Under one person: I, Zhang Zhiwei, the arrogant Zhang.

"Senior Brother Zhang, what are you saying? The rise and fall of a nation is the responsibility of every citizen..."

Lu Jin wanted to say a few words in her defense.

Zhang Zhiwei interrupted him with a smile, steer the conversation back on track:
"Alright, alright, it's a joyous occasion, let's not talk about these unpleasant things. Let's talk about you instead. How did you and the bride meet? How long have you been dating?"

Lu Jin scratched his head and said, "I... I don't really know them that well. We used to play together a lot when we were kids, and we had a pretty good relationship."

"But later, I joined the Sanyi Sect, and we haven't seen each other much since."

"Then, during this trip home, my mother said I had an engagement to fulfill, so she arranged for us to meet. After spending time together, we both felt it went well, so we got engaged."

Lu Jin paused, then added, "She...is very quiet and well-mannered!"

Zhang Zhiwei nodded and then asked, "Your names, and the 'Huai Jin Wo Yu' written on the invitation, were they decided before you were even born?!"

“Yes,” Lu Jin nodded, “mainly because the previous generation had a good relationship.”

"An arranged marriage since childhood!" Zhang Zhiwei tugged at Lu Jin's suit: "You're wearing a Western suit, but does your heart belong to someone in a traditional robe? How do you feel...? Are you satisfied?"

"Marriages are arranged by parents and matchmakers; this has been the way of things since ancient times."

Lu Jin first said something polite, then thought carefully for a moment, and nodded seriously:

"Well... at first I was a bit shy and awkward, but after spending these few days together, I've found that she understands me and is very supportive. I'm actually quite satisfied with her."

Upon hearing this, Lü Ci curled his lip and retorted:
"You spend all your time either at Sanyi Gate or Longhu Mountain, or fighting and killing. You've hardly ever seen a woman. What are you dissatisfied with?"

"I'm afraid you'd be perfectly happy as long as it's alive and female!"

Lu Ci's sarcasm was truly malicious, and Lu Jin's temper flared up as well. He retorted irritably:

"You talk like you've seen countless women. You're just carrying a hoe around digging everywhere. How are you any better than me?"

"You even said my criteria for choosing a partner is that as long as they're alive and a woman, that's fine. In my opinion, your criteria would be the same even if they weren't alive or a woman!"

Lu Ci didn't care about such sarcasm and laughed, "Not alive, not a woman, so what? Am I coming at thin air?"

"I don't think you're incapable of doing something like this," Lu Jin said angrily.

Lu Ci shrugged indifferently and said, "No matter what you say, I'm not engaged. I'm very free. Even if I don't get married, no one will say anything to me."

"You'd better not get married. With your messed-up personality, even if you did, it would be hard for you to have a loving father and a filial son," Lu Jin said irritably.

Lu Ci laughed, "It's rare to see someone like you, Old Lu, your eloquence has improved lately. But I don't care about that. If I have descendants in the future, and they're not filial to me... then I'll break their arms and legs, lock them up, and make sure they're properly taken care of."

Lu Ci's ruthless and unyielding behavior left Lu Jin speechless.

Zhang Zhiwei glanced at Lü Ci, recalling what he had done to Lü Liang in the original story, and thought to himself, "So this kid wasn't just joking; he really is capable of doing it."

Seeing that the two were arguing more and more fiercely, they both rolled up their sleeves, ready to fight.

Zhang Zhiwei reached out and delivered two powerful flicks to the head, sending the two men scrambling for cover, grimacing in pain.

Finally, the fighting has stopped... Zhang Zhiwei looked at Wang Ai, who was covering her mouth and chuckling, and asked, "Fatty, what about you? Has your family arranged a marriage for you?"

Wang Ai's smile faded slightly as she whispered, "I... also have a marriage contract, just like Lao Lu, which was arranged when I was young."

"Large families like to form alliances through marriage, so what are your thoughts on this?" Zhang Zhiwei was quite curious about this aspect.

Wang Ai said seriously, "I don't have time to think about these things. Right now, I'm focused on making money and developing the business. Everything else... has to take a backseat."

Upon hearing this, Tian Jinzhong gave a thumbs up: "Bishop Wang, well done! You manage the Tiantong Church, and I'll manage the Tiantong Temple. Let's work together to make it bigger and stronger, and create new glories!"

“Brother Jinzhong is right! We must achieve greatness!” Wang Ai said with a determined look.

At this moment, Lu Ci, having recovered, covered his head with one hand and said, "Fatty, are you running away? You're still thinking about that big fat girl!"

He saw through Wang Ai's thoughts at a glance.

Wang Ai blushed, glared at Lü Ci, and said angrily, "Shut up! If you keep talking so recklessly, be careful that Lao Lu and I team up and give you a mixed doubles beating!"

