I Can’t Marry You

After much effort, Qi Nian finally managed to drag Liu Rumeng to shore. He was unconscious—but at least he was still breathing.

Having fought underwater for so long, Qi Nian herself was barely hanging on, her soul practically split in half. The moment she reached the riverbank, she collapsed onto the ground, utterly drained.

Yu'e immediately began performing CPR on Liu Rumeng, while Ye Mingnan knelt beside Qi Nian, helping dry her hair.

Qi Nian lay on the ground, completely drenched. Her soaked black clothes clung to her skin, accentuating her body frame.

Ye Mingnan, without realizing it, stopped moving and simply stared at Qi Nian's form.

Sensing the strange gaze, Qi Nian opened her eyes. "What?"

Ye Mingnan tilted her head, then casually reached out and touched her waist."Wow."

"?" Qi Nian suddenly blushed.

The next second, a bright red handprint landed on Ye Mingnan's right cheek.

Clutching her stinging face, Ye Mingnan groaned, "Sorry, I was just joking—damn, do you even know how to hold back?"

Yu'e turned at the commotion, eyes widening at the mark on Ye Mingnan's face. "You… you actually dared to slap the princess?"

Qi Nian turned her head and scoffed, "What does a princess of the Heavenly Court have to do with us in the Underworld?"

"Even King Yama himself would show respect to Her Highness—"

"Enough." Ye Mingnan interrupted, her tone a little subdued. She forced a chuckle, but there was a flicker of something unreadable in her expression. "That kind of title is just for show. I know exactly how those people in the Heavenly Court see me. It's nothing more than a hollow name."

"Your Highness…" Yu'e sighed.

Qi Nian caught the implication in her words and contemplated. She realized she didn't actually know much about the politics of the Heavenly Court. Perhaps Ye Mingnan, despite her carefree demeanor, carried more burdens than she let on. Maybe she wasn't just a shameless asshole—though, judging from all her antics since they'd met, she sure acted like one.

After a pause, Qi Nian said cautiously, "Uh… sorry. Did that slap hurt?"

Ye Mingnan blinked, then suddenly laughed. "Nah, I like fiery-tempered beauties."

Another crisp slap rang out, and this time, a red mark bloomed on her left cheek.

She is absolutely a shameless asshole.

—

Under the thick veil of night, the group made their way back to Emerald Pavilion.

Qingya had already returned and was busy polishing a newly purchased tea set at the table. Seeing Yu'e and the others enter, she quickly stood up to greet them. "Ms.Yu, you're finally back—" She abruptly froze when she spotted Liu Rumeng slung over Yu'e's shoulder. "Wait… is that Young Master Liu?"

Ye Mingnan nodded.

Liu Rumeng remained unconscious, his body running a slight fever. Yu'e changed him into dry clothes and laid him on the bed before turning to Qingya. "Could you make some sobering soup please, Qingya?"

Qingya nodded, immediately hurried off.

Liu Rumeng's already pale face looked even more ghostly under the dim light. Qi Nian studied his features and found that he did, in fact, resemble the portrait of Liu Rumeng in the Underworld records.

"I never got the chance to ask before," Qi Nian said, turning to Yu'e. "You seem to know Liu Rumeng well. What exactly is your relationship with him?"

Ye Mingnan, sensing drama, silently grabbed a plate of nuts and began munching.

Yu'e gazed at Liu Rumeng's face for a long moment before sighing. "There are some things I rarely speak about, but at this point, I suppose it doesn't matter if I tell you."

—

Eight years ago, on a spring day in Baiyu City, willows swayed, and fresh green grass covered the ground. People stepped outside to enjoy the pleasant weather joyfully.

Emerald Pavilion was closed that day. The night before, Yu'e had stayed up reading novels and had no intention of waking early. So she decided to take a day off, sleeping in until the sun was well up before finally getting out of bed. After lazily washing up, she sat by the window, grinding medicinal herbs.

This had been her main duty in the Moon Palace for years, and even in the mortal world, she couldn't break the habit. Whenever she was bored, she would mash herbs, almost like a rabbit on moon idly passing time.

