An Unexpected Blessing (1)

TL Note: this chapter was translated, rewritten, and cleaned mostly using AI. The original was a bit difficult to organize in English so some parts were changed.

Amidst the clamor of a thriving city, the sound of merchants bickering over market prices and trade goods echoed through the streets. From all walks of life, be it traders, warriors, or farmers, everyone flocked to the bustling city of Yinque in search of wealth and fame.

Powerful merchant guilds vied for businesses, rival farmers haggled their crops and cattle for the best possible price, and young warriors dreamt of earning glory on the battlefield.

Yet, in the midst of it all, there is a young man named Han who lives on the streets of Yinque. Having faced numerous misfortunes at a young age, Han found himself in dire financial straits by the age of 15.

"Please, sir, spare some coin for water," Han extends his hand, but it is quickly pushed away by passersby.

"Get off my street, beggar!" A nearby merchant begins hitting Han with a broom, shooing him away. "You're bad for business!"

Suddenly, a middle-aged man wearing a fine red silk robe, a brown mustache, and flanked by two bodyguards caught Han's attention. "How much for the kid?" he inquired, gesturing to Han. The merchant quickly responded, "Ah, Lord Tsun...for him? 4 pieces."

"Hah, so cheap? Very well, I'll take him," Lord Tsun chuckled and tossed four bronze coins to the merchant, who eagerly handed Han over to the bodyguards. The bewildered youth struggled to free himself from their grasp, but his weak body was no match for their strength.

"Ha-ha! I bought you, boy. You'll be working for me starting today," Lord Tsun sneered, as Han gasped in disbelief.

"You're kidding, right?" Han protested, but Lord Tsun only laughed heartily and ordered his bodyguards to punch him in the gut. "No, I am not."

After a while, Lord Tsun and his men arrived at a grand mansion in the noble district of the city. The entrance led to a gravel path that connected the garden, the main house, and the guest house. Han couldn't believe his eyes as he gazed in wonder at the luxurious surroundings. "Like it? Starting today, it'll be your new home. You'll work here as part of the young lady's staff," Lord Tsun explained, gesturing towards the guest house.

'Young lady?' Lord Tsun must be talking about the owner of this house or at least it's renter.

Tsun has his bodyguards carry Han into the guest house, small in comparison to the mansion but sizeable enough for one person and made from better materials than most homes in the common residential district.

Han is tossed in what seems to be a broom closet of sorts before Tsun waves him off with a "I'll be back for you later."

Hours pass before the door to the guest house opens just slightly, a small hand pushes a small wooden bowl filled with food through the opening before disappearing and closing the door again.

'What was that?' Han picks himself up off the floor and manages to crawl over by the food, his faces lights up as he's hardly eaten anything in the past three days.

Soup and bread, a servants meal but a meal in itself.

Feeling slightly reinvigorated Han falls onto his back resting his hand on his stomach before letting out an audible "Ah!, finally some grub after all that begging."

As Han lets out a sigh of relief his mind begins to fade into gray until he finds himself in a familiar dream.

…

*Clang* in a large battlefield under the sky several warriors are fighting one another on either side, the surrounding terrain obscured by mountains in the background.

Warriors wearing various light shades of blues line up and fire arrows at the enemy line.

"Don't let up, charge them!" A young soldier in the front gives a rousing command to his comrades before pressing forward against their enemies.

Behind the warriors dressed in blue is a small fortress obscured by the dust riled up from the battlefield.

Inside the fortress a young boy is watching the battle unfold from a tower when a middle aged man presses his hand on his shoulder.

"Son, it's time for me to go." As the boy turns to face the mysterious voice a startled Han rises from his sleep. A young woman pulls back in surprise lifting her hand of Han's shoulder.

"I didn't mean to startle you… are you alright?" A young girl is dressed in a nice lightly colored gown, her dark hair pulled behind her ears in a bun.

"It's okay, …wait who are you?" Hans face is groggy but he quickly recovers as he comes to his senses.

"I'm Yue, the young lady's personal attendant… I was sent out here to fetch you."

"Fetch me, for what?"

"To meet the young lady, here.. come with me." Yue grabs Han's hand pulling him up off the ground and out of the guest house behind her. The two walk through the courtyard into a private area by the servant's house.

"Undress." The harsh tone in Tsun's makes it clear this isn't a request.

As Han begins to undress, two servants bring out a bucket of water.

*Splash* Han's body shivers on reflex due to the cold water.

"You can't meet the young lady like that.. here." Tsun tosses Han a simple outfit similar to the servant's robes and walks around the wall to let him get dressed.

After Han gets dressed Tsun's bodyguards grab the frail arms of Han again and pull him back through the courtyard and into the main house through a side door facing the guest house.

Walking into the house, Han's nose is attacked by the scents of various flowers and incense as well as candles burning, the place smells like a quiet paradise in the countryside… a scene only rich noble families could afford.

"Is this him?" A young girl sitting the middle of the main room wearing exceptionally fine robes and a golden hairpin asks with a grumpy expression on her face.

"Yes young lady." Lord Tsun bows after answering the girl's question politely.

"What am I doing here?" Han asks looking around dazed and confused.

"What are you doing here you ask? You're here to work, normally we take on people from prominent families with debts but I suppose a market slave like you will do." The young girl still with a grumpy expression on her face talks in a harsh tone.

"Right, what does work entail exactly?"

Han's genuine confused tone sets the girl off guard a little but before she can retort, Lord Tsun raises his hand to speak for her and she nods her head.

"You will clean the floors and attend to work around the property, normal physical labor mostly but you'll work from Dawn to dusk with three light servant's meals a day… sound good to you beggar?"

Han bows his head rigidly.

"Good, then allow me to introduce the lady Mina of the royal court." Tsun bows his torso forward leading a hand out to the young girl who grabs it and rises to her feet in an almost ceremonial manner.

"Welcome to my service, peasant."

The next morning as Han wakes up he rises from his bedroll to see a pile of clothes and a note left for him: [This is your new uniform starting today, once you're ready come see me at the servant's house -Yue.]

As Han gets up he takes in his surroundings, the guest house is well made but it's been neglected and dust has piled up with cobwebs forming in some of the darker corners.

"Hmm, it's not bad but it's far from a palace… if only I could've been a famous warrior or a rich merchant I wouldn't have to deal with this mess."

After Han gets dressed and ready he heads to the the servant's house, as he goes to knock on the door it swings open gently.

"Han, good to see you." Yue's bright smile meets Han's gaze in an instant.

"You too."

"I'm sorry but I'm a little busy, here's a list of your chores for today." After Yue hands Han a short list of chores she quickly jogs off with a simple wave and a smile.

A few hours later after cleaning the courtyard and the greenhouse, Han is busy dusting the shelves in the library as he reaches for a top shelf he slips off the stool he'd been using for a foothold and a clatter of books come crashing down with him.

"Ugh, god damnit." Dusting himself off and removing the pile of a books from his torso Han curses his current situation.

A few moments later, as he's placing the books back on the shelves, Han picks a sealed scroll out the remaining pile and his eyes suddenly widen at the title [Heavenly Martial Arts Techniques].

END OF THE FIRST CHAPTER