After the grand banquet, evening quickly arrived.

Lin Zhongtian had held back his anger throughout the day’s feast. Lin Qingshuang had been humiliated in public, and the uproar had yet to settle. He hadn’t even shown up himself, letting the head of his guards attend in his place.

The whole wedding felt strange, with a sense of forced compliance in the air. Lin Zhongtian did his best to keep the affair low-key, preferring that as few people knew about it as possible.

To prevent any unexpected incidents, Lin Qinghen hadn’t even stepped outside his courtyard. Dressed in a hastily-prepared red outfit, with a red veil draped over his head, he was practically pushed out from his room to the center of the courtyard.

The people from the Yin family stood outside, none of them looking pleased—except for the blind Yin Jiuxiao, who wore a visible smile and seemed to be the only one willing to be there.

A small platform had been set up in the center of the courtyard. Normally, a couple would go to the City Temple to pay respects to the Matchmaker Deity for their wedding, but the Lin family ignored that custom, instead placing a small stone statue of the deity right there.

The marriage certificate was placed before the stone statue. When the appointed hour came, it began to emit a faint pink glow, lending a small sense of festivity to an otherwise lackluster atmosphere.

There was no elaborate ceremony—quick and simple was the goal. Lin Qinghen was given a slight push by the guards, stumbling right into Yin Jiuxiao’s side. The other man helped steady him, holding him upright.

Yin Jiuxiao didn’t let go, instead taking the opportunity to grip Lin Qinghen’s hand.

Neither spoke; Lin Qinghen didn’t pull away. The two just stood there in the odd atmosphere, unexpectedly exuding a tragic air, like a pair of ill-fated lovers.

To finalize the marriage, a drop of blood from each was required at the proper time before the statue, followed by a recitation of vows.

The auspicious moment arrived, with a knife on the table before them. The head guard prepared to perform the cut himself, but Lin Qinghen stopped him.

“No need,” he said, “I’ll do it myself.”

Hearing this, Yin Jiuxiao chuckled softly and extended his hand alongside Lin Qinghen’s.

The knife tip pricked lightly, and two drops of blood fell, causing the marriage certificate to glow brightly. In the radiant light, several lines of text appeared, floating in midair.

These were the vows provided by the Matchmaker Statue and marriage certificate.

Since Yin Jiuxiao couldn’t see, Lin Qinghen tugged at his sleeve, signaling him to repeat after him.

“This marriage is bound today, destined to bring happiness.

Unified in heart and soul, aiding each other with sincerity.

A good union to last a lifetime, together till old age.”

The vows were rather auspicious, even if they were a forced match. The Matchmaker Statue had given them the best blessing possible—a rare, fortunate sign.

Though necessary, Yin Jiuxiao repeated the vows with genuine solemnity, reciting each line after Lin Qinghen in a voice that, upon close listening, sounded almost tender.

When the vows were finished, the marriage certificate dissolved, and two wisps of spirit power left by their elders entered the foreheads of both men.

Lin Qinghen didn’t feel much; he absorbed spirit energy at a slow rate. The spirit power now stored within him was potent but would take a long time for him to digest, given his broken talent. In his lifetime, he might not even manage to fully absorb it. He figured Yin Jiuxiao’s situation was likely the same.

After the ceremony, the two were “sent to the bridal chamber,” which simply meant they were shoved into another courtyard.

With the wedding concluded, the Yin family no longer had any use to the Lin family. Lin Zhongtian took this chance to move them out of the better guest rooms in the central area, relocating them to a rundown courtyard, out of sight and out of mind.

Lin Zhongtian was a calculating person; he’d already vented his frustrations on the Yin family and couldn’t care less about adding insult to injury.

They didn’t plan to stay long anyway; the ceremony was tonight, and they intended to leave the next day.

Lin Qinghen and Yin Jiuxiao sat at the edge of the bed. Lin Qinghen could even smell the musty scent in the air. Today’s events had been hastily thrown together, which, upon reflection, struck him as a bit funny. He glanced over at Yin Jiuxiao, about to speak but stopping short.

Yin Jiuxiao seemed to be in a good mood, like he really saw himself as a happily married groom. The moment they sat down, he lifted Lin Qinghen’s red veil.

One hand held Lin Qinghen’s, and the other slowly, cautiously moved to his face.

His hand brushed against Lin Qinghen’s mask.

“Why wear this?” Yin Jiuxiao frowned in mild confusion.

“I have a birthmark covering my whole face—it might scare people, so I’ve worn it for as long as I can remember. I’ve gotten used to it; saves a lot of trouble,” Lin Qinghen replied.

Yin Jiuxiao tapped the mask lightly, his voice softening a bit. “Take it off.”

Even with the dim light from the stingy stone lamp, there was a definite charm to Yin Jiuxiao’s expression, casting a glow on him like a beauty under a lamp.

For a moment, Lin Qinghen even wondered if this man could actually see. But after all his interactions with Yin Jiuxiao, none of his reactions seemed fake. Who would’ve guessed he was so experienced at acting?

Lin Qinghen hesitated for a moment but listened, removing his mask.

