"Make sure to take your medicine on time."
"Recently, cut back on physical activities. I've spoken to our neighbors and Yu Rou; just give them a shout if you need anything."
"Don't worry about the scholarly exam this time. With your literary talent, you'll stand out even without official rank or titles. Take the time to recover from your injury."
"That matter... of marriage, wait until your injuries are fully healed before you come to Yan Mansion to discuss it with dad."
It was quite a feat to coax this little heiress back home with a mix of cajoling and deceiving.
When boarding the carriage, she stole a glance at herself before blushing and diving in; she always becomes bashful and looks away whenever marriage is mentioned.
Unlike a lone soul like me, the Yan Family has extremely strict management and family rules. There are restrictions on daily outings and curfews to abide by, not to mention contact with the opposite sex before marriage—if one returns home too late, punishment is inevitable.
If it were not for this, such a naïve and sweet girl…
Ha.
Would have been devoured by me long ago.
Slumped in a chair on the second-floor balcony, if this little ancestor continues her antics, I'll probably end up visiting the doctor again. Throughout the months of my injury, Yu Rou has already sought dozens of doctors for help; I am truly beginning to fear…the murderous gaze of doctors.
Just.
It's a lot for them, traveling all this way to check and fuss over me, only to find out there's nothing wrong after several hours, and on top of that, having to witness a young couple's affection. Once or twice is fine.
Dozens of times, too harmful.
Watching the girl's figure gradually move away, Jiang Feng couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth into a smile. His fiancée might be a bit naggy, but he was actually enjoying the feeling.
In my previous life, I encountered far too many bizarre creatures, which led Mr. Jiang to question life itself and gradually lose trust in marriage and love. This lifetime, learning about the marriage arrangement scared me quite a bit.
But now it seems I was overthinking it. In this backward feudal society, people are inherently more simple, with fewer self-serving individuals and less intrigue.
The smile on his face did not last long, however, as it soon collapsed.
"Sigh."
"We had agreed that after acquiring some titles in this examination, I would marry Yu Rou in a grand ceremony."
"But then those rascals ruined everything and almost got me killed. I wonder if I should postpone the wedding, or just swallow my pride and proceed..."
A troubled frown.
According to Jiang Feng's plans for his life, he should have taken the countryside examination this year, earn a title to prove that he's worthy of marrying Yu Rou.
But now, powerless and without influence, he has no face to approach the Yan Family to fulfill the marriage agreement. Although he knows they are people of their word and will not break their promise, but... can he really bring himself to ask?
He finally recalled the words Liu Xianzi once said to him, a fitting description.
"Pitiful yet boring pride."
Qingshui County is a remote and impoverished place, but it is the largest town locally and is known as "Upper County." With over six thousand households totaling around thirty thousand people, the Yan Family is the most influential clan within hundreds of miles.
The rise of this family who were outsiders to Qingshui County within just a few decades can be attributed to Mr. Yan, Yan Yurou's grandfather.
Mr. Yan once joined the Immortal Sect and upon returning after achieving immortality, he served the government, attaining meritorious achievements. Hence, whether in terms of wealth, status, or foundational strength, using the phrase "punching below one's weight" to describe their presence in the humble Qingshui County is not an exaggeration at all.
The puzzle, however, is why such a figure, blessed with the true teachings of Immortals, did not move to the capital to develop but instead resigned his official position and settled in a small town like this and started a family.
Perhaps because his wife was not a cultivator, Yu Rou's father did not inherit his cultivation talent. Likewise, Yan Yurou did not inherit this talent either. Yet even after Mr. Yan passed away, the family continued to thrive locally.
It's clear how beneficial being part of the Immortal Sect has been for the entire family, a literal case of 'when one man gains the Tao, his poultry and dogs rise to heaven.'
And by a twist of fate.
The entire Yan bloodline now rests solely with Yan Yurou.
He was all too aware of why he had become a target.
