Chapter 2: Sudden Change at the He Residence
"What kind of monster is playing tricks here?" Hearing the voice drift past his ear, He Xian immediately perked up his ears like a startled rat, warily scanning his surroundings.
However, the surroundings remained empty; not a single soul was in sight.
Immediately after, a light blue screen flashed before He Xian's eyes, carrying a heavy sense of high-tech mystery. Within the screen, a young man who looked about the same age as He Xian sat behind a luxurious office desk. He was dressed in a professional suit and held a glass of red wine in his right hand, appearing capable, wise, and completely at ease.
"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Cui Yu, and I am the Minister of the Underworld's Human Resources and Logistics Support Department. Of course, those terms might sound a bit foreign to you, but in common parlance, I am the one you mortals call Judge Cui."
"The Judge Cui who was beaten so badly by Sun Wukong that he was forced to modify the Ledger of Life and Death?" In his previous life, He Xian loved studying history and mythology in his spare time, and he instantly recalled this man's glorious deeds.
Sure enough, the handsome face of the young man calling himself Judge Cui instantly flushed with embarrassment and anger. "Since you are so adept at conversation, I presume you will get along like a fish in water in the Late Han and Three Kingdoms period. In that case, there is no need for me to go through this extra trouble..." As he spoke, Cui Yu raised his hand as if he wanted to press a button on the light screen and terminate the negotiation.
"Brother Cui!" He Xian shouted immediately, discarding his dignity in an instant. He cried out with tears and snot flowing, "Brother Cui, out of the vast sea of people, you chose me. Our crossing of paths is a thread of fate; let's cherish this bond! This little brother was blind just now and didn't recognize your greatness. You are a magnanimous person, so please just overlook what happened."
"Don't try to get cozy with me," Cui Yu said, raising a hand with a cold and impartial air. "I was able to find you only because you've accumulated hidden merit over nine lifetimes. Additionally, the Underworld has recently been implementing humanistic reforms, so we sought you out to be a pilot case."
"Enough small talk. After the 1.0 version upgrade, our underworld almighty talent transfer system's functions are now quite complete. Now, I just want to ask you: are you willing to accept this product of ours?"
"I'm willing!" Without waiting for Cui Yu to continue introducing the system, He Xian immediately nodded and agreed.
His decisiveness surprised even the Cui Yu on the screen. "Don't you want to know what exactly this system of ours does?"
He Xian spread his hands with a mournful face and answered very honestly, "Brother Cui, given my current situation, never mind a cheat sent by the Underworld—even if it were a bottle of pesticide, I'd chug it down in one go..."
This answer caused Judge Cui to marvel for a moment, and then a hint of approval crossed his handsome face. "Not bad, young man. You have potential; I have high hopes for you." After saying this, Judge Cui pressed a spot on the light screen and said, "underworld almighty talent transfer system beginning to load..."
Having finally reached the moment where he might turn his life around, He Xian couldn't help but leap up from the ground. He struck a pose with his hands reaching toward the heavens, anticipating the moment that would rewrite his destiny and even the history of the Han Dynasty.
Unfortunately, the back garden of the Generals Residence remained desolate. Only a few carp in the pond, seemingly finding it too stifling underwater, swam to the surface to blow a few bubbles.
For a moment, He Xian, with his hands reaching toward the sky, felt like his hundred-and-twenty-pound self was a bad joke.
"Brother Cui, this is a system program being transferred from the Underworld to the mortal realm after all. I can overlook the lack of thunder and lightning, but at the very least, I should feel unbearable pain all over and fall unconscious, right? Your Underworld's way of doing things is a bit too low-key."
The corner of Judge Cui's mouth twitched, and he replied with great disdain, "Such immature occurrences only happened in version 1.0. Our advanced 2.0 system naturally wouldn't be so lacking in class. Even if you do feel unbearable pain later, you will welcome it with joy."
