Chapter 46: Fengtai County (4)
By now, Lin Zikui had no choice but to accept reality.
His “wife” was, without a doubt, a real, solid man. He had indeed been deceived.
Lin Zikui had long suspected it, but still chose to marry him, all because of Xiao Zhaoling’s gentle, feminine heart. Lin Zikui was a man of his word—and he truly liked Zhaoling. He had originally planned that even if they never consummated the marriage, he would never expose the truth, and if they were reincarnated as a man and woman in the next life, they could live as a loving couple.
Who would’ve thought that things would unfold like this on their wedding night…
“You’re not saying anything?” Xiao Fu held his hand tightly, clearly wanting him to feel how hard he was restraining himself. Lin Zikui looked stunned, his eyes filled with confusion, as if he truly hadn’t expected his bride to be that big.
His hands were trembling, and an overwhelming sense of absurdity swept over him.
Lin Zikui clutched that thin layer of shameful cloth tightly, but it was so sheer. Even through the fabric, he couldn’t endure Xiao Fu’s touch at his age—he let out a muffled groan, brow furrowed, and his legs instinctively curled up.
Xiao Fu leaned over him, his voice tender and low, murmuring by Lin Zikui’s ear, “You’ve read those romance novels too, haven’t you? Lin Lang knows what comes next, right? You’re drunk and can’t move, that’s fine—just lie back, Little Husband. I won’t hurt you.”
Lin Zikui hadn’t drunk much, yet he quickly felt himself melting under Xiao Fu’s hands, completely unable to resist. Or rather, even if he shook his head and refused, Xiao Fu ignored it, continuing to coax him beside his ear, kissing his skin. Lin Zikui couldn’t respond, only blushed as he tensed and trembled, suppressing the sound of his breath.
The soft bed curtains fell. The red candles flickered. Suddenly, Lin Zikui felt something was off. “Zhao Ling, wait, I—you… why are you… doing that…”
Xiao Zhaoling kissed him as he spoke, his voice low and hoarse, “What did you think I was doing?”
Xiao Fu’s fingers seemed to have applied something—slippery and smooth.
Lin Zikui’s mind went completely blank. Dragging his weakened body, he twisted away and pushed Xiao Fu with force—and surprisingly, Xiao Fu actually let him go!
Lin Zikui reached for the wedding blanket, pulling it over himself. He sat up, curling into the corner of the bed, looking up at the “bride” before him.
His bride’s clothes were half-undone, revealing a man’s Adam’s apple, collarbone, firm chest, and abdominal muscles—everything screaming that Xiao Zhaoling was no delicate lady, but a man—through and through!
“Lin Lang?”
As Xiao Fu leaned closer, Lin Zikui shrank back. His expression was conflicted, as if he didn’t know how to face him. He turned away and said, “Don’t… don’t come over.”
“Did I make you uncomfortable?” Xiao Fu guessed that maybe it was just that—Lin Zikui couldn’t accept the truth. From his earlier reactions, he’d clearly been swept away.
Lin Zikui buried his head in thought, then quickly wrapped himself in the dragon-phoenix wedding quilt and climbed out of bed.
He was about to leave when Xiao Fu wrapped an arm around his waist, unwilling to let go. “You’re really going to leave me?”
Lin Zikui’s body stiffened as he shook his head. “I’m going to sleep on the side couch.”
“If you don’t like it that way, then we don’t have to—for now. But if you really won’t share a bed with me, then I should be the one to sleep on the side couch.” Xiao Fu leaned in close to his ear, his lips brushing the lobe. The damp warmth sent a shiver down Lin Zikui’s spine, making him shrink his neck and dodge. His lips trembled. “Zhao Ling, I… I’m not… into men.”
“I know you’re not,” Xiao Fu gently ran his fingers through Lin Zikui’s loose black hair, his eyes dark and intense. “You just like me—that’s why you were willing to marry me. And me? A grown man riding in a bridal sedan chair—how ridiculous is that? I didn’t even dare invite my parents to see me get married, afraid they’d scold me, stop me. I came alone on horseback to Fengtai County to marry you. Did you even see the dowry chests I brought? I gave you half of everything I own.”
The more Lin Zikui listened, the worse he felt. He was deeply conflicted and lowered his head. “I originally thought… you were a woman. We got to know each other, fell in love, and married. All the neighbors and elders have seen it happen. I, Lin Zikui, will never divorce you—not in this lifetime. But we… we really can’t share a bed.”
“No consummation…” Xiao Fu repeated softly. “If you say no, then no—for now.” He reached for Lin Zikui’s hand but couldn’t grasp it; Lin Zikui didn’t even dare look at him.
