Chapter 1

"Ratty mats, ratty quilts, ratty windows, ratty walls," Yuxiuxiu muttered to himself, opening his eyes. Everything was ratty, even the clothes on his body.

This was a thatched cottage, a very cliché thatched cottage. Yuxiuxiu was certain that such a cottage had long disappeared in the 21st century.

The term "thatched cottage" in the 21st century represented oldness, poverty, and hunger.

"Where am I?" Yuxiuxiu tried to sit up but was suddenly hit by a loud noise in his head. The intense pain caused his brain to instantly shut down, entering a self-protection mode.

After an unknown amount of time, Yuxiuxiu slowly opened his eyes. His face was pale and yellow, his lips dry. As a cultivator, he understood the concept of soul transmigration and rebirth.

In his previous life, Yuxiuxiu was a seeker of the Great Dao in the Dharma Decline Era. However, in that world, all methods of cultivation had declined. No one knew what had happened in that realm, but suddenly all cultivation methods and paths to immortality were completely erased. From then on, there were no more legends of immortals and gods; those eternal deities were just a laughing matter.

In his previous life, Yuxiuxiu had spent his entire life pursuing the path of immortality, but he had only just developed a sense of qi. Developing a sense of qi was impressive, but in a world dominated by guns and cannons, even the highest martial arts were no match for a kitchen knife.

Developing a sense of qi meant he could take on ten people without a problem, but killing was illegal. With such advanced technology, a cultivator with a sense of qi could not escape the satellite surveillance.

So, developing a sense of qi only made him a bit stronger than an ordinary person, at most immune to all diseases. If he tried to enforce martial law, he would definitely not escape the guns and rockets.

As a cultivator who firmly believed in the existence of immortals, Yuxiuxiu was not too surprised by the soul transmigration.

He slowly raised his arm, but it was too thin, almost skin and bones. Even African refugees were better off than this.

His entire arm looked like a layer of yellow skin covering bones, and his clothes were washed to a pale white.

A fine layer of sweat appeared on Yuxiuxiu's forehead. According to the memories of the original owner of this body, he had a younger sister who had been his only companion since childhood.

The thatched cottage swayed in the wind, but fortunately, the weather was clear and the breeze gentle. Otherwise, a heavy rain would have caused great suffering, as the thatched cottage could not keep out the water.

With great difficulty, Yuxiuxiu sat up, feeling pain in his arms, hands, and chest muscles.

In his memory, Yuxiuxiu's parents had died in a plague a few years ago. The terrifying plague swept through the entire dynasty, and this small village was no exception. Out of hundreds of people in the village, only a few dozen survived, including the elderly, children, and young adults.

The plague came suddenly and mysteriously, like a storm, sweeping through the entire dynasty in an instant.

According to the surviving elders in the village, it was a battle between powerful cultivators. Yuxiuxiu looked up at the starry sky: "Is this the power of cultivators? Human lives are like grass, and all beings are like ants."

Slowly, he struggled to stand up and moved his body. The original owner of this body was also named Yuxiuxiu, a scholar in the dynasty, only twelve years old. According to legend, the Yuxiuxiu family's ancestors were important figures in the dynasty, but for some reason, they were demoted and returned to their hometown, probably due to a political struggle.

He slowly walked to the rice bin outside the house. The large rice bin was now empty, with only some leftover wild vegetables, which had been dug up for many days and looked wilted.

He pushed open the door and walked out. The bright sunlight felt particularly comfortable.

Yuxiuxiu looked around the yard. There was not a single weed, and it looked quite tidy, thanks to his sister's efforts.

After reviewing the memories of the original owner, Yuxiuxiu cursed under his breath. The original owner had never done any manual labor, spending his days buried in books, leaving all the household chores to his sister. What Yuxiuxiu despised most was that the original owner even relied on his sister to dig wild vegetables for food.

"Yuxiuxiu, you're better?" A head poked out from the fence next door, with a constantly moving braid.

In this era, both boys and girls had their hair styled in pigtails.

In Yuxiuxiu's memory, this boy was the son of Uncle Li next door, the most active one, chasing rabbits in the mountains and robbing bird nests in trees, doing everything.

"Ah, it's Xiaohuzi. The weather is so nice today, why didn't you go to the mountains to rob bird nests?" Yuxiuxiu said with a gentle smile.

But Xiaohuzi wrinkled his nose and glanced at Yuxiuxiu, "A scholar is useless, even relying on his sister for food, a wimp."

After saying that, he withdrew his head and ignored Yuxiuxiu.

Yuxiuxiu smiled bitterly and touched his nose. Well, he was speechless.

After standing for a while, Yuxiuxiu felt his body trembling slightly, his qi and blood weak, showing signs of exhaustion.

Just recovering from a serious illness, he dared not wander around. He walked back into the house, looking at the empty room, and his mood did not improve.

