I Was Forced to Marry the Empire’s Valkyrie and Lay Low Until I Became Unbeatable - Chapter 4:

Chapter 4: One Week of Lying Flat!

Starting from the second day, another rattan lounge chair appeared in Ning Chen’s courtyard—and the person lying in it was, of course, his little sister-in-law, An Beixue.

Although An Beixue and An Nanjing were twin sisters, for some reason, their martial talent was on entirely different levels.

An Nanjing had possessed extraordinary talent since childhood. She mastered every martial art she touched, and before the age of thirty, she had already reached an almost divine level of martial mastery.

In contrast, despite all her hard work and suffering, An Beixue had only just barely reached the Martial King Realm at the same age.

Originally, she hadn’t thought much of it—until Ning Chen’s words shattered her emotional defenses.

Hard work? Struggle?

What use were they compared to talent? Enjoying life while lying flat was the true meaning of existence!

“Mmm~ So comfortable!”

From the moment she chose to lie flat, An Beixue felt both her body and mind relax.

No need to memorize any profound techniques, no more practicing supreme martial arts. This life of leisure was exactly what she had always dreamed of!

But while An Beixue had fully embraced lying flat, Ning Chen was starting to get a little anxious.

Whether she laid around or not had nothing to do with him—but why did she have to lie around in his courtyard?

How was he supposed to quietly study his system rewards like this?

“Beixue, why don’t you lie down in your own courtyard? Mine’s not exactly spacious,” Ning Chen said tactfully.

An Beixue glanced lazily at the rock garden and pond in the yard, replying, “It’s fine, Brother-in-law. As long as there’s room to lie down, it’s enough!”

Ning Chen tried again, “Beixue, it’s really better if you go back. A sister-in-law and her brother-in-law lounging in the same courtyard—it’ll stir gossip!”

But An Beixue didn’t back down, her adorable face puffed with defiant bravado. “I’m the second young lady of the An Residence. When my sister’s away, I’m the one in charge! If anyone dares gossip, I’ll rip out their tongue!”

Just as Ning Chen was about to say more, An Beixue flashed her tiger-teeth grin threateningly. “Brother-in-law, don’t make me unhappy. Otherwise, I’ll repeat everything you said that day to my sister, word for word!”

“Fine! Lie down! Lie down wherever you like! We’re all family—what’s wrong with lying together?!”

Ning Chen surrendered immediately. He really didn’t want to get skewered by a silver spear.

Fortunately, the system was reliable. Even though a Martial King like An Beixue was lying right next to him, she sensed nothing at all!

Thus, the following days passed in comfort. Ning Chen and An Beixue spent their time sipping tea, fishing, and sunbathing in the courtyard.

Their laid-back life wasn’t just pleasant—it was rewarding. Every day, Ning Chen received a system reward right on schedule.

[Ding! Three days of lying flat—congratulations, host has received the supreme martial art: True Martial Fist!]

[Ding! Four days of lying flat—congratulations, host has received a 1,000-year-old ginseng root!]

[Ding! Five days of lying flat—congratulations, host has received the Poison Immunity Pill!]

[…]

The rewards were varied, but every single one was immensely valuable.

In the outside world, any one of them would spark bloody battles among cultivators.

During this time, An Nanjing had yet to return home—evidently preoccupied with military affairs.

Then, on one particular morning, Ning Chen had just set up the two rattan chairs in the courtyard when An Beixue arrived right on cue. But compared to the past few days, her usually bright face was now tinged with worry.

Even lying in the chair, she seemed listless—clearly troubled by something.

After spending the past few days together, Ning Chen had developed a good impression of this little sister-in-law.

Sometimes, he even felt she was more suited to be a wife than the cold and domineering An Nanjing.

Of course, that thought was buried deep in his heart. If An Nanjing ever found out, getting impaled would be the least of his worries.

“Beixue, you look down today. Something bothering you?”

Ning Chen asked softly.

An Beixue sighed. She hadn’t planned to speak, but after a moment of hesitation, she replied, “It’s not me… it’s my sister. She’s in trouble.”

“Your sister? What trouble could she possibly have?” Ning Chen was puzzled.

