Chapter 2: Will It Eat People?

“We’re here. Get off the carriage!”

The coachman pounded hard on the carriage wall.

The carriage was already old and rickety. After that heavy slap, it groaned and creaked as if it might fall apart at any moment.

“Miss, let this servant help you down.”

Still somewhat dizzy herself, Yun’er struggled to support Shen Yiran.

The Original Host had been overweight, making every movement Shen Yiran made slow and clumsy. She couldn’t help but feel a trace of disdain for her body, yet there was nothing she could do about it.

Since I’ve taken over your body… I’ll seek justice for you.

As she stepped out of the carriage, Shen Yiran caught sight of the dagger that had fallen earlier. Shielding Yun’er’s view with her body, she swiftly tossed it into her Dimensional Space.

Her body was so weak that she nearly slipped several times while climbing down, but the quick-witted Yun’er caught her each time before she fell.

The moment mistress and servant had steadied themselves, the coachman threw their luggage at their feet with an expression of utter disgust. He spat onto the ground and cursed,

“Ugly freak! Short-lived ghost! If it weren’t for the generous silver, I wouldn’t have taken this job!”

After cursing them, he vigorously slapped his hands together, as though he had touched something filthy.

Yun’er picked up the bundle and dusted it off. Tears streamed uncontrollably down her face as she sobbed,

“Miss… your fate is so cruel.”

Shen Yiran silently agreed.

It truly was a miserable fate.

In her previous life, she had devoted herself entirely to work. At twenty-eight, she hadn’t even had time to date. And now, after transmigrating, she’d been dragged here to become a bride meant to ward off bad luck.

“Yun’er, don’t cry. Go back and find your mother. You don’t have to suffer with me.”

“No, Miss! Whether in life or in death, Yun’er will stay with Miss!”

She clung tightly to Shen Yiran’s hand, refusing to let go.

For a brief moment, Shen Yiran was deeply moved.

The emotions of people in this ancient world were so sincere and pure. She secretly vowed that, from this day forward, she would protect Yun’er with everything she had and never betray such unwavering loyalty.

The Prime Minister’s Residence was eerily silent.

Two lanterns hung at the entrance, casting a dim yellow glow as they swayed in the night breeze. Although it was only around the Hour of Xu (7–9 p.m.), the place was as lifeless as the middle of the night.

Shen Yiran inwardly grumbled.

This doesn’t look like I’m here to bring good fortune through marriage. It looks like I’m here to die.

“Miss, hurry and put this on. It’s unlucky otherwise.”

Yun’er suddenly picked up the fallen red bridal veil, brushed off the dirt, and carefully placed it over Shen Yiran’s head.

This girl… At a time like this, she’s still worried about customs.

Still, seeing Yun’er’s heartfelt concern, Shen Yiran obediently let her do it.

Her emotions were a tangled mess.

She had considered fleeing with Yun’er, but this was the ancient world, where imperial authority reigned supreme. In the end, she could only resign herself to fate.

“Yun’er, go knock on the door.”

Somewhat nervous, Shen Yiran gave the order.

After acknowledging the command, Yun’er stepped forward and knocked loudly.

“Open the gate! We’re from the Minister of Revenue’s residence! Our Miss was bestowed in marriage to the Heir Apparent by His Majesty…”

No one answered.

Yun’er called out several more times.

Only after about fifteen minutes did the great gates creak open.

A plump woman emerged from inside.

“Follow me. His Highness the Heir Apparent isn’t in a condition to perform the wedding ceremony, so we’ll skip it. You’ll go straight to the bridal chamber.”

With that, the woman turned and walked deeper into the residence.

The Heir Apparent, Ren Jingzhi, was truly a pitiful man.

Once the Empire’s invincible God of War, celebrated for countless military victories, he had been ambushed on the Crown Prince’s orders while returning triumphantly from battle. The assassination attempt had left both his legs crippled and his life hanging by a thread.

As the breeze lifted one corner of her bridal veil, Shen Yiran quickly surveyed the courtyard.

It was enormous, yet deathly quiet.

The lanterns within burned dimly, mirroring the bleakness in her own heart.

After walking for about another fifteen minutes, they arrived at Huaxi Courtyard, Ren Jingzhi’s residence.

“Your Highness’s Consort, please enter.”

Yun’er supported Shen Yiran toward the doorway, only to be stopped by the plump woman.

“Only the Heir Apparent’s Consort and his attendants may enter His Highness’s chamber. Everyone else waits outside.”

“Yun’er, stay here. I’ll be fine.”

She gave Yun’er a reassuring look.

The moment Shen Yiran stepped into the room, before she had even found her footing—

Bang!

The door slammed shut behind her.

She jumped in fright.

The room was so silent that even the sound of a needle dropping would have been audible.

Her years of military training had sharpened her hearing. Even now, she could detect the slow, steady breathing of someone inside.

The red bridal veil blocked her vision, and the uncertainty of what lay ahead filled her with inexplicable fear.

Without hesitation, she tore it off.

Sitting before her in a wheelchair was a man dressed entirely in white.

