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

Before we knew it, the end of the month had arrived, and the weather was finally not so hot anymore.

While herding cattle, Chen Chi practiced the Wild Bull Body Tempering Technique several times in the fields.

Sweat dripped slowly down his cheeks as Chen Chi unleashed his final move.

【Bull Tempering Technique】

[Proficiency (168/3000)]

Chen Chi wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked at the old yellow ox that was grazing with its head down not far away.

These two old oxen are quite old and are becoming increasingly slow.

I don't know if we'll be able to plow the fields next spring, given how they look.

Chen Chi shook his head and shouted loudly.

The two old oxen swayed back home, and he followed behind them at a leisurely pace.

When the man and the two cows returned to the cattle pen, the sun was already high overhead.

Chen Chi added water to the basin as usual and closed the gate.

Standing in front of the water vat, he scooped up a ladle of water and washed his face.

Today is the end of the month and payday, so he has to go to Master Sun's house.

The Sun family's house was located south of the county town, not close to the thatched cottage; it took about half an hour to walk there.

After arriving in the city, Chen Chi walked for a while and saw a wedding procession passing through the street in the distance.

"Looks like today is a good day," Chen Chi thought.

He rushed to the Sun family's house and, familiar with the route, headed towards the northwest corner of the outer courtyard.

The Sun family's accounting office is located here.

"Manager Wang." Chen Chi entered the accounting room and bowed.

The white-bearded old man, who was typing away on his abacus, raised his head and squinted at Chen Chi.

"It's Chen Chi," Manager Wang said in a hoarse voice. "I didn't expect you to come at this time."

Chen Chi looked puzzled: "Steward Wang, what's going on at this time?"

Manager Wang glanced sideways at Chen Chi.

"Isn't it because you're stupid? You turned away a great opportunity for marriage."

Today, Li Youcai and Qi Sheng's niece are getting married, and many farmhands have gone to join in the fun.

I've heard Qi Sheng say that his niece is a beautiful, virtuous, and capable woman. Tsk tsk... Chen Chi, you'll regret this one day."

Chen Chi's lips twitched; he didn't know how to explain this to Steward Wang.

Manager Wang laboriously pulled out a roster from a stack of account books, opened it, and began searching for Chen Chi's name.

"Now that I'm getting old, I can't even remember which page a name is on..." Manager Wang murmured.

After flipping through four or five pages, he flipped back two pages before finding Chen Chi's name and marking it with a pen.

After that, he started using the abacus again.

Seeing that Chen Chi was still standing there, Steward Wang gave him a strange look.

Why aren't you leaving yet?

Chen Chi smiled helplessly: "Manager Wang, you haven't paid me my wages yet."

Manager Wang suddenly realized.

"Look at my muddle-headed brain."

As he spoke, he took the key from his waist and opened the drawer behind the counter.

One tael of silver was handed to Chen Chi.

After thanking Steward Wang, Chen Chi left the accounting office.

"Manager Wang is incredibly muddle-headed; he should go home and retire," Chen Chi thought as he walked through the house.

The Sun family had two or three stewards who were all quite old. Qi Sheng tried to get rid of them several times, but the Sun family stopped him each time.

Chen Chi had been herding cattle for the Sun family for many years and knew that Master Sun was a rare kind and honest man, but the other members of the Sun family were completely different from him.

Just as Chen Chi was about to step out of the Sun family's gate, he heard someone calling his name from behind.

Looking back, I saw that it was Chen Erhu running over.

"Brother Chi, Li Youcai is getting married! Let's go watch the fun!" Chen Erhu exclaimed excitedly. "I know where he lives!"

"Have all the dry rations been delivered today?" Chen Chi asked.

Chen Erhu nodded and pulled Chen Chi outside.

He leaned close to Chen Chi's ear and whispered, "Come on, let's go see the bride you almost married."

Chen Chi slapped Chen Erhu on the back of the head: "Don't talk nonsense."

Chen Erhu chuckled and insisted on dragging Chen Chi to Li Youcai's house.

Chen Chi thought about it and agreed.

He was actually quite curious about Qi Sheng's "virtuous" niece, wondering if she was really crazy.

Chen Erhu delivered meals to the Sun family's long-term workers in and around the city today, walking more than ten miles, yet he was still lively and energetic.

Along the way, he told Chen Chi about the recent events.

"Young Master Sun took another concubine the day before yesterday. When Master Sun found out, he had a big argument with him, and I heard they almost came to blows."

A maid was caught stealing the mistress's jewelry and was severely whipped by the mistress. If it weren't for Master Sun's arrival to stop her, the maid would probably have been whipped to death.

Manager Zhang's wife gave birth to a big, healthy son. When others came to congratulate him, he had a stern face and chased them all away. I don't know what got into him.

... "

Amidst laughter and conversation, Chen Erhu led Chen Chi through a maze of turns, eventually entering a small alley.

At the entrance of a dilapidated courtyard, many city dwellers were craning their necks to look into the courtyard.

"That's Li Youcai's house," Chen Erhu pointed.

The two approached and, amidst the complaints of those around them, laboriously squeezed into Li Youcai's yard.

"Bowing to Heaven and Earth!" someone shouted from inside the house.

Chen Chi stood on tiptoe to look and saw the tall Li Youcai in a red wedding robe, with no smile on his face.

Opposite Li Youcai, Qi Sheng's niece, with her hair in a high bun and dressed in a wedding gown, looked calm.

The two turned around, facing outside, and knelt down to pay their respects.

