At the age of thirty-two, his original body was strong and well-maintained.
He kept it that way by running regularly, practicing martial arts, and going to the gym whenever he had time.
The results looked satisfying, exactly what he had always wanted to maintain into old age.
After all, he was a man who liked to remain presentable no matter the situation.
It's not that he body-shamed others, he simply had his own aesthetic standards for himself.
Not too fat, not too thin, and he always insisted on having defined abdominal muscles.
Wan Zheng's current body was clearly far from his original body, and just looking at it annoyed him slightly.
Even both of his arms looked weak and frail.
When he stepped into the river, the ice-chilling morning water sent shivers of cold through his entire body.
He flinched slightly.
It took him a couple more minutes to endure the biting chill, standing still until his body adjusted.
He chose a slightly deeper spot in the river, where the water reached his waist, and began washing himself more quickly.
On his forehead, he carefully avoided wetting the wounds.
With long locks of black hair he wasn't used to, he tied it into a loose bun to keep it out of the way.
By the time one, two, or three roosters crowed in the village, signaling the start of the day, Wan Zheng knew he had to leave before being seen.
As he dressed in his new spare clothes, his eyes caught a faint snake-shaped tattoo circling his left wrist.
It made him stop in his tracks.
He stared at it for a moment, studying the design.
It was a black-inked snake with one eye visible on its surface, biting its own tail.
Ouroboros?
Did the original body have this? Wan Zheng asked himself, wondering if he had missed it last night or if it had only just appeared.
Unsure, he let it go for now as distant voices reached him.
The villagers were already awake, starting their morning routines.
Wan Zheng quickly moved to leave the area.
Dressed in a loose dark blue robe and carrying his wet clothes in one hand, he returned along a quieter path.
He didn't encounter any villagers, much to his relief.
Back at home, the noise of movement in the kitchen told him that at least one family member was already awake so early in the morning.
It could only be Mu Ruying, already busy cooking coarse-grain porridge.
Wan Zheng didn't want to face his new wife just yet and chose to head back to his room.
He needed to change out of his soaked trousers anyway.
When he walked along the side of the yard, his eyes landed on two figures tidying up.
One swept the ground while the other arranged the farming tools.
A thought crossed his mind.
Even without a watch, he was certain the time was somewhere between six and seven in the morning.
Why were these two children awake at such an early hour?
They should still be sleeping until at least eight in the morning.
When they felt a gaze fall upon them and realized it was their father, both stiffened for a moment.
Halting their tasks a little slower, they turned around, and with hesitant big eyes, greeted him.
"Father..."
The original body owner would have ignored his children, sometimes even cursing them as useless—starving—stupid mouths.
Now, in front of them, Wan Zheng was a different man at his core, someone with his own morals and his own sense of discipline.
Wan Zheng couldn't make drastic changes to his behavior since the original body owner had been a complete scumbag.
Their personalities were far too different, but he would show the changes gradually, step by step.
He nodded to both children and walked over to hang his wet clothes on the bamboo rack to dry.
Their eyes were wary, showing mild surprise that their father had actually noticed them.
One of the two, the familiar little tiger cub who had begged him to sell him instead of the younger ones last night, hesitated for a moment.
Somehow, he found the courage to walk up to his father.
"Father… let me do it for you."
Wan Zheng looked down, meeting the boy's determined, sunken black eyes.
This was his second son, Wan Liyan.
So small and frail, with a pale, yellow-tinged complexion, he barely reached his father's waist.
Wan Zheng's body stood an estimated 199 cm tall, making the son beside him look tiny and far too short for his seven years of age.
This was the result of poor nutrition and years of exhaustion helping his mother in the fields.
"No. Continue what you're doing."
Wan Zheng's tone was calm, with no intention of being gentle.
Still, to his second child Wan Liyan, these words were already the kindest his father had ever spoken.
The young boy nodded and went back to sweeping the yard.
His steps were noticeably lighter, and he seemed to be in a very good mood.
Wan Zheng noticed this from the corner of his eye and couldn't help thinking that his second son was so easily satisfied, even after enduring so many beatings from his original father.
He had expected the boy to hate him instead.
To avoid disturbing the children, he returned to his room after hanging the clothes.
Wan Zheng also wanted to check for any money left behind by the original body owner.
As soon as he left the yard, the child arranging the farming tools moved closer to his younger brother.
Those watchful eyes flicked back and forth toward his father's room like an alert cat.
Knowing there was no movement, he began scolding his youngest brother.
"What are you doing! What if he beats you again? Are you asking to be hit with the stick?"
Inside his room, Wan Zheng had no idea that his two children outside were talking about him.
One child tried to explain, while the other was reprimanding.
Under the bed, Wan Zheng found a small box containing three pieces of jewelry and some money, a gold necklace, a pair of gold earrings, a silver ring, and two strings of copper coins worth two taels of silver, enough to feed a small farmer's family for a month.
Seeing these things, Wan Zheng felt a small sense of satisfaction.
He thought the scumbag body owner hadn't been foolish enough to squander all his wealth on useless endeavors.
This would be his starting point.
From now on, this family would no longer starve.
While looking at it, Wan Zheng noticed something.
Faint numbers and words in English characters appeared on each piece of jewelry before his eyes.
[100 Taels of Silver, Low-Grade Mortal Artifact]
[500 Copper Coins, No-Grade Mortal Artifact]
[500 Taels of Silver, Low-Grade Mortal Artifact]