1

Ye Jiao was jolted awake by the sound of firecrackers.

Still dazed, she opened her eyes—only to find a sheet of bright red fabric covering her face.

Instinctively, she reached up to touch it, but just before her fingers made contact, she froze.

She… had hands?

Ye Jiao was stunned. Just recently, she’d still been fretting over her inability to take human form.

Her true body was a ginseng root. She had cultivated for a thousand years, and yet, transformation continued to elude her.

The little fox she used to train with had already learned to charm men; the tiger spirit ruled the forest like a king. Even the dim-witted black bear cub had managed to become human. And then there was her—still stuck.

Ye Jiao had worried over this constantly. That fox demon never stopped bragging about how dazzling the human world was—fine food, sweet drinks, handsome men, pleasures beyond anything the heavens could offer.

But Ye Jiao had never seen the appeal of men. She just wanted to stop living buried underground. To eat well, drink well, and experience what it was like to be human.

And now, somehow, all she’d done was fall asleep—she hadn’t even faced a tribulation!—and yet here she was, human?

She stared at her hands, flipping them over again and again, mesmerized. The more she looked, the more she liked them.

Look at these hands! So delicate, so lovely—not much worse than the fox’s, if she said so herself.

But just as she was about to admire them further, another hand reached in and grabbed hers.

Only then did Ye Jiao realize she was sitting in a bridal sedan chair. The curtain over the window had been lifted, and an unfamiliar face appeared before her.

Second Sister-in-law Ye looked at the veiled bride with tears on her face—though in her heart, she was grinning from ear to ear.

This was the youngest daughter of the Ye family, Ye Jiao. Her parents had passed away early, but thankfully, she still had two older brothers.

The eldest, Ye Dalang, was a rare talent—skilled in both literature and martial arts. You could search the whole village and still not find someone as dashing as Dalang.

But five years ago, Ye Dalang left home and never returned. For the first two years, he still sent money back, but after that—not a single coin. Just recently, someone brought word that after joining the army, Ye Dalang had died on the battlefield. Not even his remains could be recovered.

Compared to Ye Dalang’s capability, the second brother, Ye Erlang, was a complete failure. He couldn’t farm, failed at business, and after Dalang left, it was like he was throwing money into a pit. It didn’t take long for him to squander what little the family had left.

With no money in the house, and Ye Erlang’s wife not being the type to suffer hardship, her thoughts naturally turned to Ye Jiao.

Ye Jiao was beautiful. In Second Sister-in-law Ye’s eyes, her little sister-in-law could hold her own in looks even against the refined young ladies from the city.

But Ye Jiao was timid. She rarely left the house, and Dalang had always been protective of her. He worried her appearance would attract trouble, so he kept her home doing light chores. She was a farm girl in name only—he’d spoiled her like a little noble lady.

To Second Sister-in-law, though, she was nothing but a useless freeloader.

Now that Dalang was gone and Erlang was unreliable, it just so happened that the wealthy Qi family in the next village was looking for a bride to perform a “chongxi” ritual. Their heir, Qi Yun, was gravely ill and not expected to live much longer. The Qi family was desperate to ward off bad luck by bringing in a new bride.

Second Sister-in-law seized the chance. She sweet-talked Erlang into agreeing, then lied to the Qi family, claiming Ye Jiao was willing. She took their silver and prepared to marry off the unwanted girl as quickly as possible.

The tears on her face? All for show—just to keep up appearances in front of the neighbors.

But with heavy silver ingots weighing down her pockets, she had to press her hand over her mouth to hide the smug smile creeping up her face.

So what if people whispered that she was selling her sister-in-law to a dying man?

She figured they were just jealous—they didn’t have a girl pretty enough to catch the eye of a family like the Qis.

She held Ye Jiao’s hand tightly and leaned in through the side of the bridal sedan, murmuring:

“Jiao-niang, don’t blame your brother and me. The Qi family is well-off. Just behave yourself when you get there, and don’t make a fuss.”

The unspoken message was clear: whether Qi Yun lived or died, from this moment on, Ye Jiao had nothing more to do with the Ye family.

Even if Ye Jiao ended up a widow in the future, she’d better not think about coming back for free meals!

Ye Jiao didn’t respond—not because she agreed, but because she didn’t understand a single word Second Sister-in-law had just said…

But that silence only confirmed things in Second Sister-in-law’s mind. Smug and satisfied, she thought: So what if Ye Jiao cried in her room all day yesterday? So what if she threatened to take her own life? In the end, didn’t she still climb into the bridal sedan?

Gripping Ye Jiao’s hand tightly, she added with a lowered voice, “Now that you’re in this sedan, you belong to the Qi family. From now on, don’t even think about coming back. Do you hear me?”

Ye Jiao still didn’t speak, just began to pull her hand back with a bit more force.

At that moment, the sleeve of her wedding robe slid down her arm, revealing a golden bracelet on her wrist.

Second Sister-in-law’s eyes instantly locked on it.

She recognized that bracelet—it had once belonged to the old matriarch of the Ye family.

