Fairy, you call this repaying a debt of gratitude?

Chapter 111 The Banquet

After saying this, Chu Yaoxi no longer lingered, picked up her sword, and turned to leave.

Shen Wei silently stood up, gazing thoughtfully at her retreating figure.

"You have reasons why you have to win, and so do I."

"Let's rely on our own abilities."

In the days that followed, even when Ye Qingci was not around, Chu Yaoxi would often come over, mostly to spar with Shen Wei.

But Chu Yaoxi had learned her lesson and no longer casually agreed to any "betting" in order to add any fun to the sword sparring.

Furthermore, it must be said that Chu Yaoxi's talent is truly extraordinary. Basically, after each sparring session, Chu Yaoxi's sword skills show tremendous improvement that can be seen with the naked eye.

Shen Wei saw all of this, which gave him the feeling that teaching a disciple could lead to the master starving.

Today, the spring sunshine is warm, the breeze is gentle, and the clouds are light.

Chu Yaoxi has come again.

"You look so gloomy, are you not welcoming me?"

Seeing Shen Wei's appearance, Chu Yaoxi frowned slightly and asked in an annoyed tone.

"I wouldn't dare. You are the young master of the Jade Balance Sect, and the entire sect will belong to you in the future. How could I not welcome you?"

Chu Yaoxi scoffed, "If you don't want to, just say so. No need for this sarcastic tone. Do you think I'm the kind of person who would use my status to intimidate you?"

"It shouldn't be—"

Chu Yaoxi rolled her eyes at him, then brought up the important matter.

"Don't give me that cold look. I didn't come here today to spar with you."

Shen Wei raised an eyebrow slightly, somewhat curious. "What's the matter?"

"I'll take you to a banquet."

"Hmm? What kind of banquet?"

"A gathering in late spring".

Chu Yaoxi slowly revealed the name of the banquet, and then explained the reasons behind it.

This banquet was personally organized by Princess Zhaoyang, the most favored princess of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and was an annual grand event in the capital.

Princess Zhaoyang was fond of elegant poetry and prose, and of singing while wielding a sword.

Although she lacked the talent for cultivation, she had always admired the spirit of immortals and enjoyed making friends with disciples of immortal sects.

This late spring banquet is purely an invitation to the sons of the capital's powerful and wealthy families, along with literary figures, to stroll through the gardens and appreciate the spring scenery as late spring draws to a close.

Enjoying tea and discussing philosophy, making friends through swordsmanship.

The banquet has always been highly exclusive, with only the core talents of the five major immortal sects and top sects invited, in addition to members of the royal family, scions of noble families, and literary figures.

It was originally a purely elegant gathering, intended to allow young people from all sides to exchange ideas, get to know each other, and share their knowledge and insights.

However, this elegant banquet has taken on a different flavor this year.

The Third Prince, Xiao Qian, deliberately used this grand gathering of thousands to build momentum, intending to quietly cultivate connections and enhance his prestige by taking advantage of the opportunity presented by the gathering of various prodigies and scions of noble families.

He also wanted to take this opportunity to secretly promote a marriage alliance with the Yuheng Sect in order to pave the way for himself to secure his position as crown prince.

Chu Yaoxi disliked such scenes the most, but due to her status as the young master of the Jade Balance Sect, she could not refuse.

She knew that Xiao Qian would definitely take this opportunity to make a big fuss, spread rumors about the marriage alliance, and deliberately entangle and curry favor with her, putting the Yuheng Sect in a precarious position, but she had no choice but to attend the banquet.

"The elegant banquet in late spring, personally hosted by Princess Zhaoyang, was originally just boring, but if that person were also there, it would be terrible."

""

After explaining everything to Shen Wei, her eyes turned and landed on Shen Wei.

"I've come today because my mother specifically instructed that you accompany me to this banquet."

"Can I refuse?"

Shen Wei was reluctant to go, after all, he carried the Evil Dragon's Fiend within him, and going to the capital for the banquet would be very risky, as he could easily be targeted by others.

