Apr 14, 2026
Chapter 75 — Without a husband, where would the adulterer come from?
“What kind of damned thing are you? You think you’re worthy of coming here to propose marriage? Get lost! Go back and tell that Ling family this—our Jingxuan hasn’t been on the Ling clan register for a long time. They have no right to control him! So what if Jingxuan can bear children? So what if his reputation isn’t good? What does that have to do with you? Get out! All of you, get out of here!”
“Oh my, Sister-in-law Wang,” the middle-aged woman dressed in gaudy clothes sneered, “you’re only Ling Jingxuan’s maternal grandmother, not his real grandmother. What right do you have to decide for him? Besides, everyone within ten villages knows Ling Jingxuan got pregnant before he was even fifteen—his reputation is ruined. The old clan leader’s wife’s grandnephew is willing to marry him—that’s a blessing for him. Don’t be so ungrateful.”
“Your blessing, my foot!” the old woman snapped furiously. “Back when my Jingxuan was foolish and muddle-headed, why didn’t any of you come to marry him then? Now that his illness is cured and he’s looking lively again, and you’ve seen him buying land and cattle early this morning, suddenly you’re rushing over to propose! That son of the Su family is a fool who can’t even take care of himself, and you still dare suggest him for my Jingxuan? Aren’t you afraid your conscience will rot—that your sons will be born without backsides?”
“Watch your mouth! What do you mean ‘rot your conscience’? What’s wrong with the Su family’s son? He’s just a little slower than others. And Ling Jingxuan isn’t exactly a treasure himself—he’s some kind of neither-man-nor-woman monster. If someone’s willing to take him, he should be burning incense in gratitude!”
Outside the Ling family’s gate, the open ground was packed with people.
At the very center of the crowd, a gray-haired old woman in her fifties or sixties was locked in a fierce verbal battle with the gaudily dressed middle-aged woman. Behind the old woman stood Ling Chenglong with a dark expression, and Ling Jinghan, who remained silent. The two little buns stood beside them, their small faces full of indignation.
The middle-aged woman’s side, however, was even more dramatic. Several men stood behind her carrying jars and gift containers.
From their conversation, it wasn’t hard to tell why they had come.
They were here to propose marriage.
For Ling Jingxuan.
The carriage stopped outside the crowd. Every word of the heated argument drifted clearly into the carriage, reaching the ears of Ling Jingxuan and the others inside.
The three men wore very different expressions.
Ling Jingxuan remained indifferent, as though the matter had nothing to do with him.
Yan Shengrui frowned deeply, murderous intent flickering in his eyes as though he might erupt into violence at any moment.
Ling Jingpeng, meanwhile, was furious—but at the same time cautiously observing the two of them.
None of them had expected that before they had even taken action, they would run straight into such a headache-inducing situation.
“Masters… what should we do?”
Song Gengniu, who was driving the carriage outside, glanced awkwardly toward the carriage. The road ahead was packed with people; the carriage simply couldn’t pass.
“Let’s go,” Yan Shengrui said coldly. “I’d like to see who dares to marry my wife.”
The usual roguish smile he showed around Ling Jingxuan was gone. Instead, he wrapped an arm around him with commanding confidence and leapt down from the carriage. Ling Jingpeng quickly followed behind.
Perhaps it was the overwhelming aura surrounding him, but the people at the back of the crowd gradually noticed their presence. One by one they stepped aside, and soon a narrow path opened through the sea of bodies.
With Ling Jingxuan held firmly in his arms, Yan Shengrui strode forward without hesitation. Behind them followed Ling Jingpeng, whose face was dark with displeasure, as well as the newly purchased carriage.
“Ling Jingxuan’s back! Who’s that man? He looks so much like his son…”
“Hey, he even bought a carriage! Since when did Ling Jingxuan get so rich?”
“Tch! Adulterers! Hugging and clinging to each other in public without marriage rites or a matchmaker—shameless!”
“Exactly! A slut will always be a slut. Seducing men at barely more than ten years old, and now that he’s only just regained his senses he’s already hooking up with another man—”
The appearance of the main subject naturally stirred the crowd into noisy gossip.
Seeing him openly held in another man’s arms, quite a few women began cursing loudly, as though Ling Jingxuan’s mere presence had personally insulted them.
Yet Ling Jingxuan remained unmoved by the mixture of shock, envy, and abuse around him.
