Xu Yuan was dug out from a pile of corpses by Xuanhui.
At that time, she was buried so deep she couldn’t see the sky. No matter how hard she struggled, she couldn’t move an inch.
Every breath she drew was filled with the thick stench of blood and rotting flesh. Darkness and despair enveloped her like a rising tide, drowning her.
She could feel her life slowly slipping away.
In those hopeless moments, Xu Yuan faintly heard the sound of galloping horse hooves.
Clatter, clatter-clatter.
Every step seemed to strike against her heart, rekindling her will to live.
Exhausting the last of her strength, she pushed aside the corpse weighing down on her. Reaching her hand through a narrow gap behind the bodies, she waved it helplessly.
“Help… help me…” Xu Yuan tried her best to cry out, but her voice was already raspy and hoarse.
With her injuries, every exertion tore through her body with sharp pain, leaving her cries for help faint and frail.
Her knuckles felt wet—was it raining?
She tilted her head to listen, but the galloping hooves outside had vanished.
A wave of intense anxiety swallowed her, her heart leaping into her throat.
Had that person left? Was she going to die here after all?
Xu Yuan’s lingering hope crumbled bit by bit. Her hand dropped limply, hanging precariously in the air.
Yet at that very moment, a warm, powerful hand tightly grasped hers.
With a slight pull, the man dragged the frail, helpless Xu Yuan straight out of the pile of dead bodies.
In an instant, she felt as though the clouds had parted to reveal the sun.
Fresh, cool, damp air rushed into her lungs, triggering a bout of violent, uncontrollable coughing.
The autumn rain fell dismal and cold, carrying a sharp chill.
Xu Yuan instinctively glanced around. The ground was littered with corpses as far as the eye could see.
The remnants left behind by the flames of war lay scattered everywhere. Crows circled overhead with eerie caws, while lingering embers still fought against the drizzle.
The tragic, desolate scene made her dazed, unsure of where she was.
Going from the depths of hell back to the land of the living brought a sudden wave of emotion, making her nose prickle with tears.
Framed by a dirt-streaked face that could not hide her delicate features was a pair of autumn-water eyes. Reflected in them was the faint light of the dim moon; as she blinked, her gaze shimmered like gentle ripples.
However, when her eyes unexpectedly met the cold, emotionless gaze of her savior, her long eyelashes fluttered, and she forced back the urge to burst into tears.
The man before her was tall and long-legged, clad in meticulous full armor. In his hand, he held a dark iron spear whose blood-stained red tassel fluttered fiercely in the autumn wind.
He possessed handsome, sharply defined features, yet his frigid eyes added a murderous edge to his fierce demeanor.
His aura was impossibly sharp and imposing. Amidst this sea of blood and mountain of corpses, he looked like a fierce, terrifying Asura with a face of fine jade.
Xu Yuan felt an inexplicable fear toward him and dared not look any longer.
Holding back her tears and shaky breaths, she thanked him in a voice as soft as the buzz of a mosquito. “Thank you for saving me.”
As she lowered her head, she noticed she was dressed in a blood-soaked hemp robe, looking utterly destitute and disheveled.
Hearing her words, Xuanhui said nothing. He merely gave her a cool glance before nimbly mounting his horse.
Then, he turned and reached a hand out to Xu Yuan.
It was a distinct, slender, yet powerful hand covered in scars.
Xu Yuan bit her lower lip in bewilderment, rapidly assessing her current situation.
She had never ridden a horse before, let alone knew how to mount one.
Besides, the black stallion before her was magnificent and tall, with a streak of red flame-like markings on its forehead, standing a full head taller than her.
As if sensing her embarrassment, Xuanhui leaned forward. Like lifting a small animal, he reached out, grabbed her by the back collar, and hauled her up onto the saddle behind him.
He shook the reins, and the horse broke into a run.
This was a way of getting on a horse Xu Yuan had never even imagined.
An indescribable shock stuck in her throat. The horse started off so fast that before she could balance herself, she unexpectedly tipped backward, nearly falling off.
In a panic, she scrambled to wrap her arms around Xuanhui’s armored waist, narrowly stabilizing her center of gravity.
