"Why isn't he moving?"
"Not my fault! He looked so thirsty and didn't have water on him, so I gave him my bottle."
Mu Qingyun was jolted awake by the shouting voices. The moment her awareness returned, her eyes snapped open.
In front of her stood a tall young woman with… bear ears?
"Ahh! A corpse revived—help!"
The bear-eared woman screamed again, glanced at a cold-faced man with a snake's lower half on her left, then at a sickly-looking boy on her right. Finally, she hugged herself in defeat.
"Don't come any closer!"
...Is she insane?
Mu Qingyun frowned slightly, bewildered. She looked around, trying to understand where she was.
Where was this place?
The land around her was barren and cracked with drought. Underneath her, the earth had split from dryness. And yet, not far away, she could clearly see the raging sea crashing in endless waves.
Standing nearby were two strangely-shaped beastfolk—and a sickly boy?
Had she… transmigrated?
Before she could think further, a surge of foreign memories poured into her mind like a flood, tearing through her senses with agonizing pain. She clenched her brows, overwhelmed, mentally flipping through the unfamiliar information.
Mu Qingyun exhaled deeply, rubbed her still-aching forehead, and finally accepted the bizarre truth.
Before all this, she had been the Ninth Prince of the royal court—though in truth, a woman disguised as a man. To protect her helpless mother and younger brother, she had fought through palace intrigues and stepped over the corpses of her kin to claim the throne. But her reign was short-lived—she died from poison soon after.
Never did she expect that the next time she opened her eyes, she'd be here.
This world was unlike anything she had known. Strange devices like laser guns and televisions—things she'd never even heard of—were commonplace. According to what the Westerners called it, this world was "advanced."
Yet, the same "technology" that made this place so powerful had also devastated its ecosystem. The plants were nearly extinct, and even the water sources had begun to deteriorate.
The body she now occupied shared her exact name—Mu Qingyun—and belonged to a girl born into the Imperial Family of this planet. However, she had been mistakenly switched at birth and grew up on a trash planet. When she discovered her true identity and tried to reclaim her place, the royal family rejected her. They preferred the fake princess who had replaced her and exiled the real one.
Unwilling to give up, the original Mu Qingyun signed up for the Imperial Military Academy's entrance selection to prove herself.
But on the very first day… she choked to death from drinking water too fast.
Processing everything, Mu Qingyun's gaze fell on the black bracelet on her wrist. A small projected screen hovered above it, continuously flashing with notifications.
According to the memories, this was a live broadcast device. Since the selection process for the Imperial Military Academy was strictly fair and transparent, the entire examination was being livestreamed to the public.
Curious, she glanced at the screen.
[Yo, he's still alive? Why didn't he die?][That guy's really hard to kill.][Ugh, even the trash planet people are this ugly. Can he just hurry up and die already?][Exactly. Total waste of a spot.]
Why were these people so vicious?
Mu Qingyun frowned in confusion. According to the host's memories, she hadn't even met most of these people, much less offended them. Where was all this hatred coming from?
Wait… they're calling her a man?
But this body was clearly female. Could it be… the original host had also disguised herself as a man?
"Cough… are you okay?"
The frail boy beside her asked softly, his face full of concern.
"I'm fine," she answered instinctively, relieved that at least the spoken language here was familiar. "Thank you."
"Well, well… the trash planet rat's still alive?"
Before she could respond, a shrill, mocking voice rang out from behind.
"Let me take a look. This is the one who dared challenge Her Highness the Princess? Pathetic."
Tch. Doesn't know their place, huh?
A glint of coldness flashed through Mu Qingyun's phoenix eyes. She turned to see who had spoken.
"Don't say that," came another unfamiliar female voice, this time accompanied by soft hands that reached out and grabbed her arm. "Are you alright?"
Mu Qingyun immediately yanked back, seized the woman's wrist, twisted her body, and delivered a powerful kick—slamming her to the ground.
Bang!
The woman let out a pained grunt—and passed out.
[My god! What is he doing?!][He just threw Her Highness to the ground?!][And he calls himself a man? Laying hands on the princess like that?!][Don't stop me—I'm going in there to cut his filthy hand off!]
"Ahhh!"
Screams erupted.
"Let go of the princess! What do you think you're doing?!"
Mu Qingyun ignored them all. Her gaze lingered on the unconscious woman she'd just taken down.
According to the memories, this was the impostor who had stolen her identity—Mu Xueyao. It was her manipulation that had led others to take the host's rations, forcing her to drink too fast from thirst—and die choking.
"Old habits die hard," Mu Qingyun muttered coldly. "Reflexes."
She swept her sharp gaze across the stunned onlookers, then rose to her feet and walked decisively toward the coastline. This body was weak—too weak. Her first priority was finding food and water.
Everyone she passed shuddered under her cold glare, not one daring to stop her.
[He… he just walked away like that?][Too arrogant!]
The livestream chat exploded with insults, many demanding the crowd beat her to death. Others criticized those nearby for not intervening.
Mu Qingyun took a moment to glance at the screen—how annoying. She scowled and figured out how to shut it off.
Before her death, she had already secured her brother's future—stabilized the court, removed threats, and left behind loyal ministers. Even without her, he would thrive.
That was enough.
In her past life, she had been shackled by duty, never allowed to live for herself. Perhaps the heavens had taken pity and granted her a second chance.
This time, she would live for herself.
Eyes slightly lowered, she was so lost in thought that she didn't notice someone approaching behind her—until a weak voice startled her from her reverie.
"H-hi… cough… hello."
Mu Qingyun's instincts flared. She broke out in a cold sweat, spun around, and grabbed the person by the throat.
It was the same sickly boy from earlier.
He had approached… and she hadn't even noticed?
"What do you want?" she demanded coldly, eyes narrowed in suspicion.