In the thirty-third year of Yonghe of the Great Wei Dynasty, on the twelfth day of the twelfth lunar month.
Snow as heavy as goose feathers drifted down from the sky, casting a layer of pale white over the streets and lanes of the Capital City.
The number of pedestrians on the streets was sparse, and even the bustling Vermilion Bird Street at the foot of the Imperial City was sowhat deserted.
However, to the east of Vermilion Bird Street, across two city blocks, the Duke Wuan Mansion was alive with the bang of firecrackers and extraordinary excitent.
"Lord Tong, the esteed county magistrate of Changle, has arrived, bringing a pair of longevity locks and two hundred gold coins."
"Mr. Liu, the Assistant Minister of the Military Departnt has arrived, offering both a famous sword and a famous dao..."
One after another, exquisite and luxurious carriages rolled down Fengtong Street and ca to a steady stop outside the mansion gate.
The thick cotton curtains of the carriages were lifted, and nobles dressed in brocade stepped out, escorted by the steward and young servants of the Marquis Mansion.
"Mr. Liu, today is the birthday celebration for both of Lord Chen's sons— I wonder which young master will be able to grasp the right item during the Grasp Week Ceremony."
"Mr. Yuan, with the martial bloodline of both the Chen and Zhou Houses, will surely manage to secure the sword, dao, and seals, inheriting the Martial Arts legacy."
"What about Young Master Yi?"
"Young Master Yi has commoner blood after all... frail in stature, it'd be good if he could grasp a writing brush."
"If he ends up grasping a handkerchief or so food, we must restrain ourselves to avoid disappointing the Marquis..."
...
At this mont, in the main hall of the Marquis Mansion's central courtyard.
More than a dozen square tables were arranged in a circle, with a few guests scattered around.
In the central area, carpets custom-made from the West Continent were spread out, with several snowy white cranes embroidered on their red background.
Not far away, behind the screen.
A beautiful woman, draped in a snow-white fur coat and wearing an inner blue-pleated skirt, ticulously tightened the jacket of the child in her arms.
"Yi Er, be good, it's cold and you mustn't catch a chill."
"Yiyah."
Chen Yi let his birth mother, Xia Wanwan, make the adjustnts as he gazed beyond the screen with eyes like black jewels.
A year had passed, and he had long realized that he had transmigrated.
This place was unlike his previous world, but a realm called the Tianyuan Continent.
Not only were there imperial courts and the Martial World, scholars and academies, but also demons and monsters that posed a threat to life.
Fortunately, he had outrun 99.9% of the tadpoles in the race and had been reincarnated into the Marquis Mansion.
No longer did he need to worry about food and clothing, nor the threats of demons and monsters.
At this ti, from the discussions of the guests outside, Chen Yi vaguely realized the special significance of this birthday celebration.
However, their voices were low, and he only caught phrases like "Grasp Week Ceremony," "swords, daos, and seals," and "Martial Arts."
"Never mind, I'll aim for the swords and seals during the ceremony, no problem at all."
Unable to deduce the truth, Chen Yi simply put it out of his mind.
With the strength to circumnavigate the chamber ten tis in half an hour, even standing as the eldest for ten seconds posed no problem.
"Mother doesn't ask you to obtain swords and seals, just as long as it's not food, so as not to be laughed at," Xia Wanwan said softly, seemingly also aware of the guests' discussions.
Chen Yi blinked at her, showing a pure and endearing deanor.
Xia Wanwan saw his expression and smiled faintly, thinking it wouldn't matter even if he grasped food, as long as Yi Er lived a peaceful and joyful life.
"Wanwan, why aren't you staying with Sister Wan Yi and the rest?"
At that mont, dressed in pure white brocade, Duke Wuan, Chen Taiping, walked briskly over.
"My husband," Xia Wanwan rose to greet him with a bow, "Sister Wan Yi was worried the children together would be too rowdy."
"Yuan Er is indeed not as well-behaved as Yi Er. Just now, he was teased and made to cry by the second young master of the Old Tong Family."
