Chapter 67

"Based on what do you think I'm lying?"

Chen Changsheng looked at the people in the hall and asked, his expression very serious, because he was very angry.

"I have never heard Niece You Rong mention having a fiancé like you."

The woman from Holy Maiden Peak, whose face was covered with a white veil, slowly stood up and looked at him. Seeing the angry expression on the young man's face, she felt somewhat uneasy. Recalling her senior sister's arrangements over the past few months, she wondered if the young man's words were true.

"What proof do you have?"

Chen Changsheng said, "I have the marriage contract as proof."

Xiao Songgong's face turned cold, and he shouted, "Even if you brought out the Heavenly Scriptures as proof, no one would believe your words!"

"I believe you."

At this moment, a very clear voice suddenly rang out in the hall. The voice was like two pearls gently colliding, beautiful and firm.

Lu Luo snorted and said, "My master is qualified to marry anyone."

The hall fell silent for a moment, and people were speechless, wondering if this young girl from the National Teaching Academy knew what she was saying. That young man is your master? He's just a useless person who hasn't even reached the Bone Tempering stage. How can you make it sound like Xu Yourong marrying him is a step down? Is he even more outstanding than Qiu Shan Jun?

Lu Luo didn't care what those people were thinking. She looked at Chen Changsheng with admiration and said, "Master, you are truly amazing!"

"I believe you too," Tang Sanshi said, looking at the people in the hall. "This guy is a real monster. It's not surprising that he can do anything. Not only do I believe he's Xu Yourong's fiancé, but I would even believe him if he said he's the Devil King's youngest son."

Zhuang Huan Yu saw the unfriendly expressions of the Southern delegation and frowned, shouting, "Say less!"

Tang Sanshi's expression turned cold, and he ignored him, looking at Chen Changsheng and saying, "No wonder you are more narcissistic than me. It turns out you have such a fiancée. This matter... is indeed something to be proud of. I am truly impressed."

Lu Luo and Tang Sanshi were speaking from the heart. They really admired Chen Changsheng, but in the eyes of the Southern delegation, their support and trust in Chen Changsheng at this moment were a deliberate humiliation to themselves.

Xiao Songgong, the elder, was furious and shouted, "Our Li Mountain is in the southern sky, revered by the people for generations. The founding emperor personally wrote the plaque 'Thousand Generations' Ancestor' when he established the country, and the second emperor praised Li Mountain as the teacher of the people in his imperial edict. Now, the Empress Dowager also respects us greatly! I never thought that a little brat would try to destroy our mountain's seven-thousand-year-old reputation tonight! If the Zhou Dynasty court does not deal with these young children, I will have to take matters into my own hands!"

Although he was not the last remaining elder of the Li Mountain Sword Sect, he was of very high seniority and had a very high realm, just one step away from the Holy Realm. In the Unending Palace tonight, he and the Dean of the Heavenly Dao Academy, Mao Qiuyu, were the strongest two.

At this moment, in his fury, he released his aura, his gaunt face glowing with a faint green light. A vast and powerful aura erupted from his thin body, instantly crossing several dozen yards to the hall entrance, surrounding Chen Changsheng!

One step to the Holy Realm—what a terrifying realm. Not to mention Chen Changsheng, who hadn't even succeeded in Bone Tempering, even a young powerhouse like Zhuang Huan Yu, who ranked tenth on the Green Cloud List, would struggle to stand steadily in front of Elder Xiao Songgong's aura. This was not due to the difference in realms but more to the natural authority of a strong person.

Everyone thought Chen Changsheng would kneel to the ground in the next moment, but who could have thought that he only became more serious, showing no reaction.

Chen Changsheng had just endured the terrifying pressure of the black dragon in the underground space. Even dragon's might couldn't make him fall, so how could Xiao Songgong? No matter how strong this elder of the Li Mountain Sword Sect was, he couldn't compare to that black dragon.

Tang Sanshi, unaware of his situation, felt the terrifying aura and was somewhat worried. He pushed aside the guards surrounding him, stared at the short and thin Xiao Songgong deep in the hall, and shouted, "Elder, are you bullying the young?"

Lu Luo stood in front of Chen Changsheng, feeling the terrifying and powerful aura most deeply. She knew she was far from a match for Xiao Songgong. She always believed that Chen Changsheng was hiding his true strength and could resist such a level of attack, but she was also angry.

How dare this person threaten Master!

She shouted angrily, "You shorty, are you bullying people just because you're older?"

The hall fell silent again because everyone was shocked, shocked to hear something they never expected.

Xiao Songgong himself was also surprised. Someone actually dared to insult him?

Several disciples of the Li Mountain Sword Sect stood up, coldly looking in the direction of the hall entrance.

Guan Feibai, the leader, had a cold expression and was ready to act.

When a ruler is humiliated, the minister dies; when a teacher is humiliated, how can the disciples remain?

Just as the tension reached its peak, the Archbishop opened his eyes again and woke up.

He looked at the tense scene with fatigue and sighed, "We're not children. Does the loudest voice mean the most reason? Isn't the most important thing now to see that marriage contract the little guy mentioned?"

This statement, like his previous one, was irrefutable.

Since Chen Changsheng entered the hall, no one had proposed to see the marriage contract he mentioned, because everyone in the hall wanted to show their attitude—they simply did not believe Chen Changsheng's words. Although they all knew that seeing the marriage contract was the most important thing to do.

