Chapter 246: Chapter 149: One Slash
"Chen Sheng!!!"
Lu Maozhi’s furious gaze landed squarely on Chen Sheng as he let out a piercing shriek.
At a time like this.
In a manner like this.
With an attitude like this!
This was nothing less than grinding the dignity of Luoyun Manor, and his own, underfoot.
At that moment, Lu Maozhi was on the verge of madness.
When Chen Sheng had taken Wang Zilan to a banquet over a bet, he could still console himself.
But now, he could no longer delude himself. He knew that after today, not only would the reputation of Luoyun Manor be in tatters, but his own name would become the laughingstock of the entire Ning’an Prefecture.
"Is there a problem, Young Master Lu?"
Chen Sheng asked with a placid smile, his arm wrapped around Wang Zilan.
"I’m going to kill you!"
Lu Maozhi cast all caution to the wind. The aura around him surged as he prepared to strike Chen Sheng, but before he could make his move, an overwhelming pressure enveloped the area.
Lu Canghai, the Manor Master of Luoyun Manor, gave Chen Sheng a dark look. His gaze then shifted abruptly to Patriarch Wangqingshan of the Wang Family. In a cold voice, he said,
"Wang, what is the meaning of this? I believe the Wang Family owes me an explanation."
Wangqingshan’s brow was also tightly furrowed. His stern gaze fell abruptly upon the two Wang Clan Elders who had escorted the betrothal procession.
"What in the world happened?!"
The expressions of the two Wang Clan Elders—one gaunt, the other burly—changed drastically. They had never imagined such a thing could happen. The burly one hurriedly explained,
"Clan Leader, I... I don’t know! I was watching the procession the entire time, but... but..."
The gaunt elder, as if suddenly recalling something, quickly added,
"No, that’s not right! Chen Sheng must have snuck in along the way. Someone created a distraction, but... but it still should have been impossible for him to get in so easily!"
"Zhilan, was this your arrangement?"
Wangqingshan turned to the clan’s legitimate daughter, Wang Zilan, his expression turning frigid as a chill emanated from his eyes.
An act like this...
Was not only an insult to Luoyun Manor...
But also a tremendous disgrace to the Ning’an Wang Clan.
For the esteemed legitimate daughter of the clan to welcome a man into her carriage during her own betrothal procession and have him don the wedding robes... If word of this got out, the Ning’an Wang Clan would lose all face. How would outsiders view the Ning’an Wang Clan then?
At his words, Wang Zilan’s face went white. A flicker of fear crossed her eyes as she opened her mouth to speak.
"Clan Leader, I..."
Before Wang Zilan could finish, Chen Sheng cut her off. He then turned his gaze to Wangqingshan.
"This was my idea. It has nothing to do with Miss Wang."
Although Chen Sheng had a cold and detached nature, he wouldn’t go so far as to let a woman take the responsibility at a time like this.
"Insolence! When I am speaking, what right does a junior like you have to interrupt?!"
A formidable pressure erupted from Wangqingshan, bearing down on Chen Sheng.
The man might be a Junior Sixth-Grade Deputy Captain of the Jingwu Bureau, but in Wangqingshan’s eyes, he was merely a junior. Wangqingshan would not tolerate such audacity.
"What’s this? Is Clan Leader Wang planning to defy the Government Office?!"
Just then, Vice Governor Sun Yuzhi suddenly appeared, placing herself in front of Chen Sheng. But her eyes, too, concealed an indescribable mix of anger and humiliation.
If the timing and place weren’t so inappropriate, she would have already pressed the tip of her spear to Chen Sheng’s chest and demanded answers. ’You said the one you admired was me! Why are you crashing the Lu Family’s wedding now? Where does that leave me?!’
"So you’re saying today’s events were all arranged by the Jingwu Bureau?"
The cold glint in Wangqingshan’s eyes sharpened.
Sun Yuzhi remained silent, merely giving Chen Sheng a cold look.
"Junior? Heh... Clan Leader Wang, I’d watch your words. You wouldn’t want to regret them when the battle of Wushan Mountain comes." Chen Sheng chuckled, fearlessly meeting the Patriarch’s gaze.
"You dare threaten me?!"
Wangqingshan’s fury intensified.
’Since when does a mere Innate Martial Master dare to threaten an expert of Profound Mastery?’
He was, after all, a Clan Leader.
He was one of the figures who stood at the very pinnacle of Ning’an Prefecture.
"It’s not a threat, it’s a statement of fact. The marriage alliance between the Wang Family and the Lu Family is for no other reason than the Lu Family’s ability to aid the Wang Clan at Wushan Mountain. But if I don’t allow it, the Wang Family will gain nothing."
"Arrogant!"
The Manor Master of Luoyun Manor snorted coldly.
"You junior, how dare you run your mouth here! Do you really think you’re invincible below the Profound Mastery realm? To so brazenly humiliate my Luoyun Manor... If I don’t make you pay the price today, how will Luoyun Manor ever hold its head high in Ning’an again?!"
"Manor Master Lu, you should watch what you say. Ning’an belongs to the court, not to your Luoyun Manor. Anyone who didn’t know better might think Luoyun Manor ranks above the Government Office."
Nie Xuanfeng smiled faintly and slowly stood up.
"It seems this was all arranged by Governor Nie," Lu Canghai said coldly.
The corner of Nie Xuanfeng’s eye twitched. He was indeed aware of today’s events, but he hadn’t arranged them. Still, his goal had been to stir things up in Ning’an Prefecture.
It didn’t matter if he was misunderstood, so he simply said with a faint smile,
"Arranged? What was arranged? The Lu and Wang Families aren’t formally betrothed yet. As it stands, Miss Wang is unwilling to proceed and has requested the Government Office to see that justice is done. In that case, the Jingwu Bureau is honor-bound to step in."
At this point, Nie Xuanfeng’s tone shifted as he turned to Wangqingshan.
"Wang, the battle of Wushan Mountain is about to begin. Surely Clan Leader Wang doesn’t also wish to make an enemy of the Jingwu Bureau?"
Wangqingshan glanced from Sun Yuzhi to Nie Xuanfeng, his gaze finally resting on Chen Sheng. His expression was uncertain, as if he were weighing his options, and for a moment, he said nothing.
The reasons for the marriage alliance between the Wang and Lu Families were complex, but the truth was that the Wangs currently needed something from Luoyun Manor. Yet now, with Wang Zilan backing out, a rift had undoubtedly formed between the two families.
Comments