"Amitabha… He is beyond salvation," Monk Hushu's voice drifted in from another room, his disappointnt evident.
"What's going to be there?" ng Bai asked, still unfamiliar with what exactly a grand banquet entailed.
"Co with ! I'll tell you all about it!" Daoist Chu declared, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. "And most importantly—we need to pick an outfit for you!"
"We did buy a lot of clothes," ng Bai nodded thoughtfully.
"I'll make you look like a prince! All the girls will be swooning over you!" Daoist Chu said with a grin as he ushered the boy away.
SIGH
Lin Mu shook his head, praying that Daoist Chu wouldn't corrupt ng Bai too much before the banquet even started.
With everyone so excited, with the exclusion of Monk Hushu, even Lin Mu did a little preparation. Of course, this was nothing like preparing an outfit, as that could be easily done by simply using the Silver Mirage Circlet.
Rather, Lin Mu spent his ti reading up on the people of the Capital City, particularly the noble clans and so well-known figures.
'I'm heading to one of the Imperial Palaces, so I should at least know about who I might et there,' he reckoned.
He first read about the palace itself: the Western Shore Palace.
It was one of the many palaces within the capital city and was considered the second most beautiful, only after the Grand Palace where the Imperial Court resided. Located just north of the Grand Palace, it was built upon the shore, extending nearly a kiloter into the ocean.
It was the third largest palace and could actually be seen right from the Water Dragon Villa.
"So that's the place…" Lin Mu muttered as he gazed at the towering palace just a kiloter away.
He was sitting in his usual cabana and could see it clearly, his sharp eyesight picking up on the people moving about in the outer courtyard of the palace. Hundreds of servants scuttled about like ants, carrying various materials.
'They sure look busy,' Lin Mu thought to himself.
Banners and flags were being set up while decorations were being carefully arranged. The entire place was abuzz with activity.
Lin Mu observed it for a few minutes before returning his attention to the book in his hands.
He next read about the Imperial Court and the noble clans themselves.
The Shanxi Imperial Court consisted of the Imperial Family, the twelve major noble clans, and dozens of minor noble clans. In total, there were around a hundred noble clans in the capital city alone.
'This is even more than the Dao Wind Empire,' Lin Mu assessed.
By comparison, the Dao Wind Empire barely had thirty noble clans.
Each of the major noble clans was closely tied to the Imperial Clan, forming alliances through both marriage and business. Several elders from these clans held positions in the Imperial Court, with a few even serving as ministers of various divisions.
It was also from these major noble clans that the Twelve Beauties of the Capital City erged.
'Huh… So it was them,' Lin Mu recalled a few of the won he had seen on the balcony before.
The most beautiful woman of each clan was granted the title of one of the Twelve Beauties, a long-standing tradition. These young ladies were famous across the empire—not just for their looks, but also for their strength. The strongest among them had already reached the Fifth Tribulation Stage of the Immortal Realm.
'Hmm… I suppose they were holding back when they were there,' Lin Mu mused. 'The green-robed woman should be the one at the Fifth Tribulation Stage—Song Ruxue.'
One by one, he read all their nas, realizing that this might complicate things.
'I don't know what I would do if I co across them at the banquet,' Lin Mu thought. 'But then again, the seating area for external guests like those from the Imperial Ocean Quay should be separate from the major clans, so I should be able to avoid them for the most part.'
Yet, there was one woman he couldn't identify.
'Who was that woman? Her gaze was the strongest…' Lin Mu rembered her vividly.
He had only caught her eye once, but her presence was the most striking. Even in terms of beauty, she surpassed the other Twelve Beauties.
'She was on the sa level as Crown Princess Shang, i Nienzhen…' he thought, placing her just a step below Lady Kang.
As for the Saintess? That was simply incomparable.
But sothing about this woman puzzled him.
'Soone with her appearance isn't among the Twelve Beauties?' Lin Mu found it odd.
Even after scouring the book for information, he found no ntion of her—despite the fact that it contained details about nearly all the well-known individuals in the empire.
'Is she perhaps from the Imperial Clan?' Lin Mu wondered, but no descriptions matched. 'She's definitely not a princess. The ones listed here don't match her at all.'
Was she soone with a special identity? Or perhaps not part of the noble clans at all?
Lin Mu continued reading until he reached the section about the Emperor himself.
'A Transcendent Immortal who has ruled the Shanxi Empire for nearly ten thousand years. He has over two hundred heirs, but the position of Crown Prince has not been decided yet,' Lin Mu read.
'Looks like there's still quite a bit of conflict over it.'
The politics and internal dynamics of the Imperial Court fascinated Lin Mu, enough that he lost track of ti, engrossed in reading for the entire day. He only stopped when it was ti for dinner.
As he closed the book, he took a deep breath, stretching his stiff limbs.
'This banquet is going to be interesting…' he thought with a small smirk.
Sowhere in the villa, Daoist Chu's voice rang out.
"ng Bai! You look dashing! I swear, if I were a girl, I'd fall for you myself!"
"Daoist Chu! Don't say things like that!" ng Bai groaned in embarrassnt.
Lin Mu simply chuckled as he walked toward the dining area, fully prepared for whatever awaited them at the grand banquet.
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