Free Web NovelChapter 42: Chapter 42: The Bride, Dazzling Splendor
Lu Chao was stunned. Cheng Yunsu was stunned. And Wu Caicai was stunned, too.
Slowly, the pieces fell into place for Lu Chao...
Clearly, Fan Jinhua had arrived with the two from the Hundred Flames Trading Company. By claiming responsibility for everything, he was getting them out of a bind—after all, they were just holders of an Orange Order.
If they were charged with a crime, they would face endless trouble down the line.
Fan Jinhua also needed a reason to intervene. Recruiting Cheng Yunsu into Tiger Flame Academy perfectly explained why he would help Lu Chao, a person with a Life-taking Bone.
Of course, Fan Jinhua hadn’t actually helped.
But he couldn’t change the fact that no one believed he was capable of accomplishing what he had.
After a moment’s thought, Lu Chao said, "Xiao Su’er, accept."
Cheng Yunsu came to her senses and, along with Lu Chao, dismounted her warhorse.
Bowing slightly to Fan Jinhua, Cheng Yunsu said, "Thank you, Master Fan. I am willing to join Tiger Flame Academy."
She knew why Lu Chao wanted her to accept.
Besides resolving their current predicament, she had also been expelled from the Great Wu Imperial Academy. Even if she hadn’t been, as Lu Chao’s wife, she could no longer go to the Imperial City of the Great Wu Empire.
As for the Cheng Mansion, her so-called "home," she could no longer stay there. Joining Tiger Flame Academy was the perfect next step.
"Good, good, good..."
Fan Jinhua said the word "good" three times in a row.
He then turned to Wu Xin, Han Shu, and the others, his voice turning cold. "On my student’s wedding day, you screamed for the death of this young couple and even sent a coffin as a gift. The fact that I haven’t slaughtered every last one of you is a testament to my mercy."
As his words fell, the expressions on Wu Xin and the others became indescribably grim.
But an indignant shriek immediately cut through the crowd. It was Bai Xin, stomping forward. "This is the Great Wu Empire! By what right do you think you can just recruit a student because you say so?"
Wu Xin snapped out of it, her expression turning savage again. She looked like she was about to say something...
But Fan Jinhua cut in, his voice indifferent. "I’ve recruited her. What are you going to do about it?"
Faced with such domineering words, everyone was once again at a loss for words.
But Bai Xin refused to give up. She pointed at Cheng Yunsu and shrieked, "You’re a student of the Great Wu Imperial Academy! This is betrayal!"
From beneath her red bridal veil, Cheng Yunsu spoke. "I... was expelled!"
Bai Xin swayed on her feet...
Bai Xin couldn’t very well argue that since Cheng Yunsu’s True Qi was restored, Han Shu had no authority to expel her, could she?
But she just couldn’t stand seeing Cheng Yunsu get away unscathed, much less that she had not only recovered her True Qi but had also been accepted into Tiger Flame Academy.
Just then, Cheng Weishan stepped forward to add his voice to the mix.
"By joining Tiger Flame Academy, are you trying to get our entire Cheng Family wiped out by the Great Wu Empire?"
Hearing this, Cheng Yunsu said nothing, refusing to even acknowledge him.
’She wanted to say that the life or death of the Cheng Family had nothing to do with her, but she didn’t say it aloud. This was, after all, the place where she grew up.’
But when she saw her father, Cheng Chuming, she felt a pang of sympathy and wanted to say something.
Suddenly, Lu Chao squeezed her hand tightly and spoke before she could. "It is common practice for the major academies of the Hundred Countries to recruit each other’s students. As long as you aren’t the child of some great, powerful clan, who’s going to care?"
This was the truth. The major academies all aggressively recruited students from various regions, never limiting themselves to their own country.
The so-called great families of Yangzhou City could be casually suppressed by the City Lord’s Mansion alone; it would be a wonder if the Great Wu Empire even bothered with them.
Suddenly, Cheng Weishan and Bai Xin found they had no retort.
But Han Shu interjected, "No, she wasn’t expelled. My word isn’t final."
