Chapter 112: An Unexpected Husband

Under the cover of night, in a narrow alley, a faint light flickered within a modest room. A slender woman lay upon the bed, her eyes gently closed.

Glancing around, one could see the bed carved from fragrant nanmu wood, adorned with dancing butterflies and blooming peonies. Rose-colored gauzy curtains hung around the bed, swaying softly. At some unknown moment, the young woman stirred awake, the curtains billowing gracefully, lending an air of enchanting beauty.

At the head of the bed rested a pillow embroidered with lotus blossoms in Suzhou embroidery. The bedspread was a fresh pink, embroidered with gardenias—an indescribable harmony pervaded the room, suffused with the delicate gentleness befitting a young lady.

After a while, the woman finished her grooming and lifted her eyes, tinged with a hint of confusion, toward the door. She spoke slowly, “My head aches so terribly... What happened? How did I fall asleep all of a sudden?”

She rubbed her disheveled, delicate face hard but could recall nothing of what had come before. It was as if a fragment of her memory was missing, leaving her deeply troubled.

Just then, Yi An entered, his gaze shifting from sorrow to joy as if clouds parted to reveal clear skies. “Yu Qin, you’re finally awake.”

“Yi Lang, what exactly happened? My mind feels like a tangled mess—I’m so uncomfortable,” Shen Yu Qin was startled, staring at Yi An for a moment. Gradually, some scattered memories began to return, stirring faint recollections.

The man before her, Yi An, was her fiancé. Soon, they were to be wed.

Yi An spoke softly, “Yu Qin, I didn’t understand what happened at first. You suddenly collapsed and were unconscious for a whole day and night before you finally woke. You have no idea how worried I was.”

“Please check yourself carefully; perhaps something is wrong.”

As he spoke, his expression was sincere, as though every word was the absolute truth.

“I see,” Shen Yu Qin felt a warmth in her heart, her cheeks flushing slightly. “Yi Lang, I’m truly grateful to have you. Without you, the consequences would have been unimaginable.”

“Yu Qin, don’t be distant with me. What need is there for such formalities between us?” Yi An swiftly immersed himself in the role, but inside, a bitter feeling lingered. Having never been in a relationship before, this was all new territory for him.

He had rehearsed many times beforehand to avoid showing any flaws. It had been quite a challenge.

---

Yan Chixia was a rough man, offering little counsel.

Initially, Yi An had planned to have Yan Chixia pose as Shen Yu Qin’s fiancé, but he abandoned the idea. Yan Chixia’s rugged appearance clashed starkly beside Yu Qin, making the pretense awkward and unnatural.

Helpless, Yi An had no choice but to step forward himself.

It was worth noting that Shen Yu Qin was usually solitary, familiar only with a few neighbors, rarely venturing about this ghost town since settling here decades ago. This temperament spared them much trouble.

From her memories, Yu Qin was born into a prestigious family, leading a sheltered life—never leaving the front gate nor stepping beyond the second gate. Had fate taken its usual course, she might have obeyed the age-old custom of arranged marriage, marrying a young man esteemed by her parents, yet unknown to her.

Perhaps due to long exposure to traditional values, she bore no strong resistance. Everyone lived this way; she could not rebel and chose instead to accept.

But fate is unpredictable. At the prime age of eighteen, her family suddenly fell into ruin. Their business was crushed by combined rivals.

When their home was stripped bare, those enemies refused mercy, adhering to the ruthless creed: “If the roots are not cut, the grass will grow again.” They even hired assassins.

After Shen family’s downfall, with only an empty mansion left, they had no funds to hire servants or guards. When the villains came, the family was defenseless, left only with desperate resistance.

Against ruthless killers, their struggles were futile. Soon, the assassins’ blades were stained with blood, and the entire mansion was suffused with a chilling aura of death and cold malice.

Shen Yu Qin witnessed her loved ones fall before her eyes, powerless. The pain, as if her heart was bleeding, was beyond words—a scar unlikely ever to heal.

The moment the assassins first saw Yu Qin, their eyes flashed with lecherous malice.

But the gentle and pure Yu Qin instantly read the sinister intent behind their gaze. Gathering her resolve, she smashed herself violently against a nearby wall. Blood splattered everywhere as she breathed her last.

Yet the matter was far from over. Though dead, her overwhelming resentment transformed her into a vengeful spirit. Shen Yu Qin refused reincarnation; she sought retribution, willing to pay the price of her soul’s dissolution to make those who destroyed her family pay tenfold, even a hundredfold.

---

Two days later, the families who had hired the assassins to wipe out the Shen clan learned that every hired killer had died mysteriously. Panic swept through them, and whispers spread: “It must be the vengeful spirit of the Shen family come to claim their lives.”

Sure enough, that very night, someone died under inexplicable circumstances—no fatal wounds, death shrouded in mystery, echoing the fate of the assassins.

Night after night, the ominous news continued, no matter what measures they took, all were futile.

That period became a nightmare; everyone lived in constant fear, dreading that they might be next.

Some even summoned exorcists and monks, but all proved powerless. The clergy themselves were terrified, fleeing in haste. Eventually, no exorcist or monk dared approach, speaking of the place only in hushed tones, refusing any summons.

Shen Yu Qin intended for them to suffer immensely. Killing them outright would be too merciful.

Debts must be repaid; life must be exchanged for life—an eternal law of heaven and earth.

Moreover, she spared not a single innocent; all she struck down were the guilty. Those who committed such heinous and unforgivable acts must prepare to face their retribution.

They could never have imagined that vengeance would come so swiftly.

The Tale of the Enchanted Bookshop