Chapter 002: The Unfortunate Transmigration

In the following events, Tang Kexiao felt increasingly unreal, unable to speak to anyone, yet clearly hearing the conversations around him. People were persuading his parents to bear their grief, while his parents, unable to withstand the blow, were both admitted to the hospital. After waiting for a few days, Tang Kexiao saw his relatives taking his body out of the hospital and loading it onto a hearse, heading towards the crematorium

Just when Tang Kexiao was in a daze, unsure of what to do, a voice reached his ears: "This is it, Old Niu, we have made a grave mistake this time. This delay has caused an innocent person to die, and his body has been reduced to ashes." When Tang Kexiao turned to look in the direction of the voice, he was startled to find two monsters beside him, one with a head of a bull and the other with a head of a horse.

Looking at the two who had caused him to become such a scapegoat, Tang Kexiao only wanted to strangle them. However, knowing that he was no match for them, he instead tried to extract information by asking, "Is this matter very serious? What would happen to you if others found out?"

The police officer trailing behind was momentarily stunned; he never expected that a random shot he fired would hit an innocent person. After being dazed for half a minute, he could no longer afford to check on the thief, who lay on the ground with a gunshot wound to the head, and immediately took out his phone to dial 120

When the ambulance arrived to take the two seriously injured individuals away, Tang Kexiao's computer received a message from that friend: "How's it going? What's the commotion? Is there a beautiful woman being chased? Can you go down and be the hero to save her?" However, no one would ever respond to his teasing question again

Tang Kexiao looked at the two monsters and listened to their conversation, quickly realizing their identities; they were the legendary soul collectors, Ox-Head and Horse-Face. At that moment, the two "beings" turned to Tang Kexiao and said: "Now that your physical body no longer exists, we are powerless. How about this: you follow m.hetushu.com and we will go down to be reincarnated and start anew?"

Bang! Almost simultaneously, the police officer drew his service weapon and fired a shot into the air to intimidate the thief. Coincidentally, at that very moment, the bullet fortuitously struck Tang Kexiao in the chest.

After returning home and having lunch, Tang Kexiao opened his computer and began chatting with his friends online about what had happened in the library that morning. After listening to his account of the events, his friend laughed and said, "Haha, I didn't expect you to be so impressive, even the professor couldn't handle you and had to rely on the help of the management to step down. I really admire you. When did you become so good at debating? I never heard you mention it before."

Tang Kexiao also smiled, indeed, there was no need for him to take this matter too seriously. History is merely a record of past events, and what is there for him to argue about? The Ming Dynasty was overthrown by Li Zicheng, who rose from the fields, and Li Zicheng was subsequently defeated by the Qing army that was allowed to enter through Shanhai Pass by Wu Sangui. The Manchu Qing replaced the Ming, and all of this is already an established fact, so why should he concern himself with it? Yet, a thought stirred within him; to be honest, if he could really travel back to the Ming Dynasty as depicted in those time-travel novels, perhaps with his understanding of history, he could indeed change this established history. The Ming Dynasty was overthrown by Li Zicheng, who rose from the fields, and Li Zicheng was subsequently defeated by the Qing army that was allowed to enter through Shanhai Pass by Wu Sangui. The Manchu Qing replaced the Ming, and all of this is already an established fact, so why should he concern himself with it? Yet, a thought stirred within him; to be honest, if he could really travel back to the Ming Dynasty as depicted in those time-travel novels, perhaps with his understanding of history, he could indeed change this established history. But then he shook his head, denying his own thoughts; the end of an era is not something that one person can salvage, unless he were to become the emperor, perhaps then there would be a chance.

The Minotaur, upon hearing this, replied irritably: "Isn't it because you insisted on dragging me to finish that game? Otherwise, how could we have fallen behind? You said it would only take a moment; have you forgotten that time in the Underworld is different from that above? Now, we are both in a predicament we cannot escape from."

Unbeknownst to them, the conversation between the two had shifted from history to novels, and then to the plots and characters of those novels. Eventually, they unconsciously steered the topic towards the female characters depicted in the novels. Despite being two grown men, they found it impossible to escape the perennial topic of women.

A minotaur and a horse-faced man walked side by side, unaware that the death of a person who should not have died and the revival of a person who should have died would trigger a domino effect in history. Thus began a transformation in history.

Just as Tang Kexiao mentioned how beautiful the female protagonist in a certain novel was, he heard a commotion outside the window. The community where they lived had a security guard stationed at the entrance, and most of the residents were city workers, so it was rare for there to be any noise. Out of curiosity, Tang Kexiao moved to the window to look down. Before he left, he said, "Wait a moment, it's very noisy downstairs; it seems something has happened. I'll go take a look at the excitement and get back to you."

Watching his own body turn to ash, Tang Kexiao's mind went blank. He had vanished from this world, yet he was still aware of his thoughts. Had he truly become a ghost

While Tang Kexiao was lost in thought about his own matters, the other party sent another message: "Speaking of novels about time travel, I have read quite a few. Would you like me to recommend a few to you?"

Tang Kexiao saw that since the other party had said so, he naturally had no choice but to agree, and he also did not dare to offend these two figures from the underworld. After a brief hesitation, he chose to trust the words of the ox-headed figure. Seeing that Tang Kexiao had already agreed, the ox-headed and horse-faced figures did not delay any further. It is unknown what incantation they recited, but the three of them then vanished.

Tang Kexiao said, "But I don't want to start from being a child; if I am to do it, I want to do it as an adult. Can you all achieve that?"

