A thousand enlightenments in one night, starting from being a menial apprentice.

Chapter 549 The Tragedy of the Dragon Fish Hall

Inside the Dragon Fish Hall, just as the engagement ceremony was about to take place, Duan Rong and Lü Qingzhu suddenly entered hand in hand, pausing at the entrance of the hall.

Everyone in the hall looked at Lü Qingzhu, who had suddenly appeared, with astonishment on their faces.

Lu Qingzhu, dressed in a formal gown and phoenix crown, was radiant and beautiful, like a fairy.

But... Lu Qingzhu just darted in from the hall entrance!
So who is standing there now, wearing a red veil, about to have a wedding ceremony with Li Ruozhou?
The moment Chu Qiushan saw Lü Qingzhu flash in, his face darkened. With a flick of his sleeve, a gust of wind rose, blowing away the veil on Shen Mizhi's head.

The veil flew off, and Shen Mizhi was suddenly startled!
Upon seeing Shen Mizhi, everyone exclaimed in surprise again. "Who is this?"

Neither Li Yunjing nor Li Ruozhou knew Shen Mizhi.

Zhu He sat there and immediately recognized Shen Mizhi, the woman who had been with Duan Rong. He suddenly stared at Duan Rong and noticed that both Duan Rong and Lü Qingzhu were wearing brand-new formal attire and had entered hand in hand.

Zhu He's thoughts were churning like a turbulent tide!
As soon as Duan Rong saw Shen Mizhi's veil being lifted, he immediately called out, "Mizhi, come here!"

Shen Mizhi then leaped up and, in full view of everyone, flashed behind Duan Rong.

Chu Qiushan glared at Duan Rong with eyes that seemed to be spitting fire, and shouted angrily, "Duan Rong! What are you doing?!" Duan Rong had come in with Lü Qingzhu first, and then told the woman to hide behind him, clearly indicating that he was in charge.

Chu Qiushan was furious at this moment, and his roar was like rolling thunder!
Those with weaker cultivation levels in the hall felt a tingling sensation in their eardrums!
Duan Rong remained unmoved and announced loudly, "Sect Leader Chu, esteemed elders, just yesterday, I married Lü Qingzhu!"

Upon hearing this, the room fell completely silent.

Chu Qiushan felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing this. He had noticed that Duan Rong and Lü Qingzhu were both dressed in formal attire and were standing hand in hand. Half of the anger in his eyes had dissipated. He turned to Lü Qingzhu and asked, "Qingzhu, is what he said true?"

Lü Qingzhu said, "What my husband says is certainly true!"

"Husband?!"

A commotion immediately erupted in the hall. Li Yunjing's pupils constricted as he glared at Duan Rong!

At this moment, Zheng Yi, who was sitting on the elders' seat, suddenly stood up, looked at Duan Rong with a meaningful gaze, and asked, "Junior Nephew Duan, if I remember correctly, you already have a wife. How can you marry Lü Qingzhu again?"

Zheng Yi's meaning was clear: he felt the two were deliberately causing trouble. He was on Lü Zhongtang's side, and the marriage between Lü Qingzhu and Li Ruozhou was obviously beneficial to Lü Zhongtang's bid for the next sect leader, and it was also related to his own interests. Naturally, he wanted to make trouble now.

Upon hearing this, everyone in the hall fell silent, their gazes all turning to Duan Rong and Lü Qingzhu, who stood there hand in hand.

As Zheng Yi said, Duan Rong already has a wife. He had previously violated the sect's ironclad rules in order to save Xiao Yu and go to the Pagoda Forest, a fact known to everyone in the sect.

Duan Rong did not answer Zheng Yi's question, but Lü Qingzhu said, "I will marry my husband as a concubine. Xiao Yu will be the eldest, and I will be the youngest!"

These words caused an uproar in the hall!

All eyes were on Lü Qingzhu.

"This Lü Qingzhu actually refused to marry the young sect leader of the Tianyan Sect, but instead agreed to marry Duan Rong as a concubine!?"

"What kind of good fortune has Duan Rong accumulated with women?!"

"Lu Qingzhu actually agreed to be his concubine? Isn't she afraid of divine retribution?!"

Amidst the uproar, Li Yunjing and Lü Zhongtang, seated in the high seat, had the most unpleasant expressions in the entire room.

Lu Qingzhu would rather be someone's concubine than marry the young sect leader of Tianyan Sect. This was tantamount to slapping Tianyan Sect in the face. Hearing the commotion in the hall, Li Yunjing was even more furious.

