On a narrow muddy road, a youth dressed in coarse cloth lay sprawled face-down on the ground. A small pool of blood seeped from his forehead, staining the surrounding dirt red.
Villagers stood around whispering to one another, yet not a single person stepped forward to help.
“Dog-Egg is really unlucky. Other people step in dog crap and get good luck.”
“He steps in it and smashes his head open—look how much he’s bleeding. Hope he doesn’t lose his life!”
“Why doesn’t someone help him up?”
“Who’d dare? What if he clings to you and blames you for it?”
“The Shen family has a relative who works as a constable in the yamen—they’ve always acted arrogantly. Dog-Egg is infamous for being a bully within ten li. Anyone who messes with him is asking for trouble!”
“In my opinion, this is karma. Heaven’s punishing him!”
Shen Qingyue slowly pushed herself up. Blood from her forehead dripped into her eyes, blurring her vision.
Where… is this place?
Why is everyone wearing ancient clothing?
Is this some kind of cosplay?
Just as the thought crossed her mind, a sharp pain shot through her head and a flood of memories rushed in.
The original owner of this body was nicknamed Dog-Egg. Her full name was Shen Qingyue—exactly the same as hers.
On the surface, the original Shen Qingyue was a notorious male tyrant hated by all. In truth, she was a woman disguised as a man—and the reason for it was absurd.
Years ago, her parents had difficulty conceiving because of health issues. They didn’t have a child until five years into their marriage.
The doctor had said this might be their only child. The couple, being proud, feared being looked down upon by the villagers—and feared others would try to seize their property in the future.
So when the child was born, they impulsively announced to the outside world that it was a boy.
Words once spoken couldn’t be taken back. Thus, the original owner of the body was raised as a son, and over time, simply got used to it.
In truth, she wasn’t the Shen family’s only child.
The year after giving birth to her, Liu Cuihua became pregnant again. She’d been delighted—until she gave birth to another daughter, one with a red birthmark on her forehead that marred her looks. The couple disliked her and casually named her Shen Erya.
After two pregnancies, no matter how hard they tried, they never conceived again.
From then on, the original Shen Qingyue was completely raised as a son.
Having lost too much blood and just absorbed all those memories, Shen Qingyue felt dizzy. Her legs wobbled and she collapsed again.
The people around her not only failed to help—several even stepped back in unison.
It was obvious just how hated the original owner had been in this village.
Before she could figure out whether she could return to her original world, Shen Qingyue knew she absolutely couldn’t die here.
Pressing her hand to her bleeding forehead, she lifted her heavy eyelids and said to the onlookers,“Stop gawking. Go notify my family.”
The villagers didn’t dare help her up—but they dared to inform the Shen household.
Before long, her family came and carried her back.
A physician treated and bandaged her wound.
Shen Qingyue drifted into a daze.
When she woke again, dusk was approaching.
Liu Cuihua entered the room carrying a bowl of wild-vegetable gruel and set it on the square wooden table beside the bed.
“Erya dug up some shepherd’s purse from the mountain. I mixed it with coarse rice and cooked it into porridge. Eat it while it’s hot.”
Shen Qingyue stared at the brown-green mush, her nose suddenly stinging.
In her previous life, she’d lived in luxury—never lacking food or drink.
There had even been billions in assets waiting for her to inherit.
Heaven must’ve thought she’d had it too easy—so it tossed her into the body of a penniless village tyrant.
She wanted to go home.
Seeing her hesitate, Liu Cuihua spoke with heartache,“You cracked your head today. Hiring the doctor cost silver, and the family has nothing left. Make do for now. Once Erya sells some embroidery, I’ll buy you meat to nourish you properly.”
Shen Erya sniffed at the scent of food, swallowing hard, yet still urged,“Brother, hurry and eat. It’ll get cold.”
Shen Dabiao rubbed his flat stomach and muttered,“If you’re not eating it, give it to me.”
Liu Cuihua shot him a furious glare.“You still have the nerve to talk about food? If it weren’t for your gambling and losing every last coin, would our family be this poor?!”
Shen Dabiao shrank back.“Why are you yelling? Worst case, I’ll go borrow grain from my elder sister tomorrow.”
That only made Liu Cuihua angrier.
“Don’t go! She’s been subsidizing us for years and already quarreled with Constable Zhang because of it. If she gets divorced, not only will she lose face—our family’s backing will be gone too!”
With the original owner’s memories, Shen Qingyue knew exactly what kind of people this family was.
Her biological father, Shen Dabiao, was a habitual gambler who bullied others with borrowed power.
Her mother, Liu Cuihua, was sharp-tongued and notorious in the village.
Even Shen Erya—considered the kindest—was a hopeless romantic who only wanted to marry Scholar Wang.
A gambling father.
A vicious mother.
A love-brained younger sister.
And herself—a village tyrant.
A hell-mode starting point.
Her stomach growled loudly, pulling her back from her thoughts.
Looking at the lone bowl of vegetable gruel, Shen Qingyue hesitated before saying,“No one’s eaten yet. Why don’t we split it?”
Liu Cuihua refused flatly.“No. You’ve got a wound on your head—you can’t go hungry.”
Shen Qingyue sighed and lifted the rough pottery bowl, taking a few mouthfuls before setting it down again.
“I’m full.”
No matter how Liu Cuihua urged her, she refused to eat any more.
In the end, Liu Cuihua could only carry the bowl out.
The room was left with Shen Qingyue alone.
She retrieved a bronze mirror from the wooden cabinet beside the bed and examined her face.
Her forehead was wrapped in gauze. Her cheeks were thin, her features refined—upon closer inspection, she somewhat resembled her former self. From the angle of a woman disguised as a man, she could be called a handsome young lad.
Going over everything that had happened today, Shen Qingyue thought grimly:
Whether I can return to my original world or not, I have to survive. First, I need to figure out how to get food.
At that moment, a crisp voice rang out in her mind.
【Ding! Suitable host detected. Would you like to bind the Interdimensional Trading System?】
A system?
Shen Qingyue’s eyes lit up.
It was finally here!
“Bind it—absolutely bind it!” she agreed without hesitation.
【Binding in progress. Please wait. 10…9…8…7…1. Binding complete.】
【This system connects the myriad worlds. The host may collect materials from this world and sell them in the system marketplace, or use star coins to purchase needed items. For private transactions conducted through the platform, only a 5% service fee is charged.】
As soon as the system finished speaking, a translucent virtual screen appeared before Shen Qingyue.
Displayed upon it were countless supplies—food, medicine, weapons, cultivation manuals, and more.
She swiped through the listings and spotted a cultivation technique called The Art of Turning Stone into Gold. Her eyes instantly brightened—only to dim again when she saw the price: ten million star coins.
She didn’t have a single star coin right now.
Immortal-realm manuals, interstellar super-weapons, magic-world scrolls… she couldn’t afford any of them.
Better to look at something practical.
Switching to the daily necessities section, she saw rows of ordinary goods:
Coarse rice: 3 star coins per jinWhite rice: 4 star coins per jinMillet: 4 star coins per jinFlour: 4 star coins per jinEggs: 1 star coin eachPork belly: 15 star coins per jinLean pork: 18 star coins per jin
The prices for basic food were actually quite reasonable.
Right now, there was only one thing Shen Qingyue needed to do—
Find a way to earn star coins.