The wedding was livestreamed by the sister, revealing his identity as a Taoist priest.

The Purple Mansion Elder lay slumped on the table, looking utterly hopeless.

Everyone's gaze was filled with a mixture of sympathy and relief.

The head monk of the Golden Register Temple held a teacup, unable to suppress a smile.

"Junior Brother Zifu, don't look like you're going to the execution ground."

He took a sip of tea.

"Tianyin Pavilion isn't a den of dragons or tigers."

The Purple Mansion Elder suddenly looked up, staring at him with dead fish eyes.

"you go?"

"I'm not going."

The head monk of the Golden Register quickly shrank his neck.

Elder Wu Lei chimed in from the side, enjoying the spectacle.

"Junior Brother Zifu, don't be afraid. Although Miss Su has a bit of a temper, she is, after all, the only daughter of the Tianyin Pavilion Master, and she is well-educated and reasonable..."

"Bullshit."

The Purple Mansion Elder immediately swore.

"Ask anyone here if they don't know what kind of person that girl is!"

"Ten years ago, Elder Zhang from the Qingwei Sect came to our door to exchange musical skills. He remarked that the piece had a slight flaw, and she smashed it out of the Tianyin Pavilion's gate with her zither, breaking three of his ribs!"

Raise your second finger.

"Five years ago, a disciple of Longhu Mountain delivered a love letter to her. Before he could even open the letter, he was left hanging upside down on a cliff for three days!"

The side hall was completely quiet.

The elders looked at each other and instinctively shrank back.

Elder Danfang coughed lightly.

"Well... that girl is a bit temperamental, but she wouldn't dare hit an elder like you, would she?"

The Purple Mansion Elder wore a bitter smile.

"Do you know why she borrowed the Nine Heavens Phoenix Melody Zither?"

The crowd shook their heads.

The Purple Mansion Elder took a deep breath and looked down in the direction where Chen Shidu had disappeared outside the palace gate.

"Because that zither was the instrument the Celestial Master used to practice when he was young."

Master Xuanmo had just reached the entrance of the hall when he heard these words and stopped in his tracks.

He turned around, sighed, and sat down again.

"You are all cultivators, so there are some things that are best kept to yourself and not spread around."

Master Xuanmo's tone turned serious, no longer as relaxed as before.

"That girl, Su Qingluan, entered the Taiqing Palace at the age of thirteen and cultivated Taoism with the Celestial Master."

The head monk of the Golden Register Temple put down his teacup and listened attentively.

"He has extremely high talent and his comprehension is comparable to that of a celestial master. Back when the patriarch was still alive, he once said something."

Master Xuanmo paused for a moment.

"If this woman were a man, she could contend for the position of Celestial Master."

Elder Wu Lei of the Five Thunder Academy gasped.

"Such high praise?"

Master Xuanmo nodded.

"She entered the sect at thirteen, gained the power of thunder at fifteen, and opened her Purple Mansion at seventeen. In terms of talent for cultivation, she is second only to the Celestial Master in the entire Taiqing Palace."

"but……"

Master Xuanmo shook his head.

"There has only ever been one reason why she pursued Taoism."

Needless to say.

Which of you old foxes here doesn't understand?

Elder Danfang sighed deeply.

"Does the Celestial Master know?"

"Know."

Master Xuanmo closed his eyes.

"When the Celestial Master was nineteen years old, Su Qingluan said those words in front of three hundred disciples of the Purple Mansion."

"What did she say?"

She said: "Chen Shidu, I want to marry you."

A sigh of regret filled the side hall.

"and then?"

The head monk of the Golden Register Temple asked.

Then the Celestial Master said something.

Master Xuanmo opened his eyes, his expression complex.

"Qingluan, you are my sister."

Silence spread.

The Purple Mansion Elder wiped his face.

"After that, Su Qingluan left Taiqing Palace and returned to Tianyin Pavilion."

His voice was hoarse.

"But she took the Nine Heavens Phoenix Melody with her."