The Yuxiuxiu family's house had two rooms, one for cooking and one for sleeping.

There were two beds in the room, where Yuxiuxiu and his sister slept together. The most prominent thing in this room was a stack of books as tall as a person.

The books looked very ancient, clearly quite old.

Yuxiuxiu sat by the bed, looking at these ancient books, all Confucian classics, but they did not interest him.

"A scholar is useless, a scholar is useless, how tragic and lamentable," Yuxiuxiu held the book, gently caressing it, his eyes filled with a hint of nostalgia.

At this moment, the residual soul of the original owner was rapidly dissipating. Perhaps these books stirred a bit of his nostalgia. These books had accompanied him for over a decade, representing his life's work.

Finally, all the residual soul in his mind disappeared. Yuxiuxiu came to his senses and threw the book on the bed, "A scholar is useless. It's so difficult to become successful through reading. This bookworm read since childhood but never achieved any scholarly rank. I have taken over his body, and I don't understand Confucian classics at all. The most important thing now is to fill my stomach. Who has the energy to study Confucian classics?"

After saying that, Yuxiuxiu stood up, looking at the warm sunlight outside, and took a deep breath, "I can't hunt, but I remember there's a stream nearby. I can fish and catch turtles."

Just as he was thinking, a heavy footsteps came from the door. A tall man in animal skin, carrying a bow and arrow, walked into the yard, "Is anyone here?"

"Someone is here," Yuxiuxiu pushed the door and walked out.

The young man's hands were bloody, and flies buzzed around the yard.

The man threw a piece of meat to Yuxiuxiu, "This is the deer meat I hunted this morning. Everyone in the village gets a share. This is yours."

After saying that, the young man placed the meat in Yuxiuxiu's hands and left.

Yuxiuxiu could see a hint of disdain in the man's eyes, clearly displeased with Yuxiuxiu's behavior.

Holding the deer meat, Yuxiuxiu nodded, "It's about seven or eight pounds, enough for a good meal. It will also provide some strength for this body. With strength, I can make some survival preparations."

Yuxiuxiu took the deer meat back into the house. Flies were flying around, and he couldn't let them get to it. The medical system in this world was clearly not advanced. If he got sick, who would treat him?

After all, getting sick could be fatal.

He casually covered the deer meat with thatch and stood at the gate of the yard, waiting for his sister to return.

Looking at the setting sun, Yuxiuxiu couldn't help but recall the small, thin figure.

The figure was small but strong and determined. The most unforgettable were the eyes, which revealed a spark of hope, a flame that could pierce through the void, a yearning for a better future.

As the sun set, a small, thin figure carrying a basket disproportionate to her size appeared in the sunset, her shadow stretching long. This scene was etched in Yuxiuxiu's heart, never to be forgotten.

"Brother, you're better?"

The girl saw Yuxiuxiu leaning against the door and was about to run over, but the large basket made it difficult to run, and she stumbled and fell.

In the next moment, the girl decisively threw the basket to the ground and rushed into Yuxiuxiu's arms, tears of joy streaming down her face.

Although the wild vegetables in the basket were their food, compared to her brother's recovery, nothing was more important to this little girl.

The siblings had relied on each other for over a decade. The bond was indescribable to outsiders. During her brother's illness, she had been lonely and anxious. Her brother was her only family, and she didn't know how she would survive if he didn't recover.

The little girl knelt on the ground, tears streaming down her face, and bowed to the surroundings, "Thank the gods for making my brother better."

"Shizhen, get up quickly," Yuxiuxiu pulled his sister up. This was his sister, Yushizhen.

"Brother, it must be the gods who heard my prayers and made you better. Brother, let's kneel together to repay the favor," Yushizhen's bright eyes looked at Yuxiuxiu, filled with joy.

Looking at the small, thin figure, Yuxiuxiu felt a lump in his throat. He thought his clothes were ragged, but his sister's clothes were even worse. She had patched together scraps of fabric, making a beggar's outfit.

The clothes on Yushizhen were a size too big. Yuxiuxiu knew this was intentional, as the clothes would last longer and could be adjusted as she grew.

The fabric was from discarded clothes, which she had picked up and cut into usable pieces to make a new outfit.

However, Yushizhen's sewing skills were not great, and the clothes looked quite ugly, only good for covering the body, not for looking pretty.

But Yushizhen was happy just to have clothes.

His sister was ten years old, just like him, with a yellowish complexion and hair.

He pinched Yushizhen's small face, which was dirty with mud, imagining how hard she must have worked digging wild vegetables all day.

"Go wash your face."

"Okay," Yushizhen responded, then exclaimed, "My wild vegetables!"

She ran to the fallen basket like the wind.

Looking at the energetic little girl, Yuxiuxiu smiled, "Having such a cute and sensible sister, my days won't be boring."

