Married to the Grim Reaper Against My Will

The most flamboyant god on Earth

Having confirmed she was unharmed, Jiang Wang's gaze swept past her, settling on something behind her with a dark, menacing look.

"The Water Ghost King," he chuckled, a chilling smile shrouded in the pale moonlight, "is precisely when your father is in the worst mood, so let's use you as a scapegoat."

Ji Mian's neck stiffened. She slowly turned her head and saw a line of black mist condensed on the vast, misty river. One end of the black line was submerged in the water, tied to her body, while the other end extended to the opposite bank, merging into a thick cloud of black fog.

This cloud of black fog was extremely high and vast, almost obscuring the mountains and sky along the riverbank.

Before it, Ji Mian felt as small as an ant.

She gasped, fully regaining her senses; her heart nearly stopped. Remembering Jiang Wang, who was equally insignificant as an ant, she looked back in alarm, only to see Jiang Wang, clad in black robes and with flowing hair, already soaring into the river.

He hovered above the water, licking his lips and smiling, staring at the swirling black mist. "Die, Father!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the swirling black mist rose from beneath his feet, causing the entire river to tremble. At the same time, he swung his sword down, severing the line between Ji Mian and the black mist instantly.

Before Ji Mian could even react, the sudden severing of the line seemed to unleash a powerful backlash. A blinding white light flashed before her eyes, and she lost consciousness.

When she opened her eyes again, she was shivering. She was soaking wet, as was the embrace she was leaning against. The surroundings were still the deep darkness of night and the still waters of the river.

After a few seconds, she suddenly remembered something: Jiang Wang? Jiang Xuanyang? She stared in shock, her eyes wide, only to meet Jiang Wang's dark, night-like gaze. Her mind went completely blank.

Jiang Wang lowered his head, staring into her eyes, and said very softly, "You fell into the water, I came to save you, and you've forgotten everything else..."

He watched the shock in her eyes disappear, her wide eyes slowly closing, her eyelids fluttering, her eyelashes fluttering, until finally her eyes were completely closed.

Jiang Wang breathed a sigh of relief. They could only erase and alter short-term memories. He had been worried that the time limit for erasing her memories would expire after Ji Mian fainted.

Now, looking at the sleeping girl in his arms, Jiang Wang smiled smugly. He had erased this memory without letting her say a word. His reaction speed was amazing! Truly impressive!

Jiang Wang had been chasing the water ghost along the river, and now he didn't know where he was, but judging from the looks of it, he was quite far from the brothel town where he lived.

Jiang Wang carried Ji Mian to the dock. It was already two in the morning; the area was deserted, dark and silent.

He had just determined his direction and was about to fly back to the brothel town when the person in his arms stirred and slowly opened her eyes.

He panicked, unsure what to do.

She woke up so quickly? That shouldn't be! It seems the ancestor's sealing of half his magic power wasn't a joke. The Water Ghost King is still imprisoned in the Linglong Ball; he'll have to tell the ancestors about this tomorrow when he takes him back to the Heavenly Palace. Luckily, this Water Ghost King is weak; if he encountered a strong one, with only half his magic power, wouldn't he be tortured to death?

Thinking this, Jiang Wang felt extremely annoyed. It was all that witch's fault; he hadn't even acknowledged the marriage yet, and she was already bringing bad luck to her husband.

Ji Mian, lying in Jiang Wang's arms, slowly opened her eyes, her mind blank, unable to process what was happening for a long time. She seemed to have fallen into the water and been rescued. She was aware of this, but couldn't recall any specific scene.

A river breeze swept by, chilling her to the bone, soaking her wet clothes. She shivered, finally snapping back to reality.

"Jiang Wang?" she looked up at him. "You saved me?"

"What else?"

As Jiang Wang looked down at her, a drop of water from his hair landed on her nose, cool and ticklish.

Ji Mian lowered her eyes and rubbed her nose. "Thank you. Put me down, I can walk by myself."

