Shen Mo and Lin Qiang were still staying at the Jinhu Inn, while Jiang Xiaosi had been taken hostage by Lu Lin and locked up in his courtyard. Lu Lin didn’t know much about Shen Mo and the others’ identities, nor did he care. All he wanted was a few people to get married.
He treated the village like his family, so naturally, he wouldn’t choose someone with a bad appearance or character, and he wasn’t about to tear apart anyone’s existing relationships. It was rare to find people like Shen Mo and the others who were not only handsome but also unmarried, making them the perfect candidates.
Lu Lin didn’t imprison them, only holding onto Jiang Xiaosi as collateral. If they were to abandon their companion and escape, then such people weren’t worthy of staying in Xiao Li Village. Out of all of them, it was Shen Mo who intrigued him the most, even though Yixiu’s status as a monk made him slightly wary.
At that moment, Jiang Xiaosi was lying in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. She curled up under the covers, starting to miss the warm embrace of Jiang Liu, and even the icy refrigerator-like presence of Shen Mo.
The bamboo shadows danced on the window, and the moon outside shone brightly. In the darkness, she stared wide-eyed, replaying the scene from that night when she had teased Shen Mo. He’d been so angry his face had turned green, but because he felt guilty for what he’d done, he hadn’t resisted even when she took full advantage of the situation. In a way, it was a blessing in disguise.
All this time she’d known him, she had never seen Shen Mo smile—not even a mocking one. He was always so cold, yet he treated everyone with kindness, the complete opposite of her father, who appeared to care about everyone but really only cared about her and her mother.
But that wasn’t important. What mattered was how she could turn Shen Mo’s kindness toward a student into genuine affection for her.
Ever since she was little, Jiang Xiaosi had envied her mother for having a man like her father, who loved her so deeply even after a thousand years. Initially, she approached Shen Mo out of curiosity, drawn by his appearance and the allure of RH blood. But the more time she spent with him, the more she understood him, and with that understanding came an increasing fondness. She liked his coldness, his awkwardness, his sharp tongue, and even his temper.
Outside, she faintly heard music, filled with endless sorrow and melancholy. The courtyard was small, with only a few rooms, and Lu Lin lived there alone. Jiang Xiaosi suddenly sat up in bed, deciding to go out and see what that Lianli tree spirit was up to, playing music in the middle of the night. Did he think serenading her like some random guy trying to win over a girl would make her change her mind and agree to marry him?
She threw on her clothes and headed outside, and sure enough, there was Lu Lin sitting on the tallest tree in the courtyard, playing a leaf whistle to the moon. But it was winter—there weren’t any leaves on the trees.
Jiang Xiaosi stood under the tree, looking up at him. “Did you pluck the leaves from yourself?”
Lu Lin ignored her teasing and kept playing. Jiang Xiaosi, feeling a bit deflated, rubbed her nose and continued, “What exactly did you feed Xiao Tang and me? Who poisons people and doesn’t tell them what kind of poison it is or how dangerous it is?”
Lu Lin finally stopped playing, his emotionless eyes staring down at her. “It’s not poison, but I could turn you into a tree anytime I want.”
Jiang Xiaosi froze for a moment, then burst into laughter instead of getting angry. “Can you turn me into a Christmas tree?”
Lu Lin floated down from the tree like a dandelion puff, his body so thin it seemed like a gust of wind could scatter him.
“You don’t seem scared of me at all.” he said. “Earlier, when I caught you, you were screaming and struggling like crazy.”
“I was scared at first, but when I realized you weren’t going to kill me and instead wanted me to marry my teacher, you became my hero!” Jiang Xiaosi had come to see that Lu Lin wasn’t as evil as she had initially imagined. A demon who could listen and understand others, and even negotiate, couldn’t be all that bad.
Lu Lin looked at her seriously, his fingers moving rapidly in a calculation, then he shook his head gently. “I’m only helping you two get married for my own selfish reasons. But the truth is, you’re not meant to be together in this life. Eventually, you’ll be separated. I only help with the union, not the separation. If you truly love him, you’d better prepare yourself for the future.”
Jiang Xiaosi’s heart trembled, and her smile froze. She knew Lu Lin had no reason to lie to her, and the chances of Shen Mo accepting her as a zombie were slim. But she couldn’t help wanting to gamble on his soft heart. If he fell in love with her, then their identities shouldn’t matter anymore, right?
“Why did you want to marry me in the first place? You don’t need your own marriage to complete your karmic merits, do you?”
