Xiao Yang had just taken a sip of water when he heard Lin Zhengrong's words, causing him to spit it right back out and burst into a fit of violent coughing.
With a look of utter shock on his face, he demanded, "What did you just say?"
Lin Zhengrong chuckled heartily as he hung up the phone, patted Xiao Yang gently on the shoulder, and said, "Good son-in-law! The Old Immortal said that the moment you arrived, I was to give my daughter's hand in marriage to you. And of course, a wedding must be properly prepared—in fact, we'll throw a grand one!"
"Hold on, hold on!" Xiao Yang hastily interrupted. "I'm only here to collect a debt, not to marry myself off into the bargain. Whatever you owe the old Daoist, just hand it over to me and I'll be on my way. I have other matters to attend to."
"What I owe is a marriage contract," Lin Zhengrong replied, "a marriage contract between you and my daughter."
"What marriage contract?" Xiao Yang's brain short-circuited; for a moment, he couldn't process the turn of events at all.
Lin Zhengrong's words had simply shocked him far too much.
Lin Zhengrong explained patiently, "A year ago, both my wife and my daughter fell severely ill, and my Lin family business plummeted overnight. It was the Old Immortal who said he had a way to cure my wife and daughter, and to bring the Lin family business back to its peak, and even make it thrive."
Hearing this, Xiao Yang chimed in, "And the condition was that you had to marry your daughter off to me?"
"Yes." Lin Zhengrong nodded slightly. "The Old Immortal said that his disciple is a dragon among men, and that having such a son-in-law would be no loss to me. Besides, the Old Immortal didn't just ask for my opinion and my wife's; he consulted my daughter as well."
"Your esteemed daughter must have refused," Xiao Yang remarked.
"No, my daughter agreed." Lin Zhengrong looked straight into Xiao Yang's eyes and continued, "Little Brother Xiao, ever since she was born, my daughter has been sickly and frail. The slightest cold could cost her her life. It was only because my Lin family has vast resources that we managed to keep her alive."
"Oh, right, the Old Immortal also left a letter for you, saying you should read it before making up your mind."
Xiao Yang held out his hand. "The letter."
When Steward Gong had gone to retrieve the exercise book, he had brought the letter along with it. Hearing Xiao Yang's demand, he immediately placed the letter into his hand.
The moment Xiao Yang tore open the envelope, he knew at a glance that it was indeed written by the old Daoist. Aside from the old Daoist, no one else could write such wildly slanted, crooked characters.
*You brat, the old Daoist knew you wouldn't obediently take someone as your wife, so I'm leaving a letter to have a proper chat with you.*
*You are the first disciple the old Daoist took in, and also the last. If I hadn't made a promise to your mother, the old Daoist wouldn't have bothered wading into this muddy water.*
*The girl you are to marry has some ties to your mother. That is only one of the reasons you must marry her. The old Daoist has calculated your fate: your Five Elements are incomplete, and your spirit and soul are damaged. You can live to be twenty-five at most.*
*Once your twenty-five-year birthday passes, even if a great immortal descends from the heavens, he won't be able to spare you for another moment. Ever since I promised your mother, the old Daoist has been trying to divine a path for you. Fortunately, I did not fail the entrusted trust of an old friend—I have finally managed to find a sliver of vitality.*
*That girl is your only chance at survival. The old Daoist doesn't know how to help you break through this dead end; whether you live or die will depend entirely on you.*
*Enough said. Whatever could be done, the old Daoist has done. Whether you marry her or not is entirely up to you.*
*However, the old Daoist will nag just a bit longer. Your mother has been missing for many years. Even though that girl has some connection to your mother, it is not something that can be tracked down overnight. What you lack most right now is time, yet your Five Elements are incomplete and your spirit and soul are damaged, leaving you with only twenty-five years to live.*
*Take care of yourself.*
That was the entirety of the letter.
After finishing it, Xiao Yang's expression turned grave.
He didn't care at all how much longer he had to live, but there was one lifelong regret he could never let go of: his mother.
He had never laid eyes on his mother since he could remember, which had bred in him the rebellious personality of a troublemaker from a very young age.
Among the children he grew up with, not a single one was not afraid of him.
