Bai Xiaochun heard all of the talk about him, but merely cleared his throat and pretended he hadn’t noticed. Laughing heartily, he found a spot near the front of the square, where he sat down in the crowd.
Clearing his throat, he said unblinkingly, “Now that I think about it, I really miss how, back in the Heavenspan Realm, I would constantly munch on 100,000-year-old lotus seeds. I would usually spit them out though. I mostly just put them in my mouth for the flavor. The aftertaste would last for a whole day, and was truly unforgettable. I’d assumed I would never enjoy that again. Who would have thought I would run into some immortal lotus seeds here?
“It's too bad there aren’t any spirit tail chickens here. You know, there was one kind of immortal fowl back where I come from that evolved directly from the natural laws of heaven and earth. We called them heaven-destroying, earth-extinguishing spirit tail chickens. We would usually roast them with 10,000-year-old snow lotus seeds, and then add in a few 500,000-year-old immortal peppers. Ah, now that is a flavor that will go with you through reincarnation!
“Sadly, I was only important enough to eat a few thousand of them.” With that he sighed, the gleam of reminiscence flickering strongly in his eyes.
Please go to
install our App to read the latest chapters for free
Chapter
1067: Good Stuff
Silence prevailed for a long moment as everyone nearby looked over at Bai Xiaochun, strange expressions on their faces. Bragging was nothing uncommon, but not this level of fakery….
Furthermore, he said it with such a completely straight face that it seemed very convincing. Then people started thinking back to how he had bragged that the Vile-Emperor essentially got lucky to not be kidnapped by him. At this point, Chen Su cleared his throat and changed the conversation topic, striking up a conversation about cultivation with Gu Tianjun.
The others present looked away, and began to chat and laugh amongst themselves again. No one brought up the lotus seeds again, apparently not wanting to give Bai Xiaochun a chance to brag. His boasting left them with goosebumps.
“A 100,000-year-old snow lotus…? I guess it got lucky to not be picked for that long!”
“Heaven-destroying, earth-extinguishing spirit tail chickens…? Bragging is fine, but does he really need to take it so seriously? That name is certainly fancy enough! If that were true, then I bet if they had heavenly dragonfish, they would call them starry sky invincible immortal realm paragon unmatchable heavenly dragonfish!”
“The worst was the 500,000-year-old immortal peppers. Dammit! I've never heard of anything that's 500,000 years old!!”
Cursing silently, everyone ignored Bai Xiaochun, which left him feeling quite pleased. Looking proudly over the crowd, he snorted in his heart. Although he didn’t feel himself to be an accomplished braggart, if he was pushed far enough, he could unleash boasts the likes of which the Eternal Lands could likely not withstand.
More excited cultivators began to arrive, including Preceptor Seadeep.
Although Preceptor Seadeep hated Bai Xiaochun with a passion, he smiled and offered a polite greeting. Other people who Bai Xiaochun had given heavenly dragonfish also came up to chat a bit.
They all despised him with a prejudice that their smiles could not hide. However, considering how much time Bai Xiaochun had spent in Saint-Emperor City so far, he was used to it. In fact, if they ever changed their ways, he would find it odd.
Since he was used to their way of interacting, he plastered a smile onto his own face and chatted amiably, taking every chance he was given to brag and boast.
Soon, the seats were mostly full, and more bells tolled. Everyone went quiet as the Saint-Emperor entered, smiling warmly as the crowd rose to their feet and bowed in greeting.
After taking his place at the seat of honor, he looked around at the crowd and even gave Bai Xiaochun a nod.
“Sit, everyone. Ladies and gentlemen, today is the lotus banquet, in which I will bestow immortal lotus seeds upon many of you.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty!” everyone said in unison, and then sat.
Bai Xiaochun followed along, then looked around in anticipation as he waited for the Saint-Emperor to start doling out the rewards.
He didn’t have to wait long. Smiling, the Saint-Emperor waved his hand, causing a powerful wind to kick up as a huge, illusory hand appeared up in the sky.
It radiated a holy glow that caused shock to fill Bai Xiaochun’s heart. As everyone looked on, the huge hand began to descend toward the heavenly pond.
As it swept over the lotus pods that floated on the surface, they opened, allowing golden lotus seeds to fly out of them!
The pods which had been harvested remained intact after the seeds were taken out of them, and slowly sank back down into the heavenly pond.
The largest of the seeds were fist-sized, and the smallest were more like a walnut, or even smaller. In total, only a few dozen appeared within the palace in front of the Saint-Emperor.
The dozens of lotus seeds shone with golden light, and filled the entire hall with their fragrant aroma. At the same time, a thin mist appeared, making the imperial palace seem exactly like a celestial paradise.
The aroma lifted the spirits of everyone present, and as for Bai Xiaochun, it caused his cultivation base to vibrate in anticipation.
“Celestial Chen Su, Celestial Gu, Celestial Sima. You three are the protectors of the Saint-Emperor Dynasty. Without you, the dynasty would not exist. As I once said, it is important to share with those around us in creation, measly immortal lotus seeds included.” The three celestials all rose to their feet and clasped hands formally, then accepted the large collection of lotus seeds that flew their way.
“The heavenly kings defend the dynasty, assisted by the various dukes under their command. As I have sworn, the blessings of heaven will most certainly be shared with you as well!” The Saint-Emperor waved his hand, sending another group of immortal lotus seeds out. Those who received them all bowed deeply in thanks.
Of the first group of lotus seeds, only five remained, most of them smaller than a walnut. Clearly, these seeds were not fully ripe.
As Bai Xiaochun saw the lotus seeds disappearing without a single one going to him, he started to get anxious. Feeling a bit jealous, he held his head high and his chest out, hoping to attract the attention of the Saint-Emperor.
“Hey, I’m a duke too!” he thought. Apparently, his actions worked. The Saint-Emperor’s eyes flickered, and after looking over at Bai Xiaochun for a moment, he hesitated, then waved his right hand.
“The other dukes and marquises who have performed services for the Saint-Emperor Dynasty will not be left out!”
The five remaining lotus seeds flew out, with one of them heading toward Bai Xiaochun. He reached out excitedly and grabbed it, but afterward, frowned slightly.
It was impossible to tell if it was a coincidence or not, but it seemed like his lotus seed was the smallest and least ripe.
The truth was that because of the heavenly dragonfish incident, the Saint-Emperor didn’t have a good impression of Bai Xiaochun at all. However, because of his title, and the loyalty the Heavenspan cultivators showed toward him, the Saint-Emperor had to at least make a show of treating him well.
“On this first day, 49 immortal lotus seeds have been bestowed upon my dear subjects. There is no need to be anxious. All those who have performed services for the Saint-Emperor Dynasty will eventually be rewarded.” The Saint-Emperor didn’t actually need to be present for the entire banquet. After offering a few more words of encouragement, he turned and left.
After his departure, the buzz of conversation grew loud. Those who had received lotus seeds were of course congratulated by the cultivators around them, and before long, the sound of laughter filled the air.