Yunhe City, under the jurisdiction of Qingxiao Immortal Sect on the Canglan Continent, was a remote town where most of the residents were martial artists trained from childhood. Strength was respected above all else, and only those with real power were acknowledged.
Yunhe City was especially lively today. Its streets were crowded with people, the waiters at the teahouses worked hard to attract passing customers, and the halls inside were filled with chatter and laughter. Yet the main topic of discussion revolved around a single person.
"Have you noticed that more than a dozen doctors have gone in and out of Gu Manor over the past two days?""I heard from Physician Lin, who went to Gu Manor, that the third young master of the Gu family has some strange incurable illness. Physician Qiu even mentioned signs of poisoning. But everyone says he tried to kill himself by slitting his wrist."
"This coward should just be left to die. It's truly shameful to resort to suicide so easily. The madam of Gu Manor is kind-hearted, otherwise who would bother saving him?""I remember Gu Tianchen just got married recently.
What happened?""Isn't it because of the marriage? Gu Tianchen fell for someone from the Song family. Everyone in Yunhe City knew he wanted the eldest daughter of the Song family, but in the end, he married a concubine-born child from Song Manor instead."
"What's wrong with a concubine-born child? Gu Tianchen wants to become a cultivator, but he simply can't. He was found to have five spiritual roots.
Qingxiao Immortal Sect deemed him unqualified to become a disciple, which makes him no different from a useless person. The Song family is the head of the four great families in Yunhe City, so of course they refused to give him their legitimate daughter."
"He's not even as good as us. Even without spiritual roots, we can still practice martial arts. The eldest daughter of the Song family is already a third-level martial artist. Gu Tianchen's ambition is like a toad trying to eat swan meat."
"You may not know this, but the Song family's shuanger was born extremely ugly and has been kept in the backyard all year round."
"I also heard he has a green face and fangs, as frightening as a Shura Yaksha. His fate is probably just as bad as his appearance. How could he possibly live well after marrying Gu Tianchen?""No wonder things turned out like this."
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Gu Tianchen stared at the pear blossom carvings on the bed frame.Although such things were unfamiliar to him, the memories that had merged into his mind made everything feel strangely familiar.Originally, he had been a cultivator from Tianyun Continent.
During a journey through the mountains, fate took an unexpected turn when he was struck by lightning. When he woke up again, he had become someone from another continent who had only recently died.After merging with the original owner's memories, Gu Tianchen learned that he was now on the Canglan Continent.
Here, only the cultivators of Qingxiao Immortal Sect existed, while ordinary people practiced martial arts.Martial artists were divided into the acquired and innate realms, each containing nine levels.
Even those who reached the highest levels could only live around three hundred years. By then, most were already nearing the end of their lifespan. Compared to a cultivator at the ninth level of Qi Condensation, these martial artists were not even worth a glance. Because of this, Qingxiao Immortal Sect stood as the supreme existence in the eyes of the people here.
The sect's selection was held once every ten years, giving people a chance to leap over the dragon gate. If a person possessed spiritual roots, they might be accepted by the elders of Qingxiao Immortal Sect. However, because the spiritual energy on Canglan Continent was so thin, the so-called Qingxiao Immortal Sect only had a few Core Formation masters, while the "immortals" revered by ordinary people were merely Foundation Establishment cultivators.
The young man whose body he had entered shared his exact name. Even their appearance was seventy percent alike. He was the third son of an ordinary martial family.
Born into such a family, the original Gu Tianchen had been judged physically unsuited for martial arts since childhood. Even so, Father Gu had once doted on him greatly.
Gu Tianchen's biological mother came from the declining Su family, which had once produced a clan member with three spiritual roots. His father, Gu Zheng, had hoped that this bloodline would give his son spiritual roots and allow the Gu family to benefit by sending one of their own into Qingxiao Immortal Sect.
But fate had played a cruel joke during the most recent grand selection.Gu Tianchen, burdened with the unfortunate talent of five spiritual roots, became the laughingstock of Yunhe City.
