The Voodoo Clan has always had a Holy Maiden in every generation, and from the moment they are born, their marriages are not their own to decide. The last Holy Maiden, Wu Ying, was betrothed to the High Priest under the clan's arrangement. However, once, when she went out to find young Gu worms and was injured, she was saved by Jiang Runchuan, who happened to be passing by. The two fell in love. She hid her identity and followed him back to Lingyu Province.
A woman of unknown origin wanting to become the Lady of Lingyu Province naturally faced all kinds of obstruction. But Jiang Runchuan was determined to marry her, even confronting his officials in court. In the end, they had to settle on a compromise: he married the Prime Minister's daughter as the Lady, and Wu Ying became his concubine.
But in reality, that Lady was nothing more than a figurehead. Jiang Runchuan spent every night in Wu Ying's room, and the two were deeply in love. However, Jiang Runchuan was frail and prone to illness, so Wu Ying tried every possible way to raise Gu worms as medicinal catalysts to nourish his body. The first Crimson Blood Silkworm was cultivated by her own hands.
They thought their days could go on peacefully like this, but who knew that one day, Jiang Runchuan would suddenly change. He locked Wu Ying in the dungeon and never went to see her again. He also ordered strict surveillance over her. This imprisonment lasted for three years.
Wu Li sneered, though it was unclear whose foolish delusion he was mocking. Later, on a stormy night, Jiang Runchuan got dead drunk and went to the dungeon to find her. It was that very night that Wu Ying became pregnant.
Upon discovering her pregnancy, she was ecstatic and wanted to tell him, stubbornly believing that Jiang Runchuan still loved her. But the guards kept a tight watch on her. It wasn't until the High Priest came to rescue her that she saw Jiang Runchuan and the Lady already had a child. During the three years she was imprisoned, he had actually been loving and having children with someone else.
Unfortunately, the High Priest didn't really come to save her, but to bring her back to the clan for punishment. A Holy Maiden having an affair with a man from an outside clan tainted the pure Holy Maiden bloodline, causing the lineage to break. Only by burning her as a sacrifice to the heavens beneath the Divine Tree could the ancestors' wrath be appeased.
On the day she was burned to death, she gave birth to a baby amidst the flames. Carrying the purest blood bestowed by Wu Ying, as well as her curse, he became an immortal.
Wu Li's eyes were cold and desolate. The Holy Maiden's lineage is only supposed to give birth to female infants. Too bad that child was a boy, a freak born of a Holy Maiden and an outsider.
Therefore, he looked at Chai Xiaomi, pulling a cold smile at the corners of his mouth, everyone called him—the little bastard.
As soon as he finished speaking, his collar was fiercely grabbed by a small hand and pulled downward.
The force was negligible to him, yet he obediently leaned down.
The next second, a warm and soft sensation pressed against his lips.
She rested her forehead against his, her tone fierce like a little beast protecting its cub. What are you saying? Try insulting my husband one more time and see what happens.
Wu Li paused. The lingering sweet softness on his lips distracted him a little.
He stared at her slightly pursed lips. The gloomy darkness that had just been surging within him inexplicably dissipated for the most part, and he instead asked earnestly,
Then if I insult him again, can I get another kiss?
As if having tasted something addictive, he leaned in again.
In your dreams! Chai Xiaomi crossed her hands into a big X and pressed them against his chest, stopping his advance.
She widened her eyes, looking like a kitten with its fur puffed up. Listen to me clearly. You are you, an independent individual. They were merely the medium that brought you into this world. Now, you are no one's son; you have a completely new identity.
Remember, you are now the husband of the invincible and beautiful maiden, Chai Xiaomi!
From now on, if anyone else insults my husband, please beat them up for me. Can you do that?
The corners of his mouth seemed to want to curl up, but he pursed them back. I can.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
The topic returned to the main point.
I bear my mother's curse.
At this point, there was nothing left to hide about the baseness and darkness in his bones.
Wu Li's expression was incredibly placid. The Twin Love Gu was prepared for Song Yueyao and Jiang Runchuan. Ever since I found out about Jiang Zhiyu's deep devotion to her, I hatched this plan.
Ultimately, he didn't spell it out completely.
The purpose of planting the Twin Love Gu in Song Yueyao and Jiang Runchuan was already quite clear.
