When she heard Mistress's words, Zhao Ping'an, who had just sat down, sprang to his feet and asked in surprise.
He wasn't even eighteen yet! In his previous life, that made him a minor. Even if people married and had children early in ancient times, wasn't this too rushed?
"What are you getting so worked up about? You're only meeting her first. Whether it works out is another matter. Just in time, the tailor's shop has delivered the clothes. Tomorrow, wear a new outfit and come with me to the Zhao Mansion."
Zhao Xiuyun pressed a hand down, motioning for Zhao Ping'an to sit, and spoke gently.
"The Zhao Mansion? Who is she?"
Zhao Ping'an obediently sat back down and asked curiously.
"My second brother's daughter, born to his concubine. She's seventeen this year, about your age, pretty, and lively and cheerful. I'm telling you, be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed tomorrow morning! All right, that's that..."
After introducing her, Zhao Xiuyun drained the cup of plain water in her hand and hurried out again.
Clearly, she had come back specifically to inform Zhao Ping'an.
"Mistress! What time am I going tomorrow? How am I getting there?"
"I'll send a carriage for you tomorrow. Just get ready and wait!"
Zhao Xiuyun answered without turning around, then left.
Before long, Butler Fu brought Zhao Ping'an the two outfits made to order at the tailor's shop.
"So even coming to another world couldn't save me from being pressured to marry! But marriage? Heh... That's probably never happening in this life."
After Butler Fu left, Zhao Ping'an shut the door and looked at the brand-new clothes on the table, shaking his head with a scornful laugh.
Clearly, what he had gone through in his previous life had long since killed his interest in women.
Zhao Ping'an stopped thinking about it. He only had to humor them tomorrow.
"It's a pity there's no iron pillar here. I can't train in the Golden Armor Technique."
Muttering to himself, Zhao Ping'an resumed practicing the God Slaying Saber Strike.
Of his four techniques, he had nowhere to practice martial arts or Lightness Skill, and no iron pillar for Body Cultivation. All he could do was practice the saber during the day and sit in meditation morning and night, drawing in Heavenly Qi.
Before he knew it, morning had come. After getting up early and drawing in Heavenly Qi for an hour, Zhao Ping'an ate breakfast, changed into his new clothes, and continued meditating to absorb Heavenly Qi.
After all, he couldn't very well practice the saber in his new clothes, then show up smelling of sweat and embarrass Mistress.
"Knock! Knock! Knock!"
"Young Master Ping'an, the young lady has sent someone to fetch you!"
Zhao Ping'an had been sitting with his eyes closed, drawing in Heavenly Qi, when a sudden knock startled him awake. Butler Fu's voice sounded from outside the door.
"Phew..."
"Got it. I'll be right there!"
Zhao Ping'an let out a long breath and answered in a loud voice.
He quickly stood up, straightened his clothes, and headed out.
Outside the Zhao Residence's main gate stood a splendid carriage pulled by a pair of horses.
A large Zhao character painted in a prominent spot made the carriage's origins unmistakable.
"Please get in. Fourth Miss is waiting."
The person driving was actually a Martial Artist at the seventh level of the Houtian realm. He sat motionless at the front of the carriage, and when he saw Zhao Ping'an, he lifted the curtain with one hand and gestured for him to climb inside.
With that level of cultivation, he could have been an executive in the Blazing Blade Sect. But to Zhao Ping'an now, he was just some passerby.
Of course, nobody else knew how strong Zhao Ping'an was. As far as they were concerned, he was just a Martial Warrior. The fact that the man had lifted the curtain for him personally showed him quite a bit of respect.
"Mm, all right."
Zhao Ping'an nodded and slipped into the carriage.
Once he was seated, the Martial Artist flicked his whip, and it cracked against the horse's rump.
In a small courtyard within the Zhao Mansion, a young woman of sixteen or seventeen glared at her mother with displeasure, her resentment practically written across her face.
"Mother! Are you really going to marry me off to that Zhao Ping'an?
"I've asked around at the Blazing Blade Sect these past two days. That Zhao Ping'an used to be a beggar who was on the verge of dying. He was accidentally taken in as a junior disciple by Fourth Aunt and her husband. He has terrible talent for martial arts, and even now he's only a minor Martial Warrior. I'd be better off dead than following him!"
This was Zhao Huixin, the girl who was about to meet Zhao Ping'an. Like him, she was clearly unwilling.
"Outrageous! You only know what's wrong with him. What about you? You're the daughter of a concubine. Apart from having the surname Zhao, you have nothing to do with the Zhao Family.
"You have no right to inherit any family property. Every day, you have to live by other people's moods, and even the school you attend is several levels beneath theirs, never mind the food, clothes, and other things you use.
"Marrying Zhao Ping'an is a chance. You only know that he's no good at martial arts and comes from a poor background, but his status as a personal disciple of the Blazing Blade Sect is worth more than everything you have as a concubine's daughter.
"Besides, why do you think your Fourth Aunt took in a beggar?
"Years ago, she and her husband went out for a trip and ran into their enemies. They managed to escape with their lives, but their only child was struck by a stray arrow. As it turned out, the arrowhead was poisoned...
"And Zhao Ping'an looks very much like the child they lost back then!
"So marrying him could bring you benefits beyond your wildest dreams!"
Wang Wenxiu looked at her daughter with exasperation.
After nearly twenty years of scrabbling for a foothold in a wealthy household like the Zhao Mansion, she had long since lost the naïveté she'd had when she first married into a powerful family.
She had come to one simple conclusion: relying on others was worse than relying on yourself.
And marrying the right person was how a woman found herself the strongest possible support. Everything else was fleeting.
"But... Mother, I'm only seventeen. I..."
Zhao Huixin still wanted to resist.
"No buts. You're meeting him today, whether you like it or not. And don't assume he'll definitely want you. You know your own situation better than I do!"
"Come on. They'll be here soon!"
Wang Wenxiu glanced at the sky, got up, and headed outside.
Zhao Huixin stamped her foot, then followed.
Zhao Ping'an had just entered a small courtyard inside the Zhao Mansion. It, too, was filled with unusual flowers and plants, all neatly tended.
This was where his Mistress, Zhao Xiuyun, stayed in the Zhao Mansion.
"Ping'an, you're here. You look great—so full of energy. Come, sit down and have some pastries while we wait. Huixin will be here soon.
"Oh, right. Her name is Zhao Huixin, and her mother will come with her. Just call the woman Auntie, all right? Mind your manners."
When Zhao Ping'an was led in by a maid, Zhao Xiuyun's eyes lit up, and she praised him at once.
Clothes made the man, just as a fine saddle made the horse. Dressed in his custom-fitted clothes, Zhao Ping'an looked much more spirited.
"All right, Mistress."
Zhao Ping'an nodded obediently and sat at the table in the middle of the courtyard.
The courtyard was secluded, and Zhao Xiuyun had also sent all the servants away.
About fifteen minutes later, a woman who looked barely over thirty, as ripe and alluring as a mature peach, came in with a girl who bore a striking resemblance to her.
Although the woman was Zhao Xiuyun's second brother's concubine and, by title, should have been her sister-in-law, the moment she met Zhao Ping'an, the woman—whose name he didn't know—bowed in greeting to his Mistress, bringing her daughter along with her.
But the moment Zhao Ping'an saw the girl, his brows knitted tightly.
Before you continue