Chapter 2: Death and Rebirth

  Xie Bin's brain was in a daze, as if he was having a bizarre dream. Many unfamiliar ancient figures and scenes appeared chaotically in his mind. He instinctively thought they were scenes from movies he had watched before, but those characters and scenes were incredibly vivid and lifelike, with no sign of directors or cameras on the screen.

  From time to time, he would still hear someone whispering "Young Master" in his ear, the hot air from their mouth could be felt on his ears, it didn't feel like a dream at all.

  The tone of their calls was very strange, the voice was different from what he usually heard, as if it were a dialect from somewhere, and he had never heard of it before, but somehow understood. Occasionally, when he responded vaguely, a cheer would be heard in his ear.

  His consciousness was always half asleep and half awake, occasionally when he woke up a bit, he would feel as if he was on a very bumpy carriage, despite the thick mattress under him, it was still very bumpy, like his bones were all scattered.

  Gradually, he was awake more often and drowsy less often. He knew that every day someone carefully poured thin porridge, water, and bitter medicinal soup into his mouth, which made his tongue numb to the root. He couldn't move at all, not even open his eyelids, and could only be manipulated by others.

  It wasn't until after many days had passed that his consciousness was finally able to gradually focus, and the fragmented scenes began to organize themselves in his mind. One moment it was him on set being ordered around by the director, the next it was him holding a sharp bronze spear leading soldiers in pursuit of fleeing enemy troops. Repeating back and forth like this, even he didn't know which one was his true self anymore.

  At last, he could recall what had happened before he fainted. He remembered the big wheel suddenly breaking and the steel cable whipping down, striking him on the head, blood gushing out, and knowing death was imminent, his lifeless eyes still saw Guan Yu desperately struggling beside him...

  The giant wheel of light suddenly emitted a strong beam, and he floated gently in a colorful, iridescent tunnel, like a leaf swept away by a gust of wind, drifting towards an unknown distant place, until it disappeared at the end of the light ring tunnel.

  The next moment, he saw himself bursting into loud laughter, with many ancient soldiers in armor and helmets kneeling beside him with their hands on the ground. He sighed, then suddenly pulled out a weapon that was deeply embedded in his chest, and fresh blood spurted out like a fountain...

  "Ah!"

  Xue Bin's eyes snapped open, and he was already drenched in cold sweat.

  He let out a deep breath and looked around at his surroundings. Above him was a rickety, very crude wooden cart top, beside him was a short window that wasn't much higher than a pillow, the window was bare without any curtains, and he could hear several cow moos coming from nearby, the swaying motion, slow and labored, indicating that he was lying in an ox cart.

  "Where is this place? Why didn't you take me to a hospital? Although we're filming in Tibet, the conditions here aren't that bad!"

  Xī Bīn looked around in surprise, he wanted to sit up, only then did he realize that his chest was throbbing with pain, where a thick white silk bandage was wrapped, very elegant, not a medical gauze, the pain in his chest... seemed to be injured there.

  The scene was so bizarre that Xi Bin was stunned for a long time and didn't call anyone. He stared blankly for a while, then slowly raised his head to look out the car window.

  Outside was a vast wilderness, but it didn't resemble the Gobi Desert of Tibet. The wilderness was filled with swaying wild grasses, and its area was even larger than that of the fields. In the scattered fields, some farmers dressed in ancient attire were working hard. Most of them were bent over, working diligently, except for one white-haired old farmer who shouldered his hoe, rubbed his waist, and looked in his direction. Xi Bin noticed that the hoe on the old man's shoulder seemed to be made of wood.

  A robust man was pulling a plow with ropes, while a woman behind him was supporting the plow. The two were laboriously plowing the muddy soil. Not far away in the wild grassland, several yellow cows were swishing their tails and leisurely eating grass.

  "Strange, why don't they use oxen for plowing?"

  Just as he thought of this, his own consciousness made a response: "Return the horse to the south of Mount Hua, and release the cow in the wilds of Peach Forest. Cows were originally meant for grazing, after all - they're used for pulling carts, for sacrifices, and for meat. Only wealthy farming families use cows for plowing fields, because iron tools are needed for that, which ordinary farmers can't afford. Stone plows and bronze plows won't hold up to the strength of fierce cows."

  Xī Bīn was startled, this consciousness... how did it enter his mind, could there be another consciousness in his heart?

  He thought carefully, but didn't feel anything out of the ordinary. That consciousness should be his, just like a memory that had been sealed away for a long time and suddenly remembered.

  "How did this happen? I... what's wrong with me, where am I?"

  His brain immediately gave an answer. Xi Bin's mind was suddenly filled with a loud noise, and the memories that originally didn't belong to him merged completely with his consciousness at this moment.

  "Hurray! I am Qi Xi! The third son of Wu State's Great King Jili!"

  Xī Bīn's mouth was agape, his eyes revealing an expression of utter disbelief...

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  The ox cart swayed back and forth, causing Xi Bin's weak body to feel drowsy, but he couldn't sleep. The ox cart had been shaking for a long time before he was forced to accept the absurd fact: his soul had traversed two thousand years of space-time, arriving in the Spring and Autumn period, and merged with a prince named Qing Ji, who didn't leave any impression on him in his past life's memory.

  As a person in the film industry, he certainly knew what it meant to travel through time and space. He had even participated in the filming of a science fiction time-travel movie "Chasing Love Across Centuries". However, that was just a form of cinematic expression; he had never imagined that such an absurd thing could actually happen in real life.

  But everything outside the window, like a surging tide of memories, told him that it was all true.

