Chapter Five: Just End Me with a Single Strike!

“Heavens above, just end my life with one sword strike!” Chen Yi collapsed weakly, covering his head with an otherworldly children’s primer, *The Ten Thousand Character Text*.

Perhaps sensing his extraordinary intelligence beyond his years, Xia Wanwan’s expectations of him grew ever higher.

Originally, after the naming ceremony, he only needed to study three subjects daily.

In the mornings, a servant helped him learn characters and read; afternoons were for lessons in walking, sitting, and etiquette; evenings were for reviewing and literacy tests.

But ever since he ate the poisonous fruit sent by Aunt Zhou, Xia Wanwan had drawn up a new schedule for him.

As she told Chen Taiping, Yi’er had been precocious since infancy.

While ordinary children wet their beds at one year old, he knew to find the wet nurse for relief by six months.

While typical toddlers spoke at eighteen months, he not only spoke but also recognized characters, expressing himself clearly.

At two years old…

Chen Yi and Chen Taiping exchanged glances, as if the name “Chen Yuan” was about to be inscribed on their faces.

No one knew if Xia Wanwan was provoked by Zhou Wanyi or driven by her inability to procure the exotic fruits from the Western Continent, but from then on, Chen Yi’s day was divided into five segments.

After breakfast came etiquette lessons.

Beyond walking, sitting, and lying down, they added proper protocols for addressing elders.

For example, when visiting his great-grandmother, he was to perform the triple kneeling grand ceremony, with audible knocks each time.

When speaking, he must lower his gaze, avoiding direct eye contact, ideally looking at her feet.

Etiquette for uncles, elder relatives, and guests outside the mansion was so meticulous that even Chen Yi, a well-educated young man, exclaimed, “This is just too formal!”

After etiquette came literacy lessons, now including writing.

The afternoons brought two additional subjects.

First was basic knowledge—astronomy, geography, customs, and so forth—what the elderly teacher Li called “enlightenment.”

Next, an artisan from the Hou family taught him the names of various tools.

Both aimed to prevent him from becoming a dull brute skilled only in martial arts.

Interestingly, the term “dull brute” was overheard by Xia Wanwan from scholars outside the mansion, and she found it fitting and quickly adopted it.

Chen Yi once secretly repeated it to his stepfather, Chen Taiping.

Chen Taiping’s face twitched, saying the term was somewhat inappropriate.

Yet, days later, he sought Chen Yi out, changing his stance.

Not only did he strongly agree with Xia Wanwan’s definition of “dull brute,” but he also feigned sternness, warning Chen Yi to behave and not sneakily tattle.

Only afterward did Chen Yi learn from gossipers that his stepfather was kicked out of the right wing room by Xia Wanwan that very night.

There was no choice—the arm cannot twist the thigh.

Chen Yi had no option but to endure the hardships unsuitable for his age.

“What’s with the ‘996’ or ‘007’ work schedules? Let them try spending every day just studying and studying. Then they’ll know the blessing of being able to play on their phones and watch videos after work!”

Yet, this intense study was not without benefit.

At least from the refined words of sages, Chen Yi gained a clearer understanding of the Tianyuan Continent.

The Great Wei Dynasty spanned vast lands, with the capital prefecture and sixteen other prefectures and states, totaling seventeen.

Beyond Wei lay the Western Continent’s Buddhist Kingdom, barbarian tribes to the south, island groups in the east, and the demon kingdom to the north.

The fiercest were the demon lands, with most demons ravaging the Wei territory being escapees from the north.

Hence, Wei’s mightiest soldiers and strongest fortresses stood on the northern borders.

His stepfather, Marquis Wu’an Chen Taiping, was a rotating commander of the Northern Fortress.

Together with the diligent Marquis Zhou Tiance and Mount Tai Marquis Wang Xidu, they answered to the Northern Protector Du Qing.

In times of peace, the three rotated every five years.

For instance, currently Mount Tai Marquis Wang Xidu was stationed at the Northern Fortress, and in one year, Marquis Wu’an Chen Taiping would take over.

“One year… a year from now, I should start foundational cultivation, right?”

From the holographic screen’s information, he knew he hadn’t received a constitution-enhancing item at the naming ceremony, and at three years old, his foundational assessment was poor.

Now with the jade sword, his constitution was gradually improving, so his foundational assessment should rise.

But this was all conjecture; Chen Yi was unsure if his mediocre constitution would pass the foundational evaluation.

During this time, he also gleaned some details about foundational cultivation.

Martial foundational cultivation on Tianyuan Continent was designed to lay the groundwork for children.

There were many methods.

Some used medicinal elixirs to temper the body, others employed metal and stone forging, and some martial experts expanded the meridians.

It was said that southern barbarians branded spirit marks on their bodies with the blood of demon beasts.

In the Wei martial marquis households, most children underwent hair-cutting and marrow-washing by martial experts, supplemented with medicinal tempering.

This method was not only powerful but safe.

Moreover, children who completed foundational cultivation had greater compatibility, able to train in any martial path without impediment.

After all, meridians and constitution belong respectively to the body’s inner and outer aspects, so a solid foundation made the martial path much smoother.

Thinking this through, Chen Yi lifted the book from his head and yawned.

“Young master, madam is here!”

At that moment, a servant knocking on the window announced the arrival.

Chen Yi hastily grabbed the book, corrected his posture, and began reciting earnestly.

“There is a mighty fortress in the north, beyond it snow and ice stretch boundlessly, atop a mountain of a hundred thousand peaks, demons roam everywhere…”

“Yi’er, come, have some fruit.”

Xia Wanwan entered with a tray of Western Continent mangoes, smiling warmly.

“Mother, you’re finally here. Yi’er is parched.”

“Say ‘thirsty,’ not ‘parched to death.’ That’s unlucky.”

Chen Yi nodded repeatedly, grabbed a mango, and began eating.

[Toxicity mild, absorbed; comeback points +1.]

The usual status reminder pleased Chen Yi greatly.

Lately, every few days he received poisonous fruit from Zhou Wanyi.

Not only juicy and fleshy, but the poison was subtly scattered through the soft pits.

In two months, he had gained twenty-three comeback points.

By this calculation, in a year, his comeback points would reach the maximum.

Then the system would issue the second comeback mission.

Chen Yi looked forward to this, almost wishing Zhou Wanyi would send poisoned fruit every day.

“Yi’er, your birthday is just three or five months away. What kind of gift do you want?”

“A gift?”

Chen Yi found it novel that gifts were customary for birthdays in this world.

“Mother, can I have any gift I want?”

“Of course.”

“Then I want to go out for a stroll.”

Though Chen Yi wanted to ask for fewer classes, he knew it was impossible.

So he settled on a simple wish.

Since arriving in this world, he hadn’t left the Hou mansion once and was very curious about the outside world.

Xia Wanwan was momentarily stunned, then said, “Of course, no problem. Your birthday will be during the Lantern Festival. I’ll take you to see the lanterns.”

“Pinkie promise!”

“All right, pinkie promise!”

Watching her sensible son, Xia Wanwan’s face softened with warmth, though she felt a pang of guilt.

She knew her methods were flawed, forcing Chen Yi to learn literacy so young.

But she had no choice.

Besides not wanting another incident like the naming ceremony, the most important was that she couldn’t let Chen Yi fall too far behind Chen Yuan.

Alas, she only hoped that when Yi’er grew up, he wouldn’t blame her for being an incompetent mother…