Lu Lin shook his head. “I’ve officiated so many weddings for others that I just wanted to experience what it would feel like to get married myself.”
“Are you lonely? No wonder, watching everyone else’s happiness while you’re all alone. No wonder you’re out here playing music in the middle of the night—feeling lovesick, huh?”
Lu Lin glared at her.
Jiang Xiaosi continued to smile mischievously. “There are still a few girls left in the village waiting to be married, right?”
“I see them as my sisters. It’s rare for an outsider like you to come along.”
“Well, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but it looks like you’ll be staying single a little longer. But hey, you’re a good guy. My family’s shop has some regulars who aren’t bad either. I could introduce you if you let us leave.”
“Your family runs a shop?”
“Yeah.”
“What do you sell?”
“Adult products.”
“Jewelry?”
“No…”
“Shovels?”
“…”
Before they knew it, they had talked until morning. Lu Lin left to make arrangements for the upcoming weddings, locking Jiang Xiaosi back in the courtyard. She returned to bed to catch up on sleep, convinced that Shen Mo and the others would come up with a plan to rescue her. But a whole day passed, and aside from two old ladies bringing her food, no one came. In the evening, Lu Lin returned, and Jiang Xiaosi tried to subtly inquire about Shen Mo and the others.
“Xingzhi and Xiaowan took them on a tour of the village.”
Jiang Xiaosi stared at him in disbelief. “What? You let them out? What about me?”
“You’ll be free once you’re all married.”
“You’re going to let us go back?”
Lu Lin thought for a moment. “You and Shen Mo can leave, and if Xiaowan is willing to return to the outside world, Xiao Tang can go too. But Yixiu and Lin Qiang have to stay in the village.”
“Why?”
“Couples shouldn’t be separated. If they can find a way to leave the village together, I won’t stop them.”
Jiang Xiaosi was speechless.
Another day passed, and still no one came to see her. She had no idea if her father had received the message and was coming to help or what the situation was with Shen Mo and the others. Unable to sit still any longer, she made countless attempts to escape, but every time she tried to leave the courtyard, the trees’ branches would wrap around her like arms and drag her back. So she spent the entire day playing a game of wits against a few trees.
Later, Lu Xiaowan came to bring her the wedding dress for a fitting. Seeing the bundle of bright red fabric lifted Jiang Xiaosi’s spirits. Maybe being a peaceful, obedient bride-to-be wouldn’t be so bad after all.
Finally, the wedding day arrived, but Jiang Xiaosi still hadn’t seen Shen Mo or the others. Her heart was filled with a mix of anticipation and fear. She asked Lu Xiaowan countless times, but the answer was always the same—her father and Miao Yan hadn’t arrived.
Could it be that Miao Yan hadn’t received the message? That shouldn’t be the case.
When the auspicious hour arrived, Lu Lin forced something into her mouth, and just like Xiao Tang, she lost all control over her body. Pushed along by the people behind her, she stumbled forward in a daze, her head covered by the wedding veil, as the deafening sounds of people and firecrackers surrounded her. She vaguely followed along, bowing in the wedding ceremony.
Was the person holding the other end of the red silk ribbon really Shen Mo? She couldn’t quite believe it, feeling as if she were in a dream or a movie, and everything around her was just an illusion.
There were two other couples, but Jiang Xiaosi didn’t have the energy to pay attention to them. Her head felt heavy as if it were filled with lead, and her chest was weighed down as if by a branding iron, with fire licking up from her belly to her throat.
She desperately wanted to see what Shen Mo looked like bowing in the ceremony—it must be a funny sight—but all she could see was red. Before she knew it, the ceremony was over, and her father had never shown up.
She didn’t know how she ended up in the room, let alone how she sat down. Her body still wasn’t hers to control, and she couldn’t even take a deep breath.
She had no idea how long she’d been sitting there. Jiang Xiaosi’s mind wandered back to her childhood when she and a few mischievous little demons snuck into an old man’s orchard to steal peaches. When they returned, her father punished her by making her stand in the corner. He had never had the heart to hit or scold her, so this was the most severe punishment she had ever received. But that silent, boring corner was more unbearable than a beating. Jiang Xiaosi often found herself chatting to the wall or muttering to herself to pass the time.
Outside, the noise of people gradually faded. Suddenly, the door creaked open. Jiang Xiaosi’s heart leaped into her throat—was she really about to consummate the marriage with her mentor? She wasn’t naive; she knew that Shen Mo agreeing to marry her was just a temporary solution, and she didn’t believe they had done nothing to stop this over the past few days.
