That evening, Mu Lin was shown to the largest guest room on the first floor and settled in for the time being.
Before seven in the morning, Elder Li had woken up Mu Lin and everyone else in the Li Family.
Mu Lin was hurried into a suit that Elder Li had specially prepared. Li Xue was also forced into a makeshift wedding dress. Mrs. Li was told to prepare breakfast and lunch, and as for Father Li... well, he was woken up for no particular reason.
Mu Lin felt the expensive fabric of his suit, feeling utterly helpless and bewildered. 'How could Master use repaying a favor as an excuse to marry his poor disciple off to a rich, beautiful heiress? This kind of shameless, absurd scheme... it's so typically him.'
'Anyone who didn't know better would think Master was repaying kindness with cruelty.'
'It's not just Master who's strange; this Elder Li is strange, too.'
'Mu Lin knew absolutely nothing about what happened all those years ago. His own mischievous master wouldn't tell him a thing, and now wasn't exactly a good time to ask.'
'Sigh, I guess I have no choice but to go get the marriage license with the little beauty, Li Xue.'
Elder Li must have pulled some strings, because the marriage registration was over in a flash. The speed at which they got the license was almost bizarre; the moment they signed the papers, the official documents were in their hands.
And just like that, they were a legally married couple. Mu Lin was now one of the married men.
However, Li Xue didn't seem to object or feel disgusted by it in the slightest.
When they returned to the villa, they discovered that all of Mu Lin's belongings had been packed and moved into Li Xue's large bedroom. His clothes were even in the same closet as hers, his boxers nestled right up against her panties.
Elder Li said nonchalantly, "You've got the license now! What kind of newlyweds sleep in separate rooms? It's still early, go on and get some more sleep. Don't even think about coming out before lunch."
Li Xue said nothing and walked into her room as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Mu Lin had no choice but to bite the bullet and follow her inside.
This was the first time Mu Lin, an old virgin, had ever stepped into a woman's private room.
It was definitely a girl's room. A faint, fresh fragrance lingered in the air. The room was decorated in warm tones, mostly pink. On the two-meter-wide bed sat a giant, white, stuffed cat.
The moment the door closed, Li Xue immediately put some distance between herself and Mu Lin, her expression changing in a flash.
"The marriage certificate is fake. My grandfather's health is poor. I hope you won't tell him, or he'll definitely get upset again."
Mu Lin turned the marriage certificate over and over in his hands.
'Well, it's not like I can tell the difference.' 'So that's it. No wonder she didn't put up a fight. This was her plan all along.'
Mu Lin shrugged. "Doesn't matter to me. I've always just been a fan of watching the drama unfold."
In a way, he had been played. 'But you can lose a battle without losing the war,' he thought. 'It's not like I was begging to marry her anyway.'
For some reason, Li Xue felt a flash of anger, but it was quickly replaced by an immense sense of relief. 'Good, he knows his place. Otherwise, this could have gotten messy.' The words that came out of her mouth were even harsher.
"Let's establish three rules. First, when I'm not home, you are forbidden from entering my room. Second, you are not to get on my bed. You can sleep on the floor. Don't touch any of my things, because you can't afford to replace them. Third, stay as far away from me as possible. It would be best if we're never seen in public at the same time."
"Also, we're free to date whomever we want and won't interfere with each other. But we absolutely cannot let anyone we know find out. Otherwise, whoever gets caught will be the one to take the blame for being unfaithful to this marriage," Li Xue said, staring intently into Mu Lin's eyes.
Mu Lin inwardly rolled his eyes. 'This girl is so full of schemes.' "Perfectly fine by me. We'll do it your way."
Mu Lin felt he was only staying to repay a debt of gratitude. As for all these other trivialities, he couldn't care less.
Li Xue let out a long sigh of relief. "Good," she said in a cold voice. "Now you can leave. Grandpa was just making a casual remark; you don't need to take it to heart."
Mu Lin pinched the bridge of his nose. 'I really didn't get enough sleep last night.' He was feeling a bit drowsy.
Just as he stepped out of the room, he ran into Father Li, who was passing by.
Li Yinhe glanced at Elder Li, who was humming a tune on the sofa. With a conflicted expression, he said softly to Mu Lin, "Come to my study for a moment."
Mu Lin nodded nonchalantly. "Okay."
Inside the solemn study.