Jiang Wang didn't say anything and put her down.

As soon as she touched the ground, Ji Mian realized she was not only cold, but her legs were also incredibly weak, trembling as she walked. She simply squatted down, hugging her knees and curling up, looking up at Jiang Wang, and pleaded softly, "I'm a little weak, can I squat down for a bit before I walk?"

"Sure." Jiang Wang smiled, walked over to her, and squatted down as well. On the dark, deserted dock, the two, one tall and one short, squatted face-to-face, staring at each other.

Ji Mian, seemingly still dazed, sat there, her knees slumped, looking up at him with her large, wet eyes, her expression bewildered, as if she had so much to say.

She looked at him, opened her mouth, hesitated for a moment, then pursed her lips seriously, her thoughts a jumbled mess of emotions.

Jiang Wang couldn't help but smirk, "What are you hesitating for? Thinking of confessing again?"

"...No, you're overthinking it."

"Don't you think I look sexy right now?" He squatted down in front of her, leaning closer, and ruffled her wet, black hair. "Right?"

Ji Mian: ...

However, his teasing snapped her out of her dazed state, reminding her of what had happened before, and she began to consider her next move. They were at the Qiuxi County dock. To get back to the brothel village, they needed to cross the river, a twenty-minute ride. By car, it would take over an hour, and on foot, at least seven or eight hours. At two in the morning, the small county town was fast asleep; there was no transportation available, and swimming across the river was out of the question.

This was terrible. How could things have gotten like this?

Ji Mian hugged her knees, cautiously looking at Jiang Wang. "I'm sorry for making you like this," she said, lowering her eyes, feeling guilty and unable to look him in the eye. "And I'm also sorry about what happened at the inn."

Jiang Wang tilted his head, trying to find her eyes, but it was difficult. He could usually bend over, but now he was hunched over, and any lower would mean lying on the ground.

"Shorty, can't you look up at me? My cervical spondylosis is about to flare up."

Jiang Wang's voice was as playful and carefree as ever, but when Ji Mian looked up at him, she saw his expression was very serious. He stared intently at her, a slight smile playing on his lips. "I should be the one apologizing. I didn't know your parents were gone."

"Ah," Ji Mian exclaimed, surprised by his apology. Her eyes slowly opened, and she said sincerely, "You actually apologized."

Jiang Wang chuckled, "Do I look like the kind of unreasonable person?"

"Yes."

Jiang Wang grabbed her wet ponytail and laughed, "I think you're really not afraid of getting beaten up."

The two of them squatted foolishly at the dock for a while. Ji Mian finally recovered and got up to head towards the county town.

The May night was still chilly. Both of them were soaking wet, and the wind felt like knives cutting into their skin, making them shiver uncontrollably.

They couldn't go too far like this, and they couldn't wait on the street until dawn; they'd freeze to death or be severely frostbitten.

"What do we do?"

Jiang Wang glanced at her, a mischievous smile on his face. "What can we do? Get a hotel room."

Ji Mian's eyes widened instantly, stammering, "Wh-what?"

"Are we just going to stand here soaking wet at the dock until dawn?" Jiang Wang said, laughing to himself, "Are you afraid of me? Don't worry, I'm not that shameless."

Ji Mian fell silent. Although she was timid and introverted, she wasn't stupid or pretentious. She knew that there was no other way but to get a hotel room. This whole mess was her fault; she had no complaints about getting sick herself, but if Jiang Wang got sick because of her, her conscience wouldn't allow it.

She understood the logic, but the thought of going to a hotel room with a guy made her face burn. After a moment of silence, she finally asked, "But we don't have ID cards."

Ji Mian had been lured out of bed, so naturally she had nothing on her.

Jiang Wang was also stunned. Who the hell carries an ID card when they go out to fight monsters? He placed his hands behind his back, made a hand seal, and a wallet appeared in his hand out of thin air.

Jiang Wang pretended to put his hands in his pockets, then pulled out the wallet. "I brought it with me. There's still money in it. It's a little wet, but it'll work."

