In chaotic times, one can become a martial immortal.

Winter of the thirty-first year of Yongsheng.

Although this year's snow came later than usual, it was also heavier and thicker.

The north wind howls, a thousand miles of ice, ten thousand miles of snow.

"Mother, it seems my brother is dead. Can I eat fragrant meat now?"

"It's good that you're dead. You won't have to suffer anymore. My dear girl, your braised pork is delicious. You should eat mine. I'll go make you some meat soup right now!"

In a daze, Lu Yuan seemed to hear someone say that they were eating meat.

"Why are you eating spicy pork? Give me some too!"

After Lu Yuan said something subconsciously, he suddenly sat up in shock.

"Oh... Mother, brother is alive! That's wonderful! I still won't eat the fragrant meat. I want brother to live!"

Lu Yuan shook his somewhat heavy head, and then saw a little girl, about six or seven years old, wearing a tattered little red jacket and with a sallow complexion, looking at him with her big, round eyes.

Beside the little girl was a middle-aged woman wearing a wooden hairpin, a coarse hemp jacket, and with an even more sallow complexion and extremely thin appearance.

"Xiao Yuan, why did you come back? This world is unbearable!"

Although the middle-aged woman's eyes showed a hint of surprise, she still shook her head and sighed.

At this moment, Lu Yuan's somewhat bewildered eyes finally regained their clarity.

And the chaotic and fragmented memories in his mind have been completely digested and clarified by him.

He never expected that he would wake up to find himself transported to another world.

I was transported to an extremely chaotic world where martial arts prevailed and the strong preyed on the weak.

The dynasty collapsed, powerful families took over, and warlords fought each other in various places.

Sects were divided, gangs fought each other, and chaos reigned.

It was during a time of famine, when human life was as cheap as grass!

The person, who was already weak and frail, died directly from the combination of hunger and cold.

"Gurgle..."

Before he could even get used to his body, Lu Yuan felt a strong hunger pang amidst a series of sounds.

"Brother...have some porridge!"

At this moment, the little girl held up a bowl of porridge with both hands and presented it to Lu Yuan.

He glanced at the bowl and said that although it was called porridge, it was actually just a paste made from wild vegetables, tree bark, and some rice bran.

"Eat up... This is the last bowl. Tomorrow, Mother will go find some Guanyin clay to fill your stomachs."

Lu Yuan looked up at the middle-aged woman and the little girl, then picked up the bowl and tried taking a sip.

Although he almost spat it out as soon as the paste entered his mouth, he still forced himself to swallow it whole.

Not only does it taste bland, but it's also extremely harsh on the throat.

He never dreamed that he, who was enjoying barbecue, beer, and lamb kidneys not long ago, would now be eating unpalatable wild vegetable porridge.

"Little girl, your brother isn't hungry, you eat!"

Lu Yuan glanced at the little girl who was staring intently at the bowl and smiled.

In my memory, this is his younger sister, who just turned six this year. She doesn't have a formal name yet, and is only known by the common name "Nannan".

The middle-aged woman next to him was his mother, whom everyone called Yang.

"Brother is eating, but I'm not hungry!"

Although the little girl kept swallowing, she still shook her little head like a rattle drum.

"Oh... Mother will go make you some meat broth!"

At this moment, Madam Yang sighed softly and then got up.

"No need...it's too late, let's talk about it tomorrow!"

Lu Yuan quickly grabbed Yang Shi.

How could he not know where the meat in the meat soup that Yang was talking about would come from?

As he spoke, he gulped down a large mouthful of wild vegetable porridge, then shoved the bowl directly into Yang's hands.

"I'm already full. You and Nannan can share the rest!"

Madam Yang gave Lu Yuan a deep look, and then began feeding her daughter on her own.

"I need to figure out how to make some money tomorrow!"

Lu Yuan pondered silently, a determined look appearing in his eyes.

In any case, we must at least ensure that the family of three does not starve to death, and we must not let Yang make any meat soup.

Then, the next step was to find a way to practice martial arts.

In his memory, he was in a country called the Great Zhou Dynasty.

The Great Zhou Dynasty was founded on military strength, martial arts flourished, and the strong were respected.

True martial arts masters can not only establish their own schools, but also be granted titles of nobility or kingship.

In short, force determines everything; might makes right!

In his previous life, he was just a lowly laborer who worked overtime every day, laying screws and contributing to his boss's villa and luxury car. No matter how hard he tried, it was almost impossible for him to change his fate.

Now, all he needs to do is practice martial arts diligently and become a true powerhouse to turn his life around and completely change his destiny.

In this world, it's incredibly difficult for those at the bottom to survive.

Either live in a daze and sink into darkness.

We must either rise up in resistance and rush toward the light.

Now that he's here, he naturally needs to have some ambitions.

If he were to be reborn and still end up as a mediocre nobody at the bottom of society, wouldn't his life have been wasted?

