Chapter 1

In the third year of Chuping, in Ye City.

At the beginning of March, the spring breeze had already brought a hint of warmth to Ye City, with willow branches sprouting and birds singing amidst the growing grass. The atmosphere was full of vitality.

In the afternoon, a round-roofed ox cart entered the Zhengyang Fang of Ye City. This fang was home to many of the city's nobles and wealthy families, where people in fine clothes and on fine horses came and went, making it particularly lively.

The ox cart stopped in front of a mansion. The simple and honest man driving the cart turned back and said, "Young Master, we're home."

"Yuan Gui, help me down," a deep and沧桑 (weathered) voice came from inside the cart.

Yuan Gui jumped down from the cart, lifted the curtain, and extended his hand to help a young master down. The young man looked to be in his early twenties, with a dignified appearance, but his brows were deeply furrowed, and his bright, star-like eyes occasionally flashed with a maturity that was not typical for his age.

His name was Yuan Fang, and his father was the famous and renowned Yuan Shao.

Unfortunately, he was only a lowly-born illegitimate son.

Yuan Fang looked up at the mansion before him, which was grand and imposing, surrounded by high walls. On either side of the steps were two stone lion statues, and at the top of the steps was a red-painted gate. Above the gate, a large gilded plaque read: "Residence of the Chariot General."

The mansion exuded an air of supreme authority.

Taking a deep breath, Yuan Fang climbed the steps, limping towards the red gate.

The guards on either side of the gate bowed slightly, coldly saying, "Greetings, Second Young Master," but their tone lacked any real respect.

In fact, a hint of disdain flashed in their eyes.

Yuan Fang, however, remained calm and composed, ignoring the disdainful looks.

He had been accustomed to such looks for a year.

His soul originally came from over a thousand years in the future. The military plane he was on had crashed in a storm, and his soul, not dissipating, had possessed this body, which was afflicted with a disability.

In the late Han Dynasty, this was an era of strict hierarchy, where one's birth almost determined everything about their future.

As an illegitimate son born from Yuan Shao's drunken indiscretion with a lowly servant, Yuan Fang's status in the Yuan household was even lower than that of a legitimate son.

Moreover, he was a cripple, born with a congenital leg condition.

The original owner of this body was a weak and self-conscious person who accepted everything passively, but the current Yuan Fang was not.

He could not tolerate being looked down upon, and he could not accept the fate of being destroyed along with the Yuan family when Cao Cao's troops invaded Hebei in the future.

Therefore, Yuan Fang was determined to become strong and change his tragic fate. His two-month absence from the mansion was for this very purpose.

Raising his head, Yuan Fang limped through the red gate, heading towards the secluded courtyard where he lived.

The maids and servants he encountered along the way only gave him a cursory bow, some even pretending not to see him.

Some of the bolder servants even dared to look at him with disdain.

Only Yuan Gui, who followed behind, treated Yuan Fang with respect at all times.

"You can look down on me all you want, but one day, you will regret it," Yuan Fang silently vowed.

Turning a corner, Yuan Fang encountered two maids arguing.

Yuan Fang recognized one of them as Hongyu, the personal maid of his younger brother Yuan Xi, and the other as Xiaocha, his own maid.

"Do you have eyes? This plate contains the fruits I just washed for my young master. Can you afford to dirty them?" Hongyu, with her hands on her hips, scolded Xiaocha aggressively.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know you would suddenly come. I'll take the fruits to wash them again," Xiaocha apologized, bending down to pick up the fruits.

Hongyu, furious, pointed at Xiaocha and shouted, "You dare to talk back? You, a cripple's maid, dare to talk back to me!"

Xiaocha, who was usually submissive, was suddenly startled, then stood up bravely and said, "You can insult me, but you cannot speak disrespectfully to Second Young Master. Don't forget your place as a maid."

Xiaocha's sudden defiance shocked Hongyu, but she quickly became even more arrogant, sneering, "I am a maid, but I am a legitimate son's maid, far better than your crippled master, a bastard."

"You—"

"You what? I think you're asking for a beating."

Hongyu suddenly reached out and pushed the frail Xiaocha to the ground.

Seeing this, Yuan Fang was enraged.

This arrogant Hongyu dared to show disrespect to him and even pushed Xiaocha, who was protecting him. How could Yuan Fang bear it?

"Insolent slave!"

Yuan Fang shouted, appearing and limping forward.

When Hongyu turned and saw Yuan Fang, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes, but she still stood there arrogantly, as if daring him to do something.

Slap!

Yuan Fang took a few steps forward and slapped Hongyu hard across the face.

Hongyu cried out in pain, stumbling back three steps, almost falling to the ground.

When she came to her senses, a fiery red handprint was clearly visible on her pale face.

Hongyu was stunned, forgetting the pain, and stared at Yuan Fang in disbelief, unable to believe that he had actually dared to hit her.

Xiaocha on the ground and Yuan Gui behind were also stunned, unable to believe that the young master who had been submissive for twenty years had dared to discipline the beloved maid of the third young master.

After a moment, Hongyu regained her senses, covering her face and shouting at Yuan Fang, "You dare to hit me, you actually dare to hit me!"

"So what if I hit you?"

Yuan Fang was calm and cold, "You, a mere maid, dare to speak disrespectfully to me, your master. Hitting you is a light punishment. If you don't leave now, I will report to Father, and you will be beaten to death."

Yuan Fang's voice was stern, and his demeanor was completely different.