Ji Mian didn't speak, nervously following him towards the dock. Once on the dock and along the riverbank, streetlights appeared, dispelling the darkness and bringing a warm, inviting glow.

Because of its proximity to the dock, many boatmen often disembarked, and there were many restaurants and small hotels in the area. The restaurants were all closed now, but the small hotels were still lit.

Ji Mian was still a little nervous, trying to make conversation. "How did I end up in the river in the middle of the night?"

"Sleepwalking."

"But I don't sleepwalk."

Jiang Wang stopped, grinning mischievously at her. "How would I know if you sleepwalk? I'm not sleeping in the same bed as you. Maybe I should check tonight?"

As he spoke, he gestured ahead with his chin.

Ji Mian then noticed that they had stopped in front of a hotel, which looked to be the cleanest one in the area.

Her face flushed red, and she looked away.

Jiang Wang pushed open the door and went inside, turning back to look at the person still standing by the roadside. "Want to come?"

Ji Mian wanted to bury her head in her chest. She gave a very soft "Mmm" and slowly followed. Fortunately, it was late at night, and no one was around, so she wasn't too embarrassed.

The entrance led to a narrow corridor. There was a registration desk on one side, where a plump aunt was watching a movie while yawning—Stephen Chow's *A Chinese Odyssey*.

The classic lines echoed in the empty corridor—

"Once, a sincere love was placed before me, but I did not cherish it. Only when I lost it did I regret it deeply. Nothing in this world is more painful than this..."

The Monkey King was about to put on the golden headband and become the Great Sage Equaling Heaven to rescue his Fairy Zixia.

The plump auntie watched, sniffling, and it took her a while to notice someone entering.

She raised her tear-reddened eyes and glanced at the two people, saying stiffly, "A double bed is 189, a standard double is 159, that's all. Give me your ID."

Jiang Wang took out his ID and two hundred yuan and placed them on the registration counter. "Is just one ID okay?"

"One ID can only be used for one room." The plump auntie glanced at Ji Mian, who instantly wished she could disappear into the ground, her face flushed and her head hanging low. "Then one standard room, just one person registering, right? Sister, can I borrow the phone for a bit?"

"It's 50 cents per call. Just one person registering, don't cause any trouble for you two." The auntie busied herself swiping the registration form, then put the ID card, room key, and a box back on the counter. "No change, this is 50, I'll give you a 9-yuan discount."

After she finished speaking, she ignored the two, unable to wait any longer to watch the Monkey King's wedding robbery.

Jiang Wang called Xu Ting. He said Ji Mian was with him, and asked Xu Ting and Zhang Keke to cover for her so the teacher wouldn't find out. He was going back first thing tomorrow morning.

Zhang Keke had obviously noticed Ji Mian was missing and had been waiting in Jiang Wang's room. As soon as Jiang Wang finished speaking, the two on the other end started yelling. Zhang Keke was anxious, while Xu Ting was just being lewd and inciting trouble.

Jiang Wang ignored them, hung up the phone, grabbed everything from the registration desk, and waved to Ji Mian, "Let's go."

Ji Mian followed him inside, noticing the box in his hand, and whispered, "Jiang Wang, I think you should smoke less."

Jiang Wang paused, looked at her, then at the box in his hand, and suddenly burst into uncontrollable laughter, his eyes crinkling, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Wh-what's wrong?" Ji Mian looked at him, confused.

Jiang Wang was still laughing. He touched his cheek, leaned closer to her, and whispered, "Look closely, this is a condom."

Ji Mian's face flushed instantly, almost cracking open on the spot. "What do you need this for? Throw it away."

"I didn't have any change, so I bought it with my own money. Why throw it away? It's such a waste."

Ji Mian was exasperated. "What's the use of keeping it?!"

"What's useless?" Jiang Wang grinned mischievously. "Are you looking down on me?"