The person who entered had a faint scent of alcohol, but there was also the subtle smell of RH blood. It should be Shen Mo, but with the wedding veil over her head and her mind foggy, she couldn’t be sure.
Jiang Xiaosi’s heart pounded. The person stood in front of her without saying a word, seemingly lost in thought.
Mentor, lift the veil already! Jiang Xiaosi silently urged in her mind. The person finally moved, but instead of lifting the veil, they reached out to unbutton her clothes. Jiang Xiaosi was stunned. Her first reaction was that this person wasn’t Shen Mo.
Could it be Lu Lin?
Jiang Xiaosi felt like crying as she sensed the buttons on her front being undone one by one. When the person’s hand touched her neck, it was burning hot.
It’s over. Is this how her thousand years of chastity were going to end? Where was Shen Mo? Where was her father? Someone, please save her!
The person suddenly leaned down, pressing her beneath them. One hand lowered the bed curtain, while the other slipped inside her clothes.
Jiang Xiaosi mentally cursed every foul word she knew, vowing that as soon as she could move, she’d beat the hell out of this bastard, or she wouldn’t deserve the name Jiang.
Feeling the hand move on her chest, she was on the verge of tears. Damn it, there’s nothing there to touch anyway!
Two teardrops unwillingly slid down her face, soaking into the pillow.
The person on top of her seemed to pause, then gently leaned closer to her ear.
“Xiaosi, don’t be scared.”
The tension inside Jiang Xiaosi snapped, and she exhaled a massive sigh of relief. It really was Shen Mo. Damn, that scared her! She had thought she was about to turn into another tragic heroine like Xiaolongnu!
But what was he doing, taking advantage of her? Was this payback for her teasing him last time?
Shen Mo, with one hand searching for something inside her clothes, used the other to remove her veil. At that moment, Jiang Xiaosi, with her tearful, sparkling eyes, looked up at him, pitifully, like a small hamster.
Shen Mo felt amused but couldn’t bring himself to smile. He had taken the tree demon’s charm potion, which wasn’t too much of an issue, but after two cups of wine, he was a bit disoriented. He hadn’t wanted Jiang Xiaosi to see him like this, afraid it would ruin his image as a respectable mentor.
Speaking of his image, he suddenly realized that he was still pressing down on her, which wasn’t appropriate at all. Just as he was about to get up, Jiang Xiaosi wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her cherry-like lips against his.
Shen Mo was caught off guard as she kissed him, frozen in surprise. How could he let himself fall into the same trap twice with the same person?
“Jiang Xiaosi!” Shen Mo scolded. How could she still be in the mood to fool around at a time like this?
Jiang Xiaosi blinked at him innocently. It wasn’t her fault—her body was moving on its own!
“You…”
As soon as Shen Mo opened his mouth, her soft tongue slipped inside, much more skilled than the last time. It moved playfully against his, expertly teasing and nibbling at his lips.
Shen Mo inhaled sharply. If he had managed to stay calm the first time, this time he was genuinely rattled.
The hard shell around his heart was suddenly peeled away, exposing the softness inside, and this little hamster was slowly nibbling at it with her sharp teeth.
A fire deep inside him had been lit. Shen Mo told himself that this was just the effect of the charm potion and the alcohol. Every time he drank, he became different, wanting to do things that required physical exertion—like cleaning the house from top to bottom or running a marathon—until he was utterly exhausted and could fall into a deep sleep.
But how did this relate to physical labor?
Shen Mo’s mind started to go blank, especially when faced with Jiang Xiaosi’s utterly innocent, pitiful eyes. This time, instead of clamping his lips shut like before, he unconsciously began to respond to her kisses, holding her small body.
Had he really been seduced by a little hamster? Was he falling for a hamster?
Jiang Xiaosi hadn’t expected Shen Mo to accept her this time, and she felt a mix of excitement and anxiety. So, last time, she just wasn’t good enough! It turns out a real kiss is what works, not just a peck. It seemed tonight was indeed going to be their wedding night, but she wasn’t ready yet—what should she do?
Just then, there was a loud crash at the door, like some sort of magic had been broken. A group of people rushed in, led by none other than Jiang Liu.
“Shen Mo, everything’s taken care of…” That last word got stuck in his throat like a stone, impossible to spit out.
Seeing his daughter on the bed, intimately entangled with another man, what could a father possibly think?
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