Looking at the smile of the Bull Head, Tang Kexiao suddenly felt a bit uneasy. However, having reached this point, he could not oppose it any longer. After giving a slight nod, he walked into the passage. The Bull Head immediately stepped forward and pressed a few times on the yin-yang fish outside the building, then selected another era and clicked on it. A strong light flashed through the passage, and as this light gradually dissipated, Tang Kexiao's soul vanished without a trace. The Bull Head immediately stepped forward and pressed a few times on the yin-yang fish outside the building, then selected another era and clicked on it. A strong light flashed through the passage, and as this light gradually dissipated, Tang Kexiao's soul vanished without a trace

Originally, Tang Kexiao, who had half of his body hanging out of the window to strike the thief, was hit and felt a sudden imbalance, causing him to fall headfirst from the window, just like the flowerpot he had thrown, landing downstairs.

Only at this moment did the Horse Face step forward to take a look. After examining it closely, he suddenly exclaimed, "Old Ox, you actually sent him back to the Ming Dynasty several hundred years ago. Isn't that a bit too unkind?"

The other party typed after a brief pause: "Although I do not quite understand history, I also know that what you know as history is not the true history. You must realize that what you know is merely something written by later generations. Who knows what the true history is like? Unless you can, like the protagonists in the most popular time-travel novels today, actually travel back to the late Ming Dynasty to see for yourself, only then can you understand why the Ming Dynasty fell. However, I think such a thing is much harder than winning a few hundred million in the lottery, so you might as well give up on that idea." Saying this, they sent a series of emoticons.

The flowerpot struck the thief's back perfectly, causing him to stagger and fall to the ground

Ma Mian thought it made sense; in the grand scheme of history, losing a few people was not a significant matter, so he dismissed it. He turned and said, "Old Niu, let’s go play another round of that game. You were really not satisfied with losing just now."

Not long after, the three arrived before a massive building with five passageways. Noticing that there were no other personnel from the underworld around, the Bull-Headed one revealed a smug smile in his eyes. He pointed to one of the passageways marked with the character for 'human' and said to Tang Kexiao: "You go in; we will let you ascend to find a suitable body."

Seeing the thief looking as desperate as a lost dog, Tang Kexiao felt quite pleased. He had always harbored a deep resentment towards thieves, considering them a significant blight on society, akin to those who engage in sneaky and underhanded behavior. Being caught was hardly a serious crime in his eyes. Observing that the distance between the two had not decreased despite the police officer's vigorous pursuit, and that the thief was nearing his window, Tang Kexiao felt anxious for the officer: "It seems he is not particularly capable, struggling so much just to chase a criminal." While harboring disdain in his heart, Tang Kexiao decided to lend a hand to the officer. However, it was uncertain whether he could manage to assist against a thief armed with a 'weapon'—a wrench—and he feared that by the time he rushed down, both would have already fled far away.

The two beings shuddered upon hearing this, as they were well aware of the rules of the underworld. Having committed such a grave mistake, not only had they lost their future, but they might also be unable to survive. Therefore, the two beings looked at Tang Kexiao with obsequiousness: "How about this, we will allow you to start anew, just with a different identity, what do you think?"

Light as a feather, it felt as if he were in a dream; this was Tang Kexiao's sensation. He could only perceive that everything around him was unreal, whether it was the serious expression of the doctor, the tense demeanor of the nurses, or the sorrowful and anxious faces of his parents, everything appeared so unreal. "What is happening? Am I dreaming?" In his confusion, Tang Kexiao saw his own body lying in the emergency room, surrounded by doctors and nurses at the edge of the operating table.

A few hours later, he was wheeled out of the operating room, a white cloth covering his body. "No way, am I really dead? But I still have thoughts, how can this be?" Seeing his heartbroken parents, Tang Kexiao only wished to return to his body immediately, but he was powerless to do so

As Tang Kexiao was in a bit of a predicament, he suddenly caught sight of the flowerpot sitting beside him. With people about to pass right under his window, he disregarded the thought of whether the flowerpot would kill someone and picked it up, leaning out half of his body to smash it down onto the thief's head.

"No problem." The Ox-Head glanced at the Horse-Face, "You come with us; we will find you a body suitable for possession right away, I assure you it will be better than your original one." As he spoke, he repeatedly signaled to his indifferent companions. The Horse-Face did not understand his meaning, so he fell silent.

"No way, I haven't died yet and you want to burn my body? This is unacceptable, my life has just begun..." No matter how much Tang Kexiao shouted, the people still did not hear him and sent his body into the enormous furnace

Since he lived on the second floor, Tang Kexiao could clearly see what was happening below. He saw two people running, one chasing the other towards the stairs of his building. The person in front, who was fleeing, had a backpack slung over his shoulder and was holding a large wrench in his hand, while the one chasing him was in uniform. Tang Kexiao immediately understood the situation. Recently, there had been frequent thefts in their neighborhood, and it seemed that this thief had been caught in the act while 'visiting' someone's home. Moreover, he was likely unfortunate, as the male homeowner happened to be a police officer, so he had no choice but to flee.

Feeling quite bored, Tang Kexiao casually replied with "Okay," and then the other party quickly listed several bestselling time-travel novels for him. Having read quite a few of these novels himself, Tang Kexiao engaged in a discussion with the other person about these notable works.

After sending a helpless expression, Tang Kexiao also typed: "To be honest, I don't know why I was so agitated today, that I ended up debating with him in such a public setting. Although I am eloquent and possess the talents of Su Qin and Zhang Yi, I have always preferred silence. I suppose I have been reading too many books about the Ming Dynasty lately, and I am quite indignant about how the Ming was ultimately replaced by the Qing. That professor just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time."

You are unaware of this; it is for our own good. If the judge were to discover that a person who was supposed to be dead is actually alive, we would also be held accountable. Now that I have brought him to the Ming Dynasty, I believe the judge will not be able to trace it back to which of the bull-headed or horse-faced officials was responsible. Hehehehe...