The wind howled like blades slicing through the air.
From time to time, snowflakes drifted down from the sky, landing on Liu Hao's forehead before melting into a chilling cold.
"Did I seriously transmigrate?"
Liu Hao stared blankly at the small stream in front of him.
The crystal-clear water reflected his figure like a natural mirror, revealing the image of a young man.
Tall and slender.
Fair-skinned.
Dressed in elegant silk robes.
His appearance was refined and handsome, yet there was a faint heroic aura between his brows.
Liu Hao had to admit he was quite satisfied with this new body.
But the cold wind of early spring howled through the air, forcing him to stand up and stamp his feet while tightening the unfamiliar silk robe around his body. It certainly wasn't as warm as the down jacket he used to wear.
Just a day earlier, he had been nothing more than an exhausted graduate from a history department, working at a game company as a planner for a strategy game about historical wars between dynasties.
After working nonstop overtime for an entire week to meet a deadline, he had collapsed from exhaustion and died.
And now, after waking from that final sleep, he had somehow arrived in this unfamiliar world.
The world of the Three Kingdoms.
Even more unbelievably, he had become a completely different person.
Fortunately, Liu Hao had read plenty of transmigration novels in the past. After absorbing the memories left behind in this body, he quickly summarized his situation.
First, his soul had entered the body of a young man named Liu Hao in the Three Kingdoms era.
Second, the original owner of this body was only seventeen years old, and his family possessed a modest amount of wealth.
But the most impressive thing about him was his lineage.
"Holy hell… I'm actually a descendant of the Prince of Jiangdu, the brother of Emperor Wu of Han. That's far more prestigious than Liu Bei claiming to be descended from the Prince of Zhongshan. Maybe I can even claim the title of imperial relative someday."
Liu Hao silently calculated in his mind.
In the Three Kingdoms era, Liu Bei had used the title of "imperial uncle" to attract many talented advisors and generals.
But in reality, the Prince of Zhongshan had more than a hundred children, making Liu Bei's lineage almost impossible to verify.
By contrast, Liu Hao's ancestor—the Prince of Jiangdu—was the brother of Emperor Wu of Han himself, a legitimate royal bloodline and a renowned warrior.
However, by the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the power of imperial relatives had long since weakened.
In truth, everyone still had to start from nothing.
Rustle… rustle…
Suddenly, Liu Hao heard the sound of grass shifting behind him.
"Who's there?"
He shouted.
There was no reply.
His heart immediately tightened.
His right hand slipped into his robe, gripping the hilt of a short sword hidden inside.
The Three Kingdoms era was nothing like the peaceful modern world.
The late Eastern Han Dynasty was a time of chaos, filled with bandits, warlords, and endless conflict.
According to the memories in his mind, the Yellow Turban Rebellion had only recently been suppressed.
Soon, the conflict between He Jin and the Ten Eunuchs would erupt, leading to Dong Zhuo's rise to power.
Just then—
More than a dozen rough men burst out of the forest.
Each of them had a yellow cloth tied around their heads. Their clothes were ragged, but they carried wooden clubs and long knives in their hands.
They spread out, surrounding Liu Hao from several directions.
"This kid carries himself well. Must be from a wealthy family."
"Haha! Looks like we found ourselves a fat sheep!"
"Let's take him down!"
The men stared at Liu Hao with malicious grins. It was obvious they had done this many times before.
They exchanged glances before slowly raising their weapons and closing in on him.
A dangerous atmosphere filled the air.
Damn it… Did I just transmigrate only to die immediately?
Liu Hao felt his heart skip a beat.
Judging by their appearance—malnourished faces and yellow headscarves—they were most likely remnants of the Yellow Turban army who had fled into the mountains and turned to banditry.
"If I don't kill them, they'll kill me."
At this moment of crisis, Liu Hao felt no panic.
Instead, a cold ruthlessness appeared in his eyes.
In that instant, his mind became calm like a frozen lake.
Life and death meant nothing.
If someone stood in his way—
He would cut them down.
He tightened his grip on the short sword, feeling the power surging through his arms.
This body seemed far stronger than the one he had possessed in his previous life.
"Heh. Kid, surrender if you don't want to die!"
One of the bandits—a short, sturdy man—charged forward first, swinging a wooden club.
"Die!"
Liu Hao moved in a flash.
He sidestepped the incoming strike and thrust his sword forward.
The blade pierced straight through the bandit's throat.
The two men passed each other.
Liu Hao even caught the foul stench of sweat from the bandit's body.
Blood burst out like a fountain from the man's neck.
Thud!
The bandit collapsed to the ground.
Liu Hao trembled slightly with excitement.
"Damn… did I just kill someone?"
Even though he had mentally prepared himself, the shock still surged through him.
In his previous life, he had never even killed a chicken.
Yet today, he had taken a human life.
But strangely, he felt no disgust.
Instead, a fierce passion began to burn inside him.
A poem he once saw online suddenly surfaced in his mind.
A man must kill.
Kill without mercy.
Eternal achievements are born through slaughter.
Three steps, one kill—hands never stopping.
Rivers of blood stretching for ten thousand miles.
Mountains of corpses piled high.
Kill one, and you are a criminal.
Kill ten thousand, and you are a hero.
Slay nine hundred thousand—
And you become a hero among heroes.
Liu Hao's blood boiled with excitement.
Yet his mind gradually returned to calm.
A cold smile slowly appeared on his lips.