Chapter 1

The Great Xia.

Yongzhou.

Feng Prefecture.

Qingyang County Town.

In the eastern part of the city, at the end of Changliu Street, there was a large courtyard with three sections.

Boom!!

Suddenly, the sky lit up, followed by a thunderclap.

Then a torrential rain poured down, beating the banana leaves in the courtyard, scattering the withered flowers, and the cold wind mixed with raindrops pounded against the windows, making a pattering sound.

Xiaoyu, the maidservant who was dozing off with her arms propped up on the table, was suddenly startled awake. It felt as if an inexplicable gaze from the shadows was secretly watching her, making her spine chill.

She felt uneasy, her teeth chattering slightly, and looked up to see a pair of clear, black-and-white eyes looking at her with a hint of confusion under the dim oil lamp.

"Ah! Young Master!"

Xiaoyu was first startled, then her face lit up with joy.

"You're finally awake."

She immediately got up to leave, "I'll go inform the steward right away."

"Stop!"

Xiaoyu halted, looking at her young master with confusion.

"I'm fine. The rain is so heavy, and it's so late, so don't disturb the steward."

The young master, lying on the sickbed, spoke in a gentler tone.

"Xiaoyu, go rest now."

Seeing that the young master seemed to be in good spirits and after confirming he was fine, Xiaoyu lay down on a small bed by the door.

As a personal maidservant, she shared a room with the young master for convenience in serving him at any time.

But her large, bright eyes still fixed on the direction of the young master's bed, ready to get up at the slightest sound.

Jiang Shang looked at the obedient maidservant, and through the dim oil lamp, he could vaguely see the various antique furnishings in the room and the smooth, cool silk quilt covering him, which felt real to the touch.

"Was it Zhuangzi dreaming of being a butterfly, or the butterfly dreaming of being Zhuangzi?"

The dazzling neon lights, towering skyscrapers, scattered wine bottles, a group of unscrupulous friends, the old songs that vented their emotions, the ex-girlfriend who suddenly appeared, and the wine bottle that hit his head...

As memories surged, it seemed like everything was fading away, leaving behind a new life, new memories.

Jiang Shang shook his head, unsure whether he had traveled through time or just had a strange dream.

He took a deep breath, no matter which world he was in, he was himself, he was Jiang Shang!

"Only, my current situation seems a bit precarious."

In his memories, he was the son of a current marquis, but because he was a secondary son, he had quietly withdrawn from the competition for the heirship on the eve of his coming-of-age, and his father had sent him to Qingyang County, far from the capital.

It had been over a year.

But in just one year, the once well-read, poetic young man had become a regular at the largest brothel in the city, the Chunfeng Tower, living a life of debauchery.

Until two days ago, he had passed out on the bed at Chunfeng Tower due to excessive drug use.

Jiang Shang couldn't help but feel a toothache, touching his waist, which seemed to be starting to ache, his face darkened.

"You had your fun, but you shouldn't have pushed it to this extent. I still need to use it in the future!"

"Also, what kind of drugs did the steward give you? How could they have killed you?"

The more Jiang Shang thought about it, the more he felt something was off.

The steward was an old servant he had brought from the marquis's mansion in the capital, serving the family for three generations, always loyal.

After coming to Qingyang County, the steward had taken care of him and managed the household affairs well.

However, as the young master, he was addicted to alcohol and women, and the steward not only failed to dissuade him but even encouraged him.

The last time he passed out, the steward had given him a pill to enhance his mood.

Trusting the steward, Jiang Shang had not suspected anything, thinking the steward was truly considerate, giving him what he needed.

Didn't he know that these drugs were depleting his body?

The once kind and gentle steward now seemed shrouded in a layer of mystery, making him hard to see clearly.

Jiang Shang sighed inwardly.

"They all want to harm me."

That night.

Jiang Shang lay awake, listening to the rain outside, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

...

It seemed that the heavy rain of the previous night had washed away the dust of the world. In the morning, the air was fresh.

Opening the window, he could see a faint rainbow hanging in the sky, and the sun was shining brightly, promising a good day.

When the steward heard the news and rushed over, he saw Jiang Shang practicing boxing in the courtyard.

In the warm sunlight.

The young man, dressed in white, with a slightly pale face, gentle eyes, and an ethereal demeanor, looked like a celestial being descended to earth, his handsome features making him even more charming.

The steward paused, his eyes filled with surprise and doubt.

The doctor had already given up on him, saying that only if a cultivator intervened with a thousand-gold elixir would there be any hope of survival.

