In the end, Zhou Ping agreed to marry Chen Nianqiu.

This choice had nothing to do with any lingering childhood affection. Rather, it was because of an item she had placed in his hands.

The two left the Zhou family residence, walking toward a secluded, desolate corner far from the village.

"My grandmother was named Li Huiling," Chen Nianqiu began softly. "She was the last surviving daughter of the Li family."

"The Li family?" Zhou Ping asked, a flicker of surprise crossing his features. He had never heard of such a clan existing in the area.

Seeing his confusion, Chen Nianqiu explained, "Seventy years ago, Baixi Village did not bear this name. It was called Li Family Village."

"Back then, there were only a dozen or so households, but every single one belonged to the Li clan. They tilled the soil along the banks of the white stream nestled within these mountains, living in quiet contentment."

Zhou Ping was momentarily stunned.

This piece of history differed vastly from what he had been led to believe about Baixi Village.

He had always assumed that a few decades ago, several waves of refugees had simply settled here, breaking the earth to farm and pass down their lineages, eventually forming the modern village. It was the standard explanation for why the village possessed so many varied surnames.

But a moment later, understanding dawned on him. After all, his own family had only put down roots here starting from his grandfather's generation. Whatever he knew of the village's past was nothing more than passing rumors.

Chen Nianqiu's voice hardened, thick with a deep-seated malice. "But seventy years ago, a century-level drought struck the Nanyang Prefecture of the Zhao Kingdom. It ravaged nine commanderies and dozens of counties. Countless mortals were displaced, and the wilderness was littered with the bodies of the starved."

"At that time, the Patriarch of Li Family Village was my grandmother's father-my great-grandfather. He was a deeply compassionate man, renowned throughout the region as a great benefactor."

"When the refugees arrived, the landlords of neighboring villages barred their gates and drove them away. Yet, my great-grandfather chose a different path. Not only did he refrain from expelling them, but he also set up porridge stations to distribute aid. He even permitted a portion of the refugees to remain in Li Family Village, leasing them fields for a pittance."

"Though he certainly hoped to recruit laborers for the future, his primary intent was to help those people survive the calamity."

"Who could have foreseen that as word of his charity spread among the desperate masses, it would draw a particular band of refugees to the village? They slaughtered the entire Li clan down to the last soul. And that very band of refugees is the ancestors of today's Four Great Surnames!" Chen Nianqiu's words were ice-cold, dripping with absolute hatred.

Standing beside her, Zhou Ping remained silent.

Inwardly, however, his resolve hardened. In the future, his own family must never be overly merciful. Otherwise, they might well repeat the tragic mistake of the Li clan.

"My grandmother was quick-witted," Chen Nianqiu continued, her gaze dropping to the dirt. "She changed into tattered rags and smeared herself with filth and dung until she reeked. By blending into the frantic crowd, she was mistaken for a refugee and managed to escape with her life."

"Yet, in the wake of such a massive disaster, it was hard enough for a lone refugee girl just to stay alive, let alone find anyone to help her exact vengeance. She had no choice but to conceal her identity and remain right here in Li Family Village, which eventually became Baixi Village. As for the other eighty-nine members of the Li clan, not one survived. The Li family's fields were partitioned among the Four Great Surnames. They shamelessly installed themselves as the masters of this land, whitewashing the past to cover up their crimes."

Suddenly, she snapped her head up, her eyes wide with a desperate, pleading light as she looked at Zhou Ping.

"Even on her deathbed, my grandmother wept for vengeance. She died with her eyes wide open, unable to find peace!"

"I possess the original land deeds to two hundred and ten mu of the Li family's ancestral property. If you are willing to help my family enact vengeance, my father and I will gladly serve the Zhou family as hereditary servants for generations!" Chen Nianqiu dropped to her knees, her forehead striking the hard earth with a dull thud.

Zhou Ping frowned slightly and asked, "Since you hold the land deeds, why haven't you sought aid elsewhere?"

A bitter, desolate smile twisted Chen Nianqiu's lips. "The deeds are from eighty years ago. They have long lost any legal validity. Who would be foolish enough to cross four established local families for the sake of useless scraps of paper?"

Hearing this, Zhou Ping lightly tapped his forehead.

He had temporarily forgotten that mortal land deeds possessed an expiration date under dynastic law. Furthermore, since the Four Great Surnames had maintained their grip on power for so long, they would have thoroughly formalized their ownership over the generations to ensure no legal loopholes remained.

