Lifespan Increased [Thanks to Alliance Leader Bezos for the Reward]

Li Nuo woke up groggily and found himself lying on that familiar large bed again.

This time, aside from the distinct pain in his head and shoulder, there was also a dull ache in his chest.

Li Nuo undid his clothes and looked down. A bruise had appeared on his chest, and every breath came with a faint stab of pain.

Seeing Li Nuo sit up, the Old Man keeping watch beside the bed jolted and asked excitedly, "Young Master, you're awake! What is three thousand six hundred seventy-four plus five thousand eight hundred sixty-three...?"

"Nine thousand five hundred thirty-seven."

Li Nuo gave the answer at once. He first rubbed his chest, then looked around and asked, "Where is she?"

Only after seeing that the Young Master had not turned back into a fool did the Old Man finally relax. He said, "She's already been sent to the Chang'an County Office. Don't worry, Young Master. Anyone who dared assassinate you won't meet a good end!"

Li Nuo asked, "What about the other one?"

The Old Man asked in confusion, "Which one?"

Li Nuo said indignantly, "The woman who kicked me."

The Old Man smiled awkwardly. "It was all a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding..."

Two people in a row had shown him intense hostility. Could his former self really have been some kind of bad person...? After pondering for a moment, Li Nuo asked the Old Man, "What kind of person was I before?"

The Old Man did not understand what he meant and muttered, "What... kind of person?"

Li Nuo said, "Drinking, gambling, whoring around, committing crimes, loafing about, ignorant and incompetent?"

The Old Man waved his hand. "None of those. Young Master, you must be joking. You never touched a drop of alcohol, never went to brothels, never committed crimes or loafed about..."

How could a fool loaf about or be ignorant and incompetent?

The Young Master spent most of his time at home and rarely went out, so naturally he could not possibly have committed crimes.

As for drinking, gambling, whoring around, and such, that was even more impossible. If he had truly dared to do those things, with Young Madam's temper, would she not have broken his legs?

Li Nuo let out a soft breath.

No drinking, gambling, whoring around, or committing crimes. In other words, not only had he been a fool, he had been an honest fool.

Yet those two women—one had wanted to kill him at first sight, while the other had beaten him at first sight.

What, was it open season on fools?

Having been slashed for no reason and kicked in the chest, Li Nuo grew angrier the more he thought about it. For the moment, he even forgot the threat of death from that book. At that point, the Old Man explained, "Young Master, don't be angry. It was all a misunderstanding. Young Madam didn't know what happened last night. She thought you had bullied that girl..."

"She didn't know? Just because she didn't know, she could hit people whenever she wanted?" Li Nuo was still furious. "I'm the one who got bullied. Go get Young Madam for me... Wait, what Young Madam? Whose wife?"

The cold woman walked in from outside, approached the bed, folded her arms around her sword, and looked down at Li Nuo. "What did you want with me?"

Li Nuo looked at her breathtakingly beautiful but expressionless face, then at the sword in her hand. His throat bobbed as he said, "Nothing, nothing..."

Li Nuo had never imagined that that violent woman was actually his wife.

His real wife.

According to Steward Wu, the two had been betrothed since childhood and had formally married a month ago. They were now legally wed.

Li Nuo was stunned for quite a while upon hearing the news.

He had been single for over twenty years, never even having touched a girl's hand. Who would have thought he would end up with such a beautiful wife?

Of course, only in name.

Who would willingly marry a fool? Steward Wu had also said that Young Madam spent far more time living at her natal home than at Li Manor. Even when she returned, she stayed in the small courtyard next to Li Nuo's.

With such a gorgeous wife, Li Nuo did not feel happy in the slightest. Instead, he felt somewhat uneasy.

The first time they met, she had given him a flying kick as a greeting. Li Nuo did not dare imagine what life would be like from now on.

That woman clearly had violent tendencies. Would he not get beaten up often in the future?

He wondered whether this world had a husbands' association, and whether the Government Office dealt with domestic violence...

Soon, Li Nuo realized he had been overthinking things.

If what was written in that Code of Law was true, then he only had three days left to live. As for what would happen after those three days—whether he would return to where he came from or vanish completely into nothingness—he likely would not know until then.

When Li Nuo thought of that Code of Law, the phantom image of the book appeared before his eyes again.

Li Nuo glanced at it. The two lines beneath the cover were still there.

"Name: Li Nuo."

"Lifespan: Five days."

Li Nuo froze slightly.

Why had it increased by two days?

He remembered clearly that it had still said three days just moments ago, but now it had become five days. There was no way he could have mistaken the characters for "three" and "five."

And the changes to the Code of Law were not limited to the time on its cover. The Code of Law, which he had been unable to open no matter what he did earlier, now flipped open lightly at a mere thought from Li Nuo—though only by one page.

There was no writing on that page, but there was a portrait.

Calling it a portrait would be less accurate than calling it a photograph. It looked as though it had been taken with a high-definition camera from a later era—crystal-clear, uncensored, and in color. It was the very Female Assassin who had tried to kill Li Nuo last night.

One mystery after another flooded Li Nuo's mind.

Why had the Female Assassin's portrait appeared in the Code of Law?

And why had his Lifespan suddenly increased by two days?

Though he still did not know why, the changes in the Code of Law had to be connected to that Female Assassin.

This matter was directly tied to his own life. He only had five days left to live, so Li Nuo had to figure out what had caused his Lifespan to increase—and how he could live longer...

There was no time to waste. He immediately climbed out of bed and said, "To the Chang'an County Office!"

Steward Wu was taken aback. "Ah? What is Young Master going to the Chang'an County Office for?"

As he dressed, Li Nuo said, "Don't ask so much. Just come with me..."

Steward Wu tried to stop him. "If Young Master has any business, just give the word. You can send someone, or this Old Servant can go personally..."

Li Nuo said in an unquestionable tone, "No. I'm going myself."

Hearing the resolve in the Young Master's voice, Steward Wu could only say, "All right, then. This Old Servant will make preparations."

A short while later, Li Nuo stared blankly at the dozens of burly figures standing before him and said speechlessly to Steward Wu, "We're only going to the County Office. Is there really any need for such a grand procession?"

Every one of them was broad and brawny, radiating a fierce Aura. There was even someone among them carrying a medicine chest, presumably a doctor...

Anyone who knew better would think they were escorting an assassin. Anyone who did not would think some spoiled young master was taking a pack of lackeys to abduct decent women.

Faced with Li Nuo's doubts, Steward Wu was unusually firm this time. "No. They must be responsible for Young Master's safety!"

Li Nuo was about to say something else when a figure walked in from outside the courtyard and said calmly, "I'll go with you."

Upon hearing this, Steward Wu immediately smiled. "If Young Madam is coming along, then there's no need for them..."

Li Nuo fell silent for a moment, then turned to Steward Wu and said, "I think it's better to have more people. The more, the merrier. What do you say..."

At that moment, the woman's gaze also shifted to Steward Wu.

Steward Wu looked at the woman, then at Li Nuo, and said seriously, "This Old Servant thinks it would be better to listen to Young Madam..."

Though this old man had always been respectfully deferential to him, giving Li Nuo a deep taste of the strict hierarchy of feudal society, only now did Li Nuo truly understand that, in this household, he was merely the little brother...