Shen Ye turned his head and saw an exceptionally beautiful girl walk into the living room. She picked up the marriage contract from the trash can.
The girl was even more beautiful than Zhong Xue. Her skin was like cream, her fingers like tender white grass—pure, lively, and dazzling. She was a peerless beauty, like a celestial being descended upon the mortal world.
Seeing her, Zhong Xue’s expression changed. She sneered, "Mu Qingyi, who let you into my house?"
"Cousin, aren't you being a bit too desperate?"
"A man that I, your sister, look down upon is treated like a treasure by you. What a waste of that face of yours!"
"If you're really that desperate, I could find you any random man who would be ten thousand times better than this poor hick from the hills!"
Mu Qingyi cast a cold glance at Zhong Xue. She walked over to Shen Ye, took his hand, and said, "I’ll take this marriage contract. If she doesn’t want you, I do. I’ll be your wife."
Shen Ye looked at Mu Qingyi with a strange expression. Was this girl serious? Whether in figure, appearance, or temperament, Mu Qingyi was top-tier—she was leagues ahead of Zhong Xue. As the Living King of Hell, Shen Ye could tell at a glance that Mu Qingyi was still a virgin; she couldn't possibly be looking for someone to take the fall for her.
"Are you sure? No regrets?" Shen Ye asked.
"Whoever regrets it is a puppy!" Mu Qingyi said, locking eyes with him. Her eyes were clear and beautiful, framed by long lashes, with two small dimples appearing on her cheeks.
Afraid that Mu Qingyi might back out, Zhong Xue intentionally tried to provoke her: "Cousin, what kind of game are you playing? If you’ve got the guts, go get the marriage certificate and show it to me."
"If you don't dare, don't blame me for looking down on you!"
"What’s there not to dare? I'll go get it right now. You just wait for me!"
Mu Qingyi responded forcefully, grabbing Shen Ye and heading straight for the Civil Affairs Bureau. The scene left Shen Ye somewhat bewildered; he had no idea what Mu Qingyi was planning.
...
The clerk at the Civil Affairs Bureau handed them their marriage certificates. In less than half an hour, Shen Ye stood there, still dazed, holding the document. He had indeed come down from the mountain to find a wife, but how had the person changed? Had he just been forced into marriage?
Mu Qingyi snatched the certificate from Shen Ye’s hand and waved it triumphantly in front of him, looking smug. "Shen Ye, we’re a legal couple now. It’s too late for you to regret it!"
Shen Ye rubbed his nose and asked, "Mu Qingyi, what is this all about?"
"You just met me, you don't even know me—isn't this a bit too sudden?"
The corners of Mu Qingyi’s mouth curled into a beautiful smile. "Who says I don't know you?"
"You grew up in an orphanage, you’re the successor to Medicine King Valley, and you're twenty-three—a year older than me."
"Eight years ago, Zhong Xue had a terminal illness that no doctor could cure. She was finally healed at Medicine King Valley."
"That fool Zhong Xue has eyes but can't recognize a good man, but I, Mu Qingyi, am not stupid. The man she doesn't want, I want. I’m going to make her die of frustration!"
Shen Ye was dumbfounded. Was this woman a spy? "How do you know all this?" he asked.
Mu Qingyi gave him a look that suggested he was being silly and pouted, "Didn't you hear Zhong Xue call me cousin? We were very close back then."
"She told me everything about you when she returned from Medicine King Valley. How could I not know? She even said she gave you her first kiss and promised to marry you. I remember it all."
"Do you know why I showed up just in time? It’s because I received the news and rushed over from home immediately."
Shen Ye looked at her with a strange expression. He felt that something was off. Through their brief interaction, he found that this girl was clever, eccentric, and showed a mix of courage and strategy.
Shen Ye touched his chin and asked with a smile, "Mu Qingyi, you don't have some other scheme against me, do you?"
Mu Qingyi stomped her foot and pouted, "We are a legal couple now; you have to call me 'wife,' you know?"
"We're going back to the Zhong family now. I want to slam this marriage certificate in Zhong Xue’s face and let her see who the real clown is!"
Shen Ye remained silent.
Truth be told, Mu Qingyi’s appearance had disrupted all of his plans. This girl was unpredictable, and her every move caught him off guard. She was a beautiful wife who had effectively fallen from the sky, and he was the lucky recipient.
"Mu Qingyi, do you have a grudge against Zhong Xue?" Shen Ye asked.
Mu Qingyi rolled her eyes and corrected him sternly, "Call me 'wife'!"
Shen Ye remained silent.
Mu Qingyi muttered, "Zhong Xue’s family is better off than mine, so she’s always felt superior, looking down on me and mocking me. This time, I want to show her how blind she really is and make her lose to me completely!"
Back at the Zhong residence, there was a new young man present. His name was Chen Feiyu, the second young master of the Chen family and Zhong Xue’s fiancé. Zhong Xue was leaning into his arms, looking completely infatuated.
