Toaru Majutsu no Index SS - Volume 1, Chapter 4: A Drunk Mother’s Circumstances. The_Two_Leading_Roles.

Chen Xi was a jinx who radiated misfortune the way a torch radiated light, and everyone around him knew it. His entire clan was annihilated when he was young, and not too long after that his parents disappeared. His marriage contract? Poof. Torn to shreds and gone up in smoke before the eyes of everyone in the city, almost humiliating his grandfather to the point of suicide! Cultivation? No time for that, he had a family to take care of!

This is the story of Chen Xi, a youth forced to stop cultivating and instead craft talismans to pay for his younger brother’s tuition… and who, in the process, would rise to become known by all as the Talisman Emperor!

Doomsday was approaching…

An edict bestowed marriage.

A noble daughter with three strikes: no talent, no looks, no virtue.

A trash wangye – disfigured, disabled, seriously ill.

Everyone says: Perfect match!

Bridal veil down–she wore a shallow smile. Leisurely and calm. Having experienced life and death, she only wanted to lead a quiet life.

Going up to the wedding hall–he had a slight smile on his face; a heart as cold as ice. He suffered all kinds of humiliation, but there will be a day when he will stand above all beneath the heavens.

–He is my husband. To bully him is to bully me. To insult him is to insult me. To hurt him is to hurt me. If someone were to hurt me, I would have to get to rid of them!

–Benwang doesn’t believe in supernatural beings and doesn’t seek heaven. If she were to die, benwang would turn this entire world into purgatory and sacrifice this whole country to her!

- Description from Novelupdates

A fourth chance at life. The last chance.Zarek remembered when he first experienced the Godsfall Apocalypse. Those tears of red and sparkling rouge that split the skies, opening up one dangerous realm after another.That feeling of helplessness had been palpable, heavy... suffocating. It hung above his head like a guillotine, an edge graced by death's kiss...He grinned at it.One last ride, no Talents left on his stat screen, and nothing but a dull machete and his girl by his side. What was a better thrill than that?How could he possibly fail a fourth time?Unfortunately, there were others. Other Rebirthers. Some that might have been on their last attempt just like him, or some that still had more to give to this cruel world.None of it mattered, though. He had planned everything out meticulously, each life playing its own role.He would come out on top this time. How could he not?He was Zarek Ashborn.