Shen Han calculated the days; it had been a year since he traveled to the Shen Family Marquis Mansion.
When he first arrived here, Shen Han thought he would act decisively, not taking any grievances.
But he quickly recognized the reality that his traversed identity was nothing more than a disfavored heir.
Let alone acting decisively, if he were to offend those in power in the mansion,
the next day, Yun'an City would hear of Shen Han's sudden illness, leading to his untimely death, followed by a random burial.
At this moment, Shen Han was carrying a basket of tools, repairing the roof at the Shen Mansion.
In half a month, autumn would likely arrive.
There were many towering trees around the mansion; the falling dead branches often damaged the roof.
Starting at 7:00 AM, he ate two buns for lunch on the roof, and finally rested at 5:00 PM.
Finishing his labor, Shen Han tidied up his attire and headed to the Shen Mansion kitchen to have dinner.
Those unaware would think Shen Han was a servant, a household worker.
In reality, he was the fifth young master of the Shen Mansion, the biological grandson of the Marquis Shen.
In the kitchen, Shen Han sat in his designated spot.
The surrounding household workers did not treat him as a young master and ate and drank on their own.
The attitudes towards Shen Han varied; some felt sympathy and pity,
while others mocked and took delight in his misfortune.
"I've always thought that the unluckiest person in this world is our Young Master Shen Han.
It wasn't easy for him to be reborn into the Shen Family, become the grandson of the Marquis Shen, yet he is neglected to this extent, ending up eating with us servants and laborers."
The speaker was a maid named Cai Yan.
Recently, the Second Madam had shown her some favor, thus she spoke more boldly than before.
The maids and servants beside her nudged her quietly, hinting at Shen Han behind her.
Cai Yan, however, paid no heed and continued with what she was saying.
"Let me tell you, the title of the unluckiest person in this world is about to have a new owner~"
Though they were wary of Shen Han behind them, they couldn't help but look up at Cai Yan, curious.
"It seems you all still do not know.
Our Young Master Shen Han is about to get married, and his betrothed, in terms of family status and appearance, is exceptional indeed~"
The household workers couldn't help but glance at Shen Han, then turned back to continue staring at Cai Yan.
"Sister Cai Yan, you can't be joking with us, right? In Young Master Han's situation...
it's doubtful he could even produce any dowry; what girl would be willing to marry him?"
"Marrying the Fifth Young Master, the wedding feast might only be held here in the kitchen."
"Indeed, hahaha..."
The servants burst into laughter, and the kitchen was filled with mirth.
Cai Yan chuckled along with the crowd, and when the laughter slowly subsided, she continued to speak.
"This marriage isn't as simple as you think; it's an alliance decreed by the Imperial Family.
Moreover, you must have heard of the lady's name; she is the youngest daughter of the Su Family, Su Jinyu."
As soon as the name Su Jinyu was mentioned, the maids and servants around froze momentarily.
Instantly, their previous disrespect turned into deference as they gazed at Shen Han.
If Shen Han truly married Su Jinyu, it would indeed be a turnaround.
These household workers, who had treated Shen Han with such disregard, began to worry.
Seemingly uninterested in listening to them any longer, Shen Han took three buns, carried a bowl of porridge, and left.
As they watched him leave, this group of servants gathered around Cai Yan.
"Sister Cai Yan, you're joking, right? How could the third young lady of the Su Family marry Shen Han?
The Su Family should be aware of Shen Han's status and standing within the Shen Mansion..."
"That's right, and isn't the Su family's third young lady already taken with our Eldest Young Master?
Those two would be a perfect match..."
"Why would the Imperial Family forcibly break apart a perfect couple..."
The group of maids and servants was flustered, yet Cai Yan remained calm.
"Calm down, everyone, use your brain and think, if Shen Han really could marry Miss Su Jinyu, would I dare speak like this?
To tell you the truth, the few madams and the Old Dowager are already trying to find a way; they will cancel this marriage no matter what."
...
Shen Han had already heard these rumors about himself mentioned to him before.
Su Jinyu, the third young lady of the Su Family, was a well-known beauty in Great Wei.
Apart from her stunning visage, she was incredibly talented in comprehending the Sword Dao.
It was said that a Sword Immortal from Xiaoyao Peak had recently accepted her as a disciple.
She and Eldest Young Master Shen Ye of the Shen Family were quite a match, and both were enamored with each other.
The world assumed that the Shen and Su families were going to form a marriage alliance, further strengthening the relations between the two families.
As of now, it seemed that the two families indeed were to form an alliance, only Su Jinyu was granted marriage by the Imperial Family to Shen Han...
Returning to his humble room, Shen Han skillfully scattered a layer of ash on the ground to prevent moisture.
Feeling somewhat weary, he lay on the bed, his mind occupied with thoughts of this royal decree of marriage.
The Patriarch Shen, Marquis Yun'an, currently led the Eastern Garrison of Great Wei.
The Patriarch of the Su Family, Marquis Wuyang, had already relinquished his military power, but still held considerable prestige in the military.
