Li Nuo groggily woke up to find himself lying in that familiar big bed again.
This time, in addition to the clear pain in his head and shoulder, he felt a faint pain in his chest as well.
Li Nuo unbuttoned his clothes to look and saw a bruise on his chest; with each breath, there came a faint ache.
Seeing Li Nuo sit up, the old man guarding the bedside jolted in excitement and said, "Young Master, you're awake. What's three thousand six hundred seventy-four plus five thousand eight hundred sixty-three…"
"Nine thousand five hundred thirty-seven."
Li Nuo blurted out the answer, first rubbed his chest, then looked around and asked, "Where are the others?"
Seeing that the Young Master hadn't turned back into an idiot, the Old Servant finally relaxed and then replied, "They've already been sent to the Chang'an County Magistrate's Office. Don't worry, Young Master. Those who dare to assassinate you won't have a good ending!"
Li Nuo asked, "What about the other one?"
The Old Servant asked in confusion, "Which one?"
Li Nuo angrily said, "The woman who kicked me."
The Old Servant gave a sheepish smile and said, "It was all a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding…"
Two consecutive people bore intense malice towards him; his predecessor couldn't really have been a scoundrel, could he… Li Nuo contemplated for a moment, then asked the Old Servant, "What kind of person was I before?"
The Old Servant didn't understand his meaning and muttered, "What kind of… person?"
Li Nuo continued, "Indulging in food and drink, frequenting brothels, breaking the law, idle and incompetent?"
The Old Servant waved his hands and said, "None of that, Young Master jests. You never touched a drop of alcohol, never went to brothels, nor have you committed any crimes, idling around…"
How could an idiot be idle and incompetent?
The Young Master spent most of his time at home, rarely going out, so naturally, he couldn't be involved in any criminal acts.
As for indulging in food and drink or gambling, that was even more unlikely. If he really dared to do such things, considering the temper of the Young Mistress, wouldn't she break his legs?
Li Nuo breathed a sigh of relief.
Not indulging in food and drink or gambling, nor breaking the law, meant that he wasn't only an idiot but also an honest one.
But those two women, one wanted to kill him upon seeing him, the other hit him at sight.
What, is it just because he's an idiot that they can bully him?
Being slashed and kicked for no reason, the more Li Nuo thought about it, the angrier he got—so much so that he even temporarily forgot the death threat from that book. At this moment the Old Servant explained, "Don't be angry, Young Master, it was all a misunderstanding. The Young Mistress didn't know about last night's incident, she thought you had bullied that girl…"
"Not knowing, does that justify hitting someone at random?" Li Nuo was still angry and exclaimed, "I am the one who was bullied here, fetch the Young Mistress for me… eh, what Young Mistress, whose wife?"
The cold and detached woman came inside, walked to the bedside, hands clasping her sword, as she looked down at Li Nuo and said indifferently, "What do you want me for?"
Li Nuo took a look at her stunning yet expressionless face, then at the sword in her hands, his throat moved, and he said, "Nothing, nothing…"
…
Li Nuo couldn't imagine that the violent woman was actually his wife.
His legitimate wife.
According to Housekeeper Wu, they were betrothed from childhood, officially married a month ago, and now were lawfully husband and wife.
Hearing this news, Li Nuo was stunned for quite a while.
Unexpectedly, after being single since birth for over twenty years, without even having touched a girl's hand, he would have such a beautiful bride.
Of course, just in name.
Who would be willing to marry an idiot? Housekeeper Wu also said that the Young Mistress spent much more time living at her parent's house than at Li Mansion, and even when she stayed, she lived in the small courtyard next to Li Nuo's.
Having such a beautiful wife like a flower in full bloom, Li Nuo had no happy thoughts but felt a bit panicked instead.
The first time they met, she delivered a flying kick as a greeting gift, and Li Nuo dared not imagine what life would be like afterward.
This woman clearly had a tendency toward violence; he wouldn't be getting beaten up regularly in the future, would he?
He also wondered whether this world had something like a husbands' alliance, and whether the government dealt with domestic violence…
Soon, Li Nuo realized he was overthinking it.
If what was written in the Law Code was true, then he only had three days left to live. As for what would happen after those three days, whether he'd return from whence he came or be utterly annihilated, he probably wouldn't know until the time came.
When the thought of the Law Code crossed Li Nuo's mind, the phantom image of the book once again appeared before his eyes.
Li Nuo glanced at it, and the two lines of text beneath the book's cover were still there.
"Name: Li Nuo."
"Lifespan: Five Days."
Li Nuo was slightly taken aback.
How did he gain two more days?
He remembered clearly, just a moment ago, it had stated three days, but now it had changed to five days. He could not possibly have misread the words "three" and "five."
The changes in the Law Code were not just limited to the time on the cover; the book, which he couldn't open no matter how he tried before, now opened with ease to a single page, but only one.
On that page, there were no words, but there was a portrait.
To call it a portrait would be an understatement, it was more of a photograph, as it was as crisp and clear as if taken with a high-definition camera from a later era, pixel-perfect, in full color. It was the female assassin who had attempted to kill Li Nuo the night before.
Mystery after mystery surfaced in Li Nuo's mind.
Why did the female assassin's portrait appear in the Law Code?
And why did his lifespan suddenly increase by two days?
Although he didn't know the reasons yet, the changes in the Law Code must be related to that female assassin.
This matter was closely tied to his own life; with only five days left to live, Li Nuo had to figure out the reason for the increase in his lifespan and how he could live even longer…
There was no time to delay. He immediately got up from the bed and said, "To the Chang'an County Government!"
Housekeeper Wu was taken aback, "Ah, young master, what are you going to the Chang'an County Government for?"
As Li Nuo was getting dressed, he said, "Don't ask so many questions, just come with me..."
Housekeeper Wu tried to stop him, "Young master, if you have any matter, just give the word. Sending officials or Old Servant personally going would suffice…"
Li Nuo insisted with an undeniable tone, "No, I need to go myself."
Hearing the firmness in the young master's tone, Housekeeper Wu conceded, "Alright then, Old Servant will make the preparations."
A moment later, Li Nuo, staring blankly at the several robust figures standing before him, said to Housekeeper Wu with a touch of exasperation, "Just going to the county magistrate's office, do we need such a big show of force?"
Each of these men was burly, exuding a fierce aura, and among the crowd, there was even one carrying a medicine chest, presumably a doctor...
With such a display, those who knew would think they were escorting an assassin, those who didn't would assume it was some pampered young master, flanked by a horde of lackeys, off to abduct a girl.
Facing Li Nuo's questioning, Housekeeper Wu was exceptionally firm this time, saying, "No, they must ensure the young master's safety!"
Li Nuo wanted to say more, but a figure walked into the courtyard and spoke indifferently, "I'll go with you."
Upon hearing this, Housekeeper Wu immediately smiled and said, "If the young mistress is accompanying you, there's no need for them…"
Li Nuo fell silent for a moment, then turned to Housekeeper Wu and said, "I think, the more the merrier, don't you agree…"
At this point, the woman's gaze also turned towards Housekeeper Wu.
Housekeeper Wu looked at the woman and then at Li Nuo before he earnestly said, "Old Servant thinks we should listen to the young mistress..."
Although the old man had always treated him with the utmost respect, allowing Li Nuo to deeply experience the ordered hierarchy of a feudal society, it was only now that Li Nuo truly understood that, in this household, he was really just a younger brother...