Confidence

A crescent moon hung in the sky, cold as frost.
"An earthquake?"
Xu Lu felt his body violently shake, jolting him awake.
As doubt arose in his heart, a man's urgent and anxious voice reached Xu Lu's ears.
"Young Master, you must hide well!
No matter what happens, do not come out, and do not make any sound!"
Young Master?
Xu Lu instinctively looked up, only to see a completely unfamiliar face.
The man had a long, five-tufted goatee and wore ancient attire commonly seen on television! At this moment, his face was filled with anxiety, his eyes revealing unconcealable panic.
What was happening?
Xu Lu's mind went blank, and a sense of dread began to rise within him.
"In the morning, Young Master, you must flee, as far as possible.
From now on, conceal your identity, and never mention your status to anyone!"
The long-bearded old man spoke hurriedly, constantly turning his head to look around as he spoke, as if worried about something.
"Young Master, remember this old servant's words!"
The long-bearded old man reached out and gripped Xu Lu's shoulder tightly.
Xu Lu was vaguely flustered, instinctively wanting to evade.
But the opponent's arms were like a pair of iron clamps, making it impossible for him to break free.
Xu Lu felt the opponent's hands radiating heat, a warm current flowing into his body, dispelling the cold.
"I remember."
Xu Lu had not yet fully grasped the current situation, his brain seemed to have stopped functioning, and he spoke unconsciously.
A resolute expression appeared on the long-bearded old man's face, followed by a smile uglier than crying.
"Young Master, do not be afraid. You will surely be safe and sound, living a long life.
Please forgive this old servant for being unable to continue serving you."
The long-bearded old man suddenly knelt to the ground with a thud, kowtowing three times before Xu Lu.
Before Xu Lu could react, he felt his body lifted by a pair of large hands, then stuffed into a pit in the ground.
Immediately after, branches and leaves rustled down.
In just a few seconds, Xu Lu was completely covered by dry branches and fallen leaves.
This was truly absurd and inexplicable!
If not for the gaps between the dry branches and fallen leaves allowing air to pass through, Xu Lu would have felt buried alive.
"Esteemed Uncle, who are you exactly? This kind of prank is truly not amusing!"
Xu Lu was about to struggle to his feet and loudly question the other party.
Suddenly, through a gap in the leaves, Xu Lu saw the long-bearded old man suddenly leap up.
This jump was at least three to five meters high, with rapid speed and impressive height, absolutely not something an ordinary person could achieve.
After leaping up, his feet stepped on a bamboo stalk, and like an ape, he soared several more meters.
"A martial arts expert!"
Xu Lu stared wide-eyed, instinctively judging based on his experience.
"Song Jing Han is here! Who dares to kill me!"
The long-bearded old man flew into the air, shouting loudly, his voice like thunder.
Xu Lu's eyes were filled with astonishment and admiration—an expert! Absolutely an expert!
Such an expert, yet he called himself Young Master?
"Those who steal secret arts are all rebels, punishable by death according to the law."
An extremely cold voice suddenly rang out, followed by a ray of light appearing from nowhere.
"Pfft!"
The long-bearded old man, who had just been as majestic as a Heavenly God, was directly sliced into two by that ray of light, utterly powerless to resist!
Fresh blood and severed limbs fell from the sky, creating a rain of blood.
Xu Lu forcefully covered his mouth, controlling himself to not make a sound.
The astonishment and admiration in his eyes had completely transformed into terror.
"Someone died!"
Xu Lu's entire body felt as if it had fallen into an ice cellar.
At this moment, he no longer doubted.
This was absolutely not the world he originally belonged to!
This was a strange ancient world similar to his own country!
Silver light fell upon the ground, but could not penetrate the dense bamboo forest.
Xu Lu peered through the gaps in the dry branches and fallen leaves, seeing a figure appear in the sky.
He stood in mid-air on a bamboo stalk, his entire body almost submerged in the darkness of the mountain forest, his appearance unclear. Only his eyes seemed to glow, sweeping across the bamboo forest.
Xu Lu's entire body huddled into a ball, constantly praying to the gods for protection, hoping he would not be discovered.
He knew well that being discovered now would surely mean death.
Time passed as slowly as years. After an unknown duration, the dark figure soared away, vanishing like a flying bird.
"Flew away?"
Xu Lu felt his entire worldview collapse.
However, upon reflection, since such an unscientific event as transmigration had occurred, a person who could fly seemed not so unacceptable.
He maintained his posture, not daring to move.
The trope of villains pretending to leave only to return for the kill had been overused in TV dramas.
"Song Jing Han jumped several meters, and his killer could even fly. This world is absolutely one of strange powers and chaotic gods!"
Xu Lu's body was numb. He tried to use his thoughts to divert his body's attention.
"Those who steal secret arts are all rebels."
Under extreme fear, Xu Lu's mind had never been so active.
"Song Jing Han and I are both rebels, which is why we are being hunted. No wonder Song Jing Han wanted me to conceal my identity before he died...
What exactly is this secret art?
Is it a cultivation method that allows one to wield mystical power?
It must be..."
Countless questions swirled in Xu Lu's mind. Unfortunately, he could not inherit any memories from the original body, leaving him almost completely ignorant.
The only thing he could confirm was that his current situation was extremely dangerous!
"The person just now said 'punishable by death according to the law.' Am I now a wanted criminal?"
