Chapter 1  : My Plus and Minus Buttons 6

“My head!”

This was the first feeling Jiang Li had after regaining consciousness. It was as if his head had been kicked by a donkey, and it hurt so much that it seemed to have deformed.

He struggled to open his eyes, only to see that he was in a moving carriage.

As the wooden carriage swayed, he could feel the throbbing pain on his head as he grimaced in pain.

Enduring the pain, he opened his eyes and observed his surroundings.

It was a confined space surrounded by black wooden planks. There were also a few young men and women dressed in ancient robes sitting together. Some of them looked at him gloatingly, while others completely ignored him.

He judged that he must have been lying on the floor. The smell of damp mold and the cold wet floor made him uncomfortable, so he struggled to get up.

But at this time, he felt a sharp pain in his mind.

It was as if his intracranial pressure had suddenly increased. Accompanied by a pain that felt like his brain was about to explode, many unfamiliar memories of someone’s life flashed through his mind like a revolving door.

Jiang Li’s legs gave way, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted again.

...

“Jiang Li! Wake up! Jiang Li!”

In a daze, Jiang Li heard someone calling him. It was as if his drifting consciousness gradually landed on solid ground, and he slowly opened his eyes.

Did I… transmigrate? Jiang Li could still remember the smell of smoke when the gaming capsule caught fire.

The security door at home was so sturdy that before the rescue team broke through the door, he had probably been completely cremated already.

Furthermore, such ancient carriages and wooden planks covered in mold could only be seen in movies of ancient times and television programs.

Recalling the memories that appeared in his mind, Jiang Li had some basic understanding of his current identity and the basic situation of this world.

This world was very similar to the setting of ancient times often seen in dramas and novels because there were real immortals here.

Coincidentally, his current body was also called Jiang Li, the son of a martial arts family.

Because he was their first child, they named him after the character for dawn, meaning that there would be many children and grandchildren in the future. Overall, this name was the artistic version of saying “having more kids.”

Half a month ago, during a test, the original body’s luck was very good and was checked to have cultivation aptitude. This was the commonly known spiritual root.

As the saying went, it was hard to find immortal opportunities. Everyone wanted to cultivate, but similarly, cultivation sects also wanted to recruit more and better disciples to strengthen themselves.

Even if a beggar obtained an immortal opportunity, who could say that he would not rise up to achieve great things?

Therefore, as long as one possessed a spiritual root, most sects would not reject them.

However, his father, Jiang Yuanshan, who was the head of the Jiang family, had clearly been in the pugilistic world for a long time. In order for Jiang Li to become a disciple of a cultivation sect, he had paid a considerable price to the parties involved.

Right now, Jiang Li was on a carriage heading towards the cultivation sect.

When he got up from the ground, his headache had lessened.

He looked at the person who woke him up. It was a young boy.

He had a round face, a big nose, and thick lips. Only his pair of arms were exceptionally small and looked a little funny. However, there was a faint aura of dignity around him. Clearly, he was not a child of an ordinary family.

“Hehe, Jiang Li, you’ve finally woken up. If you wake up a few hours later, they may throw you to the side of the road to feed the wolves.”

When the big boy saw Jiang Li wake up, he seemed to be very happy and smiled a few times.

Jiang Li held his head and searched through his memories. Soon, he found out the identity of the person in front of him.

“Thank you, Yan Hong.”

There was still a difference in treatment from those who had been bribed and those who had not. At the very least, the young men and women who were traveling with him were not commoners.

This Yan Hong was the son of a certain prince in their country. Although he was not the son of the first wife, he was still highly regarded. It was obvious that his status was much higher than that of a descendant of a martial arts family.

“Hehe, we’re brothers after all. Hurry up and get up.”

Yan Hong helped Jiang Li up from the ground. He looked to be only thirteen or fourteen years old, but the strength coming from his arms was so great that it definitely surpassed his adult self from his previous life.

“Also, keep this for yourself. This time, I acted quickly and safe-kept it for you. Don’t drop it again.”

Before Jiang Li could react, Yan Hong stuffed a small cloth bag over.

Jiang Li touched it in his hand. It was stiff, smooth, and cold, like a jade pendant.

A memory quickly surfaced in his mind.

