Volume 3, Chapter 244 – “Song Shixuan”

When Lu Zhuxin, led by the maidservant, walked toward the altar where the ceremony would be held, countless gazes turned toward her.

Among these gazes were doubt, scrutiny, and skepticism. Some were kind, others malicious.

However, most were curious, with a trace of amazement.

Lu Zhuxin wasn’t actually accustomed to standing under others’ gaze, subject to their commentary.

With her Eighth Realm great demon’s hearing, she could clearly hear these people’s whispered conversations.

“I heard this Chi family’s second young lady disappeared over a decade ago and was raised by an ordinary peasant woman. She was only brought back from a farm outside the city a few days ago.”

“So she’s a farm girl? Looking at her delicate, fair appearance, you can’t tell at all!”

“I originally thought the Chi family’s direct line only had Chi Xiyan. I never imagined another one would suddenly appear.”

“She’s quite pretty! Who would’ve thought she was actually a farm girl? I heard she was even a maidservant before.”

“Pretty and lacking knowledge. This type of woman is the easiest to control. Whoever can marry her will be truly blessed.”

“The Chi family is as wealthy as a nation. Whoever can marry a Chi family daughter will have no worries for the rest of their life!”

“What a shame Chi Xiyan is already engaged. If someone were lucky enough to marry her, that would really be…”

“Shh! Can you just say such things? Do you know who Chi Xiyan’s fiancé is?!”

“Keep your voice down. The Song family has already sent people here. If such words get out, you’ll provoke not just the Chi family, but also the Song family and Lingxiao Sword Sect.”

Lu Zhuxin listened to the surrounding private whispers, her expression remaining normal.

Anyone invited to witness the ceremony had at least some standing in Beihe Commandery.

They used their cultivation to mask their voices, truly believing others couldn’t hear them?

However, Lu Zhuxin wouldn’t care about such idle talk. They were discussing the Chi family, which had nothing to do with Lu Zhuxin.

She was now just proceeding through the ceremony’s procedures step by step.

Chi Xiyan had solemnly taught her this complicated procedure several times over the past few days, and Lu Zhuxin naturally remembered it.

As a good younger sister, she naturally couldn’t make mistakes on such an important occasion.

While following the maidservant through the ceremony, Lu Zhuxin spread out her perception, searching for Chi Xiyan’s figure.

The maidservant said Chi Xiyan would be waiting for her here, but she didn’t know where she was now.

Suddenly, Lu Zhuxin felt a venomous gaze.

It was Chi Zhong, a branch family disciple of the Chi family.

Lu Zhuxin still remembered him. Previously, he was the one who had blocked Lu Zhuxin at the city gate with the Sword Sect’s pheromone detection stone.

The pheromone detection stone was destroyed, yet Chi Zhong hadn’t returned to Lingxiao Sword Sect to receive punishment?

An outer disciple who made such a huge blunder could still swagger around outside wearing Lingxiao Sword Sect robes.

Heh… Perhaps, as previously speculated, the person behind this never cared about the loss of a pheromone detection stone from the start.

Chi Zhong stood in the crowd, looking at Lu Zhuxin, his eyes narrowing slightly.

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He said to those beside him, “I didn’t expect Chi Xiyan could actually bring that farm girl this far.”

“Has she gone mad? The blood ceremony draws on the karmic power of heaven and earth. Bloodline verification has never been wrong.”

“Does she truly have confidence she can deceive heaven and earth? Or is that farm girl really the Chi family’s legitimate daughter?”

Thinking of what happened at the city gate a few days ago, Chi Zhong’s heart surged with waves of fury.

The pheromone detection stone was destroyed in his hands. As the team leader, he naturally couldn’t escape responsibility.

After receiving a thorough scolding and punishment from his sect elders, he barely managed to convince his master to let him stay by relying on his connection as a Chi family disciple and some money.

That’s why he could stand here now, watching that detestable farm girl, watching her wear clothes Chi Zhong wanted to wear but didn’t dare to, watching her slowly walk toward the position Chi Zhong desperately desired.

Those venomous eyes of his were practically spitting fire.

“I investigated earlier. The one who attacked that farm girl at the city gate was an assassin from Sin Moon Tower. Requesting Sin Moon Tower assassins isn’t easy. Someone targeted that farm girl’s life even earlier than we did.”

The person beside him said in confusion, “How could a farm girl possibly be worth requesting Sin Moon Tower to act?”

