Transmigration

"Chengfeng, do you want a wife?"

"Everyone in your family is gone. I'm your uncle, so I'll make this decision for you. Your elder brother's woman will be left for you to take care of."

"You were family to begin with. If you don't look after her, who will?"

"Li Chengfeng, I'm a hired farmhand working in Master Zheng's household. I've got some good news for you. These past couple days, Master Zheng has been wanting to take a concubine, and he's taken a fancy to your sister-in-law. The moment she enters his household, he'll give you ten taels of silver. That's a rare price."

"Don't blame me for not warning you. The Black River Gang has raised this month's protection money to one hundred wen per household. If anyone can't pay it, the women get dragged off and sold to brothels, and the men have their legs broken and are made into beggars!"

"Heh, then it's settled. Master Zheng is taking a new concubine at the start of next month. When the time comes, I'll come knocking at your door."

Inside the dilapidated wooden hut, Li Chengfeng stared at the broken wooden wall before him, rubbing his aching head, somewhat dazed.

Scene after scene flashed through his mind, memories surging up along with them, and he had no choice but to accept one thing.

"I transmigrated..."

Thinking back to the memories of Earth in his mind, Li Chengfeng's eyes widened. He forced himself to sit up from the bed and turned his head to look around the house. The run-down wooden hut was reflected in his pupils, and the bed planks creaked beneath him.

The shock had yet to fade from Li Chengfeng's eyes when he suddenly felt a flood of memories surge in.

This place was the Great Qing Dynasty. The imperial court was constantly embroiled in wars, grain prices and commodity prices had soared, and apart from those masters, the lives of common folk were worse than the next.

As for him, he was a bottom-rung resident living in a county town ruled by gangs. His family's circumstances were extremely terrible. Their money had long since been drained dry by all manner of troubles. His father had died after contracting a malignant illness, his elder brother had been beaten to death by yamen runners while repairing the river channel, and his mother, overwhelmed by grief, had withered away in sorrow.

Only he and his sister-in-law were left in the family...

His old uncle treated him well and had urged him to marry his sister-in-law and live properly.

But the original owner of this body had been egged on by a hired farmhand from Master Zheng's household and wanted to sell his sister-in-law to Master Zheng.

In the end, while still dreaming sweet dreams of selling his sister-in-law and earning ten taels of silver, he had been struck from behind on his way back, and the wages he earned from odd jobs had been stolen.

When he woke up again, it was now.

A moment later, having digested the original owner's memories, Li Chengfeng's eyes revealed a look of realization, and a few traces of joy uncontrollably emerged in his expression.

In his previous life, he had been obsessed with national martial arts. Since childhood, relying on the convenience of the internet and scientific knowledge, he had diligently practiced martial arts and tempered his body. But because most national martial arts were killing techniques, under the restrictions of law and survival in society, even though his talent was decent, he had no place to use it. He had often been accused of wasting time and mocked as a fool.

In his entire life, he had only made one move before his life ended.

—With a knife in hand, he had sent the entire wealthy family that oppressed his family down to hell, and in the end, a bullet had ended his life.

And now, this world...

"Powerful martial artists can sever rivers and split mountains. As long as you condense qi and blood and reach the level where you can shatter rock with one punch, you don't have to pay taxes. There are piles of ways to make money, and you can live as someone above others without laboring. Moreover, those who run rampant by force, even if they kill out of vengeance, won't be burdened in the slightest."

Li Chengfeng sensed everything in the original owner's memories about this world, and then felt this body, only sixteen years old. The light in his eyes grew brighter and brighter.

A feeling of a fish entering the sea suddenly arose in his heart.

In this world, if he killed the entire family of someone who barged into his home to humiliate the women, he would not be punished!

This world actually had such miraculous martial arts!

"Creak~"

Just as Li Chengfeng's heart was churning, the door was suddenly pushed open.

He raised his head and saw a young woman with a beautiful face and a tall, slender figure, though her clothes were covered in patches, push the door open and walk in. Seeing Li Chengfeng lying on the bed, delight flashed in her eyes.

"Chengfeng, you're awake!"

Li Chengfeng looked at this woman who was only twenty years old. Though her figure was thin from poor food, her delicate beauty was hard to hide, and her skin was very fair. In an instant, he recognized her.

