Chapter 821: Dark Clouds Over the Festivities

Piaomiao Palace was bathed in a festive atmosphere. Red lanterns hung along both sides of the wooded paths, and double-happiness characters adorned every building.

Zhou Wu had kept a low profile and endured silently, meticulously preparing for years. Once he struck, it was with the force of a thunderbolt. Even his father, the grand and ambitious Piaomiao Palace Master, Zhou Changhai, had fallen completely into his trap—let alone anyone else. Therefore, at this very moment, one could say that from top to bottom, the entire Piaomiao Palace belonged to Zhou Wu’s faction!

If he hadn’t provoked the Xie Sisters, perhaps things would have developed in a different direction. In a few hundred years, Piaomiao Palace might have truly reached new heights in his hands. Unfortunately, even the shrewdest of men had their weaknesses. Zhou Wu wasn’t the type of playboy who would lose his mind at the sight of beautiful women. Yet, faced with peerless beauties like the Xie Sisters, he had still made a decision that he would regret for the rest of his life.

Guests gathered like clouds in Piaomiao Palace. Because of the hasty arrangements, many bigshots from distant lands couldn’t attend in person, but they had all sent representatives to offer their congratulations. Faced with a behemoth like Piaomiao Palace, very few would dare to show disrespect. Thus, today’s Piaomiao Palace could be considered highly harmonious and joyful. Even if some of the guests had personal grudges with one another, they set them aside for the time being, acting as if those grievances didn’t exist.

However, what made everyone curious was that, even now, they still didn’t know who the bride was. This caused quite a bit of confusion. Logically speaking, given the status of a Piaomiao Palace Master, the wife he married could not possibly be a girl from an ordinary background. Even if that girl was breathtakingly gorgeous and enchanting to the extreme, if she had an ordinary background, it would be absolutely impossible for her to become the Piaomiao Palace Master’s official wife!

“Who is the bride?”

“Exactly. We’re already here, yet we don’t even know who the bride is? Isn’t that a bit off?”

“For the Palace Master’s grand wedding, they should at least announce the bride’s background. That is basic etiquette.”

“Why haven’t we seen anyone from her family?”

“Right… I was wondering why things felt strange. Up until now, we haven’t seen a single person from the bride’s family!”

“How bizarre. A sudden succession to the position of Palace Master, a sudden wedding, the old Palace Master goes missing, and nobody knows who the bride is…”

Various discussions rippled through the crowd. Not everyone had good manners and temperaments; some had already begun to gossip with thinly veiled sarcasm. Seeing that the situation was turning sour, the people of Piaomiao Palace hurriedly sought out Zhou Wu’s trusted aide.

“Elder Lu, hurry and find a way to explain things! Otherwise… I’m afraid some guests might deliberately pick a fight!” a Piaomiao Palace disciple in charge of reception said, looking anxious.

“Don’t panic. I will handle it!” The speaker, Elder Lu, looked to be in his forties. He had an elegant appearance, a graceful demeanor, and incredibly profound eyes. His voice was deep and pleasant to the ear.

With that, Elder Lu walked into the hall and announced loudly, “Distinguished guests! Thank you all for coming to attend the succession ceremony and wedding celebration of Piaomiao Palace’s… New Palace Master! I am Lu Mingfeng, the Foreign Affairs Elder of Piaomiao Palace!” As he spoke, Lu Mingfeng cupped his fists toward the crowd in the hall, wearing a genial smile.

“Elder Lu, could you explain to us why the New Palace Master suddenly succeeded the throne?”

“Yes, Elder Lu! We saw Palace Master Zhou Changhai just two months ago, and he was perfectly robust. Why did he suddenly step down?”

At this moment, a man who looked to be in his fifties stepped forward. He exuded the dignified aura of a person in high authority, and his gaze was gentle yet sharp. Looking at Lu Mingfeng, he said, “I saw Palace Master Zhou just a month ago. At the time, he was full of vitality and even discussed the future direction of Piaomiao Palace with me. He is a man of great ambition and vision. Why did he step down so suddenly?

“Furthermore… there is another point that puzzles me. It seems… Piaomiao Palace is missing a lot of familiar faces. Why hasn’t a single one of the former Elders shown up? Are old friends no longer worth them coming out to greet?”

The man who spoke last was a prominent figure—Sect Leader Yuan of a major sect in Xi Hezhou. Because he happened to be nearby, he had rushed over in person. On one hand, his sect had always maintained good relations with Piaomiao Palace. On the other hand, he was curious as to why Zhou Changhai had suddenly abdicated in favor of a successor. Furthermore, although Piaomiao Palace was currently filled with a festive atmosphere, there were quite a few bizarre undertones. For example, how had all those familiar faces suddenly disappeared?! Most importantly, those Piaomiao Palace higher-ups he knew well were all trusted subordinates of the old Palace Master, Zhou Changhai! This couldn’t help but raise massive suspicions.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Sect Leader Yuan asked the questions directly. The entire hall suddenly fell silent. Everyone looked toward Lu Mingfeng, and many had looks of intrigue in their eyes. Almost none of those qualified to attend a Piaomiao Palace celebration were ordinary people. Which one of them wasn’t shrewd? Before anyone stepped forward to ask, everyone just pretended to be ignorant. After all… this was Piaomiao Palace’s internal affair. But now that someone had voiced the question, an intense curiosity welled up within the crowd.

“Exactly. Even if the old Palace Master stepped down, he wouldn’t go so far as to not even show his face, right?”

