Inside the cave dwelling, Bai Zhirou's smile had completely frozen.
She bit her lip hard, her toes clenching and curling frantically inside her shoes.
It was... so incredibly awkward!
Looking at the other True Disciples and inner disciples, however...
On the surface, everyone looked completely normal, their faces even maintaining that polite, “accustomed to this” smile.
But if one looked closely, everyone else's fists were clenched tight, and their feet were moving frantically inside their shoes, even producing faint rustling sounds.
Clearly, everyone's psychological defense line was not as solid as it appeared on the surface.
However!
At this suffocatingly awkward moment!
From among the seats, four young inner disciples with extremely excited expressions and glowing eyes suddenly howled and rushed out of the cave dwelling!
As they ran wildly into the torrential rain, they laughed like madmen:
“Hahaha! Eldest Senior Brother! We've come to help you!”
Then, under the completely dumbfounded gazes of the dozen or so people present, the four disciples rushed behind Ye Jinghong, unsheathed their swords in unison, and instantly matched Eldest Senior Brother's flashy rhythm.
In the pouring rain, the five of them performed an extremely shocking, perfectly synchronized sword dance routine with highly coherent movements!
In his mind, Jiang Ye sucked in a cold breath:
“Holy crap! Even if there are no synchronized dances in the domestic entertainment scene, you guys in the cultivation world actually have them!”
The five men dancing wildly in the rain even shouted heroically as they danced:
“How glorious! How glorious!”
Jiang Ye was completely dumbfounded:
“I finally get it. Rainy days really do spawn Jiahaos! I just didn't expect the Azure Mystic Sect to be hiding a whole bunch of these 'sons of style'!”
The dance came to an end.
With extremely confident smiles, the five of them slowly sheathed their swords and walked shoulder to shoulder toward the cave dwelling, seemingly very satisfied with their flash mob performance in the rain.
Watching the five of them approach, Jiang Ye couldn't help but offer a ruthless commentary in his mind:
“Say what you want, but there's a reason Ye Jinghong gets to be the 'King of Style'.
“Look at Eldest Senior Brother. After dancing for so long, his hair is still fluffy and natural, with only a few drops of water clinging to it. His damp sideburns only add to his breezy, wandering rogue vibe. Even his white robes are still fluttering gently in the breeze.
“Now look at the four 'little Jiahaos' following behind him. Every single one of them is drenched like a drowned rat, their clothes plastered to their skin, their hair completely stuck to their scalps, grinning like absolute idiots. They look exactly like the village fool's simpleton sons who just got let out.
“It's all in the details. Truly, details determine success or failure.”
...
Ye Jinghong led his “flamboyant backup dancers” into the cave dwelling and sat down at the head of the table in a dominant, sprawling posture.
He looked at Bai Zhirou with immense pride:
“Junior Sister Bai! Having witnessed my move, 'The Three-Foot Blade Accompanies My Madness,' did you gain any insights?”
Bai Zhirou felt completely stiff, so embarrassed she wished she could crawl under the table. She could only mumble a perfunctory response in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz:
“A... a few insights.”
In truth, she hadn't dared to look at all; she had been busy cringing the entire time.
“Hahaha! Excellent! Junior Sister's comprehension is indeed astonishing!”
Ye Jinghong laughed heartily. “No matter! Next time I have some free time, I will personally guide you one-on-one!”
With that, he raised his wine cup high and declared loudly:
“Come! Let this first cup be a toast to our Junior Sister Bai, for ridding our Sword Peak of two great menaces! Today is truly glorious!!”
“To Junior Sister Bai! Glorious!” Everyone raised their cups.
With a blush on her face, Bai Zhirou held her cup ladylike with both hands, lightly clinked it with the others, and took a cautious sip.
Beside her, Gu Changqing couldn't help but tease:
“Junior Sister, you haven't even drunk any alcohol yet. Why is your face so red and shy?”
The moment the words left his mouth, Gu Qingxue glared at him fiercely.
The hand Gu Changqing used to hold his cup shook violently, almost spilling the wine. He let out a couple of awkward chuckles, quickly shut his mouth, and lowered his head to continue eating.
...
The feast began.
Bai Zhirou picked up her chopsticks and, in a very ladylike manner, picked up a small piece of golden-roasted Bolt-Striking Tiger meat and put it in her mouth.
Boom!
The rich aroma of meat and abundant spiritual energy instantly exploded on her tongue. She felt her mouth water; the flavor was simply exquisite!
But she was thin-skinned and too embarrassed to wolf it down in front of everyone, so she could only take tiny bites, chewing and swallowing with utmost elegance.
Seeing Bai Zhirou's reserved behavior, Qi Linger assumed she was just feeling shy as a newcomer.
The warm-hearted Fourth Senior Sister walked right over to Bai Zhirou's side and asked with a smile:
“Junior Sister Bai, don't just eat that one dish! What else do you want to eat? I'll help you plate it!”
Looking at the banquet table that stretched over ten meters and was laden with all kinds of meats and delicacies, Bai Zhirou suddenly found herself paralyzed by choice.
Faced with Senior Sister Qi's overly enthusiastic gaze, she could only blush, point to the only plate of stir-fried spiritual vegetables in front of her, and say in a tiny voice:
“That...”
Before she could finish, Bai Zhirou's body trembled slightly!
Jiang Ye logged in, grumbling and cursing!
He really couldn't watch this any longer!
You're at a celebration feast featuring a Tier Three great demon, and you're eating freaking vegetables?! At your rate, eating like a tiny kitten, when are you ever going to try everything!
He continued:
“Forget that. I want steamed lamb, steamed bear paw, steamed deer tail, roasted duck, roasted spring chicken, roasted goose...”
Qi Linger, who had been about to help her plate the food, was instantly petrified on the spot, her hand holding the plate freezing in midair.
The inner disciples who were drinking and chatting also turned their heads blankly, listening to Junior Sister Bai rattle off this list of dishes as if they were looking at a monster.
Junior Sister Bai looks so slender, yet she can eat this much?
Bai Zhirou: “...”
Seeing Qi Linger standing there in a daze for so long without moving, Jiang Ye didn't bother being polite anymore.
He forgot all about maintaining her fairy image, planting one foot directly on the adjacent bench!
With highly practiced movements, he rolled both sleeves all the way up to his elbows!
Then, under the dumbstruck gazes of the dozen or so people present, Jiang Ye reached out and grabbed the braised bear paw from the very center of the table, which had been stewed until the meat was tender and falling off the bone.
At that moment, her small, cherry-like mouth actually opened to an astonishing angle!
“Chomp!”
With one bite, nearly half of the bear paw vanished!
He chewed vigorously, grease dripping from his mouth, his cheeks puffed out to their limits. Yet he still didn't forget to give everyone a thumbs-up while mumbling:
“Mmm! Satisfying! This bear paw has some real bite to it!”
Everyone: “...”
Wait... so you were just warming up earlier?!
In her mind, Bai Zhirou covered her face and let out a despairing wail:
“...Please, I beg you... can you act a little more human...”
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