Chapter 346: What, Lu Xun is Fu Yue

"Junior."

Just as he entered the garden, someone came up to greet him.

Lu Xun looked and saw it was an acquaintance.

Back in the Cellar Secret Realm, he had met Jin Yuhua of the Pure Void Academy.

Jin Yuhua's family must be doing well; they all came to celebrate Old Master Fu's birthday.

"Senior, long time no see."

Lu Xun stopped.

"Junior, it's only been two years, and your growth has been so rapid—I'm truly ashamed."

Jin Yuhua felt quite emotional.

Back in the Cellar Secret Realm, Lu Xun was still at the Three Realms.

With the strength of the Three Realms, he could kill Four Realms cultivators, and even the half-step Five Realms Blood Demon was dealt with by Lu Xun.

Although Lu Xun was heaven-defying back then, he was still only at the Three Realms.

Unexpectedly, not long after the Cellar Secret Realm examination, Lu Xun shot up like a rocket, his growth so rapid that Jin Yuhua could only look up in awe.

Now, he can only look up to Lu Xun.

How could Jin Yuhua not feel a myriad of emotions?

Just luck; with your talent, Senior, growing stronger is only a matter of time.

Lu Xun was very humble.

Haha, it's not just luck, but I love hearing your words, Junior.

Jin Yuhua was delighted by Lu Xun's words.

Alright, Junior, I won't disturb you any further; let's chat again when you're free.

Seeing that Fu Yue and Fu Xue hadn't left, Jin Yuhua realized Lu Xun still had matters to attend to, so she tactfully stepped aside.

Lu Xun was then able to continue inside with the two women.

"Lu Xun."

As they walked, someone else came up to greet Lu Xun.

It was Caiwei, the disciple of Master Danyang.

When she smiled, her eyes curved like crescent moons, the corners of her lips lifted in a gentle arc, and her whole person was suffused with a moving soft light.

"Hello."

Lu Xun gave her a slight nod.

He didn't notice at all that, beside her, Wu Wen's eyes were blazing with jealousy.

In front of Wu Wen, Caiwei had never smiled so radiantly.

"Your puppet is almost repaired; remember to come pick it up when it's done."

Caiwei's crisp voice was as pleasant as a silver bell.

"Okay."

After Lu Xun said that, he continued walking inside with the two women.

Along the way, people they met stopped talking and involuntarily turned their gazes to Lu Xun.

Recently, the name Lu Xun has become truly too renowned.

"Interesting—only a few years have passed and such a genius has appeared; we'll see if you're a fleeting bloom."

Among the crowd, a Seven Realms genius who had been in seclusion for years noticed Lu Xun.

"Zhongda, is that Lu Xun?"

"Hmm."

"It's a shame you're still at the early stage of the Seven Realms; if you break through to the peak of the Seven Realms, first place in this Heaven Dao Battlefield will surely be yours."

Old Yangtou's daughter and son-in-law were also present.

His son-in-law was Sun Zhongda, who had several times ranked first among Six Realms cultivators in the Heaven Dao Pagoda and Heaven Dao Battlefield, his talent far surpassing many cultivators.

That's why Old Yangtou was so smug.

Many noticed that Lu Xun was still at the Seven Realms.

Many of them had seen Lu Xun on the South Heaven Gate before, while others were seeing him for the first time.

Among them was the Wang Jade Sect, which Lu Xun had pushed to second place this time.

The Wang Jade Sect's mindset was very steady; even seeing Lu Xun did not cause any disturbance.

"Second Aunt, quick, look—that's Lu Xun."

"Oh my, this young man is not bad; he's worthy of our little Yue."

"He's just a bit too young—more than ten years younger than me; if he ends up with my aunt, what should I call him in the future?"

"Of course, you'd call him uncle-in-law."

Besides the guests, some of the Fu family members present also saw Lu Xun.

The Fu family is huge.

Numbering several thousand.

For Old Master Fu's birthday this time, essentially all of the Fu family would attend.

Currently, in the guest-receiving stage, not all of the Fu family have arrived yet.

The Fu family members present, upon seeing Lu Xun, were quite satisfied with his image.

"Aunt, hello."

A group of fifteen- to sixteen-year-old girls giggled as they gathered around Fu Yue and Fu Xue, chatting warmly on the surface, but their eyes kept glancing at Lu Xun, their curious gazes like little hooks, repeatedly latching onto him.

Si Ying, you don't go receive guests, you run over to block the road—what are you doing?

Fu Xue frowned, immediately assuming the dignity of an elder, gesturing to drive off this chattering bunch of girls.

