The steward trembled, fearing what might happen next.
The Madam was quiet for now, but that didn't mean she would remain so later. Although the Master had locked her in her room and drugged her, promising to cure her poisoning once the day was over.
However, the Madam had always been resolute. He feared she would fight back with all her might. Thus, the steward of the Ding mansion felt his eyelids twitching, his heart unsettled.
It was a pity the Master seemed oblivious. After decades of marriage, did he not know the Madam's uncompromising nature, preferring to shatter into jade rather than remain intact as common tile?
Upon hearing the steward, Ding Haowen immediately nodded and commanded, "Alright, let the ceremony proceed."
The officiant for the wedding ceremony quickly stepped to the center of the hall. Raising a hand, he commanded silence, and the hall immediately quieted. All eyes turned towards the officiant in the center.
The officiant, dressed in grey, stroked his beard, a hint of reluctance in his eyes. Who would want to do such a thing?
But Sect Leader Ding had shown him great kindness. Since he had asked, he could not refuse.
However, performing such a duty truly weighed on his conscience. The officiant didn't wish to say more. Clearing his throat, he uttered a few brief opening words and then went straight to the point.
"The bowing ceremony begins."
Ding Haowen's face was full of smiles. He no longer cared about such matters, only wishing to usher his concubine into the bridal chamber as quickly as possible.
"First bow to heaven and earth."
The long voice echoed, lingering and drawn out.
"Second bow to the esteemed elders."
Ding Haowen's elders were not present. However, the person seated in their place was the current leader of the martial world. A fleeting coldness flashed in that man's eyes. He watched Ding Haowen perform the bow, then adjusted his robe and shifted his position, pretending to inadvertently move aside.
"Husband and wife—" the officiant began to chant the next line.
But at that moment, a thunderous shout erupted, carrying an overwhelming aura of biting cold. Then, a black shadow flashed, instantly extinguishing two red lanterns in the hall.
The hall plunged into darkness, with only the flickering candlelight suspended in the four corners.
A murmur went through the hall, and someone cried out, "Madam Ding is out!"
It was indeed Ding Haowen's original wife. Her formidable skill was evident from her first move.
The black shadow flashed and returned to her hand, revealed to be a superior guqin.
She was dressed in black, but her head was adorned with white mourning sashes that trailed to the ground. She stood chillingly at the entrance, like a demon from hell, a specter from the netherworld, carrying a world-destroying killing intent, her eyes blazing with fury.
Her black pupils held a hint of dark red liquid— indeed, tears of blood...
The hall fell silent, everyone terrified, gazing at the woman in black, draped in mourning white, as she walked in step by step, her voice like biting frost, each word as cold as ice.
"Ding Haowen, I heartily congratulate the two of you on your journey to the Yellow Springs, to live and die together. I wish you eternal affection in the afterlife, never to be separated for a hundred lifetimes."
The old woman in mourning sashes wept profusely, her face flushed crimson, appearing monstrous and terrifying.
Ding Haowen, on the dais, was enraged, his face dark and sullen. A furious roar rose from him, "Bai Rushuang, are you seeking death?"
The couple, once affectionate, now stood with swords drawn. Everyone felt that love was like cold water, extinguishing the warmth of passion.
No one spoke in the hall. Some looked at Ding Haowen, wondering how he would handle this. Others looked at the old Madam, once a proud flower of Suzhou, now meeting such a fate, feared by both man and ghost.
All because she had married the wrong man, chosen the wrong path. But who knew that all men were fickle, and it was simply that others did not possess Madam Ding's resolve.
Amidst the silence, a delicate cry suddenly rang out. It was the source of today's calamity, the renowned courtesan of Suzhou, Ding Haowen's concubine.
She lifted her scarlet veil, revealing a charming and tender face. Truly, she was a woman of captivating beauty, alluring and lovable.
Alas, her eyes held no trace of the expected kindness, only a flicker of malice. Yet, she feigned fragility and weakness, clutching her chest and speaking with a trembling voice.
"Haowen, I'm scared."
Half the people in the hall felt like vomiting, their gazes filled with contempt and disdain, wishing they could slap her twice.
What are you scared of? If you were scared, why would you steal another's husband? If you were scared, why would you accept a grand sedan chair to enter their home? If you were scared, why would you dare to act so demurely under the watchful eyes of everyone, provoking strife between husband and wife?
You are truly not human. No wonder people say sluts are the most heartless; it turns out to be true.
Whispers and curses filled the air, but no one spoke aloud. This was their private affair, and with the Sect Leader present, it was not their place to intervene.
Upon hearing his concubine's fearful words, Ding Haowen was already anxiously patting her hand, coaxing her gently.
"Don't be afraid, I'm here."
His words were like salt in Madam Ding's wounds, more painful than killing her.
Everyone saw her body stiffen. She raised the guqin in her hand and hurled it forward, carrying a destructive ferocity. The crowd in the hall recoiled in alarm, automatically clearing a path.
Ding Haowen raised his head, his expression drastically different from before. He condensed his palm wind and, raising his hand, unleashed a powerful internal force, striking directly at the guqin.
Alas, the exquisite guqin was instantly shattered into flying debris, scattered like a fine spring rain, permeating the air with a bone-chilling cold.
This guqin was once presented by Ding Haowen to his beloved wife. Today, it was destroyed in an instant.
It seemed the couple's relationship was truly broken, like ice mountains cracking, like rivers drying up, with no possibility of reconciliation.
The concubine, who had just been welcomed in, gazed at him with unceasing affection.
"Haowen, be careful. Don't forget there's a child."
Ding Haowen returned her smile, truly affectionate and loving, leaving the other woman in an icy abyss. He turned back with a cold, ruthless, and fierce gaze.
"Bai Rushuang, you are too ungrateful. It's normal for men to have three wives and four concubines. I've been tired of having only you for so many years. Can't I just marry a concubine? It's normal for men to have multiple wives and concubines. You are the abnormal one, you lunatic."
Bai Rushuang let out a great laugh, no longer shedding any tears. Her aged face was filled with the stillness of death, her eyes utterly frozen.
"Ding Haowen, how dare you speak to me like this? You told me to cultivate Yin Gong back then. What did you say? That you would only have me as your wife, wasn't that what you said? I didn't force you to say it.
If you hadn't made such a promise back then, would I have cultivated that Yin Gong, which prevents me from bearing children?
Now, not only have you taken a concubine and had a child, but you've also poisoned me. Fine, very good. Let all the people in this world see what kind of person you are."
Upon hearing Bai Rushuang's words, Ding Haowen's expression changed drastically, as did the expressions of many in the hall. No one expected that Ding Haowen would treat his wife so cruelly for a woman from a pleasure house. This man was truly heartless and a disgrace to manhood.
Ding Haowen, his secrets exposed, not only had a dark and enraged face but also erupted with killing intent. He lunged forward, striking at Bai Rushuang.
Bai Rushuang did not sit idly by. The two of them fought from the hall out into the open gardens. The crowd surged outward to watch the spectacle, wondering who among Ding Haowen and his wife was superior in martial arts.
The concubine also rushed out. Along the way, someone deliberately bumped into her or pushed her. She glared furiously, scanning the crowd, but no one paid her any mind, as everyone had already dispersed.