In truth, the only value lay in the father and daughter themselves-one an old man broken by years, the other a fragile peasant woman.

The wealthy gentry and land-owning clans from other regions certainly wouldn't march into Baixi Village to wage a bitter feud against four entrenched families for the sake of two helpless peasants.

As for those who truly held power within Qingshui County-such as the County Magistrate, the County Marshal, or the Pingyun Huang Clan-the barrier was even higher.

Setting aside whether Chen Nianqiu and her father could even secure an audience, there was no reason for such figures to care.

The County Magistrate and County Marshal oversaw massive family industries. Why would they stir up a hornet's nest over a trivial pittance of land, risking the disgraceful reputation of seizing profits from ordinary citizens?

As for the Pingyun Huang Clan, they resided in the eastern territory of Qingshui County, over a hundred li away. They would never deploy their strength for two hundred mu of ordinary mortal farmland.

Had the property included a prominent mountain peak possessing spiritual resonance, the story might be different. A location rich in Spiritual Qi could be transformed into spirit fields to cultivate spiritual herbs.

But the low, rolling hills surrounding Baixi Village lacked even a shred of spiritual resonance. The Pingyun Huang Clan would not spare them a second glance.

When calculating the options, his own family was indeed the only entity Chen Nianqiu could realistically approach, and the only one she might actually persuade.

"If you marry me, you can use the name of the Li family's descendants to rightfully reclaim every inch of land in this village," Chen Nianqiu urged, pressing her forehead against the ground once more. "Nianqiu understands her status is lowly. Once our great vengeance is fulfilled, even if you choose to cast me aside, I will harbor no resentment."

She knew full well that Zhou Ping was one of the few lifelines she would ever encounter, and likely her absolute last chance.

Zhou Ping had now assumed the mantle of Village Head, and the Zhou family showed no intention of leaving Baixi Village. In a territory this small, a clash between his rising family and the Four Great Surnames was inevitable.

With limited land, a growing population, and families constantly expanding, peaceful coexistence was an impossibility. Sooner or later, it would escalate into a blood feud.

If even Zhou Ping refused to assist her, she would truly be left without a path forward.

"Very well. I shall marry you."

Just as Chen Nianqiu was sinking into utter despair, words of salvation reached her ears like immortal music.

"Is... is that true?"

Hardly daring to trust her own senses, she raised her head in a flurry of emotion to gaze at him. Yet, almost immediately, the light in her eyes dimmed.

Once that overwhelming torrent of decades-old hatred had been vented, the deep-seated humility ingrained in a simple peasant girl reasserted itself, reducing her to an anxious state.

Zhou Ping noted the sudden drop in her expression but chose not to address it directly.

His agreement to this marriage was driven by several practical calculations.

First, as the Zhou family expanded, he would inevitably require trustworthy individuals to manage domestic affairs and daily logistics. Hiring outsiders would always carry a risk.

The Chen family consisted of only two surviving members, making them an ideal choice. By elevating them as his wife's clan, he would never have to worry about an overly powerful maternal house interfering with his lineage in the future.

Second, his eyes were on those two hundred mu of farmland.

While the ancient land deeds had indeed expired under dynastic law, in this world, ultimate authority was always dictated by the strength of one's fist.

Zhou Ping had already intended to claim absolute dominance over Baixi Village once his family amassed enough strength. Marrying Chen Nianqiu granted him the perfect, unassailable justification to do so under societal laws.

After all, the legal order of the Zhao Kingdom remained functional. While a faction could seize assets through sheer force, they still needed a righteous pretext to maintain appearances. Otherwise, such actions would be branded as the conduct of lawless bandits or demonic cultivators, drawing public condemnation and potential suppression from the imperial court. If a future adversary were to use a lack of justification to attack the Zhou family, it could invite immense complications.

Therefore, whenever those in power sought to usurp wealth, they would invariably drape their actions in the guise of morality or law. Even the wealthiest local gentry relied on deception, coercion, and economic leverage to legally purchase the lands of poor villagers.

By taking Chen Nianqiu as his wife, Zhou Ping's future actions would be viewed as a righteous husband avenging his bride's slaughtered clan. This completely conformed to moral standards and would earn the praise and admiration of the surrounding region.

The final outcome of both approaches was identical, yet the long-term impact on his family's reputation could not be more different.