158: You just said... your surname is Lu?

Facing Lu Yi's provocative gaze, the amiable expression Li Xiu had been struggling to maintain instantly stiffened completely.

"Grind..." His teeth gnashed together, and the corners of his mouth twitched violently and uncontrollably.

At that moment, his eyes were fixed intently on Shen Yueyao's hand, which was tightly clutching Lu Yi's arm, and their bodies that were pressed almost flush against each other.

In his mind, Shen Yueyao's deafening declaration from just a moment ago echoed madly: "Dao Companion!"

In the cultivation world, although the term "Dao Companion" primarily refers to cultivation partners who walk the path together and support one another, it is not entirely equivalent to a married couple in the secular world.

However, in the perception of the vast majority, becoming Dao Companions means the merging of spirit and flesh! It means Dual Cultivation!

Li Xiu felt as if a gargantuan, terrifyingly green hat was hovering right above his head!

It was not just anger, but humiliation. If the other person were a peerless Prodigy stronger than him with a better family background, it might be tolerable.

Yet, the person was merely a "native" from the Lower Realm with absolutely no Foundation!

This feeling of being "beaten to the punch" by someone inferior to him filled Li Xiu with immense humiliation!

"Hoo..." Li Xiu took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the murderous intent surging in his heart.

He turned his head abruptly, looking at Shen Chengfeng on the main seat with an unkind expression and a tone that carried a hint of interrogation: "Patriarch Shen! What is the meaning of this?!"

Li Xiu's voice was stiff and cold: "Does the Shen Family think that because the Li Family is currently weak, and because I, Li Xiu, am a cripple, that you can humiliate me at will?!"

On the main seat, Shen Chengfeng frowned slightly upon hearing this interrogation, a flicker of displeasure crossing his eyes.

As the head of the Shen Family, being questioned so publicly by a junior naturally infuriated him. However... considering the vast background of the Li Family behind Li Xiu, and the recent rumors circulating about Li Xiu potentially having "broken through to establish a new Foundation," he ultimately suppressed his anger.

However, he truly hadn't expected that this illegitimate daughter, who was usually timid and acted like a transparent person, would grow so bold after a trip to the Lower Realm, daring to pull this "act first, report later" stunt on him.

Just as Shen Chengfeng was about to open his mouth to reprimand Shen Yueyao, Nanny Gui, who had been standing behind her with a gloomy expression, hurriedly moved her lips, and a Divine Sense transmission precisely entered Shen Chengfeng's ears: "Patriarch, calm your anger! There is deception in this matter!"

Nanny Gui spoke extremely quickly, reporting everything to Shen Chengfeng: her observations on the flying ship, Lu Yi's wild and brazen words about "ways to play without breaking the body," and what she had detected using the "Yin-Observation Qi Technique."

"Patriarch, this old servant saw it clearly! The Young Miss has not lost her primordial yin; she is clearly still a maiden! This brat... is merely a shield the Young Miss specifically found from the Lower Realm to resist the marriage alliance! There is absolutely no reality of husband and wife between them!"

"Oh?" After hearing Nanny Gui's report, Shen Chengfeng's tightly furrowed brows instantly smoothed out. The trace of gloom originally in his eyes also dissipated.

"So that's how it is." Shen Chengfeng instantly had a plan in mind.

"Hmph!" Shen Chengfeng gave a cold snort. His gaze was like two sharp swords, piercing directly at Lu Yi below.

"Boom—!" A terrifying pressure, like Mount Tai crushing down, instantly enveloped the entire hall! The surrounding air seemed to solidify, making it difficult for people to breathe. He was giving Lu Yi a rude awakening, trying to make this Lower Realm brat retreat in the face of difficulty.

"Brat!" Shen Chengfeng demanded sternly, his voice like a great bell: "Who are you?! No matter what benefits Yueyao gave you or what conditions she promised to make you come and act out this farce with her, I will now... give you a chance."

Shen Chengfeng looked down upon him, his tone filled with condescension and arrogance: "Tell the truth! And then... get out of the Shen Family! As long as you are willing to cooperate, I will give you double the reward Yueyao promised you! No! Ten times!"

Shen Chengfeng's words seemed harsh, but in reality, he was giving Lu Yi a way out. As long as Lu Yi went along with it and admitted he was faking it for profit, not only could Lu Yi take the money and leave, keeping his life, but he could also clear Shen Yueyao's reputation, tell Li Xiu this was just a play, and let the marriage alliance proceed.

In Shen Chengfeng's view, facing the terrifying pressure of the Saint Realm and the immense temptation of ten times the resources, any sane, smart person would know how to choose.

However, something that shocked everyone present occurred. Lu Yi, who was at the center of the pressure, did not tremble or kneel to beg for mercy as everyone expected. Instead, he acted like nothing was wrong, even reaching out to tidy the hair blown messy at Shen Yueyao's temples.

Then, he slowly raised his head, looking directly at the high-and-mighty Shen Chengfeng, and Lu Yi said loudly: "Patriarch Shen, your words are incorrect. Matters of the heart are the purest things in this world; how can they be measured by mere Spirit Stones?"

Lu Yi spoke righteously, with the look of "do not look down on a young man who is poor": "I do not change my name when traveling, nor do I hide it when sitting. My surname is Lu, and my given name is Yi. Back in the Lower Realm, Yueyao and I hit it off immediately and fell in love. We have long sworn oaths to the heavens and earth to become Dao Companions, following each other through life and death."

He glanced at Li Xiu beside him, then looked at Shen Chengfeng, a playful smirk curling his lips: "Coming here this time is purely to accompany my wife back to her maiden home for a visit, and by the way... to see if these 'big shots' of the Upper Realm are all as reasonable as the legends say."

"You—!!" Lu Yi's unyielding, stubborn, and even slightly mocking words left Shen Chengfeng completely choked up. He never expected that this mud-legged fellow from the Lower Realm would be so "thick-headed"! It was simply refusing a toast only to drink a forfeit!

"Good! Good! Good!" Shen Chengfeng laughed in extreme anger, cold glints flashing in his eyes: "What a sharp-tongued brat! Since you refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit, don't blame me for bullying the young with my seniority!"

"Rumble—" Shen Chengfeng suddenly raised his hand, spiritual power gathering in his palm, and terrifying Saintly might was about to erupt. He was truly enraged and intended to strike directly, suppressing this brat who didn't know life from death first!

Just as Shen Chengfeng was preparing to strike and teach Lu Yi a lesson, just as Shen Yueyao was fearfully wanting to block in front of Lu Yi, and just as a trace of schadenfreude flashed in Li Xiu's eyes, the mysterious young man who had been sitting upright to Shen Chengfeng's left—in the position representing the most honored guest—suddenly opened his eyes.

His gaze was as calm as water, yet it exuded an indescribable nobility. "Wait."

He spoke indifferently; his voice was not loud, but it caused Shen Chengfeng, who was on the verge of explosive rage, to freeze abruptly, stopping in mid-air.

The mysterious young man turned his head, his gaze landing on Lu Yi. It carried a hint of scrutiny, a hint of curiosity, and a hint of inexplicable meaning. "Oh? You just said... your surname is Lu?"