After all, An Nanjing was the strongest Valkyrie in Great Chu. Not only was her personal strength unmatched, she also commanded four elite armies—“Heavenly Dragon,” “Tiger Guards,” “Flying Leopards,” and “Greedy Wolves”—holding authority over a million troops!

What kind of trouble could a woman like that possibly have?

As if reading his thoughts, An Beixue sighed, “I know what you’re thinking. But it’s exactly because my sister is so powerful and holds so much authority… that she’s in trouble now.”

“It’s… Emperor Chu Yuan!” Ning Chen’s expression shifted as a name surfaced in his mind.

After all, the reason he was able to enjoy this peaceful lying-flat life was precisely because of Chu Yuan!

Sure enough, An Beixue nodded. “That jealous tyrant!”

“When my sister was just sixteen and became head of the An family, she stepped up after our father’s death and began serving him.”

“The year Chu Yuan ascended the throne, three princes staged a rebellion with 100,000 troops. In the empire’s darkest hour, it was my sister who led the army and quashed the uprising in less than two days.”

“In his fifth year as Emperor, Chu Yuan sought to weaken the vassals. Eight regional kings rebelled and proclaimed themselves Emperors. Once again, my sister took command and pacified the revolt within three months.”

“In the tenth year, the Tianluo Kingdom repeatedly invaded Great Chu’s borders. My sister led a campaign—not only did she push them back, she outright destroyed the entire Empire and annexed their land into Great Chu’s territory!”

“She didn’t just secure his throne—she suppressed rebellions, expanded territory, and gave him achievements to rival even the founding emperor of Great Chu!”

By this point, An Beixue’s delicate brows were furrowed in anger. “But now that peace has returned, that bastard is burning the bridge after crossing it! He’s constantly pressuring my sister to hand over her military command!”

At this, Ning Chen interjected, “Typical. When the rabbit dies, the hunting dog is cooked. When the birds are gone, the bow is stored. When the enemy is destroyed, the strategist is discarded.”

“Exactly! Brother-in-law, that’s perfect phrasing!” An Beixue nodded repeatedly, finally venting all her pent-up frustration.

“In truth, my sister doesn’t mind giving up her power. She believes loyalty comes first. But no one expected that fool of an Emperor not only wants her military command—he wants to take her as his concubine!”

“Pah! A filthy old man nearly fifty years old—blind and shameless! What a disgusting dream!”

“Of course, my sister refused. And enraged by the rejection, he humiliated her—by granting her a marriage… to you.”

An Beixue suddenly paused, looking a bit embarrassed. “Er… I didn’t mean it that way, Brother-in-law.”

Ning Chen smiled and shook his head, “Don’t worry about it. I know my place. I just didn’t expect that my marriage was part of this scheme.”

“My sister knew that refusing the marriage decree would only bring more trouble. So she accepted.”

“But she’s the Empire-Defending Valkyrie—our Empire’s strongest general. Her prestige in the military is immense. The moment the soldiers found out the Emperor treated her this way, they started calling for rebellion—to crown her as the first female Emperor in history!”

“That’s why she rushed back to the military camp on our wedding night. She had to calm everyone down. Right now, she’s trying to appease the troops on one hand and endure pressure from Chu Yuan on the other. She’s caught in the middle and utterly exhausted!”

After pouring all this out, An Beixue looked visibly relieved.

Ning Chen didn’t say much, but deep down, he felt a sense of looming crisis.

Still, what could he do? At the moment, he was just a 9th stage Martial Master.

That’s right—after lying flat for the past few days, he had already reached the 9th stage of the Martial Master Realm, just a step away from Martial King.

But even so, he wasn’t even on par with An Beixue, let alone An Nanjing.

So what could he do?

Continue lying flat, of course!

If the sky falls, he’s got a Martial God wife to hold it up!

And just like that, another full week passed in the blink of an eye.

Thanks to the Supreme Divine Body’s autonomous cultivation, Ning Chen successfully broke through and advanced to the Martial King Realm.

At the same time, the system reward for one week of lying flat arrived right on schedule.

[Ding! One week of lying flat—congratulations, host has received a special reward…]