"Can you please stop talking?!" Ji Mian was both embarrassed and anxious, and she quickly covered his mouth.

Jiang Wang didn't struggle, letting her cover his mouth, looking at her with his smiling eyes.

They must have disturbed the housekeeper watching TV, because suddenly the housekeeper's voice rang out behind them, "If you want to kiss, go inside first. They can't wait upstairs!"

Ji Mian recoiled as if electrocuted, quickly heading upstairs, Jiang Wang leisurely following.

The corridor was dark and silent. Listening to the footsteps beside her, Ji Mian felt so embarrassed her scalp tingled. In the corridor, lines from "A Chinese Odyssey" still faintly echoed, with Zixia Fairy cursing the Monkey King for severing his genitals as a bastard.

To ease the awkwardness, Ji Mian casually struck up a conversation, "Jiang Wang, have you seen 'A Chinese Odyssey'?"

"Uh, yes."

"Poor Supreme Treasure, he saved Zixia, but could never be with her."

Jiang Wang paused, then suddenly became serious, "If a girl could truly shed a tear in my heart, I'd die for her, and it would be worth it."

Ji Mian looked at him, finding a rare hint of reliability in him, and earnestly discussed, "If he died for Zixia Fairy, she would know his feelings. But he deliberately acted indifferent, making Zixia hate him."

Jiang Wang was amused by her earnestness; even when discussing gossip, she carried a seriousness that easily infected others.

He stared intently at her. "Shorty, you don't understand a man's pride. He can be pathetic and miserable in public, he can swallow it all. But in front of the person he likes, he wants to be a hero forever, he can't tolerate the slightest bit of embarrassment being seen by them."

They talked until they reached the room.

The hotel by the dock was of average quality. It was a small room with single beds on either side. It did have a private bathroom and a small balcony with a river view.

Jiang Wang told Ji Mian to take a hot shower first, lest she catch a cold. Ji Mian didn't refuse, blushing as she went into the bathroom.

Although Jiang Wang often spoke carelessly, Ji Mian had considered that, apart from that one time he was drunk, he generally wouldn't touch her. Although he liked to talk nonsense, he knew his limits, so she wasn't too worried. It was just that staying with a guy was inevitably awkward, but thankfully it would only be a few hours before dawn.

Ji Mian was lost in thought when a knock came at the door, startling her so much she almost screamed.

Jiang Wang's calm voice came in. Perhaps mindful of a girl's wariness, he didn't use a teasing tone, speaking very seriously.

"Why don't you hand over your clothes? I'll go to the front desk to find something to dry them, otherwise you won't have anything to wear when you come out."

Although Jiang Wang's words were serious and genuinely reasonable, Ji Mian still couldn't help feeling embarrassed and replied softly, "Thank you, please wait a moment."

She took off her wet clothes, set aside her undergarments, rinsed her hoodie and sweatpants briefly with warm water, and then wrung them out.

The bathroom glass door opened a c***k, and a young girl stretched out a delicate, lotus-root-like arm, holding up clothes. She stammered, "Jiang...Jiang Wang, here."

Jiang Wang leaned against the wall outside the bathroom, glancing down at the tender, white arm. He knew humans were delicate, but these young girls were far too delicate.

That tender, white arm looked as if he could poke it with his finger and water would flow out.

He let his imagination run wild, a restless urge stirring within him to poke it, even forgetting to take the clothes.

Ji Mian waited a moment, but there was no movement outside. She peeked through the c***k in the door, revealing half her face, flushed red, and called out, "Jiang...Jiang Wang?"

Jiang Wang snapped out of his daze, a slight smile playing on his lips as he answered. He took the clothes from her and asked with a mischievous grin, "Shy?"

"No!"

"Then why are you blushing?"

"From the hot water!" Ji Mian shouted, slamming the sliding door shut!

Jiang Wang licked his lips and smiled, whispering, "Pretty fierce, huh?"

The girl's bath took a long time, and the river water had a muddy smell; Ji Mian took an hour to finish.

