Marrying My Best Buddy

The pride of Kun Yun City, Wu Shaoqian, has been crippled! In a single day, he falls from the clouds into the mud. His soul is also dissipating, and he's on the verge of death. The Wu family thinks he's useless now but still wants to save face, so they pressure the Zhong family to marry off one of their daughters and provide a dowry of Soul-Fixing Fruits that can save his life. The Zhong family holds an emergency meeting that night. None of their three marriageable daughters is willing to go, but the Soul-Fixing Fruit only works if the bride is truly willing. If Wu Shaoqian dies, the Zhong family will surely suffer the Wu family's wrath. Zhong Cai, a legitimate son of the Zhong family's fourth branch, steps forward. “I'll go.” Every legitimate child gets a Soul-Fixing Fruit, and everyone is happy. · Eighteen years after transmigrating, Zhong Cai's close friend, who's been secretly plotting behind everyone's back, is suddenly on the verge of death. Zhong Cai looks at his female cousins, who admire the strong, and worries that if one of them marries his friend and then regrets it, his friend will die on the spot. So he comes up with a brilliant plan. The Wu family wants the fruit, so who cares who marries him? Let Zhong Cai do it! · After Wu Shaoqian is crippled, his parents and relatives abandon him at once. He can't even choose his own spouse. Unwilling to drag anyone else down with him, he decides he'll let the Zhong family girl go once the situation has settled down in a few years. But On their wedding night, his best friend eagerly lifts the bridal veil and cheerfully pushes him down. Zhong Cai: “Lao Wu! Hurry up, I'm here to save you~~” Wu Shaoqian: “...” This really isn't necessary! -----Worldbuilding and notes below----- Secret-Treasury cultivator realms: Heaven's Pull (first rank), Palace-Breaking (second rank), Light-Opening (third rank), Suspended Illumination (fourth rank), Fusion (fifth rank), Palace-Building (sixth rank), Spirit Transformation (seventh rank), Nirvana (eighth rank), and Heaven-Reaching (ninth rank). If you have questions about the setting, check the pinned comment on Chapter 1. For other questions, refer to the notes in the blurb. If your question isn't answered there either, ask in the pinned setting comment on Chapter 1. I'll check and answer periodically. [Notes: This list will keep growing based on reader feedback. A whole lot of disclaimers.] 1. This is a one-on-one romance from beginning to end, with marriage before love and no angst. They'll always give each other the best, even before they fall in love. Once they do, they're extremely clingy and totally lovesick for each other. That said, because they've known each other so long, they go through a relatively fresh period of discovery before they fall in love. Afterward they find a new way of getting along and basically become an old married couple. The setting also makes it hard for me to write anything too unconventional... What a shame. Readers' opinions are very divided. Positive reviews include “so sweet” and “steady and reassuring.” Negative reviews include “cloying” and “repetitive romance and formula.” 2. It's partly a leveling-up story: there are ranks and a general progression, but the process isn't detailed. The setting is fantasy, and the world is brutal, with the strong preying on the weak. Always remember that strength is everything and all else is an illusion. Don't compare it to an ordinary historical setting. To be clear: the weak, meaning those with little strength and poor talent, are meat; the strong, meaning those with great strength and talent, are the ones who eat. 3. This is a transmigrate-into-a-book story. The original protagonist is Wu Dongxiao. The source book is a male-oriented harem novel and includes some related scenes. Please don't compare it to real life. 4. It includes some random elements and a lot of detailed worldbuilding. They're all things I wanted to read myself, so I wrote them just for me. Readers have all kinds of tastes, and you can't please everyone, so I've written a detailed blurb. Buy it if it suits your tastes, and feel free to skip chapters if it doesn't. Anything missing from the main story will be covered in the extras. Don't worry, I've never abandoned a story unfinished. 5. The style doesn't change as the story progresses. I'll write the paid chapters the same way I write the free ones. If you really think my writing style changes, give me specific examples and I'll take another look. Based on reader feedback, the story is more enjoyable if you wait until it's complete before reading. If you don't enjoy the free chapters, you're unlikely to like what comes later, so cut your losses in time. 6. Let's discuss things peacefully and not argue. We're all reasonable people, okay? Love you! Theme: Cherish your closest friends and never give up.