After Marrying the Evil God - Chapter 7

“You shouldn’t worry too much,” Liu Ci said, pulling out his phone. “Chouzhuang’s destiny has shifted. Right now, he’s like ‘Tang Seng meat’ every malevolent spirit out there is going to be eyeing him. Having a Ghost King to suppress that energy is actually beneficial for him.”

“Chouzhuang, add me first. If that Ghost King comes looking for you again, send me a message. I’ll have my Master come over and take a look.”

“Thanks, Brother Ci,” Xie Chouzhuang replied as he added Liu Ci on his phone.

“It’s getting late; I’ll head home now.”

“I’ll drive you,” Xie Yuanxian said, grabbing his car keys and standing up.

“Then I’ll trouble you,” Liu Ci smiled at him.

Xie Yuanxian tried to keep a stiff, serious face, but in the next second, he tripped over his own feet. He quickly corrected his posture and practically fled out the door.

“Well, well… looks like the old iron tree is finally blooming,” Xi Zhuozhou leaned against Xie Chouzhuang, clicking his tongue in amusement.

“Second Brother, our family is about to be left with you as the only single dog. Shouldn’t you hurry up?”

“Your brother here is as calm as still water; I keep my distance from women. If I wanted to get married, it would be simple—one wave of my hand and countless girls would be lining up to marry me.”

“Keep dreaming!” Xie Chouzhuang rolled his eyes in disbelief.

“Hey! Don’t doubt me. Plenty of people like me, but marriage is no joking matter, is it? I have to be responsible for myself and the girl. It has to be mutual love! Only with true love, understanding, and support can a marriage be long and happy. Otherwise, even if you force a union, you’re just sharing a bed while dreaming different dreams.”

“You brat,” Xi Yuyan chuckled softly.

The Midnight Visitor

Xie Chouzhuang went upstairs to wash up and headed to bed.

A wisp of black mist used its old trick, appearing in his room. The mist slithered into his quilt, creeping up from his calves.

“Ugh… cold,” Xie Chouzhuang frowned at the icy touch.

The black mist paused for a moment, then continued upward, settling on his slender waist. The flowing mist seemed to be carefully measuring his proportions. His pale skin was stained with a flush of red, making the black mist even more agitated. It writhed, branding one red mark after another onto his white skin.

A thin thread of mist flowed between Xie Chouzhuang’s slightly parted lips.

“Mm, let go…” Xie Chouzhuang felt as though he were trapped in a dark nightmare from which he would never wake.

Hearing his murmur, the black mist didn’t let go; instead, it grew even more bold. A vague, formless humanoid outline seemed to leave kiss after kiss along the side of his neck. Numerous red marks rose from his skin, giving him a trace of a sensual, disheveled air.

The Dispute

Ji Sixian appeared in the room at that exact moment. Seeing the dense cluster of red marks on Xie Chouzhuang’s neck, he frowned deeply and snatched the black mist. “I told you, do not disturb him!”

The black mist writhed, emitting a few blurred sounds: “%￥##& Li… ke… him…”

Ji Sixian took a deep breath and raised a finger, intending to wipe away the marks on Xie Chouzhuang. “You’re going to scare him like this.”

“%￥##& No… don’t…” The black mist wrapped around Ji Sixian’s hand.

Ji Sixian was nearly laughed in frustration. “Look at how you’ve bitten his neck. What is he supposed to do?”

“%￥##& No… don’t…” The black mist forcibly dragged Ji Sixian away. After hurriedly leaving behind a few words, Ji Sixian was pulled into the darkness and vanished.

The Morning Surprise

Morning sunlight streamed into the room, falling upon Xie Chouzhuang’s face. His delicate skin was gilded with a soft glow, and the fine downy hair on his cheeks was visible, shimmering in the light like a gentle stroke from a sunbeam.

“My goodness!” The butler’s exclamation came from outside the window downstairs. “Sir, Madam, something has happened!”

“What is it? What’s going on?” The Xie couple hurried downstairs, only to be stunned by the sight before them.

“It’s early morning, what’s the fuss?” Xi Zhuozhou rubbed his eyes as he came down, but his mouth hung open uncontrollably once he saw the situation. “WTF?”

“Are these… betrothal gifts?” Xie Yuanxian leaned in toward Xie Chaoding to look at a red ledger the butler had found.

“Did that Ghost King hear everything we discussed yesterday?”

Xie Chaoding looked at the nearly one hundred rosewood chests in the yard, feeling a bit awkward. “This Ghost King… he’s actually quite traditional.”

The Marriage Letter

Xie Chouzhuang was awakened by the noise downstairs and found a piece of red paper sitting on his desk. He picked it up and saw the following written on it:

Betrothal gifts for you. I am sorry.

The handwriting was powerful and elegant, the strokes seemingly piercing through the paper. Xie Chouzhuang was baffled. Did Ji Sixian come last night? And what’s with the gifts and the apology?

“Chouzhuang! Come down and see! Your ‘husband’ sent over the betrothal gifts!” Xi Zhuozhou shouted from outside Xie Chouzhuang’s window.

When Xie Chouzhuang went downstairs, he saw countless rosewood chests piled in the yard.

“What… what is all this?” He opened a few of the chests and was blinded by the sight of pure gold. He stood there in a daze. A single thought echoed in his mind: I only mentioned betrothal gifts, and you actually gave them!

“The Ghost King’s betrothal gifts,” Xie Chaoding said, handing a Marriage Letter to Xie Chouzhuang, muttering privately, “It seems marrying a Ghost King might not be so bad after all.”

Xie Chouzhuang opened the letter. The first line read: A union of two families, a covenant made in one hall…

His face flushed crimson, and he slammed the letter shut immediately.

“Sigh,” Xi Zhuozhou said with a look of awe at the sparkling treasures. “My ‘brother-in-law’ really has deep pockets. Is he bringing his entire net worth over to marry into our family?”

“Brother!”

“Fine, fine, I’ll stop talking.”

“Sir, what should we do with these things?” the butler asked.

Xie Chaoding huffed. “At least he has a conscience. Now he has to marry him whether he likes it or not. Have someone carry these gifts up to Chouzhuang’s room.”

The Evidence

Xi Zhuozhou happened to turn around and suddenly noticed the marks on his younger brother’s neck. “What happened to your neck?”

Previously, everyone had been too distracted by the yard full of gold. Now that they were looking at him, they saw that Xie Chouzhuang’s neck was covered in dense red spots, looking like a swarm of mosquitoes had bitten him.

Xie Chouzhuang was confused. “What about it?”

“That scoundrel! He dared to come here in the middle of the night and take liberties!!!” Xie Chaoding gritted his teeth.

Xi Yuyan stifled a laugh. “Baby, you’d better find something to cover your neck.”

Confused, Xie Chouzhuang ran back upstairs. It was only when he looked in the mirror that he saw his neck was covered in hickeys. Though he had never been in a relationship, he had seen students in his class with “strawberry marks.” If these weren’t hickeys, what were they?

No wonder he left an apology note!

“Ji Sixian! Aaaaaah!” The thought of walking around in front of his family with a neck full of hickeys made his entire face burn. He buried his face in his quilt and had a total breakdown.

Ever since seeing those marks, Xie Chaoding found everything about Ji Sixian irritating.

“Oh, come on, look on the bright side,” Xi Yuyan said, pouring him a cup of tea.

Xie Chaoding downed the tea in one gulp and slammed the cup onto the table. “Look at Chouzhuang’s neck! It’s simply unseemly!”