"Squad up? What does that mean?" Li Zhenli quickly asked Ban Xian in a low voice. She couldn't find Shen Feng now, so Ban Xian was the only one she could consult. To avoid becoming blind and deaf, she had to ask Ban Xian this question.
Dan Zhengming didn't rush to answer. There were people coming and going around them, so answering at this moment was not a good idea. After entering the main hall, finding their designated table for Wanzhou, and sitting down, he began to explain, "Eldest Miss, you and I know more of the inside story. The Heavenly Dragon Bureau and Yuzhou are bound to fight. In this situation, both sides will definitely make their subordinates 'squad up.' Those who stand on their side will naturally be highly valued. However, if anyone dares to stand on the opposite side, they will offend them completely!"
"I understand. I will definitely stand with the Deputy City Lord!" Li Zhenli suddenly realized. When it was time to 'squad up,' it was time to show loyalty.
"Not necessarily. It's best to be a fence-sitter!" Dan Zhengming, however, rejected Li Zhenli's decision and explained in a low voice, "The early bird catches the worm! If you stand out directly, you might be the first to be dealt with by the Heavenly Dragon Bureau. It's better to pretend to be indecisive!"
"But, Ban Xian, if we remain indecisive and be fence-sitters, won't we not get any benefits? We know the City Lord will win!" Li Zhenli was very confused.
In Li Zhenli's opinion, being a fence-sitter could indeed avoid the awkward situation of having to choose sides. In the end, no matter who won, they wouldn't be purged. However, in this way, the benefits would also have nothing to do with them. It would be better to rely on their information advantage and directly bet on the Deputy City Lord's side.
Dan Zhengming gently shook his head and replied, "No, this is a battle between ability users. Who knows what will happen? Those who stand out first will face danger. We are already on the City Lord's side, so we don't need to 'squad up' to declare our identity! Self-preservation is the most important thing!"
Li Zhenli nodded, understanding Ban Xian's worries. He was concerned that their side might be affected by the battle between ability users, so it was best to hide to avoid compromising their safety.
Li Zhenli said nothing on the surface, tacitly agreeing to Ban Xian's suggestion. However, in her heart, she grumbled, "It seems that the old man's way of thinking is really rigid. He doesn't dare to take any risks. In this way, I won't get too many benefits either!"
The wedding was held in the traditional Chinese hall of the Fengshen Palace. Normally, the hall was only used for ceremonies, and even meetings were held in the City Lord's mansion's skyscraper. At this moment, as the grand wedding began, the hall had become resplendent. There were sparkling chandeliers overhead, the surrounding pillars were painted red, and the floor was covered with carpets. A plaque hung on the front of the hall, reading "May you have a hundred years of happiness."
At this moment, a group of people walked in from outside the hall. They were wearing sharp suits, and their hairstyles were neat and tidy. To maintain their hairstyles, they had applied a lot of hairspray, making them look shiny and lustrous. On the chests of these people, a rose was pinned, looking very festive.
Upon seeing this group arrive, everyone immediately focused their attention, looking at the group and thinking, "The Heavenly Dragon Bureau has arrived!"
The people who entered the hall at this time were all ability users from the Heavenly Dragon Bureau. There were twenty-two of them in total, both men and women. The men were handsome and suave, while the women were dignified and beautiful. Their appearance immediately added a vibrant landscape.
"You are all the hardworking pillars of Yuzhou. Tonight, please eat and drink well. I am Su Liuying. From now on, we will have to interact a lot. If anyone does anything poorly, please forgive me!" Su Liuying was not polite. As soon as he entered the hall, he cupped his hands towards the people around him, regardless of whether they knew him or not. He had already spoken the customary pleasantries.
Seeing Su Liuying's polite attitude, the crowd exchanged pleasantries but did not engage in deep conversation, as they were still observing the situation.
For Yuzhou, Chang Jianyi's status as Deputy City Lord meant that her wedding should be known to everyone in the city. Various businesses in the city should also offer discounts as a gesture of future prosperity, and the people below would receive benefits and speak more favorably.
However, today, apart from the Fengshen Palace, everything else in Yuzhou city remained as usual, with no changes. This made people very confused.
It was clearly the Deputy City Lord's wedding day, but the atmosphere was not quite right.
Su Liuying, with his "friends and family," unceremoniously occupied five tables in the depths of the hall, acting as if they were the hosts.
In fact, whether it was a wedding, a funeral, or any other banquet, the seating arrangement has always been very important. The closer one is to the stage, the more important they appear, as important figures will speak at the banquet. Therefore, the seats closest to the stage are usually reserved for the hosts, and unless invited by the hosts, no one would typically sit there.
The Heavenly Dragon Bureau people did the opposite. It wasn't that they didn't understand etiquette; even the scions of great families should understand these rules. However, they went against the norm. This was a declaration of sovereignty. Occupying such a crucial position indicated that they would be the masters of Yuzhou in the future.
This attitude immediately caused dissatisfaction among the people below. In their eyes, what if they came from Yanjing? How could they be so arrogant? It was as if they had become the masters of Yuzhou after becoming the Deputy City Lord. Moreover, it was still uncertain what would happen next!
Su Liuying saw the dissatisfaction on the faces of others, but he remained composed. He knew that as long as his fist was strong enough, no one could stop him from doing anything. In this era, it all depended on how big your fist was, not on whether you were right.
