Back To When The Demon Lord Was A Beggar - Chapter 2

Although they had performed the bows to Heaven and Earth, only the servants within the estate knew that their City Lord had married a man. Once the wedding banquet came to a hasty conclusion, Chu Nanzhen was tossed back into his original room. The door was locked from the outside, and no matter how he pulled, it wouldn’t budge.

“Dammit! Why are they locking me in!” Chu Nanzhen kicked the door in frustration, but it did nothing. He felt as though he had been cursed with eight lifetimes of bad luck to end up in this situation. With his hands on his hips, he paced around the room and noticed several storybooks on the desk, all of which were the most popular titles in recent years.

“Young Consort, if you are bored, please read some stories to pass the time. I will be guarding the door. If you need anything, just call for me,” Guyu said from outside.

A glimmer of hope ignited in his heart. He walked to the door and began to scheme. A plan formed in his mind: if he could trick her into opening the door, he could bolt. She surely wouldn’t be able to catch him, after all, he hadn’t been a beggar all these years for nothing.

He let out a few mischievous chuckles behind the door before shouting, “Ow!” He called out to Guyu in a weak, breathless voice, “Miss, I feel so dizzy, and my body hurts everywhere. If you know anything about medicine, could you please open the door and check on me?” He followed this with several theatrical coughs. “I feel like my time is running out, cough cough cough…”

Unfortunately, Guyu didn’t fall for it at all. She let out a helpless sigh and advised, “Young Consort, you should just stay put. I already checked your pulse before the banquet. You’ll be fine with some rest and nourishment. The City Lord specifically ordered that tonight is your wedding night, and until he arrives, no one is permitted to open this door.”

“Wedding night!?” Chu Nanzhen’s face filled with shock and his heart tightened. He had zero intention of consummating anything. He clung to the door and stammered, “I, I don’t want to marry your City Lord! I just want to go back to being a beggar. Why don’t you talk to him and ask him to pick someone else instead?”

Guyu replied, “Our City Lord never forces anyone to do something against their will.”

 He was stunned by her words. Utterly bewildered, he asked in disbelief, “Forcing someone into a wedding ceremony doesn’t count as forcing them against their will in your book?!”

If that didn’t count, then what did!

Tell me! What exactly counts as force!

“If it were outside the estate, it would certainly count. But now that you are within the City Lord’s Manor, and the City Lord hasn’t actually slept with you yet, it was just a ceremony. How could that count as force?” She continued, “Besides, you made a lifelong vow to the City Lord years ago. Now you’re acting so unwilling, could it be that you’ve had a change of heart?”

After all that back and forth, it somehow ended up being his fault. He had to admit, this girl was quite a fast talker.

As for “years ago,” his memory only went back five or six years, and he was currently only eighteen. Chu Nanzhen began to doubt himself. Was it possible that some childhood joke had been taken seriously? That was the only explanation he could think of.

Before he could think further, he heard the sound of a key turning in the lock. Someone was coming. Since Guyu said the door would only open when the City Lord arrived, the newcomer had to be him.

The thought of the “wedding night” made him instinctively scramble back a few paces. He felt a surge of fear. When the door finally swung open, Zhi Shiyi appeared against the darkness of the night, standing tall in the doorway.

I am not sleeping with him!

This single thought occupied his entire mind. Ignoring everything else, he charged forward, aiming for the narrow gap in the doorway to squeeze past.

Seeing this, Zhi Shiyi gave him a gentle shove, sending him back. Chu Nanzhen stumbled and fell to the floor with a groan of pain. His constitution was weak; it was a miracle he had even managed to grow up on the streets as a beggar. He regretted his impulsive move the moment it failed, though he had known the odds were slim, he had still held onto a shred of hope.

Zhi Shiyi walked toward him at a leisurely pace and looked down. His expression wasn’t great, but what Chu Nanzhen expected to be a threat never came. Instead, the man said nothing. Chu Nanzhen turned his head away, stood up, and brushed off the nonexistent dust from his clothes. After years of begging, he valued money above all else, and seeing this expensive wedding robe hit the floor made his heart ache for the fabric, even if it wasn’t his money.

Then, a faint floral scent drifted into his nose. The smell was familiar. He frowned as he tried to remember where he had smelled it before, but the memory remained out of reach.

“Trying to run?” Zhi Shiyi’s voice was cold, like someone living on a snowy mountain. He wanted to reach out and pull the man into his arms, but he decided against it. He had only just gotten him back; it wouldn’t be good to scare him off…

Chu Nanzhen was nearly half a head shorter than him. He had definitely intended to run, but he hadn’t succeeded. “Mhm,” he grunted. “There are plenty of handsome men and beautiful women out there, why did you pick me for a wedding?” This was the thing he understood least of all.

Since entering the room, Zhi Shiyi’s gaze had remained locked on him. Having served as City Lord for years, he possessed a natural aura of authority. He said, word for word, “You are unique. I only want to marry you.”

Hah…

A unique beggar, is that it? Chu Nanzhen’s mouth twitched. He figured there was no one in the world poorer than him, so in that sense, he was indeed unique.

Guyu poked her head in, smiled, and tactfully closed the door for them.

The atmosphere froze. Chu Nanzhen’s heart was in his throat. He wished they could just stay in this stalemate until dawn. He silently prayed to the heavens, I’d rather be rich, I just ask that we don’t have to consummate this marriage.

