James Carter looked down at his clothes, the corner of his mouth twitching... What kind of monk’s robe is this? This is clearly a bathrobe. He had transmigrated while at home, wearing nothing but a white bathrobe. Honestly, it was tragic—other people who transmigrate at least bring along a wallet or a phone, so they can figure something out, but he had absolutely nothing, just a blank slate.

Wait, not nothing... That bronze shard he was holding when he transmigrated—was it confiscated by them?

Seeing him not answer, the young girl’s expression turned half-amused, half-mocking: “You’re pretty good-looking... but there’s nothing under that monk’s robe. I think you’re just a playboy monk—are you practicing the Joyful Meditation?”

A young girl could talk about such things without blushing? I don’t think you’re any better... James Carter complained inwardly, then replied, “It’s because my heart for Buddhism isn’t firm, so I returned to secular life... Actually, I grew up in the mountains studying Zen. You’re the first outsiders I’ve ever met—I don’t even know what dynasty it is now...”

“So you appeared out of nowhere in midair—did the Buddha strike you down?”

“Correct, Little Qiang.”

“I’m not called Little Qiang, I’m Little Emily. Emily Grant.” The girl was still grinning. “No need to fish for information from me. My name isn’t a secret, unlike some people who can’t say a single honest word. The Great Zhou has stood for a thousand years, and you’re still asking about dynasties? And this monk’s robe is made of such fine material—if you’re going to pretend to be a mountain man, at least make it believable.”

James Carter knew his story was completely unconvincing, but it seemed they didn’t really care. Maybe in this unscientific world, all sorts of unscientific things happened so often that popping up in midair wasn’t worth taking seriously. And they seemed a bit eccentric—clearly not believing him, yet not angry either, as if being full of lies was perfectly normal...

It was just that this girl was young and naturally curious, so she chatted with him out of boredom more than real interrogation. If it had been her master, with that attitude of treating people like livestock, she wouldn’t care where you came from—if you were useful, she’d use you; if not, she’d just kill you. Who would bother with small talk?

And this Great Zhou... a thousand years? Isn’t that a bit exaggerated? Eight hundred years would be more plausible. But the Zhou dynasty that lasted eight hundred years probably didn’t have monks yet... James Carter cautiously probed, “Spring and Autumn?”

Emily Grant blinked: “Spring and autumn? The seasons?”

James Carter was speechless. He realized he couldn’t tell if this world was completely different, or if this girl was just that ignorant. After thinking for a while, he said, “I mean... a civilization where many different schools of thought are clashing.”

Emily Grant stared at him for a long time before finally saying, “If what you’re talking about is called the Spring and Autumn, then yes, this is the Spring and Autumn.”

“...” James Carter was at a loss for words. Are you telling me the Great Zhou has lasted a thousand years and it’s still the Spring and Autumn period?

Emily Grant said casually, “A thousand years of martial sects contending—doesn’t that count as your so-called Spring and Autumn?”

Fine, so the so-called ‘hundred schools’ are actually martial sects... James Carter finally confirmed that this was a completely different world. This Great Zhou was nothing like what he knew, and all his historical knowledge from the other world should be thrown out, or he’d get himself killed.

Emily Grant continued, “I think you’re from the Poison Sect, but you haven’t learned the right methods. Not only have you failed to master anything, you’re just full of strange poisons. But there’s one good thing—most people can’t be bothered to kill you, so they don’t have to burn your body for disease control.”

“...” Alright, even the illiterate here know about disease control...

Emily Grant looked him up and down, finally losing interest: “I’m leaving, this is boring.”

As soon as she finished speaking, she vanished without a trace, like a ghost.

James Carter looked at the now-empty carriage, then collapsed onto the bed with a “thud.” Only now did he finally relax his tense nerves and start to think about his situation.

Although this little girl had been friendly and talkative, in the end she still showed her deep-seated contempt for the weak. It seemed that, at least in the eyes of these women, strength was the only thing that mattered—everything else was just trivial. If you hoped to win girls over with talent, you could forget it.

If this was the general attitude of this world, no wonder so many transmigrators before him had risked their lives to train. Being looked down on like this was really unpleasant. But as for martial arts... he was already twenty-seven, and came from a completely different culture. Starting now, how could he possibly compete with these natives who’d been training since childhood? And he didn’t have any cheat codes...

James Carter glanced at his palm. The reason for his transmigration was that a bronze shard had cut his hand. That bronze shard must be closely connected to this world—he had to find a way to get it back from those women. Maybe it was his cheat code?

As he looked, James Carter suddenly sat up straight.

There was no cut on his palm. Instead, there was a strange pattern?