A modern man with wood-based supernatural powers transmigrates into ancient times as Zhao Tiezhu, a lame old man whose face is scarred.
Looking at the leaky thatched hut, his gaunt children and grandchildren, and the five acres of poor land outside, where even weeds barely grow, he falls into deep thought.
The good news: his wood-based powers are still with him.
The bad news: they are feeble, leaving him with little more than the ability to communicate with plants and nourish them.
He had hoped to live quietly as a farmer, but forced labor and taxes loom like two mountains.
His little grandson is so hungry he chews tree bark, and his son’s eyes are utterly numb.
Late at night, Zhao Tiezhu touches the scar on his face, then pounds his own leg.
He thinks of a thorny road: the imperial examinations.
Land, power, and knowledge are intertwined, locking farmers firmly at the bottom of society.
To change their lot, they must rise into another family’s ranks, and the only ladder open to them is the imperial examinations.
The road he cannot walk is one his children and grandchildren can take.
So the first step is to survive and save some money.
After that comes studying for the examinations. The road is hard, but as long as he is alive, he will be their backing.