"He's really good-looking, Brother Chi," Chen Erhu whispered.

Chen Chi nodded.

Qi Sheng's niece has beautiful features, fair skin, and a slender figure; she is definitely a beauty.

It's truly heartbreaking that such a woman was abandoned after becoming pregnant.

Meanwhile, the neighbors who had come to watch the spectacle whispered among themselves in the courtyard, their gazes toward the bride and groom a mixture of mockery, disdain, and pity.

"You know what, the Qi family's daughter is really pretty."

"If he weren't handsome, would he have done something like that?"

"This kind of slut is a disgrace."

"Li Youcai has no shame whatsoever..."

After the two got up, Qi Sheng's niece showed a silly smile on her face.

"Bowing to the parents a second time!"

Li Youcai turned around, but the bride remained frozen in place.

Qi Sheng, who was standing inside the house, saw this and quickly stepped forward to say a few words. Only then did the bride slowly turn around.

Li Youcai's mother sat at the top, a faint smile barely showing on her wrinkled face.

"Let's go." Chen Chi didn't want to look anymore.

Today's marriage is a great pain for Li Youcai and his mother.

This is also true for Qi Sheng's niece.

Chen Erhu reluctantly looked away and followed Chen Chi out of Li Youcai's house.

"Brother Chi, why are we leaving so soon? I wanted to see them bow to each other." Chen Erhu asked, puzzled.

Chen Chi shook his head: "Erhu, do you think getting married should be a happy or sad occasion?"

"Of course I'm happy. I'll be overjoyed when I get married in the future."

"Look at the two of them, is the groom happy? Is the bride happy?"

Chen Erhu scratched his head.

"I'm not happy."

"That wasn't a wedding, it was..."

Chen Chi hesitated for a moment, then patted Chen Erhu on the shoulder.

"Alright, I should go back now. If you have nothing else to do, hurry back to the village."

Chen Erhu nodded.

……

Two months later, the autumn air was crisp and clear.

Fang Yong, a servant of Qin Shan's household, brought news to Chen Chi that Qin Fufeng had ranked sixth in the county-level martial arts examination and had passed the examination to become a martial arts scholar.

Qin Shan was overjoyed and hosted a banquet at his home, inviting all his relatives and friends to celebrate with Qin Fufeng.

Upon hearing this, Chen Chi couldn't help but marvel at Qin Fufeng's remarkable abilities. Among the many martial arts students in Changqing County each year, he was able to surpass everyone and win the title of Martial Arts Scholar.

"The master said you shouldn't bring any gifts, and even if you did, he wouldn't accept them," said the servant Fang Yong.

Chen Chi was taken aback for a moment, then nodded.

Since Qin Shan has said so, it's best for him not to go against it.

He carried two bundles of hay to the old ox in the cattle pen, and after everything was arranged, he set off for the Qin family.

Upon entering the Qin residence, Chen Chi looked around and saw Qin Fufeng standing among five or six young people, surrounded by admirers.

Qin Fufeng was dressed in white today, and as he listened to the praise from others, his face was full of pride and high spirits.

"Xiao Chi, you're here." Qin Shan walked over with a smile.

"Uncle Qin," Chen Chi bowed respectfully, "My elder brother passed the imperial martial arts examination with flying colors; your teaching was truly excellent!"

Upon hearing this, Qin Shan's eyes narrowed into slits with laughter.

"You're right, kid. Without your Uncle Qin pushing your older brother to practice martial arts since he was little, where would he get his skills today?"

His words were filled with joy and pride.

"Your older brother is over there. Go over and say a few words to him." Qin Shan patted Chen Chi on the shoulder and winked at him.

Chen Chi nodded.

Qin Shan wanted him to congratulate Qin Fufeng in order to mend their relationship.

He had to give it a try, no matter what.

He walked up to Qin Fufeng and bowed with his hands clasped in greeting.

"Congratulations, elder brother, on passing the martial arts examination and becoming a scholar."

The young men beside Qin Fufeng stopped talking and looked at Chen Chi, who was dressed in coarse cloth, with obvious contempt in their eyes.

"Chen Chi congratulates his elder brother and wishes him to go even further and pass the imperial examination for martial arts with flying colors soon."

Qin Fufeng frowned, his gaze falling on Chen Chi, then glancing at Qin Shan, who was standing a little distance away looking in his direction.

He nodded and said calmly:

Thank you.

Those two short words conveyed a sense of alienation to Chen Chi.

Chen Chi forced a smile:

"I won't disturb you any longer, brother. You two continue your conversation."

Qin Fufeng remained silent, his expression cold as he watched Chen Chi turn and walk away.

"Fufeng, is he a relative of yours? Why is he dressed so poorly?" someone asked curiously.

Qin Fufeng snorted coldly:

"He's not a relative of mine, he's just a nephew that my father adopted."

Upon hearing this, the people around him quickly changed the subject and continued to praise Qin Fufeng.

After returning to Qin Shan's side, Chen Chi shook his head.

Qin Shan sighed softly.

"Forget it, we can't force this."

"Xiao Chi, find a place to sit down first. I need to attend to the guests."

Chen Chi sat in a corner of the banquet, his gaze fixed on Qin Fufeng, who was now chatting and laughing again.

There was something Chen Chi didn't tell Qin Shan.

It's an obvious fact that Qin Fufeng looks down on him.

But deep down, he didn't have much respect for this older brother.

This is what it means to be mutually disgusted by each other.