A Marriage Contract on Paper: Marrying a Male Spirit to Extend My Life - Chapter 2

The interior of the Wei family’s carriage was magnificently decorated, spacious, and comfortable. Several hand warmers had been filled and placed inside, making it warm and pleasant.

Fu Jinshu sat beside Madam Wen, propping up his chin as he stared silently at the snowy scenery outside the carriage window. From the moment he met the two of them to when he followed them onto the carriage, Fu Jinshu had not uttered a single word.

Madam Wen asked him how old he was and whether he had parents, but she received no response. The husband and wife exchanged a glance, both assuming the child was a little mute.

The carriage swayed its way back into the city, and Fu Jinshu followed Madam Wen to the courtyard of the Wei family’s main residence.

This was the first time Fu Jinshu saw his “fated person” in the flesh. It was a youth as withered as dry wood, his cheeks so emaciated that it was impossible to judge whether he was handsome or ugly; one could only feel he was pitiful and tragic.

“Jinshu, this is my son, Wei Yunchan. Tomorrow, he will marry you and become your husband. You will be the eldest daughter-in-law of our Wei family; as long as the Wei family stands, we will protect you for all your days.”

Madam Wen patted the back of his head, also feeling a sense of absurdity and awkwardness in her heart. After all, Madam Wen had never heard of a man marrying another man.

But for the sake of Wei Yunchan’s life, Madam Wen firmly suppressed the emotions in her heart.

Out of Fu Jinshu’s entire household, only Fu Jinshu looked like an ordinary person. His appearance was no different from regular people, and his clothing was perfectly normal. Although he did not speak, the Wei couple felt quite at ease and satisfied in their hearts.

In this day and age, demons and spirits roamed about. According to ancient texts:

[Demonic species utilize the spiritual qi of heaven and earth as an opportunity to take human form and speak human tongue. However, low-level demons whose cultivation is still shallow will retain the characteristics of their original forms and are temporarily unable to conceal them.]

Fu Jinshu’s two “older brothers” clearly fit the characteristics of spirits—golden eyes and white hair. As for the old man, though no obvious problems could be seen, he was by no means an ordinary elder; his steps were as swift and steady as flying, showing not the slightest hint of senile decrepitude.

Only Fu Jinshu truly looked like an ordinary child.

That was enough.

What was more, the child grew up looking highly endearing; once he matured, he was bound to be a handsome young man with the grace of a dragon and the posture of a phoenix. If he truly could extend their son’s life, what did it matter if he was a male wife? If there was no romance to speak of between the two children, they could simply raise him by their side like a son. Worst comes to worst, they could always arrange a few concubines for Wei Yunchan in the future to carry on the family lineage.

That night, Fu Jinshu slept in the side room of the main residence, waiting only to be wed to Wei Yunchan the next day, after which he would share a bed with him.

Just as dawn broke, following the crow of a rooster, maids streamed in one after another and began to dress and groom Fu Jinshu.

Fu Jinshu loved his sleep. After being woken up, he yawned non-stop, his almond eyes half-drooped, looking as though he was on the verge of nodding off again.

Because Wei Yunchan had not yet regained consciousness and could not attend, and since this was a marriage to ward off bad luck where the emphasis lay entirely on the act of “warding off bad luck” the wedding ceremony concluded hastily. The moment Fu Jinshu heard the words “escort them to the bridal chamber,” his only thought was that he could finally go back to sleep.

The door was shut from the outside by the servants. Fu Jinshu untied his hair ribbon, shed his bright red wedding robe, took off his shoes and socks, and consciously climbed onto the bed. Wei Yunchan was sleeping on the outer side, so he pulled up the blanket for himself and lay down properly on the inner side.

Wei Yunchan had been lying in the bedding the entire time. There were warm hand warmers at his feet, and the subfloor heating was burning in the room, yet after Fu Jinshu lay down, he could still feel a wave of coldness.

It emanated right from Wei Yunchan’s body. Fu Jinshu touched the back of his hand; it felt like touching a piece of freezing jade.

Drowsiness swept over him, and Fu Jinshu drifted into a deep slumber.

Wei Yunchan knew his days were numbered. Though he felt unwilling, life and death were decreed by fate. Over the past few days, he spent the vast majority of his time in a stupor. On the rare occasions he regained clarity, he couldn’t even manage the movements of raising a hand or turning over, which only added to his torment.

Therefore, when he opened his eyes, there was absolutely no trace of emotion within his deep, bottomless dark eyes only a bone-chilling coldness.

However, in the very next instant, a hint of irritation surfaced.

—To his surprise, someone was actually sleeping right next to him. Furthermore, the person was facing away from him with their backside turned toward him, having rolled away with more than half of his blanket.

He wanted to call out for someone, but his throat was parched; he wanted to raise his hand to push the person away, but one of his hands was pinned right beneath the person’s backside, while his other hand was frail and utterly powerless.

Wei Yunchan stared wide-eyed, his anger rushing to his heart, causing a mouthful of black blood to suddenly erupt from his mouth. The sound of his violent coughing caught the attention of the servants outside. Someone pushed the door open and rushed in, and amidst the frantic chaos, Fu Jinshu rolled over.

