Chapter One: What Kind of Director Would Do Such a Foolish Thing?

Blue Star Continent.

At the heart of the central lands sprawled the vast Great Sheng Empire, stretching across ten thousand miles. On the northeastern frontier, the formidable fortress of Tiger’s Maw stood guard.

“Damn it, I’m done for!”

“How could I be so clueless? How did I end up like this after just a few drinks? I’ve never been so humiliated!”

Lu Hu shivered as he awoke, cursing himself inwardly. His mind was clear, but his body felt limp and powerless, and he was too ashamed to open his eyes.

He had just graduated from university and had only been at his job for three months. This was his first company banquet—and his colleagues had gotten him drunk out of his mind. He’d fallen asleep right at the table.

To make matters worse, most of those at the table were beautiful women. He shouldn’t have tried to show off, drinking far beyond his limits to play the hero in front of them, only to end up a fool—drunk as a bear.

How would he ever face his colleagues again? Where would his handsome face hide?

But wait—what was going on?

In the heat of summer, why did his face feel icy, his body chilled to the bone? Was one of the girls splashing cold water on him to wake him up?

What a considerate girl.

No need to pretend anymore. He’d open his eyes and see who it was. If she was pretty, he’d pursue her, maybe try to start something…

Lu Hu opened his eyes—and was instantly bewildered.

There were no beautiful women.

All around him, snowflakes as large as goose feathers whirled through the air, occasionally drifting against his face before melting into icy water.

No wonder his face was so cold.

When had the banquet ended? Where had his colleagues gone? And where on earth was he?

He gazed around. The world was a vast expanse of pristine white.

Not a bird in the mountains, not a footprint on the path.

What kind of liquor had he drunk, that the temperature had dropped below freezing?

And what were those rows of figures standing stiffly in the snow ahead—ice sculptures?

Who on earth would pay to have so many armored ancient warriors carved out here in the wilderness?

Wait—what was this? In the bitter cold, how were these snowmen’s noses and mouths still puffing out mist?

A chill seized Lu Hu as he looked more closely. These weren’t snowmen at all, but rows of ancient warriors in armor, their breath rising visibly in the frigid air.

What was this? Were they filming a movie?

Director, sir, could I play the leading man?

No, something wasn’t right. All men, not a single actress—what director would make such a foolish choice these days?

Could it be… that he had transmigrated?

Lu Hu was deeply puzzled. He wanted to investigate, but as soon as he tried to move, he realized he was bound hand and foot, kneeling in the snow.

No wonder he was so cold—his knees ached, and his legs were numb.

This was outrageous. How could they tie him up and torment him like this while he was drunk? Was this even human?

Fury surged in Lu Hu’s heart. He glared and cursed, “Which bastard tied me up here?”

Before he’d finished, a kick landed on his back.

“I’ll kill you!” he shouted, turning to see who had struck him.

Behind him stood a burly, armored warrior wielding a gleaming broadsword, glaring at him with the same look a butcher gives a doomed animal.

Lu Hu now noticed that there were several others kneeling beside him, all tightly bound, with armored guards watching over them.

It was over, utterly over. This was the prelude to an execution!

But why? What had he done?

He hadn’t bothered anyone, committed no crime, except perhaps for stealing a glance or two at pretty girls on the street.

And who could resist doing that? A whistle here or a wink there—surely not a crime.

What else had he done?

He’d dated a few girls in school, but it had been nothing more than hugging and a few kisses—never anything serious.

The worst thing he’d ever done was to break a few of Teacher Zhang’s windowpanes with a slingshot back in middle school. She’d confiscated his love letter to the class beauty and read it out loud in front of the class. He could bear that, but this was too much. He’d heard she’d nearly lost her mind over it, but surely not enough to deserve beheading!

They’d tied him up like a dumpling and waved a rusty sword around to scare him—where was the law and order in this place?

“Damn it all, untie me right now! I won’t beat you to death if you hurry, but otherwise, I’ll sue you for violating my human rights!” Lu Hu yelled, struggling desperately to break free.

“A state criminal? Human rights? Only high officials are called state criminals when they break the law. You, a mere squad leader, a nobody, dare call yourself a state criminal? You really don’t know your place,” mocked a voice.

“What kind of boxing is ‘human rights’? Never heard of it—did you make it up? Show me your moves,” sneered a silver-armored officer as he swaggered up.