Xiao Fu, “Lin Lang, you won’t even help me out a little?”
Lin Zikui shut his eyes, and the memory of what had just happened flashed before him.
“…Forget it. I won’t make it hard for you. Then on our wedding night, with the candles lit and no one to share the bed… this bride will just have to sleep alone and deal with it himself.” Xiao Fu let go of his hand and stood up, sulking as he went to sit on the side couch.
There was only one dragon-phoenix quilt on the side couch. Lin Zikui sat silently on the edge of the bed, lips tightly pressed.
Why was there only one quilt in this room? Didn’t he prepare two this morning…
He didn’t know that earlier, Xiao Fu had tossed a quilt to Jinzun and had him carry it out. Xiao Fu had planned: if only one quilt remained, then even if they didn’t share a bed, they’d still end up under the same blanket.
Lin Zikui glanced over and saw Xiao Fu leaning on the side couch, clothes in disarray, his dagger standing upright beside him. Scars still marked his shoulders and arms—harsh and startling. Whatever he had gone through must’ve been painful, but he never said a word.
It was already spring, but Lin Zikui still worried he’d be cold. After some hesitation, he walked over with the wedding blanket and softly said, “Here, cover yourself.”
“I don’t want it.” Xiao Fu turned away.
“Then put your clothes back on,” Lin Zikui muttered, avoiding his gaze. “Put your pants on too.”
Xiao Fu looked so wronged. “I can’t. I’m uncomfortable.”
Lin Zikui bent down and gently draped the quilt over his back. His gaze swept across those scars, and a pang struck his heart.
Xiao Fu looked up at him. Lin Zikui lowered his head. “I’m going… to the latrine… You stay in the wedding room and… take care of it yourself.”
Xiao Fu didn’t expect Lin Zikui to be so heartless, walking out just like that.
Lin Zikui got dressed and left the room, but he didn’t go to the latrine. When he got close, the smell put him off, so he looped around to the backyard. There were a few chickens, ducks, and geese back there, gifts from the neighbors. They were all asleep now but peeked out curiously at him.
Not wanting to disturb them, Lin Zikui left and stepped out the gate. He suddenly thought of the little girl, Xiao Ya, the matchmaker’s younger sister. Had she come back? No one had informed him.
Meanwhile, Xiao Fu had been halfway through “dealing with it,” but the moment he heard Lin Zikui leave, he threw his clothes on and rushed outside.
Just as he reached the door, he saw Jinzun about to head out.
Jinzun looked up and noticed Marquis Xiao wasn’t fully dressed. “Marquis, Young Master Lin just left.”
“You go back—I’ll follow him.”
Xiao Fu tailed him and discovered that Lin Zikui had walked across two whole streets—straight to the doorstep of matchmaker Wu’s house.
He knocked on the door. The one who opened it was a little girl who looked to be under ten. She recognized Lin Zikui immediately and exclaimed, “It’s Graudate Lin! Graudate Lin is here!”
Lin Zikui quickly hushed her. “Shh! You wandered off earlier, so I just came to check if you’d returned. No need to call your sister. I’m leaving now.”
Fengtai County was small, and the town where Lin Zikui lived was even smaller—so small that one could walk the entire place in just one or two hours. Occasionally, the barking of dogs echoed along the street.
Lin Zikui had no idea where to go. His heart was lost. He had already married the person, so all he could do was accept it. Who else could he blame?
He slowly made his way back to the Lin residence. From a distance, he saw the red candles in the wedding room still burning. He hesitated at the door, unsure of how to face Xiao Zhaoling.
After a while, the red candles went out. He figured Zhao Ling had gone to sleep, so only then did Lin Zikui cautiously push the door open and go in. The wedding quilt was back on the bed.
Lin Zikui glanced toward the side couch. In the soft moonlight, he saw Zhao Ling sleeping there. He didn’t know if the other was covered or not, so he walked over to take a closer look. Xiao Zhaoling had a dragon-and-phoenix quilt over him, sleeping soundly with his eyes closed. His expression wasn’t exactly happy, features slightly tense. His delicate and handsome features were both elegant and spirited, with long lashes like feathered fans. If you looked at his face alone, it was hard to tell male or female.
So—both quilts had been found.
Lin Zikui let out a quiet sigh and buried his face in the quilt on the bed. It was clean, carrying the scent of sunlight and peach blossoms. Dried peach petals had been stuffed inside the mattress.
Then… the one Zhao Ling was using—was that the soiled one?