The Wei family’s bedding was made of top-grade goose down, feeling both light and warm over the body. Moreover, the subfloor heating in Wei Yunchan’s room burned without pause, making the room itself as warm as spring. After this long sleep, Fu Jinshu had even broken out into a light sweat; his round face was flushed with a rosy glow, and the beads of sweat on the tip of his nose were clearly visible.

Because he felt hot, he unconsciously tugged at his inner garments a few times. His collar was slightly open, revealing a stark, unbroken whiteness like overturned milk. His entire face was rosy and fair, just like a porcelain doll.

Wei Yunchan took only a single glance, and his first thought was that this girl was incredibly bold to dare stealthily climb onto his bed. Yet as he looked at this little maiden’s exceptionally beautiful features, doubt arose in his heart.

What use was there in climbing the bed of a dying man like him? Furthermore, this little maiden’s facial features looked remarkably young, around seventeen or eighteen years old. How could she enter his inner chambers so silently?

While he was completely mystified, his mother came rushing in with hurried steps.

A cry of “Xiqin” laced with tears finally startled Fu Jinshu awake from his dream.

He sat up from the bed, only to see Wei Yunchan leaning back in a chair while a servant wiped the black blood from his cheeks, with Madam Wen standing by his side, gently stroking his back in deep worry.

Fu Jinshu put on his shoes and stepped off the bed, and everyone simultaneously shifted their gazes onto him. An observant pageboy quickly stepped forward to serve him and help him put on his outer robe.

Wei Yunchan coughed twice, drank a sip of hot tea to moisten his throat, and then slowly spoke: “Mother, who is she?”

This “she” naturally referred to Fu Jinshu.

Madam Wen beckoned toward Fu Jinshu. Fu Jinshu was still wearing the bright red attire from the wedding this morning. Wei Yunchan’s brows knitted slightly as he heard his lady mother introduce: “This is Jinshu, the official wife your father and I sought out for you. Thanks to him, look, you actually truly woke up today, and can even leave the bed to sit up for a short while.”

Wei Yunchan looked at Fu Jinshu and asked in a cold voice: “Official wife? Marriage?”

Madam Wen pulled Fu Jinshu before Wei Yunchan. Facing Wei Yunchan’s fierce, predatory glare, Fu Jinshu’s expression remained perfectly normal, showing no sign of fear. For a moment, it left Wei Yunchan unable to tell whether this girl was simply a newborn calf that did not fear tigers out of pure ignorance, or if her courage was truly that immense.

Their gazes collided. Within Fu Jinshu’s round, wide eyes, there was no pity, let alone terror; they were like a pool of spring water, peaceful and tranquil.

Madam Wen gave a smiling response and took one of each of their hands. Wei Yunchan’s palm was larger, so Fu Jinshu’s hand was placed right within his grasp. It was a white, soft, and delicate little hand, the back of which still bore the fleshy dimples unique to children. The skin was like congealed fat, and the nails were neatly trimmed, radiating a healthy pink hue.

It was a stark contrast of lovely vitality compared to Wei Yunchan’s hand, which was pale, emaciated, and reduced to a mere skeleton.

One cold, one hot; one beautiful, one ugly the disparity was glaringly obvious.

“What is her full name, and how old is she this year?” Wei Yunchan asked.

As for which family the young lady belonged to, he couldn’t be bothered to ask. In short, within this Yunliang City, there was simply no daughter of a noble house who could be considered a well-matched match for him.

Madam Wen seeing that he showed no explicit rejection, let out a sigh of relief in her heart and replied: “Fu Jinshu. Listening to his grandfather, he is about to turn eighteen.”

Eighteen—the age was indeed a good match for his own.

“Send her back tomorrow.” Wei Yunchan withdrew his hand, his attitude cold and detached. “I have no need for any wife. Being able to wake up today was merely a coincidence. Mother, since when did you become so superstitious about these strange chaotic forces and chaotic spirits?”

Hearing this, Madam Wen quickly made a motion to cover his mouth: “Do not speak nonsense. The marriage contract for the two of you has already been stamped with seals, and Jinshu’s name has already been inscribed into our Wei family’s ancestral registry. There is absolutely no backing out of this marriage. Xiqin, listen to your mother just this once and get along well with Jinshu. The immortal said that you will surely turn misfortune into blessings and live a long life of a hundred years.”

Wei Yunchan had always sneered at these tales of immortals and demons. Unless he was granted a brand-new physical body, how could a sickly and frail frame like his change its destiny against heaven and obtain a long life of a hundred years simply by marrying a woman as his wife?

But now that the rice was already cooked the deed was done and coupled with the fact that Wei Yunchan had sat for a while and spoken a few sentences, he was already utterly exhausted. He waved his hand and stopped bringing up the matter of annulling the marriage.

Seeing him in this state, Madam Wen knew he needed proper rest and quickly instructed the servants to carry him back to the bed. The servants sensibly withdrew. Madam Wen tucked him in snugly and touched his temples affectionately: “Rest well. Mother will have Fentao bring you a bowl of chicken soup in a short while to fill your stomach.”

Wei Yunchan closed his eyes, uttering a low hum in response. Today, his stomach unexpectedly felt a rare trace of hunger, but he thought nothing of it. He heard the sound of Madam Wen’s departing footsteps after she gave a few instructions to Fu Jinshu, and immediately following that, the bedroom door was shut.

There was still one person left in the room who hadn’t departed his young, yet remarkably well-behaved official wife wedded to ward off bad luck.