Yuxiuxiu walked over, and the siblings carried the basket back to the yard. Once inside, Yushizhen said, "I'll cook wild vegetable soup for brother."

Yuxiuxiu smiled and did not stop her, watching his sister, who was like a happy sparrow, his heart filled with warmth.

Yuxiuxiu walked into the kitchen and found the deer meat in the thatch, "Let's cook this meat too."

"Meat? Brother, where did you get the meat?" Yushizhen's eyes lit up.

Yuxiuxiu put down the meat, "The village gave it."

Yushizhen looked at the fresh deer meat and the faint blood, her eyes filled with longing. How long had it been since they had meat?

A year, two years, three years, she couldn't remember.

Yuxiuxiu stood outside the kitchen, watching the sunset and the rising stars. The smell of meat wafted from the kitchen, intoxicating.

Through the door, Yuxiuxiu saw Yushizhen scoop out the deer meat from the pot, touch it with her finger, and lick it, her face filled with delight.

A cough from outside the door woke Yushizhen from her trance. She carefully packed the wild vegetables and brought them out.

Under the night sky, the siblings sat at a table in the yard, a bowl of hot wild vegetable soup in front of them, the meat smell intoxicating.

Yuxiuxiu picked up his chopsticks and gently picked up some wild vegetables, thinking to himself, "I used to have fine clothes and delicious food. I never thought I would have this day."

Looking at his sister with a yellowish complexion, Yuxiuxiu casually put the deer meat in her bowl, "Eat more. It will help you grow."

Yushizhen shook her head, like a rattle, and put the meat back, "Brother, you need to study and pass the exams. You should eat the meat."

Yushizhen secretly swallowed, the temptation of the meat almost irresistible.

Yuxiuxiu poked the bottom of the bowl, "Look, I have so much meat. I can't eat it all."

Saying that, he put the meat back in her bowl.

This time, Yushizhen did not refuse, eating it carefully, savoring the taste.

Yuxiuxiu felt heartache. A small piece of meat, in his previous era, people didn't eat meat and focused on vegetarianism. He never thought that a piece of meat, so common in his time, was his sister's desire.

"Rest assured, we will eat meat every day in the future," Yuxiuxiu thought, then looked at Yushizhen, "Is there more deer meat in the pot? Bring it all out."

Yushizhen carefully put down her chopsticks, "Brother, we can't eat all the deer meat at once. I'll make it into cured meat for later. If you get hungry, it will be a treat."

Yuxiuxiu was silent, silently picking up his chopsticks. The deer meat in his mouth felt heavy, as if it weighed a thousand pounds.

Yushizhen lowered her head, quietly eating the wild vegetables, "It's my fault. If I were more capable, brother could eat meat every day."

Yuxiuxiu's heart ached, "It's my fault. I only studied hard before, which is why our life is like this."

Yushizhen did not speak, only quietly eating the wild vegetables. Soon, her vegetables were finished, but Yuxiuxiu had not touched his.

Yuxiuxiu saw that his sister had only eaten the deer meat he gave her, putting all the rest in his bowl. His heart ached, and his eyes welled up.

Picking up his chopsticks, Yuxiuxiu put the deer meat in Yushizhen's bowl.

Yushizhen looked up in surprise, "Brother."

Yuxiuxiu scowled, "Eat it."

Yushizhen shook her head, "Brother, you are weak and just recovered. The deer meat will help you recover. I am strong and don't need it."

Yuxiuxiu just looked at Yushizhen and said one word, "Eat."

Looking at Yuxiuxiu's eyes, Yushizhen lowered her head, seeing the determination, "Let's split it. Otherwise, I won't eat."

Saying that, she put the deer meat back in Yuxiuxiu's bowl. Yuxiuxiu saw that she had used a trick, and he ended up eating more than her.

Without any seasoning or complex cooking, just a simple wild vegetable stew with meat, but in Yuxiuxiu's heart, it was no less than a top chef's dish. This was not just a simple bowl of deer meat but a bond between siblings.

In his previous life, Yuxiuxiu had read a saying: in times of famine, if someone gives you a whole bun, that's family. If they give you half, that's love. If they give you a bite, that's friendship.

What is unbreakable affection? In the materialistic big city, Yuxiuxiu had never seen it. Countless disputes over inheritance and support issues, fathers and sons turning against each other, siblings becoming enemies, were too common.

"Brother," a soft voice interrupted Yuxiuxiu's thoughts.

"Hmm, what is it?" Yuxiuxiu said softly.

"You've changed," Yushizhen's eyes sparkled, looking at him intently.

Yuxiuxiu froze, had she noticed?

"You never treated me like this before. The current brother is better than before," Yushizhen's next words reassured Yuxiuxiu.

Relieved, Yuxiuxiu said, "You are my sister, my only family in this world. We rely on each other. If I don't care for you, who will?"