The Eternal Way

In the nation of Daliu, within the city of Lizhou.

A major river runs through the heart of the city, known as the Lǐ River. The state of Lizhou was named after this river, which not only flows through the city but also splits into two downstream—one stream heading north into the Song State, and the other flowing south towards the sea. This makes it a crucial waterway for transportation in the Daliu kingdom, bustling with activity throughout the year except during winter. Every day, hundreds of large and small boats pass through here.

Thus, ancient poetry goes:

"The Lǐ River connects by boat, reaching the sea to the south and Song to the north. Waves push forth prosperity, and from this single river, a prosperous nation grows."

It is the transition between winter and spring, just after the river has thawed, still cold enough for the wind to bite. Despite this, the docks are crowded with people, their combined body heat and sweat mingling with the odor, creating an intense atmosphere. Today marks the beginning of spring, when the Lǐ River breaks free from its winter freeze. Even if it hasn't fully thawed, locals would be called upon to smash through the ice layers, forcing passage for boats—a process known as "The River Ceremony" .

Each year, those who depend on the Lǐ River's canal transport gather for this event. Laborers chisel away at the ice, weakening it, while boat pullers then use heavy boats to crush the remaining ice, fully clearing the channel.

Pullers carry the boats on their backs, laborers smash the ice, their blood and sweat mix under the sun, and their chants never cease.

"Nine yards three feet of rope on my shoulders! Ho hi!"

The pullers shout in unison, working together to move the boat. Its thick bottom, now sailing with full sails, also has sailors assisting, combining manpower and wind power to shatter the ice.

"A hard life tied to my shoulders! Ho hi!"

This isn't an ordinary boat but a specially crafted vessel brought out annually for this occasion. With an iron hull and a century-old wooden body, no ice can withstand it.

"Feet on stone, hands digging sand! Ho hi!"

As the ice shatters, large chunks flip over in the water, even forming small icebergs.

"Don't say you can't sail against the current! Ho hi!"

The Lǐ River, five miles wide, makes breaking the ice a massive project, requiring a whole day's effort. Even the governor of Lizhou would personally supervise.

The iron-bottomed boat charges forward with tremendous force, the deafening sound of cracking ice echoing as if using a battering ram. Ice fragments fly high into the air like hail around the pullers, with some fine ice mist reflecting sunlight, casting rainbows.

Steam rises from the icy mist in the air, while the workers' bodies emit warmth, cold meeting hot, producing waves of white smoke.

When the first group of pullers exhaust themselves, another batch immediately takes over, continuing the work of moving the ice-breaking boat.

Meanwhile, the first group, relieved of their burdens, hurries off to rest. Only one person remains standing in place, unmoved.

His skin is tanned, indicating good health, and years of pulling boats have built his muscles well, giving him a balanced physique. What sets him apart is that while most pullers appear rugged and hunched, he stands straight with handsome features, making him look nothing like a common puller.

He is Li Qi.

Having just let go of the rope, Li Qi watches the big boat and the icy river, marveling at the scene despite having seen it twice before. However, before he can finish sighing, an old puller grabs him, pulling the still-dazed Li Qi away from the sight.

"Come on, Xiao Li, it's the second shift now. Let's go have some hot soup!"

"Eh, ah... alright, Uncle Six," Li Qi nods and walks with the bare-chested pullers, clad only in loincloths, toward the shore.

Li Qi is also a puller, but different from the others—he didn't come from generations of pullers.

On the shore, hot soup and clothes are already prepared for the pullers and sailors to warm up, as they will need to return for a second round once they recover.

Sitting together, the pullers change into clothes and start eating meat soup hastily, their eating manners far from elegant.

Only Li Qi squats by the riverbank, tired and sweaty, with marks left by the ropes, yet he waits quietly without rushing for the official soup.

After everyone else has taken theirs, he goes to get his bowl, returning to the riverbank where he watches the pullers move the big boat while sipping his soup slowly.

"Brother Li! Here, I found you a chair!" A puller brings a chair from afar, seemingly out of nowhere.

"It's very kind of you, but there's no need, Brother. Everyone else doesn't have chairs..." Li Qi tries to decline but is pushed down by the nearby pullers.

"Uncle Six has one too, Brother Li, don't refuse. You and Uncle Six helped us get the first shift; what's wrong with sitting on a chair?!"

"That's right!"

"The first shift was granted by the governor himself. For helping us secure this position, sitting on a chair is nothing!"

"Exactly!"

"Me too!"

Seeing this, Li Qi stops protesting and sits down, watching the second shift of pullers move the boat.

Unconsciously, he has witnessed this scene three times already.

It has been nearly three years since he arrived in this world.

Yes, he wasn't originally from this world. Seeing the big boat reminds him of this again.

That boat likely displaces several thousand tons, yet it is being pulled by about a hundred pullers, plus the wind in the sails, capable of crushing the ice!