“Not like you can see, anyway…” he mumbled under his breath.

“I know.”

Then he heard Yin Jiuxiao reply, his hand gently brushing against his face.

“I just thought it must be uncomfortable to always wear a mask,” Yin Jiuxiao said. “I can’t see it anyway. You don’t need to wear it in front of me—from now on, too. I don’t mind, so you can relax.”

There was a genuine sincerity in his words.

Yin Jiuxiao could indeed see, but upon glimpsing the birthmark covering Lin Qinghen’s face, his expression remained unchanged.

Beauty is fleeting; the skin is just a shell.

He’d lived through hell, wading through mountains of corpses and rivers of blood, and had seen far more horrifying faces than this. A few blue birthmarks were far from frightening.

Without the mask, Lin Qinghen’s lively eyes stood out even more when he looked up, making him all the more endearing to Yin Jiuxiao.

Curious to know more about Lin Qinghen, especially now that he’d removed his mask, Yin Jiuxiao took this chance to look carefully.

He found the area around Lin Qinghen’s eyes a bit unusual, as if something artificial connected with the birthmarks. In other words, there weren’t as many birthmarks as it appeared.

Another act.

After removing his mask, Lin Qinghen stared at Yin Jiuxiao, noticing his expression hadn’t changed in the slightest.

Maybe he really was blind.

It was true; wearing a mask wasn’t comfortable. He often felt stifled, and even the softest leather chafed against his skin.

Yet, his face really was unsettling to others, but here was someone openly saying he didn’t mind and telling him he didn’t need the mask.

A touch of warmth swept over Lin Qinghen’s heart. Yin Jiuxiao was unexpectedly a perfect match for him, each conversation lifting his spirits more.

In all these ten years, he hadn’t met someone who could say such things to him. Yu Yinyin was different; she’d been cold in the first few years, only warming up over time.

His luck had always been terrible, but now, he’d finally encountered someone who truly understood him without words and accepted him as he was.

Forget it, they’d already come this far.

Lin Qinghen sighed, reached out, and gently hugged Yin Jiuxiao, who was a head taller.

“I’m ugly, and you’re blind. Now that I think about it, we’re a perfect match. Don’t worry; I may not be much now, but I’ll grow enough crops to feed you,” Lin Qinghen said, patting his shoulder. “We’ve made our vows, entered this marriage. As long as I have a bite to eat, you won’t go hungry.”

Their marriage certificate was of the highest grade, making divorce nearly impossible. They were tied together for life.

So be it; fate had brought them together, and Lin Qinghen would be responsible for Yin Jiuxiao.

Yin Jiuxiao was taken aback by the unexpected embrace and Lin Qinghen’s words.

He’d planned every step carefully, but Lin Qinghen’s genuine words surprised him, leaving him momentarily speechless.

This scrawny little person, whose arms he’d held, was skinny and frail but spoke with such conviction about taking care of him.

It was silly, even naive… yet oddly endearing.

He reached out, touching Lin Qinghen’s hair, feeling a sense of happiness he’d rarely experienced.

All in all, this marriage wasn’t a mistake. If it had been Lin Qinghen instead of Lin Qingshuang in his previous life…

Forget it. Thinking about that now was pointless.

Lin Qinghen’s warmth made him unwilling to let go.

He even caught a faint herbal scent around Lin Qinghen’s neck.

Lin Qinghen felt him leaning in, brushing against his neck. He squirmed, instinctively pushing him away a bit, but their faces ended up close.

On the bridal night, with this atmosphere, Lin Qinghen found himself momentarily mesmerized. Just as their breaths mingled, he noticed Yin Jiuxiao frown, as if in pain.

Close as he was, Lin Qinghen felt the sudden, disrupted breath, and then Yin Jiuxiao’s body tensed, collapsing onto the bed.

Yin Jiuxiao hadn’t expected this.

He quickly realized it was due to the spirit power placed in his forehead.

In his past life, he’d once accidentally absorbed two strands of spirit power at once, ending up in a coma in unusual circumstances, barely escaping with his life.

Generally, spirit power could be slowly absorbed. This time, Yin Jiuxiao planned to take it gradually, especially since they were still in the Lin household—hardly an ideal place for this.

Still, things didn’t go as expected.

The spirit power was practically a key to his own internal energy, affecting him differently than most. As soon as it entered his body, he struggled to control it, and any slight fluctuation set it off.

A shift in emotions had only made it worse.

With Yin Jiuxiao falling back, the romantic mood shattered.

Lin Qinghen had heard that Yin Jiuxiao’s power loss was due to backlash, often recurring. This looked like one of those moments.

“I’m fine,” Yin Jiuxiao managed, his voice hoarse but steady. “This happens occasionally; I’ll be better after some rest.”

This guy’s body was somehow even frailer than his own?

Lin Qinghen relaxed slightly but thought he’d have to take good care of him from now on and spare him any tiring tasks.

Author’s Note:

Lin Qinghen [confident]: Poor thing, so weak, really hopeless. I’ll have to take good care of him.

Yin Jiuxiao: ??? No, wait, let me explain.