"I, a transmigrator, must I truly conceal my identity?"
"The problem is, even if I conceal my identity, I still need to live, right? Homeless, without valuables, how can I survive? This world, it even has martial arts, and who knows if there are demons and monsters..."
"Song Jing Han did not even leave me any gold or silver treasures...
I wonder what this body looks like, if it's good enough to live off others..."
"That person could actually fly. I wonder if I have the ability to wield such power, to ride a sword on the wind, to slay demons between heaven and earth—that would also be a refined and majestic demeanor..."
Xu Lu was buried in the pit, covered in dry branches and fallen leaves, his mind filled with chaotic thoughts. After a long time, his spirit was utterly exhausted, and he finally succumbed to sleep.

After an unknown period, Xu Lu felt himself falling from a height. His heart panicked, and his feet suddenly kicked hard.
"Rustle, rustle—"
The dry branches and fallen leaves were kicked open, creating a large hole.
"Not good!"
Xu Lu immediately remembered his situation; he was still evading pursuit!
"This time, I'm dead for sure!"
Xu Lu stood up in a panic, looking around fearfully.
It was already bright morning. The surroundings were empty; only bamboo trees were visible, no people.
A mountain breeze swept through the dark forest, and the bamboo groaned a few times.
Xu Lu let out a soft breath, feeling his entire body drenched in cold sweat, his limbs even more limp and weak.
He sat down heavily on the ground, panting.
"If I keep getting startled like this, I might be scared to death."
Xu Lu's heart was filled with helplessness. Tonight, his emotions had surged like waves, experiencing great joy and great sorrow, which would surely shorten his lifespan.
After slowly recovering for a long time, Xu Lu looked up ahead.
Song Jing Han's body had vanished. He did not know if it had been dragged away by wild beasts while he slept last night, or if someone had come to collect it.
If not for the bloodstains still on the ground, he would even have thought everything he saw last night was an illusion.
"It wasn't a dream; I really transmigrated!"
"And to a world with supernatural powers!"
No matter what, Xu Lu could only finally accept reality.
"This body now looks only about fourteen or fifteen years old."
Xu Lu looked at his hands and feet, wondering whether to be happy about becoming young again, "To have a second youth is a good thing, after all.
I am still young now. After a few years, my body will develop, and my appearance will change. Even if I am a wanted criminal, no one will recognize me then, and there are no photographs in ancient times...
However, how to survive is a problem.
This place looks like a wilderness. Even in the developed era of my previous life, wild mountains and fields were extremely dangerous, let alone now?
Demons, monsters, wild beasts, mountain bandits... I cannot handle any of them casually.
Some perverted mountain bandits even seem to prefer handsome men..."
Xu Lu shivered all over, feeling like he was standing on the edge of a cliff, in great danger.
"No matter what, I must first find a human settlement.
Without extraordinary abilities, in the wilderness, there is only death."
Xu Lu muttered to himself, "As for being wanted, ancient imperial decrees were not widely circulated, and wanted posters might not necessarily be posted everywhere.
I, a transmigrator, do I not even have the ability to live a comfortable life?"
Xu Lu considered himself a person of deep foresight, planning ten steps ahead. He had already thought through how he would live peacefully in this world.
Boiling salt, brewing wine, firing glass—which of these was not a skill for making a fortune?
If that did not work, becoming a chef could also ensure a full belly!
Having read three hundred transmigration novels, Xu Lu still felt he was multi-talented; previously, he simply had no opportunity to display his skills.
Now, the Dragon Slaying Art finally had a chance to be used.
"Having money is not enough. This world also has martial arts. Once I have money, I will seek a master to learn skills, and then become a generation's great hero, enjoying grudges and enmities..."
"Song Jing Han, if there is an opportunity in the future, I will avenge you.
If there is no opportunity, do not blame me..."
Xu Lu muttered cautiously to himself. In a world of strange powers and chaotic gods, one could not casually make wishes; what if they came true?
After much thought, the sun was already high.
Thinking more would ultimately lead back to reality: the wilderness, no permanent dwelling.
"Clatter—"
As Xu Lu stood up, an object suddenly fell from his body.
He reacted; last night, when Song Jing Han stuffed him into the pit, he did seem to have put something into his chest.
"Could it be property left for me?"
Joy appeared on Xu Lu's face as he looked down.
He saw a square, brick-like object at his feet.
Xu Lu turned and picked up the object. It was heavy in his hand, but it was not gold, silver, or any other kind of precious metal.
It was a square metal block with an unusually lustrous surface. Xu Lu could not discern what kind of metal it was.
He held the metal block in his hand, examining it repeatedly for a long time.
"A brick-shaped metal block?"
Xu Lu was a little disappointed. He had thought it was a treasure box, but this object had no gaps on its surface, not looking like it could be opened.
"It would be handy for smashing people, though.
Song Jing Han specially left it for me; it should not be just a brick. I will study it slowly later."
Xu Lu tore off a piece of his inner garment, wrapped the metal block, and then solemnly placed it in his chest.
After doing all this, he picked up a bamboo stalk from the ground to use as a walking stick. After a moment of hesitation, he scooped up some mud from the ground and casually smeared it on his face.
"A disciple of the Beggar Sect should look just like this.
Now, even if Song Jing Han came back to life and stood before me, he probably would not recognize me."
Xu Lu was very satisfied with his disguise. He looked up, casually chose a direction, and walked forward with great vigor.