Chapter 3: At the Eleventh Hour, A Dramatic Rescue

Ye Taoyao’s phone call had lasted only two minutes, costing her forty cents.

With the call being so short, the village chief’s wife had no reason to suspect anything. As she handed back the remaining sixty cents, she practically shooed Taoyao away as if she were a nuisance. The woman was thoroughly vexed; when had she ever been treated with such blatant disrespect?

To make matters worse, Taoyao added one final parting shot: “Make sure you don’t keep this a secret. It’s probably best if you go around telling everyone that your committee monitors people just for making a phone call.”

“Just get out of here! You make us sound like criminals. Who cares to look into your business anyway?”

The village chief’s wife had truly never been so insulted in her life. She was so furious she felt an urge to slap the girl. Taoyao was making their village sound like a den of thieves! At this point, let alone running to tell Lei Zhentian about his bride-to-be’s phone call, she was thoroughly annoyed with Lei Zhentian himself. What kind of person was he? He was practically bringing a demanding ancestor back into his home.

Just as Taoyao reached the village’s state-owned supply store, the widowed man hurried over, looking incredibly anxious.

Taoyao took the bright red hair flower from the store clerk and immediately began walking back toward the Lei residence.

The man limped alongside her, asking eagerly, “Yaoyao, how much did that red flower cost? Did you have enough money?”

Taoyao tossed the remaining ten cents back into his arms. “Can’t you see for yourself how much it costs? Keep the change.”

As a simple village man, Lei Zhentian had no idea what a hair flower should cost. However, seeing that only ten cents remained out of a whole yuan, meaning the flower had cost ninety cents, he found it rather expensive. Still, remembering it was for their wedding, he didn’t complain and quickly limped after her.

Taoyao grumbled, “It hasn’t even been an hour. Is my red bridal jacket ready? Who told you to come looking for me so early?”

Her temper had suddenly become incredibly fierce, and her attitude toward him was terribly cold. Yet, almost as if he had a submissive streak, her harshness only made him want to please her more.

With a fawning smile, Lei Zhentian explained, “Yaoyao, you’re pregnant right now and you often feel unwell. I was just worried that being out too long would take a toll on you.”

The original owner collapsed and suffered severe bleeding in that room, and you didn’t lift a finger to check on her then, Taoyao thought bitterly.

Unable to contain her annoyance, she let out a sharp scoff and gave him another kick before walking ahead.

The kick didn’t hurt at all, and Lei Zhentian actually seemed to enjoy it. As the old saying goes, tough love is still love. He was fully convinced that she genuinely wanted to settle down and build a life with him. He scrambled to keep up, calling out as he ran, “Yaoyao, wait for me!”

That Night at the Lei Residence

The food in the countryside was remarkably poor, and since the Lei family was struggling financially, their dinner was naturally meager. They had nothing but two cornbread buns and a bowl of flour-drop soup mixed with cornmeal.

As a celestial peony spirit, Taoyao had never eaten such coarse food in her life. She had no appetite, but the original owner’s body was starved, so she forced herself to swallow a small amount of the soup despite her discomfort.

Once she finished, she made no effort to clear the table, completely ignoring the dishes and the water that needed heating. The body was already incredibly weak and over three months pregnant; on top of that, she wasn’t even getting enough to eat. It would be a miracle if the original owner could have ever escaped this miserable place on her own.

Immediately after dinner, she returned to her room. She knew the man was intentionally keeping her half-starved to prevent her from running away, but she didn’t bother calling him out on it. When he entered the room, she hurled a pillow straight at him. “Go heat some water so I can wash my feet! Do you expect me to go to sleep smelling foul?”

In truth, the man truly possessed a mean streak. Back when the original owner had been perfectly polite to him, he would turn around and beat her brutally over the slightest displeasure after they married. Yet, now that Taoyao was treating him harshly, he moved incredibly fast to appease her. “Alright, I’ll go heat the water right now. Don’t be angry, Yaoyao.”

Taoyao ignored him. Leaning against the square table, she began to calculate how many days it would take for Gu Jincheng to arrive.

“Yaoyao, it’s ready.”

The man brought in a basin of hot water, completely handling the task himself and behaving quite submissively. Taoyao washed her feet with a sharp, demanding expression and ordered him to empty the basin.

