The mid-June sun blazed like fire, scorching the earth to a charcoal gold.
Within a humble dwelling in the remote Jinsha Village.
The simpleton Lin Xiao Tian tilted his head, watching the two people before him with great interest, a foolish grin plastered across his face.
"Yu Xiang, what more do you need to consider? Li Da Zhu dared to run away on your wedding night and took all the family's money. Do you really think he'll come back?"
"Li Da Zhu owes so much money outside, this is clearly him passing the buck to you to pay. You're a woman, no job, how can you repay it?"
"The villagers are all watching you now, afraid you'll run too. At this critical juncture, Old Man Liu is still willing to let me come and propose for you, you should be grateful!"
"And Old Man Liu told me, if you refuse to marry, you have to repay the fifty thousand yuan you owe him, otherwise he'll sell you to a nightclub to settle the debt!"
The matchmaker Wang Cui Hua, fanning herself with a palm leaf, glanced impatiently at Qin Yu Xiang.
Qin Yu Xiang, twenty-three years old, with fair skin, beautiful features, and long legs, was a renowned beauty for miles around. A month ago, she married Li Da Zhu. Unexpectedly, on their wedding night, Li Da Zhu actually fled, taking all the household money with him.
Li Da Zhu had a small business and many debts outside. Now that he had fled, the debt naturally fell upon Qin Yu Xiang.
"I've worn my tongue thin, think it over carefully yourself. Such a good opportunity won't come again," Wang Cui Hua snorted coldly and left without looking back.
Qin Yu Xiang bit her lip tightly, her heart filled with mixed emotions.
She didn't want to marry.
Everyone knew that Old Man Liu was a notorious bachelor in the village. Over fifty, he not only gambled but also had violent tendencies. No woman who married him would ever have a peaceful life.
But reality left her no choice.
Thinking of this, Qin Yu Xiang's eyes immediately welled up.
"Sister Yu Xiang, don't cry. If Sister Yu Xiang cries, Xiao Tian cries too," the simpleton Lin Xiao Tian beside her also cried foolishly.
Looking at the teary-eyed Lin Xiao Tian next to her, Qin Yu Xiang took a deep breath, a surge of warmth filling her heart.
She thought about the house she lived in now. It was left by Lin Xiao Tian's parents. However, Lin Xiao Tian's parents had gone missing, and he himself had been beaten into a simpleton. The neighbor Li Da Zhu, under the guise of taking care of Lin Xiao Tian, had forcibly occupied the house, which was how she was able to live here.
Li Da Zhu was originally penniless. It was thanks to Lin Xiao Tian that he had some assets. However, he wasn't good to Lin Xiao Tian. While he appeared kind on the surface, he often took his frustrations out on Lin Xiao Tian when he lost money gambling.
At the time, Qin Yu Xiang only saw the side of Li Da Zhu being good to Lin Xiao Tian, thinking he had good character, and agreed to his proposal. It was only after Li Da Zhu fled that she learned these things from the people around her.
"Xiao Tian, don't cry, it's my fault," Qin Yu Xiang's eyes reddened, and she pulled Lin Xiao Tian into her arms.
Lin Xiao Tian was a simpleton. Qin Yu Xiang used to often play with him. Moreover, for the past month, she had been responsible for Lin Xiao Tian's food and daily life. Thus, even though she was only wearing a revealing camisole, she felt no embarrassment.
"Alas! We are both unfortunate souls!"
"You were once the first person in our village to get into university! And now you've ended up like this. I just got married, and my husband ran away. Heaven is truly unfair."
Qin Yu Xiang looked at Lin Xiao Tian and couldn't help but sigh.
Who would have thought that Lin Xiao Tian, once envied by the whole village, would have fallen to such a state, becoming a simpleton.
It was all thanks to his materialistic ex-girlfriend, Fang Xiao Wen. She had been dating Lin Xiao Tian while also seducing a rich second-generation heir.
When the truth came out, Lin Xiao Tian, unable to bear it, broke up with her.
Furious at being dumped, Fang Xiao Wen instead instigated her rich second-generation boyfriend to "teach Lin Xiao Tian a lesson." In the end, Lin Xiao Tian was injured on the head by the thugs called by the rich second-generation heir. When he woke up, he was a simpleton.
The rich second-generation heir found a scapegoat and got away with everything. After Lin Xiao Tian returned, he even sent people to cause trouble. It was Li Da Zhu who eventually paid money to appease the rich second-generation heir, who then stopped bothering Lin Xiao Tian.
"You're a simpleton, and I'm a woman. How will we get by in the future?" Qin Yu Xiang lowered her gaze.
As she was speaking, a rumbling sound came from her stomach.
Qin Yu Xiang's face immediately flushed with embarrassment. She hadn't eaten yet!
But her home was empty. Most of the belongings had been taken by the creditors, leaving nothing.
"Xiao Tian, can you go help catch a few fish from the lake later? Otherwise, we'll starve." Qin Yu Xiang looked at Lin Xiao Tian pitifully.
