From a loser to an immortal sage

Chapter 51 Misunderstandings in the Fog

The golden invitation was warm to the touch, and the four gold-embossed words "Celestial Banquet" seemed to possess a certain magic, making my heart race. The special guest—Xiao Yao. These words were like a flame, igniting a sense of anticipation and trepidation I had never felt before.

I had never attended such a grand banquet before. Facing the unknown social interactions of the immortal realm, I took a deep breath and told myself: Xiao Yao, you can do it. After changing into an elegant yet noble dress, I boarded the flying boat bound for Penglai Immortal Island, where the banquet was to be held.

As soon as I stepped into the banquet, I was greeted by ethereal music, exquisite wines, and a dazzling array of elegant women. I stood somewhat awkwardly in the crowd until a figure as serene and radiant as moonlight caught my eye.

He was a tall and handsome man, dressed in pure white, his jet-black hair tied up with a white jade hairpin. He had striking features, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes. He exuded a cool and aloof aura that made people hesitant to approach him, yet they couldn't help but be drawn to him.

Our eyes met, and time seemed to stand still. My heart suddenly raced, and a feeling I had never experienced before welled up inside me. Those deep eyes seemed to hold the stars and the sea, making me unable to resist being captivated by them.

"This fairy looks unfamiliar. Is this your first time attending a celestial banquet?" A charming voice interrupted my thoughts.

I turned my head and saw that the speaker was a beautiful woman dressed in gorgeous clothes. She was accompanied by several exquisitely dressed female cultivators who were looking at me with curious eyes.

“Indeed,” I nodded slightly, “This humble woman is Xiao Yao, greetings to all fellow immortals.”

"So it's Fairy Xiao," the beautiful woman chuckled, covering her mouth. "I've long admired your name. I am Madam Chu."

Madam Chu? My heart skipped a beat as I recalled the rumors I had heard about her: she came from a prestigious family, but was consumed by jealousy and often spread rumors behind people's backs to ruin their reputations.

"It's truly admirable that Fairy Xiao possesses such cultivation at such a young age," Madam Chu said, her gaze intentionally or unintentionally sweeping over the white-robed man not far from me. "However, the path to immortality is long and arduous; one must remain grounded and never attempt to take shortcuts, otherwise..."

She didn't continue, but the profound meaning in her tone was impossible to ignore. I followed her gaze and met the deep eyes of the man in white, whose eyes seemed to flash with a hint of doubt.

My heart sank. Madam Chu's words were clearly pointed, an attempt to sow discord between me and this Immortal Venerable. And judging from his reaction, it seemed...

"Immortal Venerable Wen Chen," Madam Chu called softly as she gracefully approached the man in white, "It's been a long time; you still look as dashing as ever."

My breath caught in my throat. Immortal Venerable Wen Chen… So he was the legendary Immortal Venerable Wen Chen, a man of extraordinary talent and boundless cultivation!

Madam Chu's sweet, delicate voice was like a thorn piercing my heart. The Immortal Venerable Wen Chen—so he was the legendary figure I admired.

I subconsciously glanced at Immortal Venerable Wen Chen, who nodded slightly in response to Madam Chu's greeting. He remained aloof and detached, as if everything around him was irrelevant. Yet, for some reason, I caught a glimpse of a subtle coldness in his deep eyes, a coldness that seemed directed at me.

"Immortal Venerable Wen Chen may not know this," Madam Chu chuckled, covering her mouth, but her voice carried a hint of sarcasm, "This Fairy Xiao has risen to fame. In just a few years, she has cultivated from an unknown person to the Golden Core stage, which is truly amazing."

Her words, though seemingly a compliment, were actually laced with sarcasm. How could I not understand the implication? She was implying that I had taken shortcuts and achieved my current success through underhanded means.

Sure enough, the surrounding cultivators began to whisper among themselves, their gazes towards me filled with suspicion and scrutiny. I sneered inwardly; this Madam Chu truly seemed to thrive on chaos, seizing every opportunity to tarnish my reputation.

