The Jia Ma Empire, Green Mountain Town.
"Xiao Yi Xian, come out and see! Young Master Xiao Ze has brought betrothal gifts and come to ask for your hand in marriage!"
At this moment, Xiao Yi Xian was sorting the medicinal herbs she would need for the day at the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion, preparing to open the doors and see patients.
She wore a pale white dress, her slender waist cinched with a green sash. Her features were fresh and refined, and an ethereal air seemed to surround her.
But her maid's words left her rooted to the spot.
She had never made a marriage pact with anyone, so this bold, public proposal left her utterly astonished.
The visitor was a handsome young man: Xiao Ze, the third son of the Xiao Clan's patriarch.
"Xiao Yi Xian, I've come to make good on my promise."
As he arrived at the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion, Xiao Ze felt a little excited despite himself.
That was because he wasn't from this world. He was a transmigrator.
In his previous life, he'd worked himself to death pulling all-nighters under the blessing of the 996 work schedule, then unexpectedly arrived on the Dou Qi Continent and became Xiao Zhan's third son.
Xiao Yan was the fourth son.
But Xiao Ze had been born with such frail meridians that he couldn't cultivate. Just as he thought he'd have to lie low until the end and enjoy the fruits of others' labor, his cheat finally came through.
It was called the [Beauty Path-Proving System].
Every time he forged a marriage bond, he would receive a carefully arranged support package from the system.
The rewards varied according to the woman's aptitude, but one thing was certain: the greater her future achievements, the more generous the reward.
So Xiao Ze considered every beauty on the Dou Qi Continent and set out to find a suitable woman. The system had stipulated that the reward for his first marriage would be multiplied several times over.
After careful consideration, Xiao Ze ultimately chose Xiao Yi Xian of Green Mountain Town.
There was no other reason. He simply had no other choice. Neither Queen Medusa nor Yun Yun was someone he could afford to bother at this stage.
He might not even make it through the door before they killed him with a single finger, then beat his corpse for good measure.
Xiao Yi Xian, by contrast, was all alone. She'd endured the world's cold stares since childhood, and the Woe Poison Body within her was always on the verge of erupting. She was the perfect choice for his first wife.
Besides, Xiao Yi Xian's ending in the original story had been far from satisfying. To make up for that regret, Xiao Ze had decided she would be his first target.
"Why have you come?"
When Xiao Yi Xian saw that it was Xiao Ze—the young master of the Xiao Clan who had once declared he would marry her—she wished she could close the shop and lock the doors right then and there.
She'd thought he was joking, but he'd actually come.
And with everyone watching, a blush immediately spread across her pretty face.
"Of course I've come to make good on my promise. I told you before that if you were willing to marry me, I could solve the problem with your constitution. I'm here now, so it's time for you to make your choice."
Xiao Ze didn't take it to heart. His confidence came from the system. As long as she agreed, the system's usual style practically guaranteed it could solve the problem of her Woe Poison Body.
"Who's that? How dare he? Xiao Yi Xian isn't someone who gives herself to just anyone!"
"He's the Xiao Clan's third young master from Wutan City. He may be nothing but a good-for-nothing who can't cultivate, but I'm afraid he'll come here and never make it back."
"That little runt hasn't even grown his first whiskers, and he dares provoke all the mercenary companies? Does he even know who calls the shots in Green Mountain Town?"
As the saying went, the emperor was far away. The Xiao Clan might rule Wutan City with an iron fist, but Green Mountain Town belonged to the mercenaries.
They made their living doing things that couldn't bear the light of day!
Soon, the street around the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion was packed with onlookers.
They buzzed with gossip, each with their own thoughts.
"Can it really be cured completely?"
Xiao Yi Xian hesitated. She knew about her Woe Poison Body. To delay its eruption, she had to keep ingesting poisons and other highly toxic substances.
But that was no different from drinking poison to quench her thirst. One day, it would inevitably erupt, and all life within a thousand miles would be destroyed.
That wasn't something she wanted to see.
But she had no idea how to cure the Woe Poison Body on her own.
Since Xiao Ze had a way to solve it, she could only choose to trust him. After all, he had never once exposed her Woe Poison Body to the public. That was enough to show he was a man worth trusting.
"Fine. I'll agree, but I hope you keep your word."
After a moment's hesitation, Xiao Yi Xian finally agreed.
She'd realized that she was finding it harder and harder to control her poison. If she kept putting it off, all of Green Mountain Town would be in danger.
The instant Xiao Yi Xian agreed, a system notification rang out in Xiao Ze's mind.
[ Ding! Congratulations, host! You have married SSS-grade Xiao Yi Xian. Since this is your first marriage, the reward is multiplied several times over! ] [ Ding! Marriage reward issued. Congratulations, host! You have obtained Peak Dou Emperor cultivation! ] [ Ding! Betrothal gift issued. Congratulations, host! You have obtained one Poison Pill (can completely cure the Woe Poison Body)! ]
Peak Dou Emperor!
Poison Pill!
Xiao Ze had never expected the system to be so generous. He'd started out already at Peak Dou Emperor?
And he'd also obtained a Poison Pill that could perfectly resolve Xiao Yi Xian's Woe Poison Body. The system hadn't let him down!
The smile on Xiao Ze's face stood in stark contrast to the grim expressions around him.
Everyone simply couldn't understand how Xiao Yi Xian could have agreed to him.
He was nothing but a good-for-nothing who couldn't cultivate. Her agreeing to marry him was more painful to them than being killed.
Seeing the crowd grow larger by the minute, Xiao Ze worried they might incite public fury. He immediately had his servants carry the betrothal gifts inside.
"Xiao Yi Xian, get your things together. In a couple of days, the Xiao Clan will send someone to bring you back to the estate. Then I'll personally solve your constitution problem!"
Successfully winning Xiao Yi Xian over meant he'd completed the hardest step of a journey of ten thousand miles.
With Peak Dou Emperor cultivation, everything that came after would be much easier.
Xiao Ze was pleased. He waved his hand and prepared to leave.
But several towering mercenaries surrounded him, with no intention of letting him go.
Ridiculous! Their Xiao Yi Xian was about to be carried off, pot and all. How could they put up with that?
"Kid, come clean! What kind of love potion did you give Xiao Yi Xian to make her obey you in everything?"
"You dare force Xiao Yi Xian? Looks like you don't know how to spell 'death'!"
If he hadn't forced her, they wouldn't believe it even if they were beaten to death!
"Xiao Yi Xian, step back for now. Leave what comes next to us. Don't worry—no one in Green Mountain Town can force you into anything!"
Meanwhile, Xiao Yi Xian kept a safe distance from Xiao Ze under the protection of a group of female mercenaries.
"Xiao Yi Xian and I are both willing. What, do you need to approve our relationship?"
Looking at the mercenaries closing in around him, Xiao Ze smiled instead of getting angry.
He knew Green Mountain Town was a tangled mess, but he hadn't realized it was this bad.
He might have been wary of them before, but things were different today. With Peak Dou Emperor cultivation, he could walk sideways across the Jia Ma Empire, as long as Yun Shan didn't show up.
A mere mercenary company thought it could stop him?
"In Green Mountain Town, I've always been the only one who gets to speak. No one dares say otherwise. Kid, you had a road to heaven but refused to take it; hell had no door, yet you barged right in. Since you're here, don't even think about leaving!"
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