Past Events

Jiang Tingyi thought for a moment. "I don't know. Anyway, when you first came to Clear River City, I thought you were far inferior to Ye Xuan."

"Ye Xuan?" Su Chen laughed. "What about now?"

Jiang Tingyi shook her head. "I don't know. But I'm so disappointed in Ye Xuan. I used to think he was a gentleman, but now I know I was wrong."

Su Chen glanced sideways at Jiang Tingyi beside him. Her exquisitely beautiful face, like a work of art, overlapped with the Jiang Tingyi in his memories from his previous life. For a moment, countless memories of that past life came flooding in.

He remembered that when he had first arrived in Clear River City in his previous life, Jiang Tingyi had also been as proud and beautiful as she was now. She had looked down on Su Chen, who had become a cripple, in every possible way. She often complained that her good-for-nothing cousin had made her lose face, and whenever she had the chance, she would mock him.

Thus, Su Chen in his previous life had also deeply detested Jiang Tingyi. He had thought her vain and shallow, ill-tempered and foolish. Other than her beauty and talent in martial arts, she had seemed to possess almost nothing of worth.

Later, Jiang Tingyi in his previous life had likewise been promised in marriage by Jiang Shan and Jiang He to Wang Sheng. Though she fought with all her strength, she was still married into the Wang Family. On their wedding night, the strong-willed Jiang Tingyi used a poison-smeared blade to slash more than a dozen bloody cuts across her own face to avoid being defiled by Wang Sheng. Though her life was later saved, her face was ruined.

Wang Sheng found the sight of her displeasing and sent her back to the Jiang Family. From then on, Jiang Tingyi never stepped outside her room. She wore a veil all day long. The once passionate and lively girl became silent and withdrawn, like an invisible person within the Jiang Family.

Later, unrest broke out. At Xu Yin's request, Su Chen took Jiang Tingyi out of Clear River City and headed for Duyang City to seek refuge with the Su Family. But because Su Chen's dantian had been crippled in his previous life, he could not protect Jiang Tingyi. She was injured by a demonic beast along the way, her wound worsened, and it triggered the old injuries on her face. Before long, she was at death's door.

Su Chen had no way to save her. He could only watch helplessly as she closed her eyes forever in his arms.

Her tragedy had all begun with that marriage arrangement.

Su Chen had never been able to forget the scene before her death. Her eyes, once as dazzling as obsidian, gradually lost their luster. Before closing them completely, she had rarely spoken a sentence. "Su Chen, thank you."

Su Chen could never forget how he had felt upon hearing those words of thanks.

What was she thanking him for?

He clearly had done nothing. He had not helped her at all.

Su Chen could never forget how despairing he had been in that moment. Because he had possessed no strength and had been a cripple in martial arts, he could not even help or protect his own family.

At that time, Su Chen had sworn that if Heaven gave him another chance, he would possess the most supreme strength in the world and protect everyone he wished to protect.

In truth, Jiang Tingyi was not all that bad. At most, she had merely been a vain and immature little girl.

In this life, he would surely keep her safe.

In this life, every heart-wrenching regret from his previous life would be reversed.

"Uh, you..."

Seeing that Su Chen had remained silent for so long, Jiang Tingyi could not help speaking to break the silence.

Su Chen came back to his senses, gathered his thoughts, and looked at Jiang Tingyi. "Is there anything else?"

For some reason, as Jiang Tingyi was watched by Su Chen's pair of eyes, as deep as

the stars, her heartbeat suddenly sped up for no reason. She hurriedly turned her face aside and said awkwardly, "Also, Jiang Shan and the others sent over the Lesser Origin Pills. My mother asked me to bring them to you."

As she spoke, Jiang Tingyi beckoned toward the door. The servants outside immediately carried in ten chests.

When the chests were opened, they were filled with pale-red Lesser Origin Pills of full, rich quality. There were a hundred in each chest, making a total of one thousand.

Pills were rare treasures no matter where one went. It was not easy for ordinary martial artists to obtain even one or two pills. Looking across all of Clear River City, perhaps only the three great Lineages had the means to buy pills by the chestful.

With so many Lesser Origin Pills, Jiang Shan and Jiang He had truly bled heavily this time. They had emptied at least nearly half the wealth of the main branch and third branch. To say that their vitality had been gravely damaged would not be an exaggeration.

Jiang Tingyi said, "My mother said these Lesser Origin Pills were all won by you. Keep them for cultivation."

Su Chen swept his gaze across the ten chests full of Lesser Origin Pills, but his expression did not change in the slightest.

Jiang Tingyi was secretly rather surprised. She had thought that seeing so many Lesser Origin Pills at once would make Su Chen beside himself with excitement, or at least somewhat astonished.

