Since my parents didn't have the ability to see the supernatural, they couldn't see the other party's appearance or hear their voice. They could only stand there stupidly, watching the old beggar nodding his head like a pounding garlic.
Finally, the old beggar knelt down and kowtowed, presumably sending the immortal away.
Somehow, there were two talismans and a letter in his hand. He turned around and said, "Your daughter is really lucky. She managed to invite Lord Liu to rescue her. He is the most prestigious immortal among the earthly immortals, with boundless magical power."
Hearing this, my father was overjoyed. There was finally a smile on his face. "So, is my daughter saved?"
The old beggar nodded and said, "She's saved, she's saved. But you need to promise him three things. I wonder if you'll agree."
"As long as it can save my child's life, I'll do anything."
The old beggar said, "First, your daughter has a spiritual altar within herself. When she grows up, she needs to establish an altar and make Lord Liu the chief cult leader. From then on, she'll be his disciple who can channel his power."
This wasn't a problem. My parents agreed right away.
"Second: Your daughter will marry Lord Liu when she's twenty - two years old."
My parents were stunned for a couple of seconds.
The old beggar added, "Only Lord Liu can save her life. This time, Lord Liu will protect her from any disasters until she's twenty - two. As for what happens after she turns twenty - two, her life and death will also be in his hands. So, you should think it over."
In order to save my life, my parents could only reluctantly agree.
As for the third thing, Lord Liu hadn't decided yet, so they would wait for him to tell them later.
Then, the old beggar gave the three - part marriage letter to my parents. This was the official proposal, and when my parents took the letter, it meant they had agreed.
After giving these instructions, the old beggar dissolved the talisman in water and fed it to me. Then he dotted the remaining talisman water on my forehead. He also gave my father a painting. The person in the painting was the one I was going to marry. It was still enshrined on our family's altar like a guardian immortal, but I had never seen the real appearance of the person.
Strangely enough, after this incident, I really got better. I grew more and more beautiful. Except for my bad love luck, everything else went smoothly. For example, I was able to get into my ideal university.
It wasn't until a few days ago when my father suddenly fell seriously ill that he told me the truth.
Debts must be repaid sooner or later. So, I had to marry the person in the painting, because Lord Liu had only extended my life until I was twenty - two. If I didn't marry him, I might die before my father.
He didn't want to see his white - haired self bury his black - haired child. Not long ago, the betrothal gifts had been received, so I had to marry into this family whether I liked it or not.
...
On the night of our wedding, I didn't know how many times I had fainted. When I woke up this morning, every bone in my body ached as if it were about to fall apart.
Dragging my exhausted body into the bathroom, I looked at myself in the mirror. My body was covered in bruises, as if I had been wrapped around by a snake.
Just thinking about it made my hair stand on end. Maybe it was because I had been haunted by the snake immortal when I was a child. Even the thought of the word "snake" scared me to death.
Thankfully, he had left. I was really afraid that when I woke up this morning, there would be a monster with a human face and a snake body lying beside me. I would definitely be scared to death on the spot. Just thinking about it gave me goosebumps.
I turned on the shower and desperately washed my whole body, hoping to wash away everything that had happened last night. But no matter how much I washed, the pain was still there.
"Are you done? Come with me when you're done."
I didn't know when a man had stood behind me. I let out a scream in fright and quickly grabbed the towel on the wall to wrap myself up.
My scream made the man frown slightly. His tall and straight body teleported beside me.
Yes, it was teleportation. In the blink of an eye, he was behind me. He hugged me from behind and pressed his cold hand on my lips.
"Shh! You're so noisy..."
He actually said I was noisy. I was really a bit angry. I pulled his hand away and asked.
"Hey, who are you? Why are you peeping at me taking a shower? Do you believe I'll call the police?"
"Lan Chiyu. Don't you remember what happened last night? Now you're my lawfully - wedded wife." Although it was a warm - sounding sentence, I could hear a hint of coldness in it, without any warmth at all. It somehow made me feel a sense of distance.
"You... You're Lord Liu? I thought you..."
Seeing that I stopped screaming, the man finally let go of my shoulders and turned around to look into my eyes.
My goodness! I didn't know until I saw him. This man was extremely handsome.
He had sword - shaped eyebrows and starry eyes. His figure was straight, with broad shoulders and a slender waist. His long legs seemed to start from his navel. He had the perfect inverted - triangle figure as described in the legends.
Coupled with a loose white shirt casually tucked into his long pants, that kind of abstinent style gave people a feeling of being very cold and hard to approach, full of mystery.
"What did you think?"
"I... I thought you were an old man..." As soon as I said this, I knew I had said the wrong thing. I immediately squatted down and pulled my ears and said,
"I'm wrong. I know I shouldn't have said that. Just pretend I didn't say it."
However, the man wasn't angry. Instead, he teasingly leaned over and whispered in my ear, "Can't you tell whether I'm an old man or not from last night?"
As soon as he said this, my face blushed all the way to my neck.
After he went out, I quickly found some clothes to put on. When I opened the door and went out, my parents were already there.
My father looked much better today. He didn't look like a sick man at all.
My mother secretly pulled me aside and asked me about the intimate things that happened last night.
How could I answer this? My face flushed and then paled.
My mother was an experienced woman. How could she not tell?
"That's good. It means Lord Liu has chosen you. From now on, Lord Liu will protect you and keep you safe. We can rest assured."
What is all this? It's simply absurd. In this day and age, just because two people slept in the same bed for one night, it's considered a marriage? Don't we need to go to the civil affairs bureau to get a marriage certificate or something?
"Mom, is that legend true? Is he the one who holds my life and death in his hands?"
"Of course it's true. The old beggar who helped you back then said that your body has an extremely yin constitution. After you turn twenty - two, the yin energy in your body will be very strong, making you a target for all kinds of demons and ghosts. Lord Liu is extremely powerful. Only he can protect you. So, please understand your mother's difficulties."
"I know, Mom." I patted my mother on the back and tried hard not to cry.
"Snake immortals are naturally cold - tempered and moody. And this concerns your life and death. Now that you're his wife, you must always follow his wishes in the future. No matter what he says or does, don't go against him, okay?"
"But what if he asks me to kill or set fires? Should I still follow him?"
"There's no 'what if'... Immortals pay the most attention to cause and effect. They only do good deeds so that they can become higher - level immortals as soon as possible. So, just do as he says. Mom knows you're wronged, but Mom just wants you to live." My mother's voice was choked with sobs, but it also carried an unrefutable tone. I knew she was doing this for my own good, so I didn't want to go against her anymore and could only agree.
I thought to myself that since they couldn't do bad things, they shouldn't pose any threat to my life. So, what was I afraid of?