"Just to get into a martial arts school, you'll need at least ten taels of silver!"

Lu Yuan frowned slightly. They were already struggling to fill their stomachs, so where could they possibly get ten taels of silver?

Using knowledge from a past life to quickly accumulate wealth? You'd probably end up dead in the street before you've even finished building your business!

Earn money by doing manual labor? Given his current weak and feeble state, he'll probably be wearing those clothes again in a couple of days!

Selling one's body? While one might have the means, health remains a major concern!

Murder and arson bring wealth and honor? He doesn't even qualify to be a hunter now!

Go learn a trade? You won't earn a penny without spending several years as a beast of burden!

After lost in thought for a while, Lu Yuan unknowingly fell asleep.

Yang first checked Lu Yuan's breathing, then tucked the blanket around him, before picking up Nannan and getting up to go out.

……

I closed my eyes and opened them again, and it was dawn.

"Gurgle..."

After Lu Yuan stood up, he tightened his belt.

"I'm going out for a bit. Don't make meat soup, and don't eat Guanyin clay. We'll talk about everything when I get back!"

After saying something to the busy Yang family, Lu Yuan walked straight out the door.

Come back soon!

Yang wiped her eyes and then said softly.

"Okay!"

After Lu Yuan responded, he quickly walked out of the house.

"Brother Yuan, do you want to make money?"

He had only taken a few steps when a skinny, monkey-like boy ran towards him.

Tell me about it?

Lu Yuan's gaze fell on the skinny boy, and his heart stirred slightly.

The skinny boy's name was Fang Chang, and they were childhood friends who grew up together.

"Carrying people to the mass grave, ten coins each, dare you?"

Fang Chang lowered his voice and said.

"Go quickly!"

Lu Yuan answered without the slightest hesitation.

In his past life, he would have simply replied, "Even a dog wouldn't do it."

But now, all he wants to say is, if the dog won't do it, I will!

He's practically died once, so he's willing to do anything to make money.

Before long, led by Fang Chang, Lu Yuan saw the people who needed to be carried.

It's pieced together, but it's still barely acceptable to use this name.

"Ugh~"

Lu Yuan gagged violently for a while, and although he didn't vomit anything, he almost couldn't fall back asleep.

Fang Chang wasn't much better off; he even vomited tears.

These were clearly not ordinary refugees who froze or starved to death, but rather the result of a brutal battle.

Fortunately, it was freezing cold; otherwise, the smell alone would have been enough to deter them.

"Come and carry him/her after you've finished vomiting!"

At this moment, an old man dressed in a gray robe spoke calmly to the two of them.

After exchanging a glance, the two took a deep breath and strode over.

Ten coins per person, we must earn this money no matter what!

After half a day of effort, the two finally carried the last one to the mass grave.

When they were burying the body, they mustered up their courage and groped around for a while, but were greatly disappointed.

Clearly, what they could think of, others had already thought of long ago.

How old are you?

Just as the two were taking the money and preparing to leave, the gray-robed old man suddenly asked.

"sixteen!"

Fang Chang said directly.

The gray-robed old man nodded slightly, then reached out and pinched several parts of the two men's bodies.

The two grimaced in pain and tried to writhe, but they couldn't break free at all.

"Warrior?"

Lu Yuan's heart skipped a beat.

"You did a good job!"

The gray-robed elder's eyes lit up slightly as he looked at Fang Chang, then he asked directly, "Do you want to practice martial arts?"

"think!"

Fang Chang nodded vigorously without hesitation, then, as if remembering something, quickly asked, "Can Brother Yuan come with me?"

"Can you endure hardship?"

The old man in the gray robe frowned slightly, then asked Lu Yuan.

"able!"

Lu Yuan nodded without hesitation.

Yesterday I was thinking about how to quickly earn the money needed to learn martial arts, but I didn't expect the opportunity to come so soon.

"One tael of silver per month, payable starting next month. If you cannot pay, you may leave. Any objections?"

The old man in the gray robe spoke again.

"No!"

Lu Yuan answered without the slightest hesitation.

The crucial first step on the path of martial arts has finally been taken.

Although the gray-robed elder clearly had his eye on Fang Chang, who was merely a bonus, the opportunity was rare and must be seized. Even if he could only study for a month in the end, it would still be a worthwhile gain.

Next, he needs to study hard and strive to achieve something within a month. Then, he needs to find a way to earn enough for next month's tuition and living expenses to feed his family of three.

"Come see me at Song Courtyard on East Street tomorrow!"

After saying that, the old man in gray turned and left.

"Brother Yuan, we can finally make something of ourselves! When we're rich, we'll share the wealth!"

"good!"

The two walked back side by side, their eyes filled with anticipation for the future.

The brief glimpse of the sun in the sky stretched the shadows of the two people on the snow longer and farther away until they disappeared completely.

……