Transmigration

The gentle morning sunlight spilled into the room, causing Wu Ming to squint his eyes.

"Achoo..."

He sat halfway up on the bed and stretched comfortably, gazing at the fine specks of light dancing in the small room, the tiny particles of dust floating in the air, and especially the antique furniture, the intricately carved rosewood bed he occupied, and the silk quilt cover embroidered with mandarin ducks playing in water, the needlework of which was nothing short of masterful. Suddenly, he shook his head.

"I must be dreaming!"

This was Wu Ming's first reaction, and his second followed immediately: "This ancient dream feels so real..."

While thinking this, he pinched his own cheek and tried to decipher the calligraphy on the landscape paintings hanging on the walls. His expression suddenly shifted, and his right hand dropped unconsciously.

"Ah!"

A low, pained cry came from beside him. On the other side of the mandarin duck-embroidered pillow, a head of beautiful, raven-black hair spilled out, carrying the unique, delicate fragrance of a maiden.

The silk quilt stirred, revealing a delicate, oval-shaped face with tear tracks still wet upon it, bearing an expression of innocence.

In an instant, Wu Ming broke into a cold sweat, a heavy sweat, a waterfall of sweat...

A deeply ominous premonition suddenly assaulted his entire body. A moment later, he lowered his head to think, then rose from the bed with great composure. He put on the trousers and green robe scattered on the floor one by one, straightened his hair in the bronze mirror before him, and after seeing the face of a youth who appeared to be only fifteen or sixteen, he maintained an indifferent expression and strode out of the room.

From beginning to end, the maiden on the bed ignored every move Wu Ming made. She remained expressionless, her eyes like a pool of stagnant water, as if she were a walking dead.

Because she was lying on her back, she did not see that once Wu Ming stepped out of the room, he could no longer maintain his indifference and fled as if his life depended on it.

"It really isn't a dream!"

Wu Ming wandered back and forth through the massive courtyard in his disheveled clothes. Seeing the maids and servants in ancient attire all bowing to him and addressing him as Young Master Ming, the shock in his heart was truly beyond words.

"It really is ancient times... could I have transmigrated?"

As a liberal arts student who had read countless novels in his past life, this scenario was by no means unfamiliar to Wu Ming.

However, novels are just novels; when such a thing truly happens to a person, who could possibly remain calm in the first instance?

"Young Master Ming? What is the matter? Was that Yun Xiaoniang not satisfying in her service last night?"

A fawning voice reached him. Wu Ming looked over to see a middle-aged fat man bowing and smiling, his greasy face full of obsequiousness. He was dressed a grade above the common servants, appearing to be a steward of some sort.

This is a textbook sycophant!

Wu Ming defined him in his heart. As he looked at the man, a sense of familiarity suddenly surged in his mind, and he blurted out, "Steward Wu!"

"This small one is here!"

The chubby Steward Wu instantly straightened his back, looking like a loyal dog: "What are your orders, Young Master Ming?"

He acted as if he hadn't even noticed Young Master Ming's disheveled state.

Who didn't know? Young Master Ming was the apple of the Eldest Miss's eye and had always been spoiled. He had done many eccentric things; what did a little disheveled clothing count as? Hadn't the Young Master done many things even more shocking than this?

Seeing Wu Ming looking so absent-minded, he immediately guessed that the maiden from last night hadn't served him well, and he began to scheme in his heart.

"Orders?"

Wu Ming steadied himself.

He could first confirm that he had transmigrated!!!

Not only had he transmigrated, but the body he occupied was not his original one! Although it was much younger, it was definitely not as handsome as his pre-transmigration self!

Of course, whether he was handsome or not was beside the point for now. If it were discovered that their young master had been swapped, the consequences would likely be...

In an instant, Wu Ming automatically imagined being doused in dog blood, sprinkled with gold oil, or thrown into a dung pit—methods specifically used in ancient times to deal with evil cultists—and his legs began to tremble.

In any case, I must hide it for now; I absolutely cannot let anyone discover that something is wrong!

Clinging to this thought, Wu Ming uttered a platitude that had been universal throughout the ages: "I'm hungry!"

This was no lie; he had no idea how many times this body had performed last night, and he was already famished.

"Oh! It is this small one's negligence! This small one deserves to die!"

Steward Wu slapped his own face and smiled apologetically: "Young Master Ming rose late today, and the servants forgot to prepare breakfast. I truly deserve to be beaten! I deserve it!"

In reality, in a household of this stature, even if one rose when the sun was high, there would be hot breakfast waiting. The moment Wu Ming had stepped out, the maids serving him had been waiting to bring the dishes.

But because Wu Ming was absent-minded and wandering aimlessly through the courtyard, who would have dared to stop him?

Yet, since ancient times, it was only ever the servant's fault, never the master's. Therefore, the sycophant Steward Wu very dutifully attributed the error to his subordinates: "This small one will go prepare it immediately... How about we go to Lingfeng Pavilion? The Young Master usually likes to dine there the most..."

"Very good, let it be there!"

How could Wu Ming recognize the way now? However, at this moment, his mind felt dizzy and bloated as fragmented memories surfaced and merged with his own, as if he were re-experiencing another life from a different perspective.

Eager to find a place to digest these memories, Wu Ming naturally agreed immediately.

A short while later.

Wu Ming sat upright on the top floor 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 craft; the bun skins were crystal clear, and one could faintly see the bright crab roe inside, as exquisite as a work of art.