Mu Qingyi walked up and slammed the marriage certificate onto Zhong Xue’s face. She hugged Shen Ye intimately, proudly asserting her territory: "Zhong Xue, look clearly. Shen Ye is my man now!"
Zhong Xue looked on with disdain and sneered, "Mu Qingyi, you really are desperate, taking any man you can get."
"That’s just garbage that I didn't want, and you’re treating it like a treasure. It’s laughable."
"I’m destined to marry into a wealthy family, so you might as well go back to the mountains and eat dirt with that hillbilly!"
Chen Feiyu looked at Mu Qingyi as if she were a fool, casting a gaze of mockery and contempt toward Shen Ye.
Mu Qingyi did not back down, retorting directly: "Shen Ye is my man. Even if I have to eat dirt with him, I’m willing. I’m destined to be happier than you!"
"The man you look down on today is someone you won't be able to reach tomorrow!"
Zhong Xue looked extremely disgusted and scoffed, "You pathetic wretch, it’s truly sad. A poor beggar claiming to be happy—it makes me want to vomit."
Zhong Xue said to Shen Ye with loathing, "Country bumpkin, now that you’ve found a wife, you can get out. The Zhong family doesn't welcome you!"
Mu Qingyi hummed, refusing to be outdone. "We’ll leave, as if anyone wanted to come to your house anyway."
"If it wasn't for my husband, I wouldn't step foot in here even if you begged me!"
Mu Qingyi pulled Shen Ye’s hand and said affectionately, "Husband, let’s go home!"
Shen Ye said, "Your business is done, but mine isn't. Wait over there."
Shen Ye looked at Zhong Xue with a dark expression, his voice icy. "Zhong Xue, do you really think the Medicine King Valley is so easy to bully?"
"You refuse to acknowledge the help the Medicine King Valley gave you, you openly tore up the marriage contract, and you insulted the successor of the Medicine King Valley."
"The Medicine King Valley will not be insulted. You must give me a satisfactory explanation for all of this!"
Zhong Xue was frightened by Shen Ye’s cold gaze and shrank into Chen Feiyu’s arms.
Chen Feiyu shouted arrogantly, "Shen Ye, is it? Who do you think you are? You aren't in a position to run wild in Ningjiang!"
"Do you believe me when I say that the Chen family can crush you countless times with just a flick of a finger?"
"I want to take your woman—what are you going to do about it? If you’ve got the guts, hit me! Do you dare?"
With Chen Feiyu backing her, Zhong Xue’s courage returned. She clamored, "So I insulted it, what are you going to do to me?"
"Medicine King Valley? It’s nothing more than a bunch of barefoot doctors and charlatans."
"Do you really think you're some kind of miracle doctor? Hilarious!"
"I’ll tell you this: I’m about to become Mrs. Chen. You’re just a country hick I’m far above."
Zhong Xue’s father, Zhong Jian, was afraid of offending the Medicine King Valley too deeply, so he hurried to mediate and wrote out a check for 300,000.
"Shen Ye, since you’re already married to Qingyi, you can't marry Xiaoxue. You married someone else first, so we aren't technically breaking our promise. This 300,000 is compensation for you."
Shen Ye sneered. He stepped on the check, crushing it into the floor. He said coldly, "Do you really take me for a beggar?"
"Your Zhong family is treacherous and has insulted the Medicine King Valley. There is no need for you to continue to exist."
"I’ll give you twelve hours to get out of Ningjiang, or you will bear the consequences!"
Zhong Jian’s wife, Shi Xiumei, jumped out like a shrew and cursed, "Shen Ye, don't be ungrateful. 300,000 is enough for you to eat and drink for a lifetime in those mountains."
"And you want my Zhong family to leave Ningjiang? Who do you think you are, and why should we listen to you?"
"Young Master Chen is here—this is no place for you to run wild!"
Chen Feiyu pointed at Shen Ye’s nose and yelled, "You hillbilly, why don't you go look at yourself in a mirror? How dare you act arrogant in front of me?"
"You want the Zhong family to leave Ningjiang? Do you believe me when I say I can make you disappear from this world with a single word?"
Shen Ye swept a cold, indifferent glance over Shi Xiumei and Chen Feiyu. "Since you are all courting death, I will grant it to you!"
"Within twelve hours, by ten o'clock tonight, the Zhong family and the Chen family will be wiped off the face of the earth!"
Shen Ye’s words were resonant and brooked no argument, shocking everyone in the room.
Shen Ye turned and left, and Mu Qingyi hurried after him.
Only after Shen Ye was far away did Zhong Xue and the others dare to laugh. "A fool from the mountains trying to threaten us—hilarious!"
Chen Feiyu shouted arrogantly, "If he has the ability to do that, I’ll call him 'Dad'!"
Zhong Jian’s brow was furrowed tightly. He suddenly had an ominous premonition—as if he had provoked a massive, insurmountable trouble.