[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-simultaneously-transmigrated-my-cheat-skill-is-m":3,"chapter-simultaneously-transmigrated-my-cheat-skill-is-m-simultaneously-transmigrated-my-cheat-skill-is-m-chapter-25":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Simultaneously Transmigrated: My Cheat Skill Is Myself",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2315280,4528,"Chapter 25: The Mule-Riding Wu Song and the Pathetic Great Suck","simultaneously-transmigrated-my-cheat-skill-is-m-chapter-25",25,"\u003Cp>In the Water Margin world, Yanggu County.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hurry up, get all these things onto the cart!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the Zhang family’s front gate, the family steward Zhang Zhong was urging the servants to load crates onto the carriage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uncle Zhong, is this really necessary?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m just going to Jinan for the exam, not moving there to live.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Jie, standing nearby, watched the old steward’s moving-like behavior and couldn’t help but laugh and sigh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More than half a month had passed in the Heaven Sword world; more than half a month had passed in the Water Margin world too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The time had advanced from June, when Zhang Jie first arrived in the shared space, to mid-July.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Less than half a month remained until the August provincial examination.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Jie must now depart from Yanggu County for Jinan, the site of Shandong’s provincial examination.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Jie was fortunate—Yanggu County lay in western Shandong,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>only about two hundred li straight-line distance from Jinan in central Shandong,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>with towns along the way; if he hurried, he could reach it in roughly seven or eight days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some who lived farther away, on poor roads, needed to depart over a month in advance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even then, they had to silently pray they wouldn’t encounter bandits or highway robbers, or they might never return.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master’s journey is a pivotal leap from carp to dragon—no amount of care is too much.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old steward replied while continuing to direct the servants as they loaded baskets of pots, pans, and utensils onto the cart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master, since childhood, you’ve never been away from home this long,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>to such a distant place. How can this old servant possibly rest easy?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, the steward’s eyes grew red.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had been as a brother to Zhang Jie’s father, Master Zhang,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>and had watched Zhang Jie grow up—he saw Zhang Jie as his own son.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now his frail, sickly son must travel a thousand li—how could he not worry?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If not for the Zhang family’s affairs needing him, he would have gone to Jinan with Zhang Jie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright, alright, Uncle Zhong, I’ll take all of it—I’ll take everything.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old steward had said so much, his concern plain as day—what could Zhang Jie say?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could only obediently comply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Renjie, your health must come first on this journey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you fail this time, there’s always next time—don’t push yourself too hard.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Jie’s teacher, Master Li, also advised him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As his teacher, he knew better than anyone how frail this student’s body was;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>if Zhang Jie insisted on taking the exam while ill, he might die right in the examination hall!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he hoped Zhang Jie would fulfill his own unachieved imperial examination dream,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>he first and foremost wished for this student to remain healthy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only Pan Jinlian knew of Zhang Jie’s current robust, ox-like physique.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Teacher, I understand.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Jie bowed respectfully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, the carriage was packed full of boxes of all sizes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master, it’s getting late—let’s set off.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Song, serving as bodyguard, glanced at the sun and walked over to Zhang Jie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Jie nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uncle Zhong, Teacher, I’m off.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Jie bade farewell to the old steward and Master Li.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“May you rise to the top of the imperial list and walk a brilliant path ahead!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old steward and Master Li said nothing else, but together offered Zhang Jie their best wishes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“May you rise to the top of the imperial list and walk a brilliant path ahead!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Zhang family’s servants, maids, and laborers all paused their work to bless Zhang Jie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Jie bowed to each one in return.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s go, Jinlian.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Jie called to Pan Jinlian beside him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, Master.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Jinlian, dressed in fitted travel attire, replied brightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Jie and Pan Jinlian entered the carriage, the one reserved for passengers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Giddy-up! Giddy-up!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the driver’s whip cracking, the small convoy of three carriages began its slow journey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The convoy soon wound its way out of the city gate, leaving Yanggu County behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh! Whose noble son is this? Such a grand procession?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A traveling merchant, seeing this spectacle, was astonished and puzzled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s the carriage of Master Zhang, the famed examination prodigy of Yanggu County.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Zhang is heading to Jinan for the provincial exam,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>and when he returns, we’ll have to address him as ‘Examination Graduate Master’!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A local from Yanggu County proudly introduced Zhang Jie to the merchant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So he’s the examination prodigy,” the merchant understood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Great Song, where the Emperor and the scholar-officials ruled the realm together,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>the imperial examinations were the most important matter—no amount of emphasis was too great.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he traded in Jiangnan,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>he had seen aristocratic sons charter entire three-decked riverboats just to attend the exams!