Chapter 49

**Billion Gold (億萬金)**

After divining how many descendants Xiaoming and Zhuge Qing would have, the Taoist priest once again began to recite a blessing. When the long blessing finally ended, people swarmed in, scattering snacks like grains and fried pastries toward the bride and me. After this process concluded, the wedding was officially over as we went around to greet each guest.

"Phew, I’m exhausted."

The greetings only ended when the sun set and night fell. With a tired body, Zhuge Qing and I entered the curtained bridal chamber. I poured a cup of cold tea to quench my thirst and then asked Zhuge Qing:

"Are you thirsty? Uh, Miss, Miss Qing? What should I call you...?"

Embarrassed by the form of address, I muttered to myself, but a clear and gentle voice replied:

"Just call me Lady. Husband."

"Ah, right. Lady."

It was my first marriage, so I felt extremely awkward, especially since it wasn’t a love marriage but a forced one, making our relationship even more strained. This was the first time we were alone together, so it was inevitable.

Thus, I asked Zhuge Qing in an awkward voice:

"S-so, Lady, would you like a cup of tea?"

Zhuge Qing replied in a shy voice:

"Husband, you need to remove my phoenix crown."

'Even drinking a cup of tea is this complicated.'

Why are there so many and such complex wedding procedures?

I approached Zhuge Qing, who was sitting on the bed, and removed the crown from her head, placing it on the table beside her.

"Is this okay?"

Her voice came again:

"A-also the veil..."

Her words made me realize what was coming, and I recalled the duck bill and flour dough I had seen before.

'When I thought about saving someone, I could perform CPR and see their face without any problem. I should think of saving Zhuge Qing, just like that. I mustn’t show any surprise, disgust, or discomfort. Absolutely! Absolutely! I need to keep a calm expression.'

If I showed any surprise or disappointment, Zhuge Qing might cry, and the real Central Plain mafia, not the Mafia game mafia, would burst into the bridal chamber and choose me to die that night.

'Good morning, everyone. The person who died last night is Liu Qingyun.'

I could almost hear the game host’s voice in my ear. Therefore, I repeatedly reminded myself not to hurt Zhuge Qing’s feelings as I sat beside the bed and reached out to her face.

Feeling her warm body and the sweet breath through the veil, even in this tense situation, a strange atmosphere arose from her fragrant scent.

'I really...'

"Ahem..."

I cleared my throat and brought my hand to her ear. When my fingers touched her cold ear, I heard her voice:

"Ah..."

Startled by her voice, I quickly withdrew my hand and asked:

"S-sorry..."

"No, no, I was just surprised for a moment."

This time, I carefully avoided touching her ear and tried to untie the string holding the veil on one side. However...

*Snap*

The string slipped out of my hand, which had lost its strength.

I stared at Zhuge Qing blankly for a long time...

"H-Husband? H-Husband?"

Hearing Zhuge Qing’s anxious voice, I still couldn’t react. The moment one side of her veil was untied and her face was revealed, a single thought filled my mind:

'What?! This is a different genre?'

I had clearly died in my previous life and awakened in the Central Plains. Given the presence of martial arts sects, this was clearly a wuxia world. However, in this world of spring scenes, Zhuge Qing was of a completely different genre.

Her genre was fantasy.

And her race was elf.

An elf woman!

The legendary race that could slap the beauty of humans was right in front of me.

'Why is there an elf in the Central Plains?!'

Her appearance, which surpassed recognition, left me frozen in place.

Her jet-black hair, deep-set eyes, lake-like blue irises, prominent forehead, snow-white skin, a nose that seemed meticulously sculpted by the greatest surgeons in Jiangnan, and a sharp chin.

Flawless (完全無缺)!

When I froze, paralyzed by her beauty, she asked, thinking I was disappointed by her appearance:

"Is my appearance so shocking? People often find my pale, bloodless skin and un-Central Plains-like appearance frightening, like a dead person..."

*Thud*

Something in my chest fell to my feet. When tears welled up in her eyes, a pain as if my heart had been thrown to the ground struck me.

'Ah...'

Finally, my mouth and body moved. I hastily denied her words:

"No, no! Absolutely not!"

She blinked her eyes and asked again:

"Then, why?"

"Why does your face... How did it change?"

She answered in a bright voice:

"Well, I followed your advice and was careful with my food. The swelling and blemishes disappeared, and I quickly returned to my original appearance. It’s all thanks to you. But this skin is naturally pale, so it might look a bit scary, right?"

But I couldn’t agree with her.

During CPR, her skin was red and swollen, but now it was so beautiful.

'Do the Central Plains people like pale skin but dislike the pale skin of Caucasians?'

Thinking about it, even though the Central Plains people praise white skin as "ice skin and jade bones," they might feel alienated by the truly pale skin of Caucasians because the color is so different.

To reassure her, I asked:

"Do you know what 'Bai Xue' (白雪) means?"

"It means white snow, right?"

She blinked her eyes and answered my question. My heart was racing.

"Then, why do people find white snow beautiful?"

She thought for a moment and answered with a troubled look:

"I don’t know, Husband."

"Because it disappears when you hold it, making it unattainable and thus beautiful. But I have white snow that doesn’t disappear even when I hold it in my hands. How can it be ugly?"