He looks at his own muscular arms, strong among the pullers. He used to be an ordinary researcher—nowhere near this level of physical fitness.

But here...

Thinking of this, he suddenly stands up and throws a punch!

The air seems compressed, a gust following his fist, causing dust to rise from the ground as if something heavy had landed.

Other pullers praise, "Brother Li's wave-pushing strength is truly impressive!"

"I've trained for ten years and still can't match Brother Li's skills from these past few years!"

"Nonsense, what kind of person are you compared to Brother Li?"

The pullers laugh, thinking Li Qi just wanted to stretch his limbs, nothing unusual.

Men often feel the urge to punch the air occasionally—it's perfectly normal.

But Li Qi is deep in thought.

Over three years ago, he survived a plane crash, waking up in this new world, body intact, though the game console and travel bag in his pocket were mostly destroyed.

He had crossed over with his body.

While stories of crossing over aren't unheard of, where were the inherited memories or original identity?

Nothing, not even a household registration.

Others might bring smartphones; he only had half a game console.

Fortunately, he met local pullers who saved him. As a researcher, his intelligence helped him establish himself among them. After gaining their trust, Uncle Six taught him traditional strength-training methods.

Within three years, he could carry loads of eight hundred pounds effortlessly, wondering if he was still human—could humans achieve such feats through training alone?

According to Uncle Six, these strength-training methods were rudimentary compared to those in the military, government, and sects.

Initially excited about achieving greatness with his knowledge, reality quickly showed him that this world was far more advanced than he anticipated...

Mathematics, his forte, was dominated by the Thousand Mechanisms Sect in Lizhou, whose members excelled in calculations and probability theory.

Without cars, people here could run a hundred miles daily, and rich families owned mystical horses capable of traveling a thousand miles in a day.

Imagine how fast they could go on highways—would they rival Formula One cars?

Though lacking mechanical tools, human strength and techniques filled the gap. Freight carriers? Pullers could carry eight hundred pounds easily, and strongmen could handle thousands of pounds all day long.

Precision machinery? He saw a craftsman carve a battle scene on a grain of rice within fifteen minutes, showcasing incredible skill.

Research? The Thousand Mechanisms Sect, beyond their mental calculation abilities, studied probability and chaos algorithms far beyond his understanding.

Human strength in this world was magnified through cultivation techniques, replacing all tools with human capabilities.

Weapons-wise, Li Qi believed that even an entire modern army would be annihilated by Lizhou's armed forces.

Once, he witnessed a military officer sever the five-mile-wide Lǐ River with a single stroke of his sword, leaving Li Qi haunted by nightmares for days.

Productivity wasn't lacking either.

Contrary to expectations of primitive agriculture, yields reached three to four thousand pounds per acre of rice, highly nutritious. Initially, Li Qi struggled to eat half a bowl; now, three pounds barely satisfied him.

Yet, meat was scarce due to the lack of livestock farming. Hunting provided limited supplies, mainly consumed during festivals like today's "River Ceremony."

Hence, pullers ate ravenously whenever possible.

Livestock farming was almost nonexistent. Initial attempts at raising animals failed due to the extreme wildness of beasts here, resembling tanks more than farm animals.

To date, he'd only seen mystical horses at the docks occasionally.

Stories of demonic and spiritual creatures existed, but as a lowly puller, Li Qi had no chance to encounter them.

Despite initial efforts to climb the social ladder, the scarcity of cultivation techniques made it nearly impossible.

Factions formed based on these techniques, guarding them closely. In Lizhou, there were three factions among pullers, each tightly controlling their teachings.

Over three years, besides earning respect as a strategist, he achieved little else.

"Sigh..." He sighed deeply.

Living comfortably but wishing for more variety in diet, especially meat, which required special occasions or rewards.

Crossing over had seemingly worsened his life, aside from physical strength.

But not just slightly stronger.

Still, feeling unsatisfied, he pondered his future.

Just then, a child, accompanied by a middle-aged puller, ran up to him, announcing that Uncle Six was looking for him.

The child, drooling uncontrollably, looked so eager that Li Qi smiled, handing over his half-finished bowl of soup. "Here, take it, remember to return the bowl!"

The child jumped with joy, gulping down the soup along with his saliva, chewing the meat hungrily, forgetting to thank him.

Uncle Six frowned at the sight but placed a chair beside Li Qi, sitting down. "Hardly any meat all year, guiding someone earns you a meal?"

"Shared suffering makes one empathetic. Without your soup, I wouldn't have survived," Li Qi replied lightly, then turned serious. "Alright, enough. What did you want to discuss, Uncle Six?"

"At the time, I gave you vegetable soup!"

Muttering, Uncle Six got to the point. "Xiao Li, you're smart. Help me think—we seem to have encountered a problem."