Chapter 1: When an ordinary man is enraged, blood will be spilled within five paces.

"Master!"
"Quick, run!"
"Master, I'm here to save you!"
"Get lost! Remember to bring your mistress home..."
"Roar!"
...
"Ah!"

Zhou Chen jolted awake, gasping for air, his heart pounding in lingering terror.
He had dreamed of sneaking up at midnight to knock on Qin Keqing the widow's door, only for a mighty white-headed tiger to burst out as the door opened.
The beast's bloody maw clamped onto an old man, blood spilling everywhere.
The old man struggled in agony, shouting for him to run.
He cried out for his master, grief-stricken.

"What a tangled mess!"

Recalling the dream, Zhou Chen shook his head, unable to help but complain:
"Truly, there's no sense to dreams!"

He was an orphan—where would a master come from?
He had plenty of teachers, even some from Japan and Korea.

"Hmm?"

Zhou Chen's pupils contracted as he suddenly realized he was in an unfamiliar room: an old wooden house, wooden bench, wooden table, oil lamp...

"Where am I?"

As the thought arose, a torrent of fragmented memories surged into his mind like a mighty flood, leaving him dizzy and in pain for quite a while before he recovered.

It turned out he had crossed into another world.

More precisely, he had been reborn, and only now had his memories from his previous life awakened.

This was a world where demons ran rampant and immortals stood aloof above mortals.

He had grown up relying on Old Man Cao, making a living as a hunter.

Old Man Cao was an exceptional archer and often brought home game, so life was fairly comfortable.

But though Old Man Cao was over fifty, his heart had not aged; he had his eye on Qin Hongyu, the daughter of Old Qin from the village.

Qin Hongyu was the same age as Zhou Chen, eighteen, graceful and beautiful, desired by many men.

Old Qin was greedy, demanding ten taels of silver as bride price.

Driven by lust, Old Man Cao scraped together every penny to barely meet the demand, but their once comfortable life instantly became straitened.

Three days ago, hoping to improve their situation and have time to spend with his bride after the wedding, Old Man Cao took Zhou Chen deep into the mountains to hunt.

But they ventured too far and encountered a white-headed tiger.

The beast bit into Old Man Cao and devoured him.

Zhou Chen was lucky enough to escape, and upon returning, erected a cenotaph for Old Man Cao.

All the food and remaining savings at home were taken by the villagers under the pretense of arranging the funeral.

Overcome with grief and hunger, Zhou Chen fainted.

"The villagers aren't very friendly to me!"

Sorting through his memories, Zhou Chen frowned deeply.

He and Old Man Cao were outsiders—not native to Dahe Village.

Gurgle!

His stomach protested loudly; Zhou Chen rubbed his aching belly and rose to search for food.

He searched the house and found only two hard, dry buns and a jar of pickled wild vegetables—enough to make even a mouse weep.

---

"Damn it!"

Zhou Chen couldn't help but curse. Although Old Man Cao had spent all his savings to marry, it shouldn't have left them starving.

He remembered there had been half a jar of rice and flour, now not a grain remained.

Not even a single piece of rice left for him!

"Damn it!"

Grumbling, Zhou Chen heated the buns and ate them with salty vegetables, barely filling his stomach.

"System?"
"Panel?"
"Old Grandpa?"

He pondered for a while, somewhat disappointed. Who says every transmigrator gets a cheat?

He seemed to have none.
Maybe it wasn't time yet.

He had read many stories: some only gained theirs after becoming immortal, some after dying, some after marrying...

"Forget it, I should go hunting and fill my belly first!"

He patted his stomach, saw the sun had just risen, and skillfully strapped on his basket, tied a machete at his waist, took his bow and three-pronged spear, and headed for the back hills.

With memories from both lives merged, he was not unfamiliar with this place, but he dared not venture deep into the mountains where Old Man Cao had been killed.

"Today was supposed to be Master and Mistress's wedding day—a pity Master couldn't enjoy it!"

Zhou Chen shook his head with a sigh.

Though his previous life's memory dominated, he still felt grateful to Old Man Cao; after all, he wasn't the kind who possessed and erased the original.

In this life, Old Man Cao was like both master and father to him.

"Master, rest in peace. I'll bring Mistress home later and take good care of her for you!"

Zhou Chen's gaze grew deep as he murmured.

He knew it was impossible for Old Qin, that greedy, stingy drunkard, to return the ten taels of silver.
At least, he couldn't do it now.

Besides, Old Qin likely didn't even have ten taels left.