This fellow was tall, with a sly look and fair, beardless face. His words were mocking, his voice languid—a man clearly ruined by indulgence.

Did this fool really not understand about human rights, or was he just toying with him?

“Who do you think you are? Drop the act—you look like a gigolo. Go back to your job as a duck,” Lu Hu spat, glaring.

The officer actually flinched, stepping back before snarling through clenched teeth, “Go on, act tough! You never respected me, the Commander of the Zhechong Battalion. Over three hundred brothers died because of you! Just wait until Lord Gao arrives—see how arrogant you are then!”

What was he talking about—three hundred brothers dead, all because of Lu Hu?

He was sure he’d never done anything like that.

Then, a flood of memories surged into his mind.

He had truly transmigrated.

Lu Hu, born in the third year of the Kaiyuan era in the Great Sheng dynasty, now eighteen years old.

Eighteen—a flower of youth, a prime young man.

Strong and energetic, he felt no fatigue in any task. He could fight, and his looks could match any.

His father, Lu Song, had been a seventh-rank military officer in the Right Feathered Forest Army at the time of his birth.

His mother, Sun Guiying, was a seventh-rank female officer in the Right Guard.

Though the Great Sheng dynasty hadn’t achieved equality between men and women, women’s status was quite high; it was not uncommon for them to appear in public. Still, there weren’t many female soldiers—after all, most women couldn’t handle the rigors of war.

To become a female officer was no small feat.

Lu Hu had a younger brother, Lu Bao, and a younger sister, Lu Li, each three years apart.

Their parents were minor officials, but compared to commoners, they lived comfortably.

Unfortunately, Lu Song was honest to a fault and fared poorly in the scheming, faction-ridden capital. Lacking social skills, he never climbed far.

The Great Sheng Empire was founded on martial prowess, waging war for seven centuries—conquering, expanding, and valuing military achievement above all.

If you wanted to rise, you had to earn merit on the battlefield.

When Lu Hu turned seven, war broke out in the northeast. Lu Song volunteered to garrison the frontier at Xinbin Prefecture, bringing his family along. He became Right Courageous Captain at the Xinbin Commandery, still a seventh-rank officer.

He hoped to make a name for himself and bring honor to his ancestors.

After more than a decade, all his efforts were in vain. He remained stuck at his post.

Seeing no brighter future, and with his wife growing weary of their eldest son, he managed to pull strings to send the fifteen-year-old Lu Hu to garrison Tiger’s Maw Fortress.

As the front-most bastion, Tiger’s Maw saw constant skirmishes—the perfect place for merit and promotion.

Trained by his father from childhood, Lu Hu had already reached the Qi Refining stage. In less than three years, he’d risen from an ordinary soldier to squad leader through sheer grit.

The military hierarchy was: ten men to a fireteam led by a Fire Chief; fifty to a squad led by a Squad Leader; three hundred to a battalion led by a Captain.

Only at the Captain level did one count as a true officer.

Because of its strategic position, Tiger’s Maw had a Zhechong Command, with three battalions and nearly a thousand border troops.

With all the heads Lu Hu had claimed, he was easily qualified to be a Captain.

But like his father, he only knew how to charge and fight, not how to curry favor. His tongue was as clumsy as a padded belt—he couldn’t squeeze out a word under pressure.

Most of the credit for his deeds ended up going to the Zhechong Command’s chief, Commander Pei Erbi.

The merits went to others; the blame was pushed onto him.

Three days ago, during a punitive expedition, Battalion Captain Zhang fell ill with diarrhea—so severe he couldn’t mount his horse—so Lu Hu led the battalion as acting captain.

But they fell into an ambush. Of three hundred men, only Lu Hu managed to cut his way out; none of the others survived.

The Great Sheng Empire was used to winning. Its elite frontier troops were famed for being worth ten regulars—defeat was rare.

To lose three hundred border soldiers in a single battle was a disaster.

The Supreme Commander of the Eastern War Zone, Lord Gao, was furious. He ordered that the criminal be interrogated and executed in person…

Lu Hu grimaced and clenched his teeth, his head pounding.

To transmigrate and immediately face execution—was this fate?

System, system, save me! He called out in his heart a thousand times, but the system didn’t respond.

Weren’t transmigrators supposed to have systems? Where was his? Why was it abandoning him now, when he was more wronged than Dou E or Yue Fei?

This whole disaster had been started by Pei Erbi.

