Volume 2: The Country of Women Chapter 1: A Straight Thrust

  I actually hate it when people say "When I opened my eyes, I found myself in a completely strange world" and all that nonsense. It doesn't follow the laws of nature at all, and it's just so insincere. You're just eager to cross over, but you can't even be bothered to come up with a decent excuse. Look at me, I didn't cross over until the second volume... But, I really did find myself in a completely strange world... This strangeness isn't the kind where someone hits you on the head and leaves you in a corner to wake up, although I did indeed wake up in a corner.

  This is a sunny and bright noon, I am lying in the bustling downtown area. The first thing that catches my eye is the neat and tidy buildings. People on the street are full of energy, with vendors calling out to customers left and right. This is an unoriginal opening - there are only two major genres for time-traveling stories: one where you wake up in bed, and one where you appear on the street. I belong to the latter category. The people on the street wear ancient clothing without surprise - robes with crossed collars, long gowns, simple yet intricate designs all at once, cotton clothes and silk fabrics are of the same color. However, no matter what they wear, they all look neat and fitting. Judging from their mental state, this should be a peaceful and prosperous era.

  I sprang up with a start, first nervously inspecting myself. I was still me, wearing the same clothes I had on at the Dragon Gate Inn. My heart felt a bit more at ease - it was a physical transmigration! Because from a formal standpoint, there are two types of transmigrations: physical and soul. Physical transmigration is when both hardware and software come over together, while soul transmigration is just a system swap. I would rather have a physical transmigration, though. Soul transmigration might easily land me in a wealthy family, but more often than not it's as an illegitimate child without a name or status. And the worst-case scenario is being reborn as the son of some old master and his concubine - then for the next 50 chapters I'd have to be bullied half to death by my brothers before I could even start plotting my revenge.

  Although I'm dressed in a weird and absurd way, there aren't many people on the street who pay attention to me. That's what it's like in a prosperous era - ordinary people are also worldly-wise and have seen it all before. After all, I'm just like them with yellow skin and black eyes, so one strange outfit isn't enough to cause a crowd to gather and gawk at me without any regard for human decency. At most, there were a few passersby who gave me a sideways glance or something - they probably just thought I was drunk.

  I took advantage of this temporary stability to sort out my thoughts: I was still in the Longmen Inn listening to Old Wu and Jin Chengwu talking, but suddenly I was thrown here because of Su Jing's bracelet. At that time, it came into contact with the golden silk jade dress, and the bracelet shone brightly, so I came here. So, the two main culprits behind my crossing this time are the bracelet and the golden silk jade dress. I heard Su Jing say that when the bracelet restores its color, it can bring people back, and the energy it provides is a very rare magical stone on their mainland. The next logic is simple: the jade on the golden silk jade dress from the Han Dynasty has similar properties to this magical stone, and when they collide, it gives the bracelet the energy to fill up. At that time, I was holding it, so I was brought here - I just didn't expect that the 502-glued bracelet could still be used!

  These causes and consequences are not complicated, the biggest possibility here is what Su Jing said - Continental Federation. It's better to say that this is an accident rather than a traversal, unlike all other traversers, I don't have any excitement or sadness, because I understand one certain fact: I must go back, here I can do nothing, and I didn't plan to do anything.

  Before proceeding, I took stock of my belongings: Su Jing's bracelet was still on my hand, but it had become dull and cracked again, rendering it useless for the time being. However, it might come in handy later when I returned. The contents of my pants pocket included a wallet, which was essentially useless now - not that I intended to get rid of it or anything. Apart from the wallet, there was also a set of keys, a mobile phone with a lighter attached, and a pack of cigarettes in my shirt pocket. I took out my phone and checked it; the signal bars on the screen were completely empty, unsurprisingly telling me that I could only make emergency calls. I wasn't too disappointed - if this place had cell service, that would be truly eerie. I put away my belongings and cautiously walked to the middle of the street, whereupon the number of people paying attention to me increased. They looked at me from a distance, avoiding me while passing by, and those who walked alongside me kept turning back to glance at me.

  Within a very short period of time, I sorted out an idea: no matter where this is in the Federal Continent, I must first find their leader or person in charge, explain the situation to him and then have him send me back. However, as for how to do it specifically, I was still a bit at a loss. If the Federal Continent wasn't unexpectedly different, it should be a feudal system's city-state alliance, similar to ancient Greece. In this place, the person who could speak most clearly would undoubtedly be some country's emperor or head of state. But how could I see these people?

