Chapter 4

When Ji Hong woke up in the midst of the heavy medicinal scent, he found himself possibly "once again" having traveled through time. The reason he said "once again" was because, for the young people of his era, time travel was no longer a cause for much psychological turmoil.

Ji Hong was originally an orphan who grew up with the warmth of society. From a young age, he was determined to excel, entering school early and skipping several grades, eventually enrolling in university at the age of fifteen. He was a highly proactive young man, well-rounded in moral, intellectual, physical, and labor skills. Although he wasn't a homebody, the novels, films, and games he encountered in his daily life were overwhelmingly about time travel, and he had long been accustomed to it.

After repeatedly confirming his feelings, he realized that this time it was not a dream. A wave of worry washed over him, and he sighed helplessly.

Although his previous life had been plain and uneventful, he often harbored ideals of giving back to society. Now, having traveled through time before even graduating, he couldn't help but feel a sense of loss and melancholy.

Well, since he had already traveled through time, he might as well first take a look at his current situation. Ji Hong opened his eyes slightly and, through the faint medicinal mist in the room, saw an ancient and elegant bedroom. From the window lattice to the cabinets, from the screens to the tables, everything was in a traditional style, reminiscent of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Clearly, he had traveled to ancient China, which was easier to accept than being stranded in a foreign land or another world.

He was lying on a large wooden bed with carved flowers, and a girl dressed as a maid was standing at the foot of the bed, indicating that he had landed in a wealthy household.

"Master, you're awake?" The maid, with a small round face, exclaimed with joy upon seeing Ji Hong's eyes open.

"Hmm..." Ji Hong responded indistinctly, not saying more as he pondered how to respond. He didn't know the maid's name at all, and if he made a mistake in his words, how would he explain that he wasn't the original owner?

The maid, hearing his response, immediately shouted, "Miss Su, Master is awake."

"Brother!"

A clear and cold voice sounded from beside him. Ji Hong turned his head and saw a girl in a green robe sitting by the bed.

At the sight of her, Ji Hong's breath almost stopped. The girl was incredibly beautiful, a beauty he had never seen in the modern world with its abundant information. The maid he had seen earlier was already quite lovely, but this young lady far surpassed her, perfectly embodying the time travel trope that "the young lady is always more beautiful than the maid."

However, the green-robed girl's face remained expressionless, like a carved statue, showing no joy even at the sight of her brother's awakening, as if nothing could change her cold demeanor.

What surprised Ji Hong even more was that the green-robed girl, not only dressed in light green, but even her long hair, divided into two braids, and her eyes, were faintly green. This image typically suggested a woman skilled in poisons and curses, a demoness practicing evil arts, or both.

Seeing him turn his head, the green-robed girl immediately scolded, "Brother, why are you so rash, agreeing to someone's challenge so easily?"

"Yuan Jiankong is ten years older than you, and his skills are far more advanced. You accepted his challenge without thinking, making it easy for him to ambush you."

"Without such foresight, how can you protect our Tianqing Manor?"

Just as he opened his eyes, Ji Hong was scolded, but he could discern many details from her words. It seemed that "he" had made a very foolish mistake, and although the green-robed girl was scolding him, it was clearly out of concern.

This green-robed girl had called him brother, so she must be his sister. Given her clear judgment, it was no wonder she was angry at a foolish young man.

He took a deep breath and said with effort, "There's no need to be angry. If there's anything wrong, just tell me, and I'll change."

The green-robed girl was taken aback, seemingly surprised by her brother's reaction. The coldness in her eyes softened, "I'm sorry, Xiao Su spoke too harshly. It's good that you're awake, Brother."

Just as she finished speaking, Ji Hong saw his sister, who had been as steady as an iceberg, suddenly collapse to the ground with a thud.

The young man who had traveled through time was startled and asked the maid, "What's wrong with her?"

The maid quickly helped the green-robed girl up and said, "Master, Miss Su has been by your side for seven days and seven nights without sleep, constantly treating you with needles and medicine."

Ji Hong was taken aback, "Did she save me?" It seemed his sister was actually a doctor.