Hearing Chen Taiping's praise of Chen Yi, Xia Wanwan's eyes brightened with joy.
"Then husband, please remind Sister to take good care of Yuan Er."
"Mm-hm." Chen Taiping pinched Chen Yi's cheek with a large hand, even tugging at it a bit.
"Xiao Yier, don't emulate your elder brother; you mustn't be mischievous and cause trouble, upsetting your mother."
Chen Yi grimaced in pain, turned his head away, and ignored him.
This stepfather of his was nothing like the gentle Xia Wanwan; at tis he was like an ungrown child, while at other tis, very majestic.
Especially when angered, he was fearsoly intimidating.
"Hey, is this little one despising ?"
"Why did you bully Yi Er?" Xia Wanwan chided.
"A father bullying his son is natural and right," Chen Taiping muttered resentfully, then took out a pill bottle from his sleeve.
"Wan Yi prepared this Elixir for Yi Er; it will make him interested in shiny objects during the Grasp Week Ceremony, so don't forget to feed it to him."
"There's an Elixir like this?" Xia Wanwan asked, curious as she took the bottle.
"Yes," Chen Taiping confird with a nod: "The pharmacist of Wan Yi's family ca up with the recipe; the effects are good."
"As long as Yi Er manages to grasp the swords or other martial arts-related items, after wearing them for two years, his constitution will improve by a level, making his subsequent Foundation Establishnt all the more solid."
So that was it.
Only now did Chen Yi clearly understand the purpose of the Grasp Week Ceremony.
But he did not understand why such good things had to be accessed through a Grasp Week Ceremony.
Would it not be better to just give one to every child directly?
"Thank you, husband," Xia Wanwan said quietly, "and extend my thanks to Sister Wan Yi as well."
"Family need not thank each other," Chen Taiping reassured, then glanced outside the door: "Take care of Yi Er for now. Prince Zhenbei should be arriving soon; I'll go out to welco him."
"Take care, my husband."
After Chen Taiping left, Xia Wanwan's brow slightly creased and she let out a sigh.
"I owe her another favor..."
Chen Yi blinked, understanding her feelings at that mont.
The Sister Wan Yi ntioned by Xia Wanwan, nad Zhou Wanyi, was the principal wife of Duke Wuan, Chen Taiping.
She was not just the mistress of the Marquis Mansion but also ca from the Zhou Family, which, like the Chen Family, was a Martial Marquis of the Wei Dynasty.
She was indeed a woman of wealth and nobility.
In contrast, Xia Wanwan's background was from a humble scholarly family in Beizhi.
The reason she was able to marry into the Marquis Mansion was thanks to a twist of fate where she saved the critically injured Chen Taiping.
So no matter the background or resources, Xia Wanwan simply cannot compare to Zhou Wanyi.
This is also why she has always been cautious within the Marquis Mansion, never overstepping.
In fact, not just Xia Wanwan, even Chen Yi, who is a son born on the side, also receives differential treatnt because of this.
For instance, in terms of food, clothing, and living expenses, his eldest brother Chen Yuan is treated better than he is.
However, Chen Yi, with mories from his past life, sees things very clearly.
A person's background is just the beginning of their life's journey; the future relies more on one's self.
After a mont of silence, Xia Wanwan rembered what Chen Taiping had instructed and carefully took out a mung-bean-sized pill and placed it into Chen Yi's mouth.
It dissolved imdiately upon entering.
Even Chen Yi didn't react in ti before the pill had gone down into his stomach.
Helpless.
Even though he didn't need the pill to distinguish between swords and other shiny things, what could he do when he was still a baby?
Seeing that he had swallowed the pill, Xia Wanwan stroked his forehead, "Yi Er, the favor we owe must be repaid. Mommy lacks the ability, so we will rely on you in the future."
Chen Yi stretched out his little hand to touch her face, unable to speak, he could only express his comfort this way.
Xia Wanwan smiled warmly, holding his little hand gently.
"Mommy's fine, as long as Yi Er can grow up, that's better than anything."
"Yi yi ya ya."
