Chapter 3: Unintentional Consequences
Pin Fang Pavilion.
A private room on the second floor.
Lin Xiu was consoling Haitang.
Through their conversation, he had learned about Haitang’s background.
She was originally from an ordinary farming family in Jiangning Prefecture of the Great Xia. As the eldest daughter, she came from a poor family barely making ends meet. Later, her parents had a son, and the family of four could no longer sustain themselves.
To exchange for a few taels of silver, her parents sold her to a wealthy family in the city.
This wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Although her fate was no longer her own after being sold, at least she could survive and not starve to death. Her parents and brother could also have a slightly better life.
However, the master of the wealthy family lusted after her. If it weren’t for the mistress’s jealousy, he might have taken advantage of her long ago. After realizing her husband’s intentions, the mistress often beat and scolded her, venting her anger whenever she was displeased. Eventually, she was sold to a brothel.
Facing the customers arranged by the brothel, at first, she resisted to the death, but after being beaten and tortured several times, she eventually gave up resisting.
And so began the journey of an ordinary brothel girl.
Lin Xiu gently held the girl’s hand, sighing, “The past is past, and we must look to the future. You still have a future ahead of you.”
Lin Xiu was stalling for time, but not entirely.
Initially, he looked down on these brothel girls, but later, his attitude changed.
People like Haitang, from birth, had no control over their fate and were powerless to change anything.
Moved by Lin Xiu’s words, Haitang’s eyes moistened, yet she shook her head, saying, “It’s easy for you to say, but what future do people like me have?”
Lin Xiu gently patted her hand and said, “I can somewhat relate to your feelings. After my parents separated, they each remarried. Even though I’m still their child, they didn’t want me…”
In another life, Lin Xiu’s parents divorced and each formed new families.
After that, Lin Xiu seemed forgotten, with rare communication from both. However, they never failed to provide financially.
They didn’t realize that money was never what Lin Xiu lacked.
Having money did have its advantages, though; he was never short of company. Perhaps that’s why every morning he woke up to a different beautiful face, with so many willing to follow the path laid out.
Lin Xiu provided the money; they provided the company. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement.
After a long while, Lin Xiu took a deep breath, sealing away certain memories, never to recall them again.
After all, those were past life matters.
Haitang looked up at Lin Xiu, incredulous, “You had such experiences too?”
Lin Xiu smiled slightly, “Those are all past events. People like us shouldn’t keep dwelling on the past but think more of the future. The past cannot be changed, but the future holds endless possibilities…”
Haitang shuddered slightly, seemingly pondering Lin Xiu’s words. The room fell into silence.
Meanwhile, a glint flashed in Lin Xiu’s eyes.
Just a little more time, and he could completely copy Haitang’s ability!
Just then, a commotion erupted outside, mingled with the madam’s shouts.
“Hey, girl, you can’t go in!”
“Girl, girl…”
Boom!
The room’s door suddenly opened.
No, it didn’t open; it fell.
Two heavy door panels toppled straight down.
A tall woman in white stood at the doorway, glaring at Lin Xiu, gritting her teeth, “Lin Xiu, how dare you visit a brothel!”
With her appearance, the room’s temperature seemed to drop a few degrees.
Lin Xiu looked at the woman in white, puzzled, “Who are you?”
The woman in white strode to Lin Xiu’s side, grabbed his wrist, and coldly said, “Come back with me!”
Lin Xiu had no recollection of this body’s past, didn’t recognize the woman, and didn’t know their relationship, but regardless of their relationship, if he had just a bit more time, he could have gained Haitang’s ability.
Grasped by the woman, Lin Xiu hurriedly said, “Wait a moment, just a moment…”
However, the next moment, a great force came from his wrist, and Lin Xiu was pulled up, dragged out of the room.
His hand, clasped with Haitang’s, was forcibly separated the next instant.
Like a file being copied, with progress at ninety-nine percent, only to have the USB suddenly yanked out.
The nearly complete ability within Lin Xiu collapsed and vanished.
“No!”
Lin Xiu shouted in grief and anger, to no avail.
He shook off the woman’s hand forcefully, angrily demanding, “What are you doing!”
The woman hadn’t expected Lin Xiu to suddenly exhibit such strength but didn’t think much of it. She just asked coldly, “Shouldn’t I be asking you that?”
Lin Xiu asked, “What are you to me, and what right do you have to question me?”
His words were filled with both anger and inquiry.
The woman looked at Lin Xiu, her ample chest rising rhythmically.
This man, her future brother-in-law?
How could he match the Zhao family’s heavenly daughter?
In the past, she had let it be. Lin Xiu hadn’t awakened any Mystic Art, nor did he practice martial arts, but he had no bad traits. It was, after all, an engagement set by the elders decades ago. Besides feeling indignant for her sister, she couldn’t say much.
But now, she actually saw Lin Xiu in a brothel, visiting with an engagement to her sister, during daylight, with righteous boldness, pretending not to recognize her!
“You’re still pretending!”
Boom!
In her anger, she kicked at Lin Xiu, disregarding her skirt. Since awakening his Mystic Art, Lin Xiu’s reactions were much quicker. He retreated swiftly, and his casual glance made him think, the beauty in front really likes white.
“What are you looking at!”
Lin Xiu’s gaze didn’t escape the woman’s notice. Embarrassed and angry, she put her leg down immediately, striking at Lin Xiu with a hand chop.
