Chapter 1

Zhao Yun stood dumbfounded, staring at Liu Ruxin, who was dressed in a bridal gown.

It was the night of the wedding, his grand day of joy.

However, the woman whose red veil had been lifted was not his bride.

Liu Ruxin lowered her head, her eyes cast down, her body trembling. Though her eyes were clear, they were vacant and lifeless.

Or rather, she was blind, a blind bride.

"Why is it you?" Zhao Yun said coldly.

"Are you... Zhao Yun?"

"Answer my question, why is it you? Where is your sister? Where is Liu Ruyue?" Zhao Yun growled, his voice hoarse, his eyes bloodshot.

"My sister asked me to take her place," Liu Ruxin said, terrified, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Ridiculous."

Zhao Yun overturned the table, drew his sword, and rushed out of the bridal chamber in a frenzy.

...

The night in Wugucheng was bustling, with large red lanterns hanging high, the streets filled with people, and various street performers, from fire breathers to martial artists, drawing cheers and applause.

However, this bustling scene became even more chaotic as one person walked through.

It was Zhao Yun, dressed in his wedding attire, holding a cold, gleaming sword, standing out in the crowd.

"Isn't that the young master of the Zhao family?"

"Liu Ruyue, with her exceptional talent, actually agreed to marry such an incompetent person."

"Who knows how much virtue he must have accumulated in a past life."

"On his wedding day, instead of being with Liu Ruyue in the bridal chamber, he's running around the streets. What's he up to?"

"Such a heavy aura of killing, who has provoked him?"

The crowd pushed and pointed, whispering with a mix of pity, ridicule, and confusion.

Ahead, Zhao Yun, his face pale and twisted with rage, exuded a menacing aura.

Perhaps, the moment he lifted the red veil, he should have known, but he refused to accept it.

He, Zhao Yun, the young master of the Zhao family, once a martial prodigy, was now a broken body with severed meridians.

She, Liu Ruyue, the eldest daughter of the Liu family, the pride of Wugucheng.

They had grown up together, the golden couple of Wugucheng.

Because of this, the Zhao and Liu families, who were well-matched, had arranged their marriage. However, his fate was fraught with misfortune. During his training, he was betrayed, and despite the Zhao family's best efforts to save him, he lost his spiritual meridians.

Since then, he was no longer a prodigy.

No one believed in their future anymore, not even himself. Who would marry a cripple?

Surprisingly, Liu Ruyue fulfilled the marriage contract.

But it was only tonight that he realized the marriage contract was a huge joke.

He was not angry at being rejected by the one he loved.

What he hated was that Liu Ruyue, who had nominally fulfilled the contract, had secretly plotted:

She did not marry him herself but sent her sister instead.

A wedding with a substituted bride would make the Zhao family a laughingstock in Wugucheng.

More laughable was that the Zhao family had been completely in the dark, manipulated by her.

As he spoke, he had already arrived at the Liu family's residence.

Before he could even stand still, he let out a roar from the depths of his soul, "Liu Ruyue, come out!"

The crowd scratched their heads in confusion.

Did I hear that right? Liu Ruyue? Didn't she already marry into the Zhao family?

The next scene left the crowd even more astonished.

A graceful figure emerged from the Liu family's residence, her clothes fluttering, as if untouched by the world.

She was Liu Ruyue, the pride of Wugucheng and Liu Ruxin's elder sister.

"In your eyes, is a cripple and a blind person a perfect match?" Zhao Yun said, his voice hoarse and flat.

"Is your harsh tone out of anger or unwillingness to accept it?" Liu Ruyue's lips moved slightly, her expression cold and distant, standing at the top of the steps like a celestial being, exuding a cold and proud aura. "Our fate has run its course; why force it? You should understand that we are no longer in the same world."

"I understand, I should have understood long ago." Zhao Yun, holding his sword, stepped up the stairs, his deep eyes bloodshot. "Did I ever force you to marry me? If you didn't want to, you could have said so directly. Why use such a method to humiliate the Zhao family and trample on our dignity?"

"Since she's married, treat her well." Liu Ruyue said indifferently.

"Since she's married, treat her well." Zhao Yun laughed, stepping up the stairs, repeating Liu Ruyue's words, his laughter filled with both sorrow and anger. "What a sister, what a 'since she's married.' Liu Ruyue, don't you find it ridiculous to say such words? Liu Ruxin, who was pushed into the bridal sedan, didn't even know who she was marrying until the red veil was lifted. To you, she's just a plaything, not a sister. Why pretend to be a sister and speak so calmly and righteously? You've truly changed, Liu Ruyue."

"What do you want now that it's come to this?" Liu Ruyue's tone was icy.

"I want to kill you."

Zhao Yun roared, stepping up the last step, and swung his sword.

Liu Ruyue's eyebrows furrowed slightly, but she did not move. A purple aura enveloped her body.

Bang!

The sound of metal clashing echoed as Zhao Yun's sword struck something as hard as iron, sparks flying. It did not harm Liu Ruyue but sent him flying. When he landed, his sword shattered, and blood spurted from his mouth.

"Without spiritual meridians, Zhao Yun's mind isn't as sharp as it used to be."

"Liu Ruyue is a genuine martial cultivator, at the True Spirit stage. A cripple can't harm her."

"How tragic, the once golden couple has come to this."

