withdrew in perfect order. Then two female immortals ascended the stone steps: Envoy Mei Xian and Envoy Xing Xian. Not long after, four male immortals followed—most likely the famed Envoys Gui Xian, Lan Xian, and others she had heard about.
The envoys took their seats, but the central main throne remained empty.
The peony demon’s eyes sparkled. She nudged her and whispered excitedly, “Pay attention! Now that the envoys are here, the Divine Lord should be appearing any moment.”
The little camellia demon’s heart was still warm with gratitude toward Mei Xian for speaking up on her behalf earlier. She was just thinking she should find a way to thank her when a figure slowly walked up onto the stage.
His brocade robes fluttered at his sides. His presence was commanding, his elegance unmistakable. Even from a distance, those bright eyes could be seen, along with the smile within them. He said a few words—though they were too far to hear clearly—and a wave of laughter rose from the audience below.
That’s him!
The Divine Lord, demoted from the Heavenly Court and now residing at the Flower Palace!
The little camellia demon snapped out of her daze, cheeks flushing red. The Divine Lord is so handsome… His voice sounds so kind… and he’s so gentle to everyone…
The peony demon clutched her arm excitedly. “He’s smiling at us!”
Instinctively, the little camellia demon smiled back up at him—but a moment later, she realized it wasn’t just for her. In fact… he hadn’t noticed her at all.
The peony demon gradually calmed down. “All these years, and still no one knows his name.”
But I do, the little camellia demon thought, staring at him from afar in a daze.
Two days passed in a flash.
The sweet scent of Hundred Flowers Brew, the graceful dances of immortal maidens, the Flower Deity personally emerging from the palace to bestow celestial wine and blessings to her people… The outer city and palace alike were filled with celebration.
Only the little camellia demon remained quiet and joyless, often falling into daydreams. Her heart was full of disappointment—because from beginning to end, he hadn’t looked her way even once.
On the final day of the inner banquet, he stepped down from the platform with a wine cup in hand. The garden became even more chaotic as the crowd surged forward. The peony demon let go of her and pushed through eagerly.
. Part 4){kind=link}
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