Becoming a god by following the natural order and seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune.

Chapter 1 Seeking Good Fortune and Avoiding Misfortune
"Ah Sheng, give Brother Wang a hand and lend him some money to tide him over. Once he bribes Commander Wu to become the deputy commander, you'll be the first one promoted! We'll get promoted first and then help those who are promoted later. If we brothers work together, we can overcome anything!"

The campfire crackled in the barracks, illuminating two faces close together. The tall and strong Wang Yi put his arm around Chen Sheng's shoulder, his voice low and eager.

Chen Sheng glanced at the rough hand on his shoulder, and couldn't help but sneer inwardly. "Those who become officials first influence those who become officials later?" The phrase sounded familiar, but he still forced a smile.
"If Brother Wang asks, I won't hesitate. Even if I'm short on money, I have to help!"

After saying that, he pulled out a handful of copper coins from his pocket and stuffed them heavily into Wang Yi's hand.

Wang Yi looked down, his smile instantly froze, and he hurriedly said:
"Asheng, this isn't enough!"

"This is all I have in my possessions."

Chen Sheng feigned surprise, then looked troubled.

"Don't lie to me. You must have hidden some silver when the city fell. Help your brother this time, and when I become the deputy commander, I'll definitely promote you to squad leader!"

Wang Yi weighed the few copper coins in his hand and continued to persuade him, unwilling to give up.

"Brother Wang, you know that those refugees are even poorer than us. All the big items were taken by the higher-ups, so how could I possibly get any profit?"

"You really won't lend it to me?"

"Really not!"

Chen Sheng looked directly at Wang Yi with a sincere expression.

The two stared at each other for a moment, then the smile on Wang Yi's face vanished completely. He slapped the copper coin back into Chen Sheng's palm, his voice turning deep:

"Alright, since you're not willing to help, I won't force you. Anyway, the battle in Yunzhou is almost over, and most of the conscripted soldiers will have to be transferred to the border. Don't come looking for me to help you out then."

When bribery failed, Wang Yi quickly resorted to coercion.

"Going to the border? That's a good thing. I've been worried about not having a chance to serve the court."

"Heh, good...very good, Chen Sheng, you'd better not regret this."

Wang Yi nodded with a forced smile, then turned and left with a gloomy expression.

As he watched the figure disappear into the night, the smile on Chen Sheng's face gradually faded. He stared expressionlessly at the flickering campfire, and with a slight thought, a page of celestial script appeared before his eyes.

The four ancient characters "求吉避凶" (seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune) are prominently displayed on the book.

At this moment, the two characters "避凶" (avoiding misfortune) were faintly glowing, and the lines of hastily written small characters below were vaguely visible:

My name is Chen Sheng. By the time you see this, it will be too late for regrets. I naively believed Wang Yi's empty promises and lent him most of my savings, but after he became the deputy commander, he went back on his word and became rich... In the end, I was sent to the border, my fate uncertain...

This "Book of Good Fortune and Avoidance of Misfortune" appeared suddenly two months ago when he transmigrated. It can foresee a glimpse of the future, and it is thanks to it that Chen Sheng has repeatedly avoided disasters and survived to this day.

At the same time, his ability to attract good fortune allowed him to secretly accumulate a sum of money, making him much wealthier than ordinary soldiers.

Originally, Chen Sheng only wanted to wait peacefully until the end of the rebellion and gain his freedom, but now it seems that if he does not take the initiative to fight, he may really have to go to the border to fight against foreign tribes.

With this in mind, he finally made up his mind.

It is better to rely on oneself than to rely on others.

Since we can't hide it anymore, let's fight for it!
After gaining the ability to "avoid misfortune and seek good fortune," Chen Sheng has always kept a low profile, but this doesn't mean he's weak—he simply doesn't want to be the first to stick his neck out. Otherwise, with his cultivation level, he should have been promoted to squad leader long ago.

The cryptic text in my mind gently turned, revealing a few lines of small characters on the reverse side:

[Mastering Basic Knife Techniques (400/1000)]

[Golden Bell Body Tempering Method, Minor Success (185/500)]

This is his second cheat ability, capable of displaying his cultivation progress. However, compared to the miraculous ability to "avoid misfortune and seek good fortune," this panel is rather mediocre, merely reflecting the results of his arduous cultivation.

His swordsmanship was something he honed through countless trials and tribulations. Although the moves were simple, they were practical and ruthless, and had helped him kill several rebels. As for the Golden Bell Body Forging Technique, he had discovered it a little over a month ago from the corpse of a bald rebel, based on a divination from a celestial book.

Unlike the Dharma-ending Age of his previous life, which severed the connection between heaven and earth, this world called "Great Qian" truly possesses extraordinary abilities. He had personally witnessed the terrifying scene of powerful soldiers striking from mid-air and shattering battle formations with their spears.

Since then, Chen Sheng has had a clear goal:
He wanted to be extraordinary, to transcend the mundane, and to live forever!

The path to immortality is still long, but having officially "awakened" and entered the Foundation Establishment realm, he indeed possesses power far exceeding that of ordinary people. When he circulates his energy, his skin glows with a faint bronze color, and unless he deliberately exerts his strength, ordinary swords and blades are difficult to harm him.