She had thought life in the mortal realm would be far more interesting. But after being stationed here, she realized it wasn't much different from the Moon Palace—cooking, reading, making medicine, occasionally fighting off restless spirits.

Jade Town was small, with limited activities. This was her fifteenth year here, and she couldn't imagine enduring another fifteen, twenty, or even a hundred years of the same routine.

Is immortality truly a blessing or a curse?

As she pondered, a sudden boom echoed from below.

Yu'e frowned and quickly rushed downstairs, only to find a gaping hole in the wooden doors. In front of it lay a tall, finely dressed young man—completely unconscious and covered in bruises.

Alarmed, Yu'e crouched down and asked, "Are you alright? Can you hear me?"

The young man didn't respond.

She turned to the gathered onlookers. "Did anyone see what happened? Does anyone recognize him?"

The crowd murmured, exchanging uncertain glances. Finally, a cook stepped forward. "Ms. Yu, I saw him running frantically from the east side of the street, looked like he was in a panic. Just as he passed your building, his face suddenly turned pale, and he collapsed. Then, well… this happened."

Yu'e listened to the explanation, just as puzzled as the rest.

By now, a small crowd had gathered, whispering among themselves. A richly dressed young nobleman lying on the street was quite the spectacle.

Not wanting to cause a scene, Yu'e quickly hauled the youth inside. "Thanks, I know some medicine. I'll see if I can help." She grabbed a few wooden planks and hastily patched up the door before dragging the unconscious youth upstairs.

She laid him on the bed and applied some medicinal herbs to his bruises. Ironically, the herbs she had ground earlier ended up being used far sooner than expected.

The young man remained unconscious, but his furrowed brows relaxed slightly—proof that the medicine was working.

Sitting beside him, Yu'e studied his features closely. His sharp, well-defined face still had a hint of youthful softness.

Just then, his eyes fluttered open, locking onto hers.

A soft breeze drifted through the window, making the jade ornaments on her hair chime gently.

His amber-colored eyes reflected the sunlight—clear and enigmatic.

As Yu'e was still processing the moment, the young man suddenly bolted upright.

Startled, Yu'e almost jumped. But to her shock, he scrambled backward against the wall, looking utterly panicked. "Miss, I—I can't marry you! I just can't—"

Yu'e's face instantly flushed red—whether from embarrassment or anger, even she wasn't sure. "Who—who the hell asked you to marry me?! What nonsense are you spouting?!"

A pretty face, sure, but clearly suffering from some kind of delusion.

"For gold, jewels, or endless wealth? Fine! It's all yours—"

Just as he was rambling, Yu'e cut in. He froze mid-sentence, then slowly turned his head to look at her, utterly bewildered.

Their eyes met, wide in mutual disbelief.

"Are you delirious?" Yu'e asked, frowning.

The youth rubbed his eyes, scanning the unfamiliar surroundings. Then, locking his gaze back on Yu'e, he demanded, "Who are you? Where am I? And why am I here?"

Yu'e crossed her arms. "My name is Yu'e, and this is my teahouse, Emerald Pavilion. You crashed headfirst into my door, knocked yourself out, and I was kind enough to drag you inside and treat your injuries. Now, who exactly are you? And why were you causing havoc in the middle of the street?"

The young man winced as he clutched his head, muttering a pained "Ow." After a brief pause, realization seemed to dawn on him. He let out a relieved sigh. "So that's what happened… Thank goodness. You're not one of the Chus."

"You've been babbling since you woke up. What's going on?"

The young man straightened his disheveled robes and tossed back his hair with an air of arrogance. "As you can see, my surname is Liu, and my given name is Rumeng."

"You've said that once." Yu'e said flatly. "What I want to know is where you're from and why exactly you were sprinting through the streets like a madman before ramming into my door."

"Ahem. Let me repeat, I am Liu."

"And?"

"…"

"Wait, don't tell me—you're new around here, aren't you? How could you possibly not recognize the prestigious Liu family?" Liu Rumeng scoffed, extending a hand toward the window. His gaze landed on an imposing mansion in the distance. "That's my home. The grandest estate in the entire city."

Ah, the Liu family… Yu'e recalled dealing with them in past business dealings. While they were certainly well-off, they were nowhere near wealthy enough to flaunt their riches like this.