Everyone knew that the one who was most compatible with Su Jinyu should have been the Eldest Young Master of the Shen Family, Shen Ye.
When it comes to natural talent and reputation, Shen Ye might even be slightly stronger than Su Jinyu.
The future position of Patriarch of the Shen Family will, unsurprisingly, also likely fall to Shen Ye.
And what status does Shen Han have in the Shen Family?
He is even less favored than the servants and maidservants.
The Imperial Family cannot be unaware of these facts.
Yet, they insist on bestowing marriage for Shen Han and Su Jinyu to wed.
This can only mean that the Imperial Family is stirring trouble, deliberately creating disturbances.
This royal marriage decree from the Imperial Family raises questions about what tricks the people of the Shen Family might be up to.
Shen Han only wishes for peace and tranquility, but it is indeed somewhat difficult to achieve.
Shaking his head, he takes out an ancient book and continues to read it.
"The Mountain and River Body Refining Skill," a widely available Cultivation Method.
Though common, this ancient manual is not the type that is easy to start practicing.
On the contrary, it's notoriously difficult, and most people can't understand what is written in it.
Therefore, even though it spread widely, not many are willing to spend time comprehending this "Mountain and River Body Refining Skill."
Focusing, Shen Han tries once more to look at the manual.
In Shen Han's view, lines of small gray characters appear on the tome: [Obscure and Incomprehensible Manual]
Throughout this year in the Great Wei, Shen Han has been trying to understand what this is.
The anomaly he sees is undoubtedly mysterious.
At first, Shen Han could scarcely look at it more than twice before feeling dizzy, but after a year of persistence, he could now focus on it for the time it takes to burn half an incense stick.
A quarter of an hour passed, just like before, without any change.
But at least his sense of Spiritual Power felt somewhat enhanced.
Just as Shen Han was about to look away, the gray text on the tome started to tremble slightly.
To his astonishment, the line of gray text labeled [Obscure and Incomprehensible Manual] began to scatter.
The original [Obscure and Incomprehensible] line of text transformed into a stream of divine sense and entered his consciousness.
His temple throbbed slightly with pain, but beyond that, he felt nothing more.
Hastily, Shen Han moved forward to pick up the tome; at this moment, only the large characters [Manual] appeared on the "Mountain and River Body Refining Skill."
The original prefix [Obscure and Incomprehensible] had vanished.
He quickly leafed through the manual, leaving Shen Han stunned.
He had been studying this "Mountain and River Body Refining Skill" for more than six months, nearly memorizing its contents.
However, its explanations were extremely chaotic, often lacking coherence, sometimes even ambiguous in wording.
Throughout more than a year, Shen Han had not fully comprehended even the first page.
But this time, reading the manual, its words became coherent, and the phrases turned normal.
Shen Han had always thought his talent was not poor, but this "Mountain and River Body Refining Skill" was indeed difficult.
With the [Obscure and Incomprehensible] prefix removed, he could understand it, but comprehending it still posed some challenges.
However, Shen Han could now fully grasp the first section at the beginning of this "Mountain and River Body Refining Skill."
Sitting cross-legged, he attempted to cultivate according to the method described in the manual.
Inhale, exhale, condense, gather!
"The Mountain and River Body Refining Skill" truly has some profound mysteries; within half a stick of incense's time, Shen Han felt his body and spirit both improved somewhat.
This Cultivation Technique is meant to lay a foundation for cultivators, serving as the groundwork for future elevated achievements.
Once the incense burned out, Shen Han noticed his mind was clearer, and his limbs were much more agile.
Stable like a mountain, yet flowing unceasingly like a river.
The transformations within himself filled Shen Han with immense excitement.
It turns out that this is how his abilities are to be used.
Setting the "Mountain and River Body Refining Skill" aside, Shen Han directed his consciousness into his mind.
The [Obscure and Incomprehensible] prefix previously extracted was now within his mind.
With a gentle tweak of his fingers, this gray phrase appeared as if pinched between them.
Shen Han had a hypothesis.
This unique ability of his should allow him to extract certain attributes from items.
Moreover, after extraction, he could impose it on other objects.
With these thoughts, Shen Han's consciousness condensed into a point.
The gray phrase, following the direction of his finger, attached itself to a short stick.
The original short stick unexpectedly transformed in the blink of an eye.
Its tip became rounded with a small hole, and there was a slightly raised, slanted small branch in the middle.
The short stick became entirely smooth, and Shen Han, though usually thick-skinned, blushed a bit seeing it.
Floating on the short stick were also gray small characters, [Obscure and Incomprehensible Short Stick].
This short stick was indeed obscure and incomprehensible; an ordinary person would have no idea what it was supposed to be used for...
Shen Han now confirmed his ability; with such a mysterious ability, he should be able to find peace and tranquility in the future.
After a moment, Shen Han re-extracted the prefix [Obscure and Incomprehensible] that he had applied earlier.
With this extraction, the phrase disappeared entirely.
It seems that the extracted phrase can only be reused once.
Although there is this limitation, the ability remains extremely powerful.
Outside, it was still pitch black, indicating it was likely already the hour of Yin (3:00 AM).