"Scoundrel, your life ends here!"
A sharp, delicate chastisement exploded beside Li Nuo's ear, jolting him awake just as he had fallen asleep.
In his drowsy state, he saw a figure standing in front of him.
The girl was dressed in a white, ancient-style long dress, looking about sixteen or seventeen, with a slender figure, snow-white skin, and delicate, beautiful facial features that could rival any female celebrity—though her complexion looked rather poor.
More than just poor, the anger in her eyes carried deep-seated hatred, and she held a shimmering dagger, as if Li Nuo had committed some heinous crime against her.
What's going on, cosplay?
The court session was to start in two hours, and as a judge's assistant, Li Nuo had pulled an all-nighter preparing the litigation documents. He had just settled down on the cramped fold-out bed in the office corner, hoping to catch a quick nap to restore his energy, when this disturbance woke him.
Wait, this isn't the assistant's office.
Li Nuo looked around and found himself lying on a luxurious bed, with antique and extravagant furnishings throughout the room.
So, was this a dream?
What a messy dream, he hadn't even had time to watch any historical dramas lately...
Swoosh!
Before Li Nuo could react in his dream, the girl made her move.
The dagger sliced through the air, aiming for Li Nuo's neck.
Even knowing it was a dream, Li Nuo instinctively dodged.
He managed to evade but didn't completely escape.
The dagger had been aimed at Li Nuo's neck, but due to his dodging, it veered slightly off course and grazed his shoulder, slicing a cut.
The shoulder of his silk pajamas, embroidered with exquisite patterns, was instantly stained with blood.
Pain!
It was terribly painful!
Li Nuo's fairly handsome face contorted with intense pain, and large beads of sweat seeped from his forehead. He hadn't expected to feel such real pain in a dream!
The girl's dagger, having missed its critical target, lunged at his heart once again.
Two strikes, both aimed at Li Nuo's life!
Having handled many cases, Li Nuo knew better than to confront an armed assailant head-on. He scrambled to the corner of the bed, and the girl jumped onto the bed, her dagger following close behind.
This time, driven into a corner, Li Nuo had nowhere to hide.
Leaning in the corner of the bed, he gave up resisting.
Generally speaking, dying in a dream usually ends it.
Die earlier, wake earlier—he still had work later.
Li Nuo resigned himself to fate, but the girl's dagger did not pierce his heart.
The sharp dagger stopped less than half an inch from Li Nuo's chest.
Li Nuo thought perhaps she had a change of heart and decided not to harm the innocent. He looked up and saw the girl's face was strange.
Her face was flush red, and her forehead glistened with fine sweat. It seemed she wanted to use all her strength to plunge the dagger into Li Nuo's heart, but her body seemed restrained by some unseen force, unable to move.
Taking this chance, Li Nuo jumped off the bed. At the same moment, the door was kicked open with immense force, and an elderly man with graying hair rushed in. Upon seeing Li Nuo with only a minor injury, he visibly relaxed and quickly walked up to Li Nuo, bowing with a fist in palm: "Old Servant is late, please forgive me, young master!"
Li Nuo was completely confused but knew it was time to wake from the dream.
He didn't know how long he had slept and missed the court session, which meant a deduction in his salary.
How exactly should one wake up from a dream?
Death, falling, or a severe blow...
That's what they say in "Inception." Let's skip suicide—pain is still truly painful, even in dreams, and finding a high place for a fall wasn't feasible at the moment. Ultimately, Li Nuo looked toward a sturdy pillar within the room.
Ignoring the old man and the girl, Li Nuo took a running start, and under the bewildered and shocked gazes of everyone, he ran headfirst into the pillar.
Bang!
Before he could even feel the severe pain in his forehead, Li Nuo's consciousness began to sink into an endless abyss.
...
"Ha..."
The sky was bright, and Li Nuo yawned as he climbed out of bed.
"Sss..."
Pain shot across Li Nuo's forehead and shoulders, causing him to furrow his brow and raise his hand to touch his forehead, then his expression froze.
How could there be such a large bump?
He looked down at his shoulder and noticed a blood-soaked bandage that was strikingly conspicuous.
Li Nuo finally realized something and looked around, finding himself still in the dreamy room, with a luxurious large bed and primitive furniture, the meticulously splendid carvings on the bedhead were particularly ancient and luxurious in style.
Why haven't I woken up yet?
No, no, the court session is about to begin, there will be big trouble if I don't wake up.
Hitting a pillar doesn't seem to work, Li Nuo climbed out of bed and entered the courtyard, instantly spotting a ladder on the wall.
An old man with graying hair was just stepping through the courtyard gate when he saw his own young master standing on the roof, solemn-faced and hands spread, leaping down.
He didn't have time to react and immediately extended his hand, pointing towards Li Nuo from a distance.
Li Nuo leapt from the roof, watching in stupor as he landed slowly like a leaf falling, the old man had already run to his side, grabbing his arm and said anxiously, "Young master, if you have worries, speak them, this old servant will help you find solutions, please do not seek death!"
...
Daxia.
Chang'an.
Ministry of Justice's residence.
"Master, do you really remember nothing at all?"
"Do you not remember who this old servant is?"
"At least you must remember who you yourself are, right?"
Li Nuo sat on the bed, facing the person who called himself "Old Servant" with a face full of concern and worry, and he blankly shook his head.
The old man looked at the stupefied expression on Li Nuo's face and lamented, "It's over, it looks like his brain is damaged..."
Li Nuo's gaze turned towards the window, his heart filled with turbulence.
Of course, he remembered who he was.
Li Nuo, male, Han, 21 years old, a graduate from the Law Department of Xijing University, he had just passed the bar exam and the civil service exam, becoming a proud people's judge-assistant.
Although only an assistant, it counted as securing a coveted government job at a young age, making him stand out among his peers.
The lower court was bustling with work, and after pulling all-nighters consecutively, he had just finished all the preparations for the court session and was planning to lie down for a bit. But the moment he closed his eyes and then opened them, he found himself somewhere else.
A beautiful girl, brandishing a knife, wanted his life.
This old man he had never seen before kept calling himself "Old Servant."
If one said it was a dream, yet everything he experienced was so clear and real.
Li Nuo had realized something.
No way, just stayed up for two nights and I'm gone?
Okay, as a modern person, having experienced myriad novels and films, he could accept something like time traveling.
But time travel aside, what's the deal with this book hovering in front of him?
The book seemed both real and unreal, hovering about half a meter in front of Li Nuo.
Li Nuo reached out, waving his hand in front of him, his palm passing through the middle of the book without any hindrance, indicating the book had no physical form.
Soon, Li Nuo recognized the book as familiar.
Half a year ago, he had picked up an ancient book at an old book market, written in Seal Script. As a law student, Li Nuo recognized the two characters on the book's cover, which were "Law Code" in Seal Script.
After some haggling, Li Nuo had spent eighty yuan to buy this book from the vendor to use as a reference for studying ancient law.
Although he ended up not using it for his literature work, it made a good pillow for naps. He had fallen asleep with this book as his pillow just before he traveled through time. Unexpectedly, the book had also traveled across worlds and appeared before him in this fashion.
Li Nuo glanced at the worried old man, who seemed unable to see this object.
His gaze returned to the book cover above the Seal Script characters "Law Code," intimate and familiar.
Unlike before, this time, under the book's cover, there were two more lines of small text.
"Name: Li Nuo."
"Lifespan: Three days."
Seeing the additional two lines of text on the cover of the Law Code, Li Nuo went completely numb.
What's going on, he had just traveled through time, and now he only has three days to live?
Hey, new life, don't mess around…