At this moment, Lü Zhongtang's body was trembling uncontrollably, and his face was even somewhat distorted, looking terrifyingly ferocious!
He stood up like an enraged leopard, his fists clenched, his body still trembling uncontrollably.

Lu Zhongtang looked at Lu Qingzhu almost word by word and asked, "Qingzhu, did you really marry him as a concubine?"

Lu Qingzhu looked at her father and could sense that something was wrong with him.

"Father, Duan Rong and I are deeply in love. I don't care about being a concubine or anything like that! It's just a worldly title!"

"Fine, fine, fine! What a fine declaration of love!" Lu Zhongtang's face turned deathly pale, but his eyes remained fierce as he asked, "I'm asking if you've really married him as a concubine?"

At this moment, Lü Zhongtang seemed very stubborn, as if he could only believe it if he heard Lü Qingzhu say it herself.

Lü Qingzhu said, "Yes! Duan Rong is now my husband!"

Lu Qingzhu's gaze was firm, and she remained unmoved by the eloquent words spoken in the hall!
Lu Zhongtang looked at his daughter, and a strange look flashed in his eyes. His trembling stopped instantly.

Lu Zhongtang suddenly said coldly, "If that's the case, then you are no longer my daughter."

Upon hearing this, Lü Qingzhu's lips trembled slightly.

Lü Zhongtang said, "Lü Qingzhu, I raised you to life, and now I'm going to kill you, you disgraceful wretch!"

Lü Qingzhu gave a bitter laugh and said, "Then I'll return this life to you! We'll be even!"

"it is good!"

Lu Zhongtang uttered a single word, "Good!" and suddenly leaped into the air, striking down at Lu Qingzhu's head with a palm strike!

The matter arose suddenly, and the speed of a Cave-Dwelling Realm expert was incredibly swift!
With almost a sway of his body, spatial ripples pressed down from mid-air!

Enraged, Lü Zhongtang felt that Lü Qingzhu had made him lose all face. If he didn't kill her in public, how could he face living in this world?

Suddenly, Duan Rong pulled Lü Qingzhu behind him, and in that instant, Duan Rong's entire body erupted with killing intent!
With a thought, the dew-drinking cicada hanging around his neck suddenly emitted a low chirping sound!
The low chirping of cicadas was quite jarring in the quiet hall!
"A dew-drinking cicada!?"

The expressions of everyone on the elders' seat changed drastically!

Just then, a gust of wind suddenly arose!
As the wind blew by, a figure stood between Duan Rong and Lü Zhongtang!

Without the man making any move, Duan Rong felt the connection between his soul and Yin Lu Chan suddenly disappear in that instant.

He could no longer sense the existence of the Dew-Drinking Cicada!
The Dew-Drinking Cicada that he had originally activated did not erupt, but instead fell silent!
At the same time, the spatial ripples that Lü Zhongtang had photographed suddenly disappeared, and he landed hastily, stumbling involuntarily!
The person who appeared where the wind rose was none other than Lu Yinlin, the patriarch of the Taiyi Sect!
“Ancestor!” Lu Zhongtang called out.

"Greetings, Ancestor!" Everyone in the hall knelt down.

Duan Rong turned and glanced at Lü Qingzhu, whose face was filled with extreme sorrow!
Duan Rong felt a pang of pain in his heart and pulled her to kneel down before Lü Yinlin.

Lu Yinlin turned his head and looked at Duan Rong and Lu Qingzhu kneeling behind him. Seeing their tightly clasped hands and their brand-new formal attire, Lu Yinlin couldn't help but frown.

In that instant, Duan Rong stepped directly in front of Lü Qingzhu! Lü Yinlin naturally saw it!
Everyone in the hall saw it!
In the face of life and death, how many people in this world would be willing to protect you from harm?
Suddenly, Lü Yinlin flipped his hand, and Duan Rong felt his body lose balance for some reason. He was thrown into the air and when he came to his senses, he was already next to Zhu He.

Lu Yinlin glared angrily at Zhu He and said, "Keep an eye on your disciple!"

"Yes, Ancestor!" Zhu He immediately replied.

Lü Yinlin then turned to look at Lü Qingzhu.

Duan Rong knew that Lü Yinlin was going to coerce Lü Qingzhu, and immediately went to her side. At this moment, he needed to stand by Lü Qingzhu's side; he couldn't let a young girl face this storm alone!

But just as he was about to move, Zhu He stopped him.

The space around Duan Rong rippled, freezing him in place. In that instant, he was as if he had been struck by a spell.

