Chapter 1: The Cultivation World

"What did the Heir of the Yan Guogong bring you?"

"He He Shizi of the Yan Guogong sent Qin He agate, jade headpieces, and crystals from a Tier 2 beast. The colors of that jade and agate are exquisite; they would certainly look beautiful made into a set of headpieces."

Beast crystals can be used for cultivation, while agate and jade are essentially money; either one makes people both fond and envious.

"Cousin, what did the Heir of the Yan Guogong send you?"

Two young ladies wearing summer skirts, Qin Yan and Qin Cui, chattered away. As soon as they entered the courtyard, they chatted endlessly about the items the Heir of the Yan Guogong had sent. As for the Heir, for a concubine-born daughter, having a capable brother was necessary if one wanted to become a concubine.

He He Shizi of the Yan Guogong, He Yan, is handsome and resourceful. Whether in family background or status, he is the most formidable among his peers. Countless noble ladies secretly wish to marry such a powerful official who stands before the Emperor.

Do the women of the Qin family want to marry him?

They do. In order to marry well, they could even come to blows.

But Qin Yan and Qin Cui are only tempted; they dare not marry this powerful Heir who is fated to bring misfortune to his wives.

When Qin He was originally betrothed to the Heir of the Yan Guogong, she nearly lost her life.

It wasn't until the marriage contract was annulled that Qin He recovered. At the time, it had terrified the Second Branch.

"Cousin." Qin Yan, wearing a lotus-root pink summer skirt, blinked her eyes and asked cautiously, "Did the Heir of the Yan Guogong send you books again? The things the Heir gave Qin He were jade, pearls, and the like—pearls as big as this."

Clearly asking with caution, Qin Yan thought of the value of those pearls and enviously gestured with her hands.

Qin Bi was stunned upon hearing this.

Tier 2 beast crystals sent to Qin He?

And jade, and pearls?

Even without going to the main hall in the front courtyard, Qin Bi could imagine the value of the items He Yan bestowed. As the Heir of a Duke's manor, what he sent must be precious. Before this, He Yan had already sent such jade and pearls to Qin He.

Her marriage to He Yan had been finalized, and they were currently exchanging betrothal gifts.

He He Shizi of the Yan Guogong, He Yan, is her fiancé. They had just become betrothed not long ago. The engagement years ago hadn't worked out, but this time the marriage contract was set, and they were in the stage of preparing for the wedding, with both families exchanging gifts.

He He Shizi of the Yan Guogong sending all sorts of jewelry to Qin He left Qin Bi somewhat bewildered. She let herself think it over: what did this mean?

What did He Yan want to do?

"Cousin." Qin Cui, wearing a simple and elegant summer skirt, saw that Qin Bi was silent. She peered at Qin Bi and asked again, "What things did the Heir of the Yan Guogong send you? You're coming to finalize the wedding date today."

Qin Cui didn't have bad intentions; she was merely jealous that her concubine-born cousin from the Fourth Branch could marry into a Duke's manor.

They were all concubine-born daughters, but Qin Bi's "marrying up" was extraordinary—frighteningly high.

He He Shizi of the Yan Guogong, He Yan, has a fate of bringing misfortune to his wives and having no children. But if that were not an issue, wouldn't it be a bargain for this concubine-born cousin to soar to the heavens and become unimaginably noble? Just thinking about it made her feel stifled.

In great aristocratic families, legitimate daughters marry into high-ranking households, while concubine-born daughters marry merchants.

Qin Yan and Qin Cui would surely marry merchants in the future, or perhaps become concubines to the legitimate sons of great families; marrying a concubine-born son was also possible. If one had spiritual roots, one could change their fate.

Thinking of this, Qin Yan pouted. She had no spiritual roots, and neither did Qin Cui.

Qin Bi was burdened with heavy thoughts and tugged at the corner of her mouth: "He sent books."

"Books! But what he gave Qin He were jade and agate."

The two cousins' eyes widened slightly. They were young and didn't understand how to hide their emotions, nor did they feel the need to. They held this concubine-born cousin in some contempt.

Sending books to Qin Bi, but jade and pearls to Qin He?

The difference in weight was immediately apparent.

He He Shizi of the Yan Guogong was still thinking of Qin He. It was evident that becoming betrothed to this concubine-born cousin was merely a helpless move forced by his fate of bringing misfortune to wives. Previously, Qin Yan and Qin Cui had felt some unwillingness, but now they felt much more at ease.

