Even his voice was flawless!
Lou Xingyao marveled inwardly, though he quickly forced himself to recover from the assault of that devastating face. Instead of answering, he countered with a question of his own:
“You don’t seem surprised, Young Master Zhou?”
Indeed, from the moment Zhou Hanshan stepped through the door, his expression, his movements, even the faint teasing lilt in his words. It was clear he had already expected this situation.
“I may be crippled,” Zhou Hanshan sneered, “but I’m not blind. I can still tell whether the person standing before me is male or female.”
The Concealing Jade could mask spiritual aura but only that. Everyone else was far away, relying on aura and divine sense to glimpse the bride.
And because of her supposed noble status, they didn’t dare probe too deeply. A cursory glance was all they gave, naturally missing the truth.
But Zhou Hanshan? He had stood right beside Lou Xingyao, not to mention the marriage rites and blood-bonding, close enough to touch. If he hadn’t noticed something was off, he might as well gouge his own eyes out.
“Then why didn’t you…” Lou Xingyao trailed off. So his earlier impression wasn’t wrong, Zhou Hanshan really had hesitated during the contract. But if he knew, why hadn’t he exposed it on the spot?
Zhou Hanshan laughed again, cold and mocking. “Why should I? It’s nothing but the Zhou family reaping what it sowed.”
If Madam He could see the loophole, of course the Zhou clan could as well. In fact, it was a flaw the Zhou family themselves had deliberately left behind so that when the time came, they could pick whichever dual-rooted genius they pleased.
But instead of fate tripping up the Hes, it had tripped up the Zhous. And now? This mess was nothing more than a rock smashing their own feet.
Lou Xingyao fell silent, staring at the undisguised contempt twisting Zhou Hanshan’s features.
The people of Canglan City often said that ever since his crippling injury, Zhou Hanshan’s ties with his family had soured beyond repair, almost to the point of outright enmity.
Back then Lou Xingyao thought it was exaggerated rumor. Now he realized it was anything but.
But wasn’t his reaction a little… odd?
Shouldn’t he, Zhou Hanshan, be the biggest victim of this bride-swap? Yet the man looked positively amused, as though he were watching someone else’s misfortune.
Lou Xingyao almost wondered if Zhou Hanshan thought he wasn’t the one being married off at all.
Zhou Hanshan, unbothered by Lou Xingyao’s silence, steered the conversation back. “So, will you answer me now?”
“I’m Lou Xingyao,” he said. And to his surprise, even introducing himself suddenly felt like delicate, high-stakes work.
Zhou Hanshan wasn’t satisfied, but he didn’t press. “Lou? You’re not from Canglan City, are you?”
“Hm?” Lou Xingyao nodded, confused by the sharpness in Zhou Hanshan’s eyes.
“I’ve never heard of a dual-root cultivator named Lou Xingyao in this city.” Zhou Hanshan’s tone was certain.
“Single-root geniuses are rare enough. Dual roots are even harder to come by. Every one of them is counted and catalogued. Even commoners here know them by name. But you? You appeared out of nowhere. So, you must be from outside.”
“I’m from Pingyang County.” Lou Xingyao didn’t hide it, speaking plainly.
“Pingyang? That tiny county out east?” Zhou Hanshan mused briefly, then nodded. “I recall the He family marrying a girl off there fifteen years ago.”
Fifteen years ago Zhou Hanshan had been only four. And yet he remembered such trivial family dealings so clearly? So this is the memory of a cultivator, Lou Xingyao thought with a flash of awe and envy.
Zhou Hanshan caught the expression on his face and smirked. “So Madam He scraped you out of some backwater corner and threw you at me.”
Excuse me? Are you polite?
Lou Xingyao instantly understood why Zhou Hanshan’s reputation was so bad. This man’s mouth was a weapon!
To his face, he had just dismissed Pingyang as a forgotten wasteland. And Lou Xingyao couldn’t even refute it because compared to Canglan City, Pingyang truly was nothing more than poor mountains and bitter waters.
Logic told him Zhou Hanshan wasn’t wrong. But inheriting Lou Xiaowu’s memories had given him an odd affection for that birthplace.
Hearing it belittled so casually, Lou Xingyao’s fists clenched tight.
Zhou Hanshan, oblivious to the flare of emotion, pressed on. “In such a small place, wouldn’t they treasure a talent even more? Why throw you here to die?”
Lou Xingyao almost laughed. At least he knows his own reputation.
Still, he answered honestly: “A dual root that cannot cultivate can hardly be called a genius.”
“Oh?” Zhou Hanshan’s brows lifted. He reached out suddenly, grasping Lou Xingyao’s wrist.
For all that people said Zhou Hanshan was crippled, he was still a cultivator at the eighth layer of Qi Refining. Catching hold of Lou Xingyao, a mortal who hadn’t even begun cultivating, was effortless.
