Aromatic Flesh

Chapter 40: Raising a Bride (1)

????????? ? ?????????

Congratulations on completing the mission.

Received: 0 skill points

Received: 0 reward points

Please prepare yourself for the next mission, starting in…

Three…

Two…

One…

Teleportation starts…

????????? ? ?????????

Gu MingYue felt her soul being sucked away from her body, instantly relieving her of the excruciating pain of having her internal organs punctured as her bones shattered within her body. As the countdown ended, she was instantly sent into the next mission and she felt her soul fusing with a young girl’s body.

The endless mountains soared in the distance, while the running stream nearby was clean and the trees shook beautifully around her.

The moment she opened her eyes, tears welled up within Gu MingYue’s eyes and streamed down her cheeks like a broken pipe.

“Don’t cry… A person cannot be resurrected from the dead.” A man’s deep voice sounded behind her as he patted her thin and slim shoulders with his huge scorching hand. And in response, Gu MingYue raised her tear-stained face towards him to inspect the man’s face.

This was undoubtedly a tall and powerful man, who had a strong and sturdy body, in fact, Gu MingYue’s new body merely reached his chest level. The man had a broad chest and a majestic temperament, while his facial features were sharp and distinct, with a hint of coldness within the hard edges of his face. He also had a honey-like complexion, with the luster glow of amber, while his nose was high and his lips were pressed tightly together.

Right now, a solemn and cold expression could be seen on his face.

However, upon receiving the background information about this world, it was hard to believe that such a handsome and dignified-looking man was merely a son born to a mistress, and because he was no longer able to stand the unfair treatment from his family, he finally left and settled down deep within the mountains, making a living from hunting prey and selling them in the market.

His name was Xie MingLang, and he was the mission target of this world. He was the adoptive father of Gu MingYue’s current body, and was initially raised to become the future bride for his son, who had passed away from illness a few days ago.

The body that Gu MingYue now inherited used to be a beggar on the streets, and Xie MingLang, who had gone into town a few years back, noticed her pitiful self and decided to adopt her from the streets.

At that time, the child was about four to five years ago. Her skin was dark and bruised up, while her rags clothing was torn in many places as she fought with some stray dogs over leftover food, growling like a fierce little beast. Xie MingLang had run into her and found her pitiful, thinking that the child was a boy, he could bring her home as a childhood friend to his sickly son.

But it was not until he brought her into the bathroom for a wash that he realized that the beggar child that he had brought home was a girl.

And so, he named her Xie Yi and raised her as his own daughter. But at the same time, she would be the childhood friend and future bride of his son, Xie Zhang.

After several years, to everyone’s surprise, Xie Yi gradually grew up into a beautiful young lady.

Never would Xie MingLang have imagined that the thin and skinny bag of bones he found on the streets, would grow up into such a charming young lady.

Xie Yi had a petite figure, with a small round face and with rosy pink cheeks. Her brows were identically shaped and she had a pair of huge brown eyes that sparkled brightly, as if stars lived within them.

Her skin had long since recovered from the previous malnourished brown to a jaded white tone, and though she had spent years living in the mountains with her adoptive father and brother, her skin remained pale and silky, with a healthy pinkish glow to it.

Furthermore, as she was not restricted like the other ladies of this ancient period, she had developed a wild and natural temperament throughout the years, and it was as if there was infinite energy contained within her exquisite little body.

She was cheeky and active by nature, and she loved running around through the mountains and the forests, so she had developed a strong and lean figure, giving her curves and shapes that other ladies her age would not have.

It’s a pity that Xie Zhang was not fortunate to have lived long enough to marry this unique little beauty……

In front of them rested a simple earthen tomb, with only a handmade wooden stake to mark the tomb’s identity. Within the tomb lay Xie Lang, who was merely thirteen years old this year. He had always been sickly and as a father, though Xie MingLang had always been mentally prepared, he had not expected his only son to catch a cold in the middle of summer and passed away a few days later.