Even she had been greatly shaken when she had first seen so many Lesser Origin Pills.

Yet when Su Chen saw so many Lesser Origin Pills, his eyes were as still as an ancient well. She was certain he was not pretending, because even his pupils had not changed in the slightest.

"What a strange fellow."

As Jiang Tingyi was secretly grumbling to herself, she suddenly heard Su Chen say, "I'll keep five chests of the Lesser Origin Pills. Take the other five back for your mother."

Jiang Tingyi blinked, thinking she had misheard. "W-What?"

A row of black lines appeared on Su Chen's face. He said irritably, "Are you deaf? I said take half of these Lesser Origin Pills back."

"B-But why?" Jiang Tingyi did not even notice that Su Chen had called her deaf, because she was simply too shocked. That was a full five hundred Lesser Origin Pills. Su Chen was giving them to her and her mother so generously?

Did he not know what five hundred Lesser Origin Pills represented? Even if they were not used for cultivation, selling five hundred Lesser Origin Pills would still bring a fortune enough to make people's hearts sway.

"Just take them when I tell you to. Why all the nonsense?" Su Chen's tone was calm. He spoke of five hundred Lesser Origin Pills as lightly as if they were merely five.

He was someone who repaid kindness. Whether in his previous life or this one, Xu Yin had treated him sincerely. She was one of the few family members he had around him, so naturally he could not mistreat her.

Five hundred Lesser Origin Pills were only the beginning.

Su Chen also intended to find Xu Yin cultivation techniques and martial skills better suited to her, to replace those she currently practiced. However, this was not something that could be done in a day or two. Finding cultivation techniques and martial skills tailored to a person was not as simple as one imagined.

Jiang Tingyi soon left carrying five chests of Lesser Origin Pills. As she departed, Su Chen clearly heard her mutter, "What a strange person!"

Su Chen's expression remained indifferent, and he did not take it to heart.

After Jiang Tingyi left, he shut the door and took a Lesser Origin Pill from one of the chests.

It had to be said that this batch of Lesser Origin Pills sent by Jiang Shan was of decent quality. They should have been fine products from Five Treasures Hall.

Though they were still far inferior to the pills refined by him, the Dust Pill Emperor, they were free after all, so Su Chen did not bother being picky.

Jiang Tingyi thought for a moment. "I don't know. Anyway, when you first came to Clear River City, I thought you were far inferior to Ye Xuan."

"Ye Xuan?" Su Chen laughed. "What about now?"

Jiang Tingyi shook her head. "I don't know. But I'm so disappointed in Ye Xuan. I used to think he was a gentleman, but now I know I was wrong."

Su Chen glanced sideways at Jiang Tingyi beside him. Her exquisitely beautiful face, like a work of art, overlapped with the Jiang Tingyi in his memories from his previous life. For a moment, countless memories of that past life came flooding in.

He remembered that when he had first arrived in Clear River City in his previous life, Jiang Tingyi had also been as proud and beautiful as she was now. She had looked down on Su Chen, who had become a cripple, in every possible way. She often complained that her good-for-nothing cousin had made her lose face, and whenever she had the chance, she would mock him.

Thus, Su Chen in his previous life had also deeply detested Jiang Tingyi. He had thought her vain and shallow, ill-tempered and foolish. Other than her beauty and talent in martial arts, she had seemed to possess almost nothing of worth.

Later, Jiang Tingyi in his previous life had likewise been promised in marriage by Jiang Shan and Jiang He to Wang Sheng. Though she fought with all her strength, she was still married into the Wang Family. On their wedding night, the strong-willed Jiang Tingyi used a poison-smeared blade to slash more than a dozen bloody cuts across her own face to avoid being defiled by Wang Sheng. Though her life was later saved, her face was ruined.

Wang Sheng found the sight of her displeasing and sent her back to the Jiang Family. From then on, Jiang Tingyi never stepped outside her room. She wore a veil all day long. The once passionate and lively girl became silent and withdrawn, like an invisible person within the Jiang Family.

Later, unrest broke out. At Xu Yin's request, Su Chen took Jiang Tingyi out of Clear River City and headed for Duyang City to seek refuge with the Su Family. But because Su Chen's dantian had been crippled in his previous life, he could not protect Jiang Tingyi. She was injured by a demonic beast along the way, her wound worsened, and it triggered the old injuries on her face. Before long, she was at death's door.

Su Chen had no way to save her. He could only watch helplessly as she closed her eyes forever in his arms.

Her tragedy had all begun with that marriage arrangement.

