The establishment of the Celestial Dynasty began with the bestowal of the title upon the River God.

The Li family courtyard was decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers.

The lamps were torches standing on either side, and the decorations were two strips of red paper pasted on the door frame.

Li Yi stood in front of the tiled house. The east room was where the two elders lived, and the west room was their wedding room.

Like many elderly women in this small mountain village, the bride in the house was also bought.

Normally, people are in high spirits when they have a happy occasion, but Li Yi couldn't feel happy at all when he looked at the beautiful figure in the room illuminated by candlelight.

Born under the red flag and raised in the spring breeze, Li Yi deeply abhorred the human trafficking, so this matter was certainly not something to be "happy" about.

Although I have been in this land for more than a year, I only learned about these things in Li Family Village yesterday. I have spent most of the past year in the army, so I am not familiar with village affairs, let alone the two elders.

Regardless, the facts are undeniable, and they must be addressed.

He pushed open the door, first casting a helpless glance at the crack in the door to the east, and only entered the bridal chamber after the door to the east room was closed tightly.

The beautiful woman sat on the edge of the bed, dressed in a simple bright red ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), with a red cloth veil covering her head and a shawl over her shoulders, but without embroidery or trim, simply resting neatly on her shoulders.

The oil lamp illuminated a pair of slender, jade-like fingers, which were stiffly placed on her lap, creating many wrinkles in her ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress).

If a woman is abducted, she would usually make a scene. Was she disciplined by her parents?

Could it be that she really sold herself willingly? But that doesn't seem likely.

Li Yi stepped to the table, reached for the scales on it, and paused.

Using a scale rod to lift the veil symbolizes the ability to distinguish right from wrong, and also signifies satisfaction.

It seems rather ridiculous in today's context.

Li Yi withdrew his right hand, pinched the tip of the red cloth between his middle and index fingers, and slowly lifted the veil.

Her two red lips were slightly pursed, standing out starkly against her slightly sickly complexion; her breathing was disordered beneath her pert nose.

When the veil was lifted completely, a pair of bright, sharp almond-shaped eyes stared stubbornly at Li Yi.

Li Yi stared in amazement for a moment, thinking, "If those eyes were used to look at relatives and friends, they would be very bright and beautiful."

Looking down at the woman's hands again, her ten fingers seemed to be digging into her flesh.

Admittedly, Li Yi's heart raced a little when the veil was lifted, showing that the woman's resistance had cooled his passionate blood.

Fine, they were going to be sent away anyway.

Li Yi pulled up the wooden stool and sat down, glanced back at the doorway, then turned back and whispered:

"I'm sorry to trouble you. Just stay here for a while. I'll go back to my unit soon and find a way to bring you down the mountain."

Seeing a strange glint in the woman's beautiful eyes, Li Yi quickly added, "Oh, Qifeng County. I'll give you some travel expenses then; as for what you plan to do with it, that's up to you."

He glanced at the woman's dry, red lips, picked up the teapot, poured the tea into a cup until it was about eight-tenths full, and handed it to her, saying, "Have my parents treated me badly? Have some, it's just water; we can't brew wine in this poor, remote place."

He got up and said, "It's late, get some rest. Don't worry, if I were to insult you, I wouldn't bother saying these things."

The woman loosened her grip on her legs a little, looked at Li Yi with a complicated expression for a while, then took the water cup, drank it all in one gulp, took off her embroidered shoes, and lay down on the wooden bed.

It's alright, we can communicate.

Li Yi smiled, turned around and bolted the door, then extinguished the oil lamp, went to the bedside, bent down, pressed his hands against the edge of the bed twice, and paused for a moment.

"Damn it, why isn't it making a sound?"

He muttered something under his breath and tried to pry open the wooden bed twice more, but the bed remained motionless.

Li Yi subconsciously looked at the woman and saw her tilt her head, a faint smile flashing across her lips.

It was a little awkward and embarrassing, but since I couldn't pull off a trick, it was time to go to sleep as it was getting late.

Li Yi, wrapped in his new clothes, tucked the quilt in, and slowly lay down next to the woman, offering a cryptic explanation: "Winter is almost here, and this is my room, so I have to sleep in the bed too."

I waited and waited, but there was no response.

Li Yi suddenly realized something, stared at the roof beam, and asked, "Are you mute?"

There was still no response, so it seems so.

Li Yi closed his eyes, not knowing how much time had passed, but the scent of perfume lingered around him, making it difficult to fall asleep.

A year ago, he touched that scroll and was inexplicably drawn into this world. He wandered into the deep mountains and was taken in by an old man who was out hunting. Not long after, he was sent to the county town as a soldier and spent a year there. When he returned home, he found that he had a wife.

It's so unpredictable.