Yan Shengrui wanted to defend him, but he also knew arguing with such people would accomplish nothing. In the end, he simply ignored them.
“Oh my, isn’t this Ling Jingxuan-gongzi?”
Reaching the center of the crowd, the middle-aged woman who had just been arguing with the old lady suddenly turned around and greeted them with a bright smile. Her plump waist swayed as she walked, exaggerated and flirtatious.
But the moment Ling Jingxuan shot her a freezing glance, she stiffened in place as though struck.
Beside him, Yan Shengrui glanced toward the men carrying jars and gifts. His tiger-like eyes instantly filled with murderous intent.
The imposing aura he had accumulated through years on the battlefield was not something ordinary men could withstand.
The few men trembled instinctively. Their legs shook like sieves, as though they might collapse—or even wet themselves—at any moment.
“Daddy…?”
Seeing them, the little buns who had been leaning against Ling Jinghan immediately ran over without a second thought. One on each side, they wrapped their arms around Ling Jingxuan’s legs.
“Hehe… good boys. Why haven’t you gone for your afternoon nap yet?”
Ignoring the dense crowd of staring villagers and the oddly looking women nearby, Ling Jingxuan crouched down and rubbed each of their heads. He looked completely unconcerned about the current situation and didn’t even hesitate to fight back against the Ling clan—why would he care about outsiders? He simply didn’t think they were worth the effort.
“With her yelling like that, how could we fall asleep?” Ling Wen said darkly, pointing at the middle-aged woman and her group. “And Daddy, today you—… never mind, we’ll talk about it later. First tell them that we already have a father. We don’t need any new father. Make them leave!”
He had already told them countless times, but they refused to listen. They kept insisting on arranging a marriage for his daddy and even said they’d find them a new father who would love them.
What nonsense.
They already had a father—why would they need another one?
“Daddy, I don’t like them either,” Ling Wu pouted unhappily. “They were so noisy that Grandma couldn’t rest while she’s sick. She even cried just now…”
The worst part was that they had said the “new father” would properly discipline him. His own father had never even tried to discipline him—who did they think they were?
“Is that so? Then it seems I can’t ignore this.”
Raising an eyebrow, Ling Jingxuan stood up while still gently patting their heads. The tenderness on his face vanished in an instant. His narrow, beautiful phoenix eyes finally swept back toward the group.
When his gaze landed on the jars and containers they had brought, a cold smile slowly curled at his lips.
Those couldn’t possibly be the betrothal gifts meant for him, could they?
With those scraps, they thought they could marry him?
“Y-you… adulterers…!”
The woman, who had been stunned for a long moment, pointed at them with trembling fingers. Her words instantly pushed Yan Shengrui’s displeasure to its limit. If she hadn’t been a woman, he might already have slapped her.
“There’s no husband, so where would the ‘adulterer’ come from?” Ling Jingxuan replied coolly.
They were already trembling like leaves yet still dared to curse him.
At this point, Ling Jingxuan didn’t even feel like dealing with them anymore. He bent down, picked up Ling Wu, and with his other hand took Ling Wen’s hand.
Before leaving, he said coldly to Yan Shengrui, “I’ll leave it to you. Handle it cleanly. I don’t want to see them again.”
Yan Shengrui nodded, murderous intent flashing in his eyes. Then he stepped forward.
The moment he moved, his tall frame radiated an overwhelming pressure that made it hard for people to breathe.
The woman collapsed onto the ground in fright, staring at him as she stammered, “Y-you… what are you trying to do?”
“Taking your life.”
Standing above her, Yan Shengrui answered coldly.
A shrill scream burst out like a pig being slaughtered. The watching villagers instinctively backed away, even though Yan Shengrui hadn’t actually done anything yet.
“I don’t care who sent you to propose marriage,” he said icily. “Take those worthless scraps and get out. Jingxuan has been my wife for five years already. I don’t want to see something like this happen again.”
He didn’t finish the rest of the sentence. He simply swept them with a murderous glare.
The woman could no longer endure the terror. Her eyes rolled back, and she fainted on the spot. The men carrying the so-called “betrothal gifts” didn’t dare hesitate any longer. Forgetting all about propriety between men and women, they hurriedly lifted her up and ran away in panic.