Lu Ci remained silent; he wouldn't stoop so low as to expose Wang Ai's shortcomings.

Zhang Zhiwei seemed quite interested in this matter and asked, "Speaking of which, did Fatty and that Guan Shihua end up together?"

For so long, he really hadn't paid much attention to Wang Ai's affairs in this regard.

Wang Ai hesitated for a moment, then said, "It's not going to happen for now."

"You'd better keep it up!" Zhang Zhiwei patted Wang Ai on the shoulder and said earnestly.

He had previously taught Wang Ai how to woo Guan Shihua, nicknamed "Tiger Girl," who was a typical Northeastern woman—fierce and shrewish. He said that if Wang Ai got together with her, he would definitely be completely subdued. However, it seems that the chances are rather slim now.

While the group was talking, several more people arrived.

Among those who came were Liu Deshui from the Yanwu Sect and Feng Ping from the Huode Sect...

Both of them were old acquaintances of Lu Jin, and they came over to congratulate him on his marriage.

Lu Jin laughed and said, "You two are from completely different places, how did you end up together?"

“No matter how far apart we are, once we arrive here, we’ll all be together, won’t we?” Fengping said with a smile.

Lu Jin smiled and said, "However, Brother Feng, you've arrived rather late this time. The seniors of the Huode Sect all arrived before you."

“I even asked the elders of Huode Sect about you. They said you went out and they weren’t sure if you would come back. I was still feeling regretful.”

Feng Ping laughed and said, "Brother Lu, I have to come to your wedding no matter how busy I am."

"Given our relationship, such formalities are unnecessary," Lu Jin said with a smile. "Is the matter settled?"

Feng Ping said, "I went to find someone and verified some things. I have the answers now, so I guess it's done." Feng Ping didn't say what he had done, and Lu Jin didn't ask.

Then, Feng Ping approached Zhang Zhiwei, clasped his hands, and said, "Long time no see, Senior Brother Zhang, how have you been!"

"No need to be so polite," Zhang Zhiwei said with a smile. "It hasn't been long, just a few months."

Several months... Feng Ping was stunned. He was quite certain that he had not seen Senior Brother Zhang in the past few months.

Immediately, he recalled the scene of encountering Zhang Mazi at Luo Xinian's house in the wine capital.

At that time, both he and his senior brother Yan Yang believed that the Zhang Mazi who appeared was Senior Brother Zhang.

But later, when Senior Brother Zhang and Zhang Mazi appeared at the same time, and Senior Brother Zhang killed Zhang Mazi, he couldn't help but wonder if Zhang Mazi was Senior Brother Zhang.
Later, when rumors spread that Zhang Mazi might be connected to Quanxing and that he might be the leader of Quanxing, he became even more puzzled.

To resolve his doubts, he originally intended to go directly to Senior Brother Zhang, but when he arrived, Zhang Zhiwei was on Tianmen Peak contemplating the past and present.

Upon learning that Zhang Zhiwei was cultivating, he didn't disturb him too much. Instead, he used Fire Release Technique to travel thousands of kilometers to discuss the matter with Senior Brother Yanyang.

At that time, Senior Brother Yanyang had already arrived in Yanzhou. No one knows what he had gone through, but his mental state underwent a tremendous change.

He talked to his senior brother Yan Yang about the doubts surrounding Zhang Mazi's identity, but to his surprise, Yan Yang didn't care about any of it.

Senior Brother Yan Yang simply told him that whether he was the leader of Quanxing Sect or the Little Celestial Master, no matter who Zhang Mazi's true identity was, as long as he wore the Nine-Tube Mask, he was just Zhang Mazi, a person worthy of respect, and that was enough.

Afterwards, Feng Ping tried to persuade Yan Yang to return to the sect, but Yan Yang refused. The goal had not yet been achieved, and comrades still needed to work hard. How could he give up halfway?

In fact, compared to Fengping, who was very puzzled about the matter, Yanyang saw things more clearly.

Because, when he was in Yanzhou, he met a man named Zhang Sanjia, who was the last martial arts champion of the previous dynasty.

As two people of different backgrounds and comrades, they naturally discussed why they came to each other and what they held dear in their hearts.

Zhang Sanjia told Yan Yang that he had been guided by the Little Celestial Master.

Yan Yang also said that he was also guided by someone, except that the person who guided him was Zhang Mazi.

After saying that, the two of them were stunned for a moment, and then they started discussing Zhang Mazi.

After hearing about Zhang Mazi's deeds, Zhang Sanjia suspected that Zhang Mazi was actually Zhang Zhiwei in disguise. He felt that the leader of such a despicable organization as Quanxing would definitely not have such vision or righteousness.

