Starting as a cowherd, he sought a way to cultivate immortality.

Although he lived outside the city, he had heard a little about Qi Sheng's niece's situation.

She became pregnant out of wedlock at a young age and threatened suicide in front of her boyfriend's house, causing a great uproar throughout Changqing County.

Although the baby in her womb was eventually aborted, Qi Sheng's older brother was so angered that he fell ill and his health completely collapsed.

Qi Sheng's niece became distraught and taciturn as a result. Although she was not a crazy woman, she was not like a normal person either.

Chen Chi shook his head inwardly.

He was truly not worthy of such a marriage.

"Thank you for your kind offer, Steward Qi," Chen Chi said, bowing slightly. "However, please forgive me, but I cannot agree to this."

Qi Sheng's expression immediately changed, and he let out a cold snort.

"What, Chen Chi, do you look down on my niece, Qi Sheng? Or do you despise me altogether?"

Chen Chi suppressed his anger.

From the moment Qi Sheng entered, he kept mentioning how leisurely his life was, and hinting that he could decide on the job of Sun's family's farmhand.

He could easily tell that Qi Sheng was trying to blackmail him into marrying his infamous niece by offering him a cattle-herding job.

"Butler Qi is overthinking it."

Chen Chi explained sincerely, "To be honest, Steward Qi, the reason I disagree with this marriage is because Uncle Qin from the city mentioned a few days ago that he wanted to arrange a marriage for me, and I have already agreed. If I agree to marry your niece now, I won't be able to explain it to Uncle Qin."

"Uncle Qin, where did you get Uncle Qin from?" Qi Sheng asked suspiciously.

"It's Qin Shan, the head constable of the county government," Chen Chi said calmly.

Qi Sheng's expression changed.

He had naturally heard of Qin Shan, the head constable of the county government.

It was unexpected that Chen Chi would be connected with Qin Shan.

If what Chen Chi said is true, since ancient times, the common people have never fought against the officials, and he is not foolish enough to provoke Qin Shan.

Thinking of this, Qi Sheng managed a forced smile.

"Chen Chi, what's your relationship with Officer Qin? Why have I never heard you mention it before?"

"Butler Qi, Uncle Qin was a good friend of my father. He used to come to my house for drinks often."

"I see." Qi Sheng nodded.

He had heard Master Sun mention Qin Shan's love of drinking, and he already believed seven or eight parts of what Chen Chi said.

"Since Officer Qin wants to be the matchmaker, I naturally won't try to take it from him, it's just a pity..."

Chen Chi immediately cupped his hands and said, "With Steward Qi here, I believe your niece will soon find a good match."

Qi Sheng looked at Chen Chi, a fake smile on his face.

"Then I'll accept your kind words."

He stood up and patted Chen Chi on the shoulder.

"Do your job herding cattle well, and if you have the chance, please give my regards to Officer Qin."

"Don't worry, Butler Qi."

Watching Qi Sheng's departing figure, Chen Chi breathed a sigh of relief.

If he doesn't bring up Qin Shan today, he'll probably have a hard time ending things gracefully.

Chen Chi shook his head:

"I was far too shameless before. Uncle Qin would come to see me every year, but I never paid him a visit."

He walked to the kang (a heated brick bed), dug out a clod of earth from the head of the kang, and pulled out a few coins from underneath.

……

Chen Chi arrived in the city before dark.

He first went to the butcher shop and bought three catties of pork, and then bought several boxes of trendy pastries from the pastry shop, spending a total of more than one qian of silver.

Standing in front of Qin Shan's house, Chen Chi hesitated for a moment before stepping forward and knocking on the brass ring on the gate.

A tall, thin servant peeked out from the doorway, sizing up Chen Chi, who was dressed in coarse cloth.

"Who should I look for?"

"My nephew Chen Chi has come to pay his respects to Uncle Qin."

The servant frowned.

"Wait outside the door while I go and inform them."

Before long, the servant who had been giving him the cold shoulder greeted him with a smile and invited him into the house.

"Please come in quickly, my master is already waiting for you in the hall."

At the head of the hall sat a dark-skinned, thin man, none other than Qin Shan.

Beside him was a young man whose face resembled his own; the young man was strong and looked like a martial artist.

As Qin Shan watched Chen Chi step into the hall, his smile grew wider and wider.

"Xiao Chi, you're here, why did you bring anything?"

Chen Chi handed the large piece of meat and pastries to the servant beside him, and respectfully bowed to Qin Shan, saying:

"Uncle Qin, it's already wrong of me not to visit you often, and to come without bringing a little something would be a real disappointment to your years of care."

"It's rare that you're so thoughtful." Qin Shan laughed heartily. "I was planning to visit you in a couple of days, but I didn't expect you to come first."

