Chaos, Opportunity

The thirty-first year of Yongsheng, winter.

Although the snow had arrived later than in previous years, it was heavier and thicker than ever.

The north wind howled, the land was frozen for a thousand miles, and snow drifted across the vast expanse.

"Mother, Big Brother seems to be dead. Can Nannan eat the fragrant meat now?"

"It's good that he's dead. If he's dead, he won't have to suffer anymore. Be a good girl, Nannan. Mother's fragrant meat is delicious—eat Mother's instead. I'll go make the meat soup for you right now!"

In a daze, Lu Yuan seemed to hear someone talking about eating meat.

"What fragrant meat? Give me some too!"

Lu Yuan muttered this subconsciously, then suddenly jolted upright.

"Ah... Mother, Big Brother is alive! That's great! Nannan doesn't want to eat the fragrant meat anymore; Nannan wants Big Brother to live!"

Lu Yuan shook his heavy head and saw a little girl of about six or seven, dressed in a tattered little red jacket with a sallow complexion, blinking her large, round eyes at him.

Beside the little girl stood a middle-aged woman wearing a wooden hairpin and a ragged coarse hemp coat, her face even more sallow and gaunt.

"Xiao Yuan, why did you have to come back? This world is no place for the living!"

Though a flicker of surprise shone in the middle-aged woman's eyes, she shook her head and sighed.

At this moment, the confusion in Lu Yuan's eyes finally cleared.

The chaotic and fragmented memories in his mind had been completely digested and sorted out.

He never expected that upon waking from a nap, he would have transmigrated.

And he had arrived in an extremely chaotic world where martial arts flourished and the strong preyed upon the weak.

The imperial dynasty had collapsed, powerful clans held sway, and warlords fought across the land.

Sects carved out territories, gangs waged war against one another, and everything was in utter disarray.

It was also a time of famine; human life was truly as worthless as blades of grass!

His predecessor, already weak and frail, had simply breathed his last under the pressure of hunger and cold.

"Gurgle..."

Before he could even adapt to this body, a loud sound signaled a wave of intense hunger.

"Big Brother... drink some porridge!"

Just then, the little girl held up a bowl with both hands and offered it to Lu Yuan.

He glanced into the bowl; what they called porridge was actually a paste made of wild vegetables, tree bark, and a bit of rice bran.

"Eat... this is the last bowl. Tomorrow, Mother will go find some Guanyin clay to fill your bellies."

Lu Yuan looked at the middle-aged woman and the little girl, then picked up the bowl and tried a mouthful.

Though he nearly gagged the moment the paste touched his tongue, he forced himself to swallow it whole.

It not only tasted like wax but was incredibly abrasive to his throat.

He never dreamed that someone who had been enjoying barbecue and beer just a short while ago would now be choking down this inedible wild vegetable paste.

"Nannan, Big Brother isn't hungry. You eat it!"

Lu Yuan looked at the little girl, who was staring intently at the bowl, and smiled.

In his memories, this was his younger sister, just turned six, who had no formal name and was only known by the common nickname Nannan.

The middle-aged woman beside her was his mother, known to everyone as Madam Yang.

"Big Brother eat, Nannan isn't hungry either!"

Though Nannan kept swallowing her saliva, she shook her little head like a rattle-drum.

"Sigh... Mother will go make you some meat soup!"

Madam Yang sighed softly and started to rise.

"No need... it's too late. Let's talk about it tomorrow!"

Lu Yuan hurriedly grabbed Madam Yang's arm.

He knew all too well where the "meat" in Madam Yang's soup would come from.

As he spoke, he gulped down another large mouthful of the vegetable paste and shoved the bowl directly into Madam Yang's hands.

"I'm already full. You and Nannan split the rest!"

Madam Yang looked at Lu Yuan deeply, then began to feed Nannan herself.

I must find a way to earn some money tomorrow!

Lu Yuan pondered silently, his eyes filled with determination.

No matter what, he had to ensure the three of them didn't starve to death, and he certainly couldn't let Madam Yang make that "meat soup."

After that, he would find a way to practice martial arts.

In his memories, he resided in a nation known as the Great Zhou Dynasty.

The Great Zhou was founded upon martial prowess; the martial arts flourished, and the strong were revered.

True martial arts experts could not only establish their own sects and schools but could also be enfeoffed as marquises or kings.

In short, martial strength determined everything; fists were the only truth!

In his previous life, he was merely a bottom-tier drudge, working overtime every day to screw bolts, adding bricks and tiles to his boss's villas and luxury cars; no matter how hard he tried, changing his destiny was nearly impossible.

Now, he only needed to work hard at martial arts and become a true expert to counterattack in life and completely change his fate.

In this world, struggling to survive at the bottom was as difficult as ascending to heaven.

One could either live in a daze, sinking into the darkness.

Or, one could rise up in resistance, charging toward the light.

Since he had arrived here, he naturally had to harbor some ambitions.

If he were to live a second life only to remain a mediocre bottom-dweller, wouldn't he have come here in vain?

