1: Chapter 0001 A Steamed Bun for an Empress

The Great Gan Empire.

Several months ago, due to a single "Decree to Reduce the Feudal Domains," the various princes rebelled, and the flames of war ignited across the Central Plains.

The Golden Tent Khan of the Northern Barbarians seized the opportunity, and his grassland cavalry took advantage of the weakness to breach eight cities of the Great Gan Empire in succession!

The border pass of Cangzhou Prefecture, Stone Fortress.

The number of garrison soldiers dropped from ten thousand to less than three thousand now!

Provisions were cut off, and there were no reinforcements.

The soldiers of the Border Army guarded the ramparts, waiting helplessly for death with no fighting spirit left.

At this moment, a messenger ran to the barracks at the city gate and shouted loudly:

"Brothers! The government is giving out wives! Anyone who hasn't married yet can go claim a wife!"

"Where would they get wives from?"

"Didn't a group of Hu merchants flee a few days ago? The female slaves they held captive have all been confiscated!"

"As long as you are willing to join the Dead Soldier Battalion and charge first, you can claim a wife!"

"Screw it! We're going to die either way, so why fear joining the Dead Soldier Battalion? Let's go, brothers, let's go take a look!"

"That's right, even if we die, we'll die as romantic ghosts!"

A few soldiers looked at a man with delicate features wearing damaged leather armor.

"Scholar Lin, aren't you going?"

Lin Xiao waved his hand, "You guys go ahead."

"Haha, bookworm, we're all about to die, what are you being shy about?"

"After all, he is a scholar; it's normal for him to have some backbone. Let's go take a look!"

Lin Xiao watched the old soldiers leave, feeling somewhat depressed.

He was originally a college student who loved hiking, but a rainstorm caused him to slip and fall off a cliff, leading to a transmigration of his physical body.

This world was very similar to Blue Star; it was also a Central Plains dynasty that had been at war with the various barbarian tribes in the northwest for years.

After Lin Xiao arrived here empty-handed, he inexplicably gained a set of memories in his mind.

It turned out there was originally a Lin Xiao in this world, who was a scholar teaching at a school?

The key was that they looked exactly the same, so apart from his hair being shorter, which caused some discussion, no one suspected him.

Relying on the fact that the characters were the same, Lin Xiao was initially able to teach and support himself.

But recently, the barbarians took advantage of the internal chaos in the Central Plains to invade on a large scale.

Let alone eating, he could barely keep his own life!

Lin Xiao did not want to throw his life away for a corrupt dynasty he had no feelings for.

He wanted to escape quietly, but the barbarian cavalry was patrolling outside the city to cut off food supplies.

The commoners who risked running out soon became headless corpses, thrown into the wilderness to feed the wolves.

Lin Xiao had nowhere to go, so for the sake of a bite to eat, he joined the Border Army.

After two bitter battles in a few days, watching soldiers die one by one beside him, he felt that staying alive was simply a miracle!

"Damn! When others transmigrate, they either bring a system or a cheat, but here I am, just cannon fodder!?"

The more Lin Xiao thought about it, the angrier he got; he had lived for over twenty years and had never even tasted a woman!

"Female slaves, do you really think the good-looking ones would be left for you?"

"Forget it... what time is it now, might as well try my luck!"

Lin Xiao didn't hold much hope, but he arrived at Horse Market Street.

At this moment, a few single brothers from the Border Army had already claimed their wives.

Some were holding dark, skinny women, some were leading old ladies, and there were even ones who looked like "Ruhua"...

But seeing as they were all about to die, these Border Army soldiers weren't being picky anymore.

After signing the military pledge to join the Dead Soldier Battalion, they hurriedly took the women back for some "in-depth communication."

"Damn! I knew it!"

Lin Xiao looked at these brothers with heavy tastes and felt admiration in his heart.

"Forget it, I really can't bring myself to do it!"

Just as Lin Xiao was about to turn and leave, he heard the captain shouting on the platform:

"The last one!! Does no one really dare to take her?!"

Lin Xiao had already walked away, but he turned back and took a casual glance, only to be instantly captivated!

That was a beauty with a tall, graceful figure and long hair reaching her waist, skin as white as snow, a willow waist, and long legs.

Although her small, oval face was a bit dirty, it did not affect her exquisite features, which were beautiful enough to sink fish and fell geese.

The coldness and grievance revealed in those star-like eyes made people feel pity and ignited a desire for conquest!

How could a top-tier beauty like this be a slave?!

The beautiful celebrities he had seen before were all mediocre compared to her!

This was completely bare-faced, and even discounted by the shabby clothes!

"Captain Sun, this woman has heterochromatic eyes! She's a jinx!"

"If you touch such an ominous woman, your whole family will face bloodshed, and you won't even be able to reincarnate in your next life!"

"If you ask me, just cut her down! Keeping her is unlucky!"

After hearing the crowd shout, Lin Xiao realized that one of the woman's eyes was black-brown, while the other was sapphire blue?

What's the big deal? Many of his female classmates before even intentionally wore colored contact lenses!