"That zither was the one the Celestial Master practiced when she was young. She took it with her as a keepsake."

"Now you want me to go and tell her to bring the zither back and give it to the Celestial Master as a betrothal gift to another woman?"

The Purple Mansion Elder rolled his eyes.

"Do you want me to die in Tianyin Pavilion, or on the way back?"

The entire room remained silent for a full ten seconds.

Elder Wu Lei suddenly slammed his hand on the table.

"Then don't tell her!"

Everyone looked over.

Elder Wu Lei rolled his eyes and lowered his voice.

"When you go, just say that the Celestial Master needs this zither... for a ritual! Yes! The Purple Mansion needs to open its furnace for alchemy and requires the zither to calm the mind and spirit. Borrow it for two days and return it!"

The Purple Mansion Elder rolled his eyes.

"Do you think that girl is stupid? The whole world knows the Celestial Master is sending betrothal gifts, do you think she didn't see the trending topics?"

"She's a Taoist practitioner; she doesn't necessarily care about those things."

"Her Tianyin Pavilion has internet access! And WiFi too!"

The head monk of the Golden Register Temple cleared his throat.

"Junior Brother Zifu, whatever the reason, remember one thing: you absolutely cannot let her know that this zither was given as a betrothal gift."

His expression was serious.

"That girl Su Qingluan has extremely high cultivation, a fiery temper, and is very possessive of her food. This zither belongs to the Celestial Master, and she treasures it like a precious gem. If she knew it was going to be given away to someone else..."

The head of the Golden Register Academy shivered.

"The entire Taoist sect was thrown into chaos."

Master Xuanmo nodded in agreement.

"Just say that the Celestial Master has an important matter and urgently needs this zither, and don't reveal any other details."

He looked at the Purple Mansion Elder.

Be sincere, speak gently, know when to advance and retreat, and know when to stop.

Elder Zifu slumped back in his chair.

"Easy for you to say."

"Who will come with me? Just for courage?"

All eleven elders bowed their heads in unison.

Purple Mansion Elder: "..."

"Pah, a bunch of shameless old men."

The old residence of the Qi family in Beijing.

The layout features three courtyards and three entrances, with black tiles and white walls, exuding a simple and solemn atmosphere.

At this moment, in the deepest study.

Qi Zhen sat behind the mahogany desk, his eyes bloodshot.

There were a few things on the desk.

A broken watch, a Patek Philippe that Qi Liancheng personally gave him on his eighteenth birthday.

A charred piece of car key was found at the edge of the charred marks on the overpass.

There is also a police report.

Cause of death: struck by lightning.

No remains were found.

No ashes.

There were no identifiable residues.

Qi Zhen stared at the report, his knuckles clenched so tightly they turned white, the paper crumpled into deep creases.

"A natural disaster?"

His voice was hoarse, as if it were being scraped from his throat.

"My son was driving perfectly fine, in broad daylight, and he was struck by lightning and killed?"

"Who would believe such nonsense?"

There was a gentle knock on the study door.

"Please come in."

The door opened a crack, and the butler stepped in.

"Master, there is a Taoist priest outside who requests an audience."

Qi Zhen raised his head, his bloodshot eyes staring at the butler.

"Taoist priest?"

"He said... he knew the cause of the young master's death."

Qi Zhen's pupils suddenly contracted.

"Let him in."

Thirty seconds later.

An old man in a gray robe walked into the study.

He was thin and wiry, with a sallow complexion and a perpetually faint, ambiguous smile on his lips.

He was the third son of the Nine Infants lineage.

"Mr. Qi, please accept my condolences."

Qi Zhen made no polite gestures.

He stared intently at the third brother's face.

"You're saying you knew the cause of my son's death?"

"It's not a natural disaster."

The third brother spoke, his tone flat, as if stating a fact.

"It was man-made."

Qi Zhen's breathing suddenly became heavier.

"Who?"

The third brother raised his eyelids.

"Mr. Qi should know that a certain person has recently emerged in Jiangcheng."

He took a folded piece of paper from his sleeve.