Amidst the sudden movement, Xu Yuan felt the wound on her back tear open, blood seeping out once more.
She was already hanging by a thread, and the jostling of the galloping horse caused her agonizing pain.
She tried to grit her teeth and endure it, but at some point, the pain overwhelmed her, and she blacked out.
Before losing consciousness, she only remembered how bitterly cold the autumn night in the wilderness was.
The rain soaked through her hemp clothes, clinging to her skin with an inescapable, sticky chill.
Xuanhui’s armor was icy to the touch, bearing a harsh, metallic stench of blood, making her feel as though she were holding a massive piece of blood-stained ice that she could not let go.
After countless chaotic, murky dreams, Xu Yuan finally drifted awake.
She opened her groggy eyes to find herself inside a simple tent, lying flat on a floor mat.
The wound on her back had been cleaned and bandaged. She was covered with an old but warm fur blanket, and a set of clean clothes lay beside her hand.
Next to the mat stood a small wooden table with a candle lamp burning near its end.
Xu Yuan slowly turned over and stared blankly into space while clutching the blanket.
As thoughts flooded her mind, she finally pieced together her utterly absurd situation.
She had actually transmigrated.
Fragments of information lingered in her head, which she could piece together well enough to understand.
This was likely a fictional dynasty called the Great Wei. She was in a war-torn border region, and her identity was that of an orphan girl who should have perished during an enemy raid on the border villagers.
Yet when she opened her eyes again, she, Xu Yuan, had inexplicably woken up amidst a pile of corpses.
If there was anything peculiar, it was that whenever she closed her eyes, a silver progress bar appeared out of thin air in her mind, currently sitting at zero percent.
There it was—the mandatory quest progress bar for transmigrators!
Xu Yuan silently congratulated herself that all those web novels she had read weren’t in vain; they were all wisdom passed down by her predecessors.
However, after pondering for a long time, she fell back into confusion.
Wait, why was there nothing else besides this stark, empty progress bar?
At least tell her what the task was! She had never heard of an exam where the student had to guess the questions themselves!
Xu Yuan shouted in her heart for a long time, but no standard novel system ever appeared.
Helpless, she could only start analyzing the situation on her own.
Before transmigrating, she was a mildly famous food blogger whose daily routine consisted of researching delicious dishes, then filming videos and taking photos to post online.
Her fans loved watching her gently chatter away as she prepared mouthwatering delicacies.
Until once, during a live stream, she accidentally revealed her face. Her viewers squealed, took screenshots, and swiftly defected into her face-fan club.
Xu Yuan was born with bright, smiling eyes and an aura as warm and gentle as fine jade. Every gesture radiated an easygoing tranquility, as if nothing in the world could ever make her anxious.
For instance, facing her current situation, she had already accepted it with composure.
Moreover, she had already begun weighing the possibilities of her quest.
Considering her special profession, could the task be related to the food she excelled at?
Following the tropes of management and kingdom-building novels, could this progress bar be tracking her journey to becoming the number one chef in Great Wei?
She had a strong hunch that as long as she completed the task, she would be able to go home.
After a moment, Xu Yuan unhurriedly climbed up from the mat, pondering how to verify her theory.
She took off her blood-stained hemp clothes and changed into the clean attire left on the mat.
It was a baggy set of men’s short robes with a thin outer layer, not fitting her well at all. To make moving around easier, she rolled up the sleeves and pant legs several layers, exposing her slender wrists and ankles.
After tidying her clothes, Xu Yuan lifted the tent flap and walked out.
The rain had stopped. Dawn was breaking, and the air was slightly chilly.
Noticing a small river nearby, she walked over, picking up a dry branch along the way to twist her long hair into a bun at the back of her head.
Reaching the riverbank, she washed the blood and dirt from her face with clear water. The shimmering surface reflected a clear, fair face identical to her original one.
Xu Yuan grew even more certain that this was her own body—what war orphan would have such soft, delicate skin?
Furthermore, the vibrant begonia flower tattoo on her left shoulder and the anklet on her left ankle both belonged to her.
Regardless, whether it was a soul transmigration or a body transmigration, Xu Yuan was naturally easygoing and accepted fate as it came, treating this merely as a fresh gaming experience.
