Chapter 1245

Tian Tian touched her own waist and suddenly felt grateful that she had the spatial storage.

Otherwise, she probably wouldn't have lived much longer before starving to death on the street.

However…

"Why is it so weak!" Tian Tian spat blood, "No wonder this body is such a weakling."

Tian Tian rolled her eyes and went back to sleep.

This body really wasn't suited for cultivation.

She'd better obediently take her medicine.

……

Elsewhere, Ximen Wudi sat back down in his chair.

His complexion was very pale.

"Elder Uncle-in-law… what's wrong with you?" Tian Yulan leaned over, worriedly gripping his left wrist.

Her fingers were ice-cold; when their skin touched, it felt like being bitten by a snake, making Ximen Wudi frown.

Ximen Wudi pulled his arm back, glanced at her indifferently, and said coldly, "I'm fine."

"Elder Aunt-in-law, please get a Physician to examine Elder Uncle-in-law," Tian Tian said.

Tian Yulan's face stiffened, and she forced a smile: "Your Elder Uncle-in-law's injury isn't serious, no need to call a Physician."

Her expression was too stiff; Tian Tian suspected she simply didn't want to get a Physician for Ximen Wudi.

Tian Tian's mind was sharp; after a slight pause, she probed: "Elder Aunt-in-law, I'd like to ask you a question."

"What question? Go ahead," Tian Yulan said with a smile, a faint, barely noticeable wariness in her eyes.

Tian Tian said: "Was I picked up by Elder Uncle-in-law?"

She and her parents had depended on each other for survival; she couldn't possibly have siblings.

She didn't believe she was a gift from the heavens.

Since she was picked up, there must be a reason.

"Cough, cough…" Tian Yulan dry-coughed twice to cover her embarrassment, then nodded and said, "I won't hide it from you—you were picked up by me. Back then, your mother had passed away from illness, and my father was in urgent need of money for treatment, so I took you in."

Tian Tian's heart skipped a beat.

She really had been picked up.

Seeing Tian Tian's face go deathly pale, Tian Yulan immediately felt guilty and added: "But don't worry, my father and I never mistreated you; we gave you silver every month."

Tian Tian gave a wry smile: "How would I dare complain about Elder Uncle-in-law and Elder Aunt-in-law."

"That's good, you rest first."

Tian Yulan left hurriedly.

Tian Tian lay on the bed, silently sorting through the memories in her mind.

The Tian Tian in those memories was a timid, cowardly fool.

Her birth mother died early; Tian Yulan had taken care of her for several years and raised her into adulthood.

When Tian Tian was five, Tian Yulan's husband passed away. After years of widowhood, with nowhere to go, she moved back to the Tian family.

Tian Tian remembered very clearly—when she had just moved back to the Tian family, Tian Yulan had once cried in secret.

During that period, she had been guessing the reason.

Later, Tian Yulan finally told her—Tian Yulan was actually Elder Uncle-in-law's illegitimate daughter.

Originally, she and her father were not siblings, just a misunderstanding.

She and Tian Xingde were full siblings.

Tian Yulan and Tian Xingde had grown up together, childhood sweethearts of one mind, only lacking the formal wedding rites.

But Tian Xingde had other things on his mind and kept delaying marrying her.

Tian Yulan, in a fit of anger, cut ties with Tian Xingde and left for distant lands.

She never expected that parting would be forever.

When she married the Tian family's Second Uncle, Tian Xingde had already been dead for many years.

She had always hated Second Uncle and Second Aunt, and even more despised the rest of the Tian family—especially Third Uncle and Third Aunt, who were crueler than wolves.

Until Tian Tian was four, when she met Elder Uncle-in-law Ximen Wudi.

At that time, Ximen Wudi was in his rebellious phase and didn't like studying or martial arts.

Tian Tian could tell that Ximen Wudi liked reading and writing.

So she begged Tian Yulan to teach her to write and recite poetry.

Tian Yulan couldn't refuse her, so she let Tian Tian learn a few Tang and Song poems from her.

Ximen Wudi was very pleased upon hearing this, and even ran to the neighboring village to hire a xiucai to teach Tian Tian to study.

Unfortunately, Tian Tian was dim; she could only understand the simplest primers and didn't even recognize many basic characters.

Ximen Wudi couldn't help but sigh.

Later, he would occasionally tell Tian Tian some simple stories.

Tian Tian gradually fell in love with reading, and came to especially respect and trust Ximen Wudi.

Seeing that her relationship with Ximen Wudi was growing closer, Tian Yulan decided to have Ximen Wudi take a concubine, to completely sever Tian Tian's hopes.

Who would have thought that Ximen Wudi not only refused to take a concubine, but sternly warned Tian Yulan—if he caught her doing such things again, she should get lost immediately.

Tian Yulan was terrified and never dared entertain such crooked thoughts again.

Having never had the chance to learn Tang and Song poetry in her lifetime, Tian Tian devoted all her thoughts to making money and practicing martial arts, and successfully secured a tongsheng quota in the county seat.

Before transmigrating, Tian Tian had just finished taking the tongshi exam.

She passed the examination with good results, successfully clearing the assessment and earning the title of xiucai.

She rented a room in the county town, planning to save enough travel money to make her way to the capital.

Tian Tian's ambitions were no small thing.

Unfortunately, she still could not walk the imperial examination road.

After idling at home for many years, Tian Yulan found a matchmaker to propose a marriage.

Though Tian Tian was not satisfied with the other's status, after all it was her mother, and she could not bear to defy her, so she had no choice but to reluctantly agree.

On the night of the wedding, she married that xiucai.

On the wedding night, she kept the empty bridal chamber alone, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

She thought of Ximen Wudi, and could not help feeling a sense of loss and emptiness.

However, she quickly gathered her spirits.

Ximen Wudi no longer belonged to her; there was no need to cling any longer.

The next day, she rose early to wash and dress, put on brand-new clothes, wore pretty silver hairpins and gold rings, and carefully adorned herself.

Today she was to go to the Tian family to offer birthday wishes to the Tian family grandmother.

"Ajiao, are you ready?" Tian Yulan's maid Chunliu knocked on the door.

"Ready!" Tian Tian pulled open the door and beamed a brilliant smile at Chunliu.

Chunliu froze for a moment, then hurriedly lowered her head and said, "This servant deserves death, this servant has offended the Young Lady."

Tian Tian pressed her lips into a smile and said, "It's fine, let's go quickly, Grandmother's birthday is almost here."

She understood Tian Yulan's intentions, so she deliberately put effort into her makeup.

Her appearance was enough to dazzle everyone.

Chunliu secretly breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Yes."

She helped Tian Tian pick out a pearl-embroidered skirt, paired with a pink jewel-inlaid pearl-and-jade dangling hairpin, radiating noble elegance.

"Young Lady Ajiao, you are truly beautiful today," Chunliu praised.

Tian Tian smiled lightly and said, "Thank you for the compliment, let's go quickly."

……

Half a shichen later, Tian Tian and Chunliu arrived at Tian Fu.