The morning mist clung to the small cottage like a damp shroud.
On the porch, Shen Jue stood with his hands tucked into his sleeves, looking every bit the refined, elegant scholar.
But his eyes were like frozen lakes.
Below him, the village head and Nan Si's uncle led a ragtag mob, their faces twisted with a mix of superstition and greed.
"Shen Jue! That girl is a curse!" the uncle barked, waving a rusted pitchfork. "She's a disgrace—hand her over before she drags this whole village into her filth!"
Shen Jue didn't move an inch. However, a murderous aura, honed through the blood-soaked memories of a fallen dynasty, surged forward.
Even though he was not sure what his feelings for Nan Si were,but that innate, soul-deep possessiveness was already in full swing.
He had only known this girl for a short time, yet the mere thought of these filthy people touching her made his blood boil with a dark, intoxicating heat.
"She is my wife," Shen Jue said, his voice a low, dangerous silk.
"Her past died the moment she crossed my threshold. If you want to take her, come. But know that only one of us will be standing when the sun sets."
The coldness in his gaze — no longer that of a scholar but a wolf guarding its territory — sent the villagers scrambling back into the mist.
Inside, the "foolish" Nan Si was pressed against the door, listening. Her vacant eyes were focused, sparkling with a mischievous, bright light.
'Baby, why did original owner family wants her dead??' Nan Si was puzzled about this.
[Host, Aside from the original owners memories we can only get the real plot...if you want to know you have to wait until you have levelled up.]
'Level up....So what is my level now..' Nan Si asked curiously.
' It's Level two. You have to complete at least four more missions with SSS,then you can know other things aside from plots.'
'Four more missions...your time bureau is really stingy.'
Nan Si said with pout,her focus shifted when she heard Shen Jue rebuttal.
She was so happy that she did a little victory dance, her colorful skirt swirling.
[Did you hear that, Baby? My Jue Jue is so cool when he's being protective!]
[Ding! Host, please stop wiggling. You're supposed to be a 'simpleton,' not a disco ball,]
Baby's voice chimed in, sounding remarkably like a tired office worker as he thought that Supreme God is really spineless to fall this easily.
But he didn't dare to say this to his host, otherwise all his novels and drama will come to end.
[Also, reminder: Shen Jue's affection value is currently at 6. So, be careful.]
Nan Si giggled, poking her own cheek.
'Only 6? That's okay. With a face like mine and a husband like him, I'll have that at 100 in no time. Now, give me the plot. Why is my handsome scholar so grumpy?'
[Scanning... Host, hold onto your pigtails. This world is a tragedy. The Male Lead is the current Emperor 'ShenNan and the Heroine is a time-traveler.
They are the "Destined Couple" who will bring peace by eliminating the 'Great Villain'—your husband, Shen Jue.
But the good news is that the heroine hasn't travelled here yet.. according to the previous time-line, it will be after when fragment would have become prime minister and he would have half court on his hands.]
Nan Si's smile faltered as she listened.
'Villain? My Jue Jue? Because he wants his throne back? And if my Jue Jue is this powerful then why he died?'
[Yes. He's the last surviving prince. He's practicing a 'Blood Reversal' technique for revenge.
It makes him a god of war, but it has a nasty side effect: periodically, it leaves him completely weak and defenseless.
In the original story, the heroine will finds him during his weakness and... well, it's a lot of blood and no more Jue Jue.]
A sharp pang of real, soul-deep pain hit Nan Si. Her eyes shimmered with rage.
'They want to kill him while he's weak? Those hypocrites! Not on my watch. I'll protect my Jue Jue even if I have to bite the Emperor myself!'
'Has Jue Jue started practicing the technique, Is there a solution for its drawback?'
Nan Si asked but before baby could reply, the door creaked open.
Instantly, Nan Si's ran and sat on bed her expression shifted as she played with hem of her clothes.
Her shoulders slumped, and her eyes turned wide, vacant, and adorably sweet.