“Daddy, I’m really sad. When I think of the fact that I can never meet him again, my heart hurt so much that it was as if someone had stabbed it countlessly with a sharp knife.” Gu MingYue fell into the man’s strong arms and wept her heart out, “I can’t help but wish I could leave the world with him.”

Xie MingLang’s eyes flashed in a moment of weakness, and before anyone could notice, the tears subsided as quickly as they had appeared. But perhaps he had been born with undeveloped facial nerves, his face remained cold and stiff, without a hint of sadness within as he patted the girl’s weak and trembling back in comfort.

It was summer right now in this mission world, and the weather was extremely hot, but Gu MingYue felt as if her body was permanently frozen… Even her palms felt as if it was permanently enclosed in ice!

As for Xie MingLang, though he might not seem like it, he was actually in pain deep within because the worst thing a parent could endure was to send off their children into the afterlife. His expressions might be unable to vividly express his grief, but he had lost a lot of weight these few days, and the burlap shirt that used to fit perfectly on his body now seemed a little oversized.

However, the weeping girl who was buried within his arms reminded him that he had no choice but to cheer up from the pain of losing his son, because if he was, too, overwhelmed by grief, who would take care of Xie Yi?

When Gu MingYue cried enough, she raised her head from the man’s arms and looked up at his face with red eyes. Her entire face was apricot pink and her little nose was scarlet red as she took in deep breaths to calm down her grief.

Xie MingLang felt sorry that she had to endure this at such a young age, and was also a little worried about her current situation because ordinary families with ladies her age would’ve started searching and preparing her for marriage. She was to be Xie Zhang’s wife, as the two children had grown up together and got along harmoniously, and they would’ve been a perfect pair when they grew up. However, now that Xie Zhang was gone, and there weren’t many families in the mountains with a fine young man of the right age, it was difficult for him to search for a person that would be deserving of her.

In the first half of his own life, Xie MingLang had never experienced any affection from his own family, hence, right when he turned fifteen, the young adult left his house and entered the mountains to hunt for a living and lived in isolation happily. Not long after that, another hunter visited him and requested Xie MingLang to marry his daughter, who was of a similar age.

Xie MingLang never had a particular taste for women, but he figured that it would be better for him to build a family earlier, so he agreed to the hunter’s proposal.

Both sides were poor, so the two merely had a small feast at home and after finishing a simple set of marriage procedures, they were considered married. The woman did not look particularly beautiful, however, she was virtuous and hardworking, and the two of them get along peacefully.

Xie MingLang had once thought that he would live a normal but fulfilled life with her, however, it was as if her body could not handle the burden of giving birth, because after Xie Lang was born, she was constantly bedridden and sick, and finally passed on after two years.

Xie MingLang grew up without family affection, so he had always been eager towards it. And after his wife passed away, he valued every second spent with Xie Lang, and three years later, Xie Yi. He cherished and adore both children, and now that one of them was gone, the remaining adopted daughter was now his top priority in life.

“Let’s return home.” The man’s deep and hoarse voice sounded above her and she felt the big palm patting her head softly in comfort, causing a new wave of clear tears to stream down from her face once again, only to be wiped away gently by the worried man.

Home, where is her home?

Only Gu MingYue knew that she was weeping and mourning for the gentle and elegant man that she loved with her heart, the man that she could never again meet in her long and isolated life.

It was as if she was weeping with her soul, and Xie MingLang was deeply touched by the situation.

Such an affectionate and grateful child. Xie MingLang thought silently as he validated his actions of raising her all these years. Zhang Er would surely be happy and relieved to know that he was genuinely loved if his spirit was watching right now.

Hoorah for our new arc!

From my calculations from the available plot, I believed that Xie MingLang got married when he was fifteen, so I would assume that he was around sixteen when Xie Zhang was born. MC should be of the same age as Xie Zhang, so now that she was twelve, ML should be 28!

Please keep in mind that this is an ancient china setting, and ladies were considered old and unsought for if they were not married with children by 15 years old.

I believe this arc will be much more enjoyable and it’ll somewhat soothe our hearts from the previous arc ? So enjoy~