“Could our previous speculation be wrong? Is that farm girl really of Chi family bloodline?”

Facing his friend’s confusion, Chi Zhong lowered his voice and said, “Whether she’s the real thing or not, she’s the culprit who caused my misfortune.”

“Chi Xiyan has done so much. She certainly has her plans.”

“No matter what, we can’t let them succeed!”

The person beside him asked, “Brother Chi Zhong, do you already have a plan?”

“Hehe… Just watch and see.”

Lu Zhuxin’s attention didn’t linger long on Chi Zhong.

Such a minor character could only use petty tricks to trouble Chi Xiyan and couldn’t cause any other problems.

Soon, Lu Zhuxin found her target in the crowd.

Chi Xiyan was in the crowd, conversing quite cheerfully with a white-robed man.

Lu Zhuxin’s dark brows raised imperceptibly.

The eldest young lady’s face wore a faint smile. She lightly raised her handkerchief, her expression full of a young woman’s charm.

The man conversing with her wore moon-white sword cultivator robes and a moon-white hair crown.

This man from the Song family seemed to have considerable connections with Chi Xiyan.

Lu Zhuxin had spent so much time with Chi Xiyan, yet rarely saw her show such an appearance to anyone.

When Lu Zhuxin glanced at that man from the corner of her eye, the man happened to shift his gaze from Chi Xiyan’s profile. He looked toward Lu Zhuxin in the venue.

This person had starry eyes and sword-like brows, handsome and elegant, imposing and distinguished.

But the instant she noticed that face, Lu Zhuxin’s movements imperceptibly paused for a moment.

“Song Shixuan…?”

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How was this possible?!

Lu Zhuxin’s breathing lost control for an instant.

How could Song Shixuan come to the Chi family at this time?!

He was the only disciple among the Sword Sect who had seen Lu Zhuxin’s true appearance. If he saw Lu Zhuxin’s face, he would certainly recognize her identity!

Thinking this, Lu Zhuxin instinctively wanted to turn her head and move her face away.

But she was currently in the middle of the ceremony. Such an action would be extremely abrupt and would instead draw everyone’s attention.

Moreover, it was already too late.

That man had already seen Lu Zhuxin’s face.

“Miss Chi, your younger sister truly has outstanding grace,” the white-robed man, “Song Shixuan” exclaimed.

“Young Master Song flatters her,” Chi Xiyan said with a smile. “My younger sister grew up on a farm, unfamiliar with proper ways and etiquette. She’s only learned some superficial manners now. How could she catch Young Master Song’s eye?”

The expression on that white-robed man’s face didn’t seem fake. He appeared to be genuinely praising Lu Zhuxin’s appearance from the heart.

However, these words falling into Lu Zhuxin’s ears stirred up tremendous waves.

Song Shixuan didn’t recognize her?!

Although Lu Zhuxin’s face had indeed been made up and styled, not as stunningly beautiful as when she was the Fox Monarch…

Her hair color had also been dyed from silver to black.

But she still bore sixty to seventy percent resemblance to her original face.

How could Song Shixuan, as the Heaven-Mandated Male Lead, not recognize her?

Unless…

“He’s not Song Shixuan?!”

Not Song Shixuan, yet wearing Song Shixuan’s face to meet with Chi Xiyan?

What was going on?

What happened to Song Shixuan?

What was the Song family doing?

Lu Zhuxin took a deep breath. Now wasn’t the time to consider these things.

What she needed to do now was complete the ceremony procedure.

Because the Empress had ordered the Demon Suppression Bureau and Sword Sect disciples to jointly eliminate fox demons, the fox clan lurking in human territory had to temporarily lie low to avoid attention.

And the intelligence network organized by the foxes naturally also had to remain temporarily silent.

So Lu Zhuxin currently couldn’t fully understand external intelligence.

She could only speculate based on memories and some limited information.

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The Song family’s unusual movements raised Lu Zhuxin’s vigilance.

Because she had changed the world line, the plot’s development had already begun to shift in ways she couldn’t predict.

She, this tiny butterfly, had already completely disrupted the original plot line.

The ceremony continued.

Since the other party wasn’t Song Shixuan himself, Lu Zhuxin naturally didn’t need to worry about being recognized. What she needed to be careful of instead was Chi Xiyan.

What was Chi Xiyan’s current attitude toward the Song family, toward Song Shixuan?

