Chapter 1

Creak, creak, the young man gently pushed open the door, and the cold wind carried ice crystals from the eaves, landing on his neck, making him shiver. "The sun can freeze a little devil to death; the winter in the north is no joke."

Bang!

Something landed right on his head. Did a pie fall from the sky? The young man quickly picked it up, only to find it was a sparrow, cold and lifeless, with an empty crop, apparently frozen to death.

"It's not even enough for one bite," he thought, tempted to throw it away, but then reconsidered. "I can't let it hit me for nothing. I'll cook it when I get back from fetching water. At least it's some meat!"

The young man threw the dead sparrow next to the stove, grabbed two buckets, and ran to the well. The thick snow crunched under his feet as he reached the well. The well platform was covered with ice more than half a foot thick, and a misstep could send him falling into the well. A cold water bath in the dead of winter could be fatal.

The young man carefully turned the well handle, and soon both wooden buckets were filled with sweet well water. He cupped his hands and took a sip, feeling refreshed by the cold, sweet water.

He didn't rush home but instead picked up the two buckets and started running slowly around the well.

The sun rose higher, and some men in tattered cotton coats came to fetch water.

A few burly men with buckets looked at the young man running in circles and shook their heads.

"Third Brother, what's wrong with Zhang Erlang? He runs in circles every day with buckets, not even tired. I think this kid is really sick, maybe his head is fried!"

"Ah, yes, he's a good-looking kid, but if his mind is broken, it's a real pity."

An old man in his forties or fifties walked up and said, "Don't talk nonsense. Winter training in the coldest days and summer training in the hottest days, haven't you heard the storytellers say this?"

"Uncle, the storytellers talk about martial arts. Zhang Erlang is one of the few scholars in our Daqing Fort. I think we should talk to his mother and find some Taoist priests to exorcise any evil spirits!"

Their words carried in the wind, reaching the young man's ears. He couldn't help but laugh inwardly. Just a morning exercise and these people are shocked, talking about exorcism, what a fuss!

But the young man constantly reminded himself to be cautious, so as not to be seen as a monster, after all, he came from another era!

It took him two months to reluctantly accept the absurd reality.

He had traveled through time!

The young man was an orphan from the 21st century, raised in an orphanage, and through relentless effort, he was admitted to the National Defense University. Just before graduation, during a long-distance training exercise, he was bitten by a venomous snake. When he woke up, he found himself in the body of a young man named Zhang Ke, with an additional set of memories.

As an orphan, life was the same wherever he was, but when he discovered he was in the 47th year of the Wanli era, in Liaodong Yizhouwei Daqing Fort, he was truly at a loss!

Perhaps ordinary people wouldn't understand, but as an excellent national defense student, he knew history well. The more he knew, the more he feared, waking up in the middle of the night several times in fear!

The 47th year of the Wanli era was when Nurhaci was at his most rampant, massacring in Liaodong, and the Ming army suffered heavy defeats. The Battle of Sarhū in the early year saw the destruction of tens of thousands of troops, followed by the fall of Kaiyuan and Tieling, with the Ming army suffering repeated defeats, the sky dark with sorrow and the wind cold and bleak.

However, after some time, Zhang Ke gradually realized that worrying about these things was like worrying about the sky falling. He needed to focus on his own life!

Three months ago, Zhang Ke first entered the examination hall, full of confidence, but failed even the county exam, let alone becoming a scholar. Unable to accept the failure, he fell ill and was bedridden. His mother, Lady Shen, cared for him diligently, inviting doctors and buying expensive medicine, but to no avail. Within a month, she was on the verge of death.

"What's good about the imperial exams? You risk your life and end up penniless. In my past life, I also went to university, but having a family is better!" Zhang Ke thought to himself. Since he was an orphan, life was the same wherever he was, and he began to look forward to the future.

However, the body he took over was on the verge of death, and Zhang Ke didn't dare bet on another chance to travel through time! In the first two months, he focused all his energy on recovering his health.

Starting from each finger, he gradually moved, even spending an entire afternoon focusing on his big toe. His body was drenched in sweat, drying and then sweating again.

Every day, his mother, Lady Shen, would rise before dawn to boil medicine and work late into the night weaving cloth and making shoes, so her son could have more meat and eggs to help him recover.

Each time he drank the bitter medicine under his mother's watchful eye, tears welled up in Zhang Ke's eyes, not from the bitterness, but from the sweetness!

Yes, this was the taste of home, something he had longed for in two lifetimes! Zhang Ke constantly reminded himself to make his family live a good life!

After two months, he finally recovered, his face rosy, and his muscles growing. Although not as strong as in military school, he was much stronger than the weak scholar he had been.

Carrying two buckets of water, Zhang Ke ran for fifteen minutes, sweating profusely, his arms aching, and a layer of white vapor forming on his head. Satisfied, he carried the water home.

Zhang Ke walked into the alley with a light step. Their house was at the end, a spacious courtyard left by his father, but it was in disrepair, with the side rooms collapsed and only three main rooms still standing.

Pushing open the crooked gate, Zhang Ke suddenly heard a hoarse voice from the main room.

"Mrs. Zhang, I can smell the delicious aroma from far away. You must be eating well!"

