Chapter One: Suddenly Transcending, Living in Great Yu

Great Yu Dynasty.

Luoyang City.

Yunyang County.

Jiang Han slowly opened his eyes to a faint, elegant fragrance, his mind hazy and unfocused.

As his blurred vision gradually cleared, he saw a young woman standing gracefully before him.

She wore a long dress of azure blue; her eyes were bright, her teeth white, her brows finely arched, her features delicate.

She was a beautiful woman indeed, but her words left Jiang Han bewildered.

“Brother Jiang Han, in my heart you’ve always been just my brother. We could never be husband and wife. Today, let’s annul our engagement.”

Jiang Han was dazed. Wasn’t he just drinking a moment ago? Who was this lovely girl before him?

Was he dreaming?

How could he dream of such a beautiful girl?

“Brother Jiang Han, are you listening to me?” she asked.

Jiang Han had just opened his mouth to reply when it felt as if a steel rod had been driven through his head and twisted fiercely. Agony exploded in his skull, and he doubled over, clutching his head, his whole body trembling, his face contorted in pain.

The sudden change startled the girl, who stood frozen, at a loss for what to do.

No one knew how long it lasted before the pain finally receded. Jiang Han’s expression grew grave.

Had he really transmigrated? Nothing felt quite right... There were two sets of memories in his mind, one his own, and another that seemed to belong to him as well.

In his previous life, he had been a mediocre office worker, drifting through middle age, only to find himself with nothing to show for it—except for an unpaid mortgage.

So he drowned his sorrows in drink on the street, and to his surprise, upon opening his eyes again, the world had changed.

As he digested the other set of memories, Jiang Han was taken aback.

The original Jiang Han bore his own name, an illegitimate son of Jiang Zhensheng, head of the Anxiang Academy. Not wealthy or noble, but a family of some literary repute.

With such an upbringing, one would expect him to be at least somewhat accomplished—if not a great scholar, at least able to pass the county exams.

Yet the original Jiang Han had failed the imperial exams for three years straight. Switching to martial pursuits, he was expelled from the training grounds after a single arrow hit the drum official. Turning to business, he was swindled, robbed, and finally ruined.

He steadied himself and gave up on commerce to study medicine. After three years, he finally achieved something—only to concoct a prescription, brew the medicine, drink it, and send himself to the afterlife.

Jiang Han laughed. This fellow’s way of sending himself off was certainly something.

“Brother Jiang Han, are you... are you all right?” the girl’s voice pulled him back to reality.

He looked up at her, but his smile faded quickly, for he realized he had found himself in one of those clichéd, melodramatic scenarios.

This girl was Gu Xirou, his betrothed, whom he’d never married, and his childhood friend.

His father had arranged their engagement when they were children; the chosen bride was none other than Gu Xirou, the eldest daughter of the Gu family. The original Jiang Han had doted on her, doing everything to please her.

But after years of accomplishing nothing, he had only disappointed her further; now she had come to reclaim their betrothal contract.

“Brother Jiang Han, did you hear what I just said? I have always seen you as my brother, nothing more! I want you to return our engagement agreement,” she said, her tone tinged with impatience.

“Very well,” Jiang Han replied breezily. Right now, he only wanted some time alone.

Gu Xirou was taken aback. She stared at Jiang Han in disbelief, not expecting such a prompt agreement. She had thought she’d have to argue for it.

Hadn’t he always clung to her before? Why was he so decisive today?

“Brother Jiang Han, did you hear what I said?”

“I heard you. You want to break off the engagement.”

She was both surprised and delighted, not understanding his sudden change but quickly breaking into a sweet smile. “Brother Jiang Han, you’ve agreed? Then from now on, we’ll just be siblings. I’m content just to have you as my brother.”

Jiang Han considered this and replied, “Actually, we don’t even need to be siblings.”

Gu Xirou: “???”

Ignoring her, Jiang Han turned and walked into his own courtyard.

This was a separate residence, a street away from the main Jiang household. The walls were weathered, and the stove still held the remnants of brewed medicine.

Jiang Zhensheng, it seemed, had lost all hope in his son, and after Jiang Han’s failure in business, had sent him to live in this annex.

“System, are you there?” Jiang Han called out in his mind.

There was no answering voice, nor did any virtual interface appear.

Unbelievable—not even a system? What kind of transmigrator was he supposed to be?

“Jiang Han,” Gu Xirou called, following him in.

“What is it now?”

Jiang Han was still busy calling for a legendary old master in his heart, but no matter how he called, he heard nothing.

There was nothing—not even the faintest trace of a golden finger.

“Can you return the engagement contract?” Gu Xirou asked. This was, after all, her primary reason for coming.

The engagement contract? I remember where it is.

Jiang Han walked into the inner room, rummaged through the bedside table, pulled out the contract, and handed it to her. “Here you go.”

Gu Xirou had not expected it to be so easy. Overjoyed, she snatched the contract, checked the names, and her heart leapt with relief.

“Thank you, Brother Jiang Han, thank you for giving it back to me.”

“No need. Just don’t regret it, and don’t come pestering me in the future,” Jiang Han replied coolly.

“Don’t worry, I won’t,” she said, her face breaking into a radiant smile as she clutched the contract.

Regret? Pester you?

I’m more worried you’ll regret breaking off the engagement and come bothering me.

Gu Xirou instinctively wanted to mock him, but recalling his years of devotion, she let him have the last word.

After Gu Xirou left, Jiang Han sat on the bedside, pondering his situation.

He wondered why he had transmigrated; perhaps, like this world’s Jiang Han, he had lived a life full of regrets.

His previous existence had been rather bleak, with little to remember fondly. His parents had long since passed, leaving him alone in the world.

The only thing he regretted was that the three thousand yuan left in his bank account went unspent.

To die and leave your money behind—what could be more painful than that?

But how should he live in this new life?

Jiang Han grinned.

Naturally, he would enjoy the extravagant, indulgent lifestyle of the ancients!

After all, if he had crossed worlds, shouldn’t he take the chance to truly indulge himself, rather than serve king and country?

He had no such lofty ambitions.

But to indulge oneself required money.

His family was respectable, but with no achievements in scholarship, martial arts, or business, he had thoroughly disappointed Jiang Zhensheng, who would never allow him to live in luxury.

So he needed to make money!

In the end, it all came down to the same problem: how to get rich?

Jiang Han frowned for a moment, but soon relaxed.

This was ancient times—how hard could it be to make money?