Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The Beginning "This is going too far! This really is going too far! Even if he didn't want to acknowledge the engagement, he had no right to trick Tang'er into going to a cliff. He clearly wanted my daughter dead!" "Waaah, my daughter!" "Father, that son of a bitch Pei Sanlang knew perfectly well that Fourth Sister was innocent and guileless, yet he tricked her into going to a cliff to pick some blasted peach blossom for him. I'm going to kill that bastard right now!" "Waaah, my Tangtang!" "Big Brother, don't be rash. Pei Sanlang belongs to Duke Ning's Residence, and the place is heavily guarded. How could you possibly kill him? Why don't we do it my way? We'll lie in wait at a street corner, and the next time he comes out, we'll rush him and stab him a couple of times." "Waaah, my precious girl! You can't leave Mother behind!" "Big Brother, Second Brother has a point. Why don't we lurk around Duke Ning's Residence, then tie Pei San up, kill him, and bury him? He can keep Fourth Sister company in death. "The three of us can go together and look out for one another. If anything happens to us, Father and Mother can rely on Little Five to support them in their old age." "Waaah, how am I supposed to go on living?" "Brothers, don't worry. I'll take good care of Father and Mother, support them in their old age, and see to their funerals when the time comes." "Waaah..." The moment Su Tang regained consciousness, she heard a jumble of voices talking over one another. Hadn't she already told everyone that no one was allowed to make a racket at her base, lest they attract a zombie horde? Were these people trying to get themselves killed by making such a commotion? Sharp pain stabbed repeatedly at the back of Su Tang's head, leaving her terribly uncomfortable. Her sluggish mind began working again. Wait. She remembered carrying a pack of explosives and dying together with the Zombie King. Why was she still alive? Just as she was about to ask what was going on, a flood of memories flashed through her mind like scenes on a revolving lantern. Back when her base had stabilized, she had traded half a piece of bread for a phone loaded with novels, so she was no stranger to the usual fiction tropes. After blowing herself up, she must have transmigrated into an ancient world called the Great Xia Dynasty. Who knew such a wonderful thing was possible! The original owner of this body was called Su Tangtang, whose name contained one more character than Su Tang's own. She was the Fourth Young Lady of Marquis Anle's Residence and had been simple-minded since birth. The original owner's father, Su Zhe, the Marquis Anle, had been a concubine-born son of the previous Marquis Anle. His father's principal wife, Madam Xia, had never liked him. However, Madam Xia's own son had been in poor health and died young, so she had no choice but to support Su Zhe's succession to the title. The late Marquis Anle had once done Duke Ning's household a favor, and the two families had arranged an engagement and exchanged tokens of betrothal. Unexpectedly, Duke Ning's household had never had a daughter. Marquis Anle's household, now headed by Su Zhe, did have a daughter, but she was simple-minded. Naturally, Duke Ning's household was unwilling to honor the engagement. And never mind that the duke's household had no daughter. Even if they had, the powerful and prosperous Duke Ning's Residence would never agree to a marriage alliance with Marquis Anle's household, which was on the verge of fading into obscurity in the capital. Yet although the original owner was simple-minded, she had a particular weakness for good looks. As soon as she heard that the two families had a marriage agreement, she set her sights on Pei Yanli, the unmarried third son of Duke Ning's Residence. Not only did she follow Pei Yanli around every day, but she also frequently declared her affection for him in public. She kept pursuing him for three years. Yesterday, a poetry gathering had been held at Drunken Fragrance Tower. The original owner had gone to pester Pei Yanli again, only for him to coax her into going to the summit of Mount Jinqing to pick the most splendidly blooming peach blossom. He had even said that if she brought back the flower, he would come to her family's residence to propose marriage. Mount Jinqing was a barren, rocky mountain, with a single peach tree growing beside a cliff. Anyone else would have understood that Pei Yanli was deliberately making things difficult for her. But the original owner believed him and actually went to Mount Jinqing. After picking the peach blossom, however, she accidentally tumbled off the cliff, struck the back of her head against a rock, and died. When the people from the marquis's residence found her and brought her back, she was still clutching the peach blossom tightly in her hand. The original owner's mind had been muddled and her memories were fragmented, but Su Tang understood what had happened. She couldn't approve of the original owner's behavior. Su Tang had been born in the apocalypse. For as long as she could remember, she and her mother had been running from zombies. Her mother died when Su Tang was five. Fortunately, she awakened a special wood-element ability, which allowed her to protect herself and build a base of her own. Back at the base, whenever the women around her talked about men, they called them tools for regulating their hormones—something they could have fun with all day for the price of a packet of instant noodles. If that was the case, Su Tang couldn't understand why the original owner had pestered a mere tool so relentlessly. There were no zombies here, no mutated animals, and no man-eating plants. Why bother with men? Wasn't it better to make money, gather food, and build a career? At the thought of food, Su Tang had an idea and began channeling her ability. This was the power that had allowed her to fight her way through the apocalypse. Her special wood-element ability differed from an ordinary wood-element ability. Not only could she draw essence from plants to heal wounds, control their growth, and command them to fight for her, but she could also communicate with plants freely. Wherever there were plants in the world, nothing could be hidden from her. In theory, this should have made her ability an invaluable tool for finding treasure and gathering intelligence. Unfortunately, all the plants in the apocalypse had mutated. Nine out of every ten things they said were insults, and the remaining one was merely a filler word. They couldn't provide any useful information at all. But in this era, perhaps she could put her ability to use. To Su Tang's delight, her ability had come with her. As she channeled it, essence from numerous plants seeped into her body and helped repair the wound at the back of her head. The wound felt cool and itchy as it rapidly healed, filling Su Tang with delight. The power contained in the plants of this world was several times purer than that of plants in the apocalypse. While Su Tang was healing her body, she suddenly heard the slightly childish voice of Little Five, Su Haochen, beside her. "Mother, I think Fourth Sister's finger just moved." Madam Liu, the marquis's wife, abruptly stopped crying. She leaned closer and examined Su Tang carefully, even reaching out with cold, trembling fingertips to lift Su Tang's eyelid. "Did it really move? Tangtang, open your eyes and look at Mother!" The eldest brother, Su Hao'an, clenched his fists tightly. "I can't stand this anymore. I'm going to find Pei San and fight him to the death right now. Wait here. I'll come back after I kill him." The second brother, Su Haoqi, was just about to speak when Su Tang suddenly opened her eyes. "Who are we killing? Let's go together!"