Wandering Swordsman |

Situ Dengfeng stood in a corner of the wedding banquet, his eyes fixed intently on Fu Sheng leading a bride with a red veil slowly towards the front of the stage. His brows furrowed slightly, and he thought to himself: Fu Sheng's nervous demeanor when he left must mean more than just bringing the bride out.

At this moment, Fu Sheng stepped onto the stage and greeted the guests with a smile: "Fellow martial arts practitioners, thank you all for attending my son's wedding." His words were steady and powerful, yet they inadvertently revealed a hint of nervousness. "Due to the bride's illness today, the wedding may be somewhat brief. I hope you will understand."

A flicker of surprise crossed the guests' faces, but most chose to remain silent. After all, no one wanted to spoil the festive atmosphere. Seeing this, Fu Sheng breathed a slight sigh of relief, knowing his plan had succeeded. However, Situ Dengfeng's gaze remained fixed on Fu Sheng, as if trying to glean the secret behind his smile.

The wedding venue was lavishly decorated, with lanterns and colorful decorations all around, and the air was filled with the faint aroma of wine and flowers. In the distance, musicians played melodious tunes, adding a touch of romance to the wedding. However, in Situ Dengfeng's eyes, something felt off.

Just after Fu Jiang and his "bride" completed the wedding ceremony, the traditional toasting ceremony for the newlyweds did not take place. Fu Sheng quickly stepped forward and urged, "Jiang'er, take your wife and go down to rest." Although Fu Jiang was full of doubts, under his father's stern gaze, he had no choice but to obediently lead his bride away from the wedding banquet venue.

Watching Fu Jiang lead his bride away from the wedding banquet, Fu Sheng secretly breathed a sigh of relief, as if a heavy burden had been lifted. He quickly adjusted his expression, maintaining a polite smile as he tried to reassure the guests who still harbored doubts. "Fellow martial artists, today is a joyous occasion! Come! Let us raise our glasses and drink to our hearts' content." His voice was steady and powerful, yet it inadvertently revealed a hint of barely perceptible tension.

Meanwhile, Situ Dengfeng stood not far away, watching everything intently. His mind involuntarily recalled the scene when Li Yonghuan came to invite him that day.

At that time, Li Yonghuan specifically instructed that Situ Changkong be brought along, which made Situ Dengfeng vaguely guess that this marriage might be related to Situ Changkong's older sister. However, as the wedding progressed, he did not see Li Yonghuan at the wedding banquet, which filled him with doubt and made him question his own guess.

Thinking of this, Situ Dengfeng decided to go and toast Fu Sheng, taking the opportunity to test the waters by mentioning Li Yonghuan and see how Fu Sheng would react.

He picked up a glass of wine and slowly walked towards Fu Sheng, a gentle smile on his face. "Chief Fu, congratulations on your son's marriage. I'd like to offer you a toast." His voice was deep and magnetic, making his presence impossible to ignore.

Fu Sheng turned around to face Situ Dengfeng, a hint of wariness flashing in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure. "Sect Master Situ, thank you, thank you, cheers!" His tone was somewhat cautious, but in this situation, he also drank the wine in his hand in one gulp.

Situ Dengfeng smiled slightly, a profound light shining in his eyes. "Chief Fu, why is Li Gongfeng absent from such an important matter?"

Upon hearing Situ Dengfeng mention Li Yonghuan, Fu Sheng's face instantly darkened. Although he quickly composed himself, Situ Dengfeng still keenly noticed the subtle change in his expression. Seeing this, Situ Dengfeng immediately added, "I still vividly remember him personally coming to invite me before. I had originally planned to have a few drinks with him at the wedding banquet today."

Fu Sheng forced himself to remain calm and said with a smile, "Li Yonghuan has important matters to attend to, so he's not at Qilin Village today. If I haven't been able to entertain you properly, I apologize in advance."

Situ Dengfeng's heart skipped a beat; he realized that Fu Sheng's reaction was clearly a bit off. So, he probed further, "In that case, the journey is long, and we should take our disciples and leave. Thank you for Chief Fu's warm hospitality; I hope we can meet again sometime."

Upon hearing that Situ Dengfeng was about to leave, Fu Sheng's eyes narrowed slightly, a flash of fierceness appearing in them, but it vanished without a trace. He calmly replied, "Sect Leader Situ, you are too kind. It is already a great honor for you to attend my son's wedding. I will not see you off." Fu Sheng's words sounded polite and considerate on the surface, but the fleeting fierceness did not escape Situ Dengfeng's keen eyes.

Situ Dengfeng became even more certain that something unknown must have happened at Qilin Village. After all, Li Yonghuan had specifically emphasized that Situ Changkong must be brought along, so Fu Sheng should also know that Situ Changkong was Xie Changkong, the grandson of the previous village chief Xie Feng.

Now, having brought Situ Changkong here, I originally thought something would happen, but it seems nothing has happened at all, which is really strange. However, what exactly is hidden behind all this still needs further investigation.

So, Situ Dengfeng remained outwardly calm and led Situ Changkong slowly out of the wedding banquet venue and towards the gate of Qilin Village.

Not long after Situ Dengfeng left, the guests who had come to attend the wedding banquet also began to leave one after another. Thus, this wedding banquet, which could have been more interesting, became an ordinary marriage due to Li Yonghuan's death and Xie Xin's departure, and ended just like that.

......

Night had completely fallen, and moonlight filtered through the clouds, casting a mysterious glow on the winding path, adding to the mystique of Situ Dengfeng and Situ Changkong's return journey. All around was utterly silent, broken only by the occasional chirping of insects.

At this moment, they had safely left the territory of Qilin Village. Situ Dengfeng stopped and said in a low voice to Situ Changkong, "Changkong, you go back to Jingtian Pavilion first. I need to stay and investigate." His voice was deep and firm, revealing an unquestionable determination.

Upon hearing this, Situ Changkong frowned slightly, clearly regretting his failure to avenge himself on this trip. A trace of disappointment and resentment flashed in his eyes, as if a burning flame within him was gradually dying out. "Master, I know you have your reasons for doing this, and I will act according to your instructions," he said earnestly, his voice slightly heavy, "but..." His gaze revealed a deep resentment, "After learning about my background, you came to Qilin Village, but did nothing and went back. I feel very resentful..."