"We actually didn't care for each other, nor did we have any intentions. Yet she insisted on trying to matchmake us."
"Yue'er, where are you hiding? Come out and greet our guest..."
Su Yier's voice preceded her arrival, her words echoing from outside before she even reached the door.
"No, are you impatient? In this vast city of Tongguan, there are few who are worthy of Yue'er's status. Women from reputable families like ours seek nothing more than to marry a good Dao companion, someone to rely on as we pursue the Great Dao!"
"Xie Hu is the most outstanding son of City Lord Xie. At just over two hundred years old, he has already reached the late-stage Grand Perfection of the Core Formation realm. He is truly exceptional."
"However, among the women of his generation from reputable families, there aren't many outstanding ones who can match him. Moreover, most of them are already engaged."
"Yue'er, your cultivation is not bad. Besides you, who else is suitable? If you are willing, I will speak to City Lord Xie, and they will surely agree."
Su Yier strode into the room only to find Wu Tao seated in the main seat, holding a teacup and sipping spiritual tea with an air of leisurely contentment.
As soon as they met, Su Yier's eyebrows furrowed, and she reprimanded, "Who are you? Why are you here at Yue'er's place?"
Seeing Su Yier's impolite demeanor, Wu Tao saw no reason to be courteous. He stood up, but without a full rise, and retorted forcefully, "I am Wu Tao, Yue Hua's future Dao companion!"
"Wu Tao?"
"Oh, I remember now. The extremely intelligent prodigy?"
Su Yier scrutinized him and then said, "Although your talent is excellent, your status as a rogue cultivator does not befit Yue'er's noble identity. I advise you to give up while you still can."
"...And you think you can lecture me? Who do you think you are?"
Wu Tao shot back directly, his words causing her face to turn crimson, clearly flustered.
Just as Su Yier was about to lash out, a hint of coldness appeared on Lü Yuehua's pretty face as she calmly asked, "Madam, have you come all this way just to say these things to me?"
Seeing Lü Yuehua's displeased expression, Su Yier did not want to offend the only daughter of the rich City Lord.
Therefore, she quickly said, "Fine, fine... I won't pry into these matters. But Yue'er, you must restrain yourself. You must not associate with people like this anymore."
"Do you know what Hong Bai and Lu Feng said about you yesterday when I visited the Hundred Flower Garden?"
Lü Yuehua sneered, "It wasn't anything good, I presume. Just say it, no need to beat around the bush. I can handle it!"
Su Yier shook her head, sighed, and then slowly said, "When I mentioned you, I also brought up Xie Hu..."
"Hong Bai, Zhang Lingxi, and Lu Feng, among others, said your reputation is poor. When you often associate with unfamiliar men, your reputation is bad, how can you be worthy of Xie Hu..."
At this point, her expression also soured.
Lü Yuehua's pretty face turned icy, and a chilling aura instantly filled the room, transforming it into a world of ice and snow.
She cursed furiously, "A bunch of scoundrels dare to insult my name like this! I'm going to kill them."
This declaration terrified Su Yier, who almost fell over.
Su Yier quickly blocked Lü Yuehua's path and said, "Yue'er, you mustn't act like this. If you really do this, you won't get away with it..."
Finally managing to pacify Lü Yuehua, Su Yier breathed a sigh of relief.
In the midst of this, she glanced at Wu Tao, secretly annoyed at his lack of awareness. Why didn't he try to stop her? What if a grave mistake were made?
Lü Yuehua, regaining her composure, also glanced back at Wu Tao, blushing slightly. Then, her beautiful eyes widened, fixing him with a warning gaze.
Wu Tao whistled and pretended not to see her earlier loss of composure.
At this moment, Su Yier resumed her admonishment, "For us women, besides the Great Dao, our reputation is the most important thing in this life."
"Sometimes, rumors and gossip can kill, Yue'er. Listen to me, you absolutely must not be so reckless and ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth!"
Having said this, Su Yier suddenly understood and turned to Wu Tao, pointing at him and saying, "You're the one who offended Hong Bai, and you've brought Yue'er such great trouble, impacting her reputation?"
Upon hearing this, Wu Tao's eyes narrowed, and a deeply hidden killing intent flashed across him.
"Who is this Hong Bai dog, that he's worthy of judging my Yue Hua..."
He snorted coldly and spoke thus.
Su Yier was so enraged that her ample bosom heaved, and her body trembled.
She pointed a finger at Wu Tao's nose and said, "You still have the nerve to talk about others? What are you yourself? Don't you know?"
"Su Yier!" Lü Yuehua's anger flared.
"Are you allowed to speak about my Dao companion, Lü Yuehua?"
"In my heart, you are, at best, just a casual acquaintance..."
