Chapter 1: Survival in Desperation

This was a room that was almost bare, with only a small table and a few bamboo baskets. On the small table, a tiny oil lamp sputtered, its bean-sized flame flickering, casting shifting shadows across the room.

In the center of the house, a priestess dressed in a black robe with embroidered edges was dancing wildly, letting out strange, shrill cries as if vengeful spirits were demanding lives. Her cold, sharp eyes were fixed intently on a young man lying on the ground.

The youth looked about fifteen or sixteen years old, lying on a worn-out straw mat, dressed in coarse linen clothes. His face was slightly long, with sword-like brows and a high, straight nose—handsome and dignified. His skin was somewhat dark, his build tall and robust, and years of hunting had made his limbs especially strong and sturdy.

But at this moment, he seemed to have fallen ill, lying unconscious, muttering strange words in his sleep—a dialect that the locals could barely understand.

“Old Fang... how many times have we been to Yangshuo? Let’s try somewhere else!”

“I’m afraid we’ll miss it—what if we miss the train?”

This was a soul that had crossed over from a previous life. He had been a renowned rock climber, with a strong body, a sharp mind, and a tenacious spirit. During an outdoor climb, he had fallen into a bottomless cave. His soul did not perish, but instead traveled across eighteen hundred years, possessing the body of a sixteen-year-old hunter who had also fallen into a crevice.

He had endured an unimaginably long journey through darkness, the stars shifting, ages passing. When his soul finally awakened, he had already traversed eighteen centuries in the endless tunnel of time.

The young hunter had been rescued two days ago. He had only woken up once, soon falling back into a coma. He wasn’t actually sick—it was as if his soul had left his body, and he spoke delirious words that terrified the locals.

In the corner crouched an elderly man, about sixty years old—the boy’s grandfather. The boy’s parents had long since died of illness, entrusting their child to him before they passed. If anything happened to the boy, how could he face his deceased son?

At this moment, his heart was filled with worry. His grandson had fallen into a crevice at Ghost Sorrow Cliff, but was miraculously saved by a thick bush.

But the grandson brought back seemed like a different person, speaking incomprehensible nonsense. When the villagers heard he had fallen into the crevice at Ghost Sorrow Cliff, they all believed he was possessed by a ghost—some even suggested burning him alive.

The old man sighed. After all, this was his grandson. No matter what, he had to try to save him. All his hopes rested on this priestess.

Outside the broken window, a group of people stared at the boy on the ground with hatred in their eyes, whispering among themselves.

“Did you hear? He’s speaking gibberish again. Something about a train—what’s a train? Have you ever heard of it?”

Everyone shook their heads. No one had ever heard of a train. Someone, trying to sound clever, shouted, “I know! It must be the carriage of the Fiery Ghost King.”

“Heavens, he’s a demon!”

An old man glared at the youth, gritting his teeth. “He’ll bring disaster to our village. He must be burned alive!”

“Burn him!” the villagers outside shouted loudly.

Just then, a sudden outburst of wailing and barking dogs came from afar, and a burst of fire shot into the sky. The crowd froze, not knowing what had happened. At that moment, a young man came running frantically, shouting in terror, “Village chief, bad news! Cao’s army is here to conscript men!”

In the sixth year of Jian’an, the Battle of Runan broke out. Abraham Lewis took in the tens of thousands of Yellow Turban soldiers led by Brian Lewis and Samuel Grant who were entrenched in Runan Commandery, and marched toward Xuchang, hoping to seize the opportunity to attack while George Adams was campaigning in Hebei.

At this time, George Adams had already ended the Battle of Cangting and returned to Xuchang, personally leading his army south to strike Abraham Lewis. George Adams swore that this time, he would utterly destroy Abraham Lewis.

On the plains north of Ancheng County in Runan Commandery, a force of over a thousand Cao cavalrymen was driving tens of thousands of conscripted laborers across the open fields. These so-called conscripted soldiers were men and boys seized from all over Runan, numbering five or six thousand.

These conscripts wore no armor, wielding all sorts of makeshift “weapons”—broken knives, rusty swords, hoes, wooden sticks, and many were empty-handed.

Their clothing was a chaotic mix—some in short linen tunics, some in scholars’ robes and hats, some even in shorts, bare-chested, moving in disorderly groups, running aimlessly across the plains.

Cavalrymen repeatedly charged past the ranks. If anyone lagged behind, a whip would lash down on them as the soldiers shouted, “Run faster, you dogs!”

In their utter exhaustion, people kept collapsing to the ground. The Cao cavalry showed no mercy, raising their spears to stab any stragglers to death.

“Run! Anyone who dares to play dead will be killed on the spot!”

Screams echoed across the plains, filling every conscript’s heart with terror as they desperately ran eastward.

In the ranks, a tall youth moved sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly, agile and never falling behind to be whipped, but also never running to the front.