“Fine, even if the old Palace Master doesn’t make an appearance, why hasn’t a single one of the high-ranking Elders I know come out? This is very abnormal!”

“Heh, when I visited Piaomiao Palace in the past, I did meet this Elder Lu before me. But at the time, wasn’t he just an insignificant Deacon?”

“Indeed. It truly is a case of every Emperor bringing his own courtiers…”

Low murmurs of discussion spread through the crowd. Though the voices were hushed, there were almost no weak cultivators present, so even the lowest whispers could be heard clearly. Lu Mingfeng suddenly felt his throat tighten. If someone else had asked these questions, he could have just laughed it off and brushed them aside. However, the person asking was a Sect Leader, and not of some obscure minor sect, either. As an Elder of Piaomiao Palace, he had to provide a direct response. It was basic etiquette. At this moment, he suddenly regretted stepping forward at all.

Seeing the gazes landing upon him, Lu Mingfeng swallowed lightly, his Adam’s apple bobbing. Then, following the pre-arranged script, he spoke loudly, “So it is Sect Leader Yuan who has arrived! Please forgive me for not noticing you earlier!

“A short while ago, the old Palace Master suddenly fell ill. To be exact… there was a slight issue with his cultivation! However… the problem isn’t major, but he does require time to recuperate.

“Therefore, the old Palace Master had to temporarily pass the position of Palace Master to Zhou Wu. As the old Palace Master’s legitimate son, Zhou Wu has worked diligently and made many contributions to Piaomiao Palace over the years. His succession has also received unanimous approval from everyone in Piaomiao Palace. However…”

Lu Mingfeng had finally found his footing as a spokesperson, and his tone became much smoother. A faint smile appeared on his face. “Every change of dynasty… means that some unforeseen events will arise. Although Piaomiao Palace is a top-tier major sect, such matters… are unavoidable. Well, I can only say this much. You all understand.”

The entire hall fell silent! Many people looked at Lu Mingfeng in astonishment, feeling somewhat shocked. It wasn’t that they thought Lu Mingfeng was lying, but rather that this guy… actually dared to tell the damn truth! His words were practically telling them outright: the New Palace Master encountered some resistance upon ascending, and now, that resistance had been purged! That was why they hadn’t seen those familiar faces upon coming here! They had been wiped out! It was that simple! This was simply… too tyrannical!

Moreover, this nonsense about the old Palace Master encountering a problem in his cultivation and falling ill made people deeply suspicious. Had Palace Master Zhou Changhai… met with an accident?! But thinking about it… it always felt impossible. After all, Zhou Wu was Zhou Changhai’s biological son! It wasn’t that patricidal, rebellious sons didn’t exist in this world, but if such a thing happened in a major sect like Piaomiao Palace, it would be far too abnormal.

On the side, Sect Leader Yuan’s eyes flickered. Clearly, he was also somewhat shocked by Lu Mingfeng’s bold response. He had half a mind to press for more details, but after a moment of hesitation, he kept his mouth shut. Because no matter what, this was Piaomiao Palace’s internal affair! Asking one question was a sign of concern, but asking too many… would turn into interfering with another sect’s internal affairs! If word of that spread, his reputation would take a hit. Therefore, faced with Lu Mingfeng’s direct and overbearing response, Sect Leader Yuan could only nod and sigh with a somewhat gloomy expression. By now, almost everyone present understood what had happened at Piaomiao Palace. Only a small minority were still looking around in bewilderment, though no one was going to explain it to them anyway.

A heavy stone dropped from Lu Mingfeng’s heart. Although he wasn’t afraid and had long anticipated that something like this might happen, he still felt quite nervous when it actually occurred. After all, the purged Piaomiao Palace higher-ups had been operating for years; each of them possessed an intricate web of connections. This network of connections likely radiated across the entirety of Xi Hezhou! Among the attendees today, there was no lack of prominent figures who had close relationships with those Piaomiao Palace higher-ups. If these bigshots were to jointly launch a verbal assault, then let alone him, even Zhou Wu… would probably break out in a cold sweat! While they wouldn’t interfere in another sect’s internal affairs, if people discovered the true means by which Zhou Wu had ascended, two-thirds of the guests present would likely turn around and leave on the spot, severing all future ties with Piaomiao Palace! This… would be a massive blow to Piaomiao Palace! Whether in terms of reputation or interests, it was not something they could endure.

Lu Mingfeng secretly wiped a sheen of cold sweat from his forehead. He thought, “Thank goodness… no one stepped out to hurl accusations.” Then, he smiled and said, “As for the bride… I believe that when she makes her appearance in a moment, she will definitely leave all our esteemed guests absolutely astounded!”

Many people present couldn’t help but frown. They secretly wondered, “What does this mean? We’ll be astounded when we see the bride? What’s there to be astounded by? Could the bride’s background be incredibly terrifying… enough to frighten us?”

A small minority of people, however, had a flash of realization in their eyes as a sudden thought occurred to them, “Now that the Piaomiao Palace Master has abdicated, where has his peerlessly magnificent wife… that noble lady from Celestial Brilliance… disappeared to as well?”

Lu Mingfeng’s explanation was barely considered a pass. Yet, for some reason, the moment he stepped out of the hall and felt the lively, festive atmosphere around him, an ominous premonition suddenly welled up from the depths of his heart. It was as if a dark cloud had cast a shadow over the rejoicing Piaomiao Palace. Lu Mingfeng subconsciously raised his head and glanced at the sky above. The moon was bright and the stars were sparse. It was a clear night.