News of this quickly reached Sang Hong and Sang Qian. They led a group of men over to welcome them.
Sang Qian was dressed in festive wedding finery, his face radiant and full of confidence.
Everyone around him had nothing but praise in their hearts for him. Sang Qian had been born handsome, and now that he was all dressed up, he looked even more suave and outstanding.
The guests from all over Brightmoon City whispered among themselves.
âYoung master Sang looks quite happy today!â
âOf course he does! Youâll be excited too if you could marry a beauty like Miss Zheng and bring her into the bridal room.â
âBut the arrival of the Chu clan is rather inauspicious⦠I wonder how they will deal with that.â
âTsk, the age of the Chu clan is already over. Even the emperor himself favors the Sang clan. What can the Chu clan even do?â
â¦
The endless discussion washed over him, but Zu An was completely unaffected. With an amused expression, he watched the father and son duo arrive.
âSo it was my dear niece Xie who came! Weâve cost you quite a lot this time, havenât we? Haha. Your father already brought over a generous gift earlier on.â Sang Hong deliberately avoided looking at Zu An, and only greeted Xie Daoyun.
Xie Daoyun smiled and said, âUncle is too polite. That was my fatherâs own kindness, while this is my own. I am good friends with Miss Zheng, so it is only proper that I bring a gift myself.â
Sang Hong said with a sigh, âNiece is both beautiful and considerate! I really wonder who will be so blessed as to marry you in the future!â
Xie Daoyun blushed, and she lowered her head in embarrassment.
Zu An was clearly unhappy. âLord Sang, arenât you being too discriminating? Both of us arrived at the same time, but youâre only praising Miss Xie? What about me?â
Sang Hong felt his mood sour immediately.
Sang Qian, too, was at a loss for words.
Everyone around them looked in his direction. Do you really have no idea why those two only praised Miss Xie?
You have successfully trolled Sang Hong for 250 Rage points!
You have successfully trolled Sang Qian for 357 Rage points!
Sang Hong pretended to be surprised. âIf it isnât young master Zu! All of you are guests. Naturally, our Sang clan welcomes all those who come to offer their sincere congratulations to us.â
Sang Qian wasnât as composed as his father. âWhat kind of gift is this?â he demanded angrily.
You have successfully trolled Sang Qian for 666 Rage points!
He noticed that Zu Anâs gift was a hat, and a green one at that.
The green hat bore no significance in this world, but he instinctively knew that this wasnât a good gift.
Zu An smiled. He handed the hat over to him. âI liked the hatâs color, and thought that it suited Brother Sangâs style. Here, Iâll put it on for you.â
He moved to put it on his head right after he said this.
Sang Qian was afraid that there might have been something hidden inside. He took a step back in alarm. âWho gives hats as a wedding gift? Are you only here to cause trouble?!â
Zu An sighed. âI came here with a sincere gift! Because of some people, our clan has become so poor that I couldnât bring over a gift as precious as Miss Xieâs pearls. However, my intentions are equal! Could it be that the powerful Sang clan only receives expensive gifts, and refuses all gifts that arenât worth as much?â
Even though they knew that he was deliberately starting some drama, the guests around them still began to whisper among themselves. Indeed, itâs the thought behind the gift that counts, even if itâs not valuable.
Moreover, Brightmoon Duke was well known for the strength of his character, and many people in Brightmoon City had received his favor. To see that the Chu clan couldnât even afford to bring a proper congratulatory gift was unfortunate, and they couldnât help but feel sympathy.
Sang Qian was clearly angered by the whispers around him. âYou bastard, you came here to cause trouble!â he yelled.
You have successfully trolled Sang Qian for 777 Rage points!
âQianâer!â Sang Hong shouted at him. âEveryone who comes today is a guest! Today is your day of celebration, so you must accept all gifts.â
âButâ¦â Sang Qian felt like something was amiss, yet he couldnât really put his finger on what it was.
Zu An smiled. âLord Sang is most wise. Come, Brother Sang, let me put this on for you myself.â
After saying this, he put the hat straight onto Sang Qianâs head.
Sang Qian wanted to move out of the way, but his dad shot him a look, and he forced himself to stand rigidly in place.
Of course, if they had known the meaning behind the wearing of a green hat, they would never have agreed to it.