At this moment, Lu Zhuxin felt another familiar gaze.

It was Lu Guan, an inner disciple of Lingxiao Sword Sect!

Lu Guan looked at Lu Zhuxin’s figure, his expression revealing some confusion. “Strange, why does this Chi family’s second young lady give me a somewhat familiar feeling?”

A Lingxiao Sword Sect disciple beside him chuckled softly. “How rare! Senior Brother Lu, who’s always been immune to feminine charms, has finally awakened. You’ve taken a fancy to this Chi family’s second young lady?”

“Senior brother, you feel she’s familiar? That’s exactly right!”

“This means you might have had a fated connection in your past life, a predestined marriage. Heaven wants you to continue your previous fate!”

Lu Guan laughed and scolded, “What nonsense are you spouting!”

The corner of Lu Zhuxin’s eye twitched several times.

Another acquaintance. However, when Lu Guan had seen Lu Zhuxin before, Lu Zhuxin had been wearing a mask.

So Lu Guan didn’t recognize Lu Zhuxin.

The preliminary procedures of the ceremony gradually approached their end. Lu Zhuxin saw two more familiar figures.

Wei Qingyu was actually also here.

As a Demon Suppression Bureau inspector, instead of pursuing Bu Lianshuang, why was she joining the excitement at the Chi family?

At this moment, Wei Qingyu was simply exchanging words with Chi Jingwen in the main seat.

Chi Jingwen turned to look at Lu Zhuxin, his face full of loving smiles.

However, Lu Zhuxin could taste a trace of coldness in that smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

This wasn’t Lu Zhuxin’s first time seeing Chi Jingwen. On the day she arrived at the Chi family, she had seen Chi Jingwen once.

Lu Zhuxin vaguely had a premonition that Chi Jingwen didn’t truly regard her as a daughter.

Even though the recognition ceremony was about to proceed to its final stage, this remained true.

Too little intelligence, unknown reasons.

“Little Friend Qingyu, what do you think of this daughter of mine?” Chi Jingwen asked Wei Qingyu.

Wei Qingyu looked at Lu Zhuxin dressed gorgeously in the venue and praised, “Outstanding grace, exceptional spirit.”

“I’ve dealt with Miss Zhizhi before.”

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“Miss Zhizhi, whether in character, wisdom, or bearing, is incomparable to ordinary people.”

Hearing Wei Qingyu’s unstinting praise, the muscles at the corner of Chi Jingwen’s eyes twitched imperceptibly.

Were they really talking about the same person?

“Then, Little Friend Qingyu,” Chi Jingwen said, “what do you think are the chances she can pass the Chi family ancestors’ bloodline verification?”

Wei Qingyu glanced at Chi Jingwen.

This old fox…

“The Chi family’s blood ceremony uses ancestral blood as the catalyst. It cannot be forged, cannot be altered.”

“Those with blood are acknowledged, those without are exposed.”

“Family Head Chi speaking like this—aren’t you joking with me?”

Wei Qingyu answered with a light laugh, but inwardly felt greatly surprised.

Speaking like this, did Chi Jingwen feel that Yu Lizhi wasn’t of Chi family bloodline?

“Little Friend Qingyu speaks correctly,” Chi Jingwen’s gaze returned to the venue. “Those with blood are acknowledged, those without are exposed.”

“The Chi family’s bloodline bond cannot be faked.”

After speaking, Chi Jingwen stood up and slowly walked toward the ceremony’s altar.

He looked at Lu Zhuxin, his face smiling.

“The Chi family blood ceremony requires using a formation to awaken ancestral aura.”

“Young lady, I will open the bloodline formation. Please drip your blood into the altar formation.”

Lu Zhuxin looked at Chi Jingwen and blinked her eyes blankly, as if puzzled by his appearance.

After a moment, she belatedly raised her hand, preparing to extend it over the formation.

“Wait!”

“I object!”

An explosive shout came, drawing everyone’s gaze.

A chubby youth wearing Lingxiao Sword Sect sword cultivator robes slowly emerged from the crowd.

He walked with imposing strides, his gaze looking directly at Lu Zhuxin in front of the altar.

He shouted loudly, “I believe this Miss Yu Lizhi is unworthy of dripping that filthy blood into the Chi family’s solemn and sacred formation!”

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire venue fell silent.

No one expected that under such an important ceremony, someone would still come out to cause trouble.

Moreover, this troublemaker was a Chi family disciple.