Chapter 30

“Stories are just stories, and people are just people. Once the tale is told, we laugh and move on. Master Su is so angry—could it be that he has mistaken himself for the kind of cold-hearted and callous person in the story?”

At the banquet, after Zhu Mingyu spoke with a tone that feigned innocence, the entire room fell silent. The atmosphere was as still as death.

Lu Qingyu had finished dealing with the unexpected situation and rushed back to find Yu Tao. As soon as she arrived, she overheard her words, and she was so shocked that she almost lost her balance.

This Junior Sister Zhu really dares to speak like this…

More than a decade ago, the Su family had declined, and the clan hadn’t produced any gifted individuals for hundreds of years. As a result, they had fallen behind the other two families.

Even worse, Ancestor Su passed away at that time, and the Su family lost its support. It was like a flower in the rain, swaying and on the verge of collapse.

It was during this time that Su Chengfeng became the new head of the Su family. Before that, he had been an insignificant younger son of the Su family, the kind of person no one paid attention to.

When he suddenly became the family head, many people thought that the Su family was beyond saving and had just picked someone at random to take the position.

But no one expected that, on the very day he became head of the family, Su Chengfeng announced his marriage to the Fairy Yaochi.

In the cultivation world, the Three Great Families are well known: One Pool, Two Palaces, and Three Great Families. “One Pool” refers to the Yaochi on Kunlun Mountain.

The Fairy Yaochi, Bai Yinyin, is the daughter of the Lord of Yaochi.

Yaochi had always been secluded, not involved in worldly disputes, and Bai Yinyin’s marriage to Su Chengfeng clearly showed that Yaochi had chosen to support the Su family, becoming a powerful ally.

This was undoubtedly a good thing. The Su family, brought back from the brink of collapse, solidified its position as one of the Three Great Families. Everyone congratulated Su Chengfeng and Bai Yinyin at their grand wedding.

But on the day of the wedding, a mortal woman suddenly barged into the wedding hall.

Su Chengfeng’s face changed dramatically when he saw the woman, and he became flustered and anxious.

Guests began to gossip, wondering if the woman had some unspoken connection with Su Chengfeng, speculating that she was there to cause trouble, all waiting to see the drama unfold.

The woman, however, remained calm. Dressed in white, she walked up to Su Chengfeng and handed him an ordinary little box.

Just as the guests thought she was going to say something, the woman suddenly smiled—her smile gentle and soft, like the blooming gardenia in spring.

She looked at Su Chengfeng, parted her lips, and said only one sentence.

“I wish Yinyin a happy wedding.”

After speaking, the woman turned around without hesitation, leaving the wedding hall and disappearing from the guests’ sight.

The crowd couldn’t help but sigh, the atmosphere having reached such a point, only to find out she was just there to deliver a gift. It was such an unusual way to go about it.

But the more perceptive ones had already sensed something was off. If she were really a guest here to offer congratulations, why was Su Chengfeng’s expression so frantic?

That woman must have had an extraordinary relationship with Su Chengfeng and Bai Yinyin.

However, these were just speculations. The woman was just a mortal, and when some people tried to investigate, they found nothing. It was as if she had appeared out of thin air.

But as for things in this world, the more something can’t be investigated, the more it suggests there’s something wrong.

Rumors about Su Chengfeng quickly spread, with most suggesting that Su Chengfeng had abandoned his old lover for the sake of power and taken a new lover. Almost everyone at the banquet had heard some version of this story.

Lu Qingyu couldn’t help but rub his temples, feeling a headache coming on. In front of so many people, Zhu Mingyu was too daring—did she not fear that Su Chengfeng, the head of the Su family, would retaliate in the future?

While others would discuss such matters secretly, she had the audacity to speak so provocatively right in front of the person in question.

In the awkward silence that followed, suddenly, a suppressed “pfft” of laughter rang out.

Everyone turned their attention toward the sound.

It came from a young man in the corner, idly swirling his wine glass. When he noticed the gaze on him, he raised an eyebrow, nonchalantly saying, “What are you staring at? I was just thinking of something amusing.”

