novelSusiti Chapter 1 The Difficult Transmigrator
Chapter 1 The Difficult Transmigrator
In the spring of the seventh year of the Zhenghe era.
Li Chong walked along the official road carrying a heavy book box. He looked up at the sky and couldn't help but wipe the sweat from his brow.
Although it's not summer yet and the weather isn't too hot, the things he was carrying were quite heavy.
After walking such a long way, it's inevitable to feel a bit tired.
"Sigh." Li Chong couldn't help but sigh, giving a bitter smile. "Of all the novels I've read, I'm probably the most miserable transmigrator, right?"
Li Chong tugged at his tattered scholar's robe and shook his head helplessly.
Enraged, he spat, "If it weren't for saving some money to flee south and avoid trouble, I'd be a fool to agree to come and collect the debt. If I actually get the money, I'll head south to Hangzhou right now!"
But then he thought again, and Li Chong's face was full of bitterness. If he went south to Hangzhou now, he would probably be just in time for Fang La's rebellion.
In such a chaotic situation, if something were to happen, it would be better not to travel through time at all.
Thinking of this, Li Chong couldn't help but look up at the sky: "God, God, since you let me transmigrate here, why didn't you give me a system or something, instead of letting me suffer here?"
Sighing and shaking his head, Li Chong recalled what happened a month ago.
Li Chong was preparing to go for an interview with his resume when a truck that ran a red light suddenly rushed towards him as he was crossing the road.
When he came to his senses, he was already on the streets of Daming Prefecture in the seventh year of the Zhenghe era of the Northern Song Dynasty.
He had all his body parts intact, but he had transmigrated to the Song Dynasty.
Logically speaking, encountering time travel should be a good thing.
Li Chong, who had read many novels, initially thought the same way: in modern times, the only blessing is working 996 or 007, so what hope is there?
Time travelers are the real elites.
But soon, reality taught Li Chong a lesson.
Since it was a case of body swapping rather than soul swapping, Li Chong needed to solve one problem: he was a complete unregistered resident in the Song Dynasty.
Moreover, the most critical issue is that Li Chong is penniless. If he doesn't find a way to make money, he will starve to death even before the government investigates him.
Li Chong would never steal petty things, and as for finding a job, with no connections, who would hire him?
Upon realizing this, Li Chong couldn't help but look at himself.
If there's anything else he could exchange for money, it's the suit he bought for the job interview; it's probably the most valuable thing he owns.
So Li Chong went to a pawnshop, thinking he could exchange his suit for some money to settle down.
Fortunately, the clothes were worth some money, and Li Chong was quick-witted, literate, and good at math.
This barely convinced people that his family had fallen on hard times and he had no choice but to sell his possessions to make a living.
So, naturally, Li Chong traded a suit for a place to stay.
He was able to find work and establish himself, while the pawnshop owner also acquired a "perfect" treasure.
But as the saying goes, "The tallest tree in the forest will be felled by the wind, and the most outstanding person will be criticized by the masses."
The quality of modern university graduates is naturally far superior to that of the pawnshop's original employees. Li Chong had only been working there for a month when he attracted the hostility of all his colleagues.
Despite being ostracized by everyone, he was assigned a thankless and arduous task.
Go to another city to collect debts.
Like Ning Caichen in A Chinese Ghost Story, Li Chong also carried account books in his book box. He was on his way from Daming Prefecture to Xucheng, the capital of Yunzhou, to collect accounts.
Why is this considered a tough job?
Putting aside how far it is from Daming Prefecture to Xucheng, just considering the job of collecting debts, Li Chong came to this place alone. Why should anyone pay him back?
However, it was difficult to go against the will of the people, and the pawnshop manager did not want to fall out with all the employees for Li Chong's sake, so he could only make him suffer a little.
Li Chong could only walk such a long distance, so it's no wonder that the other workers avoided him like the plague.
Thinking about all the unpleasant things that had happened in the past month since he transmigrated, Li Chong felt a bit overwhelmed.
"The only good thing is that they finally got my ID card."
As he spoke, Li Chong took out a document from his pocket.
Similar to the travel permits of the Ming Dynasty, in the Northern Song Dynasty, people also needed official documents issued by the government to travel to other places, which were called "official certificates".
Because he needed Li Chong to do something, the shopkeeper, thankfully not having lost all conscience, asked someone to make him an identity document, so that he was no longer an unregistered person in the Song Dynasty.
However, looking at the official document in his hand, Li Chong couldn't bring himself to smile.
Li Chong put the official document into his pocket, looked up ahead, and saw that although the road was called an official road, it was actually full of potholes and overgrown with weeds.
They rarely saw any living people along the way, and Li Chong was getting tired after walking for a while.
"Phew~~~"
Wiping his sweat, Li Chong saw a shady tree ahead and quickly walked over.
It's time to rest for a while and replenish our energy.
"Thump!"
With a muffled thud, Li Chong leaned the book box on his back against the tree trunk and then sat down on the ground with a thud.
Li Chong reached into his book box, pulled out some dry rations, and ate them silently with some cold water.
Before he transmigrated, Li Chong wouldn't have even glanced at these things if they were given to him for free. But now, he ate them with extreme care, afraid of wasting a single bit.
The travel expenses along the way are not much, and we have to make a round trip, so we can't afford to be extravagant.
While eating his dry rations, Li Chong began to plan for the future.
The Northern Song Dynasty was nearing its end, and the Jin Dynasty was poised to rise to power. In a few years, Emperor Huizong of Song would be captured and taken to the north.
Now, Li Chong no longer harbors the lofty ambitions he had when he first transmigrated; all he wants is to survive.
As for saving the world...
Mencius said it well: "When poor, one should cultivate one's own virtue; when successful, one should benefit all under heaven."
Li Chong is currently in dire straits himself, and doesn't even have the means to raise a banner of rebellion, so he can only look after himself first.
"Hmm!"
The dry rations were a bit dry, so Li Chong quickly picked up a cup and drank a few mouthfuls of water.
Just then, several strange noises suddenly drifted through the air.
"Waaaaah~~~"
"scare!"
Li Chong jolted awake, quickly swallowed what was in his mouth, stood up and looked around, but saw no one else nearby.
Just when he thought he had misheard, the voice appeared again.
"Holy crap, what if I actually encounter a scene from A Chinese Ghost Story?" Li Chong felt a chill run down his spine.
However, recalling the information I had gathered over the past few days, this place should undoubtedly be the Northern Song Dynasty, and there shouldn't be any supernatural or ghostly tricks involved.
Driven by curiosity, Li Chong picked up his book bag and slowly made his way towards the direction from which the sound came.
After walking a short distance, Li Chong felt much more at ease.
They're not ghosts, they're people.
Lying on the grass, Li Chong looked up and saw a disheveled figure kneeling on the ground, sobbing and digging a hole as he cried, doing something unknown.
Li Chong looked around, but there was nowhere for anyone to hide. He stood up and slowly moved closer.
"Hey bro, what are you doing?" Li Chong asked.
The man was startled when he heard the sound.
He turned around and saw that Li Chong was all alone, and only then did he relax.
Wiping away his tears, the man said impatiently to Li Chong, "What's it to you? You still dare to stay here..."
Halfway through his sentence, the man had already clearly seen Li Chong's appearance.
In an instant, he seemed to spring up, leaping up and quickly creating distance in just a few steps.
"You, you, you, are you a human or a ghost!"