Shen Jue walked in,the oppressive aura vanished in instant and his gaze softened the moment it landed on her.
He couldn't help it; ever since he saw her, it felt like his heart had been struck by lightning.
Shen Jue looked at her, momentarily lost in thought.
Nan Si felt his wrong mood and immediately ran towards him like a little bird returning to her harbour.
"Pretty Husband.... Are...bad people..gone?" she asked, her voice still incoherent but better than yesterday as it tilted up at the end in a cute, bird-like chirp.
She grabbed his sleeve and gave it a tiny, playful tug. "They were making a scary noise."
Shen Jue felt his heart melting like a glacier melting in warm sun.
Something inside him tightened. The thought of her leaving made his chest ache in a way he didn't understand.
"They are gone, Si Si. They won't bother you again."
Nan Si listened and smiled, her smile was the softest ray of light in his dark life.
His eyes darkened as he took her hand and let her sit on bed, stroking her.
'Since you have came to be his wife....then you are mine.'
Ding....
[Affection value: 24
Blackening value: 80]
'huh...baby, why did the blackening value increased suddenly?'
Nan Si asked inwardly looking at Shen Jue who was stroking her.
Baby was also confused as he looked at statics and said, [Host, I don't know too....there is no records of something like this in my database]
Nan Si rolled her eyes, 'Useless!!'
While they were arguing, Shen Jue has already stood up and now he was gathering his transcription scrolls, his movements deliberate.
"I have to go into town to deliver these and buy... herbs. It's a long walk. You must stay inside and lock the door. Don't let anyone in, especially not your uncle."
Nan Si leaned her head against his arm, acting like a clingy kitten. "Can't I go? I'll be quiet! I'll be like a little mouse!"
Shen Jue looked down at her—the lively, innocent curve of her lips, the way she looked at him as if he were the center of the universe.
His possessiveness flared. He wanted to hide her in a box where only he could see her.
"No," he said, his voice unusually thick. "It is dangerous. Wait for me, and I'll bring you some candied haws and a new ribbon for your hair."
"A red one?" she asked, her eyes lighting up with genuine excitement.
"The reddest one in the shop," he promised, his thumb brushing over her knuckles for a heartbeat too long.
The warmth faded from Shen Jue's eyes as soon as the village disappeared behind him, his aura shifted from "warm scholar" to "ruthless leader".
A shadow dropped from the trees, kneeling in the dirt.
"Young Master," Shadow One said,his voice ruthless and indifferent.
"You will go to capital within few weeks and The Blood Reversal cycle is coming. You are already becoming unstable. Why do you keep that girl? She is not only fool but also a distraction. Let me... take care of her."
The forest seemed to go silent as soon as Shadow one finished his words.
The air around Shen Jue turned oppressive and bloodthirsty.
He looked at his guard with eyes that promised an agonizing death.
"You have forgotten your boundaries, Shadow one." Shen Jue said, each word a drop of liquid nitrogen.
"Young master...I am just doing it for your sake." Shadow one kneeled, vomiting blood in ground but still said stubbornly.
Listening to Shadow one incoherent talk, Shen Jue clenched his fist and said, his voice filled with nothing but indifference,
"Don't touch her. If a hair on her head is harmed, I will peel the skin from your back myself."
Shadow One shivered, the malice in his heart momentarily stifled by pure terror. "But... she is a risk..."
"She is mine," Shen Jue interrupted, his voice dropping to a low, possessive growl.
"Accept your punishment and replace yourself with Shadow Two. You are no longer fit to guard the cottage. If I find you near her again, consider your life forfeit."
After commanding shadow one, Shen Jue walked toward the town, his mind was a whirlwind of bloody revenge and the image of a girl waiting for a red ribbon.
Behind him, Shadow One rose, a dark light flickering in his eyes.
'The Young Master is possessed. For the sake of the dynasty, that woman must die.'