The woman's voice was small, yet exceptionally firm.

Jiang Chi walked over.

He extended his hand, paused for a moment, and then helped her onto the lame donkey.

As she mounted the donkey, her bundle slipped, spilling its contents.

A few pieces of dry food, a change of clothes, and a neatly folded piece of embroidery—her means of livelihood.

Jiang Chi bent down to help her pick them up.

Her hand trembled slightly as she took the bundle and held it close to her chest.

"Thank you."

Her voice was very soft, as if she hadn't spoken to anyone in a long time.

Jiang Chi didn't respond.

He turned, leading the donkey toward the Jiang Family.

The woman on the donkey's back kept her head down, unable to see anything beneath the veil.

But Jiang Chi noticed her grip on the bundle tightened slightly.

Jiang Chi led the lame donkey through the streets of Qingyang City.

There was no bridal sedan.

No wedding procession.

Not even a matchmaker.

On the donkey's back sat a veiled woman, so frail she seemed like she could be blown away by the wind.

The veil was old, its red color faded and frayed at the edges.

People on the street stopped to watch.

"Isn't that the Jiang Family's useless one?"

"I heard he married the Su Family's ugly girl, they're quite a pair."

"Tsk tsk, not even a sedan, riding a donkey to get married, first time seeing this!"

"Hahaha!"

Laughter surged from all directions.

Jiang Chi kept his head down, leading the donkey, step by step.

The woman on the donkey's back remained motionless, her veil untouched, like a clay statue.

The two of them walked toward the Jiang Family amid a chorus of ridicule.

They arrived at the Jiang Family's gate.

The door was closed.

Just like the Su Family's.

The steward stood on the steps, holding a key.

"Young Master Chi, the Patriarch said the ancestral home twenty miles west is still empty. You can live there, though it's a bit rundown, it can at least shield you from the wind and rain."

He tossed the key to the ground, followed by a bundle.

"The Jiang Family... won't keep you."

The key clattered on the stone slab, rolling a couple of times.

The bundle fell open, revealing a few old clothes—worn out, not a single new piece.

Jiang Chi bent down to pick them up one by one.

Then he stood up, without looking back, and led the donkey toward the west of the city.

Behind him, the Jiang Family's gate swung open.

Jiang Fei, dressed in silk, holding a piece of watermelon, watched Jiang Chi's retreating figure with a smug expression.

"A useless man with an ugly woman, Father really thought this through!"

Jiang Fei took a bite of the watermelon, juice trickling down his wrist. He licked it, eyes still fixed on Jiang Chi, chuckling.

As Jiang Chi and the woman passed through the city gate, Su Qianxue suddenly spoke.

"You... were you also driven out?"

Her voice was light, as if afraid of being overheard.

Jiang Chi didn't answer.

But his steps became steadier.

The wind blew, causing the lame donkey to sway slightly.

Jiang Chi reached out to steady Su Qianxue on the donkey's back.

Her hand was cold, just like when he woke up that morning.

"Let's go."

He said.

Not knowing if he was speaking to the donkey or to her.

Two people, one lame donkey, walked along the road twenty miles away.

The setting sun stretched their shadows long.

They walked for over an hour.

When the moon rose above the treetops, they finally reached the ancestral home.

The thatched cottage was even more dilapidated than imagined.

The walls were peeling, the roof let in the sky, and cobwebs filled the corners.

Moonlight streamed through the holes, spreading a silver-white glow on the ground.

Su Qianxue sat on the only chair, veiled, unmoving.

Jiang Chi glanced at her, said nothing, and began tidying up.

He piled dry wood in the corner, swept the dust from the floor, and straightened the crooked table.

"Aren't you going to lift the veil?"

The voice was light, coming from beneath the veil.

Jiang Chi paused his work.

He looked at Su Qianxue.

He had long heard what lay beneath the veil.

Red spots, an ugly girl, the joke of the town.

But so what?

He had been laughed at for over a decade, firewood, leftovers, beatings, a lame donkey—weren't they more hurtful than "ugly"?

At least she was the only one willing to go with him.

In front of the Su Family, when she said "I am willing," it was the first time in his years of crossing over that someone said "yes" to him.

Jiang Chi walked up to her, took a deep breath, and reached to lift the veil.

"I am the ugliest woman in Qingyang City, you know?"

Her voice trembled.

"I know!"

"Aren't you afraid?"

