Following their memories, they went to the home of Qingmei, the Book Repairer, only to learn that after she lost this marriage arrangement, her parents considered her a disgrace. Her marriage prospects had fallen several rungs, to the point that she was now being matched with widowers and disabled old men.
The young woman was quite pretty, fair-skinned and clean-featured, with a quiet manner. Unless something unexpected happened, she would be married to an old man with a lame leg, because he had offered six taels of silver as a betrothal gift. That was no small sum-it was three years' income for an ordinary household.
Lianchi said, "An old husband and a young wife can make a suitable match, but this old man has an ill-favored face: lustful, violent, and petty over every last coin. If this girl marries him, I fear her whole life will be worn away."
Chi Yu sighed. "Senior Brother Lianchi, have you noticed? The greatest resentment in this secret realm always comes from women."
Lianchi said, "Among mortals, women are disadvantaged, so naturally their circumstances are poor... Long Junior Brother, how do you think we should handle this one?"
Chi Yu said, "This girl is so pitiful. Senior Brother Lianchi, how many times do you think she's repeated a lifetime of being worn down and trampled on in this secret realm?"
Lianchi said, "Long Junior Brother..."
Chi Yu said solemnly, "No matter what, I have to find this secret realm's core eye as soon as possible. Even if these girls remember nothing, they shouldn't have to suffer through one cycle after another here."
Something stirred in Lianchi's heart, and he could not help saying, "Long Junior Brother, you have even greater insight than I thought."
Cultivators had longer lives and more unfathomable powers than mortals.