Scarlet silk hung high, cheerful wedding music drifting through the air.
Yun Qingyue stood at the altar in a crimson bridal robe, golden thread weaving the shape of a blooming hehuan flower from the hem upward. Against the rich fabric, her skin looked like snow, her brows and eyes like a painting come alive.
As the chief disciple of the Hehuan Sect, she'd always been the brightest existence in the sect. She had only cultivated for three hundred years, yet her cultivation had already reached the early stage of Nascent Soul.
At her side stood Lu Mingchuan, the third disciple of Medicine King Valley. Today was their grand ceremony to become Dao companions.
The hall below was packed with guests: elders of the Hehuan Sect, envoys from Medicine King Valley, and cultivators from all sorts of sects who came to witness the event. Yun Qingyue let a faint smile curve her lips as her gaze swept the crowd, but then she froze.
Her Junior Sister Yu Xiaotang wasn't there.
Her brows drew together slightly. That girl always had the most restless thoughts, always lively. Why would she miss such an occasion without reason?
"Let the newlyweds swear their oath to the Heavenly Dao—"
The officiating elder's voice echoed in the hall. Yun Qingyue's fingers moved slightly, spiritual power flowing at her fingertips. Just as she was about to leave her Primordial Soul imprint, a sudden commotion erupted at the entrance.
"Senior Sister!"
The cry was choked with sobs, cutting right through the joy of the ceremony. Yun Qingyue's spiritual power faltered. She raised her eyes and saw—
A young girl in a pink gauze dress stumbled into the hall, petals of the hehuan flower falling from her hair as she ran, her face full of sorrow.
It was Yu Xiaotang.
Yun Qingyue's brows furrowed, though a cold laugh rose in her heart. This girl always knew how to make an entrance. Showing up late today, she was clearly about to stir up trouble again.
Her face betrayed nothing. Instead, she smiled brightly. "Tangtang, you're here? Go take a seat, you came just in time…"
But Yu Xiaotang acted like she didn't hear a word. She rushed straight to the altar, lifted her tear-filled eyes toward her, and cried out, "Senior Sister… are you really going to become his Dao companion?"
The entire hall quieted, hushed whispers fading into silence.
A trace of cold light flashed in Yun Qingyue's eyes. A thousand thoughts spun in her mind, yet her smile didn't falter.
"Of course. This was decided long ago, you know that."
Yu Xiaotang shook her head, her voice trembling. "B-but…"
She turned toward Lu Mingchuan, grief flooding her gaze. "Senior Brother Lu, you promised me…"
Lu Mingchuan's face changed drastically.
Seeing his expression, Yun Qingyue already had a good idea of what was happening. Still, she put on a look of concern. "Mingchuan, my junior sister is…"
Lu Mingchuan's face went pale. "Qingyue, I only…"
"Only what?" Yun Qingyue's tone stayed gentle, though she was cursing him countless times in her heart. This idiot, he couldn't even handle a little Foundation Establishment girl. Was he really worthy of being her Dao companion?
Yu Xiaotang suddenly covered her face, sobbing. "Don't blame Senior Brother Lu… it's my fault…"
A cold glint flashed in Yun Qingyue's eyes. "What a neat trick, retreating to advance." Normally, it might work, but today of all days, she couldn't let this girl ruin her ceremony.
Silently, she pinched a calming spell and flicked it toward Yu Xiaotang, speaking in a warm voice. "Junior Sister must have strained her qi during morning practice. Bring a cup of calming tea."
"I didn't strain my qi!" Yu Xiaotang cut her off sharply, stumbling back two steps. "Senior Brother Lu, you said it… if Senior Sister forced you, you'd rather shatter your own golden core…"
The hall gasped. The envoys of Medicine King Valley rose abruptly, and Lu Mingchuan's face went deathly white. "Junior Sister Yu, mind your words! I only…"
The smile on Yun Qingyue's lips cooled bit by bit.
She walked down from the altar slowly, the golden-thread hehuan flowers gleaming coldly under the sunlight. As her skirts brushed past the scattered peach blossoms, the petals silently crumbled into dust.
