Atop Qinglan Mountain stood a dilapidated Taoist temple, appearing even more desolate and eerie under the dreary June rain.
Inside the temple, a man dressed in a black Zhongshan suit leaned over to light the ever-burning lamp beneath a sacred statue.
"Old Ancestor, the century-long wait is over. A new vessel has been chosen for you."
As Luohong's voice faded, the patter of rain outside intensified. A chilling wind swept through the room, causing the flame of the ever-burning lamp to flicker violently.
Immediately after, a dark shadow swept past him, threw open the temple doors, and vanished into the night in the blink of an eye.
Luohong kept his head bowed throughout. Only when silence returned to the temple did he bow respectfully toward the open doors.
***
In a VIP ward at Nancheng First Hospital.
An elegant, wealthy middle-aged woman stood beside the hospital bed, turning the Buddhist prayer beads on her wrist. Her voice was cold.
"Darling, our Yun Family can't possibly back out of this marriage with the Su Family. But if you make Xinru marry him, I'll kill myself!"
Her stepmother, Qiao Lan, raised her eyelids, her gaze falling on the young woman lying in the bed, the cold calculation in her eyes barely concealed.
Yun Yao lay quietly on the bed, her pale face resembling a withered flower.
If not for the steady beeping of the nearby medical monitors, she would have looked exactly like a long-dead, mummified corpse.
Just then, her biological father, Yun Jianghai, spoke up in a strong, resonant voice.
"Look at you, talking nonsense again!" Yun Jianghai wrapped his arms tightly around Qiao Lan. "Xinru is our pride and joy. How could I ever force her to marry that fool from the Su Family?"
"The doctors said Yun Yao will be a vegetable for the rest of her life and will never wake up. Marrying her off to Su Yuchen is the only way to make all the money we've wasted keeping her alive worthwhile!"
A cunning gleam of triumph flashed in Qiao Lan's downcast eyes, but when she looked up again, her expression had softened into one of gentle concern.
"Darling, your father has always doted on Yun Yao. Won't doing this anger the old man?"
Yun Jianghai kept his arm around Qiao Lan's waist, caressing her gently as they walked toward the door.
"Don't worry. I've arranged for him to stay abroad for a while. By the time he returns, he'll have no choice but to accept it!"
"You really think of everything, darling!"
Their voices gradually faded. The moment the ward door clicked shut, the young woman on the bed opened her eyes with a start.
It took time for her soul to fully integrate with the body. While adapting to this "new vessel," Yun Yao began absorbing the original host's memories.
Motherless since birth, she had been branded a curse. Everyone shunned her and bullied her.
The only exception was her grandfather, Yun Zhengfeng, who had insisted on raising and caring for her himself.
But when she was barely over a year old, her father, Yun Jianghai, brought home a pregnant Qiao Fang.
Once their child, Yun Xinru, was born, Yun Yao—despite being the eldest daughter of the Yun Family—became the laughingstock of high society.
Because her grandfather was frequently away on business, leaving her with no one to protect her, she suffered endless torment and abuse.
Yet, she was resilient. She gritted her teeth and persevered, eventually becoming the top student in their elite social circle.
However, the more she excelled, the more of a thorn she became in the side of Qiao Fang and her daughter.
On her fifteenth birthday, Qiao Fang instigated Yun Xinru to push her off the rooftop. From that day on, she was reduced to a vegetative state.
If her grandfather hadn't stubbornly insisted on keeping her alive, she would have long since become a wandering ghost.
Yet, living like this was worse than death.
Throughout the years of her coma, her hearing was the one sense that had remained fully intact.
Those vile people had spoken of all their wicked deeds right beside her bed. She had even heard, with her own ears, how her mother had died.
Her mother had been strangled to death, with bare hands, by Qiao Fang and Yun Jianghai!
At this point, the memories came to an abrupt halt, and the original host's overwhelming hatred filled her chest.
Sitting up on the bed, Yun Yao stiffly raised a hand so emaciated it looked like bare bone, and tremulously wiped away a tear from the corner of her eye.
Her face was a mask of cold ferocity and displeasure.
"Tsk. What a pitiful soul."
