Chapter 2

In the Zhao family hall.

Zhao Yuan and the two rows of elders sat, their faces ashen, a heavy gloom hanging over them.

Below, Zhao Yun stood like a stone statue, his disheveled hair partially covering his face, and blood trickling from between his fingers, more vivid and striking than his bridal attire.

"Disgrace, a great disgrace."

The head elder of the Zhao family roared, smashing the table with a single palm.

"Even now, we haven't seen Liu Cangkong show up."

"To use the Heavenly Sect as a shield is truly despicable."

"Enough talk, it's pointless now." Zhao Yuan's voice was deep, silencing the angry outbursts in the hall.

"It is I who have brought shame upon the Zhao family."

Zhao Yun knelt with a thud.

"Don't blame him, stand up and speak." Zhao Yuan's smile was forced.

"Since he is no longer a martial cultivator, it's best to remove his position as heir to avoid others' criticism." The head elder glanced at Zhao Yun and then at Zhao Yuan, "As the head of the clan, how long will you continue to favor him?"

"Are you so eager to have your own son take the position?" Zhao Yuan sneered.

"Are you going to hand the Zhao family over to your useless son?" The head elder roared, and the other elders joined in, their faces fierce, all pointing at Zhao Yuan, creating a scene that resembled a coup.

"You..."

"I am willing to give up my position as heir."

Zhao Yun's voice was calm. With his cultivation cut off, holding onto the position of heir was meaningless. Most importantly, he didn't want to make things difficult for his father, who, as the head of the clan, had already incurred the wrath of many by being too lenient.

"At least you have some self-awareness." The head elder sat up straighter.

"Enough."

Zhao Yuan's cold rebuke revealed the full authority of the clan leader, his eyes flashing with a cold light.

The head elder's aura was also intense, not backing down. Having been suppressed for over a decade, he was long overdue for a rebellion.

Boom!

The head elder and the clan leader faced off, making the already oppressive atmosphere even more suffocating.

"Zhao Yun."

Just as tensions were at their peak, a voice called out.

Liu Ruxin came in, carefully feeling her way along the wall, entering the hall.

Seeing her, the elders' faces turned ashen. They thought of the Zhao family's disgrace, a humiliation they hadn't experienced in years. If the situation were different, they would have killed Liu Ruxin on the spot with a single palm strike.

Zhao Yuan wanted to speak but held back, his anger mingled with a sigh.

This girl was pitiful, born blind to a maid whom Liu Cangkong had taken advantage of while drunk. Liu Cangkong was furious, seeing it as a lowly maid defiling the noble Liu family bloodline.

Because of this, he never acknowledged her or her mother.

Liu Ruxin's mother died in despair, and Liu Cangkong never visited her even once.

With a lowly mother, being blind, and a pulseless body, Liu Ruxin was neglected and bullied from childhood. She was more like a servant than a lady of the Liu family, and if not for the sake of appearances, Liu Cangkong would have already expelled her from the Liu family.

Today's wedding, in name, was about marrying off a daughter, but in reality, it was about abandoning her.

Her life was a perfect example of what it means to be miserable.

Zhao Yuan looked at Zhao Yun. Regardless of the plot, Liu Ruxin was indeed married to him.

Since she was married, she was his wife, and whether to keep or expel her was his decision.

Zhao Yun said nothing, slowly stood up, and led Liu Ruxin out of the hall. Perhaps because they moved too quickly, Liu Ruxin struggled to keep up and nearly fell several times. Her small hand was gripped tightly, but she dared not speak out of fear.

At the back door of the Zhao family.

Zhao Yun stopped, pushed Liu Ruxin out, and coldly said, "You... are divorced."

"Don't send me away."

Liu Ruxin's face was tear-streaked, and she turned back, but the door was already closed.

"Please, don't send me away."

In the darkness, her desperate pleas were heart-wrenching.

Zhao Yun ignored her, walking away. Though he knew it wasn't her fault, she was still a member of the Liu family.

He hated the Liu family and, by extension, everyone in it.

This included the blind bride.

Back in the bridal chamber, he closed the door and drank one bottle of wine after another, drinking recklessly.

Night deepened, and all was silent.

Under the moon, the sound of the door creaking could be heard. Zhao Yun came out, heading for the back door.

Outside, Liu Ruxin was huddled against the wall, hugging her knees, shivering like a beggar.

"I know I am blind and not worthy to be your wife."

The cold night was filled with the bride's muffled sobs.

Perhaps no one knew that her greatest wish was to see Zhao Yun, to see the big brother who had once tightly held her in his arms amidst numerous assassins.

That warmth was the most touching thing in her world.

Zhao Yun came, and seeing Liu Ruxin still there, he couldn't help but laugh.

What a heart-wrenching scene, preferring to cry outside the Zhao family door rather than return to the cold Liu family.

Once, he had treated Liu Ruxin like family because she was Liu Ruyue's sister.

But he had underestimated Liu Ruyue, who not only plotted against him but also used family ties, using extremely dirty means to turn her own sister into a sacrifice and a pawn in her plot.

One could imagine how helpless this girl must have felt when she was placed in the bridal sedan.

"Since she is married, treat my sister well." Her words echoed in his ears.

Now, they sounded absurd.

Perhaps in the eyes of the proud daughter, a blind girl and a useless man were a perfect match.

In the end, he still reached out and pulled Liu Ruxin up.

This pitiful girl would be his last act of kindness toward the Liu family.

Liu Ruxin sobbed, her eyes brimming with tears, tightly gripping Zhao Yun's hand, afraid of being abandoned again. His hand was like her mother's embrace, warm and the only light in her dark world.

Back in the bridal chamber, Zhao Yun spread a blanket on the floor, sleeping on the ground while Liu Ruxin slept on the bed.

In the darkness, he laughed bitterly to himself.

A romantic bridal chamber, with a useless groom and a blind bride, a perfect match.

What a great irony!

He had to thank that proud daughter, for she had written this match and tied this red thread of fate.

"Zhao Yun?"

Liu Ruxin's call was timid and clear, breaking the silence of the bridal chamber.

Zhao Yun heard it, but though his eyes were open, he remained silent, giving no response.

"Zhao Yun?"

Liu Ruxin called again.

After a long time, hearing no response, she confirmed that Zhao Yun was asleep. She then got out of bed, carefully feeling her way in the darkness, stopping only when she touched Zhao Yun's body.

Zhao Yun frowned, unsure what Liu Ruxin was doing.

"My mother said that there is a cycle of rebirth, good people go to heaven, and bad people go to hell."

Liu Ruxin whispered softly.

As she spoke, she took off a pendant from her neck, a crescent moon-shaped pendant.

"I am willing to use nine lifetimes of rebirth to exchange for Zhao Yun's lifetime of health."

The blind bride, smiling faintly, put the crescent moon pendant around her husband's neck.

But she didn't notice that the pendant began to glow because of her nine lifetimes of blessing.

She didn't notice, but Zhao Yun did.

The crescent moon pendant was quite unusual, with a mysterious pattern carved on it. In the dim light, it seemed as if he could see a woman dancing under the moon, occasionally turning to smile at him.

As he watched, he felt his mind drift, and despite not being tired, he fell into a deep sleep.

When he opened his eyes again, he was in a white, hazy world.