3: First entry into the cycle of reincarnation

After tidying up the items at his stall, Gu Chang didn't delay and went directly to nearby stalls and shops to buy the daily necessities he needed.

Firewood, charcoal, lamp oil, millet, coarse salt… there were quite a lot of each of these items, so much so that most of the money he earned from selling fish this time was spent.

However, at this moment, Gu Chang's mind was not on these things, but rather he carried his large and small bags and found a seat in a tavern.

“One bowl of grain wine, a plate of smoked dried tofu, and two catties of distiller's grains to take away later,” Gu Chang shouted loudly to the shopkeeper after entering the tavern.

“Alright! Coming right up!”

The shopkeeper was a middle-aged man with a large face and small eyes, a towel draped over his neck, busily preparing various foods and drinks.

His son and daughter were responsible for waiting tables, and soon after Gu Chang sat down, his order arrived.

The grain wine was cloudy in color and tasted bland and sour, with only a hint of sweetness after being held in the mouth for a while.

This bowl of grain wine cost only three large coins, and with a small plate of smoked dried tofu, it was only six large coins.

In contrast, two catties of distiller's grains only cost four large coins; this item was often bought by penniless drunkards to satisfy their cravings, while Gu Chang used it as an ingredient for fish bait.

“Oh, you’re here quite early today!”

“It’s getting cold, work isn’t easy.”

“Isn’t that the truth, winter has already set in, the days ahead are going to be tough!”

“My wife wants me to buy a few feet of cotton cloth; it’s going to be very cold this year, who knows how many people won’t make it to next year.”

“…”

Gu Chang sat alone at the table, drinking wine and eating smoked dried tofu, while listening to the common folk in the shop chatting about everything.

“Brother Chang, are you doing better these days?”

Just then, a familiar voice sounded beside Zhou Qing.

He turned his head and saw that the person who came was indeed an acquaintance of his.

“Oh, it’s Uncle, still the same, just barely getting by!”

The other person was also dressed as a fisherman, with a young man, two years older than Gu Chang, following behind him.

“You too, you said you were going to live on your own, and then for half a year, there was no sign of you, no news of whether you were alive or dead.”

Gu Chang’s uncle and cousin sat down opposite Zhou Qing, speaking with a tone that seemed to be both complaining and worrying about him.

“I’m just trying to make a living, how can I always bother you all?”

“What bother? You are the only child of my third brother’s family; if something happened to you, how could I face them underground?”

“Anyway, your cousin is about to get married, but I just can’t let go of you. If it really doesn’t work out, just come back. We are all relatives and acquaintances; if there are any troubles, we can always look out for each other!”

The other party was clearly not satisfied with Gu Chang’s answer and immediately widened his eyes, trying to persuade Gu Chang.

“I’ll pass, I’m already used to being alone.”

“Sigh! Why are you so stubborn, child?”

Gu Chang shook his head and directly refused the other party’s suggestion. Hearing Gu Chang say this, the other party couldn't help but sigh deeply.

“Uncle, it’s settled!”

“I’m just a sickly person, I won’t burden you all.”

After finishing the wine in his bowl, Gu Chang felt much warmer. So, without further delay, he quickly gathered his belongings and hurried away.

“Dad, why bother persuading him! This kid doesn’t know what’s good for him; what does it matter to us if he dies?”

After Gu Chang left, his cousin could no longer hold back and couldn't help but whisper a question to Gu Chang’s uncle.

“Hmph, what do you know! Looking at him, he only has a few more days to live. When he dies, won’t the remaining things be yours?”

“When you get married, there will be plenty of expenses. Life on the lake is hard!”

“If you can get more money, you’ll have plenty of hard days ahead!”

Seeing his son’s confusion, Gu Chang’s uncle lectured him with a look of disappointment.

… … … …

“Alas, human hearts are unpredictable!”

Gu Chang was well aware of his uncle's intentions. He never minded assuming the worst of others.