"Since this venerable one has taken over your body, I will not allow you to be trampled on any longer."
"Yun Yao, is it? Just you wait."
"I will exact your revenge for you!"
"And I will make the name Yun Yao echo throughout Nancheng!"
With that, Yun Yao forced her fragile body upright. Looking down at the tubes connected to her, a cold glint flashed in her eyes.
"The Luo Family's descendants are getting worse at their jobs. How could they choose such a weak, pathetic vessel?"
Just as she was about to rip out the tubes, footsteps approached the door.
Two nurses pushed the door open, chatting and laughing.
"The Yun Family really is kind-hearted. Yun Yao is practically a corpse, yet they're still arranging a marriage for her!"
The other nurse glanced at Yun Yao on the bed and sneered.
"Kind-hearted? I highly doubt it! Who doesn't know Su Yuchen is a simpleton?"
"The Yun Family can't afford to offend the Su Family, but they can't bear to marry off their own darling daughter either. So, they're using this half-dead vegetable as a substitute bride!"
"Though, a vegetable and a fool—they really are a perfect match!"
"Alright, the Su Family's car is arriving soon. Hurry up and get her dressed!"
Yun Yao closed her eyes, letting them dress her with rough, uncaring movements.
Still, why was the style of these clothes so bizarre?
***
A silver van sped through the city streets, heading straight toward Su Yuchen's villa, Prosperity Garden.
Inside the living room, large red "Double Happiness" characters were pasted crookedly on the walls. The curtains were drawn tight, and only a few red candles cast a dim, eerie glow.
Just before she was taken out of the vehicle, a cloth was thrown over Yun Yao's head.
Her eyes snapped open.
Peering through the "red veil," Yun Yao watched herself being wheeled into the house. To avoid causing unnecessary trouble, she remained still and allowed them to guide her.
She heard someone speak.
"The bride is ready! Go bring the young master!"
What did they just say?
A bride?
Looking at the decorations around the room, everything suddenly clicked.
What a joke!
She was an Old Ancestor who had lived for ten thousand years! What kind of man had she not seen? And they wanted her to marry a simpleton?
Absolutely preposterous!
Her expression darkened. She decided to drop the act.
Just as she was about to throw off the veil and tear this wedding to pieces—
—a cold hand suddenly grabbed her wrist, followed immediately by a crisp, clean scent that drifted into her nose.
Yun Yao froze.
Wait...
This hand... it was long, fair, and perfectly jointed.
What a beautiful hand!
They say hands are a person's second face. If his hand was this gorgeous, the rest of him couldn't possibly be bad!
She peeked at the man beside her.
He had a flawlessly chiseled profile, cold, striking eyes, and a faint aura of killing intent lingering around him.
This face!
It was exactly her type!
In tens of thousands of years, this was the very first time she had laid eyes on a man who could actually captivate her, even if only for a brief moment.
Well... this marriage might not be so bad after all!
"Hehehe! My wife! This is the wife Grandpa got for me! I have a wife now!"
Before the smile could even form on Yun Yao's face, that foolish, childish voice pierced her ears like a bucket of cold water.
How could she have forgotten?
Su Yuchen was a simpleton!
Yun Yao's smile stiffened, and her gaze turned instantly cold.
That was close! Her glorious reputation had almost been ruined in an instant!
Before Yun Yao could even pull her hand away—
"Steward Liu! I'm going to perform the wedding bows with my new wife! Quick, record a video of us!"
Yun Yao scoffed inwardly.
*With a mere flick of my wrist, I could wipe all of you out. You think you can force me to marry? No way in hell!*
"First bow to heaven and earth!"
Someone pushed her head down from behind.
Wait, wait, wait!
Why couldn't she move at this crucial moment?
*Time for a spell!*
"Second bow to heaven and earth!"
What was going on? Her spells weren't working either!
Panic surged through Yun Yao.
No way. No way!
Was she, a legendary Old Ancestor, really about to be married off to a simpleton?
No matter how much Yun Yao cursed the Su Family's ancestors in her mind, Su Yuchen did not stop for a single second.
"Bow to each other!"
"Off to the bridal chamber!"