Before Lou Xingyao could react, Zhou Hanshan’s fingers tightened over his pulse. A faint ripple of spiritual energy slid into his body, swept quickly through his meridians, and returned.
A look of comprehension crossed Zhou Hanshan’s face.
“Your meridians…” His voice was low, almost wry. “Seems you and I share the same misfortune.”
The grip on Lou Xingyao’s wrist tightened slightly, Zhou Hanshan’s tone turning oddly layered.
“I wonder… will my dear spouse’s body even withstand the… strain of labor?”
This was the first time anyone had probed his body since he’d transmigrated.
Lou Xingyao hadn’t even had the chance to be glad that his careful use of well water had kept his meridians hidden until now when suddenly, Zhou Hanshan let loose such a line of wolfish words!
Lou Xingyao’s eyes went wide with horror.
What do you mean, withstand or not? Do you even hear yourself, saying things so indecent?
Zhou Hanshan caught his thoughts at once, lips twisting in a half-smile, half-snarl. He raised a hand and flicked Lou Xingyao’s head.
“What nonsense are you thinking? I meant without the Zhou family, will you even survive?”
“You’d let me go?” Lou Xingyao’s eyes lit up, the ache on his head forgotten. He could hardly believe it could be that easy.
If Zhou Hanshan would release him, he would run as fast as he could from Canglan City, free skies, wide roads, no chains…
“Wishful thinking.” Zhou Hanshan cut off his fantasy without mercy. “I meant the two of us. Together.”
“What?” Lou Xingyao blurted.
Zhou Hanshan shrugged, expression flat. “Hate to break it to you. I’ve been kicked out of the house. And you, my ‘spouse’ are being swept out with me.”
He tore off the crimson wedding robe. Beneath it he wore plain black garments. Crossing to the wardrobe, he rummaged for some time before finally fishing out a pale moon-white robe.
Without turning, he tossed it into Lou Xingyao’s arms.
“Was it because of me?” Lou Xingyao’s voice caught slightly.
“Don’t flatter yourself. Those old men have long hated me.” Zhou Hanshan dismissed it outright.
Lou Xingyao didn’t believe him. Again, everyone knew Zhou Hanshan’s ties with his clan were rotten but they had never once spoken of abandoning him.
And if they truly intended to, why not sooner, why not later? Why today? on the wedding day, unless it was related?
“…Fine. It does have something to do with you,” Zhou Hanshan admitted at last, seeing the stubborn look in Lou Xingyao’s eyes.
In truth, it was complicated. For years, the Zhou clan had tolerated him for two reasons. First, they clung to the faint, unrealistic hope that he might one day recover.
That hope had shattered completely when his cultivation plummeted last year.
Second, and more importantly, was this marriage contract with the He family. Once the pact was sealed, the Hes had no choice but to send over a dual spiritual root as spouse.
Canglan’s great families were firm believers that talent was inherited. The stronger the parents, the greater the chance their children would be prodigies.
Zhou Hanshan himself had once been a once in a millennium single-root genius. Even crippled, his spiritual root still existed. If paired with a dual root, there was a strong chance their offspring would inherit his singular gift.
So even if Zhou Hanshan was ruined, so long as he fathered a child who carried his bloodline, the Zhou family could one day regain a single-root talent.
That was why they had tolerated him for so long.
But then came Madam He’s “substitute bride.” Zhou Hanshan let out a cold chuckle.
“Do you really think the Zhou family didn’t notice? The Hes thought they were clever, but every move was within the Zhou clan’s sight. Still, dual root was dual root. It didn’t have to be He Wanqing. As long as the child could be born, it was enough.”
Who could have guessed Madam He would upend the game entirely sending a man who couldn’t bear children?
Their grand scheme had collapsed. Just remembering the faces of those old men when the truth dawned made Zhou Hanshan want to laugh.
With his reputation, not even a three-root girl would willingly marry him. And now that he had lost the only shred of value he held, of course the clan had seized the chance to sweep him out the door.
Only then did Lou Xingyao finally understand Zhou Hanshan’s strange delight.
So that’s it. To the Zhou family, he was never a son, never a person, just a stud horse.
No wonder Zhou Hanshan looked so pleased to watch their plans implode. If Lou Xingyao were in his shoes, he’d probably be twice as smug.
Perhaps realizing his expression was giving too much away, Zhou Hanshan forced the corners of his mouth back down and barked,
“Well? Are you going to change, or do you plan to parade around in that bridal gown?”
There was no arguing with that. Madam He had outfitted him in women’s wedding attire. Lou Xingyao would have to be insane to wander outside wearing it. He hurriedly stripped off the cumbersome red silk.