The man had heard that beyond the border, the Erlunte tribe had a princess named Yana Li, famed for her beauty and grace—a smile that could bring down a nation, a glance that could topple a city.

To let such beauty go to waste in the wilderness was unthinkable, so he sent envoys to propose marriage.

The Erlunte tribe, though small—only some hundred thousand people—was still considered a nation. Why would a noble princess marry a mere sixth-rank officer? What a toad lusting after a swan!

The Erlunte people lived by hunting, fishing, and foraging—tough and fierce, they’d wrestle bears and tigers when angered.

Their envoys were beaten half to death and sent home barely alive.

Enraged, Pei Erbi launched a punitive attack.

Lu Hu, ever the straightforward one, charged in as always, but this time, things were different—they blundered into an ambush and were nearly wiped out.

Pei Erbi, leading two battalions behind, hoping to benefit from the fight, fled at the first sign of trouble.

When Lu Hu finally cut his way back, exhausted, Pei Erbi feigned sympathy—got him drunk, tied him up while he slept, and reported to the higher-ups that Lu Hu had acted without orders, causing the defeat.

The blame was all on Lu Hu—a scapegoat for Pei Erbi’s schemes.

But Pei Erbi could never have guessed that Lu Hu had been replaced by a different soul.

Did he think Lu Hu would just lie down and die?

With this in mind, Lu Hu grinned at Pei Erbi and said:

“Erbi, they say that nine out of ten pretty boys are up to no good. You’re full of tricks, pushing all the blame for this defeat onto your Grandpa Lu. Search your conscience—do you really feel good about this?”

Pei Erbi was taken aback. He’d never expected the usually taciturn Lu Hu to rattle off so many words, and with such sharpness. His face flushed red with anger. “Who are you calling Erbi? I am Commander Pei, a sixth-rank officer! If I’m a pretty boy, you’re paler than me, and even more scheming!”

“Isn’t your name Erbi? In this frozen wilderness, you tie up your benefactor, starve him for two days and nights until even what should be hard is soft—how will you explain this to your mother if you want a little brother? Tell me, isn’t that just like an Erbi?” Lu Hu fired back, his words as rapid as a machine gun, enjoying Pei Erbi’s frustration.

Pei Erbi was so confused by Lu Hu’s sudden eloquence that he stammered, “My father named me Erbi, not Erbi as in ‘second fool.’ I have a stepmother, a real mother, seven concubines, and thirteen brothers. Which mother do you want to help me with?”

“Wow, with that many mothers, your father must be something else. Does he really have the energy? If I don’t pitch in, he’ll be exhausted to death!”

“My father is the Prime Minister. Having a few wives is nothing—what official doesn’t have three or four?” Pei Erbi said, not realizing how Lu Hu was leading him by the nose.

“You’re a concubine’s son, right? Which wife was your mother?” Lu Hu pressed.

“My mother was Second Lady’s maid. She was so beautiful my father couldn’t resist, so here I am,” Pei Erbi answered, chin held high, proud of his origins.

“No wonder your father named you Erbi—your mother was the second, and you’re the second fool, so he sent you here to die.”

“Don’t talk nonsense! I may not be the eldest, but my father has high hopes for me. I was sent here to earn merit and a bright future.”

“Stop fooling yourself. Your mother had an affair with the old gatekeeper, and your father’s a cuckold. Ashamed, he sent you here to get rid of you.”

“Who told you that? How come I don’t know?”

“Everyone on Earth knows—except you.”

“Earth? What’s Earth?” Pei Erbi was completely lost.

“You big dummy, untie me, feed me well, and I’ll tell you,” Lu Hu bargained.

“Lu Hu, you’ve always been honest—why so slippery now? You’re dreaming if you think I’ll let you go. You’re a criminal, you know?”

“You sent me as vanguard, then abandoned us when we were surrounded. You’re the criminal here. Aren’t you afraid Lord Gao will get to the bottom of this?”

“I never sent you—you’ll just have to accept your fate.” Pei Erbi leaned in, whispering, “Don’t be stupid. Lord Gao won’t offend my father over this. Confess, and I’ll make sure your family isn’t implicated.”

Lu Hu had to admit, there was some logic in that.

The system was silent, he couldn’t outmatch Pei Erbi’s connections, and he couldn’t bear to submit. His head throbbed with pain…

Suddenly, the ground began to tremble, and a distant thunder rolled closer.

Everyone present grew alert: a large force of heavily armored cavalry was approaching…