Li Yi glanced at the beautiful woman beside him and suddenly felt a sense of shared misfortune.

"I wonder how my parents are doing..."

The thought of his parents' devastating grief over his disappearance brought tears to Li Yi's eyes.

In the end, he was only twenty years old, inexperienced in the ways of the world, still just a little kid.

"I've heard that there are many skilled warriors in the army who can split stone tablets, and the incense at the City God's temple is always burning brightly, it's very efficacious; who knows, maybe there really are gods in this world, and one day..."

Li Yi's brow relaxed a bit, and he murmured, "Lord Du has imparted the secret formula for breathing exercises. I'll prepare some meat tomorrow and try it out—I'll start as a martial artist for now."

Zhang Junyi was also awake. Hearing the man's soft whispers beside her, she couldn't help but smile, then let out a short sigh, thinking to herself:

"Let alone mastering martial arts, or absorbing the five elements of Qi, or opening a single acupoint to break through the mortal body, if you can truly experience 'external sensation' on the same day, I won't feel wronged. It's just that, little brother—"

The beautiful woman's face showed hatred. "Zhang Lingbao is vicious. After returning home and reporting my bad news, he might even return to this mountain village to make sure I'm trapped before he feels at ease..."

"Young Master Li is kind-hearted. If Zhang Lingbao discovers that I might escape, I'd rather die than harm innocent people."

"It would be better to escape tomorrow and then be caught by this family. Making a scene would relieve Zhang Lingbao's worries; however, if I did that, the villagers would definitely keep a close watch on me, and I would have to give up my dream of cultivating immortality and be trapped in this mountain village for the rest of my life..."

Thinking of this, Zhang Junyi secretly shed tears, soaking half of her pillow.

The two newlyweds each had their own thoughts, but the cramped new bed was simply not enough for them to toss and turn, and they spent the night in a daze.

I go to bed very late, but wake up very early.

Li Yi rolled out of bed and sat down at the table, intending to try the breathing technique. Suddenly, he felt something and looked towards the bed, his eyes meeting Zhang Junyi's almond-shaped eyes. He smiled slightly and said:

"Why don't we go and greet my parents first? They get up early."

Although the woman showed no displeasure, Li Yi still explained, "If you behave yourself these days, you'll live a more comfortable life."

Zhang Junyi got up from the bed, put her feet into her embroidered shoes, bent down and hooked the heel with her index finger, and looked up to meet Li Yi's staring gaze, so she slightly looked away.

Li Yi quickly looked away, his cheeks slightly flushed.

The newlyweds walked one after the other through the main room and knocked on the door of the east room.

The two elders sat upright on the edge of the bed, and when they saw the newlyweds, kind smiles appeared on their faces.

Li's mother took the water cup from Zhang Junyi's hand, gulped it down, then took her daughter-in-law's hand and said with a smile, "I'll show my daughter-in-law around the village and help her get familiar with the family affairs. You two haven't seen each other for a year, so you should have a good chat."

Li Yi gave Zhang Junyi a reassuring look, then handed a glass of water to his father instead of tea and asked:

"Dad, are there any leftovers from last night? Mainly eggs and meat."

Li's father took the cup of water with a smile in his eyes, then said disdainfully, "Everyone's eyes light up at the sight of meat, like evil spirits reincarnated. There's no left. But your mother couldn't bear to bring out all the meat; there are still four or five catties of braised wild boar."

Li Yi was about to ask for some food when he realized that his family's food reserves were probably running low and that he needed to prepare for the winter. He hesitated for a moment, thinking to himself, "I've been training in the army for a year and I've learned a thing or two. I might as well rely on myself."

As if sensing his adopted son's concerns, Li's father smiled and said, "They're all soaking in the vat in the main room. I heard that soldiers need meat for martial arts training. You're still a strong young man, so take them and eat them—a few pounds of meat won't make a difference in getting through the winter."

Li Yi remained silent, then turned and went to the main room to fetch the meat, which he then placed on the wooden table in the west room.

Last year, Li's father brought Li Yi home from the deep mountains and soon adopted him as his son, naturally with the intention of having a son to rely on in his old age.

He was Li Yi's savior, and at that time he lacked the means to survive, so he naturally agreed without hesitation.

Although Li Yi didn't have a particularly deep emotional bond with his adoptive parents, he was grateful for their kindness. However, after returning to his hometown the day before yesterday and being hastily arranged to get married, he learned about the bride's background, and his impression of the entire village took a sharp turn for the worse.

But right now, Li Yi stared at the five pounds of braised pork on the table, feeling a mix of emotions, and for a moment he even forgot his original intention of asking for the meat.

Just as I was hesitating, a strange woman's shout suddenly came from outside, angry and shrill:

"That girl ran away! Catch her quickly!"