Su Chen had never been able to forget the scene before her death. Her eyes, once as dazzling as obsidian, gradually lost their luster. Before closing them completely, she had rarely spoken a sentence. "Su Chen, thank you."

Su Chen could never forget how he had felt upon hearing those words of thanks.

What was she thanking him for?

He clearly had done nothing. He had not helped her at all.

Su Chen could never forget how despairing he had been in that moment. Because he had possessed no strength and had been a cripple in martial arts, he could not even help or protect his own family.

At that time, Su Chen had sworn that if Heaven gave him another chance, he would possess the most supreme strength in the world and protect everyone he wished to protect.

In truth, Jiang Tingyi was not all that bad. At most, she had merely been a vain and immature little girl.

In this life, he would surely keep her safe.

In this life, every heart-wrenching regret from his previous life would be reversed.

"Uh, you..."

Seeing that Su Chen had remained silent for so long, Jiang Tingyi could not help speaking to break the silence.

Su Chen came back to his senses, gathered his thoughts, and looked at Jiang Tingyi. "Is there anything else?"

For some reason, as Jiang Tingyi was watched by Su Chen's pair of eyes, as deep as

the stars, her heartbeat suddenly sped up for no reason. She hurriedly turned her face aside and said awkwardly, "Also, Jiang Shan and the others sent over the Lesser Origin Pills. My mother asked me to bring them to you."

As she spoke, Jiang Tingyi beckoned toward the door. The servants outside immediately carried in ten chests.

When the chests were opened, they were filled with pale-red Lesser Origin Pills of full, rich quality. There were a hundred in each chest, making a total of one thousand.

Pills were rare treasures no matter where one went. It was not easy for ordinary martial artists to obtain even one or two pills. Looking across all of Clear River City, perhaps only the three great Lineages had the means to buy pills by the chestful.

With so many Lesser Origin Pills, Jiang Shan and Jiang He had truly bled heavily this time. They had emptied at least nearly half the wealth of the main branch and third branch. To say that their vitality had been gravely damaged would not be an exaggeration.

Jiang Tingyi said, "My mother said these Lesser Origin Pills were all won by you. Keep them for cultivation."

Su Chen swept his gaze across the ten chests full of Lesser Origin Pills, but his expression did not change in the slightest.

Jiang Tingyi was secretly rather surprised. She had thought that seeing so many Lesser Origin Pills at once would make Su Chen beside himself with excitement, or at least somewhat astonished.

Even she had been greatly shaken when she had first seen so many Lesser Origin Pills.

Yet when Su Chen saw so many Lesser Origin Pills, his eyes were as still as an ancient well. She was certain he was not pretending, because even his pupils had not changed in the slightest.

"What a strange fellow."

As Jiang Tingyi was secretly grumbling to herself, she suddenly heard Su Chen say, "I'll keep five chests of the Lesser Origin Pills. Take the other five back for your mother."

Jiang Tingyi blinked, thinking she had misheard. "W-What?"

A row of black lines appeared on Su Chen's face. He said irritably, "Are you deaf? I said take half of these Lesser Origin Pills back."

"B-But why?" Jiang Tingyi did not even notice that Su Chen had called her deaf, because she was simply too shocked. That was a full five hundred Lesser Origin Pills. Su Chen was giving them to her and her mother so generously?

Did he not know what five hundred Lesser Origin Pills represented? Even if they were not used for cultivation, selling five hundred Lesser Origin Pills would still bring a fortune enough to make people's hearts sway.

"Just take them when I tell you to. Why all the nonsense?" Su Chen's tone was calm. He spoke of five hundred Lesser Origin Pills as lightly as if they were merely five.

He was someone who repaid kindness. Whether in his previous life or this one, Xu Yin had treated him sincerely. She was one of the few family members he had around him, so naturally he could not mistreat her.

Five hundred Lesser Origin Pills were only the beginning.

Su Chen also intended to find Xu Yin cultivation techniques and martial skills better suited to her, to replace those she currently practiced. However, this was not something that could be done in a day or two. Finding cultivation techniques and martial skills tailored to a person was not as simple as one imagined.

Jiang Tingyi soon left carrying five chests of Lesser Origin Pills. As she departed, Su Chen clearly heard her mutter, "What a strange person!"

Su Chen's expression remained indifferent, and he did not take it to heart.

After Jiang Tingyi left, he shut the door and took a Lesser Origin Pill from one of the chests.

It had to be said that this batch of Lesser Origin Pills sent by Jiang Shan was of decent quality. They should have been fine products from Five Treasures Hall.

Though they were still far inferior to the pills refined by him, the Dust Pill Emperor, they were free after all, so Su Chen did not bother being picky.