"Unbearable pain... later?" He Xian keenly caught those two keywords and began to feel a bit worried. "Brother Cui, didn't you say this 2.0 version doesn't have any toxic side effects?"
"How could you change your fate against the heavens without paying a price? Besides, as I said, even if it causes you pain, you'll be more than willing and eager for it to happen a few more times." Seeing that the progress bar on the light screen was complete, Judge Cui seemed to lose interest in wasting words with He Xian. "Alright, the download is complete. From now on, you are a person with a cheat."
"That's it? It's over?" He Xian still had a look of dissatisfaction. "Isn't this a bit too perfunctory? Hey, hey... Brother Cui, don't go offline yet! At least give me an instruction manual!"
"Our 2.0 system prioritizes user experience and interaction. Things like instruction manuals are long outdated." Judge Cui's hand didn't pause for a second as he firmly closed the call. However, at the very last moment, he still offered a reminder: "Given the predicament you're about to face, I suggest you use our system's trial service as soon as possible."
With that, the light screen suddenly dimmed into a line and finally vanished completely. A dazed He Xian lightly patted his own face, feeling as though the scene that had just occurred was as traceless as a dream.
"A predicament I'm about to face? Enable the system's trial service?" He Xian muttered to himself. Adopting the mindset of 'it's worth a shot,' he closed his eyes and thought silently, "Enable underworld almighty talent transfer system trial service!"
As his silent thought ended, a cold, metallic voice devoid of any emotion suddenly rang out in He Xian's ear.
"Welcome, first host, to the underworld almighty talent transfer system. In view of the predicament you are about to face, the system has transferred a suitable individual to descend into your time and space."
He Xian snapped his eyes open. The sky was still bright, and the birds in the trees were still singing. Unfortunately, it was still empty in front of him; no supernatural event like a person appearing out of thin air had occurred!
"Liars! You're all liars!" He Xian suddenly felt his intelligence had been insulted. He ripped the hairpin from his head and threw it on the ground. "You bunch of liars from the Underworld, I'm going to lodge a complaint against you!"
However, just as He Xian felt he had been played, he suddenly heard a commotion coming from the front courtyard. He Xian's eyes lit up. Without hesitation, he broke into a run, passing through the main hall toward the courtyard.
Just as he ran into the main hall, He Xian looked up and saw an old servant running toward him in a panic. Although He Xian had decided to dismiss all the servants and staff in the residence after he transmigrated, He Jin—despite his lack of intelligence—was a kind and benevolent man. Being from a butcher's background in South Yang, he had always treated his servants well. Consequently, while most had fled this troubled place, some loyal servants who had received He Jin's kindness remained.
This old servant was one of them. The moment he saw He Xian, he cried out in desperate urgency, "Young Master, run!" As the words fell, He Xian clearly heard a chaotic yet agitated sound behind him. Before He Xian could react, he suddenly saw an iron spear pierce straight through the old servant's chest!
Even in death, the old servant maintained his posture of reaching out to warn He Xian to flee. After his body jerked violently, blood foam bubbled uncontrollably from the corners of his mouth. The old servant's gaze toward He Xian was filled with worry and pity; soon, the light in his eyes dimmed.
The heavy scent of blood suddenly filled He Xian's nose. His head felt as if it had been struck hard by a heavy hammer, and his mind instantly went blank. Since transmigrating, this was the first time he had witnessed death at such close range. This scene of cruel violence dealt a heavy blow to this ordinary person who had come from a peaceful era!
This was a chaotic era, a truly chaotic era where human life was as cheap as grass! In this age, killing someone required no reason at all!
At this thought, He Xian gradually regained a sliver of consciousness amidst his shock. He slowly raised his head and saw that behind the old servant stood a Qiang and Hu rider wearing fur clothes. He had an aquiline nose, and his eyes were flashing with an excited, bloodthirsty light!
That look instantly reminded He Xian of the wolves he had seen in television documentaries.