Chapter 1: Lying

Cao Chong secretly smiled with satisfaction, thinking to himself, "This trick should work without a hitch. How am I so clever? After all, it's the mind of a genius youth, much more effective than my original one."

Cao Chong slowly relaxed his body, yet felt no sense of ease. He noticed Zhou Buyi inadvertently furrowed his brow, as if he had something to say but refrained from doing so, which sent a chill through him. Clearly, his head injury did not seem like an accident. He was the beloved son of Cao Cao, the most powerful Minister of Works in the Han Dynasty, so how could he have sustained a head injury? Who had done this? It seemed that this place was not peaceful either. For the first time, he felt a sense of crisis. No wonder that old ghost Bai, the harbinger of misfortune, smiled so lewdly; it turned out this was not a good place after all. Yet he still claimed he wanted to live until he was fed up

Thus, he only pretends to be profound, occasionally acting as a thinker, while also concocting some small stories to satisfy the curiosity of those two inquisitive younger brothers. His greatest headache now is not the fact that this place, though magnificent, lacks computers and electric lights, but rather how to avoid revealing any flaws. If someone were to discover that he is merely the body of Cao Chong, yet frequently utters nonsensical remarks, would he be considered possessed?

He glanced a few times and asked Cao Chong, "What strange things have you seen, young master?"

In fact, the counterfeit Cao Chong never anticipated this matter; he was preoccupied with the thought of how he had suddenly transformed from a worker in the twenty-first century, constantly worried about being laid off, into a high-ranking official's child who had everything handed to him. This transition seemed rather significant and required some time to adjust. As for Jingzhou, he had no idea where it was; his impression of Jingzhou was merely the story of Liu Bei, that big-eared thief, crying and refusing to return Jingzhou.

Zhou Buyi was taken aback for a moment, then smiled: "It seems that the young master has indeed forgotten quite a few things, but your health is the most important matter at present. We can discuss this matter later."

What, an injury to the head? Cao Chong almost jumped up from the sickbed. Didn't the book say that Cao Chong died of illness? How did it turn into a head injury? Was it an accident or murder?

"Hmm, I dreamt of a person who took me to a strange place." Cao Chong recalled the dream that Jia Baoyu had in the room of Qin Keqing in "Dream of the Red Chamber," making slight modifications to it

It is fortunate that he accompanies me every day; otherwise, dealing with my cheap mother, Lady Huan, and those two annoying little brothers would be quite bothersome. Although my cheap mother is only forty years old, compared to women of the same age in my previous life who dressed flamboyantly, she appears somewhat older. My cheap father, Cao Cao, also comes to see me every day, but he is very busy; when he does come, he can only sit for a short while, exchange a few words with me, and then leave. Moreover, as I am an imposter, I do not dare to say much, so I can only pretend to be weak to avoid revealing any flaws. My cheap father, Cao Cao, also comes to see me every day, but he is very busy; when he does come, he can only sit for a short while, exchange a few words with me, and then leave. Moreover, as I am an imposter, I do not dare to say much, so I can only pretend to be weak to avoid revealing any flaws.

Since that day when the young master woke up, he has always preferred to ponder alone. Is he worried about Lord Sikong's expedition to Jingzhou?" Zhou Bouyi observed Cao Chong lost in thought again and smiled as he asked. He knew that since Cao Cao returned from the campaign in Liucheng last year, he had been continuously arranging the southern expedition to Jingzhou to confront Liu Biao. Cao Chong had also been involved in this matter before falling ill, and it was only recently, due to his illness, that he had not attended the meetings. Zhou Bouyi thought that Cao Chong was likely contemplating this issue, anxious about the lack of updates on the situation.

Cao Chong noticed that he had not raised any suspicions, and thus he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He continued, after all, it was just a dream; the things he had seen in his previous life must seem strange to them. So he spoke at length about various topics, such as airplanes flying in the sky, trains running on the ground, and atomic bombs capable of destroying an entire city. When he mentioned atomic bombs, he recalled the Japanese. He wondered what the Japanese were like now and whether he should go over and eliminate them first to prevent future troubles.

In recent days, he has not dared to speak, only blaming himself for being too eager to be reborn as a high-ranking official's child, without carefully inquiring about the family background of that gloomy little genius. As a result, he now only knows that the woman feeding him is his mother, Lady Huan. The two children who keep swallowing are named Cao Ju and Cao Yu, both of whom are his half-brothers. The tall man with sparse yellow whiskers who often visits him is his brother, Cao Zhang, presumably the historical figure known as the Yellow Whiskers. There have even been claims that he might have Xianbei ancestry. Now he realizes that he, like Cao Pi and Cao Zhi, is a son of their father, Cao Cao, and the first wife, Lady Bian, with no trace of Xianbei blood.