His already pale complexion appeared almost bloodless against the white robes. His thin lips were pressed tightly together. His dark, profound eyes remained completely emotionless even after seeing her.

Although death hovered over him, his face still carried the heroic spirit and resolute courage of a seasoned general who had survived countless battlefields.

Most people either screamed in terror upon seeing Shen Yiran’s face or failed to conceal their disgust.

His calm reaction immediately made her think more highly of him.

With just a single glance, she diagnosed his condition.

He had been poisoned.

Not an ordinary poison, but a highly unusual one—a poison that only affected men whose legs had already suffered severe injuries.

When Ren Jingzhi first saw Shen Yiran, his expression remained unchanged.

Yet inwardly, he couldn’t help drawing a sharp breath.

The intelligence he’d received had claimed that his sixth bride was extraordinarily ugly.

Seeing her in person…

The reality was even worse than the reports.

Still…

Those bright, lively black eyes showed not the slightest trace of fear as they looked directly at him.

Such beautiful eyes seemed completely mismatched with the face, half of which was covered by a grotesque poisonous tumor.

It doesn’t matter.

I’m a dying man anyway.

None of this concerns me.

“So you’re Ren Jingzhi, the Heir Apparent… my husband?”

Shen Yiran studied him as she spoke.

“Yes.”

His reply was brief.

She was the sixth woman forced into becoming his bride for the purpose of warding off ill fortune.

She was also the first to meet his gaze directly…

And the first who dared to speak to him so naturally.

He found himself looking at her a little longer than he intended.

Shen Yiran carefully examined the man before her.

This man, as cold and flawless as an ice sculpture, looked nothing like the hideous monster described in the rumors.

Aside from the frigid aura that kept everyone at arm’s length, there was nothing about him that resembled the savage, man-eating madman people claimed him to be.

Thinking that, she couldn’t help asking, “Your Highness… may I ask something?”

“What is it?”

“Do… do you eat people?”

After blurting it out, Shen Yiran looked at him with trembling apprehension.

Ren Jingzhi froze.

The hand gripping his wheelchair tightened until his knuckles turned white.

She had genuinely shocked him.

This woman… is rather interesting.

Do I really look like someone who eats people?

To his own surprise, the corners of his lips lifted ever so slightly.

“I just… want to know exactly how I’m going to die.”

Shen Yiran had decided to throw caution to the wind.

She had only just transmigrated into this unfamiliar dynasty. Everything was unknown, and she had no idea whether she’d still be alive the next moment.

“I don’t eat people.”

He paused before adding,

“But if you die, don’t come back to haunt me.”

The words escaped his mouth before he realized it.

Even he didn’t understand why he had bothered answering her.

Looking at the woman before him, pity flickered in his eyes.

Every one of these brides brought here to “ward off misfortune” had been sacrificed to the struggle for imperial power.

Shen Yiran was no exception.

She wouldn’t survive the night.

And what could he do?

His legs were crippled.

The poison coursing through his body meant he could die at any moment, following the same path as the previous brides.

Watching the silent man before her, Shen Yiran weighed her options.

Should I make a deal with him?

She could cure the poison in his body.

If he could provide her with a place to live in the future, it would be far better than facing this world alone.

Leaning on Ren Jingzhi—even if he was disabled—was still preferable to having no one at all.

“I can cure your poison.”

The simple sentence stirred ripples in Ren Jingzhi’s stagnant heart.

He didn’t know why he still felt hope.

The Imperial Physicians had already sentenced him to death.

Yet when he saw the unwavering confidence in her eyes, a tiny spark of hope reignited within him.

Even so, he replied against his own wishes,

“No need. I’m already a dying man. I don’t want to struggle anymore.”

Shen Yiran sighed.

“Do you know what kind of patient doctors hate the most? Someone exactly like you—someone who’s determined to die.”

In her previous life, whenever she encountered patients like that, she’d scold every single one of them.

Life was precious.

How could anyone abandon it so easily?

“I’m not treating you for free.”

“I want to make a deal.”

She explained her proposal.

After hearing her out, Ren Jingzhi thought,

Perhaps… I should give myself one last chance.

If I truly survive… I’ll avenge the brothers who died protecting me.

After a long silence, he said,

“Live through tonight first.”

The hope he had just rekindled was extinguished by his own words.

Indeed…

His own Consort couldn’t even protect herself.

What right did he have to hope?

How laughable.

Shen Yiran frowned in confusion.

If he didn’t eat people, why was she supposedly doomed before dawn?

Then she suddenly remembered the poison Consort Lan had forced her to take.

Could that be the reason?

“Your Highness’s Consort, you’ll stay in the side courtyard.”

Ren Jingzhi’s cold voice interrupted her thoughts.

“Since I’m your Consort…”

She looked at him innocently.

“…why can’t I stay with my husband?”

“You’re courting death!”

The gentle, jade-like man transformed in an instant.

With a single palm strike, Ren Jingzhi blasted Shen Yiran straight out of the room.

Bang!

The door slammed shut behind her once more.