A modern wage slave opens his eyes and finds himself in the early years of the Zhengde reign of the Great Ming, reborn as a nameless farm boy whom the villagers simply call Shitou.
No golden finger, no overwhelming power, just a hazy knowledge of history and utter bewilderment.
At court, the Eight Tigers hold sway, Liu Jin wreaks havoc in government, loyal officials are oppressed, and the bureaucracy reeks of corruption. Far from the capital, undercurrents stir: Prince Ning schemes in secret, weapons are stockpiled, and the flames of war could erupt at any moment.
Born among the fields and raised in obscurity, he tends a few meager acres and longs for a quiet life. But in these turbulent times, peace is nothing but a dream.
To survive and protect those closest to him, he leaves his homeland, abandons farming, and joins the army, stepping into the flames along the Nine Frontiers.
The borderlands are bitterly cold, and every day brings death close. Relying on brute strength and sheer grit, he earns battle honors amid mountains of corpses, climbing step by step from an insignificant nobody.
After competing in the examinations and winning a title in the military exams, he enters the imperial capital as a commoner, breaking into the formidable Embroidered Uniform Guard and becoming one of the emperor’s personal troops.
Navigating a world of powerful ministers and eunuch factions, and moving through schemes and conspiracies, he faces assassination attempts and suspicion, repeatedly teetering on the brink of death.
He relies neither on flattery nor opportunism, but on an unyielding spirit and fearless courage. He befriends Wang Qiong, a fellow townsman who has risen to high office, exposes traitors plotting rebellion, and clears away corrupt schemers.
From a nameless commoner to a crack border soldier and then a senior officer in the Embroidered Uniform Guard, he advances carefully, inch by inch.
Through the rise and fall of a turbulent age, as the realm trembles, watch an ordinary man brave every thorn and forge a magnificent road to a prosperous Ming, preserving the peace of his homeland and protecting those he loves.
