Chapter 771: The Belated Wedding Night
“Creak!”
The door was not locked. Zhang Ruochen gave it a gentle push, and it swung open to both sides.
A faint, delicate fragrance wafted out from within.
The moment Zhang Ruochen’s feet crossed the threshold, the door closed by itself again. He was not surprised in the slightest. He looked into the room and saw two red candles shaped like dragons and phoenixes in the distance, emitting a faint light.
The room was also a sea of red—a red carpet, red curtains, and in the distance, a very wide red bed.
At this moment, Zhang Ruochen felt an illusion, as if his wedding with Huang Yanchen had never been disrupted. Everything that had happened in the past year was merely a dream. Now, he had finally completed the ceremony and entered the bridal chamber.
Behind the curtains was a square bathing pool, about ten feet across. Steam rose from the pool, sending out wisps of white mist, with pink flower petals floating on the surface.
At this moment, Huang Yanchen was bathing in the pool. Her lower body was completely submerged in the water, hidden by the petals, revealing only her snow-white, crystal-clear jade-like back and her wet blue hair.
In the candlelight, the breathtaking curves of her back and waist were clearly visible. Plump water droplets rolled across her skin, making her appear exceptionally beautiful.
Huang Yanchen used her soft, boneless fingers to gently wipe her fragrant shoulders and neck, saying softly, “I thought you wouldn’t come tonight.”
Zhang Ruochen stood by the pool, looking at the stunningly beautiful woman in the water. His emotions were quite complex—a mix of admiration, guilt, and something primal from a man’s instinct.
He said, “If I hadn’t come tonight, would you have hated me?”
“Splash!”
Huang Yanchen’s slender, graceful jade arms crossed and hugged her chest. Her delicate body curled up slightly, and she said, “No.”
After a long pause, she added, “Of course, if that were the case, I would understand that you never loved me. I would take the initiative to dissolve the engagement and set you free, so you could go find your true love.”
Zhang Ruochen said, “But in the end, I still came on time. Does tonight count as our first rendezvous?”
“Yes!”
Huang Yanchen’s cold face broke into a genuine smile. Her fingers gently traced the water, and the corners of her mouth lifted. “I still remember when you first entered the West Courtyard. It was just like tonight. I was bathing in the pool, and you were peeping from the edge.”
Zhang Ruochen coughed dryly twice. “At that time, it was entirely Senior Sister Duanmu’s mischief. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have stumbled upon you bathing by the pool. As for tonight, I stand before you in the most honorable capacity. Can this be considered peeping?”
Huang Yanchen lightly bit her lip, clearly unconvinced, but she held back from lashing out, trying to keep her voice soft so as not to ruin the night’s atmosphere. “I need to get dressed. Won’t you turn around?”
Zhang Ruochen turned his head and closed his eyes.
Behind him came the sound of water, footsteps, and then the rustling of clothes.
After a long while, Huang Yanchen’s voice sounded again: “Now you can turn around.”
Zhang Ruochen turned around and saw Huang Yanchen sitting on the edge of the bed, wearing a large red robe embroidered with mandarin duck patterns. The robe trailed to the floor, spreading out about ten feet, with crimson feathers woven into its edges.
A red veil covered Huang Yanchen’s head, hiding her beautiful face.
Two red candles stood on either side of the bed, their flames flickering, making the scene incredibly beautiful.
Huang Yanchen’s voice trembled slightly. “Tonight, I am willing to be your bride. Are… are you?”
Seeing this, Zhang Ruochen held his breath, his heartbeat quickening. He walked over to Huang Yanchen, picked up the golden wedding scale on the bed, and prepared to lift the red veil.
But halfway there, he stopped. “Have you truly decided? If you marry me, I may not be able to give you a future. I can’t even give you a grand, glorious wedding.”
Huang Yanchen said, “I understand.”
Zhang Ruochen nodded. Without any more hesitation, he used the wedding scale to lift the red veil from her head, revealing a beautiful, elegant, and delicate face.
For this moment, Huang Yanchen had clearly dressed up carefully—her eyebrows were painted, her lips were a crimson red, and her snow-white cheeks bore two faint blushes.
Zhang Ruochen sat on the edge of the bed, took her jade hand, and gazed at her face. “Tonight, you are truly beautiful.”
Then, the two slowly lay down on the bed, one on the left and one on the right, both staring at the ceiling without closing their eyes.
Huang Yanchen bit her lip and asked, “Zhang Ruochen, does this count as our wedding night?”
“Perhaps it does,” Zhang Ruochen said.
“Oh.”
Huang Yanchen didn’t ask further, but a hint of loss and sorrow appeared in her eyes.
Even though Huang Yanchen had never experienced a wedding night, she knew it shouldn’t be like this. In the end, Zhang Ruochen still didn’t see her as a lover, perhaps only as a senior sister.
