Bang!

The door of the woodshed was kicked open.

"Stop pretending to be dead. The Patriarch wants you at the ancestral hall."

Jiang Chi opened his eyes. He tried to turn over and sit up, but as he exerted force on his left rib, it felt like someone was stabbing a knife into it.

The pain made his vision go black, and cold sweat instantly soaked his back.

Gritting his teeth, he propped himself up on the ground and slowly sat up.

The ancestral hall.

When Jiang Chi walked in, the pain in his ribs made sweat bead on his forehead.

At this moment.

Everyone's gaze fell on him.

As if looking at a dog.

Some even wrinkled their noses, as if they smelled something unpleasant.

Ten years ago, there was still pity in those eyes.

Now... there wasn't even pity left!

Sitting in the center was his second uncle, Jiang Wanling—the current Patriarch.

In his early forties, with a gentle face, a constant smile at the corner of his mouth, like a kind elder.

Standing to the left was his second uncle's son, Jiang Fei, dressed in fine clothes, chin slightly raised, his eyes unable to hide arrogance and mockery.

Jiang Chi looked at him.

His heart began to ache faintly again.

It was because of this person that his second uncle extracted his heartblood to nurture this useless person.

Looking to the sides, there were several clan elders. Some were resting with their eyes closed, others were sipping tea.

"Chi'er is here."

Jiang Wanling spoke with a smile.

That smile, Jiang Chi had seen it too many times, and every time it appeared, it was never for anything good.

"I heard you had a little conflict with Fei'er yesterday. Rest assured, I already punished him by not letting him have dinner last night."

No dinner?!

Yesterday, he was beaten all over, and now with broken ribs, all it amounted to was Jiang Fei missing dinner.

And as far as he knew, Jiang Fei had a feast at the Drunken Immortal Tower last night.

This was his so-called second uncle.

Jiang Chi said nothing, not daring to show a hint of dissatisfaction.

Jiang Wanling didn't mind, continuing, "Today, I called you here for your marriage."

Marriage?

Jiang Chi's brows furrowed, "What marriage?"

"This year you turn eighteen, it's time to start a family and establish a career."

A quick look at bit.ly/3iBfjkV will leave you more fulfilled.

Jiang Wanling stroked his beard, "Second Uncle arranged a marriage for you, to comfort your parents' spirits in heaven."

A clan elder beside him nodded, "Your parents passed early, your second uncle handling this marriage for you is truly considerate."

Another stroked his beard, "With Wanling as the Patriarch, it's truly the Jiang Family's fortune!"

Jiang Fei stood beside with a malicious smile.

Jiang Chi looked at these people, suspicion in his heart.

How could this smiling tiger Jiang Wanling suddenly be so kind?

"Second Uncle, which family's girl are you referring to?"

Jiang Wanling put down his teacup, leisurely saying, "The eldest daughter of the Su Family from the south of the city, named Su... Su Qianxue."

"Pfft!"

Jiang Fei couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Jiang Chi's brows knitted tightly, his mind pondering this name.

Su Qianxue... the concubine daughter of the Su Family in the south of the city, her face covered in red spots, ridiculed by the entire city as an ugly woman.

Also a pitiful person—unfavored by the Su Family, living by selling embroidery.

Often despised and mocked for her ugliness.

Jiang Chi felt pity for this equally unfortunate woman, but that didn't mean he was willing to marry her.

He looked up at Jiang Wanling.

"Why her?"

Before Jiang Wanling could speak, Jiang Fei stepped forward.

"You, a useless person, still want to be choosy?!"

Jiang Wanling coughed lightly, "Fei'er, is that how you speak to your elder brother!"

"Father, he's being ungrateful!"

At this moment, an elder sitting beside looked at Jiang Chi and spoke.

"Little Chi, you should be aware of your own situation. Though that girl is unattractive, she is at least a diligent and kind woman. And... she requires no dowry, you can marry her immediately. Don't let your second uncle's efforts go to waste!"

"Efforts, no matter how nicely put, are just because there's no dowry."

The voice wasn't loud, but the ancestral hall was quiet, everyone heard it.

"Impudent!"

Jiang Fei pointed at Jiang Chi, "Take a look at yourself, still want to stay in the Jiang Family and eat for free? Get married and leave the family, get out of the Jiang Family!"

Jiang Chi was stunned for a moment.

Then he understood.

