Chapter 178 : Once You Move into the Bridal Chamber, You’re Husband and Wife
Chapter 178: Once You Move into the Bridal Chamber, You’re Husband and Wife
“Long Tao, little brother, how about we discuss something?” Du Yiluo’s pair of crimson eyes, unique to the Asura, shone with startling brilliance as she stared fixedly at the glossy meat bun in Long Tao’s hand.
A smile bloomed across her face—one enough to quicken the heartbeat of most men. “How about giving me half of that bun? I’ll throw in a few important pieces of intelligence for free.”
“Ah?” Long Tao froze. He had originally thought she would be eyeing the mid-grade Spirit Stone or the Storage Pouch itself.
Never in his wildest imagination had he expected her target to be this most worthless meat bun.
“But isn’t this just an ordinary bun?”
“Oh, you have no idea what kind of days I’ve been living lately!” Du Yiluo nearly beat her chest in frustration. “This wretched place is poor as can be. Hunting some meat isn’t hard, but there’s not a single bit of seasoning! Just from the smell of your bun alone, I can catch the fragrance of scallions, minced garlic, salt and pepper… Ah! It’s killing me!”
Seeing Long Tao still hesitating, she turned with a mischievous grin toward True Person Mingzhu at the side, putting on an expression of sudden realization. “What? Don’t tell me… you’ve taken a liking to me? Well… we Asura aren’t particularly concerned about such matters. But with such a beautiful wife right beside you, being this direct isn’t too appropriate, is it?”
That remark finally pushed True Person Mingzhu past her limit. She snatched the meat bun from Long Tao’s hand and took a fierce bite first.
To be honest, after cultivating as a Golden Core True Person for several hundred years, she had long forgotten what hunger felt like.
It was only when she smelled the bun earlier that she realized she had not eaten a single grain of rice since yesterday.
No wonder her abdomen had felt empty and uncomfortable—she had simply been hungry.
Chewing the charred, fragrant meat filling, she corrected Du Yiluo, “We are merely fellow disciples, not husband and wife.”
Du Yiluo watched the bun shrink by half in an instant with a pained look. With such a small mouth, how could she swallow such a large bite in one go? She smacked her lips and said,
“But the room you’re staying in is clearly a bridal chamber. In this village, your identities are that of husband and wife.”
“Identity is just identity,” True Person Mingzhu swallowed the food and turned her face aside with feigned composure. “It won’t actually amount to anything.”
“Heh, it seems you still only half understand the rules here.” Du Yiluo folded her arms. “In this village, once you move into the corresponding house and your names are written on the doorplate, the identity is set. There’s no such thing as living here for free. The duties that should be fulfilled can’t be escaped. As for what newlyweds are supposed to do…” She deliberately dragged out her tone. “I don’t need to spell it out, do I?”
The words struck like a thunderclap over their heads.
True Person Mingzhu was chewing her bun and choked on the spot, clutching her chest as she coughed several times.
Meanwhile, an extremely complicated expression surfaced uncontrollably on Long Tao’s face—so complex that even he himself did not realize how much secret delight and flustered panic were mixed within it.
Sure enough, once True Person Mingzhu recovered, she shot him a fierce glare.
Long Tao hurriedly turned his face away, but his ears were already flushed red beyond concealment.
In order to ease the unbearably awkward atmosphere, Long Tao forced himself to take out another meat bun from the Storage Pouch and tossed it to Du Yiluo.
Seeing her catch it with sparkling eyes, he quickly asked, “This bun in exchange for all the important intelligence you know. Deal?”
“All of it is definitely not possible!” Du Yiluo bit eagerly into the bun and spoke through a mouthful of food. “But a few key pieces of information—I’ll tell you slowly.”
Feeling that speaking in the courtyard was inappropriate, the three decided to enter the house to talk in detail. Just before stepping inside, Du Yiluo suddenly stopped them with a serious expression.
“Wait! You two go in first. Then you must verbally invite me in before I can follow. This is important.”
“If you go in directly, will you… die?” Long Tao asked nervously.