The heavens seemed to think he was being a bit greedy, but chose to favor him anyway.

Zhi Shiyi said, “I will not sleep with you tonight.”

Hearing this, Chu Nanzhen let out a massive sigh of relief. His heart finally settled. Thank the heavens! Thank the heavens!

Then, the man added, “I want to talk business with you.”

Chu Nanzhen froze. He turned back and accidentally met the man’s eyes. There was a depth of tenderness in that gaze that felt like it might swallow him whole. His heart skipped a beat. Realizing something was wrong, he quickly looked away and blinked, asking in a small voice, “What kind of business?”

He had wanted to say, “I have no skills, why would a City Lord want to do business with me? That’s nonsense,” but when he saw those eyes, his mind went blank and the words vanished.

“Be the Young Consort of my City Lord Manor for three years. After three years, I will give you your freedom. At that time, I will give you ten thousand taels of gold as compensation. In exchange, you must not reveal a single word of what happens during this time. You must keep your lips sealed.”

This was a fantastic deal. Three years for ten thousand taels of gold? That was comparable to an Imperial reward! Anyone would agree to that. Chu Nanzhen looked him up and down, feeling a bit hesitant. Although he loved money, he didn’t like “dirty” money, so this business couldn’t be simple. And why the title “Young Consort”? He hadn’t understood that from the start.

Shouldn’t the City Lord’s spouse be called “City Lord’s Wife”? Since he was a man, shouldn’t it be “Consort Lord”? “Young Consort” sounded strange.

“If you had told me this was a business deal from the start, I would have happily married you. You didn’t need to force me,” Chu Nanzhen said, before whispering, “Is this business… clean?”

Zhi Shiyi smiled and said, “My heart was moved, so marrying you came first. The business comes second. This deal is as clean as can be.”

“Then how do you know my name?” Chu Nanzhen asked, his suspicion fading. They were business partners now, after all. Just thinking about ten thousand taels of gold made him vibrate with excitement.

“We have known each other for a long time, you have simply forgotten.” Zhi Shiyi lowered his eyes, looking disappointed. “I have a name. You don’t need to call me City Lord.”

It seemed a childhood joke really had been taken seriously. No wonder he chose to marry him.

Chu Nanzhen let out an “Oh” and nodded. “Then, your name is…?”

Zhi Shiyi pulled a small piece of yellow paper from his sleeve with three characters written on it and handed it over. Chu Nanzhen was confused but took it. The paper read: “Zhi Shiyi.”

Zhi Shiyi…

The name sounded familiar, just like the scent on his body. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t remember. It felt as though someone had intentionally erased the memory.

He pursed his lips. Couldn’t the man just say it out loud? Or did he think this was cool? Chu Nanzhen felt a bit annoyed. “Is your every word worth gold or something?”

Zhi Shiyi shook his head. “I am afraid that if I speak too much, I will annoy you.”

Chu Nanzhen: “…”

“You and I are business partners now. No matter what, I won’t turn my back on money, so how could I be annoyed? Don’t you agree?” Chu Nanzhen gave a fake smile.

Zhi Shiyi frowned, as if he had heard something he didn’t like. “Call me by my name.”

Chu Nanzhen: “…Fine, fine, fine.”

He silently rolled his eyes. Call~ me~ by~ my~ name~ he thought sarcastically.

Keep acting!

Just keep acting!

Once I get that gold, I’ll be the richest man in Central City, hehehehe…

Before the money was even in his hand, he was already planning how to spend it. First, he’d buy a huge mansion and eat the best food every day!

Zhi Shiyi said, “Aren’t you going to ask why the term is three years? What if, when the deal is up, I kill you to keep you quiet?”

That was true. Many business partners killed each other to keep the profits for themselves. He looked the man up and down and thought for a while before saying, “If you really try to kill me then, I’ll just take you down with me. After all, I’m just a beggar. If I die, I die. You’re the one who would be losing out, not me.”

Hearing this, Zhi Shiyi couldn’t help but let out a low laugh. “Mhm, that’s true. If we die together, I am the one who loses.” He then explained, “As for why it is three years, it’s because I am certain that in three years, you won’t want to leave me.”

“Tch.” Chu Nanzhen turned away dismissively. This man was truly arrogant. No matter what, he would never fall for a man! He silently swore to himself: I, Chu Nanzhen, if I ever fall for Zhi Shiyi, I will… I will… I will storm the Imperial Palace and kill the Emperor!

In his heart, he knew he was a law-abiding citizen with no interest in rebellion. If he actually tried to rebel, the old Emperor would probably have him killed in an instant.

For an Emperor to kill a person with no power or status was as easy as crushing an ant. Those who sit on the throne are most wary of anyone trying to take their place.

“You don’t believe me? Then wait and see. When the time comes, you won’t want to leave. You’ll want to stay by my side forever,” Zhi Shiyi said with a smile.

Chu Nanzhen gave a dry laugh. He really didn’t know where this man got such massive confidence…

“Business is business, so I have to say this upfront: nothing ‘excessive’ can happen between us.”

“Mhm. Until you accept me, there will be no lines crossed. Anything else?”

“Also… you have to pay me a monthly salary. Otherwise, I won’t survive…” Chu Nanzhen muttered.

He really was broke. If Zhi Shiyi didn’t give him a monthly allowance, he might actually starve to death here, let alone survive three years to get the gold.

Zhi Shiyi: “As long as you don’t run away and you stay here, you can have as much as you want.”

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