Marriage was a pretense, driving him out of the Jiang Family was the truth. Disgusted by him eating for free, disgusted by him being useless.

Jiang Wanling wouldn't even say the word "get out" himself.

Let the clan elders speak, let Jiang Fei scold, use marriage as an excuse, how malicious!

Jiang Chi looked up at his second uncle sipping tea.

"If I have to leave, what about the inheritance my parents left..."

Jiang Wanling blew on his tea, feigning confusion.

"Inheritance? What inheritance?"

A clan elder hurriedly spoke.

"Little Chi, what you're saying is wrong. The little your parents left, over the years you've eaten and drunk from the Jiang Family, when you were gravely ill at five, how much rare medicine was used to save your life? Calculating it, the Jiang Family has given more. You still mention inheritance?"

Jiang Chi listened without speaking.

His father, as the former Patriarch, died for the family, leaving a vast inheritance that was swallowed up like this.

The grave illness at five—wasn't it to nourish Jiang Fei's Martial Dao Foundation, extracting his own heartblood, using medicine to keep him alive.

Truly despicable.

Jiang Chi's heart was filled with anger, but he said nothing.

For over ten years, he had long learned to endure.

Because he knew, anger without power to back it up would only bring about his own death.

In this family, there were countless people who could kill him with a wave of their hand, even an ordinary servant.

He lowered his head.

"Understood."

Jiang Chi turned and walked out of the ancestral hall.

Behind him, Jiang Fei's laughter followed.

Just as he stepped over the threshold.

His footsteps paused for a moment!

[Ding!]

[Effortless Gain System activated.]

[Host: Jiang Chi.]

[Core Mechanism: Master techniques at a glance, automatically cultivate in dreams.]

[Efficiency: Sleeping for 8 hours ≈ A mortal's year of hard cultivation.]

[Current State: No techniques × No sleep = Unable to cultivate.]

[Suggestion: Acquire techniques first, then sleep immediately.]

System?!

Jiang Chi's anger hadn't dissipated when he saw the system he had longed for.

After being in this world for over ten years, he finally had a golden finger.

He thought he would cry.

But he didn't.

Years of endurance had made him forget how to cry.

He suppressed it, not wanting anyone to notice.

Jiang Chi looked at the status panel.

Techniques, he didn't even have half a book now.

But he wasn't worried, because he knew one thing, a gentleman's revenge is never too late, he didn't need to win now.

He just needed to endure until he got techniques and slept a few more days.

"A useless person and an ugly woman, a perfect match! Hahaha!"

Laughter came from behind.

The laughter stabbed into his back like a knife.

Jiang Chi didn't look back, just etched the name "Jiang Fei" in his heart.

He walked out of the ancestral hall.

A servant was waiting with a lame donkey.

"The Patriarch ordered that you go to the Su Family to marry today."

Jiang Chi was taken aback.

So eager to drive him out of the Jiang Family!

Then he looked at the lame donkey.

The servant stifled a laugh and said.

"Young Master Fei specifically instructed, saying you're not skilled in Martial Dao, a useless person, afraid you'd fall off a fierce horse from the stable and let that ugly woman become a widow, so he specially found this lame donkey for you, more stable to ride."

A blatant humiliation.

Jiang Chi swallowed it without showing any emotion.

Even if the whole city laughed at him.

But he had to go.

Not because he was obedient.

But because—a dead man can't take revenge.

Jiang Chi didn't ride the donkey, just led it towards the south of the city.

Arriving at the Su Family.

From a distance, he saw a woman standing in front of the Su Family's gate.

Veiled, in an old red dress, clutching a blue cloth bundle.

No one to send her off. No dowry. Not even someone to give her advice.

She just stood there, like an old item placed at the door.

The Su Family's gate closed behind her. An old servant peeked through the crack, glanced at them, said nothing, and closed the door again.

Jiang Chi walked over.

The woman seemed to hear someone approaching, her frail figure trembled slightly.

Under the veil, a chin was exposed, with red spots on the skin, but the jawline was clean and sharp, not like someone long ill.

Jiang Chi thought for a moment, then spoke.

"My name is Jiang Chi, I have no dowry, no bridal sedan, no wedding procession, just a lame donkey. Are you still willing to come with me?"

There was a moment of silence in the air.

Then the woman nodded slightly, her voice as soft as a mosquito's:

"I am willing!"