"No, now that you are a disciple of my Jade Balance Sect, you should obey the sect leader's arrangements."

He thought that this was just an ordinary elegant banquet, and as long as he kept his aura hidden and suppressed the evil dragon aura within him, no one should be able to detect anything unusual.

Having enjoyed the benefits brought by the disciples of the Jade Balance Sect, it is only natural that they should also take on the responsibilities.

Shen Wei told himself this.

But he couldn't help asking, "But—why me?"

This question made Chu Yaoxi hesitate for a moment. She raised her hand to support her snow-white chin, pondered for a moment, and then gave her answer.

"Among the male disciples of this generation in the sect, you are probably the only one who can be considered presentable."

Chu Yaoxi sighed, "Isn't this a kind of tragedy?"

""

What should have been praise of him sounded like insults coming from Chu Yaoxi's mouth.

"Alright, stop looking so sullen." Chu Yaoxi beckoned him to come over. "Come with me, I'll take you to change into your brocade robes for the banquet, so that you won't embarrass the Jade Balance Sect when you go to the capital for the banquet."

Chu Yaoxi turned and walked ahead first, and Shen Wei silently followed behind her.

Inside Chu Yaoxi's palace, after Shen Wei changed her clothes alone, she began to help her adjust the details of her attire.

"Just one last step."

Chu Yaoxi stood on tiptoe and raised her hand to tidy his hair.

She was completely focused on the action before her, their bodies pressed extremely close together, their breaths mingling. The girl's soft, full body gently pressed against his chest, the gentle pressure creating a unique sensation that made Shen Wei's breathing involuntarily become unnatural.

Chu Yaoxi didn't know the reason, but she frowned slightly and said to Shen Wei, "Hey, don't move, control your breathing, it's making my neck itchy."

-

"good----"

A moment later, Chu Yaoxi landed on her heels, took a half step back, and looked up to carefully examine the person in front of her, somewhat lost in thought.

The young man before them wore a brocade robe embroidered with flowing cloud patterns. The fabric was of the highest quality and had a delicate texture. His originally loose, long black hair was tied up high with a translucent jade crown.

After all his hair was removed, his handsome and refined features were fully revealed. He had high brow bones, long and deep-set eyes, clean and clear lip lines, and fair and clear skin, yet he did not appear weak.

He was tall and slender with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, exuding a refined and elegant air that made him impossible to look away from simply standing there.

Chu Yaoxi was stunned for a moment, then came to her senses and found that Shen Weizheng was staring at her in a daze.

Almost instantly, a faint blush crept up her ears, and she coughed lightly before quickly averting her gaze.

"Wow—you look quite professional." Her tone was slightly unnatural. "You wait here for a bit, I'll go change into something for the banquet."

After she finished speaking, she turned and walked towards the dressing screen in the inner room.

The room fell silent for a moment. With nothing to do, Shen Wei began to carefully examine Chu Yaoxi's bedroom. Although the furnishings were extremely exquisite, there was nothing particularly special about it.

Only the table in front of the window caught his attention.

The desk was clean and tidy, with a plain-colored booklet spread out on it. Beside it lay a fine wolf-hair brush, the ink still slightly dry, and the pages were densely covered with neat and elegant small characters.

Shen Wei glanced at it lightly and saw a line of small print at the very top of the book: Day 1487.

Although the way the dates are marked is strange, upon closer inspection, this must be a girl's diary.

Shen Wei didn't have the habit of snooping on other people's privacy, so after realizing it was a diary, he stopped reading.

A short while later, the screen moved slightly, and Chu Yaoxi walked out slowly.

She wore a moon-white, wide-sleeved long dress, her waist cinched so slender and delicate that it seemed as if one could grasp it with one hand, outlining her graceful and shapely figure; her usually casual black hair was neatly tied into a flowing cloud-like updo, making her look elegant and dignified.

The arrogance she usually exuded vanished, leaving only unparalleled elegance and breathtaking beauty.

Only those phoenix eyes still retained their previous aura.

As long as she met those eyes, that familiar aloofness and coldness would still be there, and she would still be Chu Yaoxi.