"It's Zhao Yun's own fault. He's useless and still dreams of marrying a beauty. However, Liu Ruyue's actions were indeed too much. If she didn't want to marry, she should have said so. Sending Liu Ruxin to marry him is clearly a form of bullying. The Liu family's patriarch hasn't even come out, clearly knowing about this beforehand. It's a conspiracy, a plot against the Zhao family."

"Now they match, a cripple and a blind person, a perfect match."

Amid the noise, Zhao Yun staggered to his feet, barely able to stand, his vision blurred as he looked at Liu Ruyue.

She was so high above him.

The purple aura surrounding her body was so glaring under the moonlight.

That was true essence, the protective true essence of a martial cultivator.

This was a strange world where anyone who opened their spiritual meridians could cultivate martial arts, known as martial cultivators.

Martial cultivators were different from ordinary people:

They could absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, the essence of the sun and moon, and combine it with martial cultivation techniques to form protective true essence. This essence benefited the body, from the limbs to the internal organs and meridians.

Years of cultivation had already transcended the realm of ordinary people.

The five stages of martial cultivation: Essence Condensation, True Spirit, Mystic Yang, Earth Concealment, and Heaven Martial, each stage representing a different realm.

Liu Ruyue was at the True Spirit stage, far beyond what a cripple like him could harm.

"Liukong, come out!" A roar of anger came from the street before Zhao Yun could speak.

A large group of people arrived swiftly, led by Zhao Yun's father, the current patriarch of the Zhao family, Zhao Yuan. Upon learning that Zhao Yun had run out with a sword, he went to the bridal chamber and saw that the bride was Liu Ruxin, which enraged him.

The bride was supposed to be Liu Ruyue, but the one who married was Liu Ruxin.

It was a humiliation, a blatant humiliation.

Seeing Zhao Yuan, Liu Ruyue felt a bit less confident, as she was the mastermind behind the plot.

"Liukong, come out!" Zhao Yuan roared.

"What a substitution! The Liu family must give the Zhao family an explanation."

"What kind of explanation do you want, Zhao family patriarch?"

A cold, indifferent voice suddenly rang out.

Another figure emerged from the Liu family's residence, but it was not Liukong. It was a Taoist nun, holding a duster, her clothes fluttering, exuding an otherworldly aura, as if she had stepped out of a painting.

"Heavenly Sect." Zhao Yuan's eyes narrowed sharply.

He did not recognize the Taoist nun but recognized the fire cloud emblem on her clothes, like a real flame.

It was a symbol, the symbol of the Heavenly Sect.

This land was ruled by the Great Xia Dragon Dynasty, and everyone present was a citizen of the Dragon Dynasty.

The Heavenly Sect was created to protect the Great Xia Dragon Dynasty.

It was the only sect within the Dragon Dynasty, with members of noble status, equal to the royal family.

"Even... a member of the Heavenly Sect."

The crowd gasped, their voices trembling.

Members of the Heavenly Sect were mysterious, rarely appearing in the world, but when they did, they shook the world.

To see one now was a great honor.

"Since she emerged from the Liu family, could this Taoist nun be a guest of the Liu family?"

The crowd speculated.

"No wonder the Liu family acted so recklessly, with the backing of the Heavenly Sect."

"Master."

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Liu Ruyue slightly turned and bowed to the Taoist nun. This bow was not only a sign of respect but also a show for the Zhao family. After the bow, she held her chin high, her confidence restored.

Indeed, her title of "master" made the Zhao family collectively frown.

The name of the Heavenly Sect was too great, like a mountain eight thousand feet tall, suppressing the world. For thousands of years, anyone who provoked the Heavenly Sect met a bad end, from losing their life to being exterminated.

"A cripple does not match my disciple."

The Taoist nun said coldly, her voice dry and authoritative. She did not even look at Zhao Yun or the Zhao family members, standing at the top of the steps like a ruler of the world, truly looking down on everything.

As she spoke, she flicked her sleeve, and a treasure box flew into the air, hanging there. Her tone was cold and emotionless, "This is the Heart Refining Pill, a gift to the Zhao family. As for the matter between your two families, it ends here."

This was not a request but a command.

This pill was not a gift but a form of charity.

Zhao Yuan's face was pale, his hand trembling as he held his sword.

Knowing it was a humiliation, he dared not speak.

It was the Heavenly Sect, capable of destroying the Zhao family in less than a moment. He was not afraid of death, but what about the Zhao family? Provoking the Heavenly Sect would mean the end of the Zhao family, and he would have no face to meet his ancestors.

Zhao Yun was also trembling, his fists dripping with blood.

The Taoist nun's words were like steel needles, piercing his soul one by one.

"Leave."

Zhao Yuan flicked his sleeve, turned abruptly, and walked away. He would not take the Heart Refining Pill; if he did, the Zhao family would lose its last bit of dignity. This much pride he must have.

Zhao Yun also turned.

Before leaving, he glanced back at Liu Ruyue, his eyes still bloodshot, but his expression was devoid of joy, sorrow, anger, or hate, like a puppet or a walking corpse, eerily calm.

But beneath this calm, a raging fire burned.

If one day he returned to martial cultivation, he would make the Liu family pay a hundredfold for tonight's humiliation.

"What a show!"

"People should know their limits. A cripple trying to marry a pride of the world, truly laughable."

"Though that's true, the Liu family went too far."

The crowd murmured, standing on both sides of the street, as if in unison, making way for the Zhao family. They whispered and pointed, like watching a parade of criminals, filled with ridicule, pity, and mockery.

This was a world where the strong ruled, a brutal survival law.

If you were strong, you could trample others at will.

If you were weak, you deserved to be bullied.