Chapter 1
It hurts! It hurts too much!
Han Zhao, who was fast asleep, felt a bone-chilling pain in his body, especially in his heart. It was as if he was hugging a block of ice in the middle of winter.
In his daze, he wanted to get up, but he felt that his body was numb and he could not move. He did not even have the strength to open his eyes.
What happened?
Was he possessed?
Was he going to die?
Han Zhao swore that he would never stay up late again.
Suddenly, he realized that his body could move.
When he opened his eyes, his vision was blurry.
“Is it still nighttime?” Han Zhao reached for the bed, wanting to look at the time on his phone.
When did Simmons become a wooden bed?
He froze. His head felt as if someone had hit it hard. Memories that didn’t belong to him flashed through his mind like a slide show.
Han Zhao had the same name as him. He was 16 years old this year and was from Great Wei’s Cloud Prefecture, Yuan Chang County, Blackrock City.
His father, Han Lin, was the second-in-command of the Fuyuan Escort Agency in the city. He had an elder brother called Han Cheng who had gone out to travel when Han Zhao was six years old. There was no news of him and he had yet to return.
“Huh?!” Soon, a handsome middle-aged man appeared in Han Zhao’s memory. It was Han Lin.
Han Lin returned home with a pale face and said that he did not have long to live. Then, he handed a package to the previous Han Zhao.
The package contained some silver, two pamphlets, and a pitch-black bead.
After Han Lin gave a few simple instructions, he left in a hurry.
When his predecessor picked up the black bead, he accidentally touched the wound left behind by a knife cut. A large amount of Yin energy entered his body and he died in the end.
The memory fragments stopped here.
Han Zhao was shocked. There was something deadly on the bed.
No wonder he felt a bone-chilling cold in his chest at first. It was because of the bead.
He pushed himself up from the bed and struggled to sit up.
Then, he got out of bed and went to the square table. He found a match and lit the oil lamp.
The faint yellow flames immediately dispersed the darkness around him, giving him a sense of security.
In front of him was a simple wooden bed with a quilt on it. About a meter apart on the right was another wooden bed.
Behind the table was a clay stove. He had seen it at his grandmother’s house when he was young. He had even shouted that he wanted to add firewood to play.
Han Zhao took a few deep breaths to calm himself down.
How did he transmigrate after staying up all night?!
However, it seemed alright for a 26-year-old worker to become a 16-year-old teenager.
Han Zhao picked up the oil lamp and walked to the bed. There was an open package beside the cloth, and a black bead was lying inside.
He focused his gaze and sized up this dangerous thing.
At this moment, a light blue frame appeared in his vision. There was a line of small words inside:
[It’s a bead that contains Yin energy. If an ordinary person touches it, it will cause Yin energy to enter their body. If it’s light, they will be infected with an illness. If it’s serious, they will die. Now that the bead has absorbed enough Yang energy, it’s not a big threat. However, it’s best not to carry it with you. It’ll cause kidney deficiency and provoke dirty things.]
“This is…” Han Zhao was stunned.
He then shifted his gaze to the white booklet. On the cover, there were the words ‘Thousand Silk Guide’.
[Thousand Silk Guide, a rather superficial external cultivation method. It lacks the basic diagram for Internal Force cultivation. With your talent, it’s not recommended to cultivate it.]
The last sentence was completely unnecessary… Han Zhao felt like he had been dealt a blow.
Han Lin’s cultivation technique was actually only a superficial one.
Then, he looked at the green booklet.
[A basic method for internal cultivation. It can cultivate true qi and has the effect of extending one’s lifespan and strengthening one’s body. With your aptitude, if you cultivate diligently for 60 years, you have a chance of succeeding. At that time, you can increase your lifespan by 20 years.]
“What the f*ck…” Han Zhao felt a lump in his chest.
Something was not right!
He quickly reacted.
According to his memories, there were martial artists in this world who could open monuments, crack rocks, fly over roofs, and walk on walls. However, they cultivated Internal Force.
Martial artists were divided into four realms: Skin Tempering, Bone Tempering, Blood Tempering, and Force Tempering.
Martial artists at the level of Force Tempering were called Martial Masters. They were experts who could open a sect and accept disciples.