As far as he knew, this Golden Bell Body Forging Technique would last him a long time: Minor Success, Major Success, and Perfection, which corresponded perfectly to the three stages of Foundation Establishment—Bright Breath, Bone Forging, and Marrow Transformation.

Don't underestimate Mingxi Jing. He now has hundreds of pounds of strength in his arms, which is enough to rank him among the top in the entire Shanzi Camp. He is qualified to compete for the position of deputy commander in charge of fifty people.

Wang Yi was so confident because he had broken through to the Bright Breath Realm a month ago and thought he had victory in his grasp, only needing to bribe Commander Wu.

The old subordinates all knew Commander Wu's character well:

In short, he was greedy. But despite his greed, he actually did his job after taking the money.

It is precisely because of this "credibility" that many people were eager to join the ranks of deputy commanders as soon as the news of the vacancy was released.

Don't underestimate the deputy commander; he's in charge of fifty men, a world apart from ordinary soldiers.

When Chen Sheng returned to the tent, a large crowd had already gathered inside, most of them fawning over Wang Yi. Upon seeing Chen Sheng enter, Wang Yi squinted and glanced at him, assuming he had come to change his mind, but to his surprise, the man simply smiled and greeted him before lying back down on his bed.

"I don't know how to praise!"

Wang Yi cursed inwardly, feeling a surge of anger.

He had a deep impression of Chen Sheng. The two entered the camp at about the same time, and more than four months had passed since then. People around them had come and gone, but this man had always remained steady. Although he didn't stand out, he had been living a good life.

Therefore, Wang Yi believed that Chen Sheng must have a lot of savings, which was why he specifically approached him, hoping that he could "help out". Unexpectedly, the other party did not give him any face and only took out a dozen or so coins.

Are you trying to fob off a beggar?
Thinking of this, Wang Yi stood up and cleared his throat:
"I, Wang Yi, will remember the brotherhood you have shown! When I become the deputy commander, I will not treat you all unfairly! I will keep you all here, one by one. As for the border... let others handle it!"

"Thank you, Vice Commander Wang!"

"Thank you, Brother Wang!"

The group immediately thanked them profusely, showering them with flattery.

Seeing that Chen Sheng still had no reaction, Wang Yi sneered inwardly, cupped his hands and walked out of the tent.

"Brother Sheng, you didn't lend him any money?"

As soon as Wang Yi left, Sun Liuzi from the next shop came over and asked in a low voice.

Although the others in the tent didn't speak, their gazes toward Chen Sheng were somewhat subtle, and everyone could tell that something wasn't quite right between him and Wang Yi.

"No money."

Chen Sheng replied with his eyes closed.

"Sigh, I borrowed it... but I don't know if it will work. I'm the only son in my family, and I really don't want to go to the border to die..." Sun Liuzi's voice was trembling with tears.

Chen Sheng didn't reply, but closed his eyes to rest, silently calculating the time in his mind.

About half an hour later, Wang Yi entered the tent with a beaming smile. His radiant appearance made it clear to everyone that he was in an excellent mood. Upon seeing this, the people inside the tent immediately surrounded him, bombarding him with questions.

"Brother Wang, how did it go? Did Commander Wu give the nod?"

"Stable!"

Wang Yi tried his best to suppress the smile on his lips, but he couldn't hide his smugness.

Although Commander Wu did not give him a definite guarantee, since he had accepted the money, he felt that it was almost certain that it was done, and he couldn't help but feel a little smug.

Although the matter was not yet finalized, he seemed certain that the position of deputy commander was already in his grasp.

"Oh dear! From now on, you can't call me Brother Wang anymore, you have to call me Deputy Commander Wang!"

"What deputy commander? I think with Brother Wang's abilities, he'll get rid of that 'deputy' title sooner or later!"

"Commander Wang, you must take good care of the brothers in the future!"

"Haha, no problem, no problem! We're all brothers. I'll remember everyone who has helped me, Wang Yi. We'll see who's the best in the future!" Wang Yi's hearty laughter echoed in the tent, drawing even more enthusiastic compliments.

He feigned politeness, but in reality, he greatly appreciated the flattery. However, his gaze subtly swept over the few people who hadn't lent him money, including Chen Sheng.

Those who hadn't lent money naturally looked rather unpleasant. One of them seemed to want to swallow his pride and say a few kind words to ease the tension, but Wang Yi just snorted coldly and completely ignored him.

After confirming that Commander Wu was in the tent, Chen Sheng stopped pretending to be asleep.

He deftly put on his padded armor and shoes, the movement drawing everyone's attention. Everyone assumed he would finally be unable to restrain himself and would say some flattering words to Wang Yi, just like the previous man.

Unexpectedly, Chen Sheng casually said, "I feel uncomfortable, I'm going to relieve myself. Anyone want to come with me?"

After Wang Yi explicitly expressed his dissatisfaction with Chen Sheng, naturally no one dared to openly accompany him and risk offending Wang Yi. Chen Sheng didn't care and quickly got up and left the tent.

No sooner had he left than whispers of discussion about him began to circulate inside the tent.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

I'm a new author with a new book, so I'd really appreciate your support.

(End of this chapter)