âSigh, donât move, Brother Sang! Itâs getting all crooked.â Zu An adjusted his hat for him again, and only then did he nod his head in satisfaction. âNot bad, not bad. This hat really suits Brother Sang.â
He had a feeling that, many years later, the phrase âwearing a green hatâ would circulate throughout this world, and it would all be because of his momentâ¦
Sang Hong said in a low voice, âYoung master Zu, are you satisfied now? If there is nothing else, then please head on home. Of course, if you wish to attend the ceremony and have a drink, we welcome you as well.â
Zu An put away his smile and said in a serious tone, âNo way! Of course Iâm not done yet. I came here today precisely because I have some debts to settle with Lord Sang.â
âYou have some debts to settle with my father? Like hell youâre settling anything today!â Sang Hong roared angrily.
You have successfully trolled Sang Qian for 358 Rage points!
He came from a distinguished background, so he always looked down on a nobody like Zu An. However, it was precisely this nobody who had ended up acquiring Brightmoon Cityâs number one beauty. She was a goddess that countless young masters couldnât even imagine themselves with, and yet she had ended up in the hands of a toad like Zu An.
That was why he was always irritated the moment he saw Zu An.
Sang Hong sneered as well. âBrightmoon Duke might have the right to speak such words in front of me. What right do you have? Youâre still far off.â
His tone was full of disdain. Many of the guests also roared with laughter when they heard this. In their eyes, Zu An was clearly overestimating his capabilities.
Leaving aside the Sang clanâs status for a moment, Sang Hong is still an eighth rank cultivator. How can a young brat like you even have the nerve to say something like that?
âDoes this give me the right, then?â Zu An said with a snort. He issued the pre-arranged signal, and a group of Red Cloak Army soldiers barged in ruthlessly, surrounding all of them.
Sang Qianâs face grew dark. This was his wedding celebration, so heâd obviously left the majority of the River Patrol Army in their barracks, and had only brought a few higher-level officers with him. Only a few clan servants protected the courtyard of the estate right now. They were no match at all for these Red Cloak Army soldiers.
Sang Hong was actually quite shocked. He already knew that Zu An had brought the Red Cloak Army into the city to face Liu Yaoâs Imperial Guard, but he hadnât expected him to bring them here as well.
Of course, having been in politics for so long, he was already used to swapping appearances quickly. âWhat is young master Zu trying to do? Surely we can just talk things out?â
Zu An sighed in his heart. Without the Red Cloak Army, who would ever treat a fifth rank cultivator like him seriously?
Strength was still the most important thing in the end.
Since the other party was clearly concerned by the Red Cloak Army, there was no need for him to hold back. âYou put on that high and mighty act just now, but now youâre happily willing to talk things out? Donât you feel the least bit embarrassed?â
âYouâd better not go too far!â Sang Qian roared in fury.
You have successfully trolled Sang Qian for 888 Rage points!
Not even someone as shrewd as Sang Hong could endure such constant harassment from a child. âI just didnât want a noisy dog to disturb the wedding. Donât think for a moment that I am actually scared of you.â
You have successfully trolled Sang Hong for 996 Rage points!
He took a step forward, and a great wave of pressure surged outward, fueled by his eight ranks of cultivation. Many of the guests around him were alarmed by this sudden development. Unable to withstand the pressure, they backed away one by one.
Many members of the Red Cloak Army stepped forward to help block the pressure that Sang Hong was releasing.
Zu An stood perfectly still, as if nothing was wrong. He said with a smile, âGeneral Liu looked down on our Chu clanâs Red Cloak Army, and insisted on fighting. Unfortunately, he lost, and lost badly. Does Lord Sang wish to try your luck as well?â
Sang Hongâs expression flickered several times. He reacted immediately, quickly retracting his aura. âYoung master Zu must be joking. The Chu clanâs Red Cloak Army is famous throughout the lands. How could this humble one not know about that? However, as inhabitants of this world, we should all seek to be reasonable. A wedding is a major event. Barging in with an army on someoneâs wedding day to bully them is hard to excuse no matter where it happens, am I correct?â
âBully?â Zu An almost burst into laughter. Sang Hong was the last person he had expected to use this word against him.
âAh Zu!â Xie Daoyun also tugged at his sleeves. She sent him an urgent transmission via ki. âYouâll cause a public outrage by doing this! The troops serving under Sang Hong will hear of this soon. If a huge battle breaks out, the Red Cloak Army wonât be able to fend off both the City Defense and Imperial Guard, no matter how strong it is!â
Of course, as a member of the Xie clan, she didnât want to see the situation get out of hand. If it did, they would surely be dragged into it as well.
âFine. Out of respect for Miss Xie, Iâll reason with you all.â Zu Anâs words immediately made Xie Daoyun blush.