The maid looked puzzled, "Master, don't you remember? Miss Su is a genius physician, one of the four great doctors in Jiangnan. With such severe internal injuries, who else could have saved you?"

His sister had saved him, but she had collapsed from exhaustion.

Ji Hong felt a pang of sadness and immediately tried to sit up to check on her. However, as soon as he moved, a sharp pain shot through his chest, causing him to cry out in pain, drenched in cold sweat.

The sound of his cry woke the green-robed girl, who opened her eyes and said urgently, "Brother, your heart and lungs were damaged by the Heart-Crushing Palm. You must not move."

Ji Hong was now drenched in sweat from the pain, clutching the corner of the blanket in his mouth.

Seeing his brother in such pain, the genius doctor immediately stood up from her chair, opened a wooden box, and took out several shiny long needles, preparing to treat him.

However, she suddenly staggered, as if dizzy, and had to steady herself by holding onto the bed.

Ji Hong, seeing this, endured the pain and said with effort, "Don't worry about me, go rest first."

The green-robed girl shook her head, put down the needles, and took out a bottle of medicine from her pocket, swallowing a few pills.

Soon, her eyes glowed green, and she regained her vigor. She picked up the needles and tried to lift the blanket covering Ji Hong.

Ji Hong, who had been gripping the blanket tightly, found that this sister had an unusually strong grip and easily pulled the blanket away.

The newly arrived young man realized he was not wearing a shirt. Then, the long needles flashed before his eyes, one after another, piercing his chest, making him look like a hedgehog. A cool sensation seeped into his body, gradually easing the pain.

The green-robed girl sighed in relief, sat down, and rubbed her forehead. The energy she had forced out with the medicine was now gone, and her eyelids felt heavy. "Brother, how do you feel now?"

Ji Hong's face, which had been pale from pain, now looked more relaxed. He quickly said, "I'm not in pain anymore."

In fact, he was still in great pain, but it was much better than the unbearable pain before, and seeing his sister so exhausted made the pain seem lighter.

The genius doctor nodded, leaned back in her chair, and closed her eyes, "I'll rest for a moment. Xiao Xun, feed Master the medicinal porridge first. If anything happens, wake me up."

Ji Hong now knew the maid's name was Xiao Xun. She quickly ran out and returned with a wooden tray, placing a large bowl of green, medicinal porridge in front of him, "Master, this is the health porridge Miss Su prepared. Please drink it."

Ji Hong looked at the bowl of green, medicinal porridge, feeling a bit strange inside, but he trusted his "sister" and, with his stomach growling, drank the porridge without hesitation.

After drinking, he felt a warm sensation in his abdomen. Although his body had been unconscious for seven days and seven nights, his spirit seemed to have recovered significantly.

He then noticed Xiao Xun staring at him with her big, black eyes, which made Ji Hong, with needles in his chest and no shirt, blush slightly.

Xiao Xun looked puzzled, "Master, you seem different from before."

She usually helped Master dress and bathe, so why was he blushing as if he had never seen her before?

Ji Hong hesitated, "Xiao Xun, I have a terrible headache and seem to have forgotten many things."

Xiao Xun's eyes widened in shock, "What kind of illness is this? Master, do you remember nothing at all?"

Ji Hong still looked worried, "I seem to have even forgotten my name..."

Xiao Xun quickly said, "Master, your surname is Ji, and your name is Ji Aojian. In the Jiangnan martial world, you and several other young masters are known as the Jiangnan Nine Swordsmen because your names all contain the character 'sword.'"

Ji Hong was taken aback: The surname was the same as his, which was good. The name containing the character 'sword' was also fine. But the character 'ao' (proud) was very powerful, almost like a stroke of genius. Ji Aojian, Ji Aojian, this sounded too much like a brother of Long Aotian.

Well, the green-haired sister had said he was hit by the Heart-Crushing Palm, so it seemed he had traveled to a martial family. Aojian was fine; it sounded like a name for a martial person.

After a moment of internal struggle, he accepted the name and asked, "What is my sister's name?"

