Chapter 6

In the long river of history, Li Yi could not find any familiar elements related to his memories. One by one, the names of countries he had never heard of, and one after another, unfamiliar major events. The wheels of history seemed to have veered off course from some unknown point in time...

No, this wasn't just a veer; it was like two carriages heading in completely different directions.

It turned out... this was an alternate world!

He had thought that all the historical trajectories were within his grasp, and perhaps he could latch onto a powerful patron, ensuring a bright future. Now, all of that had become a mere illusion.

The only thing that slightly comforted him was that, as a穿越者 (穿越者 means "穿越者" in Chinese, which can be translated as "穿越者" in English, but in this context, it means "穿越者" or "穿越者"), he still had his perks. After all, his head was filled with the contents of an entire provincial library. Although most of that knowledge was useless in this world, one function still pleased him greatly.

Li Yi had discovered that any book he touched would instantly appear in his mind, and he could grasp and remember its contents in a very short time.

This way, at least the script of this world was no longer a problem for him.

Although he didn't plan to take the imperial exams, Li Yi didn't want to be illiterate, or else his good looks would be wasted.

At the very least, he could recite some poems and make some couplets, and perhaps flirt with some young girls... Of course, these were just thoughts for now; otherwise, his fate might be the same as that innocent wooden table from last night.

At that moment, the round face of a young maid, slightly chubby with baby fat, appeared before Li Yi.

"Sir, it's time to eat."

Li Yi hadn't felt anything until the maid stood before him with a tray, and then he realized how hungry he was. It seemed he hadn't eaten anything since yesterday morning. When he looked at the tray, he was momentarily stunned.

On the tray, a single porcelain bowl sat alone.

The bowl contained porridge, with only a few grains of rice at the bottom, so thin that it could reflect Li Yi's handsome face.

"Do you... usually eat this?" Li Yi asked the maid, unsure.

The maid nodded, shattering Li Yi's hopes.

He had thought he would live a happy life without worrying about food or clothing, but now it seemed that even the bandits had no surplus grain!

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It turned out that even thin porridge was still porridge. For Li Yi, who was starving, this wasn't just porridge; it was life!

He wasn't sure if it was an illusion, but Li Yi actually thought this was the best porridge he had ever tasted...

In two gulps, the porridge in the bowl was almost gone. Li Yi put down the bowl and looked at the maid with pleading eyes.

The girl blushed under his gaze, took a step back, and said in a soft voice, "Sir, there's no more..."

Li Yi's face changed. Life here was different from what he had imagined!

He realized he needed to change his plan of retiring early. At the very least, he needed to solve the food problem. As a qualified food lover, drinking such thin porridge all day would drive him crazy.

After finishing the bowl of thin porridge, he felt less hungry, and his spirits improved slightly.

"Second Miss!" While Li Yi was lost in thought, the maid turned around and bowed to someone at the door.

Li Yi instinctively turned to see a girl in white martial attire, with an extremely beautiful face, walking in from outside.

The moment he saw this girl, Li Yi's face changed, and he took two steps back, looking at her warily. "You... what do you want?"

The girl was as beautiful as the stunning woman he had seen last night, and her white martial attire accentuated her slender figure. Seeing Li Yi's actions and expression, she looked at him with a faint disdain.

Li Yi would never forget how this girl, sitting on a horse, had waved her hand at the vicious bandits, and then—his tragic life had begun.

Even now, his lower abdomen still ached slightly.

His current situation was all thanks to this demon-like girl.

If not for her, Li Yi would still be being chased by those two men to be burned alive, or worrying about where to find food in the wilderness, and perhaps thinking about where to sleep to avoid being eaten by wolves...

Now, he had a place to stay, thin porridge to drink, a beautiful wife, and a maid to serve him. So, for this girl, Li Yi should... thank her?

Thinking about it, Li Yi felt the girl wasn't as hateful as he initially thought.

All he wanted now was to be a quiet, carefree young man, solve his food problems, and then retire to enjoy his golden years, living on a few mountains...

While Li Yi was daydreaming, the woman he had seen last night, Liu Ruyi, who was his nominal wife, entered with a hunched, white-haired old man.

The old man wore a plain robe, looked frail, and had a kind face, but his eyes were half-closed as he examined Li Yi.

Li Yi remained wary of this old man. In his view, any old man who looked kind could be a madman who would order him to be captured and roasted.

He had almost been tricked by the old man he had encountered earlier, and this suspicion would not change anytime soon.

"Cough... cough..." After a long look, the old man's cloudy eyes finally showed satisfaction. He nodded and said, "A scholar is good, a scholar is good..."

"This handsome young man is much better than the distant nephew of the second family's wife. Tsk, tsk, and he's a scholar... Our village lacks scholars." The old man seemed quite pleased with his first impression of Li Yi. He muttered, "What's the point of constant fighting and killing? It's crude, crude... In the old days, your great-grandfather was also a scholar, but these unambitious fellows haven't inherited any of his skills..."

The girl in white martial attire looked at the old man proudly and said, "Of course, who else could have chosen him..."

"Good, good!"

The old man laughed heartily, waved his hand, and said, "Mr. Qin from the school broke his leg a few months ago and can't stand up anymore. The young rascals are always causing trouble in the village, and it's annoying. Now, it's perfect. Our Willow Leaf Village doesn't keep idle people. Let him be a teacher at the school, so those young rascals won't keep bothering me."

"Listen to Uncle," Liu Ruyi said softly.

Li Yi stood there, feeling completely ignored, with his existence reduced to almost nothing.

This was about him, and they had decided so casually without even asking for his opinion?

A teacher?

He was ready to retire and enjoy his old age. Who wanted to do such a boring job!

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