The red candlelight flickered, making everything in the room appear indistinct.
At this moment, Zhang Ruochen’s mind was filled with images of Chi Yao—her smiles, her frowns, and the moment she had killed him.
At the same time, the expressions on Zhang Ruochen’s face kept changing—sometimes happy, sometimes pained, sometimes struggling.
Chi Yao’s figure was like a demon, impossible to shake off.
Especially on this wedding night, this emotion grew wildly, becoming stronger and stronger. Beads of sweat appeared on Zhang Ruochen’s forehead, and the veins on his body bulged. His grip on Huang Yanchen’s hand tightened.
“Zhang Ruochen, what’s wrong?”
Seeing Zhang Ruochen’s pained expression, Huang Yanchen immediately sat up and reached out a hand to feel his forehead. She found that his body was burning hot, with a stream of heat rushing toward his head.
Clearly, Zhang Ruochen’s state was very bad. He might have fallen into a demonic deviation. If not careful, his entire cultivation could be destroyed.
Huang Yanchen didn’t know what had happened. She immediately got up to go fetch her master.
Only her master could possibly save him.
But just as Huang Yanchen stepped off the bed, a large hand grabbed her left shoulder.
“Chi Yao… why did you kill me…”
Zhang Ruochen’s eyes were bloodshot, his pupils tinged with red. He pulled Huang Yanchen back with force, throwing her onto the bed and pinning her beneath him.
“Zhang Ruochen, don’t scare me… Let me go… I’ll go get my master to help you heal.”
Huang Yanchen guessed that Zhang Ruochen must have a heart demon, one he had suppressed deep inside. Tonight, for some reason, the heart demon had erupted.
Chi Yao?
How could it be Chi Yao?
If Zhang Ruochen’s heart demon was truly the lofty Empress Chi Yao, then the pressure he bore was unimaginable for ordinary people.
Because he had cultivated the seventh palm of the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm, the yang energy in Zhang Ruochen’s body was ten times that of an ordinary person.
Normally, he could use his powerful cultivation to suppress the yang energy and maintain absolute rationality.
But tonight was different. As Huang Yanchen had thought, Chi Yao was like a heart demon, always residing in Zhang Ruochen’s heart. Both his hatred and his love were equally intense.
As the heart demon was released, Zhang Ruochen completely lost his rationality.
The tenfold yang energy naturally lost control, surging to his head and lower abdomen.
“Rip!”
Zhang Ruochen used both hands to tear apart the large red robe on Huang Yanchen, revealing a snow-white, delicate body.
The red wedding dress and the fair skin formed such a stark contrast.
“Zhang Ruochen, what… what are you doing… Stop first…”
Huang Yanchen was also panicked. She struck upward with her palm, but afraid of hurting Zhang Ruochen, she dissolved the force. As a result, her palm only lightly tapped his chest, unable to stop his further advances.
At this moment, Zhang Ruochen’s mind was in chaos. He couldn’t tell whether the woman beneath him was Chi Yao or Huang Yanchen. Only a primal desire remained.
At first, Huang Yanchen struggled and resisted, but later, she completely gave up. She tightly wrapped her arms around Zhang Ruochen’s neck, biting her lip, tears streaming from her eyes.
Because Huang Yanchen knew that the bride in Zhang Ruochen’s heart was probably not her.
For her, this night might be a long one.
Outside the room, a formation had already been set up, so no one knew what was happening inside.
The next morning, Zhang Ruochen woke up on the bed, feeling exhausted. He felt something warm on his chest and looked down to see Huang Yanchen’s face.
At this moment, Huang Yanchen’s body was completely naked, nestled in his arms, sleeping sweetly. Her long, slender eyebrows were slightly raised, giving her a soft, seductive look.
“What happened?”
Zhang Ruochen rubbed his temples, trying to recall the events of the night before. His head ached terribly, and he couldn’t remember anything.
But when he saw the bloodstains between Huang Yanchen’s long, slender legs, he knew that something had indeed happened.
Zhang Ruochen closed his eyes and let out a long sigh.
“Master, someone outside wants to see you. He says he is Purple Xia Half-Saint from the Liangyi Sect.”
Han Xue’s voice came from outside the door.
Zhang Ruochen responded, trying not to wake Huang Yanchen. He put on his robe and got out of bed.
Huang Yanchen opened her eyes, lying lazily on the bed like a pile of spring mud, and said softly, “Are you leaving?”
Zhang Ruochen turned to look at her and smiled. “Purple Xia Half-Saint coming here must mean the higher-ups of the Liangyi Sect want to see me. After all, quite a few things happened during the Realm Son Banquet. They probably want to ask about it. Rest well and don’t overthink things.”
Leaving the room, Zhang Ruochen went to meet Purple Xia Half-Saint.