"Mm-hmm, I believe Yi Er will surely beco a martial artist like your father."
It's a mystery how Xia Wanwan understood those words from his babbling.
"Giggles..."
However, it wasn't long before Chen Yi could no longer laugh.
To be precise, he was hungry!
An abrupt sense of hunger caused his abdon to cramp, and the dull pain made his entire body tremble slightly.
"There's sothing wrong with that dicine!"
Almost instantaneously, Chen Yi figured everything out. The pill's effect was not to make him interested in shiny things, but to increase his appetite.
Was its purpose to have him choose those food items during the 'grab week' ceremony?
Or perhaps, to make him withdraw from the 'grab week' ceremony altogether?
At the sa ti, Chen Yi also guessed who was behind this—Madam Zhou Wanyi!
Although the pill ca from Chen Taiping, the one who gave it to him was Zhou Wanyi.
And it was only things from her that daddy would not guard against.
"She's so blatantly poisoning , isn't she afraid that I'll cry out?"
Chen Yi bore the hunger, his mind racing.
"What do I do now, cry out or not?"
"Or should I ask for so food to fill my stomach first?"
"The grab week ceremony is about to begin, I..."
Just then, a semi-transparent screen suddenly appeared before his eyes.
[Host has been secretly poisoned with 'Gluttony Pill', a mild toxin, already absorbed, Overturning System activating...]
As these words appeared, Chen Yi felt the hunger rapidly fading away and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
But before he could start studying the screen, new text surfaced.
[One year old, you were secretly poisoned with Gluttony Pill during the grab week ceremony, causing your appetite to increase significantly, leading you to grab a chicken leg.
Not only were you ridiculed by everyone, leaving you with the nickna "Glutton," you also missed the pri opportunity for cleansing your marrow and purifying your veins.
At three years old, you were deed as low-grade during Foundation Establishnt; your prospects in martial arts were dim, and all your living expenses were halved.
At ten years old, you decided to study but developed a strange ailnt where you fell asleep whenever you read, resulting in your expulsion from the academy.
At twenty years old, your fiancée called off your engagent at your coming-of-age ceremony, causing you to lose face imnsely, followed by being disowned from the Chen Family lineage and kicked out of the family ho.
You were left with nothing but the na "useless."
At twenty-five, you suffered verbal humiliation from your older brother Chen Yuan and beca dejected.
Now at thirty, your mother Chen Xia has passed away, you have faced nurous hardships...]
Chen Yi looked at the content on the screen and took a deep breath.
"Is this my life?"
It's not enough to describe it as "miserable" whether it was being frad or being rejected and driven out of ho.
[Host's life trajectory ets the requirents, reward: Late Bloor (Talent)]
[Na: Chen Yi]
[Age: 30]
[Cultivation: None]
[Talent: Late Bloor - The older the bone age, the faster the cultivation progress]
[Rebellion Points: 100/100]
"This Late Bloor talent, based on bone age, doesn't seem to be of much use in the short term, right?"
"After all, my current age is... 30?!"
Chen Yi looked at the screen, then at his own tiny arms and legs, and couldn't help but open his mouth wide.
"System, did you get it wrong?"
"I'm only one year old, one year old!"
However, the screen didn't respond to him at all.
[Consu Rebellion Points, issue Revenge Challenge - Thirty years on the West River, thirty years on the East, do not bully the poor in their midlife!
Please host return to Duke Wu'an Mansion, defeat Chen Yuan, and avenge the humiliation you suffered!
Reward: Beginner in Sword Dao.]
[Note: As Chen Yuan's strength has reached Sixth Grade Returning Origin Realm, the host is given one year to complete the mission.
Failure to complete the mission or exceeding the deadline will result in the host experiencing an even more miserable life!]
Seeing this, Chen Yi was stunned for a mont and couldn't help but babble:
"Damn!"
"This crappy system definitely ca too early!"
"I'm only one year old, what good is the talent of being a Late Bloor to ?"
"And you're expecting to defeat Chen Yuan of the Returning Origin Realm? I..."
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