The Archbishop's willingness to see the marriage contract indicated that he was prepared to believe Chen Changsheng.

Considering his previous protection of Chen Changsheng, and the National Teaching Academy's return to the public eye this year, as well as the recent turmoil in the capital, people finally confirmed that he was indeed the National Teaching Academy's patron!

"Someone has insulted our Li Mountain's senior. Can we just let it go?" Guan Feibai said coldly.

The Archbishop smiled wearily and said, "First, let's resolve the marriage contract. Then you can fight the little girl however you want. I promise, no one will stop you."

Prince Chenliu knew Lu Luo's identity and naturally could not stand by and watch the Southern delegation argue or even conflict with her. He soothed the Southern delegation a few times, then looked at Chen Changsheng and asked, "You said you have the marriage contract as proof. Is it with you?"

"Of course not," Chen Changsheng said. "Although it wouldn't matter if the marriage contract was destroyed, because there is a backup in the Holy Palace, I don't want to go through the trouble."

Lu Luo took out the marriage contract from her sleeve and handed it to him.

Chen Changsheng passed the marriage contract to the inner attendant, who carried it deep into the hall.

Everyone's eyes followed the marriage contract as it moved.

"Some people did a lot to prevent this marriage contract from appearing before the public. Unfortunately, they didn't succeed."

He looked at Xu Shiji and Miss Moyu and said, "I told those people that I really came to break the engagement. If these things hadn't happened, the marriage contract would now be in the Xu residence, hidden where no one could find it."

"Unfortunately, there is no 'if.'"

...

...

This marriage contract looked no different from the common marriage contracts in the Zhou Dynasty, with simple terms and clear meaning. However, it was actually very special because it stipulated that only the male party could break the engagement, and the witness was the Archbishop!

Even if there was no backup of the marriage contract in the Holy Palace, no one could destroy it because it bore the Archbishop's seal imbued with supreme divine power. Anyone who destroyed the marriage contract would also destroy the seal, which would be a great insult to the Archbishop.

Chen Changsheng had previously said that Xu Shiji would hide the marriage contract where no one could find it, but he didn't say that Xu Shiji would tear it into pieces or burn it to ashes. The reason the Eastern Imperial General's residence had not tried to seize and destroy the marriage contract in the months since Chen Changsheng arrived in the capital was because of this.

Such a special marriage contract was naturally easy to verify.

The hall fell into a deathly silence, and for a long time, no one spoke. The head of the Qiu Shan family's face turned ashen, and the faces of all the Southern delegation members were filled with the anger of being deceived. Even the teachers and students attending the Qingteng Banquet had extremely bad expressions.

The development of this matter went against everyone's wishes. A world-renowned love story turned into a farce. The fairy-tale couple's story had just begun, but an outsider suddenly appeared. No one was happy, and the looks people gave Chen Changsheng were very complex.

As the young man said, there is no 'if.'

If time could be reversed, people would absolutely not want to hear what Chen Changsheng had to say. Such a person, or better yet, should be dead.

What should be done next?

People looked at each other, at a loss.

The Qiu Shan family had come to propose, but Chen Changsheng produced the marriage contract!

The people of the Southern delegation subconsciously looked at a certain place.

Gou Hanshi was sitting there.

The people of the South looked at him because everyone knew he was wise and unparalleled. Although there were elders from Li Mountain, aunts from Holy Maiden Peak, and the head of the Qiu Shan family, people still habitually placed their hopes for breaking the deadlock on this person.

Despite all the events that had occurred, his expression remained calm. His eyes, looking at Chen Changsheng, were filled with curiosity and interest, but not with vigilance or anger.

He had not spoken the entire time.

Guan Feibai looked at him and said, "Senior Brother?"

Gou Hanshi stood up, looked at Chen Changsheng, and smiled warmly.

"Marriage is a matter of parents' wishes and the words of a matchmaker. You have the marriage contract, which covers the last four words, but the first four words are on our side. However..."

Just as everyone thought this wise genius of Li Mountain was about to engage in a serious debate with Chen Changsheng, he suddenly changed his tone and said solemnly, "Actually, these are not important because the ones getting engaged are not the parents or the people who wrote the marriage contract, but the two individuals themselves. Everyone knows that my senior brother and Senior Sister Xu grew up together and have a deep bond. Even if the marriage contract in your hand is real, does that mean Senior Sister Xu should marry you?"

At these words, the people in the hall nodded in agreement.

Xu Yourong is the most beautiful pearl in the Zhou Dynasty. Just because someone holds a marriage contract, does she have to marry him?

Wouldn't that tarnish the pearl?

Even the Archbishop would not agree to such a thing, right?

Even if the marriage contract is real, can anyone force her to marry Qiu Shan Jun?

This view was actually unreasonable, but when said by Gou Hanshi, it seemed very reasonable because the people in the hall needed this reasoning.

Gou Hanshi looked at Chen Changsheng and said warmly, "If you truly care about Senior Sister Xu, shouldn't you respect her wishes? As a man, you should have such a demeanor."

This statement seemed warm and sincere but was actually very terrifying.

Chen Changsheng looked at him and remained silent.

Everyone in the hall waited for his response.

At this moment, a clear and bright cry came from the night sky outside the hall.

A white crane gracefully arrived.

(End of the page)