Lu Yinlin said, "Lu Qingzhu, today is the auspicious day for your engagement to Li Ruozhou. Go and change into a wedding dress and phoenix crown, and perform the ceremony!"

The phoenix crown that Lü Qingzhu was wearing at this time was the phoenix crown of a concubine, which was missing a pearl compared to the phoenix crown of the principal wife!
Lü Qingzhu raised her head, her gaze as firm as a rock, and said, "Ancestor! Qingzhu is already married! A woman cannot serve two husbands, and Duan Rong is my only husband in this life!" Lü Yinlin said, "Marriage is arranged by parents and matchmakers; it cannot be done privately!"

Lü Qingzhu said, "Ancient customs cannot be deceived! Heaven and earth are supreme, and the sun, moon, and gods bear witness!"

Lu Yinlin could see Lu Qingzhu's determination, and asked with a focused gaze, "Ancient rituals? What kind of ancient rituals are you talking about?"

Lü Qingzhu said, "Last night's ceremony was conducted by Jiang Yaozhang, the historian of the Inner History Bureau, according to ancient rites. Mr. Jiang, please answer the Ancestor, was yesterday's ceremony conducted according to ancient rites?"

Jiang Yaozhang knelt at the hall door, his body covered in cold sweat. He slightly raised his head.

Lu Yinlin had already looked over with a cold gaze.

Jiang Yaozhang trembled slightly when his eyes met Lü Yinlin's.

Lu Yinlin looked at him and asked, "Are you Jiang Yaozhang?"

Jiang Yaozhang said, "Reporting to the Ancestor, this humble one is..."

"Alright! Tell me! Does Duan Rong and Lü Qingzhu's wedding count?" Lü Yinlin's voice boomed like a bell, making Jiang Yaozhang's head ring.

Lü Yinlin intended to use Jiang Yaozhang's words to force Lü Qingzhu to submit.

In his view, how dare a mere historian in the Inner History Bureau disobey him, the patriarch of the sect?
Jiang Yaozhang had a clear view of the situation in the hall. He was about to answer when he suddenly glanced at Lü Qingzhu's profile.

Not far away, Lü Qingzhu knelt there, and for a moment, he could feel her unwavering resolve. Just like at the ceremony last night, she had been extremely respectful.

Etiquette is something that manifests outwardly when one has inner qualities.

The scenes from last night's ceremony flowed through Jiang Yaozhang's mind like a clear spring.

He believed in ancient rituals and dedicated his life to them!

At this critical juncture, is he going to betray ancient customs in order to secure his livelihood?

He recalled a sentence he had gleaned from the ceremony last night, and a sudden flash of insight struck him like a bolt of lightning.

The world is devoid of manners because people's hearts are in chaos!

Jiang Yaozhang's panicked gaze suddenly hardened!
He clasped his hands and proclaimed loudly, "Reporting to the Ancestor! According to ancient rites, Duan Rong and Lü Qingzhu are already husband and wife! Heaven and earth bear witness, and the sun and moon are their matchmakers! Rites cannot be disregarded, so their wedding ceremony is naturally valid!"

Lu Yinlin stood there stunned, and the hall fell silent.

Lü Qingzhu turned to look at Jiang Yaozhang, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.

On the other end, Elder Zheng Yi of the Taiyi Sect suddenly looked up and said, "Jiang Yaozhang, you're just a lowly historian, yet you dare to lecture the Ancestor? Who gave you the audacity?"

As Zheng Yi spoke, she couldn't help but glance at Zhu He with a veiled sarcasm.

Duan Rong was Zhu He's apprentice, and Jiang Yaozhang was a member of Zhu He's inner bureau. Zheng Yi's words were clearly an attempt to link himself to Zhu He.

Zhu He's face showed a mixture of emotions, but he didn't say a word.

Faced with Zheng Yi's questioning, Jiang Yaozhang said in a deep voice, "Yaozhang is of humble status, but propriety is a fundamental principle of heaven, earth, and human relations. As the ancients said, 'Strive according to propriety, and do not yield to what is right!'"

Zheng Yi was taken aback by Jiang Yaozhang's words and remained silent, embarrassed.

In the crowd, Xiao Dezhao, his hair and beard white, was already in tears. His lips trembled as he murmured softly, "Good, good... Yaozhang! I haven't taught you in vain! What a fine line, 'Strive according to propriety, and do not yield to what is right!' The younger generation is truly formidable! The way of propriety will not be abandoned! There is hope for the ancient rites..."