"Oh?" Immortal Venerable Wen Chen responded indifferently, turning his gaze to me with a hint of inquiry, "May I ask where Fairy Xiao's master is?"

I took a deep breath, about to explain, when a gloomy voice interrupted: "Fairy Xiao is exceptionally talented, why would she need to learn from someone else? Perhaps she obtained some heaven-defying opportunity to soar to such heights?"

The speaker was a middle-aged man dressed in a purple robe. His face was stern, and his eyes gleamed with shrewdness. I recognized him as Qin Huai, the leader of the Zixiao Sect, with whom I had a long-standing feud.

Qin Huai's words aroused even more discussion among the surrounding people. I had a bad feeling in my heart; Qin Huai was clearly trying to use this opportunity to make trouble and put me in the spotlight.

"Sect Leader Qin is joking," I said coldly, suppressing my anger. "I, Xiao Yao, have always been upright and honest. All my cultivation achievements are the result of my own hard work, step by step. How can there be any talk of heaven-defying opportunities?"

"Is that so?" Qin Huai sneered. "Then why is it that your cultivation has improved so quickly, yet I've never seen you use any kind of technique? Could it be some kind of shady, evil art?"

He pressed closer, clearly intending to kill me. I was burning with rage and about to retort when I felt a cold gaze fall upon me.

I turned my head and met the deep eyes of Immortal Venerable Wen Chen. His gaze was full of scrutiny and suspicion, as if he were judging whether what I said was true or false.

At that moment, an indescribable bitterness welled up in my heart. It turned out that even he had begun to doubt me in the face of these rumors.

Seeing the strange expression on Immortal Venerable Wen Chen's face, Madam Chu was secretly delighted and continued to add fuel to the fire, saying, "Immortal Venerable Wen Chen, you may not know, but this Fairy Xiao..."

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and suppressed the anger and resentment in my heart. I knew this was not the time to act impulsively. Since Qin Huai dared to frame me so blatantly, he must have come prepared. I had to calm down, find evidence, and clear my name.

I suddenly opened my eyes, looked firmly at Immortal Venerable Wen Chen, and said, word by word, "The innocent are innocent, and the guilty are guilty. I believe..."

Before I could finish speaking, I was interrupted by a sudden voice.

"Immortal Lord! Something terrible has happened! The Demon Race has invaded!"

"The demons have invaded!" This voice, like a thunderclap, resounded throughout the banquet, instantly silencing the whispering crowd.

My heart skipped a beat; this sudden news caught me off guard, but at the same time, I secretly breathed a sigh of relief. The demon invasion was a major event in the cultivation world; presumably, this farce should be coming to an end now.

I secretly glanced at Immortal Venerable Wen Chen. He remained as calm as ever, only his aura had grown even colder, like ice that had never melted. I smiled bitterly to myself; it seemed he didn't want to hear a single word of my explanation.

"Immortal Venerable, what should we do now?" Fairy Lin asked softly, her face showing just the right amount of worry, her voice trembling slightly, a sight that evoked pity. Immortal Venerable Wen Chen did not speak, but merely nodded slightly, then transformed into a stream of light and disappeared from the hall.

"Let's go too." I withdrew my gaze, took a deep breath, and said to my familiar fellow cultivators beside me. Regardless of what Immortal Venerable Wen Chen thought of me, the invasion of the Demon Race was no small matter, and I had to do my best to protect the cultivation world.

"Fairy Xiao, wait!" A cheerful voice called out to me. I turned around and saw it was Master Fang. He quickly walked up to me and said in a low voice, "Fairy Xiao, that old scoundrel Qin Huai has ill intentions. You must not let your guard down."

A thought struck me. Master Fang was an upright man, hating evil as if it were his enemy. Since he said that, he must have discovered something. I nodded and asked in a low voice, "Master Fang, have you discovered something?"

“I just noticed that Qin Huai and one of his disciples exchanged glances, and the disciple then left the main hall. I suspect that he is involved in this matter.” Master Fang said solemnly. “I have sent someone to secretly follow that disciple, and I believe we will have results soon.”