After watching the flowing river for a moment, she even felt playful enough to reach out and stir the water, creating ripples across the surface.
Just then, a strange sound came from nearby.
Xu Yuan turned her head and saw a chubby soldier carrying heavy buckets to the river to fetch water.
The chubby soldier had a round face, round eyes, and a round belly—his whole person was round all over.
He noticed her as well and smiled before speaking: “You must be the little girl General Xuanhui rescued last night, right?”
Xu Yuan blinked and gave a polite nod.
In her heart, however, she recalled that Jade-Faced Asura from last night’s wind and rain.
So he was a general. He looked quite young, but he certainly possessed an imposing manner.
“Don’t be afraid. General Xuanhui set strict rules for us Black Iron Cavalry—never bully the elderly, women, or children. We only need to stay here for another two or three days before we pack up camp and head back to Northern City.” He rubbed the back of his head and gave an honest smile. “The brothers in camp call me Fatty. You look young, so you can just call me Brother Fatty.”
Xu Yuan recalled the fragmented character background in her mind. At seventeen, she was in the prime of her youth.
Thinking back to that silver progress bar—her “gourmet main quest”—she probed tentatively, “Brother Fatty, let me help you with some work. It wouldn’t be right for me to eat and drink for free in the military camp.”
In a military camp, aside from the guards on duty, the ones who woke up earliest to fetch water were bound to be the cooks.
Not to mention Brother Fatty’s build was practically the textbook definition of an army cook.
“With your tiny frame, how could you help?”
Hearing this, Brother Fatty laughed heartily, picked up the two full buckets of water, and walked back steadily.
“Children from poor families learn to run a household early. I’m used to doing chores like washing and preparing vegetables. It’s just that I’ve never managed meals for so many people, so I’ll need to learn a lot from you, Brother Fatty.” Xu Yuan walked alongside him and asked, “What are we having for breakfast today?”
“Coarse grain mantou—the dough is already resting—along with pickles and rice porridge. We don’t have much fine food out here in the field.”
Xu Yuan followed Brother Fatty back to the temporary kitchen set up in the camp.
It was actually just a series of large tents stacked with the ingredients needed for the near future, where the cooks had built simple earthen stoves to light fires and cook.
On the stove inside the large tent sat cut dough covered with gauze.
Brother Fatty poured the fetched water into a large water vat. Turning around, he saw Xu Yuan nimbly starting the fire to boil water in a large wok, then placing the rested dough into the steamer basket.
He stood by and watched for a moment. Seeing how deft and familiar she was, he felt reassured and turned to boil the porridge.
Once the steamer was closed over the mantou, billows of white steam soon rose into the air.
Xu Yuan picked up a large palm-leaf fan by the stove, fanning it a few times, and chatted with Brother Fatty outside the curtain: “Brother Fatty, how is the camp’s usual food?”
“Noodles, big slabs of meat—anything that fills the belly. In critical times, we can’t even be picky about tree bark and grass roots.” Brother Fatty tossed firewood into the pit, making a crackling sound. “Conditions are tough out on campaign. Even General Xuanhui eats and sleeps alongside the soldiers.”
Xu Yuan fanned away the heat, thinking to herself that a leader who didn’t demand special treatment was indeed rare.
Brother Fatty stirred the rice porridge in the pot with a huge iron ladle. After thinking for a moment, he added, “However, General Xuanhui probably won’t eat today. Every time he returns from the battlefield, he fasts for a full day.”
Xu Yuan was curious: “Why? Shouldn’t he be physically and mentally exhausted after coming off the battlefield? That’s precisely when he needs to replenish his strength.”
“That stands to reason. Most soldiers eat like wolves when they return from the field—some even eat until they throw up,” Brother Fatty nodded. “But General Xuanhui will only drink a bit of thin rice water at most, or keep a slice of raw ginger in his mouth. Old Military Physician Yang has checked him several times and said his body is in tip-top shape with nothing wrong.”
Xu Yuan sat on a small stool, fanning the fire while pondering. After a moment, she asked, “Brother Fatty, do you have any millet here?”