"Just to enter a martial arts hall to learn, I need at least ten taels of silver!"

Lu Yuan frowned; with filling his stomach still a problem, where could he possibly get these ten taels?

Use knowledge from his past life to quickly accumulate wealth? He feared he would end up a corpse on the street before his venture even began!

Do manual labor to earn money? In his current state of weak breath and frail body, he feared he would be transmigrated again within two days!

Sell his body? Although he had the capital for that, his physical condition remained a major issue!

Murder and arson for gold belts? He didn't even have the qualifications to be a hunter right now!

Learn a trade? Without spending a few years as a drudge apprentice, he wouldn't earn a single cent!

After letting his thoughts run wild for a while, Lu Yuan drifted off to sleep without realizing it.

Madam Yang first checked Lu Yuan's breathing, then tucked in the corners of his quilt, before picking up Nannan and walking out.

With a blink of his eyes, dawn arrived.

"Gurgle..."

After rising, Lu Yuan tightened his belt with force.

"I'm heading out for a bit. Don't make meat porridge, and don't eat Guanyin soil. Everything must wait until I return!"

After saying this to the busy Madam Yang, Lu Yuan walked straight out the door.

"Come back early!"

Madam Yang wiped her eyes and then said softly.

"You got it!"

Lu Yuan responded and then stepped quickly out of the house.

"Brother Yuan, do you want to make some money?"

Having walked only a few steps, a skinny, monkey-like youth ran toward him.

"Tell me about it?"

Lu Yuan looked at the skinny youth, his heart stirring.

The skinny youth was named Fang Chang, a childhood friend who grew up with him.

"Carrying bodies to the Chaos Burial Mound, ten wen each. Do you dare?"

Fang Chang lowered his voice.

"Let's go!"

Lu Yuan didn't hesitate in the slightest and spoke directly.

If this were his previous life, he would naturally have replied that not even a dog would do such a thing.

But now, he only wanted to say: if a dog won't do it, I will!

He was a man who had already died once; as long as he could earn money, doing anything was fine.

Not long after, led by Fang Chang, Lu Yuan saw the people who needed to be carried.

Pieced together, one could barely call them that.

"Ugh~"

Lu Yuan retched violently; although he didn't vomit anything, he nearly fainted again.

Fang Chang was no better off, retching until tears streamed down his face.

These were clearly not refugees who had died of cold or hunger; they were the results of brutal slaughter.

It was fortunate that the ground was frozen and covered in snow; otherwise, the stench alone would have been enough to make the two of them turn back.

"Once you're done vomiting, come over and help carry them!"

At this moment, an old man dressed in a grey robe spoke indifferently toward the two of them.

The two exchanged a glance, took a deep breath, and walked over with large strides.

Ten coppers per person—this money had to be earned, no matter what!

After half a day of hard work, the two finally carried the last one to the Chaos Burial Mound.

While burying the bodies, they had mustered the courage to search them, but the result was a huge disappointment.

Clearly, what they could think of, others had already thought of long ago.

"How old are you?"

Just as the two were holding their money and preparing to head back, the grey-robed old man suddenly asked.

"Sixteen!"

Fang Chang replied directly.

The grey-robed old man nodded slightly, then reached out and squeezed several parts of their bodies with force.

The two winced in pain and couldn't help but squirm, yet they were unable to break free in the slightest.

A martial artist?

Lu Yuan's heart stirred.

"You're not bad!"

The grey-robed old man's gaze brightened as he looked at Fang Chang, then he said directly, "Do you want to practice martial arts?"

"I do!"

Fang Chang nodded forcefully without a moment's thought, then, as if realizing something, he quickly asked, "Can Brother Yuan come with me?"

"Can you endure hardship?"

The grey-robed old man frowned slightly, then asked Lu Yuan.

"I can!"

Lu Yuan nodded without the slightest hesitation.

Just yesterday, he had been wondering how to quickly earn the silver needed to learn martial arts; he hadn't expected the opportunity to arrive so soon.

"One tael of silver per month, starting next month. If you cannot pay, you will leave on your own. Do you have any objections?"

The grey-robed old man added.

"None!"

Lu Yuan replied again without the slightest hesitation.

The crucial first step on the path of martial arts had finally been taken.

Although the grey-robed old man clearly had his eye on Fang Chang and he was merely an add-on, the opportunity was rare and had to be seized tightly; even if he could only learn for a month, it would still be a gain.

What he needed to do next was to study and practice diligently, strive to achieve something within a month, and then find a way to earn enough for the following month's tuition, as well as the living expenses to keep his family of three fed.

"Come see me at Song Courtyard on East Street tomorrow!"

After saying this, the grey-robed old man turned and left directly.

"Brother Yuan, we can finally get ahead in life. When we make it big, we'll share the wealth!"

"Right!"

The two walked back happily, shoulder to shoulder, their eyes filled with longing for the future.

The sun briefly peeked out from the sky, causing the shadows of the two on the snowy ground to stretch longer and longer, until they disappeared completely.