Hongyu was startled again, and the arrogant words on her lips were silenced by Yuan Fang.

She knew Yuan Fang was not bluffing. The Yuan family had a strict hierarchy. Even if Yuan Fang was an illegitimate son and not favored by Yuan Shao, if this matter were reported to Yuan Shao, she, a maid, would be beaten to death for overstepping her bounds, and even Yuan Xi could not protect her.

"Hmph." After a moment of hesitation, Hongyu dared not act rashly and left with a face full of resentment.

"Small people are like ghosts, indeed. The more you show your strength, the less they dare to provoke you..."

Yuan Fang sighed, reaching out to help Xiaocha up, and comforted her, "Are you alright?"

Xiaocha finally came to her senses, her face flushing with gratitude, and said softly, "Thank you, Young Master. Xiaocha is fine."

After a pause, Xiaocha suddenly thought of something and worried, "Young Master, although Hongyu is despicable, she is still in the third young master's household. If you hit her, she might go to the third young master to complain. Then—"

"There's nothing to be afraid of."

Yuan Fang interrupted Xiaocha's concerns and said calmly, "From now on, I will no longer tolerate being bullied, and I will not let you be bullied anymore."

With that, Yuan Fang raised his head and walked towards his courtyard, his gait still limping but exuding unprecedented confidence and composure.

Xiaocha and Yuan Gui were amazed by this change in Yuan Fang.

Back in the room, Yuan Gui stood guard outside, while Xiaocha helped Yuan Fang sit down and asked eagerly, "Young Master, did you find the divine doctor to treat your leg condition this time?"

"Of course, the divine doctor even gave me a good medicine," Yuan Fang smiled.

Xiaocha was overjoyed, her eyes fixed on the strange black box on the table, guessing that the good medicine was inside.

Yuan Fang instructed, "You and Yuan Gui stay outside and guard. No one is to disturb me."

"Understood." Xiaocha stood up to leave.

Click!

At that moment, the door, which was slightly ajar, was kicked open from the outside.

A young man in fine clothes, with a fierce demeanor, pushed Yuan Gui aside and strode into the room.

Immediately, Hongyu followed, her nose in the air, looking smug.

The young man who had burst in was Yuan Shao's third son, and Yuan Fang's nominal third brother, Yuan Xi.

From his demeanor, it was clear that Hongyu had reported to him, and Yuan Xi had come to confront Yuan Fang.

Yuan Fang's brows furrowed slightly, and he demanded, "Xianyi, why did you kick the door open? What do you want?"

Yuan Xi stood proudly with his hands behind his back, glaring at Yuan Fang and said angrily, "Even a dog must respect its master. Yuan Fang, you dared to hit my maid. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Beside him, Hongyu lifted her head, glaring at Yuan Fang with a look of arrogance and indignation.

Yuan Fang was not afraid at all, pointing at Hongyu and saying, "This lowly maid spoke disrespectfully to me. I was just disciplining her for you, Xianyi."

"My maid, if she needs to be disciplined, it's not your place. By hitting her today, you have shown disrespect to me!"

Yuan Xi's arms hung by his sides, his fists clenched, his face full of anger, as if he was about to get physical with Yuan Fang.

Yuan Fang, however, remained calm, showing no fear.

He was, after all, Yuan Xi's elder brother. While Yuan Xi usually looked down on him, Yuan Fang did not believe that Yuan Xi would dare to get physical with him.

"What's wrong with this kid? He should have begged for mercy long ago. Why is he so defiant today?"

Yuan Xi was surprised. He had intended to intimidate Yuan Fang, but his usually weak brother had suddenly become so bold, completely ignoring his threats.

For a moment, Yuan Xi was at a loss, unsure whether to act.

The room was tense.

At this moment, a servant burst in, panting, "Third Young Master, a distinguished guest is about to arrive. The Lord has ordered all the young masters to welcome them in the main hall."

Yuan Shao's summons conveniently resolved Yuan Xi's awkward situation.

He secretly breathed a sigh of relief, loosening his fists, and glared at Yuan Fang, "If it weren't for Father's summons, I wouldn't let you off so easily. Just wait."

With that, Yuan Xi turned and left, and Hongyu, unable to vent her anger, followed her master, sulking.

"Sure enough, this Yuan Xi is just a paper tiger..." Yuan Fang sneered to himself.

Xiaocha also breathed a sigh of relief and said to Yuan Fang, "Young Master, since the Lord has summoned you, you should hurry."

"The Lord only summoned the First, Third, and Fourth Young Masters, not the Second Young Master," the servant sneered, bowing and leaving.

Outside, Yuan Xi, who had not gone far, heard this and mocked, "Father doesn't even acknowledge some people, yet they still dare to act superior in front of me. How ridiculous, ha ha~"

Yuan Xi laughed maniacally and left.

Xiaocha, feeling ashamed, said softly, "It's all my fault. I shouldn't have said anything, causing Young Master to be humiliated."

"Weak meat is preyed upon. Without strength, one will naturally be humiliated. This is not your fault."

Yuan Fang was not bothered, and said calmly, "That's enough. You both go. My top priority now is to treat my leg condition."

Xiaocha and Yuan Gui did not dare to say more and hurriedly left.

The door was closed, and the dim room was left with only Yuan Fang.

"I will no longer let anyone look down on me. I will regain my dignity. I will make a name for myself in this era of heroes. I must become strong!"

Taking a deep breath, Yuan Fang opened the black box without hesitation.

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