She didn’t want to give Fan Jinhua any excuse, so she had to swallow her pride and contradict herself. If a student betrayed the academy without being expelled first, the Imperial Academy would certainly take action. ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com
But Lu Chao just sneered back. "Master Fan heard you expel her. Everyone here heard you. You can go back and take your sweet time explaining that to the Imperial Academy."
Han Shu staggered, still wanting to say something...
Lu Chao cut her off again. "A Master losing an arm... The Imperial Academy will investigate this thoroughly. So shut up."
If she hadn’t lost an arm, she might have been able to twist the facts when she returned.
Now, that would be much harder.
If his father-in-law, Cheng Chuming, hadn’t still had ties here, Lu Chao wouldn’t have even bothered to explain.
’So what if the Imperial Academy decided to make an issue of it? The life or death of the Cheng Family had nothing to do with him and Cheng Yunsu.’
Ignoring everyone else, Lu Chao turned back to Fan Jinhua. "Master Fan, thank you for attending my wedding with Xiao Su’er. I must ask, do we need to leave Yangzhou City now?"
The City Lord’s Mansion’s troops would be arriving soon, so whether they should leave or not was up to Fan Jinhua.
With a small smile, Fan Jinhua said proudly, "There’s no need. The Yangzhou City Lord can’t touch me. Now, how about you invite me in for a celebratory drink?"
Lu Chao nodded firmly. "Please!"
Since Fan Jinhua wasn’t concerned about the City Lord’s Mansion, Lu Chao had no reason to flee Yangzhou City either.
Then, he looked at Wu Caicai and Uncle Leng. "You two, please join us as well." ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com
With that, Lu Chao took on the role of host, leading Cheng Yunsu and his three true guests toward the main hall of the Cheng Mansion. However, Wu Xin and the others were blocking their path...
Lu Chao’s voice was cold. "Get out of the way."
Everyone stared daggers at Lu Chao, looking like they wanted to eat him alive, but one glance at the tall and imposing Fan Jinhua and they didn’t dare move a muscle.
Finally, Cheng Weishan and the others had no choice but to part and make way.
Only two women, Wu Xin and Han Shu, remained before the main hall of the Cheng Mansion, with the coffin standing out jarringly between them.
Wu Xin’s fists were clenched so tightly her knuckles were cracking.
She didn’t want to yield, but she had to. She was terrified that in the next instant, Lu Chao would stab her to death and toss her body into the coffin. Ultimately, she forced herself to step aside. But just as Cheng Yunsu brushed past her...
Wu Xin couldn’t resist hissing, "So what if you recovered your True Qi? Your eyes are blind. You’re not even human, just some kind of monster."
At this point, attacking her appearance was the only way Wu Xin could feel a sense of superiority.
Lu Chao stopped in his tracks. He turned abruptly to Fan Jinhua and said, "Master Fan, in truth, Xiao Su’er and I were privately married yesterday. Today’s banquet has become far too bloody, and it’s not what my wife and I wanted."
"Which means... Xiao Su’er doesn’t need this red bridal veil."
With that, Lu Chao abruptly lifted Cheng Yunsu’s red bridal veil, revealing a stunningly beautiful face.
Every eye in the crowd was fixed on her, their gazes widening in utter disbelief.
Standing right beside her, Wu Xin stumbled backward, staring wildly at Cheng Yunsu. "No! Impossible!"
Where were the burns that had marred Cheng Yunsu’s face just five days ago?
With the recovery of her True Qi, her once-reddened skin had returned to a flawless, jade-like complexion, and her eyes sparkled like stars in the night sky.
Clad in her wedding robes, she radiated a beauty that could not be concealed, a beauty so profound that even Wu Caicai didn’t possess a tenth of it.
Across the entire crowd, regardless of who it was, everyone seemed to have forgotten how to breathe.
She was breathtakingly beautiful, enough to make one forget everything else. More importantly—how had she recovered?
Lu Chao gazed at the fully recovered Cheng Yunsu, his eyes filled with adoration. ’This is my bride.’
He squeezed Cheng Yunsu’s hand tightly once more, ignored the stunned Wu Xin and the others, and said again to Fan Jinhua, "Master Fan, after you!"