"The General said that female slaves cannot be killed. If no one really wants her, I will send her out of the city!"

"How unlucky! So many people have died! It's possible this jinx caused it!"

"Send her away quickly! These eyes are even scarier than the barbarians!! A monster!!"

Lin Xiao was speechless; what kind of feudal superstition was this?

Just as he was about to step onto the platform, he saw a hunchbacked old soldier climb up first?

"If you don't dare, I dare to take her!"

When the crowd saw this hunchbacked old man, they all showed looks of disgust.

"Old Man Liu, you're already over fifty, do you think your life is too tough?"

This Old Man Liu had also just joined the Border Army recently to make a living; he used to be a night-soil collector.

However, because no woman was willing to marry him, he indeed met the requirements for a bachelor!

"Hehe, this old man has been a virgin for fifty years, my yang energy is strong, I can suppress this female monster!!"

"That makes sense! Haha, that's a perfect match!"

"Old Man Liu, we're counting on you to subdue the female monster!!"

Old Man Liu was full of high spirits, cupped his hands to the group of soldiers, and then turned to grin at the beauty.

The heterochromatic-eyed beauty saw Old Man Liu's yellow teeth and exposed nose hair, and her eyes were filled with despair!

"Wait!!"

Lin Xiao finally arrived on the platform at this moment and said, "Old Man Liu, I want this woman."

The whole crowd gasped in surprise!

The heterochromatic-eyed beauty also trembled, looking at Lin Xiao with astonishment and a glimmer of hope.

"Scholar Lin! Are you crazy!?"

"Mr. Lin, this heterochromatic-eyed jinx, if you touch her, you won't be able to reincarnate!!"

Lin Xiao didn't care about that and saluted Captain Sun.

"Captain, the Dead Soldier Battalion definitely needs young people. Old Man Liu going up there is just a waste; you might as well let me do it."

Captain Sun was speechless, "You're fighting over a woman with heterochromatic eyes? If Old Man Liu agrees, I have no objection!"

Damn it, this scholar, it's one thing to rush to his death, but he doesn't even want a chance at reincarnation!

"I'm not trading! I came up first!"

Old Man Liu shook his head repeatedly.

"What will it take for you to trade?"

Lin Xiao knew that this guy just wanted to negotiate terms; if he really liked this woman, he wouldn't have come up on stage so late.

Old Man Liu raised a hand, "Fifty copper coins!"

Lin Xiao rummaged around and took out a dirty steamed bun, "I don't have money! This is all I have left to eat!"

Upon seeing the steamed bun, Old Man Liu's eyes turned green!

In the Border Army, only the soldiers guarding the city could receive one a day; he was in the rear and could only drink rice porridge every day.

In fact, with food supplies cut off in the city, even if you had fifty copper coins, you might not be able to buy a steamed bun!

"Hurry up! Are we trading or not!?"

Lin Xiao directly raised his knife, his delicate features revealing a hint of ferocity.

He had already had a flash of his life when he fell off the cliff; he had died once.

The bloody battles of the past few days had given him even more killing intent!

Old Man Liu was scared pale and grabbed the steamed bun.

"It's yours!"

Lin Xiao thought to himself that this world was truly crazy; trading a steamed bun for a stunning beauty?

And in the beauty's eyes, a trace of complex emotion also appeared.

"Come, come with me!"

Lin Xiao reached out his hand to the woman.

The woman hesitated for a moment, then reached out a slender, fair hand.

Upon touching it, Lin Xiao felt it was soft, boneless, and delicate as jade; what a massive profit!!

Damn it! Living it up once before dying, it wasn't a wasted trip to this world!!

[Ding! Host is ready to face death, "Man-Butcher" system matched successfully!]

[Killing Machine: Every person killed increases cultivation by one year! (Upgradeable)]

[Eye of God: Can see through others' attributes! (Upgradeable)]

Lin Xiao was stunned for a moment, and then almost jumped up with excitement!!

Damn!! I'm about to die, and you finally arrived, Brother System!!

Lin Xiao immediately checked his own attributes:

[Host: Lin Xiao, 20 years old, Shibao Border Army soldier, Aptitude: Mortal Grade]

[Cultivation Method: None]

It was miserable to look at!

Lin Xiao looked at the beauty beside him again.

[Xiao Qingxuan, 20 years old, fallen Empress of Western Shu, Aptitude: Profound Yin Body, Heaven Grade]

Holy crap!!

A fallen Empress!?

Lin Xiao recalled that wasn't this Western Shu the one that was destroyed by the Prince of Nanling before the rebellion of the princes!?

Rumor had it that the Western Shu imperial family was massacred, and the newly ascended Empress had gone missing; so it was true!?

Lin Xiao suppressed his excitement and pretended to be calm; after all, the system was his foundation for survival in this world and must be kept absolutely secret.

So what if she is an Empress? Isn't she only worth one steamed bun now?

[Ding! "Newbie Gift Pack" has arrived, containing cultivation methods, pills, etc. Do you wish to open it?]

Lin Xiao was just worrying about not having a cultivation method to practice; it was just what he needed!

"Open!!"