Chapter 1 A Beautiful Way to Die

When Wu Ying awoke, he found himself submerged in water.

He gazed around in confusion, feeling the biting chill seep into his bones.

A blood-red sky stretched overhead, and everything around him was bathed in the same crimson hue.

The air was thick with the sounds of battle—shouts, the clangor of weapons, and the thunder of war drums.

A sharp pain throbbed in his head. He remembered only a harrowing explosion, the moment he and Jin Daizi were blown into a mist of blood.

He also recalled Jin Daizi activating the treasured Soul Pearl just in time, protecting their souls. But how then had he ended up here, with a body once more?

Where was Jin Daizi now? Was this still Blue Moon Star?

His mind spun, trying to piece together what had happened, but another jolt of pain shot through his brain, flooding it with a torrent of unfamiliar memories.

He tried to scream, but the moment he opened his mouth, a wave of foul water crashed in, choking him.

Damn it, he cursed inwardly before slipping into unconsciousness once again.

Just before losing consciousness, he thought he glimpsed a large wooden boat nearby, soldiers clad in armor standing atop it.

A few soldiers leapt into the water, swimming toward him.

Then a wave broke over him, and he closed his eyes.

Before long, he awoke once more.

This time, mercifully, he found himself lying on warm grass rather than floating in icy water.

Soon after, several people grabbed him and carried him onto an iron-framed bed.

It was a makeshift dormitory, filled with double-decker iron beds, like a communal sleeping area.

He realized he was not dead.

Or rather, he had been reborn.

This planet was called Earth, the nation was Huaxia.

His predecessor’s name was Chu Tianfeng, an orphan much like himself in his previous life.

His mother, Chu Xiang, was an actress of modest fame; his father, Liu Zixiong, was a scion of the Liu family in Tianhai.

It was a classic, simple love story between a third-rate actress and a third-rate scion.

The Liu family had never accepted Chu Xiang or Chu Tianfeng, and neither could accept the Liu family.

When Chu Tianfeng was seventeen, Liu Zixiong died in a car accident. Chu Xiang brought Chu Tianfeng to the Liu family's mourning hall, only to be driven out. Afterward, Chu Xiang became despondent, took to bed a year later, and died another year after that.

Under his mother's influence, Chu Tianfeng had loved acting from a young age.

Now, at twenty-one, he was a third-year student at the Tianhai Film Academy.

But lacking connections, he could only eke out a living in a film town called Shudian in Zheshu Province, playing extras in various productions.

Like right now: he was cast in a film about the Battle of Red Cliffs during the Three Kingdoms era.

The shoot was taking place at Qianiao Lake in Zheshu Province; the crew was camped along the lakeshore.

His role was that of a soldier in Cao Cao’s army—a soldier destined to die.

Even such a minor role was hard-won.

There was a great difference between dying and surviving: a surviving extra earned a hundred yuan a day, but a dying extra got an additional hundred per death.

For that extra hundred yuan, Chu Tianfeng had pleaded with the script supervisor several times and even performed mock death scenes for the assistant director.

That assistant director, Zhang Qiang, had taken a liking to him, especially after seeing him jump from a two-meter-high platform into a sandpit, exclaiming, “Not bad! That was a beautiful death!”

So Zhang Qiang suggested to Director Yang Yi that there be more soldiers dying by falling into the water during the battle scenes, especially those shot down by arrows.

He then brought in Chu Tianfeng to stand as a sentry at the bow of the boat—not only to die first, but to leap from the highest point of the ship into the water.

This time, he even had lines, not just the usual “ah!” or “oh!”

Moreover, Zhang Qiang promised that if Chu Tianfeng performed well, he would be given priority for death scenes in war movies like this, where deaths were frequent.

Chu Tianfeng was so excited he could barely sleep that night.

At dawn, the water battle sequence began filming.

No sooner had the director shouted “Action!” than Chu Tianfeng, stationed atop the ship’s tower, cried out, “Enemy attack!”

He then seized a prop flaming arrow and stabbed it into his chest.

Letting out a heartrending scream, he toppled into the water.

His acting was impressive—his movements, voice, and expression all spot-on.

But being timid by nature, he was so nervous about jumping from such a height that he closed his eyes and failed to notice what lay below.

As luck would have it, his head struck the ship’s side as he fell.

There was a loud clang, startling a few extras playing soldiers on deck.

The impact knocked him out cold.

Thus, the hapless Chu Tianfeng plunged straight into the water, sending up a splash.

Since filming was underway, no one noticed he failed to resurface.

And so, poor Chu Tianfeng drowned.

Thus, the new Chu Tianfeng—Wu Ying—was reborn.

Chu Tianfeng—what a fine name, Wu Ying thought. From this moment on, he would be Chu Tianfeng.

He accepted Chu Tianfeng’s body and everything that came with it.

Chu Tianfeng was him, and he was Chu Tianfeng.

