Volume 9, Chapter 627 – The Lü Family’s Proposal (Part 3)

Lü Gao, moving faster than anyone else, grabbed his son’s hand firmly.

“Let me go! A tree lives by its bark, a man lives by his face! I’ve been humiliated by this wretched woman today, I swear I’ll fight her to the death!”

Lü Yi’s expression twisted with rage as he struggled violently, completely disregarding the fact that his clothes barely covered him. However, since his strength was inferior to his father’s, he couldn’t break free no matter how he tried.

“Big Brother, she dared to humiliate a descendant of the Lü family in public! That’s a death sentence! Don’t stop your nephew!”

“A woman who dares to insult her future husband, how is she qualified to marry into the Lü family?”

“Kill her! Otherwise, if word of this spreads, where will the Lü family’s dignity go?”

Several of the Lü family’s relatives erupted in anger, shouting furiously.

Lü Gao fixed Qi Huang with a cold, piercing glare, his jaw working as the grinding of his teeth echoed audibly. It was clear just how furious he was.

Qi Huang, however, played casually with her Cicada Wing Sword, her demeanor detached and unconcerned. First, she didn’t believe they could kill her. Second, she was certain Lü Gao was no simple brute who relied solely on strength. The speed she had just displayed was comparable to someone at the fifth layer of the Divine Realm, more than enough to intimidate him and prove her value.

And indeed, that was exactly the case. Lü Gao’s expression quickly returned to calmness. Feigning composure, he tried to soothe his son: “Why are you so agitated? You’re a grown man, so what if someone saw your body? Once you marry her, this incident will just become a joke between husband and wife. It won’t affect you at all. You must put the bigger picture first!”

Lü Yi’s chest heaved violently, his eyes locked on Qi Huang, practically spitting fire. But eventually, he forced himself to calm down. Though hot-tempered, he wasn’t stupid, and he understood reasoning this simple.

“I’ll remember today’s humiliation. Just you wait. On our wedding night, I’ll strip you bare.”

Lü Yi spat out the threat like self-comfort.

“Sure,” Qi Huang replied with a faint, mocking smile, “but I doubt you’ll live to see that day.”

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At that moment, Madam Zhuo hurried forward to help her son straighten his clothing, glaring at Qi Huang with open hostility. After all, it would ultimately fall to her, the mother-in-law, to discipline her future daughter-in-law. In her heart, she was already crafting a hundred cruel punishments.

Lü Gao had no wish to linger and disgrace himself further, so he turned to Cheng Yuan and said, “Brother Cheng, since you refuse the engagement, I won’t force it. But as long as her name is carved onto the Immortal Stele, you can’t change anything. If you want your daughter to live, send her to the Lü household on the sixth day of the sixth month. Otherwise, prepare to bury her yourself.”

“I’m afraid I can’t grant you that,” Cheng Yuan replied firmly. “My daughter will decide for herself whom she marries.”

“Do as you wish then!” Lü Gao snapped impatiently before leading the Lü family entourage away.

“Big Brother, we’ve suffered such humiliation and we’re just leaving like this?” one relative protested bitterly.

“That’s right! We traveled all this way to arrange this engagement, and not only were we disgraced, we weren’t even allowed through their gates! If this spreads, how will the Lü family face anyone?”

Lü Fei and his wife grumbled unhappily.

“Want tea? Go force your way in yourself!” Lü Gao shot them a cold, disdainful glance before turning on his heel.

The majority of the Lü family followed him instinctively, leaving Lü Fei and his wife with no choice but to comply as well.

“How about now? Satisfied?” Qi Huang turned to Mu Ruoyi, raising an eyebrow.

“Thank you, Sister Qi Huang!” Mu Ruoyi’s tears turned to laughter, and after seeing Lü Yi make such a fool of himself, most of her resentment had dissipated.

“No need to thank me,” Qi Huang said firmly. “If not for the Immortal Stele’s protection, just for Lü Gao daring to lift a hand against you, none of the Lü family would have walked away today.”

Her domineering words left no room for doubt.

“But what you just did is basically no different from killing Lü Yi,” Wen Yunmei said worriedly. “If this engagement falls through, you’ll make the Lü family your mortal enemies.”

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Qi Huang smiled faintly. “Ever since they destroyed Shuiyu Valley, the Lü family and I have already been mortal enemies.”

Mother and daughter Wen exchanged glances, emotion welling in their eyes. They knew Shuiyu Valley’s destruction had been caused by their own greed; they could hardly blame Qi Huang or Cheng Hongling.

