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Not a cloud marred the sky; dawn was just beginning to break.
Great Sui, Cangzhou, Fangcheng.
A small courtyard in East City.
Bang, bang, bang.
A rapid knocking suddenly rang out.
He An closed his book, a flicker of confusion rising in his heart.
"At this hour, Eldest Brother should still be on duty, shouldn't he?"
He thought to himself.
He slowly approached the gate.
Ever since he had transmigrated here, he had never gone out.
He had stayed at home, reading day after day to learn about this world.
The dynasty he lived in was called Great Sui, a Martial Dynasty, and it was now in the dynasty's twilight years.
Martial Artists ran rampant within its borders, while enemy nations fought at its borders.
The country was battered by wind and rain, showing all the signs of a great edifice on the verge of collapse.
His eldest brother, He Ping, was a minor clerk in the local Town Martial Division. Between his salary and the family property their father had left behind, the family lived in East City and enjoyed a fairly comfortable life.
Creak.
The gate slowly swung open.
Outside stood a tall, solidly built man.
The visitor was Zhang Yongda, another minor clerk in the Town Martial Division, just like Eldest Brother He Ping.
"Brother Zhang, what brings you here?"
He An furrowed his brows slightly.
"I need to speak with Brother He. Has he come back yet?"
"Not yet!"
He An stood in the doorway, making no move to let him into the courtyard.
However, his sister-in-law, Wang Rou, slowly came out of the house.
"An, why aren't you letting Brother Zhang in?"
"I am!"
He An answered, then stepped aside from the gate.
Zhang Yongda shot him a provocative glance before swaggering into the courtyard.
"Sister-in-law, it's been so long since I last saw you. You've gotten even prettier!"
Wang Rou's cheeks flushed faintly. She smiled awkwardly. "Brother Zhang, perhaps we should talk about business first."
"You're looking for He Ping at this hour. Is there something important to discuss?"
"He Ping hasn't come back yet. Why don't you wait in the courtyard?"
"No need!"
Zhang Yongda waved a hand, greed flickering in his eyes.
He reached out and set a token on the stone table in the courtyard, then instructed her, "Sister-in-law, when Brother He comes back, give this to him. And remind him to think carefully about what Clerk Meng said."
"If he agrees, it'll bring nothing but benefits to your whole family."
At his words, He An's heart gave a sudden lurch.
As he left, Zhang Yongda reached the courtyard gate, then glanced back at Wang Rou and licked his lips greedily. "Sister-in-law, see you again!"
Wang Rou felt thoroughly disgusted.
He An picked up the token and examined it closely for a long time, but couldn't make out anything unusual.
"Why would he send over just a token like this?"
"Mother, I'm hungry."
Just then,
He An's thoughts were interrupted by a small, timid voice.
A little boy of about five or six came scampering over to Wang Rou, looking up at his mother with big, watery eyes.
A helpless look crossed Wang Rou's lovely face.
"Ru'er, how are you hungry again?"
He Ru pouted. "But I am hungry! I want meat today."
"No. You just had meat a few days ago. You can't have it today." Wang Rou refused without hesitation.
Seeing this, He An scooped He Ru into his arms. "Ru'er, we won't have meat today. Let's eat something else, all right?"
"All right!"
He Ru didn't fuss. He obediently nodded.
Wang Rou smiled faintly.
"An, keep an eye on Ru'er for me. Your brother should be back soon, so I'll go cook for you."
At the kitchen doorway, she suddenly stopped and reminded him, "Don't forget that token. Give it to your brother when he gets back. It might be something important, so don't let it slip your mind."
Before long,
A wisp of cooking smoke slowly rose from the kitchen.
He An stayed in the courtyard, playing with He Ru.
He genuinely respected his sister-in-law.
For all these years, the family had been spending more than they earned because he was studying.
His sister-in-law had never complained; instead, she had quietly supported him all along.
A few days ago, he had even told her he wanted to learn martial arts, and she had agreed at once.
Even though she knew that learning martial arts could cost several times as much silver as studying literature.
A sister-in-law this wonderful was harder to find than a lantern in broad daylight.
All these things had made He An, once an orphan, truly feel the warmth of a home. He had vowed to repay his brother and sister-in-law.
Time flew by.
He Ping came rushing in from outside, full of vigor.
At a glance, he spotted He An sitting in the courtyard.
And He Ru, who was being teased by him.
"An, playing with Ru'er?"
"Mm!"
"Eldest Brother, Zhang Yongda came by just now." He An told him what had happened.
He took out the token and handed it to He Ping.
"Here, this is the token."
He Ping's expression changed. He hurriedly asked, "Where's your sister-in-law?"
"Cooking!"
Seeing his brother's expression, He An realized something was wrong.
He told He Ru to go play by himself.
Once they were alone, he asked in a low voice, "What's wrong, Eldest Brother? Is there something wrong with this token?"
He Ping didn't answer. He only gave He An a helpless look, then plopped down and let out a long sigh, like a deflated ball.
"An, if someone tried to harm your sister-in-law one day, what would you do?"
"I'd kill him!"
He An's face was calm.
"Eldest Brother, are you saying Zhang Yongda has his eye on Sister-in-law?"
He Ping didn't hide the truth.
"To be precise, it's not him who has his eye on your sister-in-law, but that beast, Meng Cao."
Clerk Meng Cao.
He Ping's superior in the Town Martial Division.
Because of one particular vice, he was infamous throughout the Division.
He liked other men's wives.
The reason Zhang Yongda was valued by him
was partly because of his own wife.
"The reason you still haven't managed to get into the Town Martial Division is partly because he's been obstructing you. He wanted to use that to threaten me into handing your sister-in-law over to him."
He Ping continued.
At that, He An's eyes turned fierce.
"Eldest Brother, I won't join the Town Martial Division."
He Ping gave a bitter smile, but his voice was warm with pride. "An, you've grown up."
"But don't worry. This matter's already been taken care of."
"After all, I've been in the Division for so long. He's not the only clerk I know."
He An felt warmth well up in his chest. Though he didn't know how much silver it had cost,
he knew it was no small sum. It might even have emptied the family's coffers.
Even so, his brother and sister-in-law still supported him in learning martial arts.
How could he not repay such a great kindness?
"Eldest Brother, thank you."
"We're family. No need to stand on ceremony!" He Ping laughed heartily.
After dinner,
He An lay on his bed, and several golden words slowly appeared in his mind.
He had discovered them when he first transmigrated here.
[Destiny: Success Comes Naturally.] [Accumulate drop by drop, until at last a vast ocean forms. On the path of martial arts, there is no worry of bottlenecks.]
Gazing at those golden words, He An grew more determined by the moment. "Martial arts, here I come!!"
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