Accompanying the meal were several dishes of delicate side dishes, their fragrance mouth-watering and enticing.

Even the soup served with the meal was a white, rice-milk-like liquid with a sweet and sour taste, which was quite appetizing.

Generally speaking, even in Wu Ming's past life, one would have to bleed their wallet dry to afford a breakfast of this caliber.

However, Wu Ming's expression remained wooden as he suddenly picked up a crab roe bun.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

As the cold wind blew past, Wu Ming was suddenly struck by the urge to ruffle his hair in the gale.

This dilapidated building leaked wind from all four sides; after a few gusts, not only was his body chilled, but more importantly, every single dish had gone cold!

"Bring a warming stove!"

The lackey had been well-prepared and presented a copper stove burning with charcoal, finally saving Wu Ming's taste buds.

Otherwise, regardless of how delicious the food was, unless it was a dish meant to be served cold, the flavor would be greatly diminished once it cooled down.

"Very good. You may withdraw; I wish to be quiet for a moment!"

After barely managing to eat his fill, Wu Ming waved his hand.

Steward Wu led the maidservants to clear away the cups and plates, then bowed low before retreating with a hunched posture, his footsteps making almost no sound at all.

The rules in this great household were truly strict.

Wu Ming sat upright with his eyes half-closed, appearing to be in deep meditation, before suddenly rising to gaze over the railing.

What met his eyes were rows of continuous buildings, connected by tall, thick walls that formed a small fortress.

The Lingfeng Pavilion where he currently stood was likely the watchtower of this small fortress.

Looking out, the fields outside the fortress were crisscrossed with paths where farmers and oxen were toiling away. Wisps of blue smoke rose from within the walls, and the numerous servants, maids, and dependent families moved about in an orderly fashion, much like worker ants in an ant nest.

From Wu Ming's vantage point, he could only see individual black heads, truly as vivid and amusing as ants.

At this moment, Wu Ming's large sleeves fluttered, giving him a somewhat ethereal, immortal-like air.

Wu Ming now understood why the previous owner of this body liked to be here: it was simply to put on airs and enjoy the feeling of being high above, looking down upon the common people like a deity.

Thinking of this, Wu Ming could not help but flip a middle finger to the person who no longer existed.

"So... it really is another world, then?"

After a long while, Wu Ming withdrew his gaze, sorted through the digested memories, and sighed.

This place was neither his past life nor the ancient world!

Although his predecessor was a wastrel, Wu Ming only needed to extract a few fragments from his mind to know that this was a vast, boundless world imbued with mysterious power!

Coincidentally, this body was also named Wu Ming, and he had relied on a sister who doted on him dearly. Aside from a few distant relatives, he was the sole heir to this massive family fortune! That no outsiders had coveted this wealth was truly an incredible thing.

In his memories, all of this seemed to have a great deal to do with his sister, who had been gifted with extraordinary talent since childhood and was taken into a Dao Academy for advanced study.

For some reason, although that sister doted on Wu Ming, whenever he recalled memories of her, they were tinged with a faint sense of fear.

"Sigh... fortunately, she is currently in seclusion at the Dao Academy, so I won't be exposed immediately. As for the others, they are just servants—surely they wouldn't dare question me, their master?"

Bolstered by this thought, Wu Ming walked downstairs with his hands behind his back, only to see Steward Wu waiting to the side.

"What is it?"

"That... Young Lady Yun in the young master's room..."

Steward Wu wore a hesitant expression.

"Her..."

Wu Ming rubbed his temples, feeling somewhat depressed.

In his memories, this Wu Ming was a local tyrant who had committed quite a few heinous acts.

As for that Yun Xiaoniang, she was someone his predecessor had snatched away just last night, and she apparently had a childhood sweetheart.

Calling it a "snatch" wasn't entirely accurate; after all, once Yun Xiaoniang's parents received the gold and silver from Wu Ming, they had been quite overjoyed to send their daughter into his household, not even caring about status or titles.

I am not taking the blame for my predecessor's actions!

Black lines appeared on Wu Ming's forehead as he adopted the tone from his memories: "That young lady? This master will show mercy. Send her back, give her some money and silk, and let her marry that... what was his name? Lin Qi!"

"Eh?"

Steward Wu's expression was one of astonishment: "Young Master Ming, didn't you send men to beat Lin Qi to death just a while ago?"

"Oh... go after Ghost Hand Lao Liu immediately and tell him to come back at once!"

Wu Ming slapped his forehead; there were too many memories, and he had almost completely forgotten about this matter.

This Ghost Hand Lao Liu was naturally a guard of the Wu household who had done many evil deeds for the original Wu Ming. While the claim of a hundred vengeful spirits under his hand was an exaggeration, ten human lives were certainly not out of the question...

"Report!"

At this moment, a sturdy man came running over at full speed, his face filled with panic: "Young Master Ming, it's bad! Ghost Hand Lao Liu has been beaten to death by Lin Qi!"

"How is this possible? Isn't that man a legendary wastrel? How could he defeat Ghost Hand Lao Liu?" Steward Wu frowned.

But a thunderous roar echoed in Wu Ming's head, as if a bolt of lightning had struck, bringing with it a terrible premonition:

"Could it be that I have transmigrated into the kind of villain from a novel who exists solely to bully others and serve as a punching bag for the protagonist to grind experience? Heavens! This script is all wrong!"