That Was Close, I Almost Starved to Death

Wen Yao transmigrated into a chaotic era and acquired a System.

[Host must choose to stay alive, or face punishment.]

The System dropped that line and vanished. Wen Yao, who had the life of a beggar from the start, could only huddle in a ruined temple and passively deal with the System's missions. That is, until the current emperor appeared, and the System identified him as a [reliable golden finger].

After meeting him, Wen Yao just laughed. You call this lunatic a golden finger?

Alone in a chaotic age, she scraped by under the thumb of a madman, surviving on whatever food he tossed her, and witnessed the capital fall with her own eyes. One upheaval after another made it impossible for Wen Yao to keep herself out of it in her ruined temple, so she decided to leave the "starting village"

Mostly because she was about to starve to death, and the feudal System only kept repeating, [Host, proceed to your death.]

She accidentally wandered into a remote mountain village and met a pretty-faced Daoist. The System identified him as a [unique companion].

But Wen Yao just laughed again. A companion? Is the blood on his feet actually the villagers' blood? Answer me!

Forced into a conflict, she joined forces with a murderous general to escape. The System identified the general as a [ruthless felon].

Wen Yao couldn't take it anymore. A felon? Besides being skilled at warfare and killing, this strong, imposing general was also a member of the royal family. Wen Yao would happily bend for money, and it's only natural for a great general to kill people. Sister, you're awesome!

So many connections, and they all turned out to be fellow countrymen... Then a stately noblewoman, with two drops of green jade dangling from her earlobes, covered her lips and smiled as she revealed the truth:

"Wen Yao, coming here means you'll have to make a choice in the end."

War was constant. Thousands of miles of land lay barren, corpses of the starving filled the roads, and plague ran rampant.

Wen Yao was no different from a mayfly that lived through summer and died in autumn. What could she choose? She could only struggle to survive under the System's urging.

And the knife-wielding man she'd initially mistaken for a villain became the companion she trusted most.

Wen Yao and the knife-wielder Chen Ya stayed together, dodging the flames of war, crossing layers of green mountains, listening to waterfalls pour down, smelling camellias on beautiful hills, and eating frost-kissed peaches. They saw all kinds of people and lives: the timid finding courage, the indifferent learning to care, and those who wished for death reaching for life...

After living through several seasons, she had a fair idea of what she wanted to do, how she wanted to live, and what choices she should make.

What does a mayfly have to fear? It, too, can journey through the seasons.

*

I met someone besides my master who was willing to share her food with me. I have to stick with her.

Chen Ya didn't think this was a shameless idea at all. He protected Wen Yao through one upheaval after another, swiftly killed those with ill intentions, and saw through what lay hidden in her deep eyes.

So what if he saw through her?

He didn't care about any of that. He did whatever he wanted, following his heart.

The mute knife-wielder who'd wandered out of the mountains after burying his master had nothing, except a very fast blade. If she wanted to use it, she could.

Wen Yao wanted to live, and he wanted her to live. Their wishes aligned, and that was all for the best.

_

Also known as A Mayfly's Journey Through the Seasons

Also known as The All-Purpose Transformation Show: A Materialist System

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Reader's Guide

* Transmigration into a chaotic era. A resilient, clear-eyed protagonist with a passive streak x a loyal knife-wielder who lives off his parents and owns a mountain. Pure romance, one-to-one pairing, happy ending. There is an unrequited love for the protagonist.

* Transmigration isn't a gift. Beggar from the start, but since we're here anyway...

* Transmigration from an imagined future world into ancient times. There are multiple transmigrators, and there are more abnormal than normal people among them. Some are rather lacking in human feeling. Warning: the protagonist isn't a good person and is very good at lying. She has a psychological growth arc. The setting blends elements from various eras, so please don't nitpick.

(Set in 23.01; blurb revised.)

Theme: Strive to live, and keep hope in your heart