He wanted father and son to slaughter each other, making them both taste the bitterness of betrayal at the same time.
To come up with such a vicious, immoral scheme, he even had to drag the innocent Song Yueyao into it.
The outer corners of his eyes lifted slightly, rippling with a half-smile, and his expression actually appeared somewhat innocent.
Mimi, now do you know... exactly what kind of person I am?
I know, Chai Xiaomi curled her lip. There was not a trace of shock on her face, but she was faintly suppressing her irritation. You've always had a bit of a psychopath in you anyway.
She took a deep breath. Good thing your wicked plan hasn't succeeded yet. You almost targeted the wrong enemy! Let's not even talk about your father for a moment. Did you know that Jiang Zhiyu isn't your brother at all!
He isn't the biological son of the Lord of Lingyu Province; he's an adopted son they brought back!
These words left Wu Li completely stunned.
The plot advantage of being the male lead revealed itself at this moment.
The villain's origins are often left vague and unclear, but Jiang Zhiyu's background was written plainly in the book.
His biological parents died in the jaws of demonic beasts, and while still in his swaddling clothes, he was saved by the alchemists of Jingming Terrace.
Therefore, he was raised in Jingming Terrace since childhood.
The Lord of Lingyu Province had always been on good terms with Alchemist Ji of Jingming Terrace. By chance, he saw this orphaned baby at Jingming Terrace and noticed the child bore some resemblance to himself.
The imperial physicians in the palace had once asserted that it would be difficult for him to have heirs.
Thus, he brought Jiang Zhiyu back to the palace and publicly declared him as his and the Lady's biological son, claiming that because the child was born weak, he had been sent to Jingming Terrace to recover for a time before being brought back.
The couple was kind-hearted and treated Jiang Zhiyu as their own, so much so that even Jiang Zhiyu himself had never doubted his origins.
In Chai Xiaomi's eyes, this backstory was merely to establish the bond between Jiang Zhiyu and his master, Ji Bai, so she had never taken it to heart.
Moreover, in the subsequent plot, Jiang Zhiyu consistently existed in the role of the Young Master of Lingyu Province.
Right up until the ending, he never knew that he wasn't biologically theirs, because his adoptive parents had always treated him incredibly well.
Didn't this also indirectly prove that Jiang Runchuan wasn't a bad person at all?
However, human nature is multifaceted; it is never simply black and white.
Before interacting with Jiang Runchuan herself, Chai Xiaomi couldn't make any definitive judgments about him.
How do you know that Jiang Zhiyu is an adopted son brought back by Jiang Runchuan?
A trace of complex emotion flashed in Wu Li's eyes. His probing gaze fell upon her face, full of profound meaning.
Oh, I almost forgot. He suddenly flashed a smile.
You are from Lingyu Province. Could this be some street rumor you heard? When I previously visited Yicheng, the capital of Lingyu Province, I heard that the local commoners always loved spreading palace secrets. But how can these baseless rumors be taken seriously?
Even the commoners were secretly spreading it? How was that possible? Wasn't this matter kept strictly confidential? She only knew of this secret because she was a reader with a god's-eye view.
Chai Xiaomi suspiciously played along with his words, replying vaguely, "Doesn't that just prove there might be some underlying reason for this? So you cannot just casually treat Jiang Zhiyu as an imaginary enemy. What if you are mistaken..."
"Mimi," he interrupted softly, his expression taking on a subtle nuance. "Are you truly a native of Lingyu Province? How could you not even realize that the name of the capital was wrong? Yicheng is actually the capital of Xun Province."
Chai Xiaomi forced a laugh to smooth things over. "Oh, you just said Yicheng so fast, I was not listening closely."
"Is that so? But there is no Yicheng anywhere in the Central Plains. I completely made it up."
Wu Li slowly leaned in. "It would be one thing if it were some obscure little province, but anyone with even a little worldly knowledge should know the names of the three great provincial capitals. Even I, a man from Miaojiang, remember them clearly. How could you not know?"
His warm breath lightly brushed against her.
Chai Xiaomi: "..."
Alright, alright. So he was setting up a trap within a trap for her.
He gazed deeply into her eyes. "Mimi, you were the one who said that husband and wife should be completely honest with each other."