Therefore, he simply didn't give others such an opportunity, because human hearts can absolutely not withstand testing, so there was no need to gamble with his own life.

He simply left them and lived alone; this way, over time, their intentions would fade.

Returning to his fishing boat, Gu Chang didn't hesitate, directly pushing off with the pole, leaving the bustling Linhu Town, and once again arriving in the quiet, uninhabited depths of Taihu Lake.

“Whew!”

After mooring his boat, Gu Chang, as was his custom, began to make new bait, set up ground traps, and clear snares… After all, his income from fishing was his current means of survival.

These tasks were not too tiring, but they were quite tedious and required setting up in multiple locations, otherwise, there wouldn't be much of a harvest.

After working for most of the day, Gu Chang finally stopped to rest.

“My body feels much lighter today. At this rate, I’ll be fine with just two more days of rest.”

“However, should I try it tonight?”

Without the Six Paths of Reincarnation devouring his life force, Gu Chang felt much better than before.

If he rested well for a few days and ate more fish to nourish himself, then at his age, he believed it wouldn't be long before he would be as healthy as any other normal person.

However, today’s encounter made his desire for power even stronger.

Without power, he didn't even dare to expose the knowledge he possessed. Even if he caught more fish, it would ultimately be plundered by those Gangs and tax collectors, and the little money left would still be coveted by others.

Not to mention that this world also contained Martial Forest experts, aristocratic families, the imperial court, and the elusive Cultivators. Any of these people could crush him like an ant!

This strong sense of unease made him urgently desire to possess his own power!

“I must become stronger! This world is not like the rule-of-law society of my previous life; power is the key to everything!”

In the evening, Gu Chang made another pot of fish soup and drank it. The warm feeling throughout his body made him unable to hold back any longer.

So, after making sure he hadn't overlooked anything, Gu Chang directly crawled into the boat cabin and lay down on his bed.

Then he calmed his mind, focusing his consciousness on the six swirling vortices in his mind.

“Go!”

This time, he no longer hesitated, directly exerting all his strength, sending his will towards the large black hole representing the Human Dao.

“Boom!”

The next moment, Gu Chang felt as if he had lost all sensation. His consciousness seemed to fall into a bottomless abyss, and he didn't know how much time had passed before he gradually began to feel his body again.

“Bang! Bang!”

“Child, what are you spacing out for!”

“Hurry and keep up! If we’re late and delay the time, be careful of military law punishment!”

In a daze, Gu Chang felt someone patting his chest, speaking to him in a language that was both incredibly unfamiliar and yet very familiar.

When his consciousness cleared, he immediately saw an old soldier in front of him, wearing tattered cloth armor, with a weathered face and grizzled beard.

“N-nothing, I-I was just thinking about some things.”

Gu Chang looked at the old soldier in front of him, feeling incredibly familiar, and at the same time, a large amount of unfamiliar memories surged into his mind, so he instinctively gave a vague reply to the other party.

“Sigh, don’t be afraid. The more you’re afraid on the battlefield, the easier it is to die. Remember how you practiced normally, and do exactly that on the battlefield!”

This old soldier was Qian Dazhi from his village. Now, seeing Gu Chang’s bewildered expression, he thought Gu Chang was scared, so he sighed deeply and comforted him.

“Okay, I understand.”

Gu Chang nodded, then followed the other soldiers along the mountain path.

At the same time, as he walked, he also sorted through the chaotic memories in his mind.

“Unlucky! Simply rotten luck!”

“I didn’t expect to Reincarnate as a soldier!”

“Damn it! It’s even a chaotic era, King Mu sending out troops?”

“Hiss! Some people in this world are quite powerful! Someone can capture tigers and leopards alive and lift a thousand catties?”

“…”

Gradually, Gu Chang gleaned some important information from these memories.

First, this was not his original world. There was no such thing as Cultivators here, only powerful martial artists!