Outside the window, morning unfurled like a noisy festival. The faint clang of gongs echoed through Azure Cloud City as the streets slowly came alive. Vendors hawked steaming baskets of pork buns with enough volume to awaken the dead; disciples in azure robes strutted down the stone-paved roads, chest puffed like peacocks, loudly boasting about their so-called "immortal breakthroughs."
Children squealed with laughter as they clashed with wooden swords that looked ready to snap at the slightest touch. Somewhere nearby, an elderly voice bellowed, "Spirit herbs! Half price! Buy one stalk, get an aphid free!" while another proclaimed with shameless pride, "My cousin broke into the fourth layer of Qi Refinement! The heavens themselves trembled!"
Yes, Azure Cloud City was awake. Alive. Loud. And unfortunately—aware of me.
Inside the Wei household, the air was thick with gossip. Servants whispered behind their sleeves about the incident. An old steward sighed deeply about "family honor" as though the very weight of the heavens had pressed onto his hunched back. Down the corridor, several guards chuckled boisterously, reenacting my humiliation with exaggerated poses.
"The young master—he thought he was a tragic romantic hero!" one cackled.
"—and ended up as the main act of a roadside circus!" another finished, slapping his thigh.
I buried my face in my palms. Fantastic. Barely a day into this new life, and I was already a citywide meme.
Across from me, Mingzhu, my maid, tilted her head and studied me with a strange expression. For a moment, her eyes softened, her voice lowering to a whisper.
"Young master… even if the world laughs at you, I… I'll still serve you faithfully."
I peeked at her through my fingers. My heart wavered. Maybe there was still some loyalty left in this household after all. "…Thanks, Mingzhu."
She paused, then smiled faintly. "Of course. I only do it because nobody else wants to."
"…Thanks less."
Before I could fire back, the door slammed open.
A servant stumbled in, drenched in sweat, his face pale as parchment. His eyes bulged with terror,
his voice cracking like a chicken being strangled.
"Young master! You're in trouble—run away!"
"Young master, you're in trouble—run away!"
The servant's panicked cry split the morning calm like a knife. Before I could even process, a thunderous BANG! rattled the doorframe. The wooden panels groaned as though a divine beast had decided to use my room for sumo practice.
Mingzhu, my maid, dropped the bowl of steaming medicine she'd been forcing down my throat. The bitter concoction splattered across the floor, its pungent smell filling the air.
"Heavens above!" she gasped, her hands trembling. "Who dares cause trouble this early in the morning?"
The servant stumbled in, his face pale as tofu. "I-It's… it's Young Master Lin Tao!"
My eyes widened.
Lin Tao? My fiancée's brother? The guy who already turned my ribs into drumsticks yesterday? Again?
Sure enough, the door burst open. In strode a tall, broad-shouldered figure clad in pristine white robes embroidered with a soaring crane—the crest of the Lin clan. His hair was tied neatly, but his smirk was anything but refined. The kind of smirk belonging to a man who believed that if conversation failed, fists were the universal language.
Behind him, three or four lackeys swaggered in, their laughter as sharp as knives.
"Look, look! The legendary trash young master of the Wei family is still breathing!" one cackled.
"Didn't Young Master Lin Tao beat him half-dead yesterday? Hah! This trash has a stubborn life!" another jeered.
"I heard Young Miss begged the patriarch not to kill him," a third whispered loudly enough for the entire street to hear. "Said it would ruin the Lin clan's face."
A chorus of chuckles filled the air. Outside, curious passersby had already started gathering.
"Is that the Wei family's useless young master again?"
"Poor thing. He'll be fertilizer before long."
"Hush, don't speak so loud. What if the Lin clan hears you?"
"Oh please, they already treat him like a doormat!"
My heart sank.
Wonderful. A live audience for my execution. Perfect way to start my first morning in this world.
Lin Tao's eyes glimmered with disdain as he stepped forward, the wooden floor creaking under his boots. "Well, well," he drawled, voice dripping with arrogance. "The rumors were true. The trash young master of the Wei family still alive after yesterday's beating. You must be stubborn indeed."
Alive? Brother, I'm barely hanging on. Do I look well? I just transmigrated and already feel like Heaven is drafting my obituary.
I forced myself upright, ignoring the knives of pain stabbing my ribs.
Okay, deep breath. Calm down. You're not the old Wei brat anymore. You're me—new soul, new brain. Think, think. If you get beaten again, that's beyond embarrassing. That's tragic.
I coughed dramatically, trying to look dignified despite my bed hair. "Brother-in-law. What an… unexpected honor. To what do I owe the pleasure of your esteemed boot gracing my humble doorstep?"
The crowd outside gasped. Mingzhu's jaw dropped. The lackeys snickered.
Lin Tao's smile vanished like a candle snuffed out. "Brother-in-law? You dare address me with such familiarity, you trash?"