Meanwhile, Gu Tianyu, the second young master of the Gu family, possessed wood, earth, and metal spiritual roots, and was immediately accepted as a registered disciple.Weak in body and poor in spiritual roots, Gu Tianchen became a target of ridicule throughout Yunhe City.
His misfortune only grew when his mother fell seriously ill and died within a month.Though he was the son of a concubine, Gu Tianchen had once lived comfortably under his father's favor. But after his father's hopes were shattered overnight, he too was forgotten by the entire Gu family.
And then, just like that, the young master Gu Tianchen died..Gu Lei entered the room carrying a tray.
When he saw that the person on the bed was awake, he curled his lips into a smile and said, "Young master, you're finally awake.
Our madam was generous enough to summon nearly every doctor in Yunhe City over the last two days just to save you. Please don't try to slit your wrist again."Gu Tianchen looked at him coldly.
Gu Lei had grown up by the original owner's side. Back when Gu Tianchen had still been favored, Gu Lei had been obedient and flattering. But the moment Gu Tianchen lost his status, the servant's attitude changed immediately.Although Gu Lei was still the original owner's only servant, he no longer addressed Gu Tianchen with much respect, and his tone had become openly unruly. It was obvious that staying in Qingzhu Courtyard to serve him had not been his choice.Supporting himself with both hands, Gu Tianchen slowly sat up and took a few breaths.
This body had been born weak and was now seriously ill, making it even harder to adapt to than he had expected. Gu Tianchen found it difficult to adjust to such frailty.Seeing his hesitation, Gu Lei placed the tray on the table and said, "Since young master is awake, drink the medicine while it's still hot. A lot of valuable medicinal herbs were used for it.
"Bring me something to eat," Gu Tianchen said after catching his breath, completely ignoring Gu Lei's attitude."Alright, young master. Just remember to drink the medicine." Gu Lei replied before leaving the room..Holding onto the bedpost, Gu Tianchen got out of bed and walked to the table.
He picked up the bowl of black medicinal decoction and sniffed it, a dark glint flashing through his brown eyes.This medicine contained an herb capable of neutralizing hundreds of poisons. However, although it could detoxify, it was also poisonous itself. Even if the original owner had survived after consuming too much of it, he would either have become crippled or spent the rest of his life bedridden.
Gu Tianchen had long suspected that the original owner had been poisoned, and this bowl of medicine confirmed it. He did not know how much of it this body had already been fed over the last two days, but it explained why he had immediately sensed that something was wrong the moment he woke up.
From Gu Lei's earlier words, Madam Zhao, the mistress of Gu Manor, had invited nearly all the doctors of Yunhe City over the past two days. If a martial artist had a physical problem, they would normally seek an apothecary or pharmacist. Only mortals would consult ordinary doctors.On the surface, Madam Zhao's actions made it seem as though she had treated Gu Tianchen with kindness and care.
But in truth, she was reminding everyone that Gu Tianchen was nothing more than an ordinary person.At the same time, she was distancing herself from Gu Tianchen's poisoning. Combined with Gu Lei's warning not to slit his wrist again, it was clear that everyone in Yunhe City believed Gu Tianchen had attempted suicide.
Gu Tianchen poured the medicinal decoction into the potted plant beneath the window.Just then, Gu Lei, who had gone out to fetch food, returned.Gu Tianchen sat down at the table, picked up the bowl of porridge, and ate slowly.
In his previous life, Gu Tianchen had long been used to fasting as a cultivator. But this mortal body could not withstand hunger, and the warm porridge immediately soothed his stomach.
Standing nearby, Gu Lei watched him curiously.
The young master today seemed different from before, though he could not say exactly what had changed.When he saw that Gu Tianchen had nearly finished eating, Gu Lei smiled and said, "Young master, don't you hate your newlywed wife the most? While you were unconscious, madam had already punished him on your behalf."