The vast world is coming alive once more, and the departed gods and demons are about to return.

With a gluttonous cauldron in hand, law student Samuel Bennett crosses over and opens his eyes in a border town, gazing upon this seemingly familiar yet strange world.

He sees ancient dynasties on the brink of collapse atop the boundless land, with dragons and serpents rising amidst the flames of war.

He sees years of ceaseless battles, the people destitute and suffering. Lands of a thousand households turn to wasteland in an instant; kingdoms with ten thousand chariots vanish like smoke at a snap of the fingers.

He sees a child waving a red ribbon, stirring the four seas.

He sees a hunter standing atop a mountain, drawing his bow to the sky.

He sees giants standing tall, their roars shattering mountains and rivers.

He sees immortals and gods occupying the clouds above the nine heavens, changing the world with laughter and conversation.

Samuel Bennett is silent, confused, and repressed, until he lets out a thunderous roar:

“A true man should dine from five cauldrons in life, and be cooked in five cauldrons in death!”

“In this life, I will never be mediocre!”

Volume One: The Tiger Roars in the Forest, a Thousand Mountains Stir; The Ox Charges with Four Hooves, Ten Thousand Acres Turn Gold

Chapter One: A Broken Blade

The 404th year of the Great Ming, the seventh year of Qianyuan.

Qingzhou, Shunde Prefecture, Heishan City.

Late summer, nearing autumn. Though the weather is still scorching, there is already a hint of autumn in the air.

Boom!

Deafening thunder rumbles from afar, trampling over dark clouds, rolling in from the gloomy horizon.

Fine raindrops string together, falling from above, piercing the sky as they descend.

From the distant mountains, to the nearby fields, and finally, pouring down within the gray-white city walls encircling Heishan City, drenching the land.

Splash—

The icy spring rain slides off the eaves, shattering on the few bluestone slabs of the street.

“It’s raining again…”

Samuel Bennett lifts his head slightly, gazing at the gloomy sky, his mood just as bleak.

He wears a gray hemp robe patched and full of holes, feet in straw sandals. Looking at the torrential rain, he feels a chill in his body.

Rainy days—don’t go out.

This is common knowledge among the outer city residents, and he’s proven it himself, but…

“Sigh… Granny, I’m off to work!”

With a sigh, Samuel Bennett casually takes the bamboo hat from the wall and puts it on, ready to head out.

“Child, slow down.”

A gray-haired old woman comes out from inside, holding his hand with concern, stuffing an egg into his palm, and reminding him to be careful on the road.

“Granny…”

Samuel Bennett knows he can’t refuse, so he stuffs the egg, shell and all, into his mouth, mumbling a reply before heading out.

He can’t help but feel a pang of bitterness. In his previous life, his family wasn’t wealthy, but he’d never had to argue over a single egg.

In the year since he was adopted, he’d thought about doing something to improve their lives, but in the end, he gave up.

In these times, trying to do anything is just too hard.

“Ugh—”

In the rain, a stench overpowers the earthy smell, rudely invading his nose and making his eyelids twitch.

Since arriving in this world half a year ago, what Samuel Bennett finds hardest to bear isn’t the lack of electricity, internet, or cell phones—

It’s that people here have no sense of hygiene.

Public urination and defecation are everywhere. Normally it’s bearable, but when it rains, it’s a disaster.

The heavy rain washes everything, easily flushing out the waste of people and animals from dark corners.

The scene is simply horrifying!

He’s not a clean freak, but who could stand this?

“I have to move, have to move!”

Samuel Bennett grits his teeth, carefully lifting his feet, trying to walk on higher ground.

There are quite a few people in Heishan City even in the rain—some wiping themselves down, some washing farm tools, and of course, some rinsing out manure buckets.

Samuel Bennett keeps his eyes straight ahead, shrinking back as he walks through alleys and streets, crossing the square before finally stopping.

He’s reached the inner city.

Low but newly repaired city walls separate the inner and outer cities.

Compared to the outer city, the inner city is a bit cleaner, with much better drainage and facilities. Here, he can move much faster.

Before long, he can see the stone lions of the yamen from afar.

The yamen is very old, many parts dilapidated and on the verge of collapse, with weeds growing in places.

If not for those stone lions, Samuel Bennett almost wouldn’t have recognized it as the yamen the first time he came.

Of course, the yamen has money, and plenty for maintenance, but who would spend money on repairs when it could go straight into their own pockets?

Officials not repairing the yamen isn’t unique to Heishan City.

“Little Yu, you’re here early.”

Someone greets him from behind.

Samuel Bennett turns around. Under a similar raincoat and bamboo hat is a similarly youthful face.

His name is Edward Carter, and like Samuel Bennett, he’s a yamen runner.

“Yeah, I’m afraid the rain will get heavier.”

Samuel Bennett replies casually.

“Sigh, I really envy you. You just have to watch the storeroom. We probably have to patrol the streets…”

Edward Carter looks miserable, full of envy.

“Heh.”

Samuel Bennett forces a smile.

They are yamen runners, not clerks—basically a kind of corvée labor, no different from forced labor or military service, a truly tough job.

A hundred years ago, people like them not only didn’t get paid, but had to bring their own food.

Even so, if not for the old man who adopted him being a prison guard, this job wouldn’t have fallen to him at all.