  I suddenly had an epiphany and remembered my identity. I may not have a close relationship with this continent, but if we were to dig deeper into our past connections, it wouldn't be shallow at all - in my previous life, I was the Sword God that everyone here knew! As for proving this point, it shouldn't be difficult. I recall when Su Jing first met me, although I didn't have any sword aura, she still thought I was the Sword God because even though I didn't have any martial arts skills, the title of Sword God was still there! With this guarantee, I felt more at ease. From how they fanatically worshipped the Sword God, it seemed like the entire continent was good at martial arts, which made things easier. Could people who were so obsessed with martial arts not recognize me? Can corn not recognize Li Yuchun? Can steel wire not recognize Guo Degang? Can wolf friends not recognize Sora Aoi?

  It suddenly dawned on me that this might be why these people looked at me with eyes full of reverence, and who knows if someone already knew who I was!

  I involuntarily puffed out my chest, held my head high and walked with a swagger, basking in the admiring gazes of the crowd. People seeing me like this became even more enthusiastic... But it's not enough to just be admired by everyone, I still have important business to attend to. Thinking of this, I stopped a middle-aged woman who was about to pass by me and asked her with a humble and friendly tone: "You know who I am, right? Please tell me, how can I meet your emperor?"

  Auntie glared at me: "Are you crazy?"

  I was quite shocked, but after thinking about it, I felt relieved: looking at her expression, she probably still doesn't know who I am, which is no wonder. It seems that I need to find a martial arts practitioner to ask.

  At this moment I happened to see a burly man, and immediately grabbed him and said: "Take me to see your emperor."

  But then the big fellow suddenly let out a yell and broke free from my grasp, running away as if for his life.

  "Don't be so afraid, okay?" I muttered to myself. I asked a few more people, but they either quickly shied away or gave me the cold shoulder. It was unbelievable that everyone in the Federation kept talking about how great Sword God was, yet none of them were willing to help me. I had almost walked down the entire street without anyone paying attention to me.

  Just then, I suddenly felt someone patting me from behind. Turning around, I saw a young woman wearing a purple long gown, with an oval face and a plump figure, her peach-blossom eyes seemingly smiling yet not quite smiling as she sized me up. Seeing me turn around, the woman smiled and asked: "What are you doing here?"

  I saw that she was extraordinary, and thought to myself that she probably had connections. I casually said: "I want to see the head of this place."

  The beautiful woman smiled and beckoned me with a soft, boneless white hand: "Then come with me."

  "Where are you going?"

  The beautiful woman gave me a slanted glance and said, "What's with all the nonsense? Of course we're going where you want to go." She finished speaking and turned around to lead the way. I was delighted and quickly followed her. From behind, this woman looked elegant and refined, with a head of jet-black long hair simply tied up with a dragon-shaped gold pin. The dragon's mouth even held a small night pearl that rotated slightly as the beauty walked. It goes without saying that this woman was either wealthy or noble, at least some kind of royalty or high-ranking official's concubine. Someone like her taking the initiative to strike up a conversation with me must have seen through my identity.

  "Could it be that you want to recruit me for some prince with treasonous intentions?" I thought to myself, following her as she turned a corner and stopped in front of a grand house with black tiles and red pillars. Without even looking back, she strode inside, leaving me no choice but to follow her in.

  This house is even more luxurious, with a large hall that can accommodate nearly three hundred people. The staircase and railings are intricately carved, and the decorations are exquisite. The people walking up and down the stairs are all dressed in finery, including many beautiful women and some men with lecherous looks - this place seems like a brothel!

  The beautiful woman saw me slowing down and said with a somewhat displeased expression: "What's wrong, have you changed your mind?"

  "What am I regretting?" I didn't understand and followed her again.

  As I walked a few more steps forward, someone suddenly shouted: "Mrs. Hou, you're going to be the death of me!" I was startled and before I could figure out what was happening, a forty-something-year-old fat man rushed out from inside and jumped in front of the beautiful woman, his small fat hands grasping her arm and shaking it back and forth. Suddenly, he said with a resentful tone: "You heartless little thing, you haven't come for such a long time, are you being enchanted by some young master from another courtyard again?"

  The beautiful woman laughed and casually stroked his chin, saying: "Can't a lady make some money? Don't think you're so clever now, if I didn't have any silver on me, your fat face would be turned upside down faster than a dog's."

