Zeng Anmin had amassed over a hundred million in savings by the age of thirty, retired early, and prepared to live out his later years in comfort.
A three-hundred-square-meter, two-story villa, with an enormous crystal chandelier.
And a younger sister who woke up beside him every day, yet was never the same twice...
The corners of his lips were always curled upward.
But when he woke up again, the smile he had been about to wear froze stiff.
Zeng Anmin blinked hard, yet the scene before him remained unchanged.
Sandalwood incense drifted through the air, while silk and bamboo music rang chaotically in his ears.
Every furnishing in the room possessed an ancient elegance.
"Transmigration?"
Zeng Anmin's eyes were vacant as he murmured:
"I finally clawed my way into the bourgeoisie. I'd only enjoyed half my life..."
"I haven't even played the Black Myth: Wukong I just downloaded, and now I'm about to become a real monkey?!!"
But then, the strange yet familiar memories flooding his mind made him shut his mouth.
"The Holy Dynasty has stood for six hundred years... Body Cultivators, Dao Cultivators, Confucian Cultivators, Buddhist Cultivators..."
"My father is a major figure among Confucian Cultivators of the Embrace Flame Realm? He's also a high-ranking official governing an entire region? A legendary Grand Governor?"
"I'm a second-generation wastrel who wallows in luxury, corrupts public morals, and spends his days roaming free and having fun?!"
A startling curve slowly formed at the corners of Zeng Anmin's lips.
"Then there's no problem."
In his previous life, he had been a successful man with considerable literary cultivation.
He understood one truth very well.
The children of wealthy families might not necessarily be able to run wild.
But the children of powerful families certainly could!
Especially in a feudal society like this.
Zeng Anmin clicked his tongue in amazement as he looked over the various extravagant and resplendent ornaments in his room.
Several idioms instantly sprang to mind.
Clothed like a marquis and fed on jade, painting eggs and carving firewood, elephant-chopsticks and jade cups.
"No, Zeng Anmin, how could you fall so low?"
"This rotten feudal society is precisely what deserves your criticism through the greatness of your character!"
He took a deep breath, his gaze fixed solemnly upon the doorway.
He was ready to first witness the corruption of this feudal society!
Imitating his predecessor's tone, Zeng Anmin spoke flamboyantly, though his gaze remained firm.
"Let's begin by criticizing all that debauchery and whoredom!"
On his first day after transmigrating, everything was novel to Zeng Anmin.
He desperately wanted to take a look around the streets.
The door to his room was violently shoved open with an abrupt crash.
"Bang!!"
The exquisitely carved agarwood door slammed fiercely against its frame.
Zeng Anmin's heart ached a little.
With craftsmanship like that, the door would cost at least two hundred thousand in the future.
More importantly, it was a work of art.
An elderly man with a solemn expression entered from outside.
His face was grave, and urgency colored his voice.
"Young Master, hurry and leave! The master has been thrown into prison!"
The old man wore brocade robes and strode like a dragon and tiger. His temples bulged slightly, while sharp light flickered through his clouded eyes.
Memories concerning the old man immediately surfaced in Zeng Anmin's mind.
Uncle Qi, his father's personal old servant, the Zeng family's most loyal hound, a Body Cultivator of the Sheng Pin Realm.
"What did you say?"
Zeng Anmin stared at the elder in shock.
Uncle Qi flashed forward. With only the slightest tap of his toes against the ground and without making the faintest sound, he had already arrived before Zeng Anmin.
He was so fast that Zeng Anmin's eyes could barely keep up.
Uncle Qi grabbed his hand and ran for the door.
"The Xuanjing Division will arrive at the manor at any moment!"
"The master left many hidden arrangements in his hometown of Feng Prefecture. We'll disguise ourselves and slip away!"
Zeng Anmin felt an immense force seize him, and he could only follow behind Uncle Qi.
Those few brief words were like a bolt from the blue.
Boom!!
Zeng Anmin's expression stiffened as a roar filled his ears.
Before his dream of hawking and hunting with hounds had even properly begun, it burst into bubbles in an instant.
As they ran, he kept his eyes fixed on Uncle Qi and asked uncertainly:
"My father is an imperial court official. Without His Majesty's Imperial Decree, who would dare imprison him?!"
Though he was only a fake history buff,
he still knew that unless something earth-shattering had happened, how could a Grand Governor be tossed into prison directly, without the slightest warning or explanation?
Even Yuan Chonghuan, lawless as he had been, had only dared execute Mao Wenlong after receiving the Imperial Sword.
Not to mention that beyond his civil achievements, his father was one of the Holy Dynasty's few high-ranking Confucian Cultivators?!
The reason the Holy Dynasty had endured for centuries despite its constant friction with the Demon Race was precisely because Confucian Cultivators greatly restrained demons!
Though Confucian Cultivators did not emphasize cultivating bodily strength, on the battlefield against the Demon Race, a lightly spoken Sage's Words could rival an army of a thousand!
"The Imperial Inspector entered the manor and detained the master in prison on charges of colluding with the Demon Race."
Colluding with the Demon Race?!