Jiang Chi looked at her.

Afraid? He had many fears.

Afraid he wouldn't live past tomorrow, afraid the System would never work, afraid those villains wouldn't die by his hand, more afraid he couldn't become strong.

But "ugly"? He crouched down to meet her gaze.

"You don't mind that I'm useless, and you came to this poor home with me."

"Why would I mind you?"

As he spoke, he gently lifted the veil.

The veil lifted.

Moonlight poured down, illuminating Su Qianxue.

In an instant.

Jiang Chi was stunned!

He almost doubted his own eyes.

Beneath the veil, there were no red spots, no rumored ugly girl.

Instead, there was a celestial beauty.

Her skin was porcelain white, like a peeled egg.

A delicate nose, red lips, brows like a painting.

Her eyes were astonishingly bright, like stars in the night sky—though filled with tension and fear, they couldn't hide their clarity.

Jiang Chi stood frozen, momentarily forgetting to breathe.

Su Qianxue lowered her head under his gaze, her ears turning red.

"I deceived you."

Her voice was small, as if she had done something wrong.

"During the day... my face is covered with red spots, but at night, they fade away."

Jiang Chi looked at her.

In the moonlight, her face was unbelievably beautiful.

"You must have had a hard time all these years!"

Su Qianxue was taken aback.

She had expected him to ask "why," to ask "what happened."

But he didn't.

He simply said, "It must have been hard."

Her eyes reddened.

"Mother said, on the day I was born, someone did something to me."

Jiang Chi said nothing.

But he remembered it in his heart. "Can it be cured?" he asked.

Su Qianxue hesitated. "Mother said... it requires a Tianshan Snow Lotus and over a dozen rare herbs."

She paused, her voice even softer.

"And... a Grandmaster-level person to help clear my meridians."

After speaking, she lowered her head.

Tianshan Snow Lotus.

Grandmaster.

Either of these words sounded like a fantasy.

Not to mention the Tianshan Snow Lotus, a rare treasure worth a fortune.

Even if he obtained the Tianshan Snow Lotus, where would he find a Grandmaster-level figure?

There wasn't a single Grandmaster in all of Qingyang City.

Jiang Chi was silent for a long time.

"I'll remember."

His voice was calm.

Su Qianxue looked up at him.

She thought he would say "impossible," would say "too difficult."

But he didn't.

At this moment, Jiang Chi had buried the words Tianshan Snow Lotus and Grandmaster deep in his heart.

These were the two mountains he had to cross.

But before that.

He first had to find a way to obtain martial arts techniques.

Seeing Jiang Chi lost in thought.

Su Qianxue slowly stood up.

"You rest first, I'll tidy up the house."

Jiang Chi snapped back to reality.

"No, I'll clean up, you're so frail, I'm used to doing this kind of hard work."

With that, Su Qianxue walked to her bundle, took out a piece of dry food, and handed it to Jiang Chi.

"You eat this first, I'll tidy up the house."

"Too bad there's no water!"

The house, having been uninhabited for years, naturally had no water.

Jiang Chi stood up.

"I'll go fetch water now."

When Jiang Chi entered the courtyard, he had already noticed the empty vat and water bucket.

There was a small river not far away.

"Why don't you eat the cake first before going!"

"No need, I'll be back soon!"

Jiang Chi picked up the water bucket and headed to the river.

Su Qianxue silently tidied up the chaotic house alone.

Before long.

When Jiang Chi returned with water, the house had been cleaned by Su Qianxue, and after wiping it down with clean water, it looked completely different from before.

"Um..."

We are "pawread dot com", find us on google.

Su Qianxue stood at the door, wanting to call Jiang Chi, who was pouring water into the vat, but didn't know what to call him for a moment.

Jiang Chi looked at the beauty leaning against the door in the moonlight, momentarily lost in thought.

"So beautiful!"

"You can call me Jiang Chi, or Brother Chi."

Su Qianxue lightly bit her lip.

"Brother Chi!"

Jiang Chi smiled slightly and nodded, walking toward Su Qianxue.

Then Su Qianxue said.

"When I was tidying up the house, I found this."

With that, Su Qianxue took out an ancient, yellowed book.

Jiang Chi took it and glanced at it.

"Five-Animal Transformation Art!"

[Ding!]

[Host has obtained Martial Dao technique—Five-Animal Transformation Art.]

[System suggestion: Read it and go to sleep immediately.]