Li Yinhe sat himself in the executive chair, but didn't offer Mu Lin a seat. "My Li Family's precious daughter, raised with such care," he said coolly. "What makes you think you're worthy of marrying her?"
"I don't know why my father has taken a liking to a nobody like you. But if you dare to force Xue'Er in any way, I will make you disappear from the face of the earth."
His words were dripping with threats and contempt.
"But rest assured, as long as you don't cross any lines, I, Li Yinhe, will not make things difficult for you. What's more, once my father's health has recovered, I'll give you a large sum of money to ensure you live the rest of your life worry-free. At that point, I will arrange your divorce from Xue'Er. And then, you will leave Nanjiang City forever."
Mu Lin only wanted to say two words in his head: 'More drama.' But on the surface, he calmly agreed to Li Yinhe's terms.
Li Yinhe was quite satisfied with Mu Lin's sensible response. "You may go, then," he said, before ignoring him completely and closing his eyes to rest in his chair.
A stack of files sat on Li Yinhe's desk. Clearly, he had already done a thorough background check on Mu Lin in this short amount of time.
The moment Mu Lin got downstairs, he saw Elder Li beaming, beckoning him over.
"Grandmaster Li." Mu Lin walked over obediently.
"None of this 'Grandmaster Li' business. Just call me Grandpa. You two are registered now," Elder Li said, dead serious.
Mu Lin smiled. "Alright. Grandpa, how are you feeling today?"
Elder Li made a point of standing up and twisting his waist for Mu Lin to see. "Thanks to you, I'm much better! You know, I used to wake up several times a night and could never get into a deep sleep. But last night? I slept like a log straight through till morning! If I hadn't set an alarm, I might've slept till noon!"
Having slept so well, Elder Li was in a very cheerful and relaxed mood.
"Divine Doctor Zhao said it was your Golden Needle that saved me. Your medical skills must be extraordinary, hmm?"
"Divine Doctor Zhao thinks too highly of me. I've only learned a fraction of my master's skills. My true expertise lies elsewhere."
Elder Li nodded. "These days, it's rare to find a young man as humble, good-natured, and capable as you."
Mu Lin scratched his cheek, embarrassed.
"Grandpa, let me take your pulse."
Elder Li's smile widened. "Yes, yes, of course! I'll have to trouble my grandson-in-law then, hahaha!"
Mu Lin gave a helpless smile. 'The old man really loves to tease me.'
Mu Lin began to take the old man's pulse, secretly channeling True Qi into his body and controlling it to inspect the state of the Qi Force within him.
Ten minutes later, Mu Lin withdrew his hand. "Just a few more days of the herbal medicine, and the residual dark energy will be gone completely."
"However, you actually have quite a few old, latent injuries in your body, likely from when you were younger."
Elder Li waved his hand dismissively, downplaying the issue.
"Don't worry about it. I was young and hot-headed. I used to pick fights all the time, relying on the bit of flashy, impractical kung fu I knew. I settled down after the girl's father was born. The price, however, was a body full of hidden ailments."
"It's not entirely impossible to cure them completely," Mu Lin said softly, but didn't elaborate.
To completely rid Mr. Li of these hidden ailments would require some rare medicinal herbs—the kind that are priceless and nearly impossible to find.
"No point fussing over these old bones. All I want now is to hold one of your and Xue'Er's children before I die. I've already had people start preparing for the wedding; I'm getting the invitations ready. You two need to get a move on!"
Mu Lin gave a wry smile. "Grandpa, I don't think we need to rush the wedding banquet. We already have the license, after all. Besides, Li Xue and I are basically strangers. I don't want to rush into something as important as marriage. Let us get to know each other for a while first. I don't want to do Miss Li Xue wrong, either."
Elder Li looked at Mu Lin and nodded. "You're right, I was getting carried away. Sigh, I'm getting old, I don't think things through as well as I used to. We'll do it your way, then. Give me a timeframe. When should we have it done by?"
Elder Li glanced up at the staircase, where Li Yinhe was blatantly eavesdropping. The corner of his mouth twitched. "You little brat! Get down here now!"
Li Yinhe clearly had no intention of coming down. "Dad, just tell me what it is. I have to get back to the study. There's a lot of company business I need to take care of right away."
"You will arrange a cushy job for Xiaolin. The kind where he collects a high salary without having to do any work."