VL Chapter16

The rain trapped him indoors for three full days.

On the fourth day, the weather finally cleared, and Yan Jiang practically scrambled out the front door on all fours to flee his home.

There were many things in this world far more terrifying than death. Just as wanderers said, poison was far deadlier than a blade, because the former always destroyed its enemy from within in a quiet, imperceptible manner.

Over those three days, Yan Jiang experienced this truth firsthand.

—Yet in truth, the Ghost King had done nothing of real substance.

Just as he had for the past month or so, he still spent most of his time cultivating his energy to heal his injuries. Only each night before sleep would he half-drag, half-carry Yan Jiang onto the bed, kissing or touching him, giving him a thorough taste of tenderness.

To be precise, it was unilateral tenderness from the Ghost King.

No matter what, Yan Jiang could never adapt to it, yet at such moments he no longer belonged to himself; he was the Ghost King’s private collection.

Shi Xiao tolerated no resistance or refusal from him. With just a single trace of ghostly energy, Yan Jiang had no choice but to part his lips to accept deep, invasive kisses, and to let his body go limp, allowing those icy, large hands to patrol every inch of his skin.

The other party seemed to adore his body heat; after touching his fill, he would bundle Yan Jiang tightly into his arms even while sleeping.

He could only tremble in the other party’s embrace, experiencing it all with a deadened heart, feeling large expanses of his skin coming into direct contact with the Ghost King’s body.

Shi Xiao never showed any intention of taking things a step further.

Yet the more this was the case, the higher Yan Jiang’s heart hung in suspense, leaving him in a constant, panicked state of dread.

He was, after all, a normal young man. When tightly bound in the Ghost King’s embrace, he could clearly feel what that hard object pressed against his thigh was, and he knew full well what it signified.

Shi Xiao was, after all, the King of the Underworld. If he desired it, what possible reason would he have to restrain himself?

Just thinking about it threw Yan Jiang into a complete panic.

By the time he reached the market, he forgot to greet even the neighboring stallholders he hadn’t seen in days. His gaze drifted aimlessly across the street as endless thoughts raced wild in his mind while sitting behind his own shabby calligraphy and painting stall.

One moment he pondered the affairs of the Yan family ancestors, the next he recalled his previous escape to Husan Village; one second, he remembered his father’s deathbed instructions, and the next, the sensation of the Ghost King’s cold, wet tongue scraping against his earlobe suddenly surfaced before him.

Deep in thought, he failed to notice Brother Lin coming over to drop by his stall. Brother Lin clapped him on the shoulder out of nowhere, “Xiao Jiang’er, what are you woolgathering about? I called you several times, and you didn’t move an inch.”

It scared him half to death, and the scroll he was holding dropped to the ground with a loud snap.

Yan Jiang scrambled in a flurry to pick it up.

“Ah, Brother Lin… I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you just now.” He forced a dry, sheepish smile.

Brother Lin was certainly not a petty man, but he intentionally put on a face of desperate disappointment, shaking his head vigorously.

“Look what time it is, stop obsessing over your books for a second.” He snatched the scroll right out of Yan Jiang’s hands and set it down on the table. “Your big brother here made a point not to bring my lunch today, so my family is guaranteed to send my little sister over to deliver it later.”

“What?” The scholar was taken aback.

“We agreed on this! Later I’m introducing you two, you’d better stay sharp!”

Only then did Yan Jiang recall the conversation they had a few days ago. With so much happening over the past few days, he had long cast the matter into the back of his mind.

He stood up in a flurry. “Today?! Isn’t that a bit sudden?”

Brother Lin, who was taking it completely for granted and failing to notice the scholar’s embarrassment, said with a casual wave of his hand, “Not sudden at all, not sudden at all. If it hadn’t rained so hard, I would have set this up way earlier.”

“But Brother Lin, I really haven’t planned on settling down yet. Perhaps we should—”

Yan Jiang weighed his words carefully.

Just as he was about to suggest postponing it, at that very moment, Brother Lin glanced toward the end of the street. Suddenly perking up, he slapped Yan Jiang’s arm forcefully, “Hey, stop talking, she’s here, she’s here! Hurry up and tidy yourself up!”

Yan Jiang looked in the direction of his gaze, only to see a bustling crowd of pedestrians, making it impossible to tell which one was Brother Lin’s cousin.

Turning back around, Brother Lin had already returned to his flatbread stall, casually hawking his wares as if nothing were amiss.

A moment later, a round-faced, big-eyed young woman dressed in a pale green silk skirt indeed walked up to his stall.

From the angle of his calligraphy booth, the scholar watched as the girl wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead and unslung a cloth bundle from her arm to hand it to Brother Lin. Perhaps because it was her first time at this market, as Brother Lin spoke a few words to her, she answered while glancing around curiously in all directions.

She was indeed a lively, pretty young woman.

