Nonsense! How could my adopted son be a villain?

Then, the head of the Shentu family rolled his eyes, unfazed by Lan Jian's coldness, and continued enthusiastically, "I heard from A Li that Master Lan and Alchemist Xu's wedding is approaching?"

As expected. When the topic of good news came up, Lan Jian's coldness softened a bit, and she became less sparing with her words: "Well, but we haven't set a date yet."

He paused for a moment, then added, "Once the date is set, I'll have someone send over the invitations."

The head of the Shentu family immediately said happily, "Then I will definitely bring my family to offer my congratulations."

The conversation between the two quickly caught the attention of the Shen Tu brothers, Jiao and Zhao. As soon as they came over, they heard their father's words and their eyes widened immediately: "Congratulations on what?"

The head of the Shentu family said with a smile, "Master Lan and Master Xu's wedding is approaching. I was just saying that we should go together to offer our congratulations at the Dao-completion ceremony."

Shentu Jiao's eyes widened upon hearing this: "Is what my little sister said true?"

Shen Tu Zhao continued, "You really are with Master Xu..."

So surprised, I even forgot to use honorifics.

Lan Jian was slightly annoyed by the brothers' surprise and disbelief. What was so surprising about that?

His gaze fell on the two brothers' faces, and he gave a curt "hmm" without any emotion, then asked, "What?"

As a result, Shen Tu Zhao was too surprised to notice his subtle emotional change. He turned to look at his mother and saw that she was still talking to Xu Lingguang. He then leaned closer and asked in a low voice, "I heard that at the alchemy competition of Jin Yao Tang before, when Alchemist Xu was harassed, you were the one who stood up for him. Were you together at that time?"

When he heard the news, he thought Xu Lingguang was really lucky to have found such a powerful figure to rely on.

From now on, you won't be bullied anymore; you can walk around Fufeng City with impunity.

It turned out that it wasn't a powerful backer at all, but a Daoist partner!

Shen Tu Zhao thought enviously, he also longed to find a Daoist partner who could be his support.

The admiration in Shen Tu Zhao's eyes soothed Lan Jian's newly formed displeasure. His expression calmed down again, and he said patiently, "Well, but our time together goes back much further."

Shen Tu Jiao politely asked, "How long? I heard that Master Xu came from Qingyu City and wasn't originally a pill cultivator. He was seriously injured and on the verge of death in an accident, which is why he switched to pill cultivation. You two didn't meet around that time, did you?"

Shen Tu Jiao wasn't just making baseless guesses. After all, if Xu Lingguang had known Lan Jian before, why would he have been seriously injured and on the verge of death, and instead studied alchemy on his own to save money on buying pills?

So they must have met later!

Perhaps it was this injury that led to their meeting, just like in those plays.

Lan Jian gave him a look that suggested he was a promising young man, and realized that the Shen Tu family was indeed not as annoying as other aristocratic families. So he patiently recounted how the two of them met.

However, some details that should not be known to outsiders were omitted.

Even Shen Tu Li, who was originally sitting obediently in his seat eating, was attracted over.

So when Xu Lingguang and Madam Shentu finally noticed Lanjian, a certain clan chief from the Chenghuang clan, in high spirits, began to tell stories.

Xu Lingguang turned around and heard the sentence, "Well, we developed feelings for each other back in Ailao Mountain," and he was completely confused.

No, what nonsense are you spouting?

He politely but curtly interrupted the storyteller: "What are you talking about? Let me hear it too."

Lan Jian paused, her eyelashes drooping guiltily, but she still maintained her detached and aloof demeanor: "I didn't say anything, just chatted casually."

Xu Lingguang gave a meaningful "Oh": "I thought someone was telling stories here."

Lan Jian remained silent.

Shen Tu Jiao and Shen Tu Zhao were puzzled. Their eyes, as bright as searchlights, kept glancing between Xu Lingguang and Lan Jian, feeling that there was a lot of profound meaning hidden in those two short sentences.

