Xu Lang’s words were blunt and filled with aggression.
The air inside the thatched hut froze instantly.
“Bah!”
A crisp spit broke the silence.
Murong Yanran threw the wooden chopsticks in her hand to the ground, her pretty face flushed red, her chest heaving violently.
“Shameless scoundrel! Keep dreaming!”
She wished she could stab those chopsticks straight through Xu Lang’s throat.
This man, from head to toe, was nothing but a rogue and a lowlife.
Hua Yourong’s cheeks were already so red they looked ready to drip blood.
She lowered her head in embarrassment, twisting the hem of her clothes nervously in her hands, not even daring to look at Xu Lang.
Serving one’s husband was a wife’s duty.
But… but all three of them together…
That was simply too, too embarrassing.
Xia Zhiruo, on the other hand, was half frightened and half curious.
Her small face flushed red as she instinctively hid behind Hua Yourong, yet she could not help peeking out from behind her shoulder, secretly observing Xu Lang.
This “husband”… was so bold.
And somehow, it also felt a little interesting.
Seeing the completely different reactions of the three women, Xu Lang understood clearly.
Murong Yanran was a rose full of thorns, Hua Yourong was a gentle lamb, and Xia Zhiruo was a curious kitten.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
He did not get angry. Instead, he slowly took out the three marriage contracts from his robe and waved them in front of them.
“Black words on white paper, stamped with the official seal. Not a single thing missing.”
“From the moment you pressed your handprints, you became my properly married wives.”
Xu Lang placed the contracts onto the broken wooden plank with a light tap.
“It is only natural for husband and wife to share a bed. Tell me, am I wrong?”
His words left Murong Yanran momentarily speechless.
She could curse Xu Lang for being shameless, but she could not refute the official marriage contract.
That was the law.
In this world, the law weighed more than human life.
Xu Lang put away his teasing attitude and replaced it with an unprecedented seriousness.
“I know you all feel wronged right now, and you look down on me, this poor man.”
“This broken house really isn’t a place fit for people to live.”
He looked around and admitted it openly.
“But I promise you, this is only temporary.”
“From today onward, as long as I have a bite to eat, I will never let you go hungry. Follow me, I, Xu Lang, swear that within one month, I will make sure you live in a brick house with tiled roofs and eat meat every day!”
His words rang with conviction.
Combined with the pot of fragrant cured meat and rice from earlier, they carried a strange sense of credibility.
Hua Yourong lifted her head, her beautiful eyes shimmering as she was moved by the sincerity in Xu Lang’s words.
A man, in such desperate circumstances, could still make such a promise. Whether or not he could fulfill it, that intention alone was precious.
Xia Zhiruo’s eyes shone brightly. She already trusted Xu Lang, and now she felt even more that her husband was capable of anything.
A brick house with a tiled roof.
Meat at every meal.
Wasn’t that the life of immortals?
Only Murong Yanran still folded her arms and let out a cold snort.
“Anyone can boast. One month? If you can do it, I, Murong Yanran, will write my name backward!”
Even so, her imposing aura had weakened slightly.
This man was indeed different from the starving ghost she had imagined.
Xu Lang did not argue with her further.
Actions were always more powerful than words.
He turned his gentle gaze toward Hua Yourong. “Wife, it’s getting late. We…”
Hua Yourong immediately understood his meaning.
Her heart began to race, and her cheeks grew hot again.
Under the gaze of Murong Yanran and Xia Zhiruo, she felt an unprecedented sense of shame and tension.
But she also understood that this was her first step as a wife.
Taking a deep breath, as if using all her strength, she bowed slightly to Xu Lang and spoke in a voice as soft as a mosquito’s hum, “Husband… I… I will serve you.”
[Ding! Hua Yourong Favorability +10! Current Favorability: 40 (Full of Trust).]
It worked.
Xu Lang felt delighted.
Hua Yourong’s compliance was the key to breaking the deadlock.
“Good wife.”
He nodded approvingly, then turned and began rummaging through the hut.
Soon, he dragged out several broken wooden planks and some straw from the corner.
Under the puzzled gazes of the three women, Xu Lang displayed astonishing handiwork.
[God-tier Craftsman Skill activated.]
Without any tools, using only his hands, he quickly assembled the broken planks and straw into a simple partition in the middle of the hut.