I gently took her hand in both of mine. Her hand and wrist were softer than any fur and trembled slightly in my grasp. Her white face began to turn red under the lamplight, matching the color of her clothes.

"Lady..."

"Husband..."

The Taoist priest who presided over our wedding was undoubtedly powerful. He must have had the ability to predict the future, which is why he knew I would be willing to burn myself out for the prosperity of the Zhuge family...

As I pulled her into my arms and our faces drew closer...

*Bang*

The door to our bridal chamber burst open, and someone rushed in very quickly. We were startled and separated, looking at the intruder.

When I recognized who it was, a single word came to mind:

'Of course.'

The intruder was my father-in-law, a doting father.

He smiled and walked in, despite my concerns that he might do this on our first night.

They say a man will bow to his wife’s family if his wife is beautiful. Today, I decided to be very generous, not just today but always, to my father-in-law, because he was the one who baked the wedding cake from flour dough.

Thus, I could be generous and understanding toward him, welcoming him with a smile.

The night was still young, and our night was only temporarily postponed.

"Ah, Father-in-law! Welcome! Father-in-law!"

"You seem to be in a good mood. I was worried because you looked a bit gloomy during the wedding."

I quickly made an excuse, thinking he might be here to scold me, but he said something unexpected:

"I wasn’t feeling well, but seeing my beautiful daughter-in-law, I feel much better."

Her beauty, which could revive someone from a terminal illness or even on the brink of death, was indeed a powerful cure for the incurable disease of forced marriage.

"Really? Then, let’s go."

"Go? Where? We haven’t even had our first night..."

Confused by his sudden suggestion, I asked, and he began to tell a strange story:

"Oh, right, I almost forgot. You’re a son-in-law, aren’t you?"

"Yes?"

"What is a son-in-law?"

I answered, knowing what a son-in-law was, even if I didn’t know about my own marriage:

"A son-in-law is someone who, unable to pay the bride price, works for the bride’s family to pay it off..."

'!!!'

"You know well. Ah, right. Thinking about it, we didn’t set a specific bride price for you. How much do you plan to pay for our Qing?"

I turned to look at Zhuge Qing, who was looking at me with hopeful, trembling eyes. The answer was already decided.

*Swallow*

I swallowed and, staring into her wide, expectant eyes, answered blankly:

"Billion Gold (億萬金)..."

Zhuge Qing’s face, which had been filled with worry, lit up with a smile brighter than all the lamps in the room, and my father-in-law laughed heartily.

I could have said one tael and thrown a single silver coin at him, but that would have killed my beautiful wife’s spirit forever.

I traded my life for my wife’s smile, becoming a slave to the Zhuge family.

***

On the morning after my enslavement was confirmed, I ate breakfast among the guests. Yesterday’s morning was that of a free man, but today’s was that of a slave, and everything felt oppressive.

A son-in-law can take various forms, but the most common are three:

1. Living in the bride’s family and continuing their lineage.

2. Working to pay the bride price and then leaving with the bride.

3. Having a son who returns to the original family when he grows up.

Thus, there was still room for negotiation, and my father-in-law hinted that he might let me leave if I paid the price, but it all depended on him.

'Did he plan this all along? Is he deliberately making me work hard and giving me false hope of leaving?'

My morning was filled with worry about my future as a servant in the Zhuge family and how I would pay the bride price. The dumplings tasted like sand, and the soup like saltwater.

As I chewed the sandy dumplings and drank the salty soup, I heard murmurs around me. Looking around, I saw that many people were eating similar dishes, and those who had attended the birthday party of the Poison King, Dang Yingying’s grandfather, were discussing me.

They talked about the exquisite dishes I had prepared and how they wanted to taste them again. My nickname, "Food Dragon," was mentioned, and the atmosphere became strange.

"Since the son-in-law has such excellent culinary skills, why not let the gathered martial heroes taste his dishes?"

"Agreed! I’m looking forward to it. Since we’re all here and the celebration will last for half a month, let’s see the son-in-law’s skills!"

"Let’s see! Let’s see!"

My father-in-law looked troubled and approached me to ask:

"Son-in-law, what do you think? The guests are eager, and it’s awkward to refuse them."

The wedding feast would last for half a month, and cooking once wouldn’t be bad, so I was about to nod when I heard a voice I couldn’t ignore:

"I heard that the Food Dragon can create dishes like composing poetry, based on a theme. Instead of just cooking, why not set a theme? I have a very interesting theme in mind, from the Sima family."

"That’s a great idea! Hahaha. We can see the Food Dragon’s skills again today!"

The young voice’s suggestion was met with cheers, and my father-in-law’s low, annoyed voice was heard:

"Tch! The Sima family, always causing trouble!"

'Huh? Who did he say?'

"Son-in-law, I’ll just refuse. The Sima family is always..."

Just as my father-in-law was about to refuse the guests’ request, I placed my hand on his shoulder and said:

"Father-in-law, am I not part of the Zhuge family now?"

My burning eyes made him flinch, and he replied:

"Y-yes..."

"How can the Zhuge family back down from the Sima family’s challenge?! We are the Zhus!"

This was a challenge I couldn’t back down from, whether forced or not.

'How dare they!'