The gentle morning sunlight streamed into the room, making Wu Ming squint.
"Achoo..."
He sat halfway up in bed and contentedly stretched, gazing at the scattered patches of light in the tiny room and the motes of dust floating in the air. His eyes lingered on the antique furniture, the exquisitely carved rosewood bed he lay on, and the brocade coverlet embroidered with mandarin ducks playing in the water, its stitching a marvel of craftsmanship. Then he suddenly shook his head.
"I must be dreaming!"
That was Wu Ming's first reaction. His second immediately followed: "This ancient dream is so realistic..."
As he thought this, he pinched his cheek, then tried to make out the writing on the landscape paintings hanging on the walls. His expression suddenly changed, and his right hand dropped unconsciously.
"Ah!"
A faint cry of pain came from beside him. On the other side of the mandarin-duck pillow, a head of beautiful black hair spilled loose, the girl's distinctive fragrance wafting from it.
The quilt shifted, revealing a delicate, oval face. Tear tracks still glistened on her cheeks, lending her an air of innocence.
Wu Ming broke into a cold sweat, then a heavy sweat, then sweat poured off him like a waterfall...
An intensely ominous feeling seized Wu Ming. A moment later, he lowered his head and thought for a bit, then calmly got up and climbed out of bed. He put on the trousers and blue robe scattered on the floor, then tidied his hair in the bronze mirror before him. Seeing the face of a boy who seemed no older than fifteen or sixteen, he kept his expression cold and strode out of the room.
From beginning to end, the girl on the bed had watched Wu Ming's every move with indifference, her face expressionless and her eyes a stagnant pool, as if she were a walking corpse.
Since she was lying on her back, she didn't see Wu Ming's cold composure crumble the instant he left the room, or how he fled at lightning speed.
"It really wasn't a dream!"
Wu Ming wandered around the enormous courtyard in disarray. He saw maids and servants dressed in ancient clothes bowing to him and calling him Young Master Ming, and the shock in his heart was too complicated to put into words.
"This really is ancient times... Did I transmigrate?"
As a humanities student in his previous life who had read countless novels, Wu Ming was no stranger to this scene.
But novels were just novels. When something like this actually happened to someone, who could possibly stay calm right away?
"Young Master Ming? What's wrong? Was Yun Xiaoniang not to your satisfaction last night?"
A sycophantic voice reached him. Wu Ming looked over and saw a chubby middle-aged man bowing with a fawning smile. His greasy, plump face was full of obsequiousness, and he wore clothes a rank above the servants'—he seemed to be some sort of butler.
This is a textbook lackey!
Wu Ming made his judgment. As he looked at the man, a familiar feeling suddenly welled up in his mind, and he blurted out, "Steward Wu!"
"At your service!"
The chubby Steward Wu straightened up at once, looking like a loyal dog ready to die for its master. "What does Young Master Ming command?"
He paid no attention to Young Master Ming's disheveled clothes.
Who didn't know? Young Master Ming was the apple of Eldest Miss's eye and had always been spoiled rotten. He did all sorts of eccentric things. What was a little untidy clothing? Hadn't Young Master Ming done far more shocking things than that?
Seeing Wu Ming looking so dazed, Steward Wu immediately guessed that the young lady hadn't served him well last night, and began making plans in his head.
"Command?"
Wu Ming steadied himself.
First, he could be certain that he had transmigrated!!!
Not only had he transmigrated, he was even occupying someone else's body! Although he was much younger now, he was definitely not as handsome as he'd been before transmigrating!
Of course, whether he was handsome wasn't the point right now. If anyone discovered that their young master had been replaced, the consequences would probably...
In an instant, Wu Ming's imagination supplied a string of gruesome ancient punishments for dealing with Evil Cult sorcerers: being doused with dog blood, smeared with gold oil, and dunked in a cesspit. His legs began to tremble.
For now, I'll just keep it hidden. I absolutely can't let anyone notice something's wrong!
Holding to that thought, Wu Ming uttered a piece of nonsense that had been universal since time immemorial: "I'm hungry!"
It wasn't a lie. Who knew how many times this body had gone at it last night? Now it was famished.
"Oh! This servant was negligent! I deserve to die!"
Steward Wu slapped himself and smiled apologetically. "Young Master Ming got up late today, and the servants forgot to prepare breakfast. They truly deserve a beating! A beating!"
In truth, a wealthy household like this would have hot breakfast ready even if its master didn't rise until the sun was high. The maids attending Wu Ming had been waiting to serve the food as soon as he stepped out.
But Wu Ming had been wandering around the courtyard in a daze. Who would dare stop him?
Since ancient times, servants were always at fault; the master never was. So the lackey Steward Wu dutifully blamed his subordinates for everything. "This servant will prepare it at once... Why not have it at Lingfeng Pavilion? Young Master Ming usually likes to dine there..."
"Very well. We'll go there!"
How could Wu Ming possibly know the way around? But just then, his mind was foggy and swollen, while fragments of memory surfaced and merged with his own, as though he were reliving another life from a different perspective.
Eager to find somewhere to digest the memories, Wu Ming naturally agreed at once.
A short while later.
Wu Ming sat at the very top of Lingfeng Pavilion, staring blankly at the breakfast before him.
The main course was crab roe buns. The Wu family's chef had clearly brought out his best skills: the translucent skins revealed the bright crab roe inside, making the buns look like works of art.