Her speed was much faster than before, and Lin Xiu couldn’t dodge this time. He felt pain at the back of his neck, his body going limp as he collapsed to the floor.
Staring at the unconscious Lin Xiu, the woman’s chest heaved for a long time before her anger subsided. Coldly, she ordered, “Sun Dali, take him back!”
No one responded to her words. She turned, discovering Sun Dali had long vanished.
Frustrated, she stomped her foot, kicked Lin Xiu’s butt a few times, then hoisted him over her shoulder and walked out of the room.
Haitang, terrified, sat dazed at the table. The madam was the first to recover, hurriedly shouting, “He… he hasn’t paid yet!”
…
When Lin Xiu opened his eyes, he saw Sun Dali’s square face.
He vaguely remembered being knocked out by the woman in white.
Recalling the woman, Lin Xiu instinctively sat up in bed, only to fall back heavily.
The pain from his butt made his expression somewhat twisted.
Sun Dali quickly said, “Young Master, don’t worry, she’s gone.”
Lin Xiu, holding his butt, looked panicked, asking, “What happened after I passed out!”
Sun Dali explained, “Don’t worry, Young Master. When the Second Miss carried you back, your butt was already swollen. I saw it clearly from outside; she kicked it…”
Kicked it…
Lin Xiu sighed in relief, then realized something, glaring at Sun Dali in anger, “You’re my guard, and you just stood by while she kicked me?”
Sun Dali retracted his head, helplessly saying, “I’m no match for the Second Miss. Going up would’ve been pointless, better to hide and call for help…”
Looking at the square face, Lin Xiu resisted the urge to slap him.
He had reason to suspect this guy might be a spy sent by an enemy.
But thinking it over, Sun Dali’s words seemed somewhat reasonable. Lin Xiu gritted his teeth, deciding to remember this debt for later, asking, “Who is she?”
Sun Dali, incredulous, said, “Young Master, you don’t recognize the Second Miss?”
Lin Xiu shook his head, saying, “I told you, I can’t remember anything.”
Sun Dali came to his senses and quickly explained, “Of course, she’s the Second Miss of the Zhao family. You’ve been engaged to the Zhao family’s eldest daughter since childhood. By that, the Second Miss is your sister-in-law…”
Lin Xiu was stunned, “What… engagement?”
Sun Dali quickly said, “Don’t worry, Young Master, I’ll explain slowly…”
Lin Xiu listened in shock as Sun Dali explained.
Decades ago, during their grandfathers’ generation, the Lin and Zhao families were close friends. At that time, to strengthen ties, they arranged a marriage for the next generation.
However, both families’ next generation were boys, so the engagement was extended to Lin Xiu’s generation.
Eighteen years ago, the Zhao family had a daughter, and the Lin family had a son, formally cementing the engagement set by the previous generation.
But over the years, the Lin family declined while the Zhao family soared, becoming a new power in the Great Xia, while the Lin family teetered on the edge of losing its noble status. Naturally, this engagement became awkward.
Moreover, the Zhao family’s eldest daughter, Lin Xiu’s fiancée, had awakened a powerful Mystic Art as a child, a true prodigy, while Lin Xiu was just an ordinary person, making the engagement seem impossible.
After hearing this, Lin Xiu was dumbfounded.
Engagement?
What a joke. Marriage was impossible. In his past life and this one, marriage was out of the question.
His parents’ failed marriage in his past life left a significant psychological shadow on him as a child, leading to a fear of marriage later on.
Just the thought of marriage chilled him.
Lin Xiu had also seen a psychologist later. The wise doctor told him he wasn’t afraid of marriage, just hadn’t met someone he wanted to marry.
The more he feared something, the more he desired it.
To be honest, that statement hit home.
Lin Xiu envied those with happy marriages. It was something he deeply wished for but never had.
Later, he comforted himself that for someone like him, what’s good about marriage? Marriage meant responsibility. Once married, how could he roam free?
This mindset persisted to this day.
This engagement had to be canceled. In this day and age, arranged marriages were outdated. For his own future happiness, Lin Xiu couldn’t allow this marriage to exist.
However, if there truly was such an engagement, then the beating he just took wasn’t for nothing.
A sister-in-law seeing her future brother-in-law at a brothel and reacting with anger was understandable.
Lin Xiu suddenly realized something and asked, “Wait, did you say I was carried back by the Zhao family’s Second Miss?”
Sun Dali shook his head, correcting him, “Carried.”
Lin Xiu didn’t care if it was carried or hoisted. From Pin Fang Pavilion to the Lin family, it was quite a walk, especially carrying someone. That time was enough for many things to happen.
He urgently asked, “Has the Zhao family’s Second Miss awakened a Mystic Art?”
“Of course,” Sun Dali confirmed, “The Second Miss awakened the Ice Mystic Art, which is quite formidable even among Mystic Arts…”
Lin Xiu took a deep breath, nodded, and said, “You can go now, I need to rest.”
It was already late. As Sun Dali reached the door, he said, “Rest well, Young Master. Call me if you need anything; I’m next door.”
After Sun Dali closed the door and left, Lin Xiu extended his hand, exhaling lightly.
In the next moment, a layer of frost slowly formed on his palm.
The surrounding temperature also dropped a few degrees.