  Now that I think about it, all of this must have been the doing of that great wheel of reincarnation. That great wheel of reincarnation truly has great magical powers, allowing people to transcend centuries and millennia, undergoing cycles of birth and death. Perhaps Guan Yu's struggles somehow triggered the mechanism of the great wheel of reincarnation, drawing his soul into a space-time tunnel...

  Xī Bīn's mouth twitched, his expression rather strange. This matter was indeed both absurd and ridiculous, but as the person involved, he couldn't help but feel that it wasn't something to laugh about.

  He should have been killed in that instant, but now he has changed to a different time and space, and his life has continued somehow. However... with princes and nobles everywhere, why did I have to possess the body of a down-on-his-luck young master? As soon as I opened my eyes, it was all about deep-seated hatred, and even if I didn't go looking for trouble, that person wouldn't let me off. This young master's identity not only had no benefits, but would also attract a group of assassins at any time.

  Not much is known about the history of the Spring and Autumn period. He had read a vernacular version of "The Legend of Eastern Zhou" when he was young, but now it's almost forgotten. Even if he can still remember some plots, he can't recall which year they happened. The only thing that is still familiar to him is the story of King Fuchai of Wu, King Goujian of Yue, and the beautiful woman Xi Shi.

  Now Wu Wang is Goujian, so Fuchai has not become the great king yet. By analogy, Xi Shi is still little Xi Shi, a small Luo Li, who may be playing with mud balls in Yueguo village without wearing pants. This is very likely, as children from poor families often don't have clothes to wear at an older age.

  Fu Chai and Gou Jian have not yet taken the stage, this...this means that he knows nothing about this era, has no idea how history will unfold, how can this be played?

  Fortunately, he inherited all the memories of Gongzi Qingji who died with an unfulfilled ambition. He knew that Qingji was not fighting alone against Huanruo, but had a group of loyal and unyielding iron-clad subordinates, and also had the support of the king of Weiguo.

  To live a good life, Xi Bin hastily mourned the loss of his former self and then gathered his spirits to think about his current situation. He was now riding an ox cart on a dry road; taking the dry road meant he couldn't head south to Yue State, so he could only go north through Lu State back to Wei State.

  It seems that after being stabbed, the three armies dispersed, and his confidants could only drag him ashore to escape. He didn't know how long he had been unconscious, but it seemed that he had at least escaped the pursuit of the Wu State's army. This Qing Ji's body was indeed not covered, worthy of being the first brave warrior of Wu Guo, with a good physical quality that couldn't be said, being pierced by a halberd through his chest, and now he could recover so well.

  Now that we have arrived in the State of Lu, there should be no danger for the time being. The State of Lu is adjacent to the State of Wu, and Qing Ji is dedicated to conquering Wu and restoring his country, killing He Qi to avenge his father, which is beneficial to the State of Lu. The Lord of Lu hopes that the State of Wu will continue to be in chaos and eliminate one disaster, and he will not do anything harmful to him, but it is unknown where we are now.

  Xī Bīn sank into deep thought for a long time, digesting the memories that belonged to Qìng Jì. Only then did he lick his lips and shout in a hoarse voice: "Someone, bring water! Someone..."

  He had just shouted a few times, the tattered curtain in front of the ox cart suddenly opened with a "whoosh", and a dark face appeared before his eyes. The man was burly, with a round big face, a garlic nose, a full beard, and a pair of small eyes staring at him in surprise, calling out: "Young master, you're awake, you really are awake!"

  Xī Bīn calmed down and smiled weakly at him: "Yes, ā Chóu, your young master... has woken up."

  A loud shout, the waist rod straightened up, and the big head "banged" against the car shed, hitting the broken roof of the shed to tremble violently, dust falling down, Xi Bin immediately narrowed his eyes. He didn't feel any pain, but stood on the car beam, shouting loudly: "The young master is awake, the young master is awake..."

  The ox cart came to a stop, followed by cheers and commotion. In an instant, the curtains of the cart were pushed aside, and a bunch of heads squeezed in, each one eagerly looking at him. These people were all Qingji's most loyal subordinates, and now they naturally became his loyal subordinates.

  They were one by one pale and dusty, completely unlike the spirited and proud appearance when they first set out to defend their country. But at this moment, looking at Xi Bin, looking at their only hope, they were excited with tears in their eyes.

  The voices of greetings, cheers and sobs were all mixed together, and for a moment, it was hard to make out what they were saying. But Shi Bin, who had been reborn, was quickly infected by their sincere emotions. These people were all straightforward and generous, perhaps because Shi Bin still retained some of the straightforwardness and generosity that belonged to Qing Ji in his bones, he could feel the sincerity of the relationship between these people and Qing Ji.

  "They regard me as their hope, and in my heart, aren't they also my hope? Without them, I... how can I live?"

  Xī Bīn's fear and helplessness as a stranger in a strange land instantly dissipated the moment he saw these sworn brothers with whom he had shared life and death. He grasped a pair of large, calloused hands that belonged to someone, his nose stinging, and a line of tears flowed down from the corner of his left eye.

  Xī Bīn drew back his hand to touch his face, only to discover that the right half of his face was swollen, and there were marks on his face from sleeping with a bamboo pillow.

  Jinglin smiled through tears, he wiped his face heavily and said loudly: "Cry! What's there to cry about? Young Master Hong has a promising recovery, this is our great joyous occasion, we should be happy instead."

  "Yes, our young master is still alive, this is a great joy!"

  His subordinates were overjoyed and cheered loudly. In the distance, a group of crows in the forest were startled by their cheers, and the farmers in the fields also looked back in surprise. However, Cheng Yi's subordinates didn't care at all, they just cheered recklessly, their voices shaking the earth and covering the sky.