Chapter 68

As soon as Su Chen said this, Sun Wukong's eyes lit up instantly.

"Hold a banquet? Good!"

Sun Wukong slapped his thigh, so happy he almost jumped up.

He was a character who loved liveliness; when he was the Great King at Flower-Fruit Mountain, he would have a small banquet every three days and a big banquet every five days.

After arriving at the Heavenly Court, staying in the cold and cheerless Great Sage's Mansion all day, he had long been stifled.

"Little brother's idea is good! Why didn't I, Old Sun, think of it? Let's hold a big one. Invite all the immortals of the Heavenly Court. Let them see the style of my, Old Sun's, Great Sage Saint Qitian's Mansion!"

Nezha also echoed from the side: "Right! Monkey Brother, inviting guests to eat is the best way to connect relationships. When the time comes, I'll help you call Tianpeng and the others."

The three of them hit it off instantly.

"Since that's the case, then this matter is settled." Su Chen stood up and said to the two: "The preparation for the banquet will be left to me. Monkey Brother and the Third Prince just need to prepare the list of guests, and when the time comes, I guarantee that everyone will return satisfied."

"Hahaha. Good, with you handling things, little brother, I, Old Sun, am at ease!" Sun Wukong had 100% trust in Su Chen.

Coming out of Yunlou Palace, Sun Wukong was still immersed in the excitement of the upcoming banquet.

He pulled Su Chen and chattered non-stop.

"Little brother, what kind of good wine do you think we should prepare? Monkey wine is definitely a must, this is a specialty of our Flower-Fruit Mountain!"

Su Chen listened to his words and nodded with a smile.

Returning to the Great Sage's Mansion, Su Chen immediately called the Left Assistant Immortal Official Zhang De and the Right Assistant Immortal Official Li Ming to his front.

"Immortal Official Zhang, Immortal Official Li, the Great Sage has ordered that a banquet be held in the mansion in three days, widely inviting the immortals of the Heavenly Court to attend. I am in charge of this matter, and you two will assist from the side."

When Zhang De and Li Ming heard this, hold a banquet?

This was no small matter.

Especially since they had to widely invite the immortals of the Heavenly Court.

The human relationships, seating arrangements, dishes, and wine involved were all a science.

"The list of guests will be decided by me and the Great Sage personally," Su Chen said unhurriedly. "You need to prepare the invitations. The style of the invitations must be of the highest standard, and the wording must appear respectful without being sycophantic. You should know this degree better than I do."

"Yes, yes." Zhang De nodded hurriedly.

"Secondly, it's the wine and immortal fruits," Su Chen continued. "List what is in the mansion's treasury for me. Besides what's in the treasury, I have some specialties from the lower realm here, so we'll use them together. In addition, you go to the Imperial Wine Supervision and the Immortal Fruit Garden, say it's the Great Sage Saint Qitian's Mansion holding a banquet, and have them send over a batch of good immortal wine and immortal fruits. Once you have calculated how much money is needed, come to me to collect it."

Su Chen and Sun Wukong brought many good things collected by various demon kings in Flower-Fruit Mountain when they ascended to Heaven, so they were quite wealthy.

"This..." Li Ming hesitated, "Chief Assistant Official, is this according to the rules?"

Su Chen glanced at him and said lightly: "What's not according to the rules? My brother is the Great Sage Saint Qitian personally bestowed by the Jade Emperor; can't he buy some good things to hold a banquet? You just go; if anyone has an opinion, let them come to the Great Sage."

Li Ming felt a chill in his heart upon hearing this and didn't dare to say more, hurriedly bowing to respond.

"Finally, it's the layout and arrangement on the day of the banquet," Su Chen's gaze swept over the two. "These trivial matters will be left to you. I only have one requirement, and that is that there must be no mistakes, and we cannot lose the face of the Great Sage's Mansion. If you handle it well, I will record a merit for you."

"Please rest assured, Chief Assistant Official. We will definitely do our best to handle this matter properly!" The two promised in unison.

Dismissing Zhang De and Li Ming, Su Chen began to discuss the list of guests with Sun Wukong alone.

Sun Wukong was a straightforward person; those he wanted to invite were all people like Nezha, whom he found pleasing to the eye and could drink and fight with.

Su Chen, however, didn't think so.

He held a pen and ticked and crossed out names one by one as Sun Wukong read them out.

"Brother, the Third Prince must definitely be invited. And his father, Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing, must also be invited."

"Why invite him?" Sun Wukong curled his lips. "I, Old Sun, look at that old man, his nose is not a nose, his eyes are not eyes, I don't like him."

"Brother, you are friends with his son, so by reason and etiquette, you should invite him. This is etiquette," Su Chen explained patiently. "We hold the banquet not just for our own happiness, but also to tell everyone in the Heavenly Court that we are not here to cause trouble, but to follow the rules and make friends."

Sun Wukong nodded as if he understood: "Fine, listen to you, invite him then."

"Also," Su Chen's pen drew a heavy circle around a name, "Marshal Tianpeng must be invited; I will deliver the invitation personally."

"Marshal Tianpeng?" Sun Wukong thought for a moment, "Is that the Marshal who manages the Heavenly River water troops that Brother Nezha mentioned?"

"It is him."

"Why do you want to deliver it personally?" Sun Wukong asked puzzled, "Is his face that big?"

"Brother, he holds heavy troops and is a favorite in front of the Jade Emperor. We take the initiative to show goodwill and deliver the invitation personally to show our respect for him," Su Chen said with a smile. "Moreover, I heard that this Marshal is straightforward and a friend worth making."

Of course, Su Chen couldn't tell Sun Wukong his true purpose.

He needed to create an opportunity, an opportunity to get to know Marshal Tianpeng.

Only in this way could his subsequent plans unfold logically.

"Fine! Since you say so, little brother, then everything will be done as you say, I, Old Sun, don't understand these things." Sun Wukong had no objections to Su Chen's arrangements.

For the next two days, the entire Great Sage Saint Qitian's Mansion became busy.

Su Chen sat in the center, arranging all matters in an orderly manner.

Sun Wukong personally visited some friends he had made in the Heavenly Court, while the others were invited by Su Chen personally.

For the first banquet held by the Great Sage Saint Qitian after ascending to Heaven, except for those not in the Heavenly Court and those who put on airs, most immortals agreed to come.

Soon, the day of the banquet arrived.

On this day, in front of the Great Sage Saint Qitian's Mansion, there was a constant stream of traffic, with immortals and gods coming and going.

The invited immortals and gods, either stepping on auspicious clouds or driving immortal carriages, arrived one after another.

Sun Wukong changed into that suit of divine armor and stood at the door, welcoming guests together with Su Chen.

"Hahaha! Nezha, you've come, you go in first, later I, Old Sun, will drink until we're both drunk with you."

Sun Wukong enthusiastically greeted the immortals and gods he knew.

Su Chen followed behind him, a proper smile on his face, cupping his hands and saluting every immortal and god, his etiquette perfect.

Just as the two were chatting with the immortals and gods, a gorgeous treasure carriage pulled by eight Heavenly horses arrived slowly from afar.

Sitting on the treasure carriage was a divine general dressed in black mysterious armor with a majestic face.

It was none other than Marshal Tianpeng.

Su Chen's eyes narrowed slightly; the protagonist of today had finally appeared.