“My son, Jiang Li, this item is not to be underestimated. Our family has given a huge sum of money to ask for this gift from the immortal. It can prevent you from doing odd jobs for two years and directly walk on the path to immortality! You must take good care of it and not lose it!”

“You are going to seek immortality and pursue the Dao. The journey is long and the future is uncertain. This is the last thing I can do for you. I hope you can become an immortal and bring our Jiang family to greater heights!”

In his memory, that was a burly middle-aged man. He was the father of the original owner of the body, a first-rate martial arts expert who was said to have trained and cultivated his internal force.

Jiang Li quickly checked his entire body. All the valuables had been taken away. Because he had gone on a long journey, besides this jade token, Jiang Yuanshan had also prepared a lot of gold, silver, and money for him.

After opening the pouch and confirming that the jade tablet was intact, he heaved a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Yan Hong, this ‘little prince’, was secretly helping him. Otherwise, he would be in big trouble.

In his previous life, the path of immortality was an eternal fantasy. The virtual game that Jiang Li played before he died was also of the cultivation theme. It was impossible for him to say that he had no desire for it.

He did not want to lose the treasure that his family had paid a huge price to obtain and become an odd-job servant for two years in vain.

Although he had been beaten to such a state at the start of the transmigration, the current situation was not without benefits.

It was true that he had accepted the memories of the original owner of the body, but there was still a huge difference in his personality and habits compared to the original Jiang Li. If he were to spend time with the original owner’s parents and family, he would most likely be discovered.

The feudal superstitions of this era were very severe, and there were indeed rumors of ghosts and deities. If some traveling immortal came to subdue him, that would be terrible.

However, now that he had left home, everyone knew that cultivating to become a cultivator meant cutting off all ties with the mortal world. In a few years, not to mention changing one’s personality, many cultivators would no longer recognize their loved ones and parents. This was quite normal.

“Thank you so much, Yan Hong. Without this, I would be finished.”

Jiang Li carefully placed the jade tablet into his inner pocket. Because it touched his wound, he gasped again.

“Hehe, we’re brothers after all.” Yan Hong’s big round face smiled charmingly and innocently.

“But as a brother, why didn’t you wake me up when I was lying on the floor for so long?”

Jiang Li’s sudden question made Yan Hong’s expression become a bit awkward, and he smiled in embarrassment, “Brother, you can’t blame me for this. Who asked you to do such a thing to Yan Fengyue?”

Yan Hong’s words stunned Jiang Li. He seemed to remember that the original owner of this body was not a good person.

It seemed that he had not died unjustly, and only afterwards did the current Jiang Li take over the body.

“She’s a princess. Don’t you know how many suitors she has in this caravan? Although I don’t like her, I still have to address her as my aunt in terms of seniority.”

“Thus, I can only secretly help you with this matter.”

Hearing Yan Hong’s words, Jiang Li recalled the reason why his original body was beaten up.

Although he was very unwilling to admit it, no matter how he looked at it, this beating of the original body could only be said to be well deserved.

Originally, Jiang Li could be said to be a model example of being ignorant and incompetent. There was no hope for him to learn literature or martial arts. Being able to read and write was already a great blessing by his ancestors.

Taking advantage of his family’s influence, bullying people was simply his daily routine.

In TV dramas, those young chivalrous men would encounter the scene of a vicious young master snatching a commoner girl every time they entered the city. Was it simply a plot device?

No, it was just natural for the young master to do such things frequently, so the chance of seeing it happen was quite high.

What was worth mentioning was that this Brother Yan Hong knew him through this way. He did not expect this friend to be so unexpectedly reliable.

As for Yan Fengyue, she was the youngest sister of their kingdom’s emperor. It was said that she was born from the late emperor and a foreign woman. Her skin was fairer than snow and her figure was tall.

To most of the young men in the convoy, the exquisite face of a mixed-blood was just too alluring and tempting.

Jiang Li’s brain was really not too good. It was one thing for him to act tyrannically in his own territory, because he had a family to back him up at least.

However, in this group, his family background was probably not the worst but far from the best.

After seeing Yan Fengyue, he still did not know how to restrain himself. The consequences were naturally pitiful when he acted out of line.

It was one thing to have his confession rejected, but why did he have to sneak a peek at someone else’s bath?

It was one thing to peek at the shower, but how could he be so stupid as to be discovered?

It was one thing to be discovered, but not only did he not run, he even tried to force his way in!