There were also several plates of exquisite side dishes, their fragrant aroma tantalizing his appetite.
Even the accompanying drink was a sweet-and-sour white liquid resembling rice milk, wonderfully appetizing.
All in all, even in Wu Ming's previous life, his wallet would have taken a serious hit to afford a breakfast of this caliber.
Wu Ming's expression remained wooden as he suddenly picked up a crab roe bun.
Whoosh!
A cold wind swept past, and Wu Ming felt as though he'd been left flapping in the breeze.
This rickety pavilion leaked wind from all four sides. A few gusts were enough to chill him to the bone—and, more importantly, to cool every single dish!
"Bring the brazier!"
The lackey had already prepared for this. He brought over a copper brazier burning with charcoal, saving Wu Ming's taste buds at last.
Otherwise, no matter how delicious the food, unless it was meant to be served cold, it would taste far worse once it cooled.
"Very good. You can leave. I want some quiet."
After managing to eat his fill, Wu Ming waved his hand.
Steward Wu gathered the maids and cleared away the cups and plates. Only after bowing did he retreat, walking on tiptoe so quietly that he made hardly a sound.
The rules of this great household were truly strict.
Wu Ming sat with his eyes half-closed, seemingly deep in thought. Then he suddenly rose and leaned against the railing.
As far as the eye could see, buildings stretched one after another. Tall, sturdy walls connected them, forming what looked like a small fortified village.
The Lingfeng Pavilion where he stood seemed to be the watchtower of this little fortress.
Outside its walls, fields and paths crisscrossed. Farmers and oxen worked diligently. Within the fortress, wisps of blue smoke rose now and then. Servants, maids, and the households dependent on the estate went about their business in orderly fashion, like worker ants in an anthill.
From Wu Ming's vantage point, all he could see were rows of black heads. They really did look like ants, lively and amusing.
Wu Ming stood there with his wide sleeves fluttering, almost seeming to have transcended the mortal world and ascended to the heavens.
Now he understood why the previous owner of this body liked coming here: it was to show off, to enjoy the sensation of being high above everyone, like a deity looking down upon all living things.
Thinking of that, Wu Ming couldn't help raising his middle finger at the person who no longer existed.
"So... this really is another world?"
After a long while, Wu Ming turned away and sorted through the memories he had absorbed, sighing again.
This place was neither the world of his previous life nor ancient China!
Though his predecessor had been a wastrel, Wu Ming had only needed to extract a few scraps of memory from his mind to realize that this was a vast, boundless world imbued with mysterious powers!
By pure coincidence, the previous owner of this body had also been called Wu Ming. He had lived with an older sister who doted on him. Apart from a few distant relatives and clansmen, he was the sole heir to this enormous estate! And no outsiders had shown any interest in it—a truly unbelievable situation.
According to his memories, all of this seemed closely connected to his older sister, who had been exceptionally gifted since childhood and was now studying at the Dao Academy.
For some reason, although his sister had spoiled Wu Ming rotten, the memories of her that came to mind filled him with an inexplicable dread.
Sigh... Fortunately, she's studying at the Dao Academy right now, so she won't catch me out immediately. The rest are all servants. Would they dare question their master?
With his courage bolstered, Wu Ming walked downstairs with his hands behind his back. Steward Wu was waiting nearby.
"What is it?"
"Well... Young Master, there's Yun Xiaoniang in your room..."
Steward Wu looked as if he wanted to say more but couldn't.
"Her..."
Wu Ming rubbed his temples, feeling a little troubled.
According to the memories, this Wu Ming had been the local bully and had done plenty of wicked things.
As for Yun Xiaoniang, he had seized her just last night. It seemed she had a childhood sweetheart, too.
"Seized" wasn't entirely accurate. After all, Yun Xiaoniang's parents had taken Wu Ming's gold and silver, then sent their daughter into his household with great delight. They hadn't even bothered to ask for a proper title for her.
I'm not taking the blame for what the previous guy did!
Wu Ming's brow furrowed. He put on his predecessor's manner of speaking. "That girl? I'll show mercy and send her home. Give her some money and gifts, too, so she can marry that Lin Qi fellow!"
"Huh?"
Steward Wu looked astonished. "Young Master Ming, didn't you already send someone to beat Lin Qi to death?"
"Oh... Hurry and catch up with Ghost Hand Lao Liu. Tell him to come back at once!"
Wu Ming slapped his forehead. There were so many memories that he'd almost forgotten about this.
Ghost Hand Lao Liu was naturally a guard in the Wu household. He had done plenty of wicked things for the original Wu Ming. It would be an exaggeration to say he had a hundred Vengeful Spirits on his hands, but he had killed at least ten people...
"Report!"
Just then, a brawny man came running over. His face was panicked as he cried, "Young Master Ming, this is bad! Ghost Hand Lao Liu was beaten to death by Lin Qi!"
"What happened? Wasn't that man a famous good-for-nothing? How could he beat Ghost Hand Lao Liu?" Steward Wu furrowed his brow.
But Wu Ming's mind rang out like a clap of thunder, as if lightning had streaked across the sky. A terrible premonition seized him:
"Could I have transmigrated into a villain from one of the novels in my previous life—the kind who bullies men and women and exists just to help the protagonist gain experience? Oh God! This isn't how the script is supposed to go!"
Before you continue