Everyone had assumed it had been buried with her when she died. Who would’ve thought Ye Jiao had kept it all this time?

And now she wanted to take it with her?

No way. Second Sister-in-law would never let Ye Jiao walk out of this house with even a single copper coin, let alone a solid gold bracelet that looked so hefty. Who knew how she’d even managed to hide it until now?

The bridal sedan was just about to set off, but Second Sister-in-law lunged forward and grabbed Ye Jiao’s arm, her voice sharp and urgent: “That’s your maiden family’s heirloom! You can’t just take it to someone else’s house. Take it off, now!”

The new soul inside Ye Jiao looked down at this sallow-faced woman with clear distaste. She tried to yank her hand away—but the woman’s grip was surprisingly strong. Even with a good tug, Ye Jiao couldn’t break free.

Her expression darkened.

She remembered what the fox spirit had said long ago—humans often held deep malice toward spirits. If her true identity were ever exposed, they wouldn’t hesitate to burn her alive.

She still didn’t understand the woman’s screeching, but her instincts screamed danger.

Driven by a powerful will to survive, Ye Jiao struggled harder—then suddenly reached out and dug her nails into Second Sister-in-law’s hand with full force!

“Ah!” the woman shrieked, stumbling back several steps.

What had started as theatrical sobbing now turned into genuine wailing—tears streaming down uncontrollably.

But the neighbors just assumed Second Sister-in-law was putting on another performance. After all, this was the same woman who had sold off her own husband’s little sister for a ghost marriage—what wouldn’t she do?

Fuming with anger, Second Sister-in-law could only glare as the bridal sedan was lifted into the air. Firecrackers exploded, drums thundered, and she was left behind, clutching her injured hand and grimacing in pain.

Ye Jiao, on the other hand, had originally planned to scratch the woman and make a run for it. But the moment the sedan rose off the ground, a flood of memories—not hers, but the original Ye Jiao’s—suddenly surged through her mind.

The little ginseng spirit finally understood: she hadn’t transformed into a human after all. She had taken over someone else’s body.

And now… she was being married off to a dying man?

Anyone else might’ve broken down sobbing at such a fate.

But the ginseng spirit was thrilled.

Marriage? She didn’t know much about that. Whether her future husband lived or died didn’t matter to her.

What mattered was—she had a real human identity now. She was finally living as a person!

That said, Ye Jiao soon realized… being human wasn’t as simple as she’d hoped.

Why was she being carried into the house?

Why did she have to step over a fire basin?

And why… was there a chicken crowing?

After a long series of rituals, she finally found herself standing inside the main hall, thoroughly confused. She glanced at the large rooster beside her, then down at the red ribbon tied around its body… and followed it to the other end—where it was tied to her own hand.

Ye Jiao stared blankly.

Being human was complicated. So many strange customs, all jumbled and nonsensical.

Still… that chicken looked pretty plump. She wondered if it would taste good.

The little ginseng spirit, who had never eaten meat before, had to admit—she was hungry.

The two elders of the Qi family stood at the front of the hall, their faces less than pleased as they stared at Ye Jiao, who stood there stiff and motionless.

They hadn’t bought Ye Jiao for her looks or figure. In truth, she was the only girl in the entire village whose family was willing to marry her into their household.

Their second son, Qi Yun, had only a few years—maybe even months—left to live. No family wanted their daughter married just to wait around for widowhood.

So when someone finally agreed to a chongxi marriage, the Qi elders didn’t waste a second. They didn’t even take a proper look at Ye Jiao. They simply picked a date and rushed through the arrangements.

Since the purpose was to dispel misfortune, the wedding had to be grand, festive—loud enough to chase away bad luck.

The Qi family wasn’t exactly rich by town or city standards, but in the village, they were well-off. They threw a lavish banquet and invited half the village.

Who could have guessed… this bride would just stand there like a statue?

Madam Liu’s smile was already beginning to falter. Of course she understood—no young woman would be thrilled to marry into widowhood. Resentment was only natural. But if Ye Jiao didn’t want to go through with it, she should’ve said so earlier. She was already here—what was the point of sulking now?

Still, when Madam Liu’s eyes drifted to the rooster beside the girl, her rising temper faltered.

Her poor Yun’er… why couldn’t he have lived a longer life?

She clamped a hand over her mouth, trying to hold back tears. Crying on an auspicious day would bring even worse luck. She held it in until her face turned red.

At that moment, the village’s go-to wedding matron bustled over and grabbed Ye Jiao’s arm, her voice low and impatient: “Bride, kneel—it’s time to bow for the ceremony.”

Ye Jiao, however, was still staring at the plump rooster, completely unresponsive.

Just then, the crowd stirred.

A commotion rippled through the guests.

Madam Liu turned to look—and suddenly shot to her feet, eyes wide with shock.

Ye Jiao barely had time to react before someone grabbed her other hand.

The hand that grabbed hers was cold—chillingly cold—and Ye Jiao instinctively curled her fingers tighter.

Then, a low voice sounded beside her ear:

“Take the chicken away. I’m not dead yet.”

=^_^=