Divine Emperor of Heavenly Destiny

The silent crowd was suddenly alert. Lady Wu Xin had brought a gift, too. What grand present could it be?

It definitely wouldn’t be anything good.

As all eyes shifted to the main gate of the Cheng Mansion, the crowd gasped in unison.

Four burly men entered, carrying a long, rectangular, jet-black object. It was a coffin!

THUMP. THUMP. THUMP...

Nearly every guest shot to their feet, staring in disbelief as the coffin was carried through the main gate of the Cheng Mansion.

It was a stark, sinister contrast to the festive red decorations all around.

Wu Xin was very pleased with the crowd’s shocked reaction. She turned to Cheng Yunsu, a sweet smile playing on her lips...

”This is the grand wedding gift I have for you today.”

A chill swept through the hall. ’Does she mean to kill Cheng Yunsu right here and now?’

But...

Wu Xin wouldn’t let Cheng Yunsu off that easily. She said airily, ”I was observing the celestial phenomena last night. You’re destined to become a widow today, so I took the liberty of preparing a coffin for your new husband.”

At these words, all eyes in the hall once again fell upon Lu Chao.

In an instant, everyone, including Cheng Weishan, understood completely.

Five days ago, Wu Xin had arrived at the Cheng Mansion with her retinue of knights to propose a marriage for her fool of a brother.

But then, some man had appeared out of nowhere and utterly humiliated her. Because Wu Xin had already made a public spectacle of her visit, she couldn’t kill this mysterious man on the spot without losing face.

But she had nursed a deep grudge ever since!

She had demanded that Cheng Weishan hold a grand, extravagant wedding, all so she could present a coffin as a gift today and send that man to his grave.

She wanted everyone in Yangzhou City to know the fate of those who offended her, Lady Wu Xin.

Even a simple country bumpkin had to die a miserable death.

Back then, Wu Xin didn’t know that Lu Chao knew martial arts or that he possessed a Life-taking Bone. Not that it mattered, even now that she knew. ’A country bumpkin or a Life-taking Bone Calamity Star... they’re all just dead men to me!’

At the same time, she could viciously humiliate Cheng Yunsu by making her a widow on her wedding day.

Wu Xin wasn’t just ruthless; she was venomous!

Goosebumps prickled on the skin of everyone present, regardless of their status. ’From now on,’ they thought, ’I must be utterly respectful whenever I see Wu Xin.’

But Bai Wenrong and his son laughed. Bai Xin and her son laughed. The siblings Cheng Chugong and Cheng Chuyan laughed as well...

It was just too thrilling!

They all knew Wu Xin would cause a huge scene today, but they never expected it to be this satisfying.

But when their gazes swept over Lu Chao, they found that he showed no trace of emotion or fear.

This made some of them frown. ’He shouldn’t be this calm.’

”Heh, someone with a Life-taking Bone has probably faced things like this since he was a child. Of course he’s used to it.”

As comments like this spread, it dawned on the crowd. For someone with a Life-taking Bone to have survived this long was a miracle in itself.

Finally, from beneath her red bridal veil, Cheng Yunsu took a deep breath and asked coldly, ”Wu Xin, other than outshining you back at the Imperial Academy, I truly don’t know how I could have possibly offended you.”

’She truly couldn’t understand it. How could Wu Xin be so petty? She herself was already ruined, yet she still acted like a rabid dog.’

”Once, we were companions. We ate together, lived together... Why must you be like this?”

Hailing from the same hometown, the two of them had looked out for each other when they first arrived at the Imperial Academy. But gradually, Wu Xin had changed.

Wu Xin had slowly distanced herself from Cheng Yunsu, and now she had become this... twisted.

At Cheng Yunsu’s words, the mocking expression on Wu Xin’s face twisted into a ferocious snarl. Her fists clenched as she stalked two steps forward and spat, ”Because of your letter!”

Wu Xin had answered directly.

But... a letter?

Everyone was bewildered. ’What kind of letter could make Wu Xin hate Cheng Yunsu so deeply? Did she write a letter that somehow harmed Wu Xin?’

’If that’s the case, then Cheng Yunsu was the one with the malicious intentions first.’

”Why did he write back to you, but not to me?”

”And after you got his reply, you even had the fucking nerve to flaunt it in front of me! Do you have any idea how much I hated you for that?”

It was as if a storm had broken inside Wu Xin; she completely erupted.

Cheng Yunsu froze. She subconsciously glanced at Lu Chao beside her, and then it all clicked.

’Back then, many of the female students at the Imperial Academy had written letters to Lu Chao. Of course, Wu Xin had written one too. But she never got a reply, while I did. So that’s why she’s been jealous of me all this time.’

’That was the reason the two of them, girls from the same hometown, had gradually drifted apart.’

Thinking of this, Cheng Yunsu quickly retorted, ”I wasn’t flaunting it! I showed you his letter because we were like sisters back then. Can’t good friends share their happiness?”

The words had barely left her mouth when Wu Xin exploded again. ”Sisters? You dare call yourself my sister?”

Cheng Yunsu ignored the outburst and continued, ”I told you back then, he only replied to me because I didn’t sign my name.”

”Bullshit! I did the same thing and sent an unsigned letter, so why didn’t he write back to me?” Wu Xin roared.

Shaking her head quickly, Cheng Yunsu replied, ”I don’t know, but I gave you so much advice at the time. I...”

Before she could finish, Wu Xin couldn’t stand it anymore and cut her off with a roar.

”Shut your mouth! You were clearly hiding something from me! You never told me the real secret to getting a reply. Stop with your fucking fake kindness...”

”Good friends? You fucking stole my man!”

Her voice was incredibly shrill, drilling into the ears of everyone present.

Her final words left Cheng Yunsu stunned, while the corner of Lu Chao’s mouth twitched uncontrollably. ’This Wu Xin must be seriously sick in the head,’ he thought. ’When did I ever become *her* man? That’s utterly disgusting.’

Only now did Lu Chao understand. It was his reply to Xiao Su’er’s letter that had caused Wu Xin to harbor such a deep-seated hatred.

’But he was certain that Xiao Su’er hadn’t been flaunting it intentionally.’

’Back then, Xiao Su’er had only written the letter to confirm if the Lu Chao at the academy was the same little beggar from all those years ago. What was there to flaunt about that?’

The surrounding crowd, however, began to point and whisper about Cheng Yunsu...

”So that’s it. Cheng Yunsu stole the man Lady Wu Xin liked. No wonder this is happening.”

”Serves her right. I was actually starting to feel sorry for her, but it turns out her downfall is just karma.”

”Every pitiful person has their detestable side.”

The crowd’s words reached Lu Chao’s ears, and his expression darkened instantly. These people were completely ignorant of the truth, just spouting baseless slander.

But before Lu Chao could speak, Bai Xin piped up again. ”Yunsu, what do you expect your mother to say? How could you steal Lady Wu Xin’s man? You’ve brought ruin upon the entire Cheng Mansion!”

Cheng Weishan added in a grim voice, ”Unfilial girl! How could you not have mentioned something like this sooner? You have brought shame upon our ancestors!”

They had just heaped a grievous accusation upon Cheng Yunsu.

Just then... THUD!

Lu Chao could no longer restrain himself and took a heavy step forward.

But his hand was caught by Cheng Yunsu. She said softly to Lu Chao, ”Husband, let me handle this.”

Her voice was filled with composure...

Then, Cheng Yunsu stared at Wu Xin and said, ”I stole your man? Have you no shame, saying something like that?”

Then, Cheng Yunsu raised her voice, ”Does everyone know who the man who wrote back to me was? His name is Lu Chao.”