Chapter One: Rebirth Amidst the Graves

“Ahhh!”
Chu Bing forced herself to open her eyes despite the pain, only to meet a deathly pale face. Her mind went blank for several seconds before she erupted in a piercing scream.
What on earth was this place—a mass of corpses lying everywhere.
She staggered back in panic, but a sudden dull ache struck her forehead. Memories surged forth, as though forcibly stuffed into her brain.
After a moment, Chu Bing rubbed her head, gazed at the ancient architecture surrounding her, and glanced at her blood-stained dress. Exhaling slowly, she realized—she had crossed over into another world!
The original owner was a minor magistrate’s concubine. To gather precious medicinal herbs for her sick father, she had resorted to stealing valuables from the magistrate’s home. Caught in the act, she was disowned, brutally beaten, and thrown into a mass grave.
“Stealing is truly not a decent business, bound to bring retribution sooner or later,” Chu Bing couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
But it wasn’t entirely without benefit.
The original owner had hidden all the stolen money, sending it home bit by bit. There should still be over five hundred taels left.
Chu Bing could not suppress her delight. She, a dignified CEO of a listed company, now had capital. Surviving in this era would be far from difficult.
“Quick! She’s over here!” Suddenly, a shout echoed from the distance.
Before Chu Bing could react, two male servants pinned her to the ground as a figure in green floated towards her.
A resounding slap landed on her left cheek, sending a jolt of pain so fierce it nearly knocked out a tooth.
The woman in green sneered coldly. “Well, well, promoted to the main wife, keeper of the magistrate’s wealth, an inspector too. Chu Bing, you truly are a considerate daughter!” She flung a bundle of letters hard against Chu Bing’s face.
The familiar voice stirred a portion of the original owner’s memories—memories of Yun Xin.
The woman in green was Yun Xin, once the original owner’s maid. With her help, Yun Xin had risen to become the ninth concubine. As for those letters, they were the family correspondence sent to reassure her father during his illness, all filled with fabricated tales.
Chu Bing raised her eyes, cold as blades, to Yun Xin. If it weren’t for her accusations, the original owner would never have ended up this way.

“Another slap!”
A vicious blow struck her right cheek, blood pooling in her mouth and trickling from the corner of her lips.
“You always liked throwing things at my face. I thought I’d never get a chance for revenge. But you survived—excellent. Stay alive,” Yun Xin’s eyes flashed as she curved her brows in a smile.
Chu Bing snorted coldly. “From your tone, it sounds like you actually want me to live.”
Yun Xin laughed. “You haven’t read the latest letter, have you? Let me be generous and tell you: your dear brother is coming to seek you out. When he sees your wretched state and reports it to your deadbeat father, your father will truly become a dead man.”
Of course, Yun Xin had no good intentions. But Chu Bing hadn’t expected this turn of events. If the original owner’s father died, everything she’d done would be for nothing.
“Speak!” Yun Xin suddenly leaned in, pinching Chu Bing’s cheeks hard. “Where is the remaining silver?”
“Silver?” Chu Bing feigned ignorance. “Didn’t I confess everything in court? It’s long since spent!”
“Impossible. Calculating your pawnings, daily expenses, and remittances, you have at least five hundred taels left. Where is it?”
Yun Xin was shrewd, no doubt.
Chu Bing chuckled. “What, planning to keep it all for yourself?”
She couldn’t fathom Yun Xin’s purpose in seeking her out—except to learn the whereabouts of the five hundred taels before her death. With that sum, Yun Xin could live comfortably even if she never became the main wife.
The original owner really was foolish—why confess to others? Hadn’t she heard that greed overrides loyalty? Besides, there was hardly any ‘loyalty’ between them!
“Chu Bing, you’d better tell me. Otherwise…” Yun Xin glanced at the open graves behind them, her smile all too clear.
“You want to kill me?” Chu Bing showed no fear. “Then you need to know one thing: if I die, you’ll never find out where those five hundred taels are hidden.”
“You!” Yun Xin was furious, her brows arching sharply. After a moment, she seemed to reconsider, her expression relaxing. “Chu Bing, we’ll see. One day, you’ll hand over those five hundred taels yourself.”
With that, Yun Xin and her two servants turned and walked away.
Good and evil have their reward. The original owner had been straightforward, quick to strike, but foolishly confided everything to Yun Xin.
But—why should Chu Bing bear the consequences for deeds she hadn’t committed?

“Yun Xin, is it? One day, you’ll beg me to return those two slaps.” Chu Bing stared after Yun Xin’s retreating figure, her voice filled with hatred.
But for now, the most important thing was to get the money and handle the original’s brother—after all, borrowing someone’s body came with a price, and at the very least, she must fulfill the original owner’s last wish.
Painfully, Chu Bing pushed herself up and, guided by memory, walked slowly toward the hiding place of the silver.
About half an hour later, Chu Bing stopped in her tracks, eyes wide with shock. “What… is this thing?”
What was happening? She rubbed her eyes hard, but still saw a gigantic red packet advancing towards her, flashing like an animated digital envelope come to life.
Instinctively, she reached out to tap it—only to feel the firm touch of a man’s muscular chest. At the same time, a series of numbers appeared in her mind, transforming into modern simplified characters.
“Congratulations! You have obtained a copy of ‘The Art of War by Grand Duke’!”
It was a weighty tome, ancient and venerable.
Chu Bing tried to examine it more closely, but her vision blurred and the military treatise vanished. In its place appeared a drunken man, swaying and struggling against gravity, muttering incessantly, “The chaotic times are upon us. The Xiongnu threaten, King Wu recruits troops—he must be plotting rebellion.”
“Father, literary pursuits cannot stabilize a nation; only martial skill can secure peace. You always make me recite poetry, while my elder brothers study the art of war.” The man sneered. “Do you truly have so little faith in me?”
With that, he frowned and drained a large gulp of wine with a sigh.
A frustrated scholar, Chu Bing concluded after a glance.
From his words, he clearly longed to read military treatises—wait, military treatises? The Art of War by Grand Duke?
Could it be that this red packet system meant…
Chu Bing’s heart stirred, and sure enough, ‘The Art of War by Grand Duke’ appeared firmly in her hands.
“Excellent.” Chu Bing eyed the man’s sumptuous robes and smiled. “There’s money to be made!”