Chapter 1: A Young Man Again

Chapter 1: A Boy in Another Life

The night was pitch black.

Lightning and thunder split the sky.

Under the stormy night, an ancient and quaint little town lay still. The city gate bore the inscription "Yuzhou."

This was Yuzhou City, within the Chu State. Everything was quiet, and amidst the lightning and thunder, a touch of golden light seemed to fall into the city. However, its speed was so fast that no one noticed it.

In the southern part of the city, there was a bookstore. Raindrops the size of beans hit the pale face of a boy lying on the ground outside the door. Memories of two lives were merging in his mind.

"Chu State... Yuzhou City... Gu Changsheng..."

Half asleep, half awake, countless streams of information flowed and were digested in his mind. It was like a whirlwind tour of his past life. The memories revealed the life of another boy also named Gu Changsheng.

In the 447th year of the Chu State, the old emperor died, the new emperor ascended the throne, and the reign was changed to Anping. That same year, a boy named Gu Changsheng was born in Yuzhou City.

At age 1, Gu Changsheng's grandfather was ecstatic. He lifted little Gu Changsheng, who cried out in fear.

Grandfather and father were both wanderers. Gu Changsheng's carefree childhood ended early, marked by the painful memory of his father's thick wooden stick.

The first appearance of Scholar stunned the whole city. Gu Changsheng curiously asked his father about it, but his father, though calm, had a trace of regret in his eyes.

At age 15, after his second attempt at the imperial examination, Gu's father fell seriously ill and soon passed away. Not long after, Gu's mother died from grief. For the first time, Gu Changsheng experienced the pain of losing loved ones. That same year, he passed the student examination.

At age 17, after overcoming the loss of his parents, Gu Changsheng revived his family's bookstore, which had been closed for over two years.

At age 18, he learned that Miss Liu, who frequently bought books from his store, was marrying someone else—a notorious gangster. Heartbroken, he drank all night in the small courtyard. That night, it rained heavily with lightning and thunder. The temperature dropped sharply at midnight. He died.

Born in mediocrity, died single. His life was considered a waste.

There was no swordplay, no talented men and beautiful women—just a poor scholar who drank himself to death because the woman he loved married another.

How sad.

After absorbing all the memories of his original body, Gu Changsheng rubbed his head. He climbed up from the muddy ground and took shelter under the eaves, still feeling emotional. He once vowed to make a name for himself, but he never even stepped out of Yuzhou City.

Young man, listen to my advice, it's not worth it.

"A dog licks a dog, and you have nothing."

"Cough cough... cough cough cough..."

After walking a few steps, his weak body was wracked with coughing. Under the eaves, Gu Changsheng sighed.

"That's it? You're so weak, and you still drank to drown your sorrows?"

He suddenly felt it wasn't too unfair for his original body to die. Fortunately, he had traveled through time.

Gu Changsheng naturally accepted the fact that he had traveled through time without thinking deeply about it. Whether it was a parallel world or some powerful person who liked his looks and gave him another chance, he was happy to live again.

He even wanted to do it a few more times.

Is this reasonable? Absolutely! It is extremely reasonable!

His original body had the same name as him, both surnamed Gu and given name Changsheng. Sadly, they were both short-lived. However, he won because he lived a few years longer, saw more, and now lived again. This time, he truly won.

Only those who have died once know the preciousness of being alive. He wants to live forever in this life!

"Boom!"

A crisp roar echoed between existence and non-existence. A golden light suddenly shone in his mind, almost blinding his eyes.

In his sea of consciousness, a strange and spectacular "long river" appeared. It seemed eternal and ancient, yet also present and future. The long river was vast, boundless, with no end. Its origin and destination were unknown.

Every small wave in the river was composed of countless mythological epic pictures, magnificent and containing countless brilliant stories. Every ripple seemed to point directly to the truth!

Time cheered for him, and the years crowned him.

He is... the fruit of immortality!

...

[Name: Gu Changsheng]

[Talent: Immortality]

[Age: 18]

[Skill: Confucianism (70/100 for entry)]

...

The information appeared in a way he could understand. The simple and clear attribute panel was easy to grasp. Just a few strokes caused shock and contemplation. It existed long before he merged his memories.

There was nothing much to say about the panel. The most important thing was his talent for immortality. The immortal fruit grows in the long river of time and feeds on years. If you possess it, you can live forever!

Immortality!

At this moment, Gu Changsheng wanted to laugh wildly. But he held back rationally, and his whole body tensed.

There are thousands of laws in the world, all of which are false. Only immortality is real, and people in the world strive for it. He has already achieved immortality!

...

A few black, thick logs were ignited, and the flames burned brightly, dispelling the chill and illuminating the small house. Gu Changsheng had changed into relatively clean clothes and sat cross-legged in front of the fire, quietly contemplating.

Though he had achieved immortality, he was not invincible. The immortal fruit had two major abilities: one was immortality, freeing him from the bounds of lifespan; the other was agelessness. When he reached the same age as his previous life, 24 years old, he would never age again. Even after millions of years, his appearance would remain unchanged.

Apart from that, he was no different from an ordinary person. The attribute panel, more like a buy-one-get-one-free gift, only provided real-time feedback on his body's condition. He could not add points or access a sign-in function.

His body was mortal, ordinary, and susceptible to illness, injury, and death. Although his current situation seemed relatively safe, it was just an appearance. In the memories of his original body, there were real warriors in this world—capable of feats like flying over eaves and walls, lifting heavy objects, and fighting hundreds.

Warriors in this world were not as honorable as in stories and novels. They could break laws with their martial arts, seek revenge recklessly, and act without restraint.

In this world where great power belonged to individuals, the presence of warriors naturally led to more disputes, often blatant and undisguised. Fighting, grudges, and robbery were common. Ordinary people lived in constant danger, hoping not to be affected by such conflicts, or risk losing everything in an instant.

At this time, the Chu State was in decline. Unable to manage and restrain the arrogant warriors, it was plagued by internal troubles and uprisings. Natural and man-made disasters were widespread. Incompetent monarchs and treacherous ministers exacerbated the collapse of Chu State's rule.

It seemed the end of another dynasty was near.