“Not to that extent, but there will definitely be punishment.” Du Yiluo winked mysteriously. “As for what it is, I’ll keep that a secret for now. Just remember the rules. Those who’ve stayed here long enough never make such mistakes.”
After the two entered and verbally invited her, Du Yiluo finally crossed the threshold.
She looked around at the room filled with bright red decorations and whistled. “This arrangement suits our Asura tastes quite well. Unfortunately, I was alone back then and had no fortune to stay in such a room.”
“What do you mean?”
Du Yiluo casually sat on the edge of the bed laid with red bedding and explained, “Each house must meet specific conditions to be formally claimed. For example, this bridal chamber only counts if a man and a woman stay together for one night. If it’s a single person, or two of the same sex, or more than three people—even if they stay ten days or half a month, that nameplate won’t appear on the door.”
“So that’s how it is.” True Person Mingzhu almost squeezed the words out through clenched teeth.
Thinking of that ill-intentioned blacksmith yesterday—why had he specifically let the two of them choose such a room?
Long Tao steadied himself and continued asking, “According to what you said earlier, once the identity is set, the corresponding duties must be fulfilled?”
“That’s right. When I was assigned the postman’s house, I had to go into town on time every day to collect and deliver letters. Fairly easy work.” Du Yiluo placed her overly long legs on a stool and continued, “But nothing is as easy as you two. You don’t even have to step outside. The work can be done entirely inside the room, hehe.”
“There really is a town here?” True Person Mingzhu sharply caught the key point.
“To the east. But you can’t enter it at all.” Du Yiluo shrugged. “I tried every method. The town is like scenery painted on paper—visible but untouchable. Every time I collect letters, it’s at the courier station outside the city.”
Since even this Asura Minor Vice Commander said so, Long Tao and True Person Mingzhu stopped pressing that topic.
Instead, True Person Mingzhu asked the question she most wanted answered.
“If… we do nothing?”
Du Yiluo suddenly restrained her smile. She put down the half-eaten bun, and her voice lowered.
“You saw the Village Chief when you arrived, right?”
“Yes. He explained several rules to us at the village entrance.”
“Didn’t you find him strange? Not quite like a living person?”
Long Tao recalled the oddly speaking Village Chief who vanished after finishing the rules and hesitated. “Indeed… he seemed like a puppet wearing human skin.”
“Correct.” Du Yiluo lightly tapped her thigh with her fingertip. “The person who originally played the Village Chief neglected his duties. Slowly… well… perhaps not even that slowly, he turned into this state. His Divine Soul seemed to have been hollowed out, leaving only an empty shell still carrying out the Village Chief’s responsibilities. Though, come to think of it, he’s actually more responsible now.”
The two inhaled sharply.
That outcome felt even more terrifying than death.
“Now you understand?” Du Yiluo’s gaze swept back and forth between them. “I’m not joking. If you don’t fulfill the duties of husband and wife, you’ll soon follow in the Village Chief’s footsteps.”
Long Tao secretly glanced at True Person Mingzhu’s pale profile and forced himself to argue, “Ordinary couples aren’t necessarily required to consummate their marriage, are they? Living under the same roof and treating each other with respect should also count as husband and wife.”
“What you say makes sense.” Du Yiluo suddenly leaned closer and lowered her voice. “But this village… has never been reasonable. When the time comes, there will naturally be ‘prompts.’ If you still play dumb after the prompts…” She made a throat-cutting gesture. “Then prepare to become the next ‘Village Chief.’”
“Prompts? What kind of prompts?”
“For instance, when I go to collect letters in town, your ‘parents’ might send a letter asking why they haven’t been able to hold a grandchild yet. Or the Village Chief might suddenly come to you and say there are too few children in the village. Those would be very obvious prompts. Don’t ignore them when the time comes.”
Seeing their expressions turn unpleasant, Du Yiluo gave them no time to process it. Taking another bite of the bun, she continued,
“What I just mentioned counts as minor trouble. Next comes the real centerpiece—the most sinister and deadly rule of this village. Knocking on the door.”