In the courtyard.
A spring breeze carried a hint of chill, and Xia Chen's heart couldn't find peace.
The Empress—the most formidable figure in the [Great Unification] era—held the world in awe, with the eight wildernesses bowing before her. She gathered the realm's qi yun, establishing laws for eternity!
With the qi yun of Great Unification, she built divine temples and, with grand ambition, made a vow to the Heavenly Dao, forcibly transforming the Dawu Dynasty into a qi yun dynasty ahead of its time. Within Dawu's borders, qi yun suppressed all.
From then on, those not subjects of Dawu were deemed heretics, their cultivation slowed. Meanwhile, those holding Dawu official ranks could borrow varying degrees of the dynasty's qi yun based on their rank, accelerating their progress.
All the world's talents were ensnared!
"This lasted until the [Spiritual Energy Revival and Fusion of Myriad Worlds] phase, when the Empress vanished, Dawu's qi yun collapsed, and the Great Unification crumbled. Only then were the world's talents freed from Dawu's suppression.
But once Pandora's box was opened, there was no going back. Thereafter, every dynasty's ruler mimicked the Empress, using qi yun to dominate their realms. Dynasty qi yun became a tonic for cultivation—the higher the rank, the faster the progress, with the ruler reaping the greatest rewards…"
Xia Chen carefully recalled the later plot. In his past life, he'd treated this world as a game, paying little attention early on, skimming through much of it.
But when the [Fusion of Myriad Worlds] version began and this world became the main reality, everything turned real. Players lost their immortality, and he realized something was amiss.
"I've never heard of the Empress having a fiancé!"
Xia Chen shook his head, sifting through his memories, trying to piece together the current situation from later events. Unfortunately, by the time he entered this world in his past life, it was the early [Great Unification] era. No one knew what the Empress—still the Second Princess during Emperor Wen's reign—had experienced.
"Wait—during the Great Unification era, the Marquis of Zhendong's household still shone brilliantly, radiating splendor, producing talents in abundance. My dear brother Xia Hao became the Pillar of the Empire, Dawu's sharpest spear in its conquests, earning illustrious merits.
The Empress, with her grand vision, broke ancestral traditions to name my brother Xia Hao the King of Zhendong.
Yet rumors swirled in the streets that Xia Hao's kingship wasn't due to his merits, but rather his personal bond with the Empress.
When the Empress was a hidden dragon trapped in the abyss, she came within a step of marrying Xia Hao!
But in the end, she was betrothed to an ordinary scion of the Marquis of Zhendong's household. Ultimately, this scion fell in battle during the Coup of the Gate, blood staining the ground. After the Empress ascended the throne, the matter of the betrothal faded into obscurity…"
Xia Chen had always dismissed these tales as mere gossip, fabricated by those seeking to tarnish the Empress and the King of Zhendong.
But now, it seemed they might hold truth. The Empress did have a past with the Marquis of Zhendong's household—and that unnamed ordinary scion, forgotten by history, was him—Xia Chen.
"So I'm just a dark stain, an unspeakable past that tarnishes the Empress's radiant image, unworthy even of a name."
Xia Chen laughed bitterly, but deep in his eyes, the double pupil phenomenon flickered again. His pupils merged like the sun and moon, radiating wisps of chaotic qi, a cold glint flashing within.
"So my storyline ends at the Coup of the Gate. No wonder I never heard in my past life of a legitimate son named Xia Chen in the Marquis of Zhendong's household—or that the dazzling Pillar of the Empire, Xia Hao, had an older brother!"
Xia Chen's expression settled back into calm, like the still waters of an abyss, without a ripple.
He stepped into the house and donned a set of ornate robes. The courtyard once had maids, but after he turned twelve, the household removed them all.
It wasn't that they saw him as young and bullied him—every scion of the household faced the same rule. Before reaching the Eighth-Rank, martial practitioners were forbidden from losing their virginity.