Though the partition was crooked and full of gaps, it still divided the small hut into two spaces.
“Alright. It’s a bit crude, but we’ll make do for now.”
Xu Lang dusted off his hands and pointed to both sides of the partition.
“I’ll stay on this side with Wife Yourong. Wife Yanran and Sister Zhiruo will stay on the other side.”
He arranged it in a tone that left no room for objection.
“Rest early.”
Murong Yanran trembled with anger.
This bastard actually intended to…
She stared at the thin partition, feeling it was the greatest humiliation.
But what could she do?
Cause trouble?
Fight?
The result would only be pursuit and execution by the authorities.
And she had just eaten Xu Lang’s food…
Murong Yanran said nothing. She pulled along the still somewhat confused Xia Zhiruo and angrily walked to the other side of the partition.
Night fell deeper.
The only light in the hut, the moonlight filtering through the holes in the roof, grew dim.
Xu Lang and Hua Yourong lay on one side of the partition.
Murong Yanran and Xia Zhiruo lay on the other.
Hua Yourong was so nervous her body stiffened, her heart pounding as if it might leap out of her throat.
Xu Lang held her cold hand and said softly, “Don’t be afraid.”
The warmth of his palm carried a calming strength.
Hua Yourong gradually relaxed.
She closed her eyes, her long lashes trembling, and nodded as if resigning herself.
On the other side of the partition, Murong Yanran and Xia Zhiruo lay side by side on the straw, unable to sleep.
“Sister Yanran…” Xia Zhiruo whispered, her voice trembling slightly. “I… I’m a little scared.”
“What’s there to be afraid of?” Murong Yanran snapped, turning over to face away from the partition.
Yet her ears unconsciously perked up.
Soon, there came the faint rustling sound of clothes being removed.
Then Xu Lang’s lowered voice, and Hua Yourong’s soft, almost inaudible replies.
Murong Yanran and Xia Zhiruo’s breathing both halted.
“Creak.”
The broken wooden bed began to groan under strain.
“Creak… creak…”
The sound echoed loudly in the quiet night, clearly reaching the ears of the two girls on the other side.
Mixed with it were Hua Yourong’s suppressed, intermittent murmurs.
In those sounds, there was pain, there was nervousness, and gradually, something else seemed to emerge.
Xia Zhiruo buried her head into the straw, curling into a ball, yet still secretly listened through the gaps between her fingers.
Her face was so hot it could boil an egg.
“Sister Yanran… what… what are they doing?”
“Why is the bed making such loud noises?”
Murong Yanran lay stiffly, unmoving.
She covered her ears tightly with both hands, yet the “creak, creak” sounds and Hua Yourong’s breathless murmurs seemed to pierce through her palms, drilling into her mind, impossible to shake off.
Her cheeks burned fiercely.
Images she could not control formed in her mind.
That rogue of a man. That gentle woman…
Humiliation, anger, and a strange feeling she refused to acknowledge grew wildly in her heart.
This night was destined to be sleepless.
And the creaking of the broken bed was even louder, even more tormenting than Hua Yourong’s voice.
…
The next day.
At the first light of dawn, Xu Lang opened his eyes.
He felt refreshed, his entire body filled with explosive strength.
The exertion of the previous night had not left him tired. Instead, he felt more energized than ever.
The effect of [Constitution Enhancement x2] truly lived up to its name.
This system was incredible.
He glanced at Hua Yourong sleeping beside him. Her brows were slightly furrowed, a faint tear still clinging to the corner of her eye, yet her sleeping face carried a delicate beauty like a flower after rain.
Xu Lang smiled faintly and carefully got out of bed.
As soon as he stepped out of the partition, he saw that Murong Yanran and Xia Zhiruo were also sitting up.
Their appearances, however, were rather miserable.
Xia Zhiruo had heavy dark circles under her eyes, her small face full of exhaustion and confusion.
Murong Yanran looked even worse. Her hair was disheveled, her phoenix eyes bloodshot, her entire being radiating irritation and fatigue.
At that moment, Hua Yourong also slowly walked out, supporting her sore waist.
When she saw the state of the other two, she was momentarily stunned. Then she seemed to understand something, and her pretty face instantly turned red again.
Although her own body ached, at least she had managed to sleep.
But judging from Murong Yanran and Xia Zhiruo’s condition, it seemed that… they had suffered even more than she had.