Chapter 58: An Uninvited Guest

Within the Hall of Joy, the motions of Lu Xingyun and Gu Qing, just about to kneel in ritual, abruptly halted. The eyes of everyone in the hall turned in unison toward the entrance.

A woman in scarlet robes walked in at a measured pace. Her beautiful eyes shimmered with allure, her every step seemed to conjure lotus blossoms, and the gaze she cast upon Lu Xingyun was tender and lingering. "Yun Lang, how cruel you are!"

Her voice was sweet and seductive; those of weaker resolve in the hall felt as if their hearts were being scratched by a cat, yearning to pull the woman into their arms and cherish her.

Lu Xingyun turned to the woman in red with a calm expression, yet his eyes held a gentle warmth. "Xin Niang, you've come?"

"If I hadn’t come, would you truly marry this Gu girl?" Xin Niang’s beautiful eyes brimmed with unspoken words, fixing Lu Xingyun with an unwavering stare.

"It’s nothing but a staged affair. Don’t take it seriously, Xin Niang." Lu Xingyun’s voice echoed through the hall, causing a stir, especially among the Gu clan, who reacted with shock.

From the moment Xin Niang appeared, Gu Qing instinctively clenched her fists. Upon hearing Lu Xingyun’s cold words, she suddenly lifted her red bridal veil, her gaze landing on Lu Xingyun with disbelief.

Her lips trembled, hope flickering in her eyes. "Are you… are you telling the truth?"

Lu Xingyun’s lips curved in a faint smile, his gaze indifferent as he glanced at Gu Qing. "What do you think?"

Gu Qing’s body trembled. In that glance, she saw no trace of pity in Lu Xingyun’s eyes. Had she always been the one hopelessly devoted?

If he did not love her, why had he written, “Desiring but one heart, together till old age without separation”?

If he did not love her, why had he recited, “A hundred times singing ‘Phoenix Seeks Mate,’ for years longing to taste the joy”?

Gu Qing recalled their first meeting at the Lantern Festival, remembered his tenderness beneath the moonlight...

Scenes from their past flashed through her mind like a lantern carousel. Were all of these nothing but illusions?

Suddenly, she clutched her head in pain, shaking it desperately. No! No! It couldn’t be true!

"Outrageous!" Gu Jun rose from his seat, furious, his beard bristling and eyes widened. "Lu family boy, mind your manners! Is this how Lu Wangshan teaches his descendants?"

"Don’t be angry, Clan Leader Gu!" Among the Lu family’s wedding party was Lu Hou, son of Lu Wangshan. He too looked utterly astonished and stepped forward to stand before Lu Xingyun. "Nephew—"

Before he could finish, Lu Xingyun flicked his sleeve, sending Lu Hou flying with a whoosh. He crashed heavily into the wall.

---

Lu Hou struggled to lift his head from the ground, blood steadily trickling from the corner of his mouth, clearly grievously injured.

"Look closely—I am not your nephew!" Lu Xingyun’s expression was disdainful as he swept his gaze over Lu Hou. An intimidating aura rose from him.

Gu Jun’s expression changed dramatically; instinctively, he glanced at Gu Qingzhou and sent a message via spiritual sense. "Brother—"

"It’s the Core Formation stage," Gu Qingzhou’s voice echoed in his mind.

Gu Jun inhaled sharply, thinking to himself, No wonder this fellow is so fearless!

There likely wasn’t a single Core Formation cultivator in all of Qin County now. Lu Xingyun could do as he pleased without consequence!

Everyone in the hall was cowed by Lu Xingyun’s aura, shrinking into timid quails, not daring to make a move.

Gu Jun’s expression shifted ceaselessly, like a painter’s palette. Finally, he took a deep breath and looked at Lu Xingyun. "Since you have no heart for my tenth child, the marriage is hereby annulled. You—"

"Wait!" Lu Xingyun’s lips curled with amusement. "Though she doesn’t interest me, the Gu family certainly does! Especially—"

He paused meaningfully. "No one present today will leave without my permission!"

Before he finished speaking, a figure tumbled to the threshold in disarray, a short sword gleaming in his chest. The man was barely clinging to life.

This—

No one in the hall had seen Lu Xingyun make a move.

"Father!" A youth in green rushed to the man’s side, frantic and helpless. "Father, what’s wrong?"

Not far away, Gu Weiyu and Gu Weihuan clasped each other’s hands tightly.

"Eleventh sister, he… he’s terrifying…" Gu Weihuan’s voice trembled as she whispered.

Gu Weiyu’s gaze lingered on Gu Qing, who in her bridal gown looked almost deranged. "Ninth sister, tenth aunt is so pitiable!"

As the two whispered, Lu Xingyun turned to Gu Jun once more. "Old man, you’d best confess—where is Gu Qiyu’s pill formula hidden?"

Gu Qiyu?

Hearing the name, Gu Weiyu’s pupils contracted instinctively. Could the formula he sought be their ancestor’s Celestial Thunder Ninefold Pill Method?

---

"You claim not to be of the Lu family—then who are you?" Gu Jun’s body shuddered. The man knew their ancestor’s name; could it be… a thought he could not suppress surfaced.

Even the ever-calm Gu Qingzhou’s expression shifted. Was this man, too, not of the Void Realm’s native clans, but from the Upper Realm?

"Haha, of course I’m not a Lu family member." Chu Xingyun, who had assumed Lu Xingyun’s name, looked at Gu Jun as if he were a fool. "You haven’t answered my question!"

Gu Jun’s face blanched; the oppressive aura bore down on him like Mt. Tai, but he gritted his teeth and straightened his back. He was, after all, head of the Gu clan!

"Still unwilling to speak?" Chu Xingyun pressed closer, his gaze flitting over Gu Jun and the elders of the Gu family.

Abruptly, he changed his tone, speaking slowly, "Let me guess—is it in your so-called ancestral lands? Or perhaps, in the hands of someone within your clan?"

As he spoke, Chu Xingyun’s gaze swept the hall, lingering briefly on every member of the Gu family.

Gu Weiyu’s heart raced, her hands instinctively clutching her robes. Should she hand over the pill formula?

"Yun Lang, why waste words with them?" Xin Niang said impatiently. "Capture them all—surely the formula will be found!"

Chu Xingyun’s lips curled; his gaze flicked almost imperceptibly toward Gu Qingxing, who was nearest.

"Ah—no—don’t take me—" Gu Qingxing, like a puppet on strings, was seized in Chu Xingyun’s grasp.

"Let go of Seventh!" Gu Jun’s face darkened, shouting angrily.

"Don’t take Seventh brother!" This scene was the final straw for Gu Weiyu, who could no longer contain herself and cried out.

Chu Xingyun acted as if he hadn’t heard, his grip on Gu Qingxing tightening. With a crack, Gu Qingxing’s arm twisted grotesquely, and, unable to withstand the pain, he fainted.

"This elder, our ancestor Qiyu did exist, but we do not know what pill formula you seek," Gu Jun forced himself to explain, suppressing his anger.

"You don’t know? Then I’ll ask Eleventh instead!" Chu Xingyun tossed Gu Qingxing aside, his gaze locking onto Gu Weiyu.

Gu Weiyu shivered beneath his stare, frozen in place. Was this man a demon?

As Chu Xingyun finished speaking, several figures leapt simultaneously, and chaos erupted within the hall...