Qin Yan and Qin Cui had only come to ask out of curiosity. Knowing that the Heir of the Yan Guogong had sent Qin Bi books, the two concubine-born cousins exchanged a look—a small surprise, yet within their expectations—and quickly found an excuse to leave.

No need to ask, they were certainly going to gossip behind her back.

Qin He is a "little rich woman" in the Qin Yan Marquis Manor. Ever since she transmigrated, she has lived a flourishing life. The brothers and sisters of the family all rely on Qin He, so almost all the younger generation favors her.

Qin Bi couldn't stay in Jingcheng back then and followed her Third He He Bo Fu to serve as a County Magistrate for many years. She had no dealings with the family's younger generation, and the young sisters had no bond with her; everyone was distant from her.

Qin Bi felt resentful. She was a "womb-transmigrator," and her transmigration was truly not worth it.

This is a fictional world, somewhat similar to cultivation, but the cultivation here is completely different from what Qin Bi knows. This world is based on blessings, fortune, and destiny.

Destiny and fate are almost the same. The Great Yan Kingdom's destiny is at the maximum level, and its fate is also at the maximum level.

The maximum value for both destiny and fate is 240, representing the prosperity of the Great Yan Kingdom.

The Great Yan Kingdom where Qin Bi resides has no problems with its fate and destiny, both at the maximum of 240, reaching the Orchid-Tier. Cultivation is primarily based on the Red-Tier, with cultivation levels divided accordingly, followed by Yellow, Purple, White, Green, Cyan, Orange, and Orchid.

The maximum blessing value is 120, but the Great Yan Kingdom's blessing value is only 80.

The Great Yan Kingdom has two powerful Heirs who assist the Emperor. These two Heirs have noble family backgrounds and the ability to devise strategies, but they have been fated to have no children, which hinders the national fortune of the Great Yan Kingdom.

He He Shizi of the Yan Guogong, He Yan, brings misfortune to his wives and has no children, causing the Great Yan Kingdom to lose 20 points of blessing value.

He He Shizi of the Rong Prince, Rong Juan, brings misfortune to his wives and has no children, causing a loss of 20 points of blessing value.

Thus, the Great Yan Kingdom's blessing value is left with only 80.

Compared to surrounding countries, the blessing value is much lower.

The fortune value also has a maximum of 120. Because of the two powerful Heirs' fate of bringing misfortune to wives and having no children, each of them has cut the fortune value by 20, leaving the Great Yan Kingdom with only 80 points of fortune value.

The entire Great Yan Kingdom's fortune and blessings rely on the Great Yan Emperor, who is deeply blessed.

Fortunately, this Emperor does not have the fate of having no children.

Since this world allows for cultivation, one must have spiritual roots. Unfortunately, Qin Bi has no spiritual roots. Being chosen by the Yan Guogong Manor was merely because of a Mystic Arts master's prophecy: He Yan would only avoid bringing misfortune to his wives if he married a woman from the Qin Yan Marquis Manor.

He He Shizi of the Rong Prince once had a marriage contract with Qin Bi's legitimate elder sister, but unfortunately, the legitimate sister died early.

Therefore, this prophecy is better left ignored.

The reason the Heir of the Yan Guogong circled back to marry Qin Bi was that the two had discussed marriage before. Qin Bi had no "hindrance," and they were about to become betrothed when Qin He transmigrated.

Later, He Yan and Qin He became betrothed.

That slap in the face was so hard that Qin Bi couldn't stay in Jingcheng and could only follow her Third He He Bo Fu to his post. After three years as a County Magistrate, and another three years, Qin Bi returned to Jingcheng once, and the Duchess of the Yan Guogong Manor came eagerly to propose marriage.

Qin Bi was naturally unwilling, but she couldn't make the decisions and could only agree to this marriage.

This is ancient times; even with cultivation, it wouldn't be acceptable for a woman not to marry.

No matter how Qin Bi thought about He Yan sending things to Qin He, she felt angry. After hesitating, she still went to the front courtyard to find He Yan. She had transmigrated for a lifetime, yet she couldn't even make decisions about her own marriage. Like Qin He, who lived like a true transmigrator, emphasizing only "each other."

Heh, "only each other." ===== CHAPTER 2 =====