By the time she finished washing, she felt exhausted. This was, after all, a pregnant body with a fragile constitution, made worse by the lack of food. To preserve her strength, she decided to lie down and rest early.

However, the bedding felt damp and uncomfortable. She was just about to get up to find some clean clothes to lay over the mattress so she could sleep fully dressed when she heard a sudden scraping sound at her door. The wooden latch was being pried open from the outside.

Moments later, the door swung open and the man stepped inside, rubbing his hands together nervously. He walked over to her bedside and murmured, “Yaoyao, are you asleep?”

Taoyao remained silent, hoping he would simply leave on his own.

In reality, she had vastly overestimated his character. Without warning, he leaned down to press his lips against hers. Taoyao reacted instantly, raising her foot to press hard against his chest, keeping him at bay.

“Yaoyao?”

There was no electricity in the countryside, only kerosene lamps, and the room was lit only by a faint sliver of moonlight from outside. Fortunately, as a flower spirit, Taoyao’s heightened senses were intact, allowing her to stop him before his lips could touch hers.

However, the sheer difference in physical strength between a man and a woman was undeniable. Seeing that he was trying to press forward again, Taoyao commanded sharply, “Light the lamp.”

Believing she was agreeing to his advances, he complied and went to light the kerosene lamp. Once the room flickered to life, he limped back over, sat on the edge of the bed, and made a move to pull her into his arms.

He was in a frantic rush, clawing at her clothes while murmuring words of comfort: “Yaoyao, I got your red bridal jacket ready today. Let’s share our marriage bed tonight instead. We’re getting married anyway, and I simply can’t contain myself looking at you.”

This time, he didn’t give her a moment to regroup and lunged straight toward her.

How should a woman react when a man claims he can’t contain himself? As a peony spirit, her immediate response was to deliver a fierce kick straight to his most vulnerable spot, sending him crashing off the bed.

Can’t contain yourself? she thought. Then you might as well lose it entirely. Showing softness to a man in a moment like this would only lead to disaster. Unfortunately, the body’s physical limits meant the kick didn’t incapacitate him. He lunged back onto the bed, trying to pull at her clothes again while trying to soothe her: “Yaoyao, what’s wrong?”

“Even when you’re angry, you look so beautiful. I just want to hold you and kiss you. We are about to be husband and wife, so we need to get used to the marital life ahead of time.”

Taoyao despised his touch. Driven by her body’s instinctive aversion, she raised her leg to strike him again.

But she realized this head-on resistance wasn’t working. Changing her strategy midway, she softened her kick into a gentle nudge and offered him a sudden smile. That smile alone was intoxicating enough to make him completely lose his senses.

“What’s the rush?” Taoyao murmured, her voice dripping with artificial sweetness. “Doing it like this completely ruins the fun.” She beckoned him closer with a finger.

The man quickly leaned down, eager to listen.

“Just wait until our actual wedding day,” Taoyao whispered. “I’ve learned a certain technique that guarantees absolute pleasure. Don’t you want to experience it then?”

She had been nothing but fierce and demanding for days, so this sudden tenderness completely addled his brain. While he clearly wanted to force himself on her, the promise of a thrilling technique piqued his curiosity. Men naturally let their desires dictate their thoughts.

Taking advantage of his hesitation, Taoyao added, “But you must control yourself until then. If you can’t hold back over these next few days, I won’t use that technique at all.”

The man stared at her for a long moment, completely swayed by her words. He agreed to leave her alone for the remaining days, entirely focused on testing her promise on their wedding night.

Because the bedding was so uncomfortable, Taoyao hardly slept that night. Only when sheer exhaustion took over did she close her eyes and doze off for a brief moment. It was an absolute ordeal.

Over the next two days, Taoyao found herself counting down the hours. By the third day, she realized that traveling from the north to An Province would take at least three days, and tracking down a remote village would add another day or two.

A knot of anxiety tightened in her chest. Could Gu Jincheng truly make it here in time?

Fearing he wouldn’t arrive, she attempted to negotiate with the man to postpone the wedding date. This time, however, he flatly refused to give in. Furthermore, he announced that evening that he intended to take her to the county registry the very next morning to officially transfer her household registration and sign their marriage certificate.

With the wedding fast approaching, Taoyao’s spirit cultivation remained completely locked away. She was already frantic about Gu Jincheng’s arrival, and now this man wanted to finalize their legal marriage immediately.

