Married?

Luoyun City. The Yunqian Division. A thatched hut on the edge of the stable. A faint, elusive fragrance mingled with the heavy reek of sweat. The stinging smell made Jiang Man, still half-asleep, wrinkle his nose, and he instinctively raised his sleeve to shield his nose. Only, the moment his sleeve came near his nose, the sour stench that had built up over days rushed straight into his skull, making his whole body shudder and waking him at once. The instant he opened his eyes, he froze. He was standing before a crude wooden bed, surrounded by mottled earthen walls. On the walls hung a battered double-happiness paper, as if it had been torn down from somewhere and pasted back up. Apart from the wooden bed and a table and chairs, one corner broken off, the room held almost nothing. And the most eye-catching thing of all was the woman in coarse hempen clothes sitting on the edge of the large bed before him. Rough clothing like that was nothing remarkable in a place like this. What was astonishing was her delicate face, which seemed unlike anything of this mortal world, as if it were a masterpiece carefully carved by a master. Those apricot eyes were like black obsidian steeped in clear spring water, and in the shifting of her gaze there was a hint of shyness. Her vermilion lips were lightly pressed together, tender as a cherry blossom. Such a face should belong only to the heavens above—how could it ever be born among the thatch? "Husband, aren't you going to let go yet?" she said softly, her voice as pleasant as a mountain stream. At those words, Jiang Man was stunned. Only then did he truly register what she had said. Husband? Me? Soon after, he realized that his own rough, thick hand was gripping a rusty key, while the woman's slender, jade-like fingers rested on the upper half of that same key. Without thinking, Jiang Man wanted to release his grip. Only, all at once, a faint stinging pain came from within his mind. Then, memories surged in like a tide... At the very beginning of those memories, he had known that he had transmigrated—transmigrated into the womb. But somewhere along the way, for some unknown reason, he, still unborn, had endured an enormous shock. At that time, he'd thought the other party meant to abort him, and even unwilling as he was, he'd had no power to resist. After that, he'd fallen into a coma. Down into endless darkness. And when he woke, it was to this place. But he quickly grasped the general situation. The abortion he'd anticipated had never come to pass; he had, in fact, been born safely. But because his mind was incomplete, he'd been presumed to have been abandoned. In the end, he'd been taken to a rather remote village at the foot of a mountain. His home lay in a town or village under the jurisdiction of one of the three great sects that ruled under the Immortal Gate. As soon as he arrived, he'd begun working the fields. At ten years old, he'd been assigned a yellow ox. At sixteen, because the village had so few people and he was the only one of the right age, he'd been sent to Luoyun City to take part in the cultivation selection, and had brought the old yellow ox along into the Qingyun Pavilion of the Yunqian Division. In this year, his eighteenth, the old yellow ox had, without the slightest warning, begun to speak in a human tongue. It had asked him whether he wanted a wife. Dim-witted as he was, he'd paid no mind to the fact that an ox could speak in a human tongue; he'd simply envied the others who had wives, and in the end had nodded and said yes. The old yellow ox then told him that three days later, at noon, a stream would appear behind the mountain, and that following the stream upward he would come upon an immortal lake, and by the lakeside some immortal garments would fall. Take the garment of whichever one, the ox said, and that one would become his wife. He'd believed it, and done as he was told. And in the end, he'd truly brought back a woman as beautiful as a celestial. The very one before him now. Only that day had he bowed to Heaven and Earth in marriage with her. And now, that very evening, she was gently telling him that since they had bowed to Heaven and Earth, they were husband and wife. That from now on they must live well together. She had even taken the initiative to offer to tidy the place and help with the work, only the iron chain on her feet bound her; if the key could be found and the lock undone, then she could truly contribute to this household, building a happy, fulfilling life together with him. Foolish as he was, he couldn't withstand the allure of her every smile and glance, and so, naturally, he'd believed it again. And at this moment, what he held in his hand was that very key. As the memories returned, a strange feeling rose in Jiang Man's heart. A talking ox, a woman who had lost her garment, a marriage that was mine... Why did this plot feel so familiar? Then Jiang Man glanced at the iron chain around the woman's ankle. This... Wasn't this abducting a celestial? Would a celestial like that willingly stay with him just because they'd bowed in marriage? Jiang Man didn't believe it. This crude home, this rock-hard bed board with dried mud prints still clinging to its foot, a blackened patch— A home like a pigsty—how could it make her feel she belonged? And besides, even he found these