Lin Zikui wanted to switch it out for him but was afraid of waking him up, so he gave up. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the dowry chests in the corner of the room—four in total. Lin Zikui hadn’t even looked inside. They were all things he’d have to return.
He then gently pulled down the bed curtains and silently lay on his side.
In his heart, he kept repeating the name: Xiao Zhaoling… Xiao Zhaoling…
He closed his eyes.
Ah…
Bathed in moonlight, Xiao Zhaoling suddenly opened his eyes. He hadn’t been sleeping at all. If he hadn’t pretended to be asleep, with Lin Zikui’s personality, he’d probably have spent the whole night sitting outside.
Xiao Fu recalled the advice that literary master had given him and glanced out the window.
A wave of damp air drifted in.
It had started to rain.
Spring rain tapped against the window lattice, and birds chirped softly in the background.
That night, Lin Zikui slept restlessly. He had drunk some wine, so he fell asleep easily, but his thoughts kept drifting.
Outside the window, he heard Mo Liu’s voice.
“Miss Xiao, Miss Xiao—why are you kneeling here?!” Mo Liu had forgotten to start calling her Madam and still called her Miss Xiao. Everyone was stunned by what they saw that morning.
Prime Minister Xue had woken up even earlier. Without wearing Ai Dai, he saw something red by Lin Zikui’s door. He thought it was a jar of wedding wine and was marveling at how vibrantly red it looked.
Only after putting on Ai Dai did he realize—it was the Prince Regent.
Why the hell was he kneeling?
Prime Minister Xue’s first reaction was to order the Xue family servants who lived in the Lin household to run out the back door: “Quick, go back to the manor! No matter what you saw—don’t say a word!”
He was afraid Xiao Fu would remember this in the future, dig up the past, and order the beheading of everyone in the Xue household.
At the moment, Prime Minister Xue didn’t go out either. He carefully wiped his Ai Dai, secretly opened a crack in the window, and peeked out.
Even Xiao Fu had a day like this?
Did Lin Zikui make him kneel?
Impossible!
He knew his own student’s temperament. No matter what happened, Lin Zikui would never make Xiao Fu kneel.
The spring rain stopped. Peach blossoms had fallen all over the ground, carried by small streams along the wall base. Xiao Fu’s clothes were soaked through, starting to dry a bit, but the damp chill of the rain still clung to him. His head was lowered, droplets of water sliding from his beautiful jawline. He knelt with his back straight.
Hearing Mo Liu’s voice, Lin Zikui groggily stirred and sat up in bed, then quickly jumped to his feet—still half-dressed, with only his waistband tied and barefoot, he rushed out the door.
The moment Xiao Fu heard the noise, his body suddenly went limp, and he collapsed sideways with a thud. His face turned deathly pale, lips white.
“Wife! Wife!” Lin Zikui dashed forward like an arrow. Mo Liu cried out, “What do we do, Young Master? Miss Xiao’s been kneeling so long she fainted! Did she do something wrong and you punished her?”
Lin Zikui was filled with remorse. “Mo Liu, quick, go get the physician!”
Mo Liu took off running. “Doctor Liu lives right next door!”
Xiao Fu coughed twice, half-opened his eyes, and woke up. “Lin Lang… I’m fine. No need for the doctor. I felt guilty, so I knelt through the night. It hasn’t been that long—only four hours. If you still don’t forgive me, I’ll keep kneeling. My knees have old injuries, but I can manage three days and nights. I won’t die.”
Lin Zikui couldn’t bear it anymore and was just about to speak when Doctor Liu was dragged in by Mo Liu.
Doctor Liu lived next door to Lin Zikui and had just been heading to his clinic. But frankly, his medical skills were mediocre. He’d treated Lin Zikui’s eyes years ago, and after some time under his care, Lin Zikui had practically gone blind.
In other words—he was a quack.
“Aiya!” Doctor Liu took one look at the bride’s condition and stomped his foot. “So tragic! Just married, and already near death?”
Lin Zikui’s eyes instantly turned red. “Please check his pulse! Hurry! Save him!”
“Alright, alright, Huai Fu, don’t panic.” Doctor Liu squatted down to take Xiao Fu’s pulse. Xiao Fu had nowhere to hide and could only control his pulse to avoid revealing his martial arts strength. After all, someone in top physical condition could kneel for ten days straight with no issue.
“Pulse at all three points, four beats per breath. The rhythm’s chaotic, but strong—ordered in disorder. This is… the young bride is pregnant?!”
Prime Minister Xue’s Ai Dai slipped off his nose.
Xiao Fu: “……”
Lin Zikui: “……”
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