"You only live for vengeance, so the only thing stopping you from loving me is vengeance. If that is so, then I will allow you to take revenge by yourself," Tai Jian said coldly, though his voice trembled with hidden pain.
In truth, these words were not just permission—they were his attempt to push her away. He knew Tie Hongchen had been broken the day her father fell. What remained before him was not the radiant woman he once admired, but a hollow figure fueled by hatred.
Yet, even as he sought to distance himself, he remembered the girl who once stood against him, sword flashing on the battlefield, their duel ending in a stalemate. The girl who smiled in the face of storms, who dared to support him when no one else would. That was the Tie Hongchen he wanted, not this shell.
Her voice cut through his silence. "I might live for revenge, but for the first time, allow me to make a decision I will never regret. We are married, Tai Jian, but I have treated you unfairly. We have never even been husband and wife. Before I leave, give me a wedding."
Her plea caught him off guard. For a long moment, he only stared at her. Then, as he saw the unshakable resolve in her eyes, he realized this was not vengeance speaking—it was her heart.
"Sure," Tai Jian said softly.
Turning to the shadows waiting outside, he commanded, "Xue Kai, prepare a hundred elite soldiers to escort my wife to her homeland tomorrow. She will pay respects to her family and visit her parents' graves."
With that, he left.
"Where are you going?" she asked, unable to hide the tremor in her voice.
"To give you a wedding, of course. I'll meet you in an hour," he said, walking away briskly.
--
The moment he was gone, Tie Hongchen's composure shattered. A violent cough wracked her chest. When she lowered her handkerchief, it was stained black with blood.
She gazed at it quietly, then folded it away as though nothing had happened. Her time was running out, but she would not burden him with the truth. Better to let him remember her with warmth than with grief.
Tomorrow she would leave. Not for her homeland, but for the Shadow Guild's main stronghold. She would fight them herself, even if it cost her life. If she succeeded, Tai Jian would face fewer enemies. If she failed, her death would still buy him time.
For the first time in years, she smiled. Perhaps vengeance had been her reason to live, but Tai Jian's quiet sacrifices had given her something more precious—hope. He was cold to the world, yet tender in secret. Each time he suppressed the yin energy in her body, she had known, though she pretended otherwise. She savored his warmth in silence.
Now, as her life waned, she would repay him with everything she had.
---
An hour later, Tie Hongchen was led by her maids into the bridal chamber. She wore a crimson phoenix dress, embroidered with golden threads. A jeweled crown rested upon her head, and her face was veiled by scarlet silk.
The room had been transformed. Red lanterns glowed warmly, roses carpeted the floor, and the fragrance of sandalwood filled the air. Guards outside doubled their patrols; tonight no shadow dared linger.
Tai Jian entered, still in his black robes, though his aura tonight carried rare gentleness. A red string was coiled in his hand.
The ritual began. They stood side by side as the officiating elder called out:
"First, bow to Heaven and Earth!"
Together, they bowed, acknowledging the heavens above and the earth below, sealing their fates as husband and wife before creation itself.
"Second, bow to the ancestors!"
They turned and bowed toward the ancestral tablets that Tai Jian had placed within the chamber, honoring those who had gone before.
"Third, bow to each other!"
Tai Jian and Tie Hongchen faced one another. Slowly, gracefully, they bent forward. Her veil fluttered, and through the crimson silk, she caught the faint curve of his lips.
At last, they sat together at a table set with twin cups of nuptial wine. Tai Jian poured, his hand steady, his eyes fixed upon her. They each drank half, then exchanged cups and finished the remainder—two lives joined, two fates entwined.
---
While the bridal chamber glowed with warmth, the city outside burned in silence.
Xue Kai's forces struck swiftly. The Gu Clan, once renowned scholars, were slaughtered after their pact with the Shadow Guild was revealed. The Fang Family, suppliers of weapons to the guild, fell in a single night, their arsenals seized and melted down.
The Wei Marquisate, long suspected of harboring assassins, was encircled by imperial troops. When the gates opened at dawn, not a single fighting man remained alive.
The crown prince himself was confined within his palace, his banners stripped, his loyal ministers dragged out and executed in the streets.
The Shadow Guild had thought themselves untouchable, but their roots were torn out in one night. Safehouses burned, their hidden agents exposed and cut down. Screams rose with the smoke, then faded into silence.
And yet, even in this ruthless purge, Tai Jian did not erase every trace. The old, the widowed, and the children were spared. Soldiers were stationed to guard them, ensuring no one dared exact vengeance. It was a cruel kindness, a way of telling the world: I will destroy the rot, but I will not forget the sacrifices of the past.
---
In the Bridal Chamber
The door closed behind him. Tai Jian approached slowly, his eyes drinking in her form. He lifted her veil, and for the first time he saw her adorned in full bridal splendor.
"You look beautiful tonight," he whispered, his voice uncharacteristically unsteady.
She blushed faintly. "What is wrong?"
He pressed a finger gently to her lips. "Don't talk."
Instead, he reached for her hair, cutting a strand with the edge of his hand like a sword. Then he cut one of his own. He wove them together with the red string and tied one to her wrist, keeping the other for himself.
"This bond," he said softly, "is stronger than life or death. Even if we walk different roads, we are tied together."
Her eyes shimmered beneath the candlelight. For the first time in years, she felt like a woman, not a warrior, not a vessel of vengeance.
"Tai Jian," she whispered, "if tonight were our only night, I would still be content."
He leaned closer, their foreheads touching, and for once he let the armor around his heart fall. "Then let tonight be eternal."