Yet martial training fueled their vigor, and with beautiful maids constantly nearby, it was all too easy to taste forbidden fruit and jeopardize their future.
As Xia Chen stepped out of the courtyard, a beautiful woman in a jade-green silk dress, about sixteen years old, approached with graceful steps.
"Bizhu!"
Xia Chen recognized her.
"Young Master Three, the First Master and Lady have summoned you."
Bizhu stopped before Xia Chen, offering a respectful bow. She bore no arrogance or disdain, unlike the spoiled servants of television dramas who might scorn this overlooked young master.
"I understand!"
Xia Chen nodded and followed Bizhu, his eyes catching her swaying, curvaceous figure. A rush of qi and blood surged within him, and he struggled to keep his impulses in check. He quickly averted his gaze—just after his breakthrough, his qi and blood were at their peak.
Bizhu, a maidservant of the household's matriarch Cui Mengrou, was someone Cui had planned to assign to Xia Chen's courtyard once he reached the Eighth-Rank, to tend to his daily needs.
Xia Chen distracted himself by mentally mapping the household's relationships. The Marquis of Zhendong's lineage had endured for 600 years, but now its legitimate line consisted of only three branches.
The old Marquis, Xia Chutian, now 86, still brimmed with vigor despite his age. Yet he no longer managed household or court affairs, focusing instead on secluded cultivation, aiming for a higher rank.
The old Marquis had three sons: the eldest, Xia Qián—the First Master Bizhu spoke of; the second, Xia Yuan, Xia Chen's father, known as the Second Master; and the third, Xia Han, the Third Master.
The household was currently governed by the First Master Xia Qián,Marquis of Anwu Xia Qián.
Upon entering, he saw a stern-looking middle-aged man seated in the main chair, beside a woman in her thirties, well-preserved and exuding refined elegance.
"Uncle, Aunt!"
Xia Chen entered the hall and bowed respectfully.
"Chen'er, we're family—there's no need for such formality!"
（Translator's Note:Chen'er: A affectionate nickname for Xia Chen used by elders, where "er" reflects a common Chinese suffix conveying warmth and familiarity, akin to "Johnny" for "John" in English.) www.02readnovel.com
Xia Qián smiled, gesturing for Xia Chen to rise. The beautiful lady beside him chimed in.
"Chen'er, it's been a while since you've come to my courtyard for a meal. Could it be that, hearing your parents are returning, you've grown distant from your aunt?"
Cui Mengrou playfully chided Xia Chen, her eyes brimming with charm, radiating the allure of a mature woman. Cui Mengrou, the matriarch of the Xia family, had cared for and raised Xia Chen since childhood, treating him as her own…
"Aunt, lately Chen'er has been training hard in martial arts, so I've been neglectful!"
Xia Chen smiled and approached, sitting beside Cui Mengrou. Warmth swelled in his heart. Though his birth mother had ignored him for years, pouring all her love into her second son, his uncle and aunt had treated him well. They never looked down on him for his crippled physique. Growing from a three-year-old in the household without hardship was thanks to Xia Qián and Cui Mengrou's care.
Hearing Xia Chen mention his martial training, both Xia Qián and Cui Mengrou's expressions dimmed, a silent sigh passing between them.
A crippled physique could train, but great achievements were nearly impossible in this lifetime. Even a hundredfold effort yielded scant results.
Xia Qián and Cui Mengrou asked what Xia Chen still needed, and the three chatted warmly, like a true family.
"Your father earned great merit in Donghuang, and the Emperor granted a betrothal, assigning the Second Princess to you. You've heard of this, yes? What do you think?"
After the pleasantries, Xia Qián got to the point.
"I just learned of it!" Xia Chen nodded, his expression turning serious.
"Is there any room to maneuver in this matter?"
Xia Chen didn't want to marry the princess. To outsiders, wedding a princess was an immense honor, but for the household and himself, it was merely icing on the cake—if not a slight burden.
Especially since she was the future Empress—that made it even less desirable!