“What’s wrong, is the Immortal Alliance now forbidding laughter at birthday banquets?”

He laughed just because he felt like it, and didn’t care about the timing.

The others didn’t know how to react. It was just a laugh, nothing more. At worst, they thought he had bad timing.

Lu Qingyu found the person a bit familiar. After thinking for a while, he realized he had never seen him within the sect, but the memory suddenly resurfaced.

It was during the Su family patriarch’s birthday banquet a few years ago. At that time, this person had a “Longevity” card in his left hand and a “Smiling Nine Springs” card in his right, which left a deep impression on him.

Pfft.

Though it was somewhat inappropriate, Lu Qingyu couldn’t help but chuckle. Did this person have a past with Su Chengfeng?

At this moment, the head of the Su family had come back to his senses, his gaze retracting from where the two had disappeared.

He turned back, not angry, and with a gentle expression, he spoke: “Everyone, please don’t take this too seriously. Su just had a bit too much to drink and was reminded of old times.”

He looked at Zhu Mingyu and smiled, “Junior Zhu need not worry. I’m not so petty that I would argue with the younger generation over such trivial matters.”

Zhu Mingyu gave him a cold glance, her heart filled with disdain—how pretentious.

Since the head of the Su family had said as much, the others relaxed, returning to the center of the banquet and taking their seats.

“Sister, let’s go back,” Zhu Qianying said as she walked up to Zhu Mingyu.

Zhu Mingyu glanced at the fake smiles on the faces of the others and waved her hand dismissively. “No, you go ahead.”

“But the banquet isn’t over yet. It’s disrespectful to leave early without permission…” Zhu Qianying’s voice grew slightly louder, and she looked worried.

The exchange between the two drew the attention of several guests.

Zhu Mingyu didn’t care. She sneered and countered, “Don’t you think I’m being more disrespectful to them by staying at the banquet?”

Lu Qingyu, who had been listening nearby, suddenly thought that Zhu Mingyu had quite an accurate self-awareness.

Given her tendency to provoke hatred, by the time the banquet ended, it seemed like she’d have enough enemies to form a game of chess.

Lu Qingyu actually liked this kind of straightforward personality, so she walked over to help her out. “Qianying, you go back on your own. I need to talk to your sister about something.”

Zhu Qianying paused for a moment, her gaze flickering slightly, then nodded. “Alright, Sister Lu.”

Once Zhu Qianying left, Lu Qingyu pulled Zhu Mingyu to the corner and directly asked, “Did you see Taotao coming here?”

Zhu Mingyu was stunned. “Didn’t you send her back?”

Lu Qingyu then explained the situation that happened in between. “When I went back to look for her, I found she was gone. You’ve been here the whole time—did you notice her coming?”

Zhu Mingyu shook her head. “No. Just now, besides Senior Brother Yu Li going out for a while and then coming back, I don’t know what he was talking about with the Great Elder and Shishu Zhu Xiu. Those two are out now with Hua Lian, but I don’t know what they’re doing.”

“It was Brother Yu Li who just said that junior disciple Wen had returned, so they hurried over there.”

Suddenly, the young man in the corner spoke up, swirling his wine glass as he recalled, “It seems Wen Ming, that kid, tried to sneakily hide a gift while they weren’t around, but he got caught by Junior Disciple Yu.”

“If you’re looking for someone, there was a little girl outside earlier. I didn’t see clearly who she was, but she was taken by Junior Disciple Yu.”

Hua Lian had dragged him into drinking, and he’d had quite a bit, so he was a little drunk now.

Lu Qingyu nodded. “Thanks for the information, Master Shishu. May I ask which senior you are within the sect?”

She had been in the sect for quite some time but had never seen him before. However, seeing how familiar he was with the Great Elder, he didn’t seem to be from another sect.

The young man smiled. “Names are just meaningless titles, nothing of importance.”

He paused for a moment, his expression becoming serious and earnest. “But if you wish, you may call me…”

Zhu Mingyu cast a glance over.

Lu Qingyu: “Hmm?”