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the convoy, Zhang Jie, seated inside the carriage, leaned out the window to apologize to Wu Song, who patrolled outside:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother Wu, I’m sorry to make you ride this way—I’ll find you a fine steed someday.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master, what nonsense are you speaking? I’m quite satisfied with this mount.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Song replied casually, reaching out to stroke the mane of the animal beneath him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yes—Wu Song’s mount was neither horse nor donkey, but a… mule!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No choice: Wu Song’s towering frame and massive build weighed over two hundred and fifty jin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ordinary horses simply couldn’t carry him for long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Cao Chengxiang once asked Guan Yu in Romance of the Three Kingdoms:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yunchang, why is your steed so thin?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guan Yu replied: “My body is heavy—the horse cannot carry me, so it appears thin.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Remember, Guan Yu rode military warhorses—yet Wu Song weighed even more than Guan Yu,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>so it was only natural no suitable horse could be found.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, Wu Song was very tall; riding a normal horse felt like riding a foal—undignified.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to Zhang Jie’s estimation, only a legendary steed like Chi Tu—“the man among men, Lu Bu; the horse among horses, Chi Tu”—could bear Wu Song across the battlefield.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But such a steed was a heavenly gift; perhaps one appeared in an entire era.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With no other option, Zhang Jie found a strong, mature mule, five chi tall (about 1.5 meters),\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>powerful and tireless, to serve as Wu Song’s mount.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mule could carry Wu Song easily—the only flaw was its slow speed;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>fine for travel, useless in battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why didn’t Zhang Jie just find a warhorse for Wu Song?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t for lack of trying—Wu Song’s physical demands were simply too extreme, and the Great Suck’s horses were utterly inadequate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Song’s physique has already been explained—no need to repeat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the Great Suck’s utter inadequacy must be thoroughly discussed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For horse breeding, good bloodlines and good pastures are both indispensable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where were the best horse breeds?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Answer: in the Liao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The best pastures were usually in cold, high-altitude regions—with long mountains, deep valleys, lush grass, and sweet springs—ideal for grazing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The best horse pastures are usually located in cold, high-altitude regions, with long mountains and deep valleys, lush grass, and sweet springs, ideal for grazing horses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Answer: again, in the Liao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Great Suck had neither good bloodlines nor good pastures, and with the Liao-Song…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My Great Cowardice never had good horse breeds or horse pastures, let alone with the Liao and Song,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the Xia-Song peace treaty, military readiness relaxed, and horse ranches were massively seized by aristocratic families and nobles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Coupled with a sharp population increase to tens of millions, conflicts between farming and herding grew severe, and people frequently converted horse ranches into farmland.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Added to this was the “heavy infantry, light cavalry” strategy and poor horse administration,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>our Great Con failed to breed many horses suitable for war.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a result, during the Jingkang Humiliation, facing the Jin, even with the entire nation’s resources, they could only muster barely 20,000 cavalry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Great Con court treated its scarce warhorses as if they were eyeballs,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>something a mere scholar like Zhang Jie could never obtain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For Zhang Jie to acquire a warhorse, he’d have to wait until he became a Minister of the Six Ministries,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>a high official like one of the Three Ducal Ministers or Nine Senior Officials!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If asked who in the world was most skilled in cavalry warfare,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>some might say Huo Qubing, who carved his name on Yanran Mountain,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>others might say Genghis Khan, who swept across Eurasia, or even Alexander and Napoleon,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>but Zhang Jie believed it should be the former British Prime Minister, nicknamed the “Iron Lady,” Margaret Thatcher.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Don’t doubt it—she was the architect of the Battle of Algeciras,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>who defeated six thousand peasant rebels with only fifty light cavalry and returned victorious!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Margaret Thatcher: If you’re not afraid of British cavalry, you’re no ordinary protester—you must be met with a heavy fist!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The caravan moved orderly and arrived at a town by evening, per its schedule.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the negotiation of an old man who had worked for the Zhang family’s merchant caravan for over a decade,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Jie and the others smoothly checked into a “Yue Lai Inn.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Zhang Jie saw the name, he couldn’t help internally scoffing:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Could the Yue Lai Inn possibly be backed by some supreme transcendent?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Otherwise, why does every world have an inn named ‘Yue Lai’?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That night, after ensuring Pan Jinlian fell into blissful sleep, Zhang Jie, as usual, entered the shared space.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Water Margin Zhang Jie entered the shared space to find the Legend of the Condor Zhang Jie dressed in a blue martial outfit,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>a long sword at his waist, the classic look of a young martial hero.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’ve come.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Legend of the Condor Zhang Jie held his sword in his arms and spoke in a low voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly understanding, the Water Margin Zhang Jie deliberately lowered his voice too:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve come.”\u003C\u002Fp>",1636,"2026-06-20T14:22:35.989Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","0ffd51b083e6aae283bfd93563f2f47a12116702f232938d1f48cdd2575b28a6","simultaneously-transmigrated-my-cheat-skill-is-m-chapter-26","simultaneously-transmigrated-my-cheat-skill-is-m-chapter-24",601,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsimultaneously-transmigrated-my-cheat-skill-is-m-cover.jpg"]