In the early spring of the third year of the Yuanfu era, Chen Lei wakes up in a drafty shack in the eastern part of Bianliang and finds himself in the body of Chen Liu, a street thug. The original owner owes three strings of cash in gambling debts to Jiang Menshen, the gambling house owner, and will have his hand chopped off if he cannot pay by the next day. Drawing on his instincts as a street punk from Northeast China, Chen Lei talks his way out of the first scrape by refusing to pay and spinning excuses. He then survives by collecting bad debts for Jiang Menshen to work off what he owes. Before long, he realizes that opportunities are everywhere in Bianliang.