“We do, in that sack over there,” Brother Fatty pointed with his round chin. “Millet is good for the stomach. It’d be great if we could get the general to eat some, though I don’t know if he’ll be willing.”
That made sense. Xu Yuan located the millet and recalled the woods near the river where she had fetched water earlier.
After the autumn rain, plenty of fresh chestnuts must have fallen in the woods.
Wiping her hands, she asked Brother Fatty for a small basket and strolled back toward the river.
The woods were lush and leafy. Xu Yuan paused to pick and gather as she walked, quickly filling the basket with wild chestnuts.
Since the heavy rain had just stopped, star jelly fungus and mushrooms had popped up everywhere, and plenty of ripe wood ear mushrooms hung in the shade. Muttering “thank you for nature’s gifts,” she gathered a good amount of wild vegetables as well.
Returning to the kitchen, Xu Yuan filled a small pot with water, brought it to a boil, and tossed in the chestnuts with a pinch of salt to soak and cook.
When she scooped them out, they were scalding hot. Gasping at the heat, she used a knife to pry open the chestnut shells, occasionally pinching her earlobes to cool down her fingertips.
Fortunately, the harvested autumn chestnuts were plump, round, and chubby, making them a delight to behold.
Xu Yuan chopped the chestnuts into small pieces, grabbed a handful of millet, and dropped them together into a simmering clay pot.
Flames licked the bottom of the pot as bubbles popped steadily on the surface of the porridge.
She patiently fanned the fire with her palm-leaf fan, controlling the heat and stirring occasionally to prevent it from scorching.
Before long, the sweet, nutty fragrance of chestnuts mixed with millet slowly overflowed from the clay pot, permeating the kitchen tent.
Judging that the timing was right, Xu Yuan ladled the chestnut millet porridge into a porcelain bowl.
Gazing at it for a moment, she felt something was still missing, so she sprinkled three or four bright red goji berries on top as a garnish.
She then picked up a clean, fresh wooden board to use as a tray, placed the porcelain bowl on it, and set a plate with two steaming coarse grain mantou and a small dish of savory pickles beside it.
Recalling what Brother Fatty had said, Xu Yuan took a piece of fresh ginger, sliced two paper-thin, translucent pieces, and laid them in the pickle dish.
Attracted by the aroma of chestnuts, Brother Fatty came over to look and exclaimed in admiration: “A woman’s touch really makes a difference! We’ve never had such a delicate meal in our camp!”
He pointed outside: “There, I just saw General Xuanhui head into that tent over there. Why don’t you bring the porridge to him?”
Xu Yuan was taken aback, losing the effortless confidence she had while cooking, and stammered, “I… I should deliver it?”
“Everyone’s busy! What are you afraid of? General Xuanhui is a great man; he won’t eat you,” Brother Fatty said without even raising his head, merely waving his chubby hand. “He’s your savior after all, so going over to express your thanks is only proper.”
That was true. Yet remembering the cold, blood-stained figure in the autumn rain, she couldn’t help but feel a little intimidated.
Mustering up her courage, Xu Yuan walked briskly toward the commander’s tent.
Hesitating at the entrance for a moment, she was trying to figure out how to announce herself when she heard a voice ask from inside the shadowy tent: “Who’s outside? Come in.”
This was the first time Xu Yuan had heard him speak.
His deep, low voice caused a sudden prickle of numbness behind her ears.
Still, she didn’t stop her feet. Lifting the curtain of the tent, she walked in with a gentle smile in her eyes: “General Xuanhui, I brought you breakfast…”
Her voice ground to a sudden halt.
Greeting her eyes was the back of a man wrapped in bandages.
Xuanhui wore only a pair of dark trousers. His legs were loosely stretched forward as he leaned sideways against the edge of a wooden table, an ivory belt cinching his lean, tight waist.
Further up were a solid back and broad shoulders with smooth, beautiful muscle lines that radiated a latent, explosive power.
However, the slight flaw in this perfection was that his body was covered in terrifying, shocking scars.
Wait… he wasn’t wearing a shirt!
Xu Yuan never expected to witness such a sight. Panicked, she jerked her face away, instinctively executed a textbook about-face, and fled stiffly out the tent.