She knows this group of girls' temperament all too well; they love to stir up trouble for no reason.

Fu Yue has always been gentle; the younger generation of the Fu family aren't particularly afraid of her, and if she speaks, she holds no deterrent power over these girls.

"Aunt, let us see the future son‑in‑law, hehe—he's so handsome~"

A little girl covered her mouth and giggled, a sly light flashing in her eyes.

Oh no!

Fortunately, Fu Yue was quick‑witted and quick‑acting; as she spoke, she muffled the voices of several people.

"What son‑in‑law? The matter hasn't even gotten off the ground—don't talk nonsense."

Fu Xue hastily added another sound‑proof screen, fearful that the sound would leak out.

"We've already come to the door; the two strokes of the eight characters are probably all there now. Aunt, how long until we can drink your wedding wine?"

"What's the use of asking the aunt? This matter should be asked of the son‑in‑law. Good son‑in‑law, when will you come to propose? I'm waiting for a big red envelope."

"Yes, yes, the son‑in‑law is so handsome and so capable; the red envelope will definitely be generous."

The little girls turned their complaints toward Lu Xun, chattering back and forth.

Fu Yue was overwhelmed.

These little girls are all juniors of the Fu family; she's watched them grow up, so she can't easily scold or hit them.

All she could do was let them frolic here.

"Alright, you go receive the guests first; I'll take Lu Xun to see Grandfather."

Although Fu Yue had a headache, her expression remained calm.

If these little girls see her looking flustered, they'll only become more enthusiastic.

It would be better to be open and generous like this; then they're more likely to quiet down.

"That won't do, son‑in‑law; on your first visit, won't you give us juniors a little greeting gift?"

A mischievous girl clung to Lu Xun and wouldn't let go.

She didn't really want anything; she just thought it was fun and wanted to tease Aunt Fu Yue.

"Yeah, son‑in‑law, you already have your own group—you won't be stingy, will you?"

The other girls joined in.

"You..."

"Teacher, it's fine; I happen to have prepared some greeting gifts."

Seeing Fu Xue feigning anger, Lu Xun stopped her.

They're just little girls.

Lu Xun flicked his finger, taking out exquisite little pouches from his spatial bag: "Here, everyone gets one."

"Wow, there really is a greeting gift!"

"It's a Star Tear Necklace—so beautiful, thank you, son‑in‑law!"

"The son‑in‑law is truly generous—no wonder he's won the favor of Little Aunt Yue."

"Long live the son‑in‑law~"

After receiving the greeting gifts, the little girls cheered one after another, praising Lu Xun without end.

Now Fu Yue and Fu Xue finally managed to break through the encirclement with Lu Xun and enter the palace.

The palace's architectural style is that of an ancient Eastern palace, only extraordinarily huge—over three hundred meters long, over two hundred meters deep, capable of holding tens of thousands of people.

The Fu family's major events are usually held here.

"Lu Xun has arrived!"

As soon as Lu Xun entered the palace, the Old Master Fu inside saw him, his face breaking into a happy smile.

"Little Xun, hurry over—my old comrades have been missing you~"

Old Master Fu's voice was full of vigor; even from two hundred meters away, it sounded as if it were right in front of Lu Xun.

Yet the voice wasn't actually loud.

"What, Lu Xun is Fu Yue's boyfriend?"

"Where did this rumor come from? Could it be a mistake?"

"It's simply outrageous to the extreme."

"Stay calm; this kind of rumor has been spreading at the South Heaven Gate for over a year."

When Lu Xun walked into the palace, a bit of gossip, however, was spreading among the guests who had come to celebrate the birthday.

The rumor said that Lu Xun was Fu Yue's boyfriend, the Fu family's son‑in‑law.

This time he had come specially to wish the Old Master Fu a happy birthday.

Once the rumor spread, every guest who heard it doubted their own ears.

Even if Lu Xun performed extraordinarily well on the Heavenly Dao Battlefield, could this rumor be a bit too outrageous?

It's simply beyond outrageous.

Some guests from the Northern Dipper Hall took it in stride.

Because back when the South Heaven Gate had similar rumors circulating.

They didn't believe it back then.

Fu Yue is an elder of the Northern Dipper Hall and has never been intimate with any man.

As a Seven Realm Martial Cultivator, her resolve to pursue the Dao is firmer than metal and stone.

If one wholeheartedly cultivates, how could there be any thought for love and romance?

Even if Fu Yue truly wants to find a partner, how could she possibly choose Lu Xun, who is such a young junior?