“And you lot,” Yan Shengrui continued, lifting his head to sweep the surrounding crowd with a cold gaze, his handsome face filled with hostility. “If anyone dares to covet my wife again, I’ll wipe out his entire family first. Now get lost.”
“Haa—!”
The crowd collectively sucked in a sharp breath.
They were all simple villagers—when had they ever seen someone who spoke of killing the moment he opened his mouth?
The crowd collectively sucked in a cold breath and instinctively retreated several steps. Then, all at once, they turned and fled in a chaotic rush, as if a pack of mad dogs were chasing them. They ran faster than rabbits.
“Brother Rui, you’re amazing!”
Once only their group remained outside the gate, Ling Jingpeng’s earlier anger vanished. He raised a big thumbs-up toward Yan Shengrui without the slightest hesitation.
Not far away, Ling Jinghan leaned against the doorframe, his expression deep and unreadable. As for Ling Chenglong and the old woman, they had already followed Ling Jingxuan and the two little buns into the house.
“Old Song,” Yan Shengrui said coldly, still simmering with displeasure. “We didn’t buy you people just to stand around as decorations. Tell your wife and children this—next time people like that show up, don’t be polite. Beat them every time they come. If someone gets crippled or killed, I’ll take responsibility.”
He ignored Ling Jingpeng entirely. Just the thought of someone coveting his wife made him want to kill.
“Yes, Master Shengi.”
Song Gengniu responded respectfully. He himself was displeased as well. They hadn’t seen their wives and children for a long time, and yet such a major incident had occurred in the household—how could none of them be seen anywhere? Was that how servants were supposed to behave?
Inside the house, Ling Jingxuan led the two little buns straight to the room where Ling Wang-shi was resting.
Song Yang-shi and her daughter were keeping her company, while Song Shuisheng stood timidly at the doorway holding Xiao Huzi. When he saw them enter, Song Shuisheng quickly pulled his younger brother upright and bowed respectfully.
“Greetings, Old Madam, Master, Master Xuan, Young Masters.”
“Mhm.” Ling Jingxuan nodded. “Things outside are mostly settled now. Go help your father move the things inside.”
He didn’t pursue the fact that they had been hiding indoors. After giving a casual instruction, he led the little buns into the room.
Song Yang-shi and her daughter had already stood up quietly when they heard him earlier. Ling Jingxuan raised a hand to dismiss them before walking over to check Ling Wang-shi’s pulse.
Only after confirming that there was nothing seriously wrong did he say slowly, “Mother, I heard you were crying again. Why upset yourself over people who aren’t worth it?”
Just because they said they were proposing marriage, did that mean he had to accept?
Even if Yan Shengrui hadn’t been present today, there was no way he would have agreed to such a farcical proposal. They were nothing but a few jumping clowns—not even worthy of entering his sight.
“How could I not be angry?” Ling Wang-shi burst out. “This morning, right after you left, people from the Ling family came knocking. They insisted on dragging your father back to attend the old patriarch while he’s ill. Your father is such a dull man—if Jinghan hadn’t held him back, and if your grandmother hadn’t arrived just in time, he might really have gone!”
“After we finally got rid of them, a matchmaker showed up again. She claimed she had found you a wonderful marriage. But who doesn’t know that the old clan leader’s wife’s grandnephew is a fool? I heard he even beats his own parents. And they actually dared to propose him for you! Those heartless wretches…!”
Before she could finish, Ling Wang-shi broke down again, crying uncontrollably.
Ling Jingxuan watched her quietly, a chill hidden deep within his eyes that only he himself understood.
Before leaving earlier, he had already instructed Ling Jinghan to keep an eye on his father in case the Ling clan came looking for trouble.
He hadn’t expected them to actually show up.
Did they think that because yesterday he had made a lot of noise but ultimately let things drop, he was afraid of them now?
And that old woman from the former clan leader’s family—she was ridiculous as well. At her age, she still insisted on stirring up trouble, completely unafraid of retribution.
In the end, it all came down to one thing.
His methods simply hadn’t been ruthless enough.
Since that was the case… he might as well begin making preparations later. After all, he had nothing else to do today anyway.
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Translator: LazyHermitGal
Author: LazyHermitGal
A Lazy Hermit Gal. A little support goes a long way! If you’d like to help me keep creating, you can do so at https://ko-fi.com/lazyhermitgal