The Great Saint Dynasty and the demons of the Southern Border had fought for centuries; they had long reached a point of Undying enmity.
That charge alone was enough to execute nine generations of a family!
He no longer hesitated. He casually grabbed the valuables from the table, stuffed them into his robes, and prepared to flee with the bucket.
"The road ahead will be difficult, Uncle Qi. Take more valuable things too."
Having died once, he cherished life more than anyone.
Besides, the contingency measures arranged by a Grand Governor should be enough for him to muddle along in comfort for the rest of his life.
Uncle Qi looked at Zeng Anmin's bulging chest, and his expression stiffened slightly.
At a time like this, shouldn't he be more concerned about the master?
The two moved swiftly, and before long, they had reached the gates of the manor.
Zeng Anmin stopped in his tracks. Seeing the sight before him, every trace of luck in his heart vanished.
Uncle Qi halted as well, his tiger-like eyes grave as he stared fixedly ahead.
"By order of the Inspector General, seize the criminal's family! Any unrelated persons who obstruct us may be killed or wounded without consequence!!"
A brawny man with a powerful voice sat high atop a tall horse, holding a wax-white spear as he looked down at them.
Behind him, a squad of over a hundred men in black surrounded the entire Zeng Manor so tightly that not even water could pass through.
The townspeople on the street scattered in all directions like startled birds and beasts.
The burly man's eyes were exceptionally sharp, and his slanted brows made them appear even fiercer.
An overwhelming pressure poured from him through the air and crashed down upon Zeng Anmin, who stood ten paces away.
"Young Master Zeng, where might you be going?"
The brawny man smiled without smiling, his voice ringing like a bell.
"Thud, thud~"
Zeng Anmin's heart sank.
The immense pressure bore down upon him, leaving him utterly unable to move.
But Uncle Qi's broad hand slowly braced against his lower back, preventing him from making a fool of himself.
He recognized this burly man.
Wang Daoyuan, a Ji Pin Realm Body Cultivator of the Xuanjing Division.
In the terms of his previous life, he was a Diamond-ranked player.
But before his father, he was nothing more than a dog.
"Clip-clop, clip-clop~"
Every step the warhorse took brought with it a trace of oppressive tension.
"I was just about to head out for some fun. Would Captain Wang care to join me? Anmin will treat."
Zeng Anmin feigned ease as he answered Wang Daolai.
To transmigrate only to begin with such a hellish opening was difficult for anyone to accept.
"Heh heh."
Wang Daoyuan tilted his chin with a smile that did not reach his eyes.
"I have no such leisure."
After saying that, he waved his hand coldly.
"Take him!"
Just as two men stepped out from the ranks and approached,
Uncle Qi lunged forward and firmly shielded Zeng Anmin behind him.
His gaze swept over them disdainfully. His voice was old but forceful, and he did not regard Wang Daoyuan before him as worthy of notice at all.
"How dare filthy rubbish lay hands on Young Master?!"
At those words, Zeng Anmin's eyes lit up.
Confidence immediately surged within him.
A Body Cultivator who had followed his father for so long could not possibly be weak!
"Hah, an old dog that doesn't know death."
Wang Daoyuan chuckled. He merely flicked his spear lightly, seeming to exert no force at all as he slowly thrust it toward them.
Uncle Qi's expression became incomparably grave. He leaped forward directly, tapping the ground several times with his toes as a long whip appeared in his hand.
"Crack~"
The spear and short whip met, and Uncle Qi went quickly—but returned just as quickly.
With a bang, he crashed onto the ground, trembled twice, then spat out a mouthful of blood with a pfft.
Some of it even splattered onto Zeng Anmin's face.
After that, Uncle Qi did not move again. Whether he was alive or dead was unknown...
Zeng Anmin was dumbfounded.
No, he had talked with such swagger.
So he was actually a total weakling??
Then why had he put on such a grand act just now?
Before he could say anything, two burly men came up and surrounded him, tying him up securely in three moves and two.
"Smack!"
Wang Daoyuan's riding whip left a bloody welt across Zeng Anmin's arm.
His gaze was gloomy.
"Stop playing dumb and stalling for time. Move!"
Without further explanation, two men in black came forward and dragged him away.
Only then did the vast Zeng Manor behind them completely descend into chaos.
The wolfish, tigerish Red-robed Guards of the Xuanjing Division stormed into the manor and began carrying out their proper duties.
Countless panicked screams lingered in his ears...
Held down all the way, Zeng Anmin did not utter a word.
He had not yet recovered from the shock of seeing blood.
"Clip-clop, clip-clop." The sound of hoofbeats gradually rose.
Wang Daoyuan's voice condensed into a thin thread and slipped into Zeng Anmin's ear.
"Kid, there were too many people just now. Your uncle had to keep up appearances."
"Lord Zeng was framed and thrown into the Xuanjing Division's Imperial Prison."
"The case files have already been prepared. Once your entire household is seized, they'll seal the coffin and pronounce the verdict!"
Zeng Anmin suddenly raised his head and looked toward Wang Daoyuan.
Wang Daoyuan sat upon his horse, his expression unchanged as he gazed ahead.
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