Jiang Li did not need to recall to guess what happened after that. After the escorts who came after hearing the news beat him up, the original owner went to heaven while the current Jiang Li took over and revived in this body.

The most infuriating thing was that the original body had yet to see anything. Wasn’t that infuriating?

However, when he recalled some details before he was beaten up, Jiang Li still warily discovered that something was not right.

At that time, Yan Fengyue must have discovered him long ago, but she still deliberately lured the original Jiang Li to the riverside to purposely catch him red-handed.

Hmph, it was not simple at all. As expected, how could there really be any simple people in the royal family?

“Alright, it’s my fault. Thank you, Yan Hong. But are you injured? My belongings were taken away by those guys.”

Jiang Li used his hand to touch the back of his head. It was a bright red color, and his body was also covered in bruises and swelling. However, if he did not treat it properly, it was hard to say if his injuries would worsen once more.

“Hehe, I’ve prepared it for you.” Yan Hong smiled and handed him a small porcelain jar.

“This is the Pear Blossom Frost secretly made by the Northern Yang Temple. It’s a good item that martial artists of the pugilistic world find hard to come by. It’s very effective against external injuries. It won’t even leave a scar. Even the empress in the palace agreed to use it.”

“Alright, quickly treat your wound and come out for dinner. I can’t stay here any longer. If someone finds out that I’m here to deliver medicine to you, I won’t be able to survive in the convoy anymore.”

With that said, he opened the wooden door of the carriage, transformed into a nimble fatty, and sprinted away.

Jiang Li was a little helpless. The truth was that his original body had done something absurd. After a round of angry beating from the masses, he became the target of almost everyone’s hostility. If Yan Hong got too close to him, he would indeed be easily isolated by others.

Forget it, now was not the time to think about this. It was more important to quickly treat his injuries.

He took off his clothes and applied a layer of ointment on the injured areas evenly. The stimulation of applying the ointment was excruciating.

However, Yan Hong was not bragging. The effect of the Pear Blossom Frost was really not bad. After just a few minutes of rubbing, wisps of coolness penetrated his skin and acted on his wound, greatly easing his pain.

[Applied the Pear Blossom Frost, Added Status: Slow Healing]

At this moment, a text appeared in his vision before slowly disappearing.

The sudden change surprised and delighted Jiang Li.

He hurriedly called out in his mind.

As expected, just like the virtual online game he played before, a translucent blue screen appeared before his eyes.

[Name: Jiang Li]

[Age: 13]

[Race: Human]

[Main Class: Mortal]

[Sub-Class 1: None]

[Sub-Class 2: None]

[Health: 132/200]

[Stamina: 92/160]

[Strength: 0.6]

[Speed: 0.7]

[Constitution: 0.6]

[Mind: 1]

[Enlightenment: 1.1]

[Martial Art: Age Tiger Technique Level 0]

[Skill: Appraisal Level 1, Mountain Splitter Level 1]

[Positive Status: Slow Healing]

[Negative Status: Intermediate Injury, Hunger]

[Slow Healing: Regenerates 2 Health per hour. Duration: 6 hours] (? +)

[Intermediate Injury: All attributes reduced by 20%. Duration: 72 hours] (? +)

[Hunger: Reduces 1 Stamina per hour]

This… this… isn’t this the character interface panel of the game that I played previously? It actually transmigrated along with me! Jiang Li took a quick glance at the information on the interface and had a rough understanding of it. Apart from the additional Age Tiger Technique and Mountain Splitter, which should be the abilities left behind by the original owner of the body, this body was simply too weak.

However, what made him happy was that there were plus and minus buttons on his panel.

It seemed that something magical must have happened when he died and transmigrated. Not only did he transmigrate with the game interface, but he also brought along the cheat that caused the gaming capsule to short circuit and catch fire.

Jiang Li excitedly pressed the plus button at the back of [Slow Healing] mentally and held it for five seconds.

[Slow Healing: Regenerates 2 Health Points per hour. Duration: ∞] (?)

The duration of the slow healing process immediately changed as an infinite symbol appeared.

Sure enough, it worked!

He pressed the minus button on [Intermediate Injury] for another five seconds before the negative status disappeared from Jiang Li’s status bar.

Although he did not recover his lost health, he could feel his body relaxing. He could move freely and was no longer restricted by his injuries.