"I see," she said coolly.

Liu Rumeng nearly choked on air. He had never seen someone react so indifferently.

In his memory, whenever he revealed his identity, girls would swoon, fawning over him in admiration.

"What kind of reaction is that?! Our family is the richest in the town, you know." he huffed, disgruntled.

Yu'e thought to herself, Ah, typical mortals. If only he could visit the celestial cities or the heavenly courts, he'd know what true luxury looked like.

"So, Young Master Liu, what exactly do you want?" she asked.

Liu Rumeng's tone oozed disdain and arrogance. "Normally, I wouldn't even spare a glance at a shabby place like this—"

"Then get lost." Yu'e yawned and gestured lazily toward the nearby window. "There's the exit."

"How dare you?!" Liu Rumeng nearly panicked at the thought of being thrown out. He forced himself to maintain his composed demeanor, though his voice softened noticeably. "I have decided to stay here for a while. You should feel honored! And in three days, I shall bestow upon you generous gold and silver. You won't regret it."

Yu'e, ever pragmatic, considered the offer. After all, maintaining her teahouse and restocking supplies required money. And if he was willing to pay, why turn down a business opportunity?

She retrieved a contract and inkstone from the shelf. "Write down the amount and repayment date."

"What, you don't trust the mighty Liu family?"

"No contract, no deal." Yu'e promptly stashed the inkstone away.

"Wait, wait! I'll write it!" Liu Rumeng hurriedly scrawled on the contract:

[One thousand taels of gold]

Yu'e glanced at it. "And the repayment date?"

Liu Rumeng hesitated, looking troubled. "Uh… That's… not exactly set."

"Why?"

After a long pause, Liu Rumeng sighed dramatically. "As you may already know, I am a charming, dashing, and wealthy young man, adored by countless women. But unlike the others, the Chu family's daughter refused to let me go. After only a few meetings, she declared that she would marry no one but me! Preposterous, right? And now, her family is demanding I take her as my wife. They won't stop unless I arrive in a grand wedding procession!"

Yu'e vaguely recalled overhearing a conversation about the Chu family's arrival in town while she was balancing her books the other day.

"Have you heard about that Chu family that just moved into the city?"

"Of course. I heard they run a small textile business and are looking to expand into our region," a middle-aged merchant had said.

"They brought their daughter along too. She's quite the beauty. But—"

"But what?" another asked eagerly.

The older merchant sighed. "Trouble is, she caught the eye of that playboy Liu Rumeng. He sweet-talked her, tricked her, and now the poor girl is pregnant, having his baby."

Gasps and murmurs filled the room.

"Well, he ought to take responsibility," one merchant reasoned.

The older man slammed his fan against the table. "That's just it! When the Chu family came to negotiate marriage, Old Master Liu was treating them with respect—until that playboy ran off!"

Now, standing before Liu Rumeng, Yu'e finally connected the dots.

So the coward who fled was this very same pampered young master.

She let out a cold laugh. A pretty face, but rotten to the core.

Oblivious to her growing disdain, Liu Rumeng continued, "They chased me from the west side of the city to the east! I was raised in luxury—I wasn't made for this kind of running! And then, just as I reached the main street, my legs gave out. My entire body went numb! The Chu family is despicable, tormenting me like this—all just for a dowry."

A dowry? This wasn't about a dowry. This man had ruined a girl's life, and he was playing the victim? Yu'e's patience ran out. "Well, you don't seem too badly hurt, and your medicine is applied. If that's all, I suggest you leave before your father comes looking for you." Her tone was curt and dismissive. "Oh, and don't forget to pay for the door repairs."

"You—! Do you even understand what an opportunity this is? A thousand taels of gold for three nights—what's the problem? Fine, if you think that's not enough, I'll double it!"

Yu'e ignored him and took a leisurely sip of tea.

Seeing that he couldn't get his way, Liu Rumeng grew indignant. "Hmph! Pretending to be above it all? Fine! If you don't want my business, I'll take it elsewhere! Don't come crying when you realize what a fortune you turned down!"

With that, he stormed out, slamming the door behind him.