But it was possible to bring Qin Hongyu home.

This world was dangerous; death was commonplace.

By custom, with Old Man Cao dead, Zhou Chen as his only kin could demand a refund or for Qin Hongyu to marry him.

Such things happened often.

Just next door, Wang Dan Niu went fishing before his wedding, drowned, and his brother Wang Er Niu took his place and married the bride.

Zhou Chen wasn't motivated by lust, but because this concerned his very standing.

If he couldn't reclaim his rights from Old Qin, others would see him as weak and easy to bully.

If he couldn't defend his own interests, he'd be trampled on in the future.

Better to strike hard once than be punched a hundred times later!

He had to use this matter to show everyone: though Old Man Cao was dead, Zhou Chen was not someone to be trifled with.

Old Man Cao's dying wish for him to bring Qin Hongyu home was for this reason.

More importantly, Zhou Chen wanted to know if he had a hidden cheat, perhaps one that would activate upon marrying.

No harm in trying—it was a last resort.

After all, this world was perilous, with demons, martial experts, even legendary immortals.

Without a cheat, he was just a penniless, powerless, ordinary person—survival would be nearly impossible, relying solely on luck, unable to control his fate!

After about half an hour, Zhou Chen reached the back hills, his senses alert. Though he had been here many times and the outskirts weren't too dangerous, caution was needed.

---

Often, poisonous insects and snakes were more dangerous than large beasts.

Dahe Village sat at the foot of the Changling Mountains, facing the Qing River, nestled between mountain and water with abundant resources, though most villagers made their living by fishing.

There were few hunters in the village, with Old Man Cao the most renowned.

Rustle!

The grass shook; a gray shadow flashed by.

"A wild rabbit!"

Zhou Chen had hunted with Old Man Cao since childhood, his eyes sharp and movements quick. He circled the grass and spotted the escaping gray rabbit.

He drew his bow, nocked an arrow, and shot in one fluid motion; as the rabbit jumped, the arrow pierced its hind leg at the peak of its leap!

"Not bad luck!"

Zhou Chen was delighted—his aim was off, but he still hit.

He rushed over, grabbed the struggling rabbit, tied its legs, and placed it in his basket before continuing to hunt.

But luck seemed to have run out—he found few other prey, and even missed the only pheasant he saw.

"Forget it, I'll go back!"

Zhou Chen slung the rabbit over his shoulder and headed down the mountain.

He hadn't gone deep, so he quickly returned to the village.

Instead of going home, Zhou Chen went straight to Old Qin's house.

Old Qin, a man in his forties, was lounging in the yard on a bamboo chair, sipping wine and enjoying himself.

With Old Man Cao gone and Zhou Chen unable to even guard his last bit of food, the villagers had eaten it all—Old Qin felt he had the upper hand.

Once things settled, he could find a good family for Qin Hongyu and sell her again, maybe for another ten taels of silver!

He was thrilled at the prospect!

Knock knock knock!

Just then, the knock disturbed Old Qin's pleasant dreams.

He looked up and saw Zhou Chen, his face darkening. After a long moment, he slowly got up, opened the door, and said coldly:

"Little Chen, is there something you need?"

"Uncle Qin, as you know, my master had an accident three days ago and can't marry Sister Hongyu. My family can't even afford food now, so I've come to ask Uncle Qin to return the bride price for emergency use."

Zhou Chen spoke bluntly.

"Little Chen, Uncle Qin knows your family's struggling, but my family's struggling too—where would I find extra silver?"

Old Qin put on a troubled face and brushed him off:
"Don't worry, when Uncle Qin has money, I'll send it to you right away!"

Zhou Chen sneered inwardly—if he waited for Old Qin to have money, he'd never see it in this lifetime!

"If Uncle Qin is so strapped, then by the usual custom, let Sister Hongyu marry me!"

"Little Chen, I must criticize you. Your master just died, and you're already thinking of marriage? Is that how you honor him?"

"This was my master's dying wish."

Zhou Chen's eyes turned cold, suppressing his anger as he spoke gravely:
"If you refuse, that's the real betrayal of my master!"

"In that case, go home first. I'll pick an auspicious day, then discuss the wedding with you!"

"Discuss what?"

Zhou Chen grabbed Old Qin's collar, a flash of his machete glinting as he pressed it to Old Qin's throat:

"Enough pretense—today, it's either money or the girl!"

"Otherwise, you'll learn what happens when a man is pushed to rage—blood will spill within five steps!"

...