Hua Qiluo paused, then continued under the shocked gazes of the guests. "Why not let Xiaotang drink the bridal wine you prepared? After all, she's still a disciple of our Hehuan Sect, the ceremony can continue just the same."
Crack—
Yun Qingyue's nail, painted bright red, snapped clean off. Blood ran down her pale fingers, but she didn't even flinch.
"Master… what did you just say?" Her voice was so soft it made everyone hold their breath.
Hua Qiluo sat straight on her high seat, white jade fingers idly stroking the jade ruyi. Those hands had once gently brushed over Yun Qingyue's hair, yet now carried an authority no one could defy. "Since Mingchuan and Xiaotang are clearly in love, let Xiaotang take your place and complete today's ceremony."
"Master!" Yun Qingyue's voice trembled for the first time. "You…"
"Qingyue," Hua Qiluo interrupted flatly, her tone allowing no room for refusal. "The bigger picture comes first."
Those four words pierced Yun Qingyue's heart like a blade.
"The… bigger… picture… comes… first."
She bit down so hard she tasted iron, only realizing then that she'd torn her own tongue.
Yun Qingyue almost laughed. Three hundred years of fighting for her sect, only to be betrayed on her wedding day by her junior sister, and even abandoned by her own master.
The red silk covering the hall suddenly looked unbearably garish. Yun Qingyue chuckled low under her breath. She saw the crowd nodding along as if this was all perfectly natural. Even her fellow disciples, those who usually treated her kindly, avoided her eyes.
Yu Xiaotang's gaze flickered with something unreadable before she lowered her lashes, fingers twisting nervously at her sleeve. "Master… this disciple… I really don't dare…"
"What's there to fear?" Hua Qiluo flicked her wide sleeve, the tassels on her jade hairpin chiming softly. "This marriage between our two sects concerns our sect's future. How could it be treated like child's play?"
At those words, Lu Mingchuan's eyes lit up, his lips curving upward. He stole a glance at Yun Qingyue. That lofty Nascent Soul cultivator who always made him feel uneasy had finally fallen. A twisted sense of satisfaction rose inside him.
Heh, so much for the Heaven's proud daughter. In the end, she still had to bow her head to him.
His gaze slid over to Yu Xiaotang. The pink silk dress embroidered with mandrake blossoms made her look even more delicate and alluring.
Lu Mingchuan sneered to himself. That's how a woman should be. If only Yun Qingyue would swallow her pride and beg him… he wouldn't mind taking both sisters to bed.
"Senior Sister…" Yu Xiaotang stepped forward timidly. "I didn't mean…"
"Well then," Yun Qingyue suddenly laughed, her voice icy to the bone. "Lu Mingchuan, is that what you think too?"
Her piercing stare made him flinch back, but he forced himself upright again. He even managed a tone of false magnanimity. "Qingyue, since the Sect Master herself has spoken…"
"I'm asking you!" Yun Qingyue roared, her Nascent Soul pressure bursting forth. "Is that what you think too?"
Lu Mingchuan's knees cracked under the weight, nearly slamming him to the ground. But a gentle force caught him just in time—it was Hua Qiluo's spiritual energy.
That subtle protection gave him courage. "So what if it is? You're too cold, too hard. Even at your wedding, you have to put on your Nascent Soul airs…"
"I see." Yun Qingyue lifted her gaze, and suddenly the frost in her eyes melted away, leaving only soft ripples like autumn water. "Mingchuan… if only I'd known sooner…"
Lu Mingchuan froze. The proud chief disciple of Hehuan Sect, a Nascent Soul cultivator, was… softening before him?
His lips curled upward, convinced her earlier pressure had only been a bluff. His voice carried smug delight. "Qingyue, if you'd been this gentle from the start, things wouldn't have come to this."
He reached out, fingertips almost brushing her cheek. "Now you finally know to beg me? Too late…"
The watching guests whispered among themselves, believing she'd finally yielded. Elder Qinglin even let out a mocking chuckle. "If only she'd known earlier, none of this would've happened."
Even Hua Qiluo shook her head with a helpless sigh.
Yu Xiaotang stood silently at the side, her eyes flashing as she whispered, "Senior Sister…"
Yun Qingyue lowered her lashes, hiding the glint of ice beneath. Her shoulders trembled faintly, as though she was truly heartbroken. She stepped closer, almost leaning into Lu Mingchuan's arms, her voice a whisper only he could hear. "Mingchuan… you really don't want me anymore?"
Seeing her bow her head, he hooked a finger under her belt with mocking playfulness. "Don't worry. Even if Xiaotang takes your place, I won't treat you unfairly…"
But his smirk froze instantly.
Bloodstained fingers pressed against his throat.
Crack.
A sickening sound. His throat bone shattered under her touch. His eyes widened, staring in disbelief at the woman who just moments ago had looked so fragile.
Yun Qingyue leaned close to his ear, her whisper colder than the grave. "Did you really think I'd cry over trash like you?"
Spiritual energy surged from her fingertip, exploding through his meridians.
"This tear…" she whispered, "is for the three hundred years I wasted on you."
Lu Mingchuan collapsed like a broken doll, his face still twisted in smug triumph.
The hall fell into absolute silence.
Everyone was frozen by the sudden turn of events.
So Yun Qingyue's weakness had been an act?!
Just then, thunder exploded outside. The once-clear sky darkened with swirling black clouds.
"Wretch!!"
Elder Qinglin's furious roar shook the hall as the disciples of Yaowang Valley unleashed their artifacts. Spiritual light rained down on Yun Qingyue like a storm.
She flickered out of sight, her Eclipsing Moon Ribbon unfurling to shred every attack into ribbons of light. She could've counterattacked, but she only glanced coldly at them without striking back.
They weren't attacking out of loyalty to Lu Mingchuan anyway, just enraged that the marriage alliance had collapsed.
She was about to speak when Yu Xiaotang suddenly threw herself at Hua Qiluo's feet, sobbing pitifully. "It's all this disciple's fault, please don't blame Senior Sister…"
She lifted her tear-streaked face, but when no one was looking, the corner of her lips curved into a sinister smile.
Yun Qingyue's pupils shrank.
In that instant, several Hehuan Sect elders struck at once!
"Yun Qingyue killed a fellow disciple, by sect rules she must die!"
"Kill!"
Seven Nascent Soul pressures crashed down. Yun Qingyue hastily wove her ribbon into a defensive net, but the impact still blasted blood from her lips. She staggered back, her gaze locking on Yu Xiaotang. The girl clung to Hua Qiluo's robes, golden light flickering in her eyes.
"Yu Xiaotang!" Yun Qingyue roared, her voice laced with murderous rage. "What did you do?!"
Yu Xiaotang shrank back, pretending to cower. "Master… Senior Sister she…"
Hua Qiluo's eyes glinted coldly. The jade ruyi in her hand shot forth, transforming into a streak of white light that pierced Yun Qingyue's chest.
Boom!
The strike sent her crashing into a pillar, blood spilling from her lips. That jade ruyi—the very treasure she'd once knelt in the snow three days and nights to beg for—had now been used to crush her.
She raised her head with difficulty, staring at Hua Qiluo in disbelief. "Master… you…"
Hua Qiluo's gaze was icy, her voice devoid of its usual gentleness. "Qingyue, you've fallen into demonic ways."
…Demonic?
Yun Qingyue suddenly laughed, the sound sharp and despairing.
She rose to her feet, her bloodstained wedding dress billowing as if alive. "Good… very good!"