Waste 01

Fang Zhiyi was born into an aristocratic family, yet outsiders called him the disgrace of the Fang family.

This was simply because Fang Zhiyi lacked the slightest foundation to cultivate Douqi.

However, the Fang family treated him quite well. After all, as a prominent clan, providing for a young master of leisure was more than easy for them.

Moreover, Fang Zhiyi's younger brother, Fang Congyun, possessed exceptional talent. He made a name for himself in his early teens and was even rumored to have received praise from the Emperor. Although Fang Zhiyi did not understand Douqi cultivation, he was genuinely happy for his brother.

Faced with his congratulations, Fang Congyun maintained an unfazed demeanor. He was always like that, bearing the air of a future family head. It was only after Fang Zhiyi turned around that Fang Congyun muttered a disdainful curse, calling him a piece of trash, which Fang Zhiyi did not hear.

Fang Congyun knew that the greatest use of this trash, Fang Zhiyi, was that they shared the same bloodline. His sole mission was to marry a young lady from another family to solidify the alliance between their clans.

Otherwise, given their father's temper, Fang Zhiyi would have been slapped to death long ago.

Fang Zhiyi's fiancée had been decided before the Fang family's ancestor passed away. She was the youngest daughter of the Jian family, born around the same time as Fang Zhiyi. But unlike him, Jian Xiaoyu had decent aptitude; she had already broken through to the third tier in her early teens and had a promising future.

In truth, the Jian family had wanted to refuse this marriage, but since the ancestors of both families had betrothed them before witnesses before they were even born, they could only grit their teeth and accept it.

Fang Zhiyi actually had a lot of self-awareness. He knew he was just an ordinary person and had considered breaking off the engagement, but every time he brought it up, he was stopped by his parents' severe scolding, so he eventually gave up.

On the day they discussed the wedding arrangements, he felt as if he were sitting on pins and needles. Jian Xiaoyu had a dark expression on her face, and Fang Zhiyi did not notice that behind him, his usually gentle brother's eyes were filled with venomous resentment.

On the day she married into the family, Jian Xiaoyu did not say a single word and looked awful. Fang Zhiyi consciously took his blanket and slept in the next room for the night. From that day on, the two entered into a marriage of convenience.

But none of this mattered. After all, Fang Zhiyi's mission was complete, and the Fang family had no time to bother with his affairs.

Compared to Jian Xiaoyu, Fang Zhiyi much preferred playing with Peng Huan'er, the maid Jian Xiaoyu had brought with her. Peng Huan'er said she had been bought by the Jian family because Madam Jian thought her smile was festive, so she was assigned to accompany the young lady.

Although Fang Zhiyi was an idle young master, he did not have a bad heart. He was happy to listen to Peng Huan'er talk about her past, like how her family had a few acres of land and her father had raised a cow, but later the cow was confiscated by the local authorities, and so on.

When Peng Huan'er talked about these things, a sad expression would appear on her face.

Fang Zhiyi did not know how to comfort her, so he could only feel sad along with her.

You are not quite like those other young masters, Peng Huan'er said.

Fang Zhiyi asked, How am I different?

I feel like you are quite silly.

You are the silly one.

Fang Zhiyi suggested finding a time to ask Jian Xiaoyu for a leave of absence for her, and then he would accompany her back to her hometown for a visit. Peng Huan'er said Fang Zhiyi was too impulsive, but deep down, she felt a bit of anticipation.

As for her maid and her husband spending all day together, Jian Xiaoyu acted as if she did not see it. To her, a person like Fang Zhiyi only deserved to stay with servants. She was waiting, waiting for Fang Congyun to take the position of family head. Congyun had said that he would definitely marry her with great pomp and circumstance.

Even if it was a second marriage, Congyun did not care.

Yes, a long time ago, she had accidentally met Fang Congyun, and the two were drawn to each other, secretly developing feelings. Even now, Fang Congyun often sneaked into her room. It was very safe here; Fang Zhiyi would not enter without her permission.

Fang Zhiyi continued to live his previous life. After bickering with Huan'er, he would excitedly wander outside.

He had previously met a family on the outskirts of the city. It was a family of three, honest and simple. When Fang Zhiyi asked for water, the old man was full of enthusiasm. Fang Zhiyi chatted with him, listening to him talk about things he did not know. Fang Zhiyi was fascinated, but when he took out gold and silver, the old man repeatedly declined.

Our family is poor, but we can fill our stomachs. Taking this money would become a burden. Young Master, if you have the heart, you should help those who cannot even afford a meal.

Ever since that time, Fang Zhiyi paid special attention to impoverished commoners, pressing money into their hands whenever he met them.

Many aristocratic youths heard about this and mocked Fang Zhiyi, saying he was indeed born to be a beggar chief.

Fang Zhiyi knew Jian Xiaoyu disliked him, so he tried his best not to bother her. For him, finding opportunities to go out and see the outside world was the most interesting thing.

However, during one trip to Old Li's house on the outskirts of the city, Fang Zhiyi smelled a burning odor, followed by the sounds of people crying and screaming.

Fang Zhiyi ran forward. At this moment, the row of houses on the outskirts had been burned to cinders. Corpses were scattered everywhere, and many injured people were still desperately calling out for their families.

Fang Zhiyi did not hesitate and began to help. When he found Old Li's house, he discovered that Old Li's entire family was dead.

Two corpses had already been charred, and the Old Li he knew well was crushed under a collapsed wooden beam near the doorway. His face was blackened by smoke, and his wide-open eyes were filled with nothing but terror.

The clash between two Douqi experts had spilled over to this place.

But in the end, those two were only taken back by their respective family heads and reprimanded, and the next day they continued to show their faces in public.

Fang Zhiyi felt a breath of air blocked in his chest, unable to be exhaled.

He returned home in a daze. No one paid attention to him. He wanted to find someone to talk to and absentmindedly walked toward the courtyard where his wife lived. But when he reached the door, he saw Peng Huan'er's corpse being carried out.

They said Peng Huan'er tried to steal Madam's jewelry and attempted to attack Madam, and was accidentally killed by Madam.

Looking at Peng Huan'er's hand hanging outside the straw mat, Fang Zhiyi sat on the ground.

It was impossible for Peng Huan'er to steal, let alone sneak attack Jian Xiaoyu. She was not crazy.

Fang Zhiyi saw a familiar figure dart out of his wife's room, then skillfully vault over the wall and disappear. He even glanced back at Fang Zhiyi, his eyes full of contempt.

At this moment, he roughly understood what had happened.

He just could not cultivate Douqi, but he was not an idiot.

Peng Huan'er must have stumbled upon something. With that silly girl's personality, she definitely said something unpleasant and offended Jian Xiaoyu.

Fang Zhiyi went to his parents to seek justice for his friend, but was scolded by his father for talking nonsense and disgracing the family name.

And then, he discovered that everyone in the family knew about the affair between his brother and his wife, but they all pretended not to see it.

It made sense. Fang Congyun possessed outstanding talent and had already reached the fifth tier of Douqi at a young age. Given time, he might even become a generation's Douzong expert, while he was nothing but the Fang family's useless eldest son.