"Tangtang." She bent down, her crimson-painted fingertips lifting her junior sister's chin. Her voice was soft enough to drip with honey. "Senior Sister taught you when to speak and when…" Her fingers suddenly tightened. "…to shut your mouth."
"I won't!" Yu Xiaotang jerked her head up, her eyes flashing with strange light. "Senior Sister, haven't you thought that Senior Brother Lu will never be happy with you?"
The hall erupted in an uproar.
The cold light in Yun Qingyue's eyes sharpened, though her heart laughed in scorn.
Never be happy? Hah. Lu Mingchuan wasn't worth a grain of her concern, let alone his happiness.
Yet her expression stayed gentle, even carrying a hint of helplessness. "Tangtang, you're still too young, you don't understand these things…"
"Don't understand?" Yu Xiaotang's voice rose, tears spilling down her face. "Senior Sister, you know full well he doesn't love you! He only agreed because of the marriage alliance between the sects. He's always cared about me…"
Yun Qingyue's heart sank.
She slowly straightened and turned her gaze to Lu Mingchuan. "Mingchuan, say it yourself."
Sweat beaded on his forehead. He opened his mouth, but no words came out.
Yu Xiaotang gave a bitter laugh. "See? He doesn't even dare deny it. Senior Sister, why lie to yourself?"
"Enough!" Lu Mingchuan suddenly roared, his Golden Core's pressure exploding through the hall. "My heart belongs only to Qingyue! Yu Xiaotang, do you even know what you're saying—"
Smack!
The slap echoed through the grand hall.
Lu Mingchuan's head jerked to the side, his hand flying to his cheek in disbelief. Yun Qingyue lowered her hand, her voice cold as ice. "In my Hehuan Sect, you dare unleash pressure on my junior sister?"
The entire hall fell into dead silence.
Elder Qinglin of Medicine King Valley, already at the Nascent Soul stage, sighed deeply. "Yun Xiaoyou, young people can't control their hearts sometimes…"
"Can't control their hearts?" Yun Qingyue suddenly laughed, turning her gaze on Yu Xiaotang. "So the two of you are mutually in love?" When she got no response, she shifted her eyes to Lu Mingchuan. "Then why panic just now?"
Lu Mingchuan's eyes darted nervously, then he stiffened his neck and shouted, "Yun Qingyue! Stop acting so high and mighty. If not for your Nascent Soul cultivation…"
"I forced you into this marriage?" Yun Qingyue arched a brow. "Or did I force you to flirt with my junior sister?" She suddenly found it ridiculous. "Lu Mingchuan, don't tell me you actually believe I can't live without you?"
Her words were like stabbing a hornet's nest. Lu Mingchuan's face flushed crimson. "Then why did you…"
"Why did I agree to the marriage?" Yun Qingyue let out a cold laugh. "This union was about spiritual vein distribution between our sects. Such an obvious transaction, and you're pretending to be lovesick?"
"You're going too far!" Lu Mingchuan's voice trembled with fury. "I'm still—"
"Still what?" Yun Qingyue stepped forward, her Nascent Soul pressure crashing down like a mountain. "The third disciple of Medicine King Valley? A Golden Core cultivator?" She let out a scornful laugh. "Or do you think sleeping with a few outer disciples makes you worthy of my attention as Hehuan Sect's chief disciple?"
The hall went deathly still.
Yu Xiaotang suddenly shrieked, "Senior Sister, how can you think that way? Senior Brother Lu and I are innocent!"
"Then what are you crying for?" Yun Qingyue spun around sharply. "Or is it…"
"Enough."
A gentle voice cut through the air. Hehuan Sect Master Hua Qiluo rose slowly, her Divine Transformation pressure silencing the hall in an instant.
"Since things have reached this point…" Hua Qiluo's eyes swept over the three of them before settling on Yun Qingyue. "Qingyue, perhaps it's best. Since Mingchuan and Xiaotang are clearly in love, then today's ceremony…"