A woman's voice replied, "Mr. Liu, it's just dried cabbage from the fall. If you're hungry, join us."

"Ha ha ha, Mrs. Zhang, you're really pretending to be confused. Don't you know why I'm here?"

Zhang Ke, hearing this, wondered if a guest had come and was being so impolite! He quickly pushed open the door and walked in.

Inside, three people were standing face to face. His mother, Lady Shen, stood in front of the stove niche, dressed in homespun clothes, with a dark blue headscarf, no jewelry, and a neat appearance. Her face was pale, and her fingers nervously twisted the hem of her clothes.

Opposite her was a hunched man in his fifties, unattractive, with yellow teeth, a few strands of greasy beard, and golden eyes darting around.

Behind him stood a burly man, with a face full of scars, eyes rolling upward, looking down on everyone.

Zhang Ke stepped in, and Lady Shen became flustered, quickly grabbing his arm and saying anxiously, "Ke, go study. Your mother will handle this."

The hunched man sneered, "Isn't this Young Master Zhang? I heard you read a lot of books, but it's a pity you didn't pass the scholar exam. Otherwise, I wouldn't dare to come to a scholar's house to collect a debt!"

"Collect a debt? What debt?" Zhang Ke asked in surprise, suspecting that a creditor had come to collect.

Lady Shen, who had endured the insults, was furious, "Liu, talk to me directly. My son will eventually pass the imperial exams, become a scholar, and serve as a prime minister. Then you'll regret it!"

"Ha ha ha!" Liu sneered, "With his sparrow bones, he'll never wear the red robe of the court. Dream on! Mrs. Zhang, let's not waste time. When will you pay the debt? If not, you see, Erhu is here. He doesn't care about men, women, or children. If you don't pay, he'll use a knife!"

To emphasize his point, the burly man rolled up his sleeves, revealing black, muscular arms. He coldly pulled out a dagger from his waist and threw it on the table.

Clatter!

The coarse porcelain bowl on the table fell to the ground, and Lady Shen's face turned ashen. A small head peeked out from the door of the inner room, and the little girl, Zhang Ke's sister, Zhang Hui'er, started crying.

"Ke, go take care of your sister. Your mother will handle this!"

Lady Shen, pale and trembling, pushed Zhang Ke toward the inner room, afraid that her weak son would be harmed.

Seeing this, Zhang Ke stood firm, not moving an inch.

"Mother, I'm a grown man now. I can't always hide behind you!"

Lady Shen looked up, indeed, her son was taller than her!

"Ke, they, they..."

"Mother, don't worry. I can handle it!"

The firm tone and confident expression made tears stream down Lady Shen's face. All these years of hardship had not been in vain; her son could finally stand on his own!

Seeing her mother cry so much, Zhang Ke's anger flared. He stood tall and said proudly, "Do your worst to me. Scaring women and children, do you have any shame? Check your pants, do you even have the balls?"

Liu scratched his ear, wondering if he had heard wrong. Who didn't know that Zhang Ke was a bookworm, timid and meek, too shy to even go out to buy things. What had given him the courage to stand up to them today?

Erhu reached for the dagger, ready to draw it. Liu stopped him with a cold laugh, "Tiger, be magnanimous. You could take ten of him. Let's try talking first."

Liu looked at Zhang Ke with a sneer, "Zhang, we don't scare women, but debts must be paid. You can't run from it."

"Hmph, I don't want to run. If we owe you, show me the proof!"

Liu sneered and pulled out three papers from his chest, holding them with two fingers and presenting them to Zhang Ke.

"Look, and I warn you, if you destroy or deny it, Tiger won't let you off!"

Zhang Ke ignored him and handed the papers to Lady Shen.

"Mother, look. Is this true?"

Lady Shen wiped her tears and nodded painfully, "Ke, it's all true. I borrowed twice for your exams, ten taels in total, with a five percent interest rate. Then you fell ill, and I couldn't raise the money, so I borrowed another ten taels. It's my fault, and I've dragged you down!"

Lady Shen's eyes turned red, and tears streamed down her face.

Zhang Ke hugged his mother's shoulders and said with a smile, "Mother, you did this for me. How could I blame you?"

Liu sneered, "Now you understand. No more crying. We're not bullying orphans and widows. Forty-five taels, principal and interest. Pay up, and everything is fine. If not, don't blame us for being ruthless!"

Zhang Ke's anger grew. His mother had borrowed for just a few months, and twenty taels had become forty-five! Even usurers weren't this ruthless. These two were like beasts that ate people and didn't spit out the bones!

"Hmph, no money. Do your worst!"

"Good kid, daring to show off in front of Tiger. I'll strangle you!"

Erhu lunged at Zhang Ke with both arms. Lady Shen closed her eyes, too afraid to watch.

Zhang Ke stood firm, a cold smile on his lips. Such a big, but empty, brute was no match for him. He stepped forward, his fist slipping between Erhu's arms and striking his nose, blood gushing from his nostrils. Zhang Ke, still not satisfied, used his elbow to hit Erhu's chest as he pulled back his fist.

Bang! The burly man fell to the ground like a wall, writhing in pain like a shrimp.

; Page flip AD starts

; Page flip AD ends