The man hailed from a remote mountain village, born with a robust constitution—luckily, his mother had borne several children before, working in the fields until the day before giving birth, her body robust; otherwise, she might have faced a difficult delivery, with a risk of hemorrhage, endangering both mother and child.
With an unusually large appetite from birth, he grew rapidly in stature, reaching the height of an average adult before he was ten, possessed with a strength that was intimidating.
In those relatively stable times, he began helping with farm work at a young age. During agricultural downtime, he would learn hunting from the village hunters or sell his labor to do odd jobs for others.
Even with such effort, as he grew older and his appetite increased, it became increasingly difficult to support himself. Coupled with poor harvests, his parents could no longer afford to support the family, reluctantly selling their son, who worked as a laborer, to a tooth merchant, who then sold him to the former county magistrate's county office as a laborer.
And so the story began.
The former county magistrate was a simple man, but his family members were not. He had a widowed sister with an outstanding appearance and demeanor.
Even when she was still unmarried, she was known for her unrestrained behavior, associating with many literati without clear boundaries. Even after marriage, she refused to restrain herself. After her husband's death, she became even more unbridled, no longer concealing her lifestyle, openly maintaining relationships with men, until her husband's family could no longer tolerate it and sent her back.
The former county magistrate was extremely troubled to take her back home.
He repeatedly instructed his sister to behave.
One day, by chance, the man caught the eye of this sister.
Undoubtedly, he possessed a young, robust, fiery, and vigorous body, a stark contrast to the refined style of the literati. With a distant glance, the sister fell in love with the sweaty man working in the labor yard, and became infatuated with him.
This young man, who looked to be around twenty-five or twenty-six but was actually barely sixteen, was thus devoured by her.
The sister took a fancy to him for two years, gradually calming down.
One day, the former county magistrate suddenly discovered that his sister had changed her ways, feeling a sense of unease, realizing that things were not simple.
Then the former county magistrate discovered the matter.
And then the man was sold off by the former county magistrate in anger.
Simultaneously, rumors of scandal also spread—
This man actually managed to tame the "poisonous spider"!
This lad must have extraordinary qualities!
It's worth noting that the sister was famous in her youth as a prominent figure in the Four Treasures County, known for her boldness and rich romantic history. She liked whoever she liked, regardless of their flaws, and paid no attention to anyone she didn't like, even if they were outstanding individuals.
Admirers were as numerous as crucian carp crossing the river.
They all thought they could make her stop in her tracks with their determination. Every time they confidently made this request, the sister would laugh and trample their sincere hearts into mush.
The more they once loved her, the more they came to hate her afterward.
She continued to do as she pleased, impervious to anyone's attempts to control her.
Thus, she acquired the nickname "poisonous spider" before marriage.
It's unclear what her short-lived husband thought about it all.
After her widowhood in her brother's household, she stayed indoors for two whole years, shocking all her old acquaintances when she finally ventured out for provisions. Later, upon inquiry, they learned of the man's existence.
The onlookers: "..."
Their old acquaintances: "..."
They felt a certain sense of humiliation.
Seeing the former county magistrate sell the man off, someone quickly bought him. Afterwards, no one knew exactly what happened, but it was heard that a woman died a bloody death on the bed—how she died was unclear, but the way people looked at the man became even more intriguing.
What was most intriguing was that the government officials did not label him a murderer but simply sold him back to the tooth merchant. It wasn't until the neighboring country invaded, the former magistrate moved away, and the man reappeared in the tooth merchant's possession.
Surprisingly, he was still popular among the women. Many openly or discreetly inquired about him, but he refused to be sold again.
Seeing the duck about to fly out of his hands, the tooth merchant was so infuriated that he had his henchmen beat the man, attempting to force him into submission. However, the man retaliated and broke the henchman's leg, forcing the tooth merchant to care for him.
Later, that tooth merchant's shop closed down, and it fell into the hands of the current peddler.
The peddler treated the man well and didn't mind him freeload off him because the man was a good fighter. His safety during business ventures depended on him. However, the man's enormous appetite was a headache for the peddler.
Shen Tang: "..."
She finally understood those subtle glances—what nonsense were these people filling their heads with? Did they think that was enough?
Little did they know there's always someone stronger.
The peddler asked mysteriously, "Do you know what his name is?"
Shen Tang felt the need to answer this question carefully.
"He didn't say, but I've heard people call him 'Li Li'..."
The peddler smirked meaningfully, making Shen Tang feel a bit PTSD, but she braved it out and asked, "Is there something wrong with the name?"
The peddler inquired, "Do you know what 'Li Li' means?"
Shen Tang replied, "Yes, I do. It's a beast in Gui Mountain, resembling a pig with chicken claws. It's considered one of the friendlier creatures in the Classic of Mountains and Seas."
Who knew—
The peddler: "Do you know what 'Li Li' is good at?"
Shen Tang blinked in confusion: "...Huh?"
It took a moment for Zhai Le to understand, his ears turning red, and his lips twitching—Li Li, known for its adobe work, hence the guess that Li Li was adept at construction projects like building houses, repairing roads, and constructing bridges. Pretty normal.
But—
Who came up with that name!
Once Li Li found out, he was sure to go all out against that person!
As the focal point of the conversation, Li Li showed no sign of embarrassment. Perhaps he was accustomed to these messy rumors and gossip that often elicited meaningful glances. He had no desire to go back with this young gentleman; just the thought of it felt troublesome.
After a while, Qishan finished his conversation and returned. He called out to Shen Tang, who was surrounded by the crowd.
"Shen young sir, what's this about?"
Shen Tang pointed to Li Li. "I want to buy him back."
As Qishan approached, he followed Shen Tang's gesture and looked over. When he caught sight of that face, he paused for a moment, his pupils momentarily shrinking!
He blinked, and his gaze shifted away.
Qishan asked Shen Tang softly, "Why do you want to buy him?"
Shen Tang complained, "He pushed me! And he hit my pig!"
It sounded like a very arbitrary reason.
Li Li: "..."
Ah, the literary flair of scholars.
Qishan didn't know what had happened, but he knew Shen Tang wasn't unreasonable. If she wanted to buy him, so be it. Like Shen Tang, Qishan ignored the man's objections and directly negotiated the price with the peddler.
The peddler hesitated, looking at the man who seemed angry. He held up five fingers. "Five taels!"
This price was quite steep!
Shen Tang decisively countered, "Two taels!"
The peddler shook his head. "Two taels won't do!"
But Shen Tang insisted on this price.
In the end, she added, "Just two taels! If you agree, I can buy ten more... even if they're a bit more expensive."
Wu Hui only cost three taels.
How could this man ask for five!
The peddler: "???"
Li Li, ignored, stood up angrily. He didn't care about the deal and intended to leave on his own, but Qishan kept an eye on him.
He murmured, "Returning from afar, the fewer the smiles..."
Li Li's footsteps halted, and he slowly turned around.
His gaze was more compelling than ever before.