Marriage (Seeking Ticket Support)

"I have handled family affairs with this woman before, why do you ask?"

Chen Lei explained, "The family is holding a Martial Arts Grand Ceremony in a year. Every young martial apprentice in the clan will participate, and it will be a major reshuffling of how the family's resources are distributed."

"The family is primarily divided into three major factions, and Chen Qiuyu's grandfather is the head of one of them.

Although my talent in the martial path isn't peerless, I am quite capable. This woman sought me out a few days ago, hinting at an offer to recruit me, and the terms she proposed were quite tempting.

I intended to accept, and since she is hosting this gathering today, it's the perfect chance to bring you along. I will put in a good word for you, but whether you can profit from this depends entirely on you."

Chen Han's expression turned complex, and after a moment of hesitation, he agreed.

Even so, the hope for this matter remained slim. This woman was no saint; one could even call her an old fox.

Moreover, Chen Lei had already intended to accept her offer; bringing me along was merely a convenience, not a condition of his service.

Still, considering my current state, I am already grateful that he is willing to help me at all. To feel any dissatisfaction would be ungrateful of me.

Whether this succeeds or fails, I must leave it to fate.

Dusk deepened, the setting sun bleeding across the horizon like fresh blood. The chill of late autumn seemed to seep into the very marrow of one's bones.

Commoners returned home from their labor, doors bolted tight. The streets at night were chaotic, and murders for wealth were a common occurrence.

Chen Han tightened his coarse linen robes, his frail body shivering from the cold.

Industry was withered, and only the martial path stood tall.

In the past, I was a promising martial apprentice of the Chen family with a boundless future. Now, I have to grovel and beg just to afford a month's worth of training food and medicinal soup.

"This feeling is truly unbearable."

But looking at the bottom-tier civilians along the way—living hand-to-mouth, dressed in rags, their cheekbones protruding from long-term malnutrition—Chen Han felt a sliver of fortune.

At least I still have a chance; I didn't start in the depths of misery, nor am I one of the wailing masses outside the city walls.

Chen Han and Chen Lei arrived before a luxurious restaurant. Chen Han's first reaction was that he had "stumbled into a royal palace."

The golden-lettered sign for "Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion" hung above the grand entrance. Beautiful female attendants in silk dresses and light makeup walked with graceful steps, and an intoxicating fragrance lingered in the air.

It was far superior to any high-end club from my previous life.

Chen Han's eyelids twitched. "Damn rich people!"

Upon entering, a female attendant with skin like cream and a swaying gait came to greet them. After Chen Lei exchanged a few words with her, she led them to a private room.

Chen Lei pushed the door open first, and Chen Han followed closely behind.

"Little Brother Chen Lei, you've arrived."

Appearing before them was a young woman of peerless beauty. Her figure was graceful, her skin like ice and jade, and her almond-shaped eyes were bright and limpid, instantly drawing one's gaze.

It was a cold, stunningly beautiful face.

She looked like a celestial being descended to earth—a moon reflected in water, a fairy from a painting.

Even though this was their second meeting, Chen Han was still struck by her beauty.

The woman stood up with a perfectly measured smile, but when she saw Chen Han following behind Chen Lei, her gaze darkened.

Before Chen Qiuyu could speak—or perhaps she never intended to—Chen Han thickened his skin, stepped forward, and bowed.

"This Humble One is Chen Han. I have long heard of the Eldest Miss's unparalleled talent, so I followed Brother Chen Lei today to pay my respects. I hope the Eldest Miss does not mind."

As he spoke, he took out an exquisite gift box and held it out. Seeing that she kept her cold gaze fixed ahead and did not take it, he awkwardly placed it on the table.

This was something he had bought after emptying his remaining savings and asking around to learn her preferences.

"Little Brother Chen Lei, please, make yourself at home."

Chen Qiuyu ignored Chen Han entirely, turning to smile at Chen Lei instead, while waving her hand to signal the musician attendant to pour tea.

