Volume One

Chapter One: Red Pine Sect

"For your master... the final secret technique... is entrusted to you... do not... let your master... down..."

Henry Clark had just opened his eyes, still confused about what was happening, when he saw an old man in ancient robes before him, his face full of sorrow, stuffing a yellow booklet into his hand. The old man's eyes widened, and in an instant, he breathed his last.

The old man's eyes were filled with hope and longing. His withered hands dropped limply, completely drained of strength. His eyes remained wide open, never to close again.

Henry Clark stood dumbfounded by the bedside, having no idea what was going on.

"Master!!!" Suddenly, a sharp cry burst out from behind him.

From the side, a ponytailed girl in yellow long pants and a long shirt threw herself onto the old man, sobbing uncontrollably.

Only then did Henry Clark snap out of it. He looked around and saw that he was standing in a small wooden hut, surrounded by brown wooden walls made of roughly hewn logs stacked together. There was a faint scent of wood, but even more so, a strong smell of herbal medicine.

"Senior brother..." a delicate, choked-up voice sounded from behind Henry Clark.

Henry Clark turned around in a daze and saw a brother and sister who looked very much alike standing behind him. They were both dressed in gray clothes, the kind without buttons like those worn in ancient China, with belts tied around their waists.

What the hell is going on??

Henry Clark's mind was blank. He only remembered that a minute ago, he was sitting by his computer, drinking tea and discussing things with people online. Then he felt sleepy and was about to rest his head on the desk for a bit, but in the next second, he found himself in this inexplicable place.

"What do we do now, senior brother?" The siblings looked at him blankly, clearly not very bright.

Henry Clark held his forehead, completely at a loss.

He pointed at himself with his finger.

"Let me ask you, what's my name?"

The siblings blinked.

"Senior brother."

"I mean my name," Henry Clark said helplessly.

"......"

The siblings exchanged glances.

"Lin Xinru."

"......" Henry Clark felt like a vein in his forehead was about to pop out.

"Senior brother, what's wrong?" The older of the two clueless siblings asked, puzzled.

"Nothing... nothing," Henry Clark replied weakly. "I just want to be alone for a bit..."

He staggered out of the wooden hut, feeling as if he were acting in a period drama. There was a high threshold at the door, and the sunlight outside shone on it, as if it had been broken in half.

Two patches of golden light fell on the ground inside and outside the hut, dazzlingly bright.

Stepping out of the hut, he was greeted by a sea of gold. In the middle of the small courtyard stood a short, old pine tree. Sunlight filtered through the pine needles, scattering in shimmering patches like golden sand.

A gentle breeze blew by. Henry Clark's expression was blank as he looked himself over. He was wearing a black robe similar to a Taoist's, his hair was tied up, and his legs were wrapped in cloth strips. The white cloth looked filthy at a glance...

"This is just... completely absurd..." he muttered, squatting down and holding his head, his mind a chaotic mess.

His own memories and those of this body's original owner were jumbled together like paste.

Behind him, the loud cries continued. The junior brothers and sisters were still grieving deeply.

Gradually, Henry Clark managed to piece together some information about his current situation.

Lin Xinru... his current name, the son of a wealthy merchant in the city at the foot of the mountain, the eldest young master, and the senior brother of this small sect. He had practiced martial arts since childhood. His father was still alive, his mother had passed away, and he had a second uncle who was an official.

But the most important thing was that this world was completely different from the one he knew.

Henry Clark recalled the memories lingering in his mind—no cars, no airplanes, no electric lights, nothing at all...

He was sitting in the courtyard of the Red Pine Dojo on Red Pine Mountain. The Red Pine City at the foot of the mountain was his hometown. The farthest place he remembered going was Haixu City, more than a hundred li away.

The surroundings were desolate, nothing but deep mountains and wild forests, with countless wild beasts.

In a daze, Henry Clark finally managed to sort out his situation. He really had transmigrated... After several days of shock, disbelief, suspicion, and running around aimlessly, he finally came to terms with his current predicament: he couldn't go back...

After staying on the mountain for several days, the four of them took care of their master's remains and, according to his last wishes, buried him in the cemetery behind the dojo. Now, only the four of them were left in the entire Red Pine Sect.

Henry Clark also gradually figured out the situation around him.

Their sect was called the Red Pine Sect, a small, already declining sect. But it was said to have had a decent history once.

Within the sect, the not-so-bright siblings, Edward Grant and William Grant, had been adopted by the master since childhood and grew up here. Their talent was average, but they were loyal above all else.