Suddenly, a pressing thought occurred to him. He reached down to his groin—

Astonishing! Something real, solid, and authentic!

Nothing could describe Wu Ying—or rather, Chu Tianfeng’s feelings at that moment.

In his former life, his master Qian Ling had disliked men and had him castrated at a young age.

He had lived a thousand years, neither male nor female!

Only after losing something did one understand its value.

Now, having regained it, how could he not be moved? How could he not be elated?

Clutching his restored manhood, Chu Tianfeng wept tears of joy.

He cried out in excitement.

But barely had his voice rung out when hurried footsteps sounded outside.

Moments later, three faces appeared before him—two men and one woman.

Leading the group was a middle-aged man with a square face, around forty years old. He seemed familiar. After a moment’s thought, Chu Tianfeng remembered: this was Yan Bin, the production manager.

The other man and woman were dressed in white coats; the man, gaunt and middle-aged, was likely a doctor; the young woman, ordinary in appearance but with bright, lively eyes, was probably a nurse.

“You’re awake?” the male doctor asked.

By now, Chu Tianfeng had browsed his predecessor’s memories and understood the doctor’s words—Mandarin, the national language.

Chu Tianfeng nodded. His spoken Mandarin was still shaky, so he decided to speak as little as possible.

“I remember you hurt your head, so why are you clutching your balls?” the doctor asked, puzzled.

The young nurse covered her mouth and giggled, her cheeks reddening.

Chu Tianfeng wanted to retort, “What business is it of yours if I’m holding my balls?”

But he dared not. He simply rolled his eyes and moved his hands to his chest.

“How is he, Doctor Cheng?” Yan Bin inquired.

“Nothing serious. He’s young—this is no big deal,” Dr. Cheng replied, flipping up Chu Tianfeng’s left eyelid, and trying to flip the right, only to be blocked by Chu Tianfeng.

“Don’t move.” Dr. Cheng gripped his hand and managed to check both eyes.

Chu Tianfeng wanted to get up and teach him a lesson, but suddenly recalled he was no longer a cultivator, just an ordinary man.

Frustrated, he glared at Dr. Cheng.

“Ah, quite a temper,” Dr. Cheng said, withdrawing his hand. He turned to the nurse, “Xiao Xu, take his blood pressure and pulse.”

“Yes, Doctor,” Xiao Xu replied, pulling a small case from behind her and producing a sphygmomanometer and stethoscope.

“How are you feeling?” Yan Bin asked, stepping forward.

He wasn’t doubting Dr. Cheng’s skills, but felt responsible to check on Chu Tianfeng himself.

He genuinely hoped nothing would happen to Chu Tianfeng—the production’s budget was tight, and money should be spent on the main cast, not on extras like him.

“Thank you, Manager Yan, I’m fine,” Chu Tianfeng replied haltingly, finding speech difficult in the unfamiliar environment.

He knew his body was fine, and even if there were issues, he’d find a way to fix them without these doctors.

Those medical instruments looked feeble—like children’s toys.

After taking his blood pressure, Xiao Xu checked his pulse and temperature, working for more than ten minutes.

Yan Bin and Dr. Cheng sat chatting idly on a nearby bed.

At last, Xiao Xu put away her instruments and reported to Dr. Cheng, “Blood pressure ninety-five over one-oh-five, pulse seventy-five, armpit temperature thirty-seven point two.”

“Ha! All normal. Now you can rest easy,” Dr. Cheng told Yan Bin, giving him a pat on the shoulder. “I’ve got to get back.”

Yan Bin exchanged a few more words with the two, saw them off to their car, then returned to the dormitory.

“You gave us quite a scare,” Yan Bin said, dropping onto the bed.

“Thank you, Manager Yan,” Chu Tianfeng replied more smoothly now. “Do you know if the director was satisfied with my performance?”

He cared about this—directors held his purse strings.

“Satisfied? Of course!” Yan Bin clapped him gently on the shoulder. “Director Yang asked about you—he thought your acting was terrific.”

He patted him so lightly, as if afraid to break him.

“That’s good. I was worried I overdid it,” Chu Tianfeng said sheepishly.

He had never formally studied acting, but after living a thousand years, his life experience was far from ordinary.

In his view, his predecessor’s acting was a bit forced, the performance marks too obvious—especially the panic at discovering the enemy, which looked more like madness than fear.

“No need to worry. Director Yang is very pleased. Director Zhang even came to see you,” Yan Bin said with a smile.

“Oh? What did Director Zhang say?” Chu Tianfeng’s speech grew more fluent.

He might have no cultivation now, but his new body was fairly robust, and he was adjusting quickly.

“Director Zhang said there are still a few water battle scenes. He wanted to invite you, but since you were injured, he left it at that,” Yan Bin said with a hint of regret.

He knew well what such opportunities meant to extras like Chu Tianfeng.

“Ah? I definitely want to take part!” Chu Tianfeng sat up at once. “No, I have to go find Director Zhang!”