“You’re really treating them well,” Cheng Hongling’s voice drifted into Qi Huang’s mind, tinged with jealousy. “If you just wanted to stop the Lü family, you didn’t need to strip Lü Yi in front of everyone, did you?”

“Ahem…” Qi Huang coughed guiltily, then tried to defend herself: “I was winning their hearts. If Shuiyu Valley merges into Honghua Sect, our strength will increase significantly!”

“Oh? You’re really that selfless, are you?” Cheng Hongling’s voice dripped with sarcasm

“Hehe…” Qi Huang could only give a strained, awkward laugh.

Meanwhile, the Lü family trudged away from Honghua Sect, their heads hanging low, their expressions ashen. Their dejected appearance made them look less like a betrothal party and more like a funeral procession.

“Big Brother, you said yourself that even if they refuse the engagement, we should at least enter Honghua Sect and drink a cup of tea. Why did you suddenly give up?”

“That’s right! We traveled all this way just to be turned away at the gate! If people hear about this, we’ll become a laughingstock!”

Lü Fei and Lou Xiao chimed in with their grievances.

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“Even if we skip the tea,” Madam Zhuo scolded, “your son has suffered unbearable humiliation. As his father, shouldn’t you at least demand some retribution?”

“Hmph!” Lü Yi snorted coldly at that, his dissatisfaction with his father plain to see.

“Do you take me for someone who tolerates insults?” Lü Gao swept his gaze around the group, his voice stern. “Do you realize how fast Qi Huang moved just now when she fought Lü Yi? At least at the fifth layer of the Divine Realm, and she did it using Divine Sense alone.”

“What? Fifth layer Divine Realm?”

Everyone froze in shock.

“Exactly. And that might not even be her limit. If we acted rashly and suffered a loss, we wouldn’t just fail to save face, we’d lose it entirely. And worse, we’d make enemies of them completely. It’s not worth it.”

Lü Gao explained helplessly. It wasn’t that he was willing to swallow humiliation, but nobody seemed to understand.

“What kind of monster is she? She’s only been a Doppelgänger for a few years, and yet her Divine Sense has already reached mid-stage Divine Realm!”

“Cheng Hongling’s main body only has an eighth-point bloodline. If even her Doppelgänger is this monstrous, it can only mean she’s mastered some method of strengthening Divine Sense!”

“If the Lü family could acquire that method, we could dominate the entire cultivation world!”

The Lü family members immediately erupted into heated discussion.

“Now do you understand why I stopped you?” Lü Gao lectured earnestly. “We must always think of the bigger picture. Cultivators live long lives, a momentary humiliation is nothing.”

“I understand,” Lü Yi muttered as the storm cloud on his face slowly lifted.

“Also, keep this matter quiet,” Lü Gao warned coldly. “If anyone dares to leak a single word, I will not forgive them.”

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The next day, Jiang Feng came again, desperate for news about his descendants. Waiting this long had already tested the limits of his patience.

Qi Huang and Cheng Hongling were not ones to break their word, so they brought Mu Ruoyi along and left Honghua Sect with Jiang Feng.

“Where should we begin our search?” Mu Ruoyi asked instinctively as they traveled.

“General Li, tell them everything you’ve uncovered over the years, word for word. Leave nothing out,” Jiang Feng commanded the Silver Corpse General at his side.

“Yes!” General Li cupped his fists and began recounting solemnly: “Back then, when the Great Qi Kingdom’s imperial palace was breached, the rebels carried out a brutal massacre of the royal family. Afterwards, everyone believed the Jiang clan had been exterminated!”

General Li’s breathing grew heavy as he continued. He steadied himself and went on: “But I refused to believe it. So for hundreds of years, I’ve persisted in investigating. Heaven rewards perseverance, I eventually discovered that the Lin Clan’s emperors had, for generations, dispatched agents to eliminate so-called remnants of the former dynasty. That’s when I realized… the Jiang bloodline must still have descendants.”

After a moment’s pause, he said gravely: “I sent my people to infiltrate those hunters, and after years of hardship, they finally gained the trust of one of them. That agent eventually uncovered the whereabouts of the last surviving Jiang descendant and informed me immediately.”

General Li’s expression darkened. “I rushed there at once, but I was still a step too late. The Lin Clan’s assassins had already killed the last surviving member of the imperial bloodline.”

“As one of the Jiang clan, I must confirm the truth for myself,” Jiang Feng said quietly, taking over. “That’s why I’m asking for your help.”

“Where exactly did this happen?” Mu Ruoyi asked urgently.