If they officially registered the marriage, it would complicate everything. They would be legally recognized as husband and wife. Even if Gu Jincheng arrived later, it would be incredibly difficult for him to intervene in a private domestic matter; a military officer had no authority to interfere in the marital affairs of local villagers.

Taoyao lashed out and kicked him. Startled, the man blinked and asked, “What’s wrong, Yaoyao?”

Taoyao’s expression is filled with pure irritation. “The wedding is right around the corner, and you’re intentionally trying to make things difficult for me! You’re rushing to get a marriage certificate now does that mean you don’t plan on holding the wedding banquet at all? Are you trying to skip the feast entirely once the paperwork is done?”

Lei Zhentian paused, realizing the banquet was indeed scheduled in just two days. He truly hadn’t intended to skimp on the celebration, so he quickly explained, “Yaoyao, I didn’t mean it like that. I just want to marry you as quickly as possible. I can’t wait to see you become my wife.”

“Do you even have a brain? If you spend two days traveling to the county seat for a certificate, who is going to invite the guests? Who is going to organize the ceremony, gather the firewood, and prepare the food? Are you trying to make me lose face in front of everyone?”

Faced with her barrage of questions, the man fell silent.

“Are you that terrified that I’ll run away? Are you really that useless? I’m already living in your house, where could I possibly go?” Taoyao added scathingly. “The wedding is in two days, and we can get the certificate right after. Why must you rush as if you’re hurrying to your grave, intentionally making me miserable?”

Reassured by her words, Lei Zhentian finally relented, agreeing to hold the wedding banquet first and handle the legal registration immediately afterward.

Regardless of Taoyao’s reluctance, the wedding day inevitably arrived.

Just as the sky began to brighten, the man brought in a local village woman to help her dress and prepare. Time was running out, yet there was still no sign of Gu Jincheng. Taoyao didn’t cause a scene, allowing the woman to comb her hair and change her clothes.

The bridal outfit consisted of a bright red jacket that was rather thin, resembling autumn wear, completed with a large red flower for her hair. The styling was as plain and unrefined as could be, yet because it was the prevailing fashion of the era, everyone insisted it looked beautiful.

After days of poor food and restless sleep, Taoyao had very little energy left. To protect herself from any sudden danger, she secretly concealed a pair of scissors inside her clothing. She had absolutely no faith in the original owner’s fragile body.

Regardless of Taoyao’s pregnancy, this was Lei Village, where the majority of the residents shared the same surname. Furthermore, since the child was publicly claimed to be Lei Zhentian’s, the villagers didn’t find fault with the situation, and everyone turned up to support the occasion. Even the village chief made an appearance.

Because Taoyao was a pregnant bride, the chief’s wife, despite her lingering dislike, offered a rare piece of advice: “She’s expecting a child and shouldn’t be standing for too long.” As a result, several of the lengthy opening rituals were bypassed. Taoyao only had to appear briefly to greet the guests, but she was absolutely required to participate in the formal bowing ceremony before the elders.

As the minutes ticked away, the absence of Gu Jincheng caused Taoyao’s heart to sink into absolute despair. When the final bowing ritual commenced, she lost all hope. Is that wretched man truly the original owner’s devoted brother? she wondered bitterly. The original owner had loved him so deeply that she ruined her entire life for his sake. Was he truly worth such a sacrifice?

The master of ceremonies called out loudly, “The auspicious hour has arrived! Bride and groom, step forward to perform the marital bows. First bow to Heaven and Earth. Kneel”

In this remote mountainous region, weddings still strictly adhered to ancient traditions. As a peony spirit, performing a formal bow to Heaven and Earth carried a far greater spiritual binding force than bowing to mere mortals.

Her fingers tightened around the hidden scissors, ready to strike.

At that exact moment, someone firmly grabbed her hand while another hand pressed down hard on her head, forcing her down to her knees to complete the bow. Just as Taoyao was about to drive the scissors forward, a sudden commotion shattered the ceremony.

CRASH!

The main doors were violently kicked open from the outside. Several exceptionally tall men burst into the room, led by a man whose face was completely masked in a deadly frost. It was Gu Jincheng. Exuding an aura of pure fury, he kicked aside anyone in his path until he reached Taoyao. With a swift, powerful strike, he sent the groom flying across the room, then reached down and swept her securely into his arms.

“Little sister,” he murmured, his voice laced with protective anger, “your brother is here.”