But immediately, his face showed a mix of excitement, joy, and disbelief.

"Y-Young Master! You're awake!"

"Oh, Young Master, you've just recovered from a serious illness. How can you move around so freely? The ground is still wet. What if you fall?"

The steward approached, scolding Xiaoyu as he did so.

"Xiaoyu, how are you taking care of Young Master? Why don't you help him back to his room to rest?"

Xiaoyu stood to the side, feeling a bit wronged.

"I tried, but I couldn't stop him."

Jiang Shang slowly stopped his movements and spoke up.

"Old Master Zhong, I came out on my own, it's not Xiaoyu's fault."

As he spoke, he took the opportunity to observe the steward.

The steward, named Li Jinzhong, was a thin, gray-haired old man with a kind and gentle appearance, dressed simply and not fond of luxury.

Such a person naturally made the master feel at ease.

However, Jiang Shang, influenced by his initial impressions, felt that the steward was more calculating.

Not greedy for wealth, not tempted by beauty.

What did he want?

Concerned about his kidneys and life, Jiang Shang now saw everyone as a potential threat.

Hearing Jiang Shang speak up, the steward couldn't say much more and smiled at him.

"Young Master, I knew you would be blessed and recover. You're fine now."

"Thank you, Old Master Zhong. I'm fine now."

"That's good, that's good."

The steward nodded. "What were you practicing just now, Young Master? I've never seen it before."

"Just a simple set of movements to stretch my body, nothing special."

Jiang Shang chuckled.

"Xiaoyu learned it after watching for a while."

"Really?"

The steward looked at Xiaoyu, his face showing doubt.

Xiaoyu puffed out her small chest, looking proud.

"I remembered it right away."

As she spoke, she struck a pose and recited:

"A watermelon, round and round."

"Cut it in half with one slice."

"One half for you, one half for me."

...

"Enough, enough."

The steward, feeling a headache, called out to stop her.

"It's good that Young Master wants to stretch, but after a serious illness, it's better to rest. I'll call the doctor to check on you later."

"Thank you, Old Master Zhong." Jiang Shang nodded in gratitude.

The steward smiled. "Serving Young Master is my duty. There's no need to thank me."

"It's a good thing Young Master woke up. Otherwise, in two months, it will be Young Master's birthday, and when people from the capital come, I wouldn't be able to explain."

"Also, we've found the reason for Young Master's incident."

The steward sighed.

"Who would have thought that the new courtesan, Yun Xiaoniang, at Chunfeng Tower had demon blood, making her a half-demon.

When Young Master was with her, it activated the fox demon blood in her, causing Young Master to collapse from exhaustion.

Fortunately, we discovered it in time. She is now in the county prison and will be executed soon.

To think, it's all thanks to Young Master that she didn't harm more people."

"De... Demon?!"

Jiang Shang's eyes widened, suddenly feeling even more pain in his kidneys.

What kind of world had he traveled to?

The steward remained calm. "Yes, Yun Xiaoniang has fox demon blood, which no one expected.

But Chunfeng Tower has suffered a great loss.

After Young Master's incident, their business dropped by thirty percent.

Yesterday, they even sent a thick gift to apologize to Young Master, but I refused it.

Young Master is the son of the marquis, with a noble status. If something happened to him there, the entire Chunfeng Tower would be sacrificed.

Even though Young Master has woken up, we can't let them off so easily."

Jiang Shang's expression was still dazed, and the steward's words triggered something in his mind.

Deeper memories began to merge with him.

This world was not just an ancient setting as he initially thought,

but a high-martial world with warriors who could move mountains and fill seas, cultivators who could summon wind and rain, and demons that roared across the land.

And he was just a weakling, powerless and vulnerable to the slightest ripple from a battle between experts.

To put it worse, sleeping with a woman could cost him his life.

I am so weak!

Jiang Shang felt something explode in his mind, and a blue light filled his vision, accompanied by a mechanical voice with a dreamlike quality.

[Detected the client's desire to become stronger. Cheat mode activated.]

[Time is money, and money can't buy time, so, it costs extra!]

[Welcome to the Time Cheat Device (Martial Arts Special Edition).]

Then his vision blurred, and a pale blue screen slowly unfolded.

[Client: Jiang Shang]

[Martial Arts: None]

[Wealth Points: 0]

Of course, traveling through time wouldn't be without a cheat.

Jiang Shang smiled, feeling satisfied as he fell back, hearing Xiaoyu and the steward's cries of alarm.

"Young Master, Young Master, you can't faint! Doctor, quickly, get the doctor!"