Chapter 3: The Blind
Chapter 3
Just as Lin Zaozao was feeling delighted by the energy brought into her body by the two drops of marrow-cleansing fluid and beauty elixir, a puzzled voice reached her ears.
"Murong Hai, has something happened? Why is our Lady not making any sound?"
The speaker was Lin Zaozao's second husband, Ji Fantian, a twenty-eight-year-old blind man. Despite being blind, he had excellent hearing and a handsome appearance.
Dressed in a white cotton robe with a small white medicine bottle hanging from his waist, Ji Fantian exuded an otherworldly aura with his distant brows, crimson lips, and pale complexion. He seemed ethereal and beyond the mortal realm.
Since their marriage three days ago, Lin Zaozao had been consciously or unconsciously observing him, but she had never seen him stumble because of his blindness. Every time he encountered an obstacle, she hoped he would stumble, but he effortlessly lifted his leg and stepped over it.
Lin Zaozao concluded that Ji Fantian's blindness was merely a ruse. The white gauze covering his eyes was undoubtedly a prop for his showmanship.
Just as Lin Zaozao's mind wandered, she was suddenly awakened by the pain of Murong Hai, who was biting her leg.
Why?
When he was bitten on the calf by this foolish woman, not only did he not feel any pain, but the intense suffering that had been tormenting his body inexplicably lessened.
Now, upon hearing Ji Fantian's inquiry, Murong Hai quickly regained his senses.
His foolish wife was still biting his leg!
Although he disliked his wife and found her detestable, the laws of Canglan Country prohibited men from harming women, especially their newly wedded wives.
With this in mind, Murong Hai cast a fierce glance at the onlookers outside the fence. Then, he lowered his head and looked at Lin Zaozao, who was still biting his leg, and sternly said,
"Lin Xiaohua, release your bite quickly, or I guarantee you won't even get a grain of rice to eat later."
Hearing the stern threat in her ear, Lin Zaozao unintentionally bit down even harder. She even sensed a bloody taste in her mouth.
As Lin Zaozao felt somewhat apologetic for biting too hard, Murong Hai, the person in question, ignored the wound on his leg and grabbed Lin Zaozao's arm, pinching her shoulder, and shouted in a harsh tone,
"Lin Xiaohua, spit out the blood in your mouth right now if you don't want to die!"
Lin Zaozao stared at Murong Hai, who suddenly transformed into a fearsome and ruthless figure, and for a moment, she was frozen in fear.
Seeing Lin Zaozao standing dumbfounded in place, Murong Hai couldn't contain his impatience any longer. He directly held her chin with his hand and scolded her sharply,
"Lin Xiaohua, if you don't want to die, spit out the blood in your mouth!"
Listening to the urgent roar in her ears, Lin Zaozao, although she didn't know why Murong Hai was so anxious, obediently spat out the bloody taste in her mouth.
But after spitting for a long time, she didn't vomit anything except the saliva in her mouth.
"Ye Yi, quickly bring some water!"
As soon as Murong Lenghai's voice fell, a bowl of water immediately appeared by Lin Zaozao's mouth.
"Lin Xiaohua, rinse your mouth with this water. Under no circumstances should you drink any of it, understand?"
Facing Murong Lenghai's stern gaze, Lin Zaozao could only nod dumbly.
Oh my goodness! If she had known, she wouldn't have bitten him so hard. Now, seeing his fierce and terrifying appearance, she almost lost her wits.
"Hurry up and rinse your mouth, stop dawdling!"
Listening to the urging voice in her ears, Lin Zaozao obediently took the water from the bowl into her mouth and then spat it out.
It was only after she repeatedly rinsed her mouth with all the water in the bowl that Murong Hai stopped his actions.
"Fantian, come and have a look at her."
Saying that, Murong Lenghai took Lin Zaozao's chubby hand and walked towards Ji Fantian.
Meanwhile, Lin Zaozao, who was too scared to react, could only let Murong Hai pull her in front of Ji Fantian.
Ji Fantian's distinct fingers rested on Lin Zaozao's plump and round wrist. After a moment, Ji Fantian spoke softly.
"Murong Hai, there's no need to worry. Lin Xiaohua is fine."
After speaking, Ji Fantian took out a plain handkerchief from his own pocket and gently wiped the fingers that had just touched Lin Zaozao's wrist, as if he had touched something disgusting.
Seeing Ji Fantian's action, Lin Zaozao, with her eyes almost narrowed to a slit due to her plumpness, couldn't help but squint.
Damn Ji Fantian, she used to think highly of his celestial appearance. But now, seeing how disgusted he was with her, forget it, she wouldn't even dream of getting a taste of that swan meat.
From now on, she would keep her distance from this guy.
Just as Lin Zaozao was lost in her thoughts, Ji Fantian's voice of confusion clearly reached her ears.
"Lenghai, did you smell a strange odor? It seems... like a foul smell?"
After speaking, Ji Fantian raised his robe and lightly covered his mouth and nose.
Hearing Ji Fantian's reminder, Murong Hai, who had been standing beside Lin Zaozao all along, sniffed the air. And to his surprise, that foul smell was actually coming from Lin Zaozao.
As a result, Murong Lenghai pushed Lin Zaozao aside and subconsciously took a step back.
Because that smell was really, really foul!
Being pushed and stumbling, Lin Zaozao, who was already starving, was now being told to her face that she stank.
Hmph! They were really taking advantage of her stupidity!
So, following the principle of a foolish person doing foolish things, she sat directly on the ground and cried out loudly.
"I'm hungry, I'm hungry, I want to eat..."
Listening to the loud noise of Lin Zaozao's crying, the villagers who were initially hesitant to gossip due to Murong Hai's cold demeanor gradually started discussing with louder voices.
"Hey! Even though the wife of this household is fat, foolish, and ugly, she is still a legitimate woman! Can you believe that her five husbands don't even feed her? Isn't that too much?"
"What's so excessive about it? Just look at her, she's almost as round as a ball. If she keeps eating like this, she'll get even fatter. I say let her go hungry for a few meals, it'll save her from eating herself to death."
"Come on, even if she needs to lose weight, it should be done gradually! Keeping her starved like this will surely lead to her death! And according to our kingdom's laws, those who mistreat their wives are to receive thirty lashes. Those thirty lashes will leave the skin torn and flesh exposed, even if they don't die, they'll be severely disfigured."
As the neighbor spoke, he couldn't help but shiver involuntarily, as if those thirty lashes had already landed on his own body.
Consequently, the gossiping neighbors directed their disapproving gazes towards the five men inside the courtyard. Although it must be said that all five husbands of this foolish woman had disabilities, their faces, physiques, and demeanors were not something an ordinary person could possess.
At first glance, they didn't seem to come from an ordinary household. They resembled those young masters carefully cultivated by wealthy families.
Let's not even mention the eldest and second husbands in her family, but the third husband, Ye Yi, is worth mentioning. Although he is a mute, his face exudes an exotic charm that captivates anyone who lays eyes on him.
His eyes shine like lustrous glass submerged in water, and the slight upward tilt at the corners of his eyes gives him a particularly seductive allure. With his high-bridged nose and thin lips, he gives off an air of indifference.
Even though his appearance may seem somewhat merciless, it only intensifies the desire to conquer him. At the very least, the few village women who had been peering through Lin Zaozao's fence all this time were practically drooling at the sight of Ye Yi.