Soon, people also walked out from the back of the hall. Chang Jianyi, dressed in casual clothes, walked at the forefront, followed by others in sequence. Among them were a few people whom the crowd did not recognize, and their faces were displeased, clearly in a bad mood.
When Chang Jianyi came out, everyone at the banquet immediately noticed something was wrong. At this moment, Chang Jianyi was not wearing a wedding dress or traditional Chinese attire; she was dressed completely casually. Chu Chaoyan and Yang Chang, who were behind her, were also wearing ordinary clothes, with white jasmine flowers pinned to their chests.
"Wife, why didn't you dress up properly before coming out? This is an important moment for our wedding. Your attire will make me lose face!" Su Liuying said with a smile.
Upon hearing this address, Chang Jianyi felt disgusted. Apart from Shen Feng, no one had ever dared to call her that. Unexpectedly, a detestable fellow had uttered it now, giving her the feeling of having eaten a fly, an indescribable discomfort.
"The wedding is canceled! Do you understand?" Chang Jianyi said coldly, then pointed to the unfamiliar faces behind her and introduced, "These friends are all friends who have voluntarily come to help me. They are all ability users!"
Chang Jianyi's words immediately caused an uproar among the crowd. Clearly, no one expected the change to come so quickly, and it seemed that the matter could not be resolved peacefully.
Many people began to whisper, discussing the current situation in hushed tones. When they received the invitations, they already found it incredible. The Deputy City Lord holding a wedding in such a hurry was inherently suspicious. Now, the Deputy City Lord had directly announced the cancellation of the wedding, making the matter even more complicated.
"What is the Deputy City Lord doing? Why is she getting married one moment and regretting it the next?"
"I don't know either. The matter that was once the talk of the town has suddenly changed. I can't figure it out!"
"I think there must be a hidden reason. Let's keep listening!"
The crowd began to discuss in low voices, clearly questioning why the marriage was being called off.
"Wife, you shouldn't say that. You agreed to the marriage before, so why are you breaking it off now? Aren't you worried about the consequences of breaking off the engagement?" Su Liuying had clearly heard the discussions of others and, losing face, began to threaten.
What were the consequences of breaking off the engagement? Of course, it was the safety of the hostages who had been taken away. And the number of people who knew about this matter was very small. Apart from the key figures, no one knew that Chang Jianyi's child had been lost.
However, at this moment, Chang Haojie, who had completed his evolution, walked out from the crowd, his face grim, and said directly, "You despicable and shameless fellows, impersonating my identity and kidnapping my two nephews, and you still have the nerve to threaten us!"
Seeing Chang Haojie appear, Su Liuying's expression changed. He thought to himself, "How did this kid get rescued? I haven't received any news, and besides, didn't I tell them to transfer? Did they not listen at all?"
Little did he know that Shen Feng and Yue Hengyi had taken advantage of Su Liuying's order to transfer the hostages to find them.
Chang Jianyi also stood at the forefront and said loudly, "I have invited everyone here today to be a witness. The Heavenly Dragon Bureau oppresses the good, kidnapped my brother, my son, and my godson, and threatened me with their lives to force me to marry Su Liuying. Such ugly behavior is a mockery of the world!"
Upon hearing this situation, the crowd at the banquet immediately began to point fingers at the Heavenly Dragon Bureau members present. Everyone despised such despicable means. There was a saying in the martial world that one should not harm the families of others. No matter how deep the enmity, one should not retaliate against the other's family, as it was truly dishonorable. Yet, now, these ability users from the Heavenly Dragon Bureau were doing the opposite, how could anyone respect them?
"Don't spout nonsense. You keep saying we kidnapped your children, but do you have any evidence? We have been in Yuzhou city all this time, and we were even imprisoned by you a few days ago. You say we kidnapped the children, but I think you are framing us!" Su Liuying also counterattacked without mercy. In any case, this matter could not be admitted. If it were admitted, it would truly be infamous for generations.
Chang Haojie could not suppress his anger and rushed forward, saying, "What evidence do we need? We were kidnapped just before you came to propose. Isn't it obvious? You must have caught them. Return them to us quickly!"
Chang Haojie was also blinded by anger at this moment. Su Liuying did not know much about external news. If he hadn't said anything, Su Liuying would have thought that the hostages might have been rescued. However, at this moment, after Chang Haojie uttered the word "return," Su Liuying became certain that only one hostage had been rescued, and the other two children must still be in his hands!
Su Liuying smiled and said, "I still say the same thing, please provide evidence. Everything cannot rely on speculation. I also want to say that I came from Yanjing to express my condolences, and Deputy City Lord Chang Jianyi wanted to marry me. I was willing to sacrifice my looks for the sake of good relations, but I felt that the Deputy City Lord was promiscuous and liked to throw herself at any man she saw!"
"You're talking nonsense!" Chang Haojie was immediately furious. He couldn't believe that his usually gentle and virtuous sister was being slandered like this by the other party, especially the word "promiscuous," which was too damaging to a woman!
"Since you are accusing us of being kidnappers based on mere speculation, can't I also speculate that you are playing a honey trap?" Su Liuying retorted.
Chang Haojie was immediately speechless. His experience was always too limited, and he couldn't even argue properly at critical moments. When questioned, he immediately couldn't answer!