Yan Yang nodded, he thought so too. Zhang Mazi was the Little Celestial Master. As for why they appeared at the same time... Neither Yan Yang nor Zhang Sanjia cared about that, because the Little Celestial Master was all-powerful and it was not difficult for him to do so.

However, Yan Yang only discussed this matter with Zhang Sanjia and did not tell Feng Ping.

He felt that since the young Taoist priest had chosen to impersonate Zhang Mazi and ultimately end the matter, he certainly didn't want others to know.

Since the young celestial master didn't want anyone to know, he naturally couldn't discuss the matter behind his back, lest he cause trouble.

Fengping didn't get an answer from Yanyang, and feeling unwilling and somewhat agitated, he was eager to know the answer.

Unlike Yan Yang and Zhang Sanjia, Feng Ping had no connection with Wu Gensheng and didn't know him. So, they subconsciously felt that how could such a despicable leader do such a noble thing?!
Fengping had some connection with Wugensheng and knew what kind of person he was, which is why he was suspicious.

Fengping and Wugensheng's friendship dates back to the Yinghelou incident. They became friends after a fight, and both left a good impression on each other.

Later, Feng Ping traveled the world and encountered Wu Gensheng several more times.

These encounters made him realize that Wugensheng was different from the typical Quanxing villains; he was a good person, just from a different camp.

Fengping was a generous man. He made friends not based on their status or position, but on whether they were worth befriending. In his eyes, Wugensheng was someone worth befriending.

Therefore, in order to unravel the mystery of Zhang Mazi's identity, he contacted Wugensheng.

But Wugensheng, acting as the one who answered the riddle, gave an ambiguous answer, without giving him a definite answer, which made him even more confused.

Just then, news of Lu Jin's marriage arrived, and he used his fire escape technique to rush over. When he saw Zhang Zhiwei, he was overjoyed, feeling that the question was finally going to be answered.

But before he could find a suitable occasion to ask, Zhang Zhiwei suddenly said something that completely baffled him.

He paused for a moment, then realized what he meant and asked in a low voice, "Senior Brother Zhang, haven't we... haven't we met once in Jiudu?"

Zhang Zhiwei looked at Feng Ping. He had always thought that this kid had sharp eyes and had already figured it out, but he didn't expect that he hadn't.

Seeing Feng Ping's puzzled expression, Zhang Zhiwei, like Wu Gengsheng, gave him an ambiguous answer, neither saying he had seen him nor that he hadn't, but rather that he had.

Fengping was even more confused. Had he seen her before or not?

Lu Ci, Wang Ai, and others who knew about the matter looked at Feng Ping speechlessly. They had made it so clear, but this kid still hadn't recovered. Was it a case of "the onlooker sees more of the game than the player" or "the people of Huode Sect are all brainless brutes"?

Feng Ping returned to the guest room arranged by the Lu family, looking completely bewildered. After thinking for a long time in the room, a sudden flash of inspiration struck him, and he finally understood: Zhang Mazi must be Senior Brother Zhang.

Having cleared up his doubts, he laughed three times and quickly used some secret techniques of the Huode Sect to tell his senior brother Yan Yang about it. However, to his surprise, Yan Yang replied, "How come you only found out now? Is this something that even an incompetent person could see?"

This statement left Fengping feeling frustrated. He couldn't help but wonder if he really was the brainless brute that Lü Ci had previously criticized him for.
……

……

Zhang Zhiwei, Tian Jinzhong, and others stayed at the Lu family's house for a day, but did not see the bride during that time. This was the custom of that era: the marriage was arranged by the parents and the matchmaker. In the days leading up to the wedding, the bride and groom would not meet. The matchmaker would relay messages and arrange matters between the two parties.

Matchmakers at this time were still very useful, unlike some matchmakers in later generations who, after giving both parties a WeChat ID, would only urge them to take the initiative and then ignore them.

During this day, Zhang Zhiwei also participated in some of Lu Jin's wedding arrangements. He discovered that although Lu Jin's wedding was said to be Western-style, it still followed traditional etiquette. After all, marriage is a matter between two families, and Lu Jin cannot make arbitrary arrangements.

During this time, Zhang Zhiwei and Lü Ci also tried on their best man outfits. Clothes make the man, and Lü Ci usually wore a short jacket and dressed like a farmer, but after changing into a smart suit, he had the air of a noble young man.

As for Zhang Zhiwei, after putting on the black suit, his lines were strong and upright, and he looked heroic and dashing. His neat black hair was draped down and pinned behind his head.

Upon seeing this, Lü Ci exclaimed, "Brother Zhang, who would know you're a Taoist priest dressed like that!"

He even felt that Zhang Zhiwei resembled a mafia boss more than the Tang Clan patriarch who liked to wear suits, sported a Shelby hairstyle, and dressed like a mafia member. (End of Chapter)