It was his widowed sister-in-law, Liu Yuniang.

"Chengfeng, does your head still hurt? Which son of a bitch hit you? He struck so viciously!"

Liu Yuniang walked to the bedside with her face full of heartache and helped Li Chengfeng up. She parted her lips and blew gently at the wound on Li Chengfeng's head, her brows furrowed, then softly touched the injury on his head with both hands.

As her sleeves fluttered with her movements, her natural fragrance drifted into his nose.

"It's fine, Yuniang. It doesn't hurt anymore."

Li Chengfeng felt the woman's careful movements and thought of the blind date partner introduced by a matchmaker in his previous life—ordinary-looking, yet practically wishing to use marriage as a single step to make herself financially free.

Compared to the sister-in-law before him, whose beauty lay in her very bones and whose whole body was snow-white, the difference was not just a little bit.

Although he was obsessed with martial arts, his mind was normal.

With such a good sister-in-law, the original owner hadn't wanted to hurry up and marry her, but had even been thinking of selling her to Master Zheng?

He really was fucking stupid.

"You were beaten so badly. Even if it doesn't hurt anymore, don't move yet. You must be hungry, right? I'll go make you something to eat."

Liu Yuniang looked at Li Chengfeng and spoke with her face full of heartache. She rolled up her sleeves, then quickly went to a broken vat nearby. With effort, she moved the vat aside and lifted a patch of earth beneath it.

Then she took a ladle and carefully grabbed a handful of mixed grain from a broken clay jar, putting it into the ladle.

Li Chengfeng sat on the bed and looked over. It was clearly visible that only a small half of mixed grain remained in that broken clay jar.

Then he looked again at Liu Yuniang, who was earnestly and carefully cooking for him, and a tangle of emotions filled his heart.

In his previous life, he had only been an ordinary city man obsessed with national martial arts, without power or influence.

In this life, things were just as hard.

They needed food, and they needed to pay protection money, but there was only this little bit at home. It might not even be enough to feed them for ten days.

Everything from his previous life had already become dust to dust, earth to earth. No matter what, since he had been given another life, he had to live this one well.

The most urgent thing is still having food to eat, and being able to pay the Black River Gang's protection money.

Li Chengfeng looked at the lovely, elegant sister-in-law before him, and as emotions surged quietly in his heart, he pondered a way out.

Hunting?

After thinking it over, Li Chengfeng came up with a solution that was not really a solution.

Green Mountain City was ringed by mountains to the south and bordered by water to the east. It was possible to hunt and fish there; the original owner of this body had not been unaware of that.

But the great lake in the safe zone east of the city belonged to Master Zheng. People guarded the shore day and night. Other than Master Zheng, whoever dared steal fish would be sunk straight into the lake to feed the fish.

The nearest twenty mountains in the range south of the city all belonged to the wealthy households in the city. Never mind the game inside—even a single tree branch was forbidden for others to touch. If one wanted to hunt, one first had to cross those nearest mountains.

And after passing those mountains, although the mountains and lakes beyond could be entered and left at will, and whatever one managed to get would be one's own...

Those places were overrun with tigers, leopards, jackals, and wolves, and even powerful strange beasts existed there. The original owner simply had not had the nerve.

But he was different.

I studied how to make bows and arrows before, and I practiced archery too. Once my body recovers a bit, I can try going into the mountains to hunt.

Li Chengfeng thought this lightly to himself. Then he could not help getting down from the ground, wanting to try a set of health-preserving boxing to test the foundation of this body.

He first went to an open space and stretched his arms and legs. After feeling that there was no problem, he pondered for a moment, then tried training his waist and hips.

The waist and hips were the body's center, and also the key to core strength. If the waist and back were good, everything else would go well.

Whether drawing a bow or practicing martial arts.

Thanks to a lifetime of study in his previous life, as well as his much clearer mind after rebirth, Li Chengfeng performed the movements with extreme precision.

[Skill: Bear Waist Stance]

[Realm: Entry Level (1/100)]

[Effect: Integration (your waist and hip strength can be mobilized together)]

"Holy shit!"

"I've got a cheat!"