Lin Xiao Tian nodded heavily and dashed outside.
Qin Yu Xiang wanted to stop him. It was noon, and the heat outside was enough to bake one's skin. What if Lin Xiao Tian suffered heatstroke by going out now?
But as she was about to speak, she realized Lin Xiao Tian had already disappeared.
"Silly boy, only you are so good to me now. If I leave, what will happen to you later?" Qin Yu Xiang stared blankly outside.
Jinsha Village, by the Bishui Lake.
Having received Qin Yu Xiang's instructions, Lin Xiao Tian had rushed here.
Bishui Lake was deep and vast, rich in fish resources. However, the lake's conditions were complex, and people who went fishing there often never returned.
Lin Xiao Tian found a spot by the lake with abundant aquatic plants and began to wait patiently. Although he was a simpleton, he was skilled at catching fish, always bringing a few back each time he went out.
As Lin Xiao Tian concentrated on waiting for fish to appear, a sound from not far away interrupted him.
Lin Xiao Tian curiously parted the grass, and the scene before him made him dumbfounded.
He saw two pale, naked bodies entwined together.
Lin Xiao Tian recognized the woman as Zhang Xue Fen, the village's attractive widow.
Zhang Xue Fen, nearly thirty, had fair, tender skin and a voluptuous figure. If you didn't know her age, she looked no different from a twenty-year-old girl.
Looking at Zhang Xue Fen's alluring body, Lin Xiao Tian couldn't help but swallow. He knew it was wrong, but his body wouldn't listen.
Their encounter lasted less than a minute. Zhang Xue Fen couldn't help but roll her eyes at the man behind her.
Was that it? Her clothes weren't even fully off yet!
"Ah, you're still as energetic as ever, Xue Fen. It's a shame my tigress of a wife will be back this afternoon. Otherwise, we could go to Black Mountain, find a secluded spot, and go at it for another three hundred rounds." The man's rough voice came from the front.
Lin Xiao Tian saw that it was the village chief, Li De Ping!
How daring! He actually came to have an affair in broad daylight?
If his wife, Li Gui Hua, found out, she would surely divorce him.
But Li De Ping couldn't afford a divorce!
Everything Li De Ping had today was due to the support of Li Gui Hua's family. Even his position as village chief was thanks to the secret arrangements made by Li Gui Hua's relatives.
If they divorced, Li De Ping would not only lose his position as village chief but would also be forced to leave with nothing.
Furthermore, Zhang Xue Fen's ex-husband was once Li De Ping's good brother. Truly, a friend's wife, to be ridden freely!
"You rascal, always finding new ways to toy with us women. Why don't we find another place to continue? I haven't had enough yet," Zhang Xue Fen said with a charming smile.
"No, Gui Hua usually comes back early. It would be trouble if she found out."
"Coward, when will you finally ditch that tigress? Every time we meet, we have to be so secretive," Zhang Xue Fen complained to Li De Ping with a hint of resentment.
"That won't do. I still need this tigress to keep my position as village chief. Just be my second wife obediently, give me a son, and I'll cover the living expenses." After speaking, Li De Ping couldn't resist teasing Zhang Xue Fen again.
As they were still enjoying the lingering warmth, Lin Xiao Tian, seeing that the two had finished so quickly, prepared to leave. However, he retreated too hastily and fell to the ground with a thud.
Plop!
Water splashed everywhere!
"Who?"
Li De Ping, not far away, immediately looked over and quickly spotted Lin Xiao Tian.
"Damn it, it's you, you simpleton! Are you looking for death? How dare you peek?" Li De Ping was furious. He grabbed a wooden stick and charged towards Lin Xiao Tian.
"Don't be rash. He's just a simpleton. Even if he talks, no one will believe him. Just threaten him a bit, but don't kill him!" Zhang Xue Fen held Li De Ping back.
Li De Ping smiled faintly and said, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. You leave first, I'll handle this."
After Zhang Xue Fen left, Li De Ping's demeanor completely changed.
"Stupid simpleton, who told you to look at what you shouldn't have? Today, you can only die here. After all, you're just a simpleton, your life is a waste anyway. Better to let me end it." Li De Ping's eyes gleamed with malice as he grabbed Lin Xiao Tian, who was trying to escape.
Bang bang bang!
The next moment, the wooden stick fell mercilessly onto Lin Xiao Tian's head.
Lin Xiao Tian's vision went black, and his body involuntarily collapsed.
Li De Ping pushed Lin Xiao Tian into the deep water and didn't feel at ease until Lin Xiao Tian's body completely disappeared from the water's surface.
In Bishui Lake, Lin Xiao Tian's body began to sink rapidly, his consciousness becoming increasingly blurred.
In a daze, a majestic voice echoed in his ears.
"A thousand years have passed, and I have finally found a fated person. Today, the Shen Nong Medical Canon finally has a successor..."