Spiritual qi surged around his palm, a suffocating pressure filling the room like an invisible mountain pressing down on my chest. My lungs screamed for air. Mingzhu squeaked and ducked behind the medicine table, clutching a pestle like it was a divine weapon.
Lin Tao cracked his knuckles, each sound like thunder in my ears. "The only relationship you'll have with me is when my fist imprints itself on your face."
Reason, he says. Fist, he means.
I raised both hands, palms open in a gesture of peace. "Wait, wait, wait! Brother Lin Tao, surely we can be… reasonable about this?"
He sneered. "Reasonable? The only reason you'll understand is the fist!"
The lackeys laughed louder.
"Ha! Did you hear that? The trash wants to reason with fists!"
"Lin Tao-ge, don't hit too hard. If he dies now, we won't have any entertainment for tomorrow."
"True, true. A cockroach is only fun if it keeps crawling after you smash it."
My face twitched.
Reasonable shit? Do you think I want to be reasonable? If I had even a shred of power, I'd beat the crap out of you, kidnap your sister, and write my name across the Lin clan gates in bold red paint. But power? Forget it. My meridians are shattered. My dantian is emptier than my wallet in my past life.
I swallowed.
And unlike those so-called plot-armored protagonists, I can't just run my mouth endlessly and escape unscathed. No miraculous master will pop out of nowhere to save me. I'm just cannon fodder, the arrogant young master everyone loves to slap around. My role is to make the hero shine brighter by contrast. Even with deadly cheats, this body will still get flattened.
Lin Tao stepped closer, shadow looming over me, qi swirling like a storm.
His fist rose.
The crowd held their breath.
Okay, Plan A: Talk fast, or get pummeled.
I plastered on my most pitiful expression, the kind that screamed 'please don't kill me, I'm too handsome to die.'
"Brother Lin, think carefully. If you beat me here, in my own Wei household… what does that make you?"
He froze mid-step, his fist still clenched. His brows furrowed like thunderclouds. "…A righteous brother protecting his sister's honor?"
I wagged my finger as if scolding a naughty child. "No, no, no! It makes you a bully trespassing into another noble's residence. Just imagine the gossip! 'The great Lin Tao, reduced to barging into the Wei household to beat up a cripple!' Does that… not tarnish your heroic image?"
A murmur rippled among the servants peeking nervously from behind the pillars. Even Mingzhu, hiding half her face behind a teacup, leaned forward slightly.
Lin Tao squinted suspiciously, his thick neck turning red. "Hmph. Don't try to twist words. Everyone already knows you're trash. Beating trash doesn't harm my image—it proves my strength."
…Great. Plan A failed. Time for Plan B: Shameless flattery.
I clasped my hands dramatically, eyes shimmering with fake admiration. "Brother Lin Tao, you're truly unmatched! Yesterday, when your fist hit my face, I saw stars—no, galaxies! I swear I glimpsed the Dao itself. Such strength! Such precision! Honestly, I believe your future lies far beyond Azure Cloud City. Perhaps one day, you'll be a pillar of the entire dynasty!"
Lin Tao's chest puffed up like a rooster on parade. His lips twitched upward despite his attempt to look fierce. "Hmph… naturally. Still, that doesn't mean I'll forgive your insolence."
Hooked!
I knew it. These muscle-headed brats were always the same. Praise their fists, and they'll wag their tails. I know when to bend my knees. After all, in the Wei family I barely have any presence. Even if I die here, no one will dare offend the Lin family for me.
But now that I have the system? First, survive. Later, reclaim dignity tenfold.
"Wait!" I suddenly leaned forward conspiratorially, lowering my voice like I was sharing a heavenly secret. "If you beat me up again, what will people say? 'Ah, Lin Tao, the mighty tiger who keeps fighting the same crippled dog over and over.' Won't that… cheapen your reputation?"
"…Eh?" He blinked, his raised fist faltering.
I struck while the iron was hot. "Think about it! Yesterday, you already crushed me. Everyone saw it. Your dominance is unquestionable. If you do it again today, people will just say, 'Oh, Lin Tao only knows how to bully the weak. He doesn't dare fight real opponents.' Your glorious image might suffer! Instead of the Ferocious Tiger of Azure Cloud, you'll be remembered as… the Kennel Watchdog!"
A snicker escaped from one of the servants before he quickly slapped a hand over his mouth.
Lin Tao's brows furrowed so tightly I thought he'd develop wrinkles before his twenties. "That… actually makes sense…"
Behind him, Mingzhu peeked from behind the table, her mouth hanging open. Since when could young master talk like this? Where did his usual arrogant stupidity go?
Even the guards exchanged whispers.
"Didn't young master Wei usually charge in like an idiot?"
"Right? Yesterday he tried to fight a wild boar and got stuck in the mud for three hours…"