Volume 1, Chapter 246 – The Lu Family

Because of the sudden visit from Gu Rentong and his family, along with the string of surprises brought by Yan Mobei, Shi Lan had carelessly pushed to the back of her mind the matter of her betrothed coming to call.

Now that the Lu family had already arrived at the door, Shi Lan truly felt somewhat flustered.

“The reception hall was smashed up, so I’ve already had them shown to the main hall. When you see them later, you…” Su Lanyue trailed off. Though she did not know much about this marriage arrangement either, the current situation had, to a large extent, been caused by her.

“Don’t worry, Mother. I know what I’m going to do.”

After pondering for a moment, Shi Lan shook her head slightly and started toward the main hall.

“Wait. Change your clothes before you go.”

Su Lanyue called out to stop Shi Lan, then said helplessly,

“No matter what, Lu Changfeng is one of your father’s closest friends, and in this matter it is our Shi family that is in the wrong. We should still show the proper respect. It would be better to be a little more formal.”

Hearing that, Shi Lan lowered her head and looked at herself. She was only wearing an ordinary purple dress. Beneath it, aside from the Scarlet Dragon Armor, she had on a close-fitting combat outfit. She had wanted to refuse, but the words reached her lips and were swallowed back down.

Although Shi Lan did not feel there was anything wrong with the way she was dressed, Su Lanyue was not wrong either. Dressing more formally did indeed make one seem more serious. That was the whole purpose of formal attire.

Shi Lan returned to the secret chamber, took out the Yueji Skirt from the Qiankun Bracelet, and changed out of her long dress.

Among the clothes she had on hand, the only one that could really be called formal was the Yueji Skirt.

The Yueji Skirt was comparable to a top-grade magic treasure. In the Boundless Demon Domain, only beings at the level of transformed Demon Kings and above were qualified to wear it. Not only was it exceedingly durable, it also had the effect of amplifying true qi.

Shi Lan gently stroked the skirt’s hem and looked at the rare birds, exotic beasts, auspicious clouds, and immortal herbs woven into it, then nodded inwardly.

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A treasure like this ought to count as formal enough.

…

The door of the secret chamber slowly opened. Su Lanyue, who had been somewhat anxious, let out a sigh of relief. But when she raised her head and saw Shi Lan stepping out of the chamber, she could not help freezing.

It was not only Su Lanyue. The others nearby also fell silent.

The woman stepping out of the chamber wore a magnificent long skirt that trailed along the ground. Cinched at the waist, it outlined her slender figure and made her long limbs and tall frame stand out all the more. Three thousand strands of black hair fell past her waist and stirred lightly in the breeze. On her peerless face, her eyes were like water, like a pool of clear spring water touched with a faint chill.

It was no empty saying that clothes made the person. Shi Lan’s appearance had not changed much at all, but the impression she gave was entirely different. Even the faint trace of worldly warmth she had once carried was concealed by the Yueji Skirt, making her seem like a goddess descended into the mortal world, flawless beyond reproach.

“Let’s go. Don’t keep them waiting.”

Shi Lan broke the silence, then turned and headed toward the main hall.

Only long after Shi Lan had left did the others recover themselves and hurry after her.

…

In the main hall, a fair-faced middle-aged man sat in the guest seat, lightly tapping the table beside him with one finger as he stared without blinking at the wisps of steam rising from the teacup before him, his gaze unfathomable. He was none other than Lu Changfeng, the current head of the Lu family, a long-renowned Heavenly Astral Realm expert in the region around Nine Skies City.

Of the thirty-six death acupoints of the Heavenly Astral Realm, Lu Changfeng had opened twenty-four as early as ten years ago, grasping the secrets of life and death and stepping into the late Heavenly Astral Realm. Within a radius of several thousand li around Nine Skies City, he could be considered a top expert. And after another ten years, his strength had surely advanced even further.

But in the current Xianwu City, the strength of the Heavenly Astral Realm no longer counted for much.

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Seated nearby were also an old man and two middle-aged men. Lu Yueqing sat off in one corner, her expression calm and silent, while a young man stood beside her.

“Patriarch, for the Shi family to conceal Shi Lan’s female identity from us for nearly twenty years is simply to treat our Lu family as beneath notice.”

One of the middle-aged men looked toward Lu Changfeng and spoke with a frown.

“At a time like this, with the demon calamity upon us, the family’s face is not what matters most. The main issue is that this marriage contract truly delayed Yueqing.”

The old man shook his head slightly and sighed.

“Exactly. So many promising young talents came to our door before, and all were turned away by you on the grounds of the marriage contract. The matter of Yueqing already having a fiancé has long since spread. If this is not handled properly, I’m afraid it will have a considerable impact on Yueqing’s reputation.”

“Though you and Shi Tianlu are close friends, the Shi family must still give an explanation for this matter.”

“The losses our family has suffered over this past year have already been too great…”

Lu Changfeng lowered his eyes as though he had not heard a single word.

…

“Sister Yueqing, don’t take this matter too much to heart.”

The young man standing beside Lu Yueqing, seeing that she had remained silent all this time, could not help whispering,

“It’s a good thing that Shi Lan is a woman. That’s still a hundred times better than truly having to marry some wastrel young master.”

“Lu Yuan, Shi Lan, she…”

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Lu Yueqing frowned slightly and was about to correct him when footsteps sounded from outside the hall.

Everyone in the hall fell silent at once. All of them had achieved something in cultivation, and it was obvious to them that the approaching party had deliberately made their steps heavier as a warning.

Very soon, the Shi family entered the hall, with Shi Lan at their head.

When the few members of the Lu family in the hall saw Shi Lan enter first, traces of amazement flashed involuntarily through their eyes.

Lu Yueqing felt a tightness in her chest and once again began to doubt her own judgment. How had she ever managed to mistake Shi Lan for a man?

Beside her, Lu Yuan was stunned nearly speechless. The contrast between the Shi Lan before him and the one in his memory was simply too great.

Shi Lan had just been about to offer a greeting when Lu Changfeng, who had not spoken a word since taking his seat, rose first and cupped his hands toward Su Lanyue at Shi Lan’s side.

“Sister-in-law, I greet you. We came to your door so suddenly today and have surely caused a disturbance. I hope you will forgive us.”

“You are too courteous, Changfeng.”

Su Lanyue shook her head slightly, feeling an inexplicable sense of relief, and unconsciously glanced at Shi Lan beside her.

“I ought to address you as Uncle Lu. I am Shi Lan. Greetings to all of you.”

Shi Lan glanced at Lu Changfeng, gave a salute, then stepped up onto the dais and took the seat of honor.

Su Lanyue said nothing and sat down beside her.

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“Why has Shi Tianlu not come?”

Seeing Shi Lan take the seat of honor, the old man could not help frowning.

In a matter this serious, for Shi Tianlu, the head of the Shi family, not to appear was difficult to justify in any way.

“Father is in seclusion. The Shi Residence is currently being managed by me in his stead.”

“Managed by you? You’re just a child. Do your words even count?”

One of the middle-aged men beside them let out a cold snort.

“It would be better to have the head of the Shi family come speak in person.”

The other man picked up the thread and looked toward Su Lanyue.

Shi Lan’s clear eyes tightened slightly. She slowly rose to her feet, releasing her cultivation without the slightest concealment. Her Earth Fiend true qi, mighty as a dragon, gave off a pressure so strong it was nearly oppressive.

“My words naturally count.”

The two middle-aged men exchanged a glance and both saw the shock in each other’s eyes.

True qi like a dragon, great perfection of the Earth Fiend Realm!