Chapter 1

The night breeze was slightly cool, stirring a few withered yellow leaves to dance in the air, evoking a sense of desolation.

"Hmm... did it fail?"

Zhuge Ce lay on a small mound, gradually regaining consciousness. The area around him was overgrown with weeds, and the ground was dotted with uneven mounds.

This can't be right; the underworld shouldn't look like this.

He waited for a long time, but neither the ox-headed nor the horse-faced demons came to take him, nor did he see any wandering spirits floating in the air.

Is this the legendary穿越 (穿越 means "穿越" or "time travel") or reincarnation?

As the most talented descendant of the Wu Hou school, Zhuge Ce was well-versed in all the mystical array formations.

Unfortunately, heaven envied his talent. He had been afflicted with a terminal illness since childhood, and despite the best doctors in the world being brought in by his family, his condition continued to deteriorate.

On the night of his fifteenth birthday, he secretly went to the rooftop and set up the Seven Star Lamp Array, hoping to reverse his fate like his ancestor Wu Hou. However, a sudden downpour extinguished his hope for a longer life.

Recoiling from the array, Zhuge Ce's life came to an end, and he lost consciousness.

When he awoke again, he found himself in an unfamiliar environment.

The air was filled with a decaying smell, making it hard for him to concentrate.

He sniffed carefully, and the foul odor seemed to be coming from the mound beneath him.

Zhuge Ce quickly sat up and, using the moonlight, began to dig through the soil beneath his buttocks.

"Damn!" Zhuge Ce couldn't help but curse when he realized the situation.

It turned out that he wasn't lying on a mound but in a makeshift grave.

Looking around, he saw that the area was densely packed with mounds, all of which were graves.

Where was he? How could so many people have died here? If he were in a familiar world, this wouldn't be the case.

To confirm his suspicions, he continued to dig through the grave below.

A corpse in armor came into view. Zhuge Ce, who had read history books since childhood, recognized the patterns on the armor as being from the Spring and Autumn or Warring States period.

Zhuge Ce was now very confused. The Seven Star Lamp Array had failed to reverse his fate, but it had transported him from the 21st century directly to the Warring States period.

Was this a failure or a success?

He didn't have time to think much about it. He quickly checked his body and found that the terminal illness that had plagued him for fifteen years was gone, and the pain had disappeared.

This was the greatest surprise, even more exciting than the time travel.

Whenever his illness flared up, he felt as if life was worse than death. If not for his strong will, he might have chosen to end his life long ago.

But he refused to accept his fate. While learning the skills left by Wu Hou, he also spent time studying the knowledge recorded by his family, hoping to find a clue to cure his illness, even though the hope was slim.

"Whether it's the Warring States period or an unknown world, since I, the descendant of Wu Hou, have arrived here, I must stir up a storm!" Zhuge Ce muttered to himself, gazing at the night sky.

A moment later.

"Really stinky!"

After his dramatic declaration, Zhuge Ce pinched his nose and chose a direction, setting off into the unknown world.

From the crescent moon high in the sky to the first rays of dawn, Zhuge Ce, out of breath, had traveled for several days before discovering a dilapidated small city.

The city walls were largely collapsed, and the ruins clearly showed the scars of war.

The plaque on the city gate was long gone.

With no soldiers guarding the gate, he walked straight into the city.

The streets were completely empty, which made Zhuge Ce very frustrated. He at least wanted to meet a living person to chat and learn about the world.

After searching the city for a long time, he was very disappointed. The people in the city were either dead or had fled, and he found no trace of any living person.

He sat down in a cool spot, feeling dehydrated since he had not had a drink since his arrival. His lips were starting to crack.

He didn't dare drink the well water in the city, as he had heard that in ancient times, some chaste women would throw themselves into wells to preserve their honor during wars.

Drinking water contaminated by corpses would be a death sentence.

Moreover, he didn't know if the attacking army had poisoned the nearby river during the war.

"Master's body, destined for hardship!" Zhuge Ce lamented.

"Hisss..."

The sound of a snake's tongue flicking caught his attention. He pushed off the ground with his feet, leaping into the air and quickly scanning his surroundings.

Several brightly colored venomous snakes were clearly controlled by someone, attacking him like the tribes in the Three Kingdoms era, who could control beasts with secret techniques.

A mysterious figure in a black cloak and a black face mask was hiding in a nearby alley.

Seeing that Zhuge Ce had dodged the snake attack, the figure quickly fled, using the familiarity with the city's layout to vanish.

Zhuge Ce, still in mid-air, plucked a leaf and, upon landing, placed it to his lips and began to play a tune for the snakes.

The strange music made the snakes quickly crawl to his side, obediently coiling up and waiting for orders.

As a descendant of the Wu Hou school, he was familiar with the methods of controlling beasts used by the southern tribes.

"Go, take me to your master." Zhuge Ce stopped playing and gave the snakes an order.

After searching for so long, suddenly seeing a living person made him excited.

Although he didn't know why the person had attacked him, at least he could meet a living person.

He hoped to gather some useful information to understand the world.

The snakes led the way, crawling down the street to a nondescript courtyard.

Zhuge Ce picked up a few stones from the wall to use as weapons, not knowing the strength of his opponent and being cautious.

He stealthily entered the courtyard.

"Since you have already entered, why not come in and sit down!"

A seductive female voice came from inside the house, clearly aware of his presence.

Zhuang Ce didn't hesitate, kicking the door open.

He quickly covered his nose and mouth with his sleeve to prevent the light red smoke from entering his body.

This woman not only controlled venomous creatures but also used poison; she was definitely not a good person, he thought.

"Hehe, when I saw your unusual attire on the street, I thought you were a spy left by the state of Han, so I had to take action," the woman said, leaning against the bed. Although her face was covered, her voice and alluring figure suggested she was quite attractive.

The mention of Han was not the modern Korea but one of the seven warring states: Han, Chu, Yan, Zhao, Wei, Qin, and Qi, a time of great turmoil and the emergence of numerous famous figures and generals.

Looking down at his hospital gown, although he was a handsome young man with a fair complexion, red lips, and white teeth, in the eyes of the ancients, he looked like he was wearing pajamas, and his short hair and attire were indeed unusual.

"I am not from the state of Han. I was sent by my master to travel and explore, but I lost my way," Zhuge Ce said, half-truthfully.

The mysterious woman, seeing that he wasn't falling for her trap, waved her sleeve to extinguish the unknown poison in the incense burner and gestured for him to come in. "The world is in chaos, and it is said that the scholars of the Hundred Schools of Thought are emerging. May I ask which school you belong to?"

Zhuge Ce walked to the wooden table, picked up a water bag, and took a few gulps. "I am Zhuge Ce of the Wu Hou school!"

"I must apologize for my ignorance, but I have never heard of the Wu Hou school," the woman said, clearly surprised but not stopping him from drinking.

That's understandable; the Wu Hou school became famous during the Three Kingdoms period, established after the Qin dynasty. It would be strange if she had heard of it.