Chapter 1
Chapter 1: Jiang Ning
Chapter 1: Jiang Ning
In the early morning, the rays of dawn pierced through the clouds, illuminating the ancient walls of Luoshui County.
The once peaceful county was now bustling with activity, the main roads filled with vendors shouting their wares, creating a lively atmosphere.
In the eastern part of Luoshui County, within a small courtyard enclosed by a bamboo fence, Jiang Ning sat cross-legged on a wooden chair, his elbows resting on his knees, and his hands supporting his chin. He was quietly flipping through a book.
[Mythical Chronicles]
This was a miscellaneous book, recording stories of divine beings.
According to the book, before the Great Xia, it was a world where gods and humans coexisted.
Rivers had gods, mountains had gods, and divine beings were everywhere.
Although this book seemed fantastical, Jiang Ning was reading it with utmost seriousness, his entire focus absorbed in the text.
[Literacy Experience Points +1]
[Literacy Experience Points +1]
After a while, Jiang Ning flipped to the last page, slowly withdrawing his gaze, and the miscellaneous book was completely closed in his hands.
[This reading session has earned a total of 8 Literacy Experience Points.]
The next moment, a panel appeared before his eyes, visible only to him.
[Panel:
Essence Energy: 13.5
Skills: Literacy (968/1000) (Attribute: None)
"Finally, I'm almost at the maximum value! I wonder what changes this Literacy skill will bring once it reaches perfection."]
Jiang Ning's heart raced as he looked at his panel.
In the past few days, he had thoroughly read through all the books in his family's collection, be it ancient historical texts or various classical works, he had perused them all.
With these books, he had finally mastered the skill, step by step, from the basics to proficiency, then to minor and major accomplishments.
With each breakthrough, he felt his mind becoming clearer, his thoughts quicker, and his senses sharper.
As far as he knew, this was clearly the effect of the divine empowerment.
In the Great Xia, within Confucianism, reading nourishes the divine!
After this period of diligent reading, he had already discovered the panel's wonders.
This panel had the power to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary; with focused reading, it allowed him to gain Literacy Experience Points and permanently retain the knowledge.
Now, every book he had read was vividly recorded in his mind, and he could recall its contents with a mere thought.
At this moment, he was only a few dozen Experience Points away from breaking through after mastering this skill. With his current efficiency, he just needed to read a few more books to earn those points.
With his current knowledge, he was confident that taking the Imperial Exams to become a Scholar Candidate or a Scholar would be effortless.
Thinking of this, Jiang Ning's heart was filled with anticipation.
With the addition of an official rank next year, he could change his current situation.
"Dudu!"
"Dudu!"
At this moment, a soft, sticky voice reached Jiang Ning's ears.
Hearing this soft, sticky voice, Jiang Ning snapped back to his senses.
Following the sound, he saw a little girl with delicate features, big eyes, and two pigtails, wobbling as she ran towards him. Her chubby cheeks were especially eye-catching.
Seeing his five-year-old niece, Jiang Yuan Yuan, nicknamed Xiao Dou Bao (Little Bean Bun), Jiang Ning couldn't help but smile.
In his family, this five-year-old niece was the one he felt closest to. From her delicate features, one could foresee a future beauty, and her excellent genes were evident, indicating her mother's exceptional looks.
"Dudu, this is Guo Guo's book is for Dudu!"
Xiao Dou Bao spoke, struggling to lift her head to look at Jiang Ning.
Even though Jiang Ning was just sitting on the chair, his height still required the five-year-old Xiao Dou Bao to look up to see his face.
Jiang Ning smiled gently, taking the book that Xiao Dou Bao was holding with effort, and his heart rejoiced.
For him, any book was useful, as long as he hadn't read it before, he could gain Literacy Experience Points.
With this new book, he was certain that he could max out his Experience Points for this skill today.
However, he didn't carefully examine the book in his hand but placed it aside, then rubbed the small head of Jiang Yuan Yuan.
"Xiao Dou Bao, you're amazing!"
"You're so pretty, Dou Dou!" Xiao Dou Bao didn't hold back in response to Jiang Ning's praise.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ning couldn't help but smile and rub her little head, saying, "You don't know what's pretty or not!"
"Pretty is pretty, and Dou Dou is pretty! She's as pretty as my daddy!" The tiny Xiao Dou Bao didn't back down.
Hearing these words, Jiang Ning smiled ambiguously.
Just then, a woman's voice suddenly drifted out from the nearby kitchen, calm and cold, without much emotion, but inherently carrying a gentle aura.
Jiang Ning looked up and saw a woman in her thirties, with a graceful figure and appearance akin to a lady of grace, standing at the kitchen entrance. As their eyes met, the exceptionally beautiful woman glanced at him indifferently, then averted her gaze, seemingly with some disdain.
Jiang Ning couldn't help but force a smile at this.
He was well aware that this Elder Sister had some complaints about him living in his Elder Brother's home for over a decade.
After all, Elder Sister had been married to his Elder Brother for over ten years, and they now had a son and a daughter.
Their eldest son, Jiang Yiming, was already fourteen years old, studying both scholarly and martial arts, with great aspirations. However, since childhood, he had been well-read in poetry and literature, and to cultivate his physique for martial arts, a considerable amount of silver had been spent.
In this situation, his predecessor had done nothing productive for over a decade, idling his time away, and all expenses were shouldered by his Elder Brother.
Moreover, his Elder Brother was merely a sheriff in Luoshui County, with limited income. How could Elder Sister not have any complaints about him?
Especially in recent times, with the rising grain prices, the family of five was feeling even more strained financially, and Elder Sister's complaints about him had grown louder.
Thinking of this, he felt rather helpless.
He was well aware that Elder Sister didn't treat him well, and he completely understood this, as it was a normal human emotion.
He had been living off his Elder Brother and Elder Sister's family for a long time.
But now, he had no other choice. His predecessor had no savings, and most of the two months since his transmigration had been spent recovering from his injuries. Even if he wanted to move out, he couldn't, as it was not peaceful these days!" Jiang Ning thought to himself.
He already had plans for the future in mind.
In recent days, he had gained an understanding of the changing world situation through his Elder Brother's work at the county office and his own diligent study of books.
The Great Xia Dynasty, where he now lived, was clearly in a state of unrest and upheaval, typical of the decline of a dynasty.
Even in this small Luoshui County, there were several forces stirring beneath the surface.
As a history major in his previous life, he was all too familiar with this situation.
History repeats itself in endless cycles, with no absolute similarities but unavoidable common trajectories.
Therefore, he was well aware that the Great Xia Dynasty, which had been established for over eight hundred years, was facing a precarious situation amidst natural disasters, roaming refugees, rampant rebellions, and the emergence of bizarre and distorted churches.
In the face of this situation, only personal strength could ensure survival during the decline of a dynasty.
Otherwise, once the tide of history swept in, the world would plunge into chaos, with numerous heroes vying for power, especially in this world where martial arts flourished and the weak would be trampled.
How could ordinary commoners survive amidst such a tumultuous era? His Elder Brother was merely a regular sheriff at the county office, no different from a pebble in the flow of history.
"I still need to borrow my Elder Brother's strength for a while, and as for my Elder Brother and Elder Sister's family, I can only repay them in the future!"
(End of Chapter)
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