“A sword cultivator master who prefers to remain anonymous.”

Zhu Mingyu: ?

Lu Qingyu: ?

Although this young man seemed a bit unreliable, after hearing the news that the drunk Yu Tao had already been taken back by Yu Li, Lu Qingyu’s reaction was one of relief. She felt her thoughts drift as she began to imagine.

A few days ago, she had accidentally learned some of the special little hobbies between the two of them, and since then, she couldn’t help but fantasize about it in her mind, composing thousands of words of plot scenarios.

Oh my god, what is this combination of a cold and aloof senior brother and a naturally silly junior sister?

There were even scenarios where the senior brother became the junior sister’s spiritual pet, letting her pet him—cold on the outside, but secretly a soft little kitten inside. Help, this was just too delicious, wasn’t it?

It was even better than the previous old-fashioned master and obedient disciple combination, Sigh.

Heaven knows how many times Lu Qingyu silently chanted a calming chant in her mind before she finally managed to face Yu Tao today with a normal state of mind.

After Yu Tao got drunk, she became even more obedient and straightforward than usual. Lu Qingyu couldn’t help but think about doing some… ahem, excessive things to her. Yu Li definitely couldn’t resist either, right?

She wondered what they were doing now after going back together… Hehe.

As Lu Qingyu’s thoughts wandered, Zhu Mingyu’s anxiety grew stronger.

Earlier, when Yu Tao was conscious, Yu Li had already been hugging and nibbling on her, shamelessly taking advantage of the little girl. Now that Yu Tao was drunk, unconscious, and unaware of how to refuse, sweet and obedient, and Yu Li had taken her away… How could this be allowed?

Today, Yu Tao looked so soft and gentle, her eyes watery. If it were her, she would want to hug and pet her as well. Could Yu Li resist? He would definitely take advantage of the situation and do something inappropriate to the girl!

No, the more she thought about it, the angrier she became. Zhu Mingyu slammed her hand on the table and stood up. “I have to stop this tragedy from happening!”

Lu Qingyu turned her eyes over. “What tragedy?”

“Nothing.” Zhu Mingyu turned to look at the lazy young man lying around. “Master Shishu, do you know where Hua Lian is right now?”

The Yunjing Peak had restrictions preventing her from entering, so she could only start by asking Hua Lian, who had access to the peak.

“Mm~”

The young man yawned and stood up. “Just in time, I also want to go outside for some fresh air to clear my head. Let’s go together.”

Thinking back on today’s events and remembering that person made him drink quite a bit.

Lu Qingyu didn’t understand what was going on and wanted to see what Zhu Mingyu was doing, so she followed along.

The three of them passed by rocks and streams, heading to the back mountain, where they arrived at the Grand Elder’s residence. The young man brought them there and then left.

The door was closed, but faintly, they could hear the Grand Elder’s voice inside. Hua Lian hadn’t entered, and was squatting at the door, staring blankly.

Upon seeing them, he asked in surprise, “Junior Sister Zhu, Junior Sister Lu, what are you doing here?”

Zhu Mingyu coughed twice. “Senior brother Hua Lian, I need to find Yu Tao. She’s drunk right now. Could you take me to Yunjing Peak?”

Hua Lian, still feeling the effects of the alcohol, was uncomfortable and struggled to speak. He simply said, “This isn’t really up to me, it’s more about my Junior Brother. If he doesn’t allow anyone in, there’s nothing I can do.”

“It’s not like no one’s tried to force their way in before, and they ended up suffering for it and being thrown out.”

Hua Lian stood up, brushed off his clothes, and said, “If you have something important to say, I can pass it on for you.”

Zhu Mingyu nodded. “Okay.”

“I want you to help me tell her this, ‘When drunk, beware of scumbag traps. Any man who touches you before a contract is signed is a sleazy, bad man! In such a case, you can use a counterattack poison, acupuncture, bloodletting, and the sixth operation method from the crematorium staff’s manual—first dismember him into one hundred and eight pieces, then burn him.'”

Hua Lian: “……?”

The cat, who had been touched: ?