"No, now you're not even a casual acquaintance in my heart!"
Su Yier's eyes widened, her face filled with disbelief.
After Lü Yuehua finished speaking, Wu Tao slightly raised his head, his expression revealing no trace of emotion.
He simply asked Su Yier calmly, "Do you know where Hong Bai and Lu Feng are now?"
At this moment, for some unknown reason, Su Yier felt a profound darkness emanating from him, like that of an abyss.
Sensing this, Su Yier was momentarily so terrified that she dared not speak.
After a while, she stammered, "Hong Bai and Lu Feng are at the Hidden Dragon Residence, making friends and discussing the Dao..."
Wu Tao nodded slightly and said to Lü Yuehua, "I'm going for a bit, I'll be back soon!"
With that, he rose from his seat, walked out of the courtyard, transformed into a streak of light, and vanished from the spot.
...
In the Hidden Dragon Residence, Hong Bai, relying on Lu Feng's influence, sat in the center, surrounded by an assembly of people.
The entire hall was filled with over a dozen cultivators in the Core Formation realm.
These cultivators were toasting each other, laughing and chatting merrily, creating an atmosphere of a high-society gathering.
The Hidden Dragon Residence itself was extremely vast, constructed entirely from firefly stone. The pillars were made of thousand-year-old agarwood, and the lighting was excellent. The surrounding walls were inlaid with seven-colored crystals as windows, making it incredibly luxurious and extravagant.
On either side of the banquet hall were neat long tables and chairs laden with various immortal delicacies and spiritual foods. In the corners stood bottles of expensive spiritual wine.
The entire banquet hall was illuminated by Ming Jade palace lanterns overhead, making it as bright as day...
On the north side of the hall, a band played cheerful music.
Within the hall, ten beautiful attendants circulated, providing various services.
...
Lu Feng lounged lazily on a chair made of ten-thousand-year-old fire-bright wood. Two Qi Refining stage maids, clad in sheer red dresses, curled up beside him, their soft, boneless, and slippery hands gently massaging and kneading his back.
Opposite Lu Feng, seated upright on another chair made of green wood, was a man clad in immortal armor. His entire aura radiated a powerful, sharp, and fierce presence, like an immortal blade or demonic spear.
Judging by his appearance, he looked very young. Every movement he made exuded a soldierly demeanor.
His name was Su Dongjing, Su Yier's younger brother.
Unlike his sister, Su Yier, Su Dongjing had been thrown into the cultivator army from a young age for tempering.
Life in the cultivator army was arduous, and Su Dongjing had developed a habit of simplicity and decisiveness from a young age.
Furthermore, Su Dongjing's talent was very high. His "Second-Grade Divine Ability—Great Luo Dao Stream" was renowned throughout Tongguan City.
Looking at the absurd and extravagant Lu Feng before him, Su Dongjing's brow furrowed, and a hint of helplessness flickered across his face.
Indeed, no matter how absurd the person before him was, his identity, status, and cultivation were immutable.
Merely being the sole son of a Vice City Lord and possessing the late-stage Core Formation cultivation made him far nobler and more important than a scion from a prestigious noble family like himself.
Therefore, despite their extreme personality clash, Su Dongjing had no choice but to patiently engage him in conversation.
Beside Su Dongjing also sat two exceptionally alluring young maids, dressed in sheer fabric. Their arms were snow-white, their figures voluptuous, and their ample bosoms were subtly revealed. This was clearly standard fare for everyone present.
However, intimidated by the cold aura emanating from Su Dongjing, these two beautiful young Qi Refining stage maids felt a sense of dread from the bottom of their hearts. How could they dare to step forward to massage, tease, or joke with him?
Thus, compared to the bustling liveliness of the banquet today, Su Dongjing's side was somewhat out of place.
As the only son of Lu Liang, one of the four Vice City Lords, Lu Feng was the leader of his faction. His divine abilities and skills were no less than anyone else's.
However, his personality was incredibly capricious. He was constantly engaged in eating, drinking, and merriment, and he had a large circle of unsavory friends.
His every word and action was casual. Under the deliberate instigation of Hong Bai and Zhang Lingxi, it was not surprising that he would speak ill of Lü Yuehua.
Initially, Su Dongjing was unwilling to come out with Lu Feng because Lu Feng's reputation was polarized among their generation.
Those who spoke well of him were generally sycophants, as Lu Feng was handsome, tall, generous, and extremely loyal, making him very popular with them.
On the other hand, those who thought poorly of him did not necessarily dislike him as a person, but they did not want to have too much contact with this man who was constantly indulging in worldly pleasures.
These highly ambitious second-generation cultivators were all making tenfold efforts compared to ordinary people for the prosperity of their families. How could they possibly waste their precious time associating with him?
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