Cao Chong lay comfortably on his sickbed, sipping the tonic sent by Lady Huan with a small spoon, feeling quite pleased with himself. The fate of this person is truly strange; a small literati from the twenty-first century, mistakenly taken by a drunken ghost, unexpectedly finds himself in the Han Dynasty eighteen hundred years ago, reincarnated as the legendary genius boy Cao Chong. Not only has he transformed back into a carefree youth, but he has also changed from a worker into a high-ranking official's son, which is truly astonishing

Cao Chong felt somewhat nervous; could there really be flaws even in a dream? He did not dare to continue speaking and cautiously looked at Zhou Buyi. Zhou Buyi stroked his chin, but his chin was still very smooth, without any beard, which made him look somewhat comical

Zhou Buyi listened with a face full of astonishment; the things that Cao Chong spoke of were all too marvelous for him. He asked detailed questions for a long time but still could not understand how this iron lump could fly into the sky, how this iron box could run all over the ground, and how this egg could blow up a city. The more he listened, the more curious he became, and the more he asked.

Yuan Zhi, I fell ill this time, and there are some things... some things I can't quite remember. Cao Chong looked at Zhou Buyi and said slowly, secretly hoping that this young man would not become suspicious

The physician stated that the young master has sustained a head injury, which may lead to memory loss. However, judging by the young master's condition, it should not be a significant issue, and he is expected to recover after some time

Zhou Buyi saw that Lady Huan had gone out, and then he walked into the room, kneeling on the mat not far in front of Cao Chong. He straightened his body, sat steadily on his heels, and looked at Cao Chong's increasingly rosy cheeks, revealing a hint of a relaxed smile

Zhou Buyi suddenly sat up straight: "A person, a strange place?"

Madam Huan was unaware that the imposter Cao Chong was currently troubled by this matter. He had not anticipated that telling a fairy tale known even to a child from a past life would lead to such significant trouble. Upon seeing the eager expressions of those two little ones, he felt somewhat embarrassed. Each time, he had to wrack his brain to come up with fairy tales, but the stories he had at his disposal could be counted on one hand. He deeply regretted not having thoroughly read the book "One Thousand and One Nights" back then; otherwise, even telling one story a day could sustain him for three years.

In the past few days, I had a strange dream

Zhou Buyi smiled, a radiant smile like sunlight spreading from the corners of his mouth

Madam Huan watched as Cao Chong finished a full bowl of nourishment, carefully wiping the corners of his mouth. Only then did she smile and take Cao Yu and Cao Ju away. She knew that although her son was only thirteen years old, his intellect surpassed that of many adults. Only the exceptionally clever Zhou Buyi could engage in conversation with him; Cao Yu and his brother were still too young to hold a meaningful dialogue. However, she found comfort in the fact that her son was in good spirits after waking up this time, often wearing a smile on his face. He would tell his younger brother some peculiar stories, such as the tale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Although she did not particularly enjoy listening to these stories, Cao Ju and Cao Yu were captivated, clamoring every morning to see their brother.

Seeing that Zhou was not suspicious and did not want to speak, Cao Chong, for the moment, also refrained from asking further questions. He could only continue along the topic he had just mentioned.

However, it just so happened that he had watched the pirated version of "Red Cliff" before his time travel, the one directed by the renowned director John Woo. Coupled with his thorough understanding of Su Shi's "Nian Nu Jiao: Red Cliff Memories," it would be somewhat unrealistic to say that he knew nothing about the Battle of Red Cliff. Yet, he did not have the courage to discuss the matter of attacking Jingzhou with the genius youth Zhou Buyi, as he was almost certain that he would make a fool of himself the moment he opened his mouth. In his previous life, he was aware that Director Wu's depiction of the Battle of Red Cliff was heavily criticized, and Su Shi's reflections on Red Cliff even got the geographical names wrong.

How about pretending to have amnesia? Aren't the protagonists in those time-travel novels often using this trick

Dream

My father is Cao Cao, my brothers are Cao Pi and Cao Zhi. Just thinking of these three illustrious names fills the imposter Cao Chong, a literary youth of later generations, with an uncontrollable excitement. The Three Caos of Jian'an—what a resounding name! I never expected they would all be my family. Just thinking about it brings joy, though I feel a slight regret that in later films and television dramas, Cao Cao's image is not very favorable; he is portrayed as a treacherous minister. However, from what I have seen in recent days, regardless of whether he is a treacherous minister or not, at least he is a good father. Just thinking about it brings joy, though I feel a slight regret that in later films and television dramas, Cao Cao's image is not very favorable; he is portrayed as a treacherous minister. However, from what I have seen in recent days, regardless of whether he is a treacherous minister or not, at least he is a good father

The slender, pale-faced young man is named Zhou Buyi, courtesy name Yuanzhi, from Lingling. He is also a prodigious talent. Historically, it is said that he was killed by his father, Cao Cao, shortly after the death of the legitimate Cao Chong. However, now that he has survived, he likely does not have any immediate safety concerns. Indeed, his pale face has begun to take on a healthy flush these past few days