He pointed to the young man beside him and said:

"Let me introduce you. This is my son, Qin Fufeng. He's two years older than you and is currently studying martial arts at Xingyun Martial Arts School."

"Sigh, your dad used to hold him. Thinking back now, those were truly carefree days."

Chen Chi's heart stirred.

Xingyun Martial Arts School is one of the top martial arts schools in Changqing County, with students passing the martial arts examination for the title of "Martial Arts Scholar" every year.

I wonder what level Qin Fufeng's martial arts skills have reached.

Chen Chi respectfully addressed Qin Fufeng as "elder brother".

Qin Fufeng sat in the chair and gave a faint reply.

Chen Chi was prepared for Qin Fufeng's cold attitude.

Qin Shan, as an elder, would visit him every year, but he had never paid a visit to the Qin family.

In Qin Fufeng's eyes, his father's care and efforts were all wasted on Chen Chi.

Putting himself in Qin Fufeng's shoes, Chen Chi could understand Qin Fufeng's dislike for him.

Qin Shan, as the father, could see the disgust in his son's eyes.

To ease Chen Chi's embarrassment, Qin Shan chuckled and urged Chen Chi to sit down quickly.

"Xiao Chi, this is your first time visiting my home. You're just as stubborn as your father."

"Did you run into trouble this time?"

Chen Chi straightened his expression and told Qin Shan about Qi Sheng's visit to propose marriage.

"My nephew had no choice but to bring up Uncle Qin to drive Qi Sheng away."

After hearing the details, Qin Shan said in a deep voice:

"That Qi Sheng is a real scoundrel. He wants to use his position as the steward to force his unfaithful niece to marry you!"

Xiao Chi, you did the right thing; otherwise, Qi Sheng would never have let you off so easily.

Chen Chi cupped his hands and said, "I'm afraid this will cause trouble for Uncle Qin."

Qin Shan waved his hand: "Don't worry, he's just the Sun family's steward, he wouldn't dare to cross me."

Qin Fufeng, who was standing to the side, glanced at Chen Chi, his eyes filled with even more disgust.

Noticing Qin Fufeng's increasingly hostile gaze, Chen Chi couldn't help but feel worried.

He wants to borrow Uncle Qin's body-strengthening technique. Will Qin Fufeng obstruct him?

Seeing Chen Chi hesitate, Qin Shan asked with concern:

"Xiao Chi, is there something else you need to do?"

Chen Chi took a deep breath and said frankly:

"Uncle Qin, I would like to borrow that body-strengthening technique you have for a while to learn it."

"Why are you learning that?" Before Qin Shan could answer, Qin Fufeng couldn't help but ask coldly.

"Fufeng, be more polite when you talk to Xiaochi," Qin Shan immediately scolded.

"Uncle Qin, please don't talk about my elder brother." Chen Chi smiled.

He looked at Qin Fufeng and then explained:

"Brother, this cowherd job of mine is not a long-term solution. I'm thinking of strengthening my body and learning some martial arts so that I can have more options for myself in the future."

Qin Fufeng's lips curled into a contemptuous smile as he turned to Qin Shan and said:

"Father, he's already nineteen. Even if he learns your 'Savage Bull Body Tempering Technique,' it won't have much effect."

Qin Shan frowned. Although his son spoke impulsively, what he said was true.

"Xiao Chi, physical training emphasizes building up your muscles and bones from a young age. You're only starting now, which is a bit too late."

"Why don't you stop learning my body-strengthening techniques? I'll find you an easy job in the county."

After hearing this, Chen Chi shook his head slightly.

Others may find it difficult to achieve success if they start learning martial arts at their age, but I am destined for great things, and the outcome is still uncertain.

"Uncle Qin, I still want to give it a try."

Qin Fufeng snorted coldly, greatly dissatisfied with Chen Chi's ungratefulness.

"Father, I'm a little tired from martial arts practice today, so I'm going back to my room to rest."

Having said that, he stood up and strode out of the hall.

"You...you..." Qin Shan pointed at Qin Fufeng's back, his body trembling slightly with anger.

"Uncle Qin, don't be angry." Chen Chi quickly stepped forward to help Qin Shan up.

Qin Shan sighed, "The child is growing up and won't listen to reason anymore. Xiao Chi, that's just Fu Feng's personality, don't take it to heart."

Chen Chi cupped his hands respectfully and said, "Uncle Qin, I have been wrong all these years, and it's understandable that my elder brother harbors resentment. How could I possibly be dissatisfied with him?"

Qin Shan smiled with relief: "I'm relieved that you think that way."

"Since you insist on learning the 'Bull Body Tempering Technique,' I'll lend it to you."