Just then, Lü Yinlin snorted coldly and said, "To argue according to propriety and not yield to what is right? Then I will let you get what you ask for!"

After Lü Yinlin finished speaking, he suddenly waved his hand, and a gust of wind swept by. Jiang Yaozhang turned into a cloud of blood mist and drifted out of the hall with the wind.

"They haven't shown up for years! These juniors are truly lawless! Who exactly calls the shots in this Taiyi Sect?!" Lu Yinlin said, his cold gaze sweeping across the room, his murderous aura directed at Duan Rong.

If Duan Rong hadn't been exceptionally talented, and might even have advanced to the Origin God Realm, Lü Yinlin would have killed him right there in the hall!
The death of Jiang Yaozhang and the murderous intent that Lü Yinlin was harboring towards Duan Rong startled Lü Qingzhu.

Lu Yinlin turned to look at Lu Qingzhu and said coldly, "Lu Qingzhu, are you going to change into your wedding dress now and hold the engagement ceremony, or will you only go after I've destroyed Duan Rong?"

Lü Yinlin had no intention of killing Duan Rong; he was merely using this opportunity to coerce Lü Qingzhu.

A flicker of panic crossed Lü Qingzhu's resolute gaze.

She stared blankly at Duan Rong not far away. Duan Rong was trapped in the spatial ripples in an odd position, his eyes darting around...

Lu Qingzhu suddenly said, "Grandpa, you've always doted on Qingzhu since we were little. How could you bear to force me to this point?"

Hearing Lü Qingzhu call him "Grandpa," Lü Yinlin's heart stirred slightly, but the feeling was fleeting. He then said coldly, "A marriage alliance between two sects is a major event for the sects! Qingzhu, you cannot act willfully!"

Lu Qingzhu sneered and said, "The hall is full of well-dressed people, but today I only see two men of courage! What use is such a sect?!"

"Miss Qingzhu, be careful what you say!" Xiao Dezhao raised his head from the crowd, his eyes filled with worry. He had just lost his beloved disciple and did not want to witness any more tragedy in this hall.

At this moment, a nanny came over and looked at Lü Qingzhu, saying, "Miss Qingzhu, please come with me to the inner hall to change into your formal attire?" The nanny was actually feeling sorry for Lü Qingzhu and was advising her.

Lu Qingzhu's eyes were blank, and she followed the old woman towards the inner hall like a walking corpse. As she walked, Lu Qingzhu suddenly stopped because she had already walked not far from Duan Rong.

Lü Qingzhu turned and walked towards Duan Rong. The old woman frowned when she saw Lü Qingzhu suddenly walk in that direction, but she didn't say anything.

When Lü Qingzhu reached within half a zhang of Duan Rong, she could no longer proceed; the floating spatial ripples blocked her path.

She looked at Duan Rong not far away and smiled gently. Even at this moment, her smile was still so bright and beautiful, like an ice flower thawing.

"Duan Rong, thank you for marrying me! You are very brave!"

"Thank you for shielding me! Qingzhu will never forget!"

"Duan Rong, you must live well! In the next life, let's be husband and wife again!"

Duan Rong was trapped in the spatial ripples. He stared blankly at Lü Qingzhu, a bad premonition rising in his heart.

After Lü Qingzhu finished speaking, two clear tears finally streamed down her face. She hadn't shed a tear all day in this hall, but at this moment, she was utterly exhausted!
Lu Qingzhu stood there, turned her head, and looked at Lu Yinlin, who was also standing there. Lu Yinlin looked at her in return.

Lu Qingzhu suddenly shouted, "Grandpa, I hate you!"

When she shouted those words, the veins on her forehead bulged, and she instantly spat out a mouthful of blood!
Lü Qingzhu actually severed his own tendons and veins!

She had severed three of her major meridians due to a collapse in her energy! Moreover, at this moment, the vital energy within her body was still flowing backwards!

The cultivators at the Cave Nether Realm in the hall knew what had happened the moment they saw Lü Qingzhu's expression.

"Qingzhu!" Lü Zhongtang's eyes reddened, and he shouted as he flew over!

But as a gust of wind rose, just as Lü Qingzhu was about to faint, she was caught by the patriarch Lü Yinlin.

Lu Yinlin reached out and quickly pressed several acupoints on Lu Qingzhu's body, immediately stopping the reversed flow of vital energy in her meridians.

Then he stuffed a pill into Lü Qingzhu's mouth. Almost the instant the pill entered her mouth, he wrapped Lü Qingzhu in his arms, turned into a gust of wind, and disappeared from the hall.

(End of this chapter)