coarse hempen clothes prickly to wear; especially that sour reek of sweat, enough to make one retch. All the more so for a celestial, pampered and delicate-skinned as she was. She was probably enduring it with great difficulty every single moment. A celestial wasn't a fool, either. How could she willingly help with the work? Support her husband and raise his children? Give her this key, and vengeance would arrive before long; he probably wouldn't survive past today. To have offended someone of her standing—the disaster awaiting him would be one that could crush him utterly. In the storybooks, a tale like this might have a beautiful ending, but reality was no storybook. A celestial from the heavens above, even if she'd been bewitched out of her wits, would never truly give herself to a country bumpkin! At that thought, Jiang Man suddenly clenched the key tight, wanting to pull it back. And yet... It didn't budge in the slightest. His heart sank, and in an instant he realized something was wrong. Hold a key long enough, and it could restore its magic? Jiang Man's whole body tensed, his thoughts turning over a thousand times. At last he forced himself calm and slowly spoke: "Celestial maiden, if I said all of this was a misunderstanding, would you believe me?" The celestial, who had been all shyness and timidity, had now taken on a cold, piercing gaze, and she simply looked at him. Jiang Man understood—she didn't believe him at all. "Celestial maiden, if I let you leave, can you let me go? I was young and ignorant, deceived by wicked men, and only today, waking as from a dream, have I realized the monstrous wrong I've done," Jiang Man asked, struggling. Even as he spoke, he secretly put force into his hand, trying to snatch the key back. But the key in her hand was as if it had been set fast in place; it didn't move in the slightest. "What is my husband saying? You and I are husband and wife who bowed to Heaven and Earth—how can there be any talk of letting go?" The celestial's vermilion lips parted, and her icy words made Jiang Man, in the middle of the eighth month, shiver. Before her voice had even faded, Jiang Man suddenly felt his whole body stinging with pain, as though countless ice needles were piercing into his very marrow. There was even a sensation that his body was about to be torn apart. Instinctively, he wanted to let go and step back. Only the hand gripping the key seemed to have been glued fast. Now he could neither advance nor retreat. She truly was a celestial. "Does my husband know what happens to those who bow in marriage with me? I've never once seen anyone dare to bow in marriage with me. My husband must be a peerless prodigy, surely?" The celestial looked at Jiang Man, a trace of mockery, faint and hard to detect, in her eyes. Jiang Man insisted stubbornly: "Wicked men truly did persecute me." He'd only just woken; this was the old yellow ox's fault. Moo! Just then, a lowing came from beyond the courtyard, not loud, yet it was heard with unusual clarity. At that moment Jiang Man felt the key in his hand tremble. Even the strength in the hand before him seemed to weaken. Soon after, the other party gave the key a slight squeeze, tightening her grip. The celestial's gaze flickered; she cast a glance at the door of the hut, and when she looked back at Jiang Man, her eyes had turned utterly indifferent: "So my husband even keeps an evil god as livestock—no wonder he dared to bow in marriage with me. He must understand, too, what he must endure for bowing in marriage with me." Before her voice had even faded, the key shattered with a crash. Even the iron chain vanished along with it. Then Jiang Man felt something go amiss within his body; something seemed to have burrowed into his mind. But before he could take note of it, the figure before him slowly faded away. The soft whisper belonging to her rose once more: "One day as husband and wife, a hundred days of kindness. My husband will have to work hard. The price brought by the marriage rite is not easy to bear. And besides, your livestock offended me—my punishment will come soon. We will meet again at any time; only I do not know whether, when we meet again, my husband will still be alive as he is now, or long since withered bones buried in the earth." After that, she vanished completely. Then, with a boom. The battered wooden door crashed down in answer. My door—Jiang Man instinctively ached for it. Looking through the doorway, he saw an old yellow ox, its eyes carrying a look of disdain. Jiang Man's heart tightened as he recalled the celestial's words. This was an evil god. The ox he'd depended on through thick and thin was actually an evil god that everyone wanted to curse and kill. I'd better keep playing the fool, Jiang Man thought to myself. Only, all at once, he felt that stinging pain come again within his mind. A golden, unidentified object hovered in his mind. His thoughts stirred slightly, wanting to make out what it was. Then the golden, unidentified object seemed to be deciphered, and presented itself as text. [Peerless Prodigy Fate] [As a peerless prodigy, you will surely be able to draw qi into the body within three days.] [Should the drawing of qi fail, fate backlash.] [Die suddenly at any moment.] Jiang Man was dumbstruck: "..." So this was the price of the marriage rite she spoke of?