It turned out that the large tree Chen Ming had been leaning against had extended countless small branches from its trunk, attempting to wrap around him. The tips of these small branches were equipped with sharp teeth, trying to pierce his skin. However, seemingly hindered by something, the branches never penetrated deeply.

  Scattered among the exposed tree roots were countless tiny white bones, and even human skulls.

  This was unmistakably a man-eating tree! Even the plants in the forest weren't safe.

  Chen Ming's face turned pale with fright. He quickly tore off the small branches, staggered to his feet, and hurried back to the cinder road.

  He saw that the city gate was wide open, with two soldiers standing guard. Farmers dressed in work clothes were heading out with their tools, but no one was entering the city yet. Worried that entering alone would be too conspicuous, Chen Ming had no choice but to wait patiently.

  After a while longer, people finally began entering the city. Seeing that the timing was right, Chen Ming confidently blended into the crowd. The guards at the gate glanced at him a few times but couldn't be bothered to pay much attention, casually letting him through.

  Chen Ming passed through the city gate, entered an inner barbican, and went through another gateway before finally being inside the city. The scene before him suddenly transformed.

  Before him lay a main thoroughfare, also paved with cinders, about ten meters wide, stretching into the distance. Shops lined both sides, already open for business. The street was bustling with people coming and going—a lively scene.

  Having experienced the bustling metropolises before his transmigration, Chen Ming naturally wasn't impressed by this small county town. But as a newcomer, he found this world different from what he had imagined and couldn't help but observe curiously.

  Most people on the street wore short jackets with buttoned fronts, styles similar to clothing before his transmigration. Occasionally, a few wore Hanfu made of fine fabric, clearly indicating they were wealthy.

  As for hairstyles, all men had short hair, even those dressed in Hanfu. However, the styles varied wildly—crew cuts, side parts, center parts, four-six parts, afros—you name it.

  Women's hairstyles were quite conservative by comparison. Adult women mostly wore their hair in buns, while occasionally young girls had their hair in double buns.

  The locals spoke what sounded like Wu dialect, which felt familiar to Chen Ming. He was from Mingzhou, also in the Wu dialect region, and could barely understand it. He thought the accent was close to northern Zhejiang dialect. So Renhe was probably located around Hangzhou, Xiuzhou, or Huzhou.

  Having been tormented all night, Chen Ming's stomach was growling. He looked around for food. Spotting a nearby snack shop selling wontons and plain noodles, he sat down directly and ordered a bowl of plain noodles from the owner. When he asked the price, it was very cheap—only two wen. Chen Ming fished out two copper coins and paid. Soon, the owner brought the noodles—a generous portion sprinkled with chopped scallions, fragrant and inviting.

  Starving, Chen Ming picked up his chopsticks and wolfed down the noodles. Though this bowl had no toppings, no side dishes, it was the most delicious meal he had ever eaten in his life.

  Chen Ming even drank every drop of the soup. Full and satisfied, he wiped his mouth, took out his lodging slip, and followed the address on it to find the inn where "Local Chen Ming" had been staying.

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  After asking around, Chen Ming arrived at the Renhe Inn. Looking up, he was pleasantly surprised—it was a nice place, with an ancient appearance on the outside and refined furnishings inside. In his pre-transmigration world, it would have been at least four-star.

  Chen Ming thought to himself, "Local Chen Ming" really was quite wealthy to afford staying in such a hotel.

  Wealthy was good—at least he wouldn't end up on the streets right after transmigrating.

  Chen Ming stepped into the inn, and the attendant on duty quickly greeted him. Recognizing Chen Ming, the attendant called out, "Welcome back, Young Master Chen! You've been gone for a whole day and night without a trace—this one was really worried!"

  Chen Ming was about to speak when it suddenly occurred to him that he didn't know how "Local Chen Ming" talked.

  But since things had come to this, he had to brazen it out. Since the Great One had arranged everything for him, surely he wouldn't have overlooked something like this.

  Fortunately, Chen Ming didn't know which room was his, so he casually said, "Went out for some entertainment and had such a good time I forgot the hour. I'm a bit tired now—hurry and take me to my room to rest."

  The attendant didn't question him and quickly led Chen Ming to his room.

  Pushing open the door, the room was quite spacious—at least fifty square meters. Beds, couches, tables—all kinds of facilities were available. There was also a small partitioned area nearby; through a semi-transparent screen, he could vaguely see toiletries inside—it must be the washroom.

  Chen Ming was very satisfied. Nodding slightly, he planned to rest here for a while before making further plans.

  He sat on the soft couch and noticed a kettle on the table. Lifting it, he found it heavy, poured himself a cup, tilted his head back, and drank it down.

  After sitting for a while, Chen Ming began searching for traces "Local Chen Ming" had left in the room. Sure enough, before long, he found several pieces of luggage in a row of cabinets.

  Opening them one by one and looking through, besides clothes for changing, there were also several letters and documents. Chen Ming examined each item carefully to understand "Local Chen Ming's" background thoroughly, the better to impersonate him.

  First was a telegram, sent from Zhenhai County government office, addressed to "Local Chen Ming." The telegram read: "Sea monster attack confirmed. Both Chen and Zhu families wiped out. Family property completely destroyed."

  Below that was a newspaper, titled ZHEJIANG NEWS, with the headline story about the sea monster attack in Zhenhai, reporting heavy casualties.

  Chen Ming closed his eyes and pondered, piecing together the cause and effect.

  After seeing the news of the disaster in his hometown, "Local Chen Ming" was greatly shocked and urgently telegraphed the county government office in his hometown, receiving the shocking the grievous news that his entire family had perished.

  Chen Ming suspected that the Great One who brought him here had simply annihilated "Local Chen Ming's" entire family to prevent him from slipping up while impersonating "Otherworld Chen Ming."

  The Great One was truly ruthless! Saying kill the whole family, and killing the whole family!

  But why did the telegram also mention the Zhu family? What was their connection?

  Chen Ming continued flipping through. Below were some documents and account books. From these, he learned that the Chen and Zhu families had jointly opened a trading firm in Renhe County called the Chen & Zhu Trading Firm.

  Because Renhe was far from Zhenhai, and both the Chen and Zhu families had limited manpower, they couldn't station someone permanently. So they hired a local manager. Each year, they would regularly send someone to audit the accounts, preventing the manager from taking advantage of the owners being far away and doing whatever he pleased.

  "Local Chen Ming" was the person sent by his family to audit the accounts.

  Chen Ming looked at the handwriting in the account books, and his expression gradually froze. Because he discovered that "Local Chen Ming's" handwriting was identical to his own.

  The Great One indeed had big plans, making everything identical.

  Chen Ming sighed and continued flipping. He found a marriage certificate and opened it to discover a photograph of "Local Chen Ming" with a woman.

  The woman in the photo had a slender figure, a gentle appearance, and large eyes. She stood smiling side by side with "Local Chen Ming."

  The text on the marriage certificate was very clear: "Local Chen Ming" had married Zhu Chuying, a daughter of the Zhu family, at the age of eighteen. Unfortunately, the certificate added at the end that Zhu Chuying had already passed away, proving that "Local Chen Ming" was a widower eligible for remarriage.

  Chen Ming thought that "Local Chen Ming" truly loved his late wife, unable to forget her, which was why he carried the photo and marriage certificate with him.