The voice was so sudden, so resolute, that the savage smile on Wu Xin's face instantly froze.
It made Cheng Weishan's eyes fly wide as he furiously scanned the crowd.
It made the members of the Cheng Family exchange glances in disbelief, sent the onlookers into an uproar, and left Cheng Yunsu utterly astonished.
Who was it? Who was so impossibly bold?
THUD...
Heavy footsteps echoed from within the crowd as a travel-worn young man stepped forward. It was, of course, Lu Chao.
As all eyes fell upon him...
Lu Chao gazed affectionately at Cheng Yunsu, who stood behind Wu Xin. "I am willing to take Cheng Yunsu as my wife."
Lu Chao's voice, at first low, grew steadily brighter, filled with a resolve that no one could hinder.
The moment Xiao Su'er's cloak was ripped away...
He forgot to breathe, forgot everything. All that remained were Xiao Su'er's repeated cries of "I'm sure" beneath the Blood Stele.
All that remained was Xiao Su'er, engulfed in raging flames, suffering in silence.
When he snapped back to reality, he heard Wu Xin's question, and Lu Chao answered without a moment's hesitation.
'It was my fault Xiao Su'er became like this. She gave me a new life, so I must spend the rest of mine repaying her.'
Silence reigned before the Cheng Mansion, until... SHIING!
The glint of multiple spearpoints aimed directly at Lu Chao. They were the knights from the City Lord's Mansion, brought by Wu Xin.
One of them clutched his spear and snarled at Lu Chao, "You audacious brute! Who the hell do you think you are, daring to compete with our Young Lord over a woman?"
The tip of the long spear was already pressed against Lu Chao's chest, yet he remained unmoved, ignoring it completely.
He looked at Wu Xin before the Cheng Mansion and asked indifferently, "Wu Xin, do you keep your promises?"
Wu Xin's expression stiffened. She glared at Lu Chao, her eyes brimming with killing intent.
'She couldn't believe someone had dared to publicly humiliate her. That a man actually existed who would marry Cheng Yunsu, a creature that was neither human nor ghost.'
'To think someone was so unafraid of death!'
But she had already said it, and in front of so many people. Someone as concerned with her reputation as she was couldn't possibly take it back. She could only reply, "This young lady, of course, keeps her word."
With that, she turned to Cheng Weishan. "Congratulations on finding such a fine son-in-law, Elder Cheng. Farewell."
In a flash, Wu Xin was back in her carriage.
Cheng Weishan finally came to his senses and shouted, "Wait, Miss Wu!"
But Wu Xin ignored him. With a sharp command, she and her escort of knights charged through the crowd and were gone.
Before she left, she shot Lu Chao a look dripping with murderous intent.
Before the Cheng Mansion, countless eyes were fixed on Lu Chao.
Finally, Cheng Weishan broke the silence, roaring in fury, "Kill this... thing that crawled out of nowhere!"
Instantly, several Cheng Mansion household servants rushed out, charging Lu Chao with intent to kill.
But at that exact moment, one of the knights from the City Lord's Mansion charged back. "Cheng Weishan, our Young Miss says that Cheng Yunsu's wedding must be made into a grand spectacle! She will personally prepare a lavish gift and attend."
Then, wheeling his horse around, the knight galloped away.
Cheng Weishan froze. He then shouted to the household servants who had closed in on Lu Chao, "Stop! Seize this whelp and drag him into the Cheng Mansion!"
After saying this, Cheng Weishan's chest heaved with rage. He spun around and stormed back into the mansion.
Several Cheng Family household servants pressed the flats of their swords against Lu Chao's shoulders and marched him into the mansion.
Lu Chao did not resist.
He was marched right past Cheng Yunsu, but her eyes were clouded and unfocused, and she showed no sign of recognition.
At that moment, Lu Chao understood. 'What the crowd was saying is true. Xiao Su'er is almost completely blind.'
'Even though I'm this close, she can't even recognize my face.'
An excruciating pain wracked Lu Chao's heart.
The main hall of the Cheng Mansion...
Before Cheng Weishan stood three middle-aged people: two men and a woman.
They were all Cheng Weishan's children: the eldest son, Cheng Chuming; the second son, Cheng Chugong; and his daughter, Cheng Chuyan.
The eldest, Cheng Chuming, was Cheng Yunsu's father.
Cheng Weishan's gaze slid past Cheng Chuming to land on his second son, Cheng Chugong. "That piece of trash," he asked, "have you questioned him?"
He was referring to Lu Chao, of course. The brat had ruined his plans, so he naturally had to find out where he came from.
Cheng Chugong hurried to answer, "I have, Father. He's just a country bumpkin, a lowlife trying to gamble his way into wealth and fortune."
BANG...
Cheng Weishan stomped his foot, cracking the very flagstones as his killing intent for Lu Chao surged.
At this, Cheng Chuyan stepped forward to ask, "Father, what does the City Lord's daughter mean? That bumpkin clearly ruined her plans, yet she's insisting we hold a spectacular wedding."
The corner of Cheng Weishan's mouth twitched. "She wants our Cheng Family to become the biggest joke in all of Yangzhou City, of course."
Upon hearing this, understanding dawned on Cheng Chuyan. She shot a cold look at Cheng Chuming. "You've raised a fine daughter, Eldest Brother. She offends the City Lord's daughter at the Imperial Academy and brings this humiliation down upon the entire Cheng Family."
Cheng Chuming's face went pale at her words.
He gritted his teeth and retorted, "But you all weren't like this with Yunsu before..."
"Silence!"
Cheng Weishan cut his eldest son off.
He rose slowly to his feet. "The three of you will now accompany me to the City Lord's Mansion to apologize and beg for forgiveness."
"As for that country bumpkin, send a few men to give him a good, hard beating."
The woodshed in the Cheng Mansion's rear courtyard.
Lu Chao sat cross-legged, a faint aura of True Qi flickering around him. He muttered to himself, "I've reached the Qi Gathering Ninth Layer. The next step is to break into the Postnatal Realm and then devour the Star Heavenly Destiny Bone. Only then can I change Xiao Su'er's current predicament."
'In the past, I could have crushed the Cheng Family or the Yangzhou City Lord's Mansion with a single finger. But now... now I can't even deal with the Cheng Family. I must get stronger.'
At the same time, Lu Chao murmured hopefully, "Among all the Star Heavenly Destiny Bones in existence, is there one that can cure Xiao Su'er? Is there another Heavenly Fire Sparrow Bone just like hers?"
If there was, he could make Xiao Su'er whole again. Lu Chao could hardly wait to break through to the Postnatal Realm.
Suddenly, the voice of a Cheng Family guardian came from outside the door. "What's that smell?"
No sooner had he spoken... THUD! THUD!
The two Cheng Family household servants guarding Lu Chao suddenly collapsed. Lu Chao looked up in surprise.
The next moment, a slender figure pushed open the woodshed door. It was Cheng Yunsu, once again bundled up from head to toe.