Chen Han smiled awkwardly and said nothing more.

I never expected this woman to be so disappointing. Does she not know that if it weren't for me that day, she might already be dead?

In the end, she just doesn't want to take responsibility and lose her reputation.

But why return evil for good? Why, on what grounds!

Chen Han was seething with rage, yet he dared not speak his anger aloud. The fusion of memories from two lives made him feel the injustice deeply, fueling his indignation on behalf of his predecessor.

Just then, he noticed the attendant was about to pour him tea, but she froze, then set the teapot down and waited to the side.

Chen Han followed her gaze to Chen Qiuyu's cold, indifferent eyes.

Clearly, the attendant's behavior was at the instruction of this Eldest Miss.

In that moment, he felt as if his heart had been viciously pinched. A sense of humiliation, unprecedented across both his past and present lives, washed over him.

He wanted nothing more than to flip the table right then and there!

But he knew the consequence of such an act would likely be being beaten to death on the spot by this Eldest Miss.

The more Chen Han thought, the angrier he became. His face turned a bruised, leaden color. Unable to utter another word, he turned and walked out of the private room.

As soon as the door closed, a cold, clear female voice drifted from inside the private room, "Little Brother Chen Lei, in the future, keep your distance from such disreputable people..."

Without any suspense, Chen Han lost his access to the family's martial arts cultivation resources after only a few days.

A few days later, he was forced to leave the family. The only silver lining was that the family had found him a decent way out.

A matrilocal marriage... in other words, becoming a live-in son-in-law...

Although it was a blow to his pride, the terms were genuinely good; he would receive six taels of silver.

It might not sound like much, but in these chaotic times, three taels of silver were enough to buy a young maidservant.

It was a family that was neither wealthy nor destitute. His father-in-law had once practiced martial arts and served as a chief guard for a prominent household, his wife was a cook at a restaurant, and he had a younger sister-in-law who was still young and learning to read at a school.

Perhaps he would even be able to eat meat every few days.

Chen Han did not refuse. He acted quickly, and within a few days, he had bowed in the wedding ceremony and become a married man. On that day, ten people from the groom's side attended: the steward who handled family affairs and was fully in charge of managing this matter for Chen Han, as well as Chen Lei.

The others were just there to fill the numbers and add to the atmosphere, ensuring it didn't seem too desolate and allowing the Chen family to save face.

The steward presented two taels of silver as a "betrothal gift" on behalf of the family, while Chen Lei secretly slipped Chen Han five taels of silver, expressing his deep apologies for what had happened a few days prior.

The bride was a year younger than him. She was delicate and pretty, with watery, expressive eyes. Born into a humble family, her skin was surprisingly tender. With makeup and rouge applied, she looked even more beautiful.

From the wedding ceremony to the bridal chamber, everything was kept simple. To those watching, if nothing unexpected happened, Chen Han would likely spend the rest of his life in this tiny courtyard.

And in these chaotic times, it was even more likely that he would die miserably in the streets during some riot or accident.

But heaven never cuts off all paths; there are no dead ends in this world, only people who despair of their situation...

Relying on his decent mathematics grades from his previous life and his ability to read and write, Chen Han found a job managing account books.

The work was originally quite light, but Chen Han insisted on having time off in the morning and evening, which made his employer very dissatisfied. They initially planned not to hire him and to look for someone else instead.

However, after Chen Han gave his word that he could complete the daily tasks as usual and offered to work for half the previous wage, the employer reluctantly agreed, warning that he would be fired immediately if he performed poorly.

This resulted in a heavy workload and very low pay, but it had the advantage of not requiring physical labor, so his body could handle it. Furthermore, he could carve out a significant amount of time every day to practice the Taiji Health Cultivation Technique.

[Taiji Health Cultivation Technique +1 +1]

From that day on, his body gradually began to grow stronger...

As time passed, with the proficiency panel as a great aid, he believed that in the near future, he would definitely be able to return to the path of martial arts and reclaim everything he had lost twofold!