She gently called Jiang Wang's name, and then there was a knock at the door. Jiang Wang, through the small c***k she had opened, handed her the dried clothes inside.

After a hot bath and wearing dry clothes, Ji Mian felt completely revitalized, her exhaustion relieved. Emerging from the bathroom, she was greeted by the strong aroma of instant noodles in the room.

Jiang Wang stood by the table against the wall, raising an eyebrow at her. "This is all you get in a small inn. Make do."

Ji Mian slowly walked over and saw a bowl of prepared instant noodles, a cup of hot ginger water, and a small heater under the table—probably borrowed from the housekeeper to dry her clothes.

Looking at the simple inn and the rough food, Ji Mian felt a strange mix of emotions, like someone had dripped a drop of scalding vinegar onto her heart—a sour, swollen, and slightly weak, burning sensation.

"You eat," she said, glancing at the still nonchalant man, her eyes slightly moist. "Are you addicted to being melancholic? What are you thinking about?" Jiang Wang chuckled, reaching out to ruffle her hair. Strands of her freshly washed hair twirled between his fingers, carrying a cool, fragrant scent. "I can't afford two packs of instant noodles."

Ji Mian chuckled at herself. "Then go take a shower."

Jiang Wang nodded and went into the bathroom.

Ji Mian sat at the table, sipping ginger soup. Her stomach, body, and even her heart warmed. She had been seasick and had argued with Jiang Wang yesterday, barely eating anything. After finishing the ginger soup, she picked up her instant noodles, but her gaze fell on the small heater at her feet.

She took a deep breath and walked to the bathroom door, knocking. "Jiang Wang, wash your clothes, and I'll dry them for you."

"Okay, just a moment."

Soon, Jiang Wang opened the bathroom door. Unlike her, he didn't open it a c***k; he swung it wide, exposing himself completely to Ji Mian's view. He had already taken off his clothes, his upper body bare, though he wore a towel around his waist.

But Ji Mian still thought he was utterly shameless. She immediately covered her eyes with one hand and reached out with the other to take the clothes.

“You’re shy about this? I didn’t ask you to be naked.”

“Shut up! Give me the clothes!” Ji Mian covered her eyes, her hand groping in the air, quickly finding a wet wad of clothing.

“You’re shy inside, you’re shy outside,” Jiang Wang clicked his tongue. “What will you do when you get a boyfriend? You’ll be all 'familiar' in two days.”

“What’s it to you! I don’t have a boyfriend, you go inside!”

She yelled at him, grabbed the clothes, turned and walked away, a low laugh coming from behind her.

Ji Mian walked to the table with the clothes, shaking them out to dry, when something fell out with a thud.

She looked down and saw a pair of wet black men’s underwear. What's wrong with this guy?! How dare he do this?!

Ji Mian thought about the underwear she had secretly brought out and was speechless at Jiang Wang's shamelessness.

Jiang Wang, completely bewildered, released the burly man and scratched his head. "Buy...buy breakfast...damn!"

Before he could finish speaking, the young girl dashed over and bumped into him.

Ji Mian hugged him tightly, looking up at him with a wronged expression, "I thought you'd abandoned me!"

Caught off guard, Jiang Wang stumbled from the impact, leaning against the wall, his hand hovering in mid-air, unsure what to do.

Several burly men nearby watched the commotion. "No wonder the young man was in such a hurry to go inside; with such a beautiful wife waiting, how could he not be?"

"Youth is good; full of energy early in the morning."

Someone even whistled meaningfully.

Ji Mian snapped out of her earlier feeling of abandonment, noticed the crowd around her, and instantly blushed, trying to let go of him. However, before she could retreat, Jiang Wang grabbed her waist and pulled her directly into the room.

He kicked the door shut, blocking the view of outsiders, and looked down at Ji Mian, a slightly smirk playing on his lips. "What's wrong with you? Hugging me right away. At least wait until we're inside. There are so many people outside, I'm easily embarrassed."