Blackrock City had a population of at least 200,000 to 300,000. However, there were only 20 to 30 Martial Masters on the surface.
At this level, one would either continue to cultivate diligently in search of a breakthrough or begin to enjoy life. Therefore, one would basically not make a move.
A quasi-Martial Master at the Blood Tempering Realm was the strongest combat power that the major factions would usually mobilize.
Han Lin was a quasi-Martial Master. In the entire Blackrock City, he was a famous expert known as Thousand Silk Hands.
However, the ‘Thousand Silk Guide’ that Han Lin cultivated was also an external cultivation method. There was no internal cultivation method that could cultivate ‘True Qi’.
Han Zhao fell into deep thought.
When his gaze subconsciously shifted to the silver and banknotes, the small words appeared again.
[Silver, Great Wei currency, the common currency of Great Wei. Money is not omnipotent but you can’t do anything without money. You can only become stronger by spending money.]
“What a good father!” Han Zhao sighed.
Han Lin rushed back, clearly to deliver the cultivation method and bead.
The previous Han Zhao had a poor foundation and was not suitable for martial arts. On the other hand, his elder brother, Han Cheng, had an outstanding aptitude and had gone out to adventure early.
His predecessor wanted to practice martial arts, so Han Lin fed him all kinds of precious medicinal herbs and soaked him in medicinal baths in an attempt to improve his aptitude.
Otherwise, as a quasi-Martial Master and the second-in-command of the Escort Agency, how could Han Lin live in the commoner district?
After nearly ten years, his predecessor’s foundation finally reached the inferior level.
Once he started training, if he failed to reach the Skin Tempering Realm in a year, it would greatly increase the difficulty of breaking through in the future. That was why Han Zhao had never learned martial arts. Instead, he stayed at home and studied all day.
Han Lin’s idea was to at least raise Han Zhao’s foundation to a lower-middle level before letting him cultivate martial arts.
“Such talent…” Han Zhao frowned.
His aptitude was so poor, and his only backer was in trouble. His life in the future would not be easy.
He turned his attention to the various items in the room, and notifications appeared one by one.
[Table], [Stove], [Water Jar]…
[A young man with a low aptitude and an ‘ordinary’ appearance. Compared to practicing martial arts, he might have a better path to wealth being a gigolo.]
In the bronze mirror, the young man had a bitter expression.
This notification might be suitable for livening up the atmosphere, but it did not seem to be of much use.
Could he become an appraiser?
This world was quite cruel. Without martial arts, it was difficult to even protect oneself.
He lived in Xinqiao District in the outer city. Not far away, Heilin District was the slums of Blackrock City. It was said that the people inside were willing to risk their lives for a few copper coins and steamed buns. It was not new to find corpses in the blind spots of alleys and smelly ditches.
The nearby gangs and small groups often fought over territories so it was common for people to die.
In such a place where human lives were nothing, not practicing martial arts was equivalent to waiting for death.
Thinking of this, Han Zhao held onto a glimmer of hope and silently chanted in his mind: “System?!”
The next second, a golden panel appeared in his vision.
Name: Han Zhao
Attribute Points: None
Trait: None
Martial Arts: None
“There’s really a system?!”
More words appeared.
[Collected 10 Notification Fragments. Do you want to synthesize the Trait?]
“Wait! Isn’t this the game I bought in my previous life?”
Han Zhao had not reacted when he saw the notification just now. Now that he saw the attribute panel and the notification of the synthesized Trait, he finally remembered.
He bought a game called the ‘Life Simulator’. He felt that the difficulty was too high, so he bought a cheat that could produce the Trait function.
This thing also followed him here?!
Han Zhao muttered, “Synthesize.”
[Synthesizing once. Consuming 10 Notification Fragments and 1 tael of gold. You will definitely obtain a one-time-use Basic Trait, Life Simulation.]
[Current balance is insufficient. Please recharge.]
[If you want to become stronger, you have to spend money!]
“It’s really pay-to-win, it really is…” Han Zhao’s mouth twitched.
One tael of silver was equivalent to ten copper coins.
One copper coin could buy two meat buns or a catty of brown rice in Blackrock City.
