binnovel Chapter 281 The Mud Woman's Intentions
Chapter 281 The Mud Woman's Intentions
An old voice drifted in from outside: "Oh dear, I haven't even entered the house yet, but I can hear a lot of noise coming from inside. It's quite lively."
Before he finished speaking, Elder Mud Woman slowly walked in.
Her back was hunched, and her cloudy eyes slowly swept over the silent guests in the room, finally landing on the two people facing each other. A smile appeared on her lips as she said, "On such a joyous day, your noise is quite a celebration, hahaha."
This scene shocked all the guests present.
It was already unexpected that Shangjuge sent someone, but it was even more unexpected that it was the chief elder of Nipo who came!
At today's banquet, first the Lord of the Holy Light Palace came in person, and now a chief elder has arrived. What is his intention?
Zhuge Tianxia and Taishi Wenzheng were also surprised and began to wonder in unison why Elder Mud Woman would come in person.
The two exchanged a glance, instantly suppressing their previous arrogance, and bowed slightly to Elder Mud Woman, their tone becoming more solemn.
Since Zhuge Tianxia was the host, he spoke first: "Elder Mud Woman, what brings you here in person?"
The crowd began to whisper amongst themselves, their eyes all turning to the attendants behind Elder Mud Woman.
The servants were carrying an exquisite wooden box, which looked quite heavy, clearly containing fine gifts.
"My goodness, Elder Mud Woman came all this way just to deliver a gift?"
"With so many gifts, are they perhaps Miss Zhuge's reward for winning the competition?"
"For Elder Mud Woman to personally deliver this, this is quite a grand gesture. Could it be that the Goddess holds her in high regard and therefore made a special request?"
"Oh? Now that you put it that way, it makes sense."
……
A buzz of discussion arose, and the originally solemn atmosphere in the hall was largely dispelled by this sudden change.
The two temple masters were also slightly enlightened. It turned out that the goddess really valued the champion of the competition, which was why she sent Elder Mud Woman over.
"Hehe." Elder Mud Granny slowly scratched her cheeks a few times, her gaze sweeping between the two of them. "How could such a lively and festive occasion be complete without an old woman like me? I came here today for two reasons: first, to join in the fun, and second, to present Zhuge girl with the reward for winning the championship. Of course, there is also a congratulatory gift from Shangju Pavilion to the True Inheritance Hall."
Suddenly, she changed the subject, her tone becoming more meaningful: "Why are you two keeping such long faces? You are both esteemed palace masters, why do you have to make such a scene in front of all the guests on such a joyous day? Aren't you afraid of spoiling everyone's fun?"
Upon hearing this, neither of the two palace masters looked particularly pleased.
Tai Shiwen suppressed his many thoughts and forced out a few polite words: "Elder, you are joking. I came here today to deliver a congratulatory gift."
Despite saying this, he had already thought a thousand times in his mind. The fact that the Chief Elder of the Mud Goddess had personally come to the Upper Residence Pavilion meant that Zhuge Xun'er was far more important than he had imagined, and the Goddess probably had long intended to win him over.
A peerless genius who could defeat the Lord of the Holy Light Temple at such a young age—any high-ranking person would not let him go.
On the other side, when Guan Xun saw Elder Ni Po arrive, a hint of surprise flashed across his eyes.
She had been wondering why the prize for the tournament champion hadn't arrived yet, and thought that Elder Hawkeye had forgotten about it. She never expected that the prize and gifts would be delivered together at this family reunion banquet.
It is said that Elder Mud Goddess has always disliked such noisy occasions, and her personal visit today is definitely not just to deliver a gift.
As she was deep in thought, Zhuge Tianxia had already recovered from her shock.
He quickly stepped forward, making a gesture to invite Elder Mud Woman to take a seat, then turned to look at Taishi Wenzheng, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger: "Today is a joyous day for the True Inheritance Hall. Since Hall Master Taishi is here, why don't you stay and take a seat with us?"
Elder Mud Woman chuckled twice: "Yes, yes, how can we spoil the fun on such a joyous day?"
"No need." Taishi Wenzheng showed no mercy and immediately waved his hand. "I have important matters to attend to, so I won't bother you any longer."
After saying that, he gestured with his chin toward the door, and the waiting servants immediately carried in several heavy boxes and placed them in a conspicuous spot in the room.
After doing all this, he nodded slightly to everyone present as a farewell, and finally cupped his hands to Elder Mud Woman: "Elder Mud Woman, farewell."
He then turned and strode away.
As soon as Taishi Wenzheng left, Zhuge Tianxia called out to everyone to take their seats, and the banquet hall, which had been quiet for a moment, became lively again.
As the music of string and wind instruments began and cups were clinked, the banquet officially commenced.
……
After several rounds of drinks, the sky gradually darkened, and the revelry drew to a close.
"Gone, gone."
Elder Mud Woman stood up, flicked the pastry crumbs off her sleeves, then scratched her messy hair. She turned to Guan Xun, grinning to reveal a few large yellow teeth: "Girl, could you give me a ride?"
Guan Xun nodded in agreement. Sure enough, there was something to discuss. However, her interactions with the Mud Woman were mostly limited to transactions at the trading market, and she could roughly guess why the other party had come.
The two walked slowly out of the palace gate, one after the other. Dusk was falling outside, and the evening breeze carried a chill, causing the lanterns under the eaves to sway gently.
They hadn't gone far when Elder Mud Woman suddenly raised her hand to wipe her face and kept praising it: "The snow lotus you exchanged last time was truly amazing. Its color and appearance were pure white without a single blemish, and the petals were as thick as a small palm. It even had a refreshing scent."
"Hehe, it's hundreds or thousands of times better than what I got before. The juice after boiling it into medicine is very clear, without any residue."
"The quality of that snow lotus is truly exceptional. In all my years, I've never seen such a fine snow lotus..."
"This is a good thing, it really is a good thing. You really didn't deceive this old woman. It is indeed top-quality."
As she finished praising him, two glints of light suddenly flashed in her cloudy eyes. She rubbed her wrinkled hands together, and her smile deepened.
"Actually, the goddess originally wanted Hawkeye to deliver something." She chuckled, lowering her voice. "But this old woman insisted on coming herself, no matter what. Girl, guess why I rushed over here today?"
Guan Xun glanced at her and didn't mince words: "Elder Mud Granny came for the snow lotus, didn't she? Her praise just now was so exaggerated it almost made a hole in the sky."
"Hahahaha." Elder Mud Woman slapped her thigh, laughing so hard her eyes disappeared from her teeth. "That's right, that's right! I wasn't wrong to praise you; you're quite clever, girl!"
After laughing, she added a few more words of praise before looking expectantly at Guan Xun: "Girl, to tell you the truth, do you still have any snow lotus?"