To the local gentry and clans, marrying Lady Yan meant marrying into the entire Yan Family, and all its future holdings would fall into the son-in-law's hands, not to mention Yan Yurou herself was exceptionally outstanding.
Skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, she possessed a gentle and kind nature, was cute and handsome in appearance, and her shy yet determined attempts to act grown-up had broken many a man's heart. And all this without mentioning that their arranged childhood engagement had never been made public.
However.
The terrifying pressure weighed mercilessly on the shoulders of this young man, who was only seventeen, since Yan Yurou herself had publicly acknowledged their engagement at her thirteenth birthday feast.
It left him gasping for breath.
In other's eyes, he was a lucky chap, but they were not aware that this so-called lucky man had been subject to all sorts of "accidents," and even open assassination attempts since three years ago.
At the age of fourteen, he nearly had his head chopped off by someone lurking in the bamboo forest during a mountain pilgrimage to honor his ancestors. If not for Uncle Yan being extra cautious, he probably would not have come back alive.
Since then, he had never left the perimeter of Qingshui County.
That was also the reason he shamelessly begged Liu Xianzi to take him on as a disciple.
However, after being rejected, Jiang Feng had no choice but to seek an alternative path. There were other ways to turn his life around and improve his social standing apart from seeking the Immortal Sect, such as entering the imperial bureaucracy.
Although his status could not compare to that of an Immortal, this was the only thing he could achieve through his own efforts. After three years, the young man eventually left Qingshui County with hesitant but lofty aspirations.
Yan Yurou also awaited with great anticipation for the news of her fiancé's successful passing of the imperial examination, as Jiang Feng himself had promised to win honor and acclaim to marry her in a grand manner.
But what arrived unexpectedly was…
Tragic news.
On the way to the examination, a crazed horse dragged the carriage off a cliff, and the seven or eight family warriors sent to protect Jiang Feng were unable to stop it, only able to watch helplessly as the carriage tumbled hundreds of meters down the mountain.
Finally, with the help of wailing and crying Yan Yurou and a group of Government Officials, they were able to drag Jiang Feng out of the shattered carriage.
He was sighing, contemplating the direction his life would take next, when he abruptly furrowed his brow!
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of an approaching carriage, which seemed oddly familiar. Upon closer inspection, he couldn't help but reveal a cold sneer.
"It's him again."
A fierce light flashed in his eyes, and even Jiang Feng himself didn't realize that his personality seemed to have undergone a subtle yet vicious change compared to before.
It was a cold, detached madness.
And the incoming carriage, as if intentionally looking to provoke, was awkwardly positioned right in front of Yan Yurou, forcing the coachman to pull on the reins and emit a "hissing" roar before stopping.
"The same old routine."
He shook his head, his face full of mockery.
"Probably going to give some bullshit like 'What a coincidence,' shower with false pleasantries and praises, then feign concern about my injuries. Upon hearing I'm in good health, I suppose Mr. Xue will be quite disappointed?"
Just as if prophesying, a man emerged from Xue Mansion's carriage even though it was a distance away. Judging from his attire, it was undoubtedly Mr. Xue.
Standing in front of the Yan Family carriage, he performed a courteous bow, seeming quite the gentleman, but the contempt in Jiang Feng's gaze did not diminish. If memory served, their family had been involved in his assassination attempt a few years back.
Stood in the middle of the street, his face earnest as he spoke, anyone could guess that he was probably inviting for a jaunt or a visit to his mansion with some nonsense talk.
"I wonder, how would Yurou usually decline?"
"Hmm… She would probably use the reason of being betrothed, although given Yurou's temperament, she wouldn't be too forceful."
As if to validate his words, the curtain was slightly drawn back, revealing the corner of it. The young lady's expression seemed apologetic as she spoke a few words before shyly retracting her head. Seeing his young mistress uninterested, the coachman also flicked the whip and chose to leave.
Watching his invitation being refused, Mr. Xue angrily swept into the carriage, but from the direction the carriage was heading, it seemed he was off to a place of pleasure.
"The injuries are mostly healed, so..."
"It's time to settle the debts."