A man in red arrived, also appearing to be in his early twenties. Unlike Xiao Cheng, however, this man was a true cultivator.
Xiao Cheng didn't answer him, instead focusing his gaze on Li Chonglou.
"I don't know whose associate you are, but I think you'd better understand the consequences of this action!"
The man in red had already walked to Xiao Cheng's side and, after a thorough appraisal of Li Chonglou, chimed in, "Huh, I don't recall seeing you before. Brother, by your age, you don't seem to be eligible to participate in the competition, do you?"
While the banquet didn't have an age restriction, those who received an invitation or were brought along generally didn't exceed twenty-five. Li Chonglou's presence was, therefore, quite conspicuous to them.
Li Chonglou smiled faintly. "This is my first time here, so it's normal you don't recognize me."
"An outsider?"
These words stunned both men. Mu Qi's expression changed, and she quickly pulled Li Chonglou aside.
"Didn't I already create an identity for you?"
Li Chonglou replied helplessly, "They're not idiots; a simple check would reveal everything. Besides, haven't you achieved your objective in finding me?"
According to what he'd overheard his best friend say, Mu Qi's primary goal was to have a valid reason to reject Xiao Qiudu's advances.
Now that Xiao Qiudu had successfully retreated because of his presence, was there any need to continue the charade?
Of course, this was Li Chonglou's perspective. Mu Qi herself was quite angered.
"Who says I've achieved it! I wanted to stop the harassment, and isn't that what's happening now?"
Although their conversation was hushed, the man in red, being a cultivator, could hear them clearly. He immediately expressed his displeasure, "Miss Mu, that's not very polite of you. I've only just arrived."
Mu Qi immediately covered her small mouth.
Her reaction allowed Xiao Cheng to grasp the situation. He too showed his displeasure, "Qiqi, everyone has seen how my brother has treated you. Today, you've actually brought an unfamiliar person to humiliate him!"
"Qiqi, how can you treat my brother like this!"
Xiao Cheng's expression grew increasingly displeased. The man in red, seemingly prompted by Mu Qi's earlier words, decided to pile on, "Exactly. Even I, an outsider, can't stand by and watch. It seems Young Master Xiao had already made preparations several days in advance, hadn't he?"
The surrounding onlookers immediately displayed expressions of keen interest.
Here was a beautiful woman highly sought after by young men, a renowned genius in the financial world, and a notable figure in the cultivator community.
How would this drama conclude?
Everyone understood that physical confrontation was out of the question, but Xiao Cheng had pushed things this far. Given his personality, he wouldn't back down now. The spectators' curiosity was piqued.
However, Mu Qi's best friend, An An, sensed something was amiss. "This is bad. Given Xiao Cheng's personality, he wouldn't stir up such a fuss if he knew he couldn't act. He must have some ulterior motive towards Qiqi!"
Her boyfriend, standing beside her, sighed. "Men understand men. This fellow probably wants to use this opportunity to force Qiqi into marriage."
An An's face paled upon hearing this. "No, Qiqi is my good friend. I can't just stand by and watch her be forced into a burning pit!"
She started to step forward, but her boyfriend held her back.
"Calm down, it's not that simple. They must have come prepared. Didn't you see that 'Red Ghost' standing by his side? That guy is usually only interested in fighting and killing. If I believe Xiao Cheng didn't invite him this time, I'll eat my hat."
An An glanced at the red-haired man, who was at the third level of strength, and recalled the rumors about him. A sense of hesitation welled up within her. However, when she looked again at Mu Qi's flustered appearance, she couldn't bear it.
"But Qiqi genuinely doesn't want to marry Xiao Qiudu. Cultivators and us are from entirely different worlds. It's common knowledge that they have multiple wives and concubines. How could Mu Qi possibly marry someone like that!"
An An appeared extremely anxious. Her boyfriend, however, patted her hand comfortingly. "An, I know that as Qiqi's good friend, you feel obligated to help her. But her life is her own. Some things are best resolved by herself."
Just as An An was about to retort, he continued, "Besides, you shouldn't be the one rushing things right now. Those two are her suitors."
An An blinked and followed her boyfriend's gaze, which landed on Du Shu and Dong Yulin.
Although they weren't standing together at that moment, their expressions were equally grim.
Indeed, while everyone else was either resolving issues or spectating, these two, as Mu Qi's suitors, found themselves in an extremely awkward position.
If someone openly snatched the person you liked, wouldn't you step forward and say something? Just like the man in red who had challenged Li Chonglou as soon as he entered.
However, Xiao Cheng's status was entirely different from Li Chonglou's. He was a genuine celebrity within their circles. The combined fame of the two of them didn't even match his own!
This prevented the two from daring to step forward.
Seeing this, An An finally calmed down. Yes, this Xiao Cheng was clearly prepared. This entire situation might very well be his setup!
At this juncture, rashly stepping forward would only offend him and wouldn't solve the problem, at least not with any method they could currently conceive.
Similar to An An's situation was Sisi. As the saying goes, men understand men. Her boyfriend had instantly realized that Xiao Cheng wasn't making a baseless accusation; there were likely many more maneuvers to come.
Even an outsider could guess most of the situation. As one of the involved parties, Li Chonglou naturally couldn't be oblivious to this. Furthermore, compared to their speculations, he already understood Xiao Cheng's true intentions.
This wasn't about venting anger or standing up for his brother. This was clearly a move to force a marriage!
If his guess was correct, the real agenda would unfold next.
Mu Qi was already intimidated by his aura, and moreover, several powerful cultivators stood behind him. Although they all understood that the other party likely wouldn't dare to make a move here, it was akin to standing before a ferocious tiger, with someone telling you that as long as you don't provoke it, it won't bother you. Being afraid was inevitable!
Therefore, when faced with Xiao Cheng's questioning, Mu Qi stammered, unable to provide a complete answer.
Seeing this, a gleam flashed in Xiao Cheng's eyes. He suddenly said sternly, "Qiqi, our Xiao family is one of the earliest partners with your Mu family. How will you explain to Uncle Mu if this is how you treat your own kin?"
Mu Qi hastily replied, "Brother Xiao, I didn't mean to. Brother Li is truly my friend, I..."
Li Chonglou had intended to observe the unfolding drama for a while longer, but unexpectedly, the fire had now spread to him.
As expected, in the next moment, Xiao Cheng directly shifted the spotlight onto him.