In this world, there was no genetically modified rice, nor was there any hybrid rice. The actual purchasing power of one tael of silver exceeded five thousand yuan in his previous life.
One tael of silver was enough for a family of three to live for a year.
Escort was a dangerous profession, so their monthly salary was not low. Even ordinary escorts earned a decent sum each month. Furthermore, they had commission, and if they died in battle, their families would receive compensation.
As a quasi-Martial Master in the Blood Tempering Realm, Han Lin’s monthly salary was 20 taels of silver. He also received dividends at the end of the year, as well as some resources that could not be bought with money.
Even so, the Han family only lived in the commoner district of the outer city. One could imagine how much money Han Lin had spent on Han Zhao.
The ratio of gold to silver in Great Wei was 1:10, but in reality, it was difficult to exchange 10 taels of silver for 1 tael of gold.
Han Zhao put away the silver and banknotes on the bed. Including the silver pieces, it was about 18 taels. The banknotes were worth ten taels each. There were a total of three notes and some scattered copper coins.
48 taels was a huge sum of money.
[Poor!]
A notification appeared at the wrong time.
“I’ll recharge.” Han Zhao tried it.
There was no reaction.
“Good lord, do I have to exchange silver for gold? What a spendthrift!” Han Zhao couldn’t help but curse.
It seemed like he had to wait until dawn to go to the bank in the inner city to exchange for gold.
“How do I live from now on?”
Han Zhao’s expression flickered.
Although the Thousand Silk Force lacked the basic diagram and could not be used for Internal Force cultivation, it was still a treasure for the people in the outer city.
Once the news of Han Lin’s death spread, he would be like a kid holding gold in a busy market.
“I must become stronger immediately and find a backer at the same time.”
A martial arts school opened by a Force Tempering Martial Master in the city was a good place to go. As long as he paid, he would accept it.
However, his identity as an apprentice could only temporarily suppress some people. The best way was to directly hand over the problem, Thousand Silk Guide, to maximize the benefits.
…
With mixed feelings, Han Zhao sat on the bed until dawn.
When it was about time, he put away the silver and the secret manual.
Looking at the black bead lying on the bed, he hesitated for a moment before wrapping it in a cloth and putting it into the iron box. Then he placed it under the floor tiles at the bottom of the bed.
Squeak~
Han Zhao pushed open the door. The cold wind made him shrink his neck to prevent the cold wind from entering his collar.
He hated winter.
In front of him was a small courtyard. On the right was a small vegetable field with radishes planted inside.
There were a few wooden shelves in the open space to the left. On the shelves were bamboo sieves. Inside were cured meat and dried radishes.
The broom had fallen to the side of the courtyard wall at the entrance. There were traces of haphazard cleaning in the courtyard, and the footprints on the ground could be vaguely seen.
Han Zhao’s heart warmed.
He picked up the broom and swept away Han Lin’s footprints on the ground. Then, he left his own footprints and walked out of the door.
As he walked in the alley, pedestrians greeted him warmly from time to time. He nodded silently in response according to the personality of his predecessor in his memory.
Xinqiao District was in the south of the city, and the bank was in the most prosperous Yonghe District in the inner city.
He found the right direction and quickly walked north.
There were more than ten districts in Blackrock City, and each of them was equivalent to a small village.
The closer he got to the inner city, the wider the streets became, and the more people there were. There were people carrying loads on their backs, ox carts delivering goods, and vendors hawking their wares.
“Freshly steamed pork buns! Two for one copper coin!”
“Baked pastry! We’re selling baked pastry!”
“Pot repair! We can repair your pots and pans!”
There were teahouses, taverns, pawnshops, workshops, and all kinds of other shops. In the empty space between the shops, there were many small stalls with large umbrellas. The vendors were shouting at the beggars curled up by the roadside to get lost.
The streets extended to the north and south. Han Zhao walked to the city gate at the end and entered the inner city.
With the tall city tower as the center, there were rows of shops on both sides. There were more peddlers and pedestrians, and the streets were cleaner and wider. The beggars were also gone.
Most of them were beaming with happiness.
Inner city, outer city, slums.
These three regions were like the three separated worlds that formed the entire Blackrock City.