“An orphan girl. Bully her and it’s no big deal. Saves on bride price too. That’s exactly what they think—but I’m not someone easy to bully.”
Soon, the screams outside turned into cries for help.
“Help! There’s a ghost!”
“Help!!”
The shouting continued for nearly half an hour before it finally stopped. Everyone had already fainted from fear.
Xie Jinwen calmly called out, “Xiao Kui, throw them out.”
Outside the door, a few thudding sounds were heard. The people were tossed over Xie Jinwen’s low courtyard wall like trash.
Xie Jinwen rolled over, preparing to go back to sleep.
But Ling Xiao had no intention of sleeping. His fists clenched tightly, and he suddenly blurted out, “Xie Jinwen, come with me and leave this place. I’ll take care of you and give you a safe home.”
Xie Jinwen casually replied, “Okay,” and immediately fell asleep.
Ling Xiao’s heartbeat quickened. He was shocked that he had just promised a home to a woman he had only just met—and even more shocked that she had agreed so casually.
He walked two steps toward the bed, agitated. “Did you even hear what I said? Marriage isn’t child’s play. How can you agree so casually?”
Xie Jinwen, disturbed from sleep, frowned with irritation.
“Then don’t.”
Ling Xiao grew anxious again. “At least think about it! My conditions are very good.”
A pillow flew straight at him.
“One moment you have opinions if it’s good, another moment you still have opinions if it’s bad—are you mentally ill?”
He caught the pillow and said solemnly, “I’m serious about giving you a home. Please take me seriously too. Don’t brush me off.”
Xie Jinwen laughed in anger. “I’m not brushing you off. I was born to marry you. You’re the only man in my life. If you keep disturbing my sleep, I might really refuse.”
Hearing this confirmation, Ling Xiao finally relaxed. “Alright, rest well. I’ll watch over you.”
He suddenly recalled what his grand-uncle once told him: when your destined partner appears, she will save you from danger. Before that, you must remain disciplined—otherwise you won’t be able to bear her anger.
Ling Xiao felt reassured.
But Xie Jinwen only rolled her eyes. Sleep was gone.
She had already exhausted a lot of energy saving him during the day and needed to recover at night. Otherwise, her hair would turn white again tomorrow.
First he disturbed her, then those villagers did—she couldn’t rest at all.
Ling Xiao was truly her nemesis.
She sat up and began meditating cross-legged, forming a calming seal. A faint white glow surrounded her body, like a deity sitting in the dark.
Ling Xiao stared at her without blinking. His breathing slowed unconsciously, while his heartbeat quickened for no reason.
After a long while, he finally came to his senses and quietly left the room—his heart still racing.
He had survived the fighter jet crash only because of this mysterious woman.
Just as he stepped outside, he almost instinctively kicked something down—but remembered Xiao Kui’s name and forced himself to stop.
In front of him stood Xiao Kui, about the same height as Xie Jinwen, with twin braids sticking upward. Her movements were stiff, without any trace of life—she looked like a ghost. The intruders earlier had all been scared unconscious by her.
“Yiya—”
Another door opened.
Inside stood a kind-looking old grandmother with white hair, holding a green lantern, smiling gently at Ling Xiao.
“Young man, come in for a moment.”
Ling Xiao did not move. His eyes fixed on the green lantern.
His grand-uncle, a famous metaphysics master in the capital, had once told him: beings not of the living world have weak, icy auras, and are often accompanied by lanterns.
Lantern colors also indicate nature:
Red—vicious ghosts born evil.Yellow—short-lived spirits who do not harm humans.Green—kind beings who had good lives and long spiritual longevity after death.
Xiao Kui suddenly pushed him lightly forward, motioning him inside, and awkwardly said, “Gran… grandma.”
It was Xie Jinwen’s grandmother.
Ling Xiao observed Xiao Kui. She had no lantern beside her and was not alive, but also not like a ghost. He had no idea what method Xie Jinwen used to create her.
“Young man, I can’t stay long. Since you want to marry Wenwen, I have a few questions for you.”
Only then did Ling Xiao step forward.
The next day.
Xie Jinwen was once again woken up by noise.
“Li Lao’er, stop pretending! Hand over the money or I’ll take you straight to the police station!”
She quickly calculated with her fingers and immediately understood what was happening.
Last night’s “night kidnapping operation,” the village chief had not acted personally. Instead, he sent his elder brother Zhang Dadan with a group of men. After being thrown out by Xiao Kui, they lay unconscious for over an hour before waking up and fleeing home—only to realize their money was missing.
Zhang Dadan had lost the most. It was money he had just taken from his wife to buy piglets. Furious, his wife scratched his back bloody.
Now Zhang Dadan was enraged and demanding answers.
And the target was Li Lao’er, Xie Jinwen’s neighbor.
Li Lao’er was also shouting, “You’re talking nonsense! I slept soundly all night! I never went out! Isn’t it normal for my footprints to be at my own door?”
He refused to admit anything.
Nothing was found in his house, but Zhang Dadan wasn’t easy to fool. He and the victims tied Li Lao’er to a donkey cart, preparing to take him to the town police station.
Li Lao’er’s legal trouble had arrived.
The noise outside finally quieted for a moment.
When Xie Jinwen got up, she saw a basin of clean water by the side, and a towel with a wild chrysanthemum pinned on it.
Ling Xiao had prepared it.
She laughed lightly. “Wild chrysanthemum… what kind of taste is that?”
She removed the flower and casually tossed it onto the table, washed her face, and rinsed her mouth with coarse salt.
In this remote village, daily necessities were extremely simple.
When she stepped outside, she saw smoke rising from the kitchen chimney that hadn’t been used for years. Pots and bowls in the courtyard had been cleaned and polished until they gleamed.
Oh. She had picked up a “mushroom house girl.”
Her house had three earthen rooms, a kitchen, and a small courtyard. The bathroom and toilet were behind the house, now overgrown with weeds.
Xie Jinwen practiced inedia and didn’t need food, drink, or even bodily functions—she was already abnormal compared to normal humans. Her grandmother knew this, but her grandmother was no longer here.
“Brother Ling Xiao is so amazing—he even knows how to cook noodles.”
From the kitchen came the soft voice of the village chief’s daughter, Zhang Cui’er. She moved fast—she had already entered her house.
Under the eaves, Xie Jinwen lay back in a wicker chair, listening to the voices from the kitchen. Her expression remained unchanged.
“Brother Ling Xiao, Sister Jinwen’s house is really too simple. She even makes you do such rough work and doesn’t care about you at all. How can you recover properly like this?”