The maid said, "Miss Su's name is Ji Xiaosu."

Xiaosu, what a cute name.

Ji Aojian looked at the mirror by the bed. The young master he had traveled into was a pale-faced teenager, about fifteen or sixteen years old, and surprisingly, he looked about 70-80% like his original self. Could it be that in time travel, the soul actively seeks a body that matches the original?

But why didn't he have the original Ji young master's memories? Wasn't that one of the perks of time travel?

His thoughts returned to the present. Considering his severe injuries, why was only his sister taking care of him? Could it be that his parents in this world...

Sure enough, Xiao Xun answered, "The old manor lord and lady have already passed away."

Ji Aojian fell silent. This was for the best. If the two elders were still alive, with their shrewdness, they would have noticed that he had taken over their son's body, and how could he explain that to them?

He then remembered his sister scolding him about a person named "Yuan Jiankong" who had injured him and asked, "Is Yuan Jiankong also one of the Jiangnan Nine Swordsmen?"

Xiao Xun nodded.

Ji Aojian was puzzled, "Since we are known by the same name, why did he hurt me?"

Xiao Xun, though she didn't understand what "this is unscientific" meant, still said with a look of indignation, "Master, because our Tianqing Manor is a top-tier martial family in Jiangnan, the only one of its kind. Yuan Jiankong and the others come from second-tier and third-tier families, so they wanted to gain fame by defeating you."

Oh, so martial families are divided into three tiers: heaven, earth, and man. His family was a top-tier heaven family, which sounded very powerful.

Ji Aojian sighed, "Just because I come from a prestigious family, I'm targeted by villains and used as a stepping stone for their fame."

Xiao Xun nodded repeatedly, "Master, the martial world is dangerous, and people are no longer as virtuous as they once were. They will do anything to gain fame and fortune."

Just as Ji Aojian was about to continue his reflections, the pain in his chest suddenly intensified, torturing him again.

In the end, it was the genius doctor sister who, after being woken up by Xiao Xun, changed the position of the needles, which gradually eased his pain.

In the following days, Ji Aojian not only suffered from severe chest pain but also developed a fever, a common complication due to lung damage, which persisted.

Even though he was delirious from the fever, the pain in his heart and lungs made it difficult for him to sleep. He would often be woken up by the pain after only an hour or so of drowsiness.

Ji Aojian was tormented by this long and painful process, deeply understanding the meaning of "pain beyond endurance." But Ji Xiaosu stayed by his side day and night, and whenever he could no longer bear the pain, she would use needles to ease it. This made Ji Aojian feel both grateful and heartbroken, and his anger grew deeper.

For such a good sister, I must persevere, recover, and seek revenge on Yuan Jiankong.

In a drowsy state, Ji Aojian inadvertently heard Xiao Xun and his sister talking.

Xiao Xun said worriedly, "Miss Su, Master's fever hasn't subsided. Could it damage his brain?"

Ji Xiaosu asked, "Why do you think so?"

Xiao Xun said, "The other day, Master said a few things to me, and he seemed to have forgotten everything from the past."

Ji Xiaosu frowned. Although she had read many medical books, they contained very little information about amnesia, and the causes and treatments were vague.

After much thought, the young doctor said, "When a person experiences a great shock or narrowly escapes death, they may undergo a significant personality change, becoming completely different from before. This is not uncommon."

In modern medicine, this is called personality substitution, where a person, out of fear of past traumatic events, discards their past personality and related memories, forming a new one.

Xiao Xun was surprised, "Master's personality does seem to have changed. But could it also make him forget everything from the past?"

Ji Xiaosu said calmly, "Yesterday's events are like yesterday's death. Tomorrow's events are like today's birth. Forgetting his past actions might not be a bad thing."

Ji Aojian had always felt awkward about his new identity after time travel. Hearing his sister explain his condition in a plausible way, his mind, though not yet sharp, gradually relaxed.

But why did his sister sound like she was talking about a reformed prodigal son? Was the original Ji young master really that foolish and reckless?

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