Chapter 1: A Wife Assigned

Hongtu County, Bingzhou, in the Great Xia Dynasty.

Outside the Hanging Sword Mountain, snow had been falling for more than two days.

The snow was already half a meter deep.

The entire world was a vast expanse of white.

You couldn’t see where it ended.

Lu Chuan exhaled a cloud of white breath and instinctively hunched his shoulders against the cold.

He warmed his hands by tucking them under his collar for a moment, then carefully picked up a length of hemp rope beside him.

He was making a bow—a real hunting bow!

Lu Chuan, a former mercenary, had somehow transmigrated into this world, waking up in the body of a man who had just frozen to death.

In this frozen wasteland, with little clothing and no food, dying from cold or hunger was commonplace.

Pity the bones scattered outside Bingzhou—so many lives claimed by the snow and exhaustion.

This was the Great Xia Dynasty.

Torn by war, split into factions. Internally, eight princes vied for power, creating endless chaos.

Externally, hostile forces like the Turks, Xiongnu, and Huihe surrounded them.

After years of war, the land was ravaged, and the people had long fallen into misery and despair.

So, the first thought after waking up here was survival. In his previous life, Lu Chuan had traversed the jungles of Southeast Asia with ease, unstoppable.

But now? The winter wheat had only just been planted. The house was completely out of food. Borrowing grain? Ridiculous—every family was struggling.

If he wanted to survive, he had to rely on the mountains.

Thankfully, his skills as a mercenary hadn’t been lost. He could make a bow, hunt wild animals, and at least avoid starvation to make it through this winter. Besides, the year-end grain tax deadline was approaching.

But there wasn’t even a single grain in his granary. He had to figure out how to get some food.

Since he had transmigrated, he was determined not just to survive—but to live well.

As he worked, a loud, rough voice called out from the foot of the mountain.

“Lu Chuan, you home?”

“Officials are here to assign wives! They’re at the threshing ground at the village entrance. You better hurry—if you’re late, all the ones fit for work will be taken!”

It was the voice of the village chief of Shuangshui Village.

He didn’t hold any real power. He was educated, but after a lifetime of poverty, only managed to pass the lowest-level exam. As the village chief, his job was mostly to pass down government orders. A simple, honest, harmless old man.

As for this business about assigning wives—it was a long story.

After years of war, there were few able-bodied men left in Great Xia. And even among the survivors, many were crippled.

Not only had tax revenues plummeted, but the population was also shrinking. Rebuilding would take years, if not decades.

And that, of course, was unacceptable to the officials.

They wanted taxes—and population.

These female relatives of disgraced officials were useless for labor. They couldn’t lift or carry, and most had never done farm work.

But if they were married off, the authorities could count them under the household tax registry.

That meant double the taxes—perfectly legal.

And if they had a child or two? Even better—more people, more revenue.

“Coming!” Lu Chuan answered, dipping the twisted rope into tung oil before standing up and shouting toward the foot of the mountain, “I’m heading over now!”

There was no avoiding it.

The Bingzhou authorities had already investigated every household thoroughly. Don’t even think about running.

No matter where you went, you needed a travel permit.

Without one, you had no legal identity on the road. No one would protect you. Anyone could kill you—and no one would be held responsible.

In this feudal kingdom, commoners were far less than human in the eyes of power.

Lu Chuan changed into plainer clothes and made his way down the rugged mountain path to the threshing ground at the edge of the village.

There, he saw a neat line of government enforcers guarding a group of women dressed in tattered clothes.

Though their clothing was ragged, their faces were clean. Clearly, they’d been washed before being brought here. But that was where the care ended.

Nearby, villagers stood watching with ill-disguised amusement.

Most of them had arrived early. The strong, able-bodied women—the ones who could work—had mostly been taken already.

What was left were a few delicate, frail-looking young ladies from noble families.

They stood there, heads bowed and dejected. If no one chose them, most would be forced into government-run brothels—or worse, sold to the Xiongnu in the north as “meat sheep.” That fate was beyond despair.

“You’re here? Hurry and pick!”

The man in charge tapped Lu Chuan on the back with the sheath of his blade, grinning.

Caught off guard, Lu Chuan stumbled forward a couple steps before regaining his balance.

“Damn it!”

Kindness invites bullying, just as a tame horse invites riders.

Lu Chuan turned his head to look.

He saw the man’s lips curl into a smirk.

“What’s wrong?”

“You don’t look too happy. Are you glaring at me?”

“Well then, today—you’re taking two women home. Otherwise, don’t blame the blade in my hand for being merciless!”

At those words, the surrounding guards burst into laughter—mocking and arrogant.

Lu Chuan’s lips twitched. Damn it, this was blatant targeting.

But what had he done to offend this guy? Was it because he was too handsome or something?

With no choice, he gritted his teeth and stepped forward.

He looked at the first girl—and was momentarily stunned.

She was thin and looked about seventeen or eighteen. Not tall, but her figure was excellent.

With her curves and long, slender legs, even just standing there, she exuded a soft, alluring charm.

Clearly, she came from a noble family.

Her eyes were filled with despair. And when she looked at Lu Chuan, they welled up with tears.

“Please… take me,” she pleaded, her voice trembling.

If no one chose her, she’d be sent to the government brothel. And she’d rather die than face that.

Lu Chuan stared at her, his thoughts returning to him. With that kind of face and figure, back in his world, she’d easily be an internet celebrity.

Then suddenly—above her head, a panel appeared.

Name: Su Ruan
Age: 17
Beauty Score: 89
Affection Level: 10
Reward for taking her in: Portable space, 3 cubic meters.

The information left Lu Chuan stunned.

A portable space?!

As soon as he snapped out of it, he was thrilled.

Holy crap!

He thought he’d have to start from scratch in this world, slowly climbing his way up using his own skills.

He didn’t expect a golden cheat code to drop out of nowhere!

“System?” he called out, trying to contain his excitement.

But no voice answered.

Apparently, it wasn’t a typical system—more like a task-reward mechanic. Still, 3 cubic meters of space didn’t sound huge, but it could store a lot.

Like bows, arrows, and any prey he hunted.

No need to carry it all on his back—he could move faster and farther.

His heart burned with excitement.

But he still needed to test some things—what did the “affection level” affect? Were rewards fixed, or could they grow over time?

“I’ll take her!” Lu Chuan declared, pointing at Su Ruan.

The guard who’d hit him earlier immediately narrowed his eyes, his expression darkening.

On the way here, he’d already taken a liking to Su Ruan and another girl in the group. He thought these commoners wouldn’t dare choose someone like her—but here came a suicidal one.

His face darkened instantly. “I said two! Keep picking!”

“Alright.”

Lu Chuan was in a great mood and ignored the man’s tone.

He looked at the second girl—no panel appeared.

Then the third. Still nothing.

The fourth. Still nothing.

Finally, on the sixth girl, information popped up again:

Name: Bai Siyu
Age: 16
Beauty Score: 91
Affection Level: 20
Reward for taking her in: Basic Hunting Skill; Basic Beast Taming Skill

Basic hunting skill? That wasn’t very useful to Lu Chuan—he already knew how to hunt, having lived in forests and jungles. Survival skills were second nature.

But basic beast taming? That was something he needed.

“She’s the one,” Lu Chuan said firmly.

The guard’s face turned even darker. Damn it—Lu Chuan had picked the two girls he had his eye on!

A flash of cold light passed through the guard’s eyes.