No matter how heaven-defying Lu Xun may be, he's still just a college student; in the eyes of slightly older cultivators, he's still a young lad.

Therefore, in their view, Lu Xun and Fu Yue are mismatched.

They simply don't match.

Moreover, Fu Yue is at the Seventh Realm, while Lu Xun hadn't even started cultivating back then.

Even if Lu Xun has risen to prominence now, being called invincible below the Seventh Realm, he still has a huge gap compared to Fu Yue.

Moreover, Fu Yue also comes from the top-tier Fu family.

"But I heard the Fu family folks are all talking about this; they're treating Lu Xun as the Fu family's son-in-law."

Someone defended themselves.

Although he didn't believe it either, he happened to overhear a few Fu family members discussing Lu Xun there.

That's how the rumor spread.

"Really? Where is it? I'll go listen too."

That person's words sparked interest among many guests.

Some guests' ears perked up instantly.

Among the guests present, some were martial cultivators, some were immortal cultivators, and their strength was not weak.

Even those brought out by their elders to see the world basically had cultivation at the Third Realm or above.

Those below the Third Realm were rare, except for the Fu family's own members.

Even a martial cultivator at the Third Realm, if they have opened their ear apertures, can hear the information they want amidst noisy sounds.

Let alone more powerful martial cultivators.

As for immortal cultivators, they also have some methods.

"Lu Xun is fine, he's just a bit young."

"Third Aunt, that's your mistake. To cultivators, age is the most trivial detail. Don't look at Xiao Yue being thirty years older than Lu Xun now—but what about in a hundred years, or a thousand? Won't those thirty years become trivial?"

"That's true. As long as Xiao Yue is willing, and my younger brother and his wife agree, then there's no big problem."

"You say, is Lu Xun's background a bit low?"

"Tsk, why talk about background now? In my opinion, this kid's background is good—clean and pure, with no entanglements of interest."

In the little pavilion, several Fu family members were still there discussing Lu Xun.

"It really is like that!!!"

"Good heavens, did Lu Xun really take down Elder Fu?"

"Oh my goodness~"

Around them, many guests who had pricked up their ears overheard their conversation, each one shocked to the point of being speechless.

Especially those cultivators who admired Fu Yue felt as if the sky had collapsed.

Their goddess, whom they revered, had actually been taken down by someone.

The one who took down their goddess was none other than Lu Xun, whom they never expected!

"Grandfather Fu'an! Junior Lu Xun has come specially to congratulate you on your birthday; may you enjoy the longevity of pine and the crane's song heralding spring and autumn. May your blessings be as vast as the Eastern Sea's thousand-layered waves, and your lifespan as enduring as the Southern Mountain's ancient pines."

At that moment, inside the palace, Lu Xun walked up to Old Master Fu and presented his blessings.

As for the gift, the Fu family's gift-giving procedure is somewhat special: it requires all guests to be present first, then they present their gifts one by one.

This procedure is not due to the Fu family being snobbish, but rather a customary rule agreed upon by the prominent clans of Xuanji City.

One can imagine how grand the gifts presented by guests for Old Master Fu's two-hundredth birthday would be.

Since people have spent a lot of money, it's only natural not to let them give gifts for nothing.

Therefore, there will be a gift-giving segment.

Of course, this applies only to important guests.

Ordinary guests mostly send their gifts uniformly to the gift table for registration, which also counts as saving face for them.

After all, ordinary guests cannot produce overly valuable gifts; if presented publicly, they might inevitably be looked down upon by some.

It's enough as long as the sentiment is there.

If these guests aren't afraid of being laughed at and consider their gifts valuable, they may also choose to present them during this segment.

"Hahaha, good, little Xun, come here—I'll introduce you to my old friends."

Upon seeing Lu Xun, Old Master Fu's spirits improved somewhat.

He voluntarily rose from his chair, took Lu Xun's hand, and introduced him to his old comrades.

Doing this also counts as a kind of showing off.

Old Yangtou showed off once—shouldn't he get to show off in return?

Of course, the main purpose of doing this is still to help the younger generation network and get familiar with these Eighth Realm experts.

Don't underestimate this familiarity—it's something countless cultivators on Lan Xing dream of.

The vast majority of cultivators can hardly even see an Eighth Realm expert, let alone have someone pull you along and introduce you to them one by one.

"Grandfather, you wouldn't be getting into character, would you?"

Seeing Old Master Fu's enthusiastic demeanor, Fu Yue faintly felt something was off.

Old Master Fu certainly doesn't seem to be pretending.