At age ten, his family sent him up the mountain, and it took thirteen years of grueling tempering to somewhat rein in his temperament; otherwise, he would have undoubtedly turned into an arrogant scion.
Xiao Yang was twenty-three years old now. Because his Five Elements were incomplete and his spirit and soul were damaged, he only had a lifespan of twenty-five years.
In other words, he now had a mere two years left to search for his mother's whereabouts.
By staying with that girl, not only could he find his mother, but he could also find that glimmer of survival.
Neither Lin Zhengrong nor Steward Gong spoke up to disturb him, waiting quietly for Xiao Yang's verdict.
Whether to marry or not was entirely up for him to decide.
In any case, Lin Zhengrong would not have any objections whatsoever.
After a long silence, Xiao Yang finally made up his mind. He slammed the letter down heavily onto the table and said, "I'll marry her!"
Lin Zhengrong stood up happily and clapped his hands hard. "Good!"
"However, I have a condition." Xiao Yang raised his head and gazed quietly at Lin Zhengrong.
Lin Zhengrong sat back down and said cheerfully, "Tell me, my good son-in-law! As long as it's within my power, consider it done!"
Xiao Yang said calmly, "We will only register the marriage; we will not hold a wedding ceremony. During this period, I will not touch your daughter. Once I accomplish what I set out to do, we will divorce."
As he spoke, he stood up and met Lin Zhengrong's frozen gaze. "I will use my connections to ensure that after the divorce, there will be no record of marriage whatsoever on your daughter's official files."
Lin Zhengrong said in a deep voice, "Mr. Xiao, don't you think your words are rather inappropriate?"
From "Little Brother Xiao" to "good son-in-law," and then to "Mr. Xiao"—in just a short span of time, the closeness they had forged was thrown back to a great distance.
Xiao Yang said indifferently, "My situation is different from others. I might as well be frank with you: I only have two years left to live."
The expressions of Lin Zhengrong and Steward Gong shifted constantly. The former's face, in particular, transitioned from anger to calm, finally settling into a complex look.
As a father, he was deeply displeased with Xiao Yang's previous words, which made treating his daughter's marriage like a transaction.
Marriage was a major life event, not a business deal!
Yet, upon hearing that Xiao Yang only had two years to live, his heart softened. The young man simply didn't want to drag his daughter down with him, which was why he had made such a decision.
With a complex expression, Lin Zhengrong gave Xiao Yang a deep, searching look and nodded slightly. "Very well. But what if the two of you end up turning a pretense into reality?"
Xiao Yang let out a long breath of stale air. "If genuine affection develops over time after all, then we'll let nature take its course. Later on, there will naturally be others to protect your Lin family. But that is a matter for the future—who can say for certain that I will definitely die?"
Hearing this, Lin Zhengrong's heart finally settled. So there was still hope of a cure; in that case, things would be much easier to handle.
Xiao Yang added, "Oh, and keep the fact that I only have two years left to live a secret. Just keep it among yourselves; don't let it spread."
If people with ulterior motives were to find out that the sole heir of the Xiao Family would not live past twenty-five, disaster would surely befall the Xiao Family, and that was something he did not wish to see.
Neither Lin Zhengrong nor Steward Gong knew Xiao Yang's true identity, so there was no need to worry.
Besides, of these two men, one was the bride's father and needed to be told the truth, while the other was a steward deeply trusted by Lin Zhengrong.
Lin Zhengrong and Steward Gong nodded in unison.
Shortly after their conversation concluded, the sound of a car driving in came from outside.
Lin Zhengrong stood up immediately and said, "It must be my wife and daughter returning. I'll go out and take a look."
However, before he even reached the doorway, he saw a man dressed in black entering the house.
As soon as he stepped inside, the man smiled and said, "Boss Lin, hearing your name is indeed not as impressive as finally meeting you in person."
Lin Zhengrong did not recognize the man before him and frowned, asking, "Who are you?"
"It doesn't matter who I am. What matters is, do you recognize this?" The man pulled out a necklace and tossed it toward Lin Zhengrong.
Lin Zhengrong caught it steadily. The necklace was far from valuable; on the contrary, it was completely ordinary.
He glanced at the pendant and opened it to reveal a miniature family portrait nestled inside.
It was his wife's necklace.
Lin Zhengrong snapped the cover shut and said coldly, "What do you want?"