Chapter 2: The Clown Is Myself

Chen Zhian was bewildered.

Many details that the original owner had never paid attention to before were now vividly imprinted in his mind.

Chen Zhiming...

There was at least an eighty percent chance that he was lurking in the shadows, waiting for a day to shock the world.

Perhaps, a year ago, Chen Zhiming had ventured into the martial world alone and was already on his way to the Illusory Sect!

Without time to consider the inheritance of the Marquis of Chenliu's title,

he began to recall whether the original owner had ever mocked his useless second brother.

Whether he had bullied others because of his high talent!

After a long time,

he felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his chest.

Thank goodness!

Although this guy was bad and stupid, he wasn't beyond redemption. He wasn't bad to his family, at most, he just showed off in private.

He had even stood up for his second brother before, beating up those who mocked him.

Since his second brother might be more than meets the eye, then his eldest brother...

Was he just a bookworm?

Chen Zhibai behaved very normally, always with a book in hand, reading something like the Spring and Autumn Annals.

The only strange thing was that since the original owner could remember, it seemed that he had never seen his eldest brother lose his temper. His face always wore a gentle smile, making people feel close to him!

This was quite absurd.

Even the Buddha had a temper, but his eldest brother always had a gentle demeanor. Was he living like a saint?

Moreover, thinking of the martial arts manuscript that the original owner had casually thrown into a corner to gather dust, Chen Zhian felt his head swell.

It was his twelfth birthday, and Chen Zhibai had given him a book with an ancient feel to it.

He said to practice according to the characters in the book whenever he had time as if it was some kind of martial arts manual...

That was the only gift Chen Zhibai had ever given him.

The original owner held it for a while but with no clue as to what to do with it.

Plus, he didn't think his eldest brother could be considered a cultivator, so the gift he gave was probably nothing special.

From then on, it was left in a corner to gather dust, never to be practiced again.

Along with that unnamed manual, there was also a sword scripture given by Chen Zhiming.

The sword scripture was even more absurd. The entire book only depicted a single sword, crooked and ugly, like a child's doodle.

At that time, the original owner, in consideration of his second brother's face, glanced at it casually, then went to keep the unnamed manual company.

The only gift he constantly wore was the jade pendant given by his little sister, Chen Zhian...

Taking off the warm jade pendant engraved with the character "Zhian," Chen Zhian felt a little comforted in his heart.

Both his eldest and second brothers might be hidden big shots.

It's a good thing there's a little sister Chen ZhiDong.

She's only fourteen years old, and there weren't any omens at her birth either. These years, she's been following the original owner around, so she knows everything about the family. Except for her occasionally deep phoenix eyes, everything else seems fine!

But being better than a little sister who's destined not to inherit the title doesn't seem like much to celebrate.

And besides, who knows if that's even true?

The original owner was praised as a genius in the Marquis of Chenliu's mansion for over ten years, only to possibly turn out to be the weakest one...

If the speculation is true, with the eldest brother as a hidden big shot and the second brother as the chosen one, then the entire Chenliu Mansion might just be a place where disaster could strike at any moment.

Everyone knows that protagonists are usually orphans.

Even if they're not, once they set foot on the path of cultivation... it's likely to speed up.

With loved ones sacrificed, their power knows no bounds!

A small Chenliu Mansion, hiding two potentially chosen ones who haven't risen yet. This place could go up in flames at any moment!

At this moment,

Chen Zhian suddenly felt that the decay and mildew smell wafting in the prison cell were unusually refreshing, much better than the Chenliu Mansion, which could explode at any moment.

After calming his mind,

Chen Zhian lowered his head and whispered, "I feel like we're in danger, System. Aren't you considering opening a newbie gift box?"

This scene spells out a grim reality for Chen Zhi'an. Even if he wanted to rely on his family's wealth to buy time, it's now an extravagant hope.

Silently shutting down the system panel, Chen Zhi'an turned to the feigned sleeping Zhang Xiao'er with an expressionless face. "Xiao'er, come here, I have something to tell you."

Zhang Xiao'er hesitated for a moment, inclined to refuse, but considering the gap in their status, he reluctantly walked over.

As he was about to speak, he saw Chen Zhi'an's right hand lightning-fast, grabbing his neck and slapping him on the head fiercely. "You bastard, trying to steal my wine? Without five hundred taels, don't even think about it!"

Zhang Xiao'er was dazed by the slap, looking blankly as Chen Zhi'an rummaged through his robe.

Even his boots were taken off and carefully inspected by Chen Zhi'an.

After a swift and thorough search, Zhang Xiao'er was left lying on the ground completely naked, with a fierce tiger drawn on his chest.

Chen Zhi'an opened the system panel and had everything priced, but except for a two-tael value given for the worn-out knife, everything else was coldly rejected.

Finally, Chen Zhi'an reached into a concealed pocket of the prison robe, pondered for a moment, and then slapped it down again. "You pauper, just hiding five taels? Disgusting!"

This slap carried at least seventeen years of experience.

Zhang Xiao'er convulsed all over, unsure if it was from anger or the beating, emitting white smoke from his head, his face flushing red, before passing out.

Not far away, the old jailer's mouth twitched slightly as he quietly adjusted his prison robe, leaning against the wall while his snoring echoed like thunder!

The prison cell was silent, with only the old jailer's snoring gradually growing louder.

Just when Chen Zhian thought there might not be a response, a mechanical and indifferent voice sounded, "Fair exchange, no deception."

"No room for negotiation?"

Chen Zhian asked, unwilling to give up.

His question was met with silence.

As a transmigrator, Chen Zhian also had a companion system. However, compared to those systems that freely gave out resources for stepping on dog poop, saying weird things, answering multiple-choice questions, or checking in, his system was like a greedy and cunning merchant.

It hung two irresistible pieces of fat in the showcase: one called "Time" and the other "Enlightenment"!

The price of each piece of fat was marked!

A day cost five hundred taels of silver, and a moment of enlightenment cost one thousand taels.

Alternatively, one could exchange with other equivalent items.

Such as elemental stones, antiques, treasures, martial arts techniques, or even the original flavor bra from a goddess?

As long as the system deemed something valuable, everything was exchangeable!

Chen Zhian had worked hard killing fish for these years, earning only two hundred taels a day.

Converted into purchasing power in the Great Tang, it would take about ten years of not eating or drinking to buy a day from the system.

And yet, this system still acted indifferent.

If this wasn't a cunning merchant, what was it?

Quietly weighing the current assets of the Marquis of Chenliu's mansion, Chen Zhian became even more troubled.

Chen Ahman was not good at managing finances. He relied solely on land grants and a small amount of taxes for his income, which totaled around sixty thousand taels of silver per year.

After deducting expenses for the household and the care of the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled, there wasn't much left.

Plus, with the original owner causing trouble all the time and spending money on frivolous things, the Chenliu Mansion's warehouse was already stretched thin.

A few days ago, Chen Ahman had subtly reminded the original owner to spend less money when going out to play.

But the original owner was too foolish to understand his father's meaning.

Now, there seemed to be only over three thousand taels of silver left in the warehouse, barely enough to last until the autumn tax collection.