Divine Emperor of Heavenly Destiny

Thanks to Cheng Weishan’s report on Lu Chao and the incident at the Qianling Trading Company,

Wu Xin now understood that the person trying to marry Cheng Yunsu was some wretch with a Life-taking Bone, not a man after wealth and glory.

Just then, Wu Bei kicked Cheng Weishan to the ground.

Even though his realm was higher than Wu Bei’s, he didn’t dare resist in the slightest.

’Screw you! You’re the useless one who got taken down by someone at the Postnatal First Layer. What the hell does that have to do with me?’ he could only curse inwardly.

Of course, he would never dare say such a thing out loud.

Cheng Weishan could only say, ”Yes, yes, you’re right. It’s all my fault. May I ask you, Shopkeeper Wu, if I might see the young miss, Wu Xin...?”

Before he could finish, Wu Bei cut him off harshly.

”She won’t see you. The young miss sent me with a message: if the wedding doesn’t happen as planned tomorrow, you can prepare to die.”

”As for everything else, figure it out yourself.”

Cheng Weishan’s face went sheet-white. He wanted to say something else, but Wu Xin’s voice rang out from the courtyard, ”Get out. Now!”

In the end, Cheng Weishan had no choice but to leave the City Lord’s Mansion.

Outside the City Lord’s Mansion, Cheng Chugong and Cheng Chuyan, who had been waiting, rushed forward. ”Father, what happened?”

When they heard Wu Xin was still furious, their faces turned pale as well. What were they going to do now?

Just then, Cheng Chuyan suddenly said, ”I have an idea. That little slut Cheng Yunsu must still be in the city. Let’s use Cheng Chuming’s life to threaten her. There’s no way she’ll refuse to show up then.”

She had directly named her own older brother.

Cheng Chugong’s eyes lit up, and he snickered. ”Little sister’s right. If she dares not show, we’ll kill Cheng Chuming.”

Cheng Weishan, however, frowned, appearing to find the idea improper.

Seeing his hesitation, Cheng Chugong quickly urged, ”Father, this is no time to be soft-hearted. That little slut Cheng Yunsu is the one who grievously offended Young Miss Wu Xin. That’s why we’re in this mess.”

Cheng Chugong assumed his father was hesitating out of paternal affection.

In response, Cheng Weishan shot Cheng Chugong a cold look and said flatly, ”I don’t care about that defiant son. What’s crucial is that we see what Bai Wenrong thinks. After all, Cheng Chuming is his son-in-law.”

Cheng Chugong and Cheng Chuyan came to a sudden understanding. They immediately hurried off to find Bai Wenrong.

After hearing their plan, Bai Wenrong said without hesitation, ”Let’s do it. When the time comes, if that accursed Life-taking Bone Calamity Star doesn’t show up with Cheng Yunsu, then... cripple Cheng Chuming’s Destiny Bone.”

”First, spread the word that you’re going to kill him.”

”Then at the last moment, you can cite your paternal feelings and ’only’ cripple his Heavenly Destiny Bone. That way, your reputation will suffer no damage.”

At Bai Wenrong’s suggestion, the eyes of the three Chengs lit up, and they immediately agreed.

Finally, they reported this new plan to the City Lord’s Mansion.

The City Lord’s Mansion responded at once, beginning to spread the word throughout the entire city: if Cheng Yunsu and the Life-taking Bone Calamity Star did not appear, Cheng Chuming would be killed.

...

The sky gradually dimmed. Inside the dilapidated hut, it was pitch-black.

But Lu Chao’s heart was bright. After a whole afternoon of using the Mirror Spring Secret Technique, the burns covering Cheng Yunsu’s body had completely faded, and new skin had even begun to grow in its place.

Her skin was still a faint red, but with a few days of rest, she would make a full recovery.

If Cheng Yunsu had any True Qi, she could even be fully healed by tomorrow.

Finally, the last of her burns was healed. Lu Chao withdrew the Mirror Spring Secret Technique and smiled, his face a little pale. To him, Cheng Yunsu now looked like a work of art.

His thoughts held no trace of impropriety, only genuine happiness for her.

Suddenly, Cheng Yunsu’s eyes fluttered open.

Lu Chao’s face lit up with joy. ”Yunsu, you’re finally awake! You...”

Before he could finish, Cheng Yunsu cried out, ”Lu Chao, don’t look!”

She was repeating her earlier words. She frantically pushed him away, found a nearby cloak, and wrapped herself tightly in it.

Her movements were quick and sure; she was clearly wide awake this time.

Once covered, Cheng Yunsu huddled in a corner, trembling from head to toe. ”Don’t look at me! Please, don’t look!”

Tears streamed down her face against her will.

Lu Chao froze, then hurried forward to explain. ”Xiao Su’er, you’re already...”

Again, he couldn’t finish. Cheng Yunsu was still frantic. ”Turn around! I don’t want you to see me like this! I’m begging you.”

Seeing her state, Lu Chao could only stop trying to explain and quickly turned his back to her.

Before he could speak, her trembling voice came again.

”Lu Chao, you should just go. I can’t see... I’m blind!”

”You just saw what I look like—neither human nor ghost. Why are you still staying with me? My body might give out soon... I might even die.”

Her voice was still fraught with panic and helplessness.

’Xiao Su’er still hasn’t realized she can see,’ Lu Chao thought, his back still to her.

Taking a deep breath, Lu Chao replied in a low voice, ”All of it... can be cured.”

”I know, but that would require a Heavenly Destiny Bright Eye Bone, a Heavenly Destiny Moon Spring Bone, and other impossibly rare Heavenly Destiny Bones! Who could heal me? Who would go and plead with those powerful experts on my behalf?”

Cheng Yunsu retorted, her voice growing increasingly desolate. No one would do all that for a cripple.

But Lu Chao said without a shred of hesitation, ”I can.”

Beneath the cloak, Cheng Yunsu trembled violently and shook her head in a frenzy. ”Lu Chao, you barely managed to come back from the dead! You can’t expose yourself because of me. You need to get far away from here! Leave the Great Wu Empire!”

In response, a gentle smile graced Lu Chao’s lips, though his back was still to her. ”If I go, I’m taking you with me.”

”You...”

”Taking a cripple like me will only get you exposed! Lu Dingtian will come to kill you—you know that better than anyone.”

”Besides, I’m completely blind now. I’m incurable, even if we found an expert with a Bright Eyes Bone...?”

”Wait!”

As she said this, her eyes flew open. In the hazy moonlight, she stood utterly dumbfounded.

She realized she was looking at Lu Chao’s back. She’d been looking at him this entire time. She rubbed her eyes frantically, then looked again at Lu Chao and the meager furnishings of the dilapidated hut.

Her jaw dropped.

Just then, Lu Chao spoke again, his voice soft. ”Xiao Su’er, I told you I could.”

As he spoke, he turned to face her. In the moonlight streaming through the window, Cheng Yunsu’s eyes were astonishingly bright and captivating.

Cheng Yunsu’s lips trembled. Scenes of what Lu Chao had done for her while she was drifting in and out of consciousness finally flickered through her mind.

The images were fragmented, but she remembered so much.

She remembered being completely blind as he carried her back to her room. Then Bai Heng and his son arrived. She remembered him fighting them while simultaneously repairing the channels in her eyes, and finally, carrying her away from the Cheng Mansion.

A single, glistening tear slid from the corner of her eye. ”Even if I can see now,” Cheng Yunsu said, ”my monstrous appearance is too conspicuous. I can’t go with you.”

She was still insisting that he leave.

But Lu Chao just smiled. ”Xiao Su’er,” he said, ”take another look at your hands.”