  "Look what you're saying, it's killing me," said the fatty with a wronged tone. This guy weighed at least 230 pounds, but had powdered his face and was holding a handkerchief in three fingers of his right hand, waving it back and forth as he spoke, making my hair stand on end. I couldn't quite understand their conversation, but from their words and actions, the fatty seemed to be extremely cautious not to offend this beautiful woman, yet his movements were light and flirtatious, seemingly not avoiding any suspicion of impropriety between men and women.

  I took advantage of their conversation to secretly take a look around, and I found that the men who came and went here were all extraordinary, with sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, and any one of them could be taken out to play the male lead in an idol drama. From their tiger backs and wasp waists, it's clear that they all have exceptional skills. I gradually saw some clues - this must be a private club for some big shot, a place to recruit talented people, similar to the venue where the four nobles of the Warring States period entertained guests, as for the fat man, I also suddenly realized that he was probably a eunuch, serving as a clown-like plaything in the mansion of the powerful and wealthy.

  At this time, the fat man also saw me. He coldly swept his eyes over me and said to the beautiful woman with a smirk: "Lady, what do you mean? Our big hotel doesn't have a man that can satisfy you, so you bring one from outside?"

  The beautiful woman smiled and said, "Cut the nonsense, I just like him. Give me a room with a proper bed, and don't worry about the money." As she spoke, she casually tossed a gold ingot into the fat man's arms, and he immediately beamed with joy, saying: "Whatever you say, madam - Little Orchid, give Madame Hou the best room upstairs!"

  "Coming!" A handsome man with six-pack abs on the stairs responded, quickly rushing downstairs, first smiling apologetically at the beautiful woman, but after seeing me, his expression changed, somewhat unwillingly saying, "He's not one of our hotel staff!"

  The beautiful woman pinched his shoulder and said, "You're talking nonsense too, let's go."

  The man named Xiaolan reluctantly led us upstairs, opened a door, and the beautiful woman entered first. The man was stuck in the doorway, glaring at me with anger, clearly my arrival was a serious threat to their status. I glared back at him without courtesy, proudly saying: "Don't just be jealous of others' abilities, men must have real skills to stand up straight!" Xiaolan stomped her foot and left in anger after hearing this.

  As a proud Sword God, I shouldn't be bothered with someone as insignificant as you, but I just can't stand men who are so petty. With such a great six-pack, the problem is that you're not even on my level! You overestimate yourself! No wonder they call you Xiao Lan.

  I rushed into the room with Xiao Lan, and found that it was decorated in a very unique way. Although it was supposed to be a place for receiving noble guests, it was instead filled with luxurious bedding, embroidered curtains, red candles, and shallow cups. It had an air of elegance, but also a hint of ambiguity. The beautiful woman sat with her legs crossed, smiling at me with great interest, and said: "From what you just said, are you implying that you have some 'special skills'?"

  I smiled calmly: "Don't you know who I am?"

  The beautiful woman showed more interest and asked with a flutter of her eyelashes: "Who are you?"

  I waved my hand: "It's pointless to say it too clearly, let's just understand each other."

  The beautiful woman giggled and smiled: "You're a fun man after all - so do you know who I am?"

  I opened the door and said straightforwardly: "Excuse me for speaking bluntly, but Miss's family is probably at least royalty or nobility?"

  The beautiful woman's expression changed slightly, but she quickly recovered and nodded in approval: "Not bad eyesight, you guessed eight or nine out of ten after just one meeting."

  "I said with a smile: 'That's natural, I not only know what kind of person you are, but also know why you came to find me...'"

  The beautiful woman, upon hearing this, supported her chin with her hand and smiled, saying: "I admire you for being able to guess my identity... As for the one in the back, well, not so much..." She smiled slyly, "Everyone knows what they should be doing here..."

  "Let's get down to business then."

  The beautiful woman smiled and said, "Don't you want to drink a few cups first?"

  "No, I have a special situation and time is very pressing, you'd better hurry..."

  "Alright, refreshing! I was right about you, I like men who are straightforward. She suddenly stood up, walked to the bedside with big strides, and slipped off her purple long gown, revealing the thin undergarment inside. Her plump and delicate curves were also revealed. She turned back to see me still dazed at the table and scolded: "Why haven't you taken off your clothes yet?"

  I: “……”

  Sweat, I feel like this chapter is even more intense than the one where Hei Shan Lao Yao dealt with Shi Zhong Huo! Has everyone figured out Long Yangyang's situation yet... Let's work together to get Xiao Hua to the top of the new book monthly rankings tomorrow, and let's see what happens!!