A chill ran down my spine. It seemed Qin Huai had really gone to great lengths to frame me. I gave Master Fang a grateful look. "Thank you for the reminder, Master Fang. I will be careful."

"You're too kind, Fairy Xiao. Rest assured, I will definitely investigate this matter thoroughly and clear your name." Master Fang's tone was firm, and his eyes shone with the light of justice.

I nodded, said no more, and turned to walk out of the hall. The demonic aura was palpable; a great battle was imminent. I had more important things to do.

However, the moment I stepped out of the palace gate, I felt a burning gaze fixed on me, a gaze filled with possessiveness and an air of determination. I turned around abruptly and met a pair of affectionate, peach blossom eyes.

He was the senior brother of Immortal Venerable Wenchen, the charming and amorous Immortal Lord Yunhua. A playful smile curled at the corner of his lips as he said in an ambiguous tone, "Fairy Xiao, we'll meet again soon..."

Immortal Lord Yunhua's words sent a chill down my spine. I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes and said with a forced smile, "Immortal Lord Yunhua is joking. I have important matters to attend to, so I will not keep you company any longer." With that, I left without looking back.

A silvery laugh came from behind; it was Fairy Lin. She said sweetly, "Senior Brother Yunhua, you're teasing me again. How can I compare to Fairy Xiao's heroic spirit and her ability to be just as capable as any man?"

I curled the corners of my lips. This Fairy Lin is truly a master of acting. She clearly wishes I would disappear immediately, but on the surface she pretends to be a sister to me. She's so hypocritical.

I quickened my pace and came to Master Fang's side. He was talking to a disciple, but when he saw me coming, he immediately ended the conversation.

“Fairy Xiao, we have a lead.” Master Fang said solemnly, “My men saw Qin Huai’s disciple hide something in your room. The thing was emanating a strong demonic aura, which is obviously Qin Huai’s conspiracy.”

My heart sank. This Qin Huai really would stop at nothing, resorting to such a despicable tactic of framing someone. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. "Master Fang, could you please retrieve that item?"

"Of course." Master Fang nodded and gestured for his disciple to go and obtain the certificate.

Watching the disciple's departing figure, my heart was filled with mixed emotions. I had finally found evidence that Qin Huai had framed me, but I couldn't be happy at this moment. Because I knew that even if I cleared my name, Immortal Venerable Wen Chen would never believe me again.

"Fairy Xiao, what's wrong?" Master Fang noticed my unusual behavior and asked with concern.

I shook my head and forced a smile. "It's nothing, I was just thinking about some things."

"Are you still troubled by the matter of Immortal Venerable Wenchen?" Master Fang asked incisively.

I remained silent for a moment, then finally nodded. Master Fang sighed and patted my shoulder, “Fairy Xiao, matters of the heart are the most complicated, and outsiders can’t really help. But I believe that the innocent will be proven innocent, and Immortal Venerable Wen Chen will one day understand your feelings.”

I shook my head with a wry smile. Maybe so, but I don't know if I'll have the time to wait until that day.

"Fairy Xiao, the item has been retrieved." The disciple returned, carrying a black box in his hands.

I took the box, took a deep breath, and slowly opened it.

The moment the box was opened, a bone-chilling cold swept over me, and I felt as if my blood had frozen. Inside the box lay a black stone, carved with eerie runes, emanating a chilling demonic aura…

"Fairy Xiao, this stone..." Before Master Fang could finish speaking, I made a decision.

"Master Fang, I need to go find Immortal Venerable Wen Chen." I closed the box and said with a firm gaze, "There are some things I must explain to him in person."

Master Fang wanted to say something more, but I had already turned and left, leaving only the words, "Wait for me to come back!"

I traveled at a brisk pace, my mind constantly replaying every moment I spent with Immortal Venerable Wenchen, my heart filled with bitterness and sorrow.

I don't know how he will see me, but I don't care anymore.

I arrived at the palace of Immortal Venerable Wenchen, took a deep breath, and raised my hand to knock on the door...