But they are young and have never been in a relationship, so they don't understand.

Only the head of the Shentu family glanced at Xu Lingguang, who was squinting, and then slowly shifted his gaze to Lan Jian, who was silent yet revealed a hint of guilt. He sighed and patted Lan Jian's arm.

Brother, I understand you.

He glanced at his wife, who was staring intently at him, and quietly looked at the pattern on the tablecloth.

This pattern, it's so beautiful!

To avoid Lan Jian spouting nonsense again, Xu Lingguang did not stay at Shen Tu's house for long. After the meal, he took the initiative to say goodbye.

This time, however, it was the head of the Shentu family and his wife who personally saw the two off, with three juniors following behind.

Before leaving, Madam Shentu handed Xu Lingguang a communication talisman and a token engraved with the Shentu family crest, saying, "I just heard that Alchemist Xu will be leaving Fufeng City soon. It just so happens that things have been quite unsettled in the city these past few days. The Rain Clan, the Star-Picking Platform, and the Golden Scale Guard have joined forces to take action. On the surface, it looks like only a few more guards have been added at the city gate, but in reality, there are several more layers of defense. Although with the power of Qianjin Tower, the two of you will not be stopped from leaving the city, if Alchemist Xu wants to leave discreetly, this token may come in handy."

The Shentu family did not get involved in this incident.

The Rain Clan and the Star-Picking Platform had frequent dealings with the Western King before, and they were entangled together, so it's unclear what they were plotting.

However, these two families are cautious and their actions are not as convenient as those of the Western Prime Minister, who holds the reins of the dynasty. Therefore, they have always kept a low profile and have not attracted much attention.

But recently, one problem after another has arisen in Fufeng City. First, the Princess of Huai'an was assassinated. Then, before the demon clan that carried out the assassination could be captured, the King of Qing also had an accident. He died in his own mansion in a muddle.

The fact that Princess Huai'an and her husband Yu Xian have now killed each other is truly bizarre.

The Rain Clan and the Star-Picking Platform, who had been hiding behind the scenes, finally couldn't hold back any longer and took this opportunity to step into the limelight.

On the surface, they were helping the Prince of Xixiang search for the demon race, but the death of Princess Huai'an was inextricably linked to Yu Xian, and the Yu family would naturally suffer as a result.

The Yu family returned to Fufeng City with the help of Yu Xian and recuperated for a long time. Although they cannot compare with the top families, their power should not be underestimated. It is likely that various forces want to take this opportunity to divide them up.

Shen Tu Jiali has always relied on the abilities of his clan members and was unwilling to get involved in this incident.

However, not participating didn't mean the Shentu family wouldn't interfere at all; therefore, they also placed members of the Shentu family within the Golden Scale Guard. A subtle tacit understanding had been reached among the various families in the city: no fighting would occur for the time being.

Therefore, if Xu Lingguang shows the Shen Tu family's token when leaving the city, he can leave discreetly under the cover of the Shen Tu family.

Of course, given their status as the owners of Qianjin Tower, no one would dare stop them from leaving the city if they wanted to. However, leaving suddenly at this critical juncture would inevitably arouse speculation and bring some unnecessary trouble.

Xu Lingguang understood this principle and accepted Madam Shentu's kindness.

After expressing their gratitude, the two rode together in a carriage back to Qianjin Tower.

Sure enough, they encountered several groups of checkpoints along the way, and there were also many powerful auras moving back and forth in the shadows, clearly indicating that they were people working in secret.

Seeing the Qianjinlou sign hanging on the carriage, none of these people dared to approach and disturb it.

The carriage entered Qianjin Tower smoothly. Xu Lingguang said to Lan Jian, "Let's set off tomorrow after Zhuang Shun and Lin Wen have packed their things."

He suddenly had a premonition that something big was about to happen in Fufeng City.