But…

Yan Jiang lowered his head to look at his hands. His gaze seemed to penetrate his sleeves, staring at the faint finger marks left printed on his wrists from a man’s grip.

Before long, sensing someone approaching, he bit the bullet and raised his head.

Caught completely off guard, his eyes met the girl’s directly.

“Ah Qin, this is Scholar Yan whom I always mention at home! His learning is top-notch; those letters you sent before were all read to us with his help!”

Brother Lin wore a warm, enthusiastic smile, introducing them while giving Yan Jiang what he thought was a covert wink. “Xiao Jiang, this is my sister! She just came back from the provincial capital last month.”

He was truly in a good mood.

Especially seeing how the scholar stared blankly at his little sister, his heart was already savoring a deep sense of accomplishment—see, no matter how dull a bookworm is, he can’t escape the charm of a pretty face like my sister’s!

Little did he know that although the other party was indeed staring blankly, it was for a completely different reason.

It was just that the moment Yan Jiang met Lin Qinqin’s eyes, seeing the clear, graceful candidness in them alongside her curiosity about the new environment, a sudden thought sprouted in his heart.

This thought was unprecedented and far too bold; while it made his heart thud wildly against his chest, a secret flicker of anticipation quietly emerged.

That was why he couldn’t help but freeze in place for a good while.

It was only when he noticed the confusion in the girl’s eyes that he hastily pulled himself together, raising his hands to give her a proper, conventional greeting, “Miss Lin, it is a pleasure to meet you for the first time.”

It was an entirely ordinary meeting.

Lin Qinqin appeared to have no interest in Yan Jiang whatsoever, while Yan Jiang frequently zoned out. After only a few words, they had already run out of things to say; rolling her eyes thoughtfully, the girl made an excuse about having other matters to attend to and left early.

Once Lin Qinqin’s figure had completely faded into the distance, as expected, Brother Lin shuffled over once more. Gritting his teeth, he wielded his rolling pin like a teacher’s pointer, playfully rapping it against the scholar’s forearm with exaggerated indignation, “What is wrong with you, eh?! You might usually be a bit slow, but you’ve never been this dense! Even if you don’t fancy my sister, you didn’t have to embarrass me like that either, right?!”

The residual flour on the rolling pin dusted onto his yellowed white clothes, leaving behind several white streaks.

Knowing he was in the wrong, Yan Jiang dutifully lowered his head and listened to his lecture.

When the other party had mostly finished scolding him, he finally raised his head, displaying a face full of sorrow before Brother Lin.

“Brother Lin, you know my situation as well. I can skimp on other things, but to marry a wife, it’s impossible to do so without betrothal gifts and jewelry. Truth be told, I can’t even produce those.” This was indeed his current situation without the slightest exaggeration. He pursed his lips, his expression involuntarily tinged with a humiliated self-consciousness. “Let alone Miss Lin, who used to be a young lady of a wealthy family, even the farm girls in the village would never look twice at a poor scholar like me. This calligraphy and painting stall can barely feed my own mouth; anything more is…”

Yan Jiang let out a soft sigh, not continuing further.

Even though he had left some leeway and hadn’t stated it too bluntly, this sudden confession still caught Brother Lin off guard. A moment later, his hand holding the rolling pin dropped to his side, and he let out a sigh:

“Ah! Brother understands your difficulties. Even your Brother Lin here has parents at home who can lend a hand, but ever since my wife gave birth to a son, things at home have been getting harder day by day.”

Yan Jiang nodded.

A hint of hesitation seemed to flicker across his face as he didn’t speak right away, causing a brief silence to fall between the two of them.

Because of the days-long interruption caused by the weather, the market today was extraordinarily lively with the clamor of the crowd boiling everywhere, making the heavy atmosphere in this corner stand out all the more.

Shielded by the hem of his robe, Yan Jiang quietly touched his wrist. Feeling a faint, dull ache throb through it, he finally made up his mind.

“Brother Lin, I have an unreasonable request.” His voice dropped lower, his right hand nervously clenching into a tight fist inside his sleeve. “My family possesses a piece of red jade left behind by my father. Originally, it was held in hopes that when I passed the imperial exams with high honors, I could wear it upon being granted an audience with His Majesty. But as things stand now, prospects are dim. Rather than letting fine jade gather dust in my thatched cottage, it would be better off finding a new, proper home.”

“You mean…” Brother Lin hesitated, which was rare for him, seemingly unable to believe that a scholar like Yan Jiang would say such a thing.

Seeing his reaction, Yan Jiang felt his heart tighten in waves, a hidden bitterness surging through him. He took a deep breath to draw more courage from it, hoping to steady the wavering inside his heart.

Only then did he finally speak the request that had been swirling in his mind, “Brother Lin, you are kind-hearted and well-connected. If possible, could you… help me find a wealthy buyer?”

Just as Brother Lin suspected, he was going to sell the only valuable relic left by his parents.

Because he needed sufficient travel funds.

Not to take a wife.

He was going to escape.

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