Only when the heavy layers fell away did Zhou Hanshan notice. Beneath the inner robe, Lou Xingyao’s shoulder blades jutted sharply, his waist so thin it looked like one hard squeeze could snap it in two. Zhou Hanshan’s expression darkened.
“How old are you?”
“Fifteen.” Lou Xingyao replied absently, adjusting the robe Zhou Hanshan had thrown him.
Though he’d already suspected, hearing it confirmed made Zhou Hanshan curse outright,
“Xu Xiangya! What the hell are you playing at?”
Fifteen.
If Lou Xingyao had been even a day into his sixteenth year, Zhou Hanshan wouldn’t be this angry.
“Hm?” Lou Xingyao blinked at him in confusion before realizing. “The wedding date was rushed. Madam He was desperate.”
As for Lou Shaohui’s lie about his age, Lou Xingyao didn’t believe for a second that Madam He, who had kept the He estate running single-handedly, hadn’t seen through it.
To her, fifteen or sixteen was a trivial difference. In a contract like this, age was a meaningless detail.
Of course Zhou Hanshan knew it too. His anger flared fast and burned out just as quickly, leaving only a sigh.
“Forget it. We’re only husband and wife in name, after all.”
Lou Xingyao’s movements stilled. Substitute or not, both of them were victims here. Compared to Zhou Hanshan, though, he was undeniably guiltier.
Hearing Zhou Hanshan take the initiative to suggest a “superficial marriage” lifted a weight off his heart.
“Thank you.”
“I’m not so starved that I’d lay hands on a bean sprout like you.” Zhou Hanshan gave him a once-over, frowning. “Are you sure you’re fifteen?”
The robe he’d tossed over was the smallest in his wardrobe, one he hadn’t worn since the age of twelve. He’d kept it only because it was shoved into a corner of the closet, forgotten.
Yet even that, hanging loose on Lou Xingyao’s frame, was too big.
“I didn’t grow well at home. So I’m smaller than my peers.” Lou Xingyao tugged at the sleeves, voice even.
He had no habit of parading misfortune for pity. And besides, the one who had endured those hardships wasn’t truly him.
But even without details, Zhou Hanshan understood. A boy who couldn’t cultivate, forced into a marriage of death at fifteen that was enough to sketch the outlines of his suffering.
He said nothing more, only two short words:
“Let’s go.”
✦ ✧ ✦
[Translator]
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← PreviousNext →
ChaptersChapter 1 · Crossing OverChapter 2 · Lu XioaWuChapter 3 · UncleChapter 4 · Substitute MarriageChapter 5 · Travelling Through BookChapter 6 · SpaceChapter 7 · InheritanceChapter 8 · ExplanationChapter 9 · He familyChapter 10 · CompensateChapter 11 · WeddingChapter 12 · LeavingChapter 13 · SuspicionChapter 14 · Change SurnameChapter 14 · Change SurnameChapter 15 · SummaryChapter 16 · Family BusinessChapter 17 · ResettlementChapter 18 · DeterminationChapter 19 · TreatChapter 20 · Enter the TaoChapter 21 · Private TrainingChapter 22 · BreakthroughChapter 23 · ExperienceChapter 24 Part 1 · Questions and AnswersChapter 24 Part 2 · Questions and answersChapter 25 · GiftChapter 25 Part 1 · GiftChapter 26 Part 1 · Sword IntentChapter 26 Part 2 · Sword IntentChapter 27 Part 1 · SelectChapter 27 Part 2 · SelectChapter 28 Part 1 · PastChapter 28 Part 2 · PastChapter 29 Part 1 · ConfessionChapter 29 Part 2 · ConfessionChapter 30 Part 1 · TradeChapter 30 Part 2 · TradeChapter 31 Part 1 · Male LeadChapter 31 Part 2 · Male LeadChapter 32 Part 1 · LuckChapter 32 Part 2 · LuckChapter 33 Part 1 · GuessingChapter 33 Part 2 · GuessingChapter 34 Part 1 · SystemChapter 34 Part 2 · SystemChapter 35 · OpportunityChapter 36 Part 1 · LingquanChapter 36 Part 2 · LingquanChapter 37 Part 1 · Hundred Flowers PartChapter 37 Part 2 · Hundred Flowers PartChapter 38 · Worth itChapter 39 · SaintessChapter 40 · ExperimentChapter 41 · Vampire SystemChapter 42 · NotesChapter 43 · WarningChapter 44 · PlanChapter 45 · Fellow VillagersChapter 46 · AssimilationChapter 47 · IlliterateChapter 48 · Pak WahChapter 49 · Sudden EnlightenmentChapter 50 · Wen ZhiChapter 51 · CarrierChapter 52 · LeavingChapter 53 · Follow UpChapter 54 · OutrageousChapter 55 · OnceChapter 56 · TeasingChapter 57 · Playing aroundChapter 58 · Beast fireChapter 59 · Watching a PlayChapter 60 · Extermination of the entire clanChapter 61 · ChoiceChapter 62 · PossessionChapter 63 · CalculationChapter 64 · GuaranteedChapter 65 · Grand OpeningChapter 66 · Grand OpeningChapter 67 · Protecting one’s ownChapter 68 · Secret RealmChapter 69 · BetrayalChapter 70 · DetailsChapter 71 · FramedChapter 72 · MeetingChapter 73 · KillChapter 74 · MapChapter 75 · FoundationChapter 76 · Strange Phenomenon!Chapter 77 · ExchangeChapter 78 · LetterChapter 79 · ShortcutChapter 80 · God of Slaughter!Chapter 81 · Poison PillChapter 82 · Lou ShuChapter 83 · ProgressChapter 84 · An attemptChapter 85 · Movement and StillnessChapter 86 · Good intentionsChapter 87 · ChangeChapter 88 · Childhood friendChapter 89 · ThoughtsChapter 90 · Old storiesChapter 91 · HeritageChapter 92 · TestChapter 93 · LoverChapter 94 · Heartfelt wishesChapter 95 · MasterChapter 96 · TeachingChapter 97 · IllusionChapter 98 · Mutual RestraintChapter 99 · ObstructionChapter 100 · PalaceChapter 101 · Core TechniqueChapter 102 · OathChapter 103 · Dual cultivationChapter 104 · AccessChapter 105 · VulnerabilityChapter 106 · DensityChapter 107 · WantedChapter 108 · EntrustChapter 109 · RevisitChapter 110 · MonitoringChapter 111 · Secret RealmChapter 112 · NourishChapter 113 · InventoryChapter 114 · Get Rich QuicklyChapter 115 · ElderChapter 116 · Grand FormationChapter 117 · Heaven’s WillChapter 118 · BountyChapter 119 · GainChapter 120 · BlameChapter 121 · ChattingChapter 122 · GuessChapter 123 · Zheng TianChapter 124 · SparringChapter 125 · Sword intentChapter 126 · KenshinChapter 127 · Auditing a classChapter 128 · CoincidenceChapter 129 · ContradictionChapter 130 · RouteChapter 131 · CostChapter 132 · ConfiscatedChapter 133 · Holding a grudgeChapter 134 · SupportChapter 135 · DeteriorationChapter 136 · Unable toChapter 137 · PriceChapter 138 · VariantChapter 139 · Start AnewChapter 140 · ShamelessChapter 141 · Black PotChapter 142 · Benefiting fromChapter 143 · PieChapter 144 · DifferencesChapter 145 · DetoxificationChapter 146 · Current situationChapter 147 · TeasingChapter 148 · IntelligenceChapter 149 · Returned GiftChapter 150 · Old debtChapter 151 · FleshChapter 152 · OpeningChapter 153 · GrudgesChapter 154 · RegretChapter 155 · Gang fightChapter 156 · GentleChapter 157 · ComplaintChapter 158 · ScreamsChapter 159 · GeniusChapter 160 · ConcernChapter 161 · Hidden StoryChapter 162 · StingyChapter 163 · Guilty conscienceChapter 164 Part 1 · StruggleChapter 164 Part 2 · StruggleChapter 165 · Win or LoseChapter 166 · TasteChapter 167 · Shifting The BlameChapter 168 · MoonlightChapter 169 · Past EventChapter 170 · RegretChapter 171 · RetributionChapter 172 · Cause and EffectChapter 173 · BackgroundChapter 174 · FlatteryChapter 175 · HonestChapter 176 · BookkeepingChapter 177 · FarewellChapter 178 · GuidelineChapter 179 · BottleneckChapter 180 · HabitChapter 181 · Casual ChatChapter 182 · Flowing WaterChapter 183 · RumoursChapter 184 · Seeking AdviceChapter 185 · PityChapter 186 · FormationChapter 187 · BasicChapter 188 · Fake TombChapter 189 · BewareChapter 190 · TraceChapter 191 · DiscussChapter 192 · Ancestral preceptsChapter 193 · Loose CultivatorChapter 194 · AllocationChapter 195 · Thank you for your kindnessChapter 196 · ExplanationChapter 197 · ErrorChapter 198 · Culinary skillsChapter 199 · Starry SeaChapter 200 · ComparisonChapter 201 · FrustratedChapter 202 · Don’t watchChapter 203 · LonelinessChapter 204 · NoChapter 205 · Exposing ShortcutsChapter 206 · CraftsmanshipChapter 207 · Bottom LineChapter 208 · StrikeChapter 209 · Ten GoldChapter 210 · Pretentious