Chapter 1
Chapter 1: Jiang Ning
Chapter 1: Jiang Ning
Luo Shui County.
The morning sun pierced through the clouds, casting its rays upon the ancient city walls.
The once peaceful county was now bustling with activity, the main roads filled with vendors shouting their wares, creating a lively and noisy atmosphere.
In the eastern part of Luo Shui County, within a small courtyard enclosed by bamboo fences, Jiang Ning sat on a wooden chair, facing the sun, his elbows resting on his knees and his hands supporting his chin. He was engrossed in reading a book.
Mythic Era Chronicles
This was a miscellaneous book, recording tales of divine beings.
According to the book, the era before the Xia Dynasty was a world where gods and humans coexisted.
Rivers and mountains were inhabited by divine beings, and gods were everywhere.
Although this book seemed fantastical, Jiang Ning was reading it with utmost seriousness, his entire being focused.
[Calligraphy and Literacy Experience +]
[Calligraphy and Literacy Experience +1]
After a while, Jiang Ning flipped to the last page, slowly withdrawing his gaze. He closed the book in his hands.
[Total Calligraphy and Literacy Experience gained from reading this book: +8 points]
The next moment, a panel appeared before him, visible only to Jiang Ning.
[Name]: Jiang Ning
[Essence Energy]: 13.5
[Martial Arts]: Calligraphy and Literacy (968/1000) (Attribute: None)
"Finally, I'm close to reaching the maximum value! I wonder what changes will occur once I achieve mastery in this Calligraphy and Literacy skill."
Jiang Ning's heart was filled with excitement as he looked at his panel.
In the past few days, he had read through all the books in his family's collection, from ancient classics to historical records, and various philosophical texts.
Through these books, he had gradually mastered the skill of Calligraphy and Literacy, progressing from beginner to intermediate and finally, advanced levels.
With each breakthrough, he felt his mind becoming clearer, his thinking sharper, and his senses heightened.
As far as he knew, these were the effects of cultivating the divine energy.
In the Xia Dynasty, reading books nourished the divine energy within scholars.
After this period of diligent reading, Jiang Ning had discovered the true power of the panel.
This panel seemed to have the ability to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary. As long as he continued to read books diligently, his Calligraphy and Literacy skill would keep growing, and the progress would be permanent.
Now, every book he read was vividly recorded in his mind, and he could recall its contents with a mere thought.
At this moment, he was only a little over thirty points away from breaking through to the maximum level of this skill. With his current efficiency, he just needed to read a few more books to gain those final experience points.
With his current knowledge, taking the Martial Examination to become a Tongsheng or Xiucai scholar would be effortless for him.
Jiang Ning's heart was filled with anticipation at this thought.
With the official title and status he would gain next year, his situation would surely improve.
"Dudu!"
"Dudu!!"
Just then, a soft and sticky voice reached Jiang Ning's ears.
Hearing this soft and sticky voice, Jiang Ning snapped back to attention.
Following the sound, he saw a little girl with delicate features, big eyes, and two pigtails running towards him with wobbly steps. Her chubby cheeks were especially eye-catching.
Seeing his five-year-old niece, Jiang Yuanyuan, Jiang Ning finally came back to his senses.
"Little Doubao, run slower!"
A smile appeared on his face involuntarily.
In this family, the one closest to him was this five-year-old niece, Jiang Yuanyuan, nicknamed Little Doubao.
Looking at her exquisite and delicate features, Jiang Ning could tell she would grow up to be a beauty, inheriting her mother's exceptional looks.
"Dudu, this is Dudu's book. Let Dudu see it!"
Little Doubao spoke, trying her best to lift her head to look at Jiang Ning.
Even though Jiang Ning was just sitting in a chair, his height still required the five-year-old Little Doubao to lift her head to see his face clearly.
Jiang Ning smiled gently, taking the book from Little Doubao's hands, and his heart rejoiced.
For him, any book was fine as long as it was one he hadn't read before, as it would increase his Calligraphy and Literacy experience.
(End of Chapter 1)
With this new book, his skills would surely level up today.
However, he didn't carefully examine the book in his hand. Instead, he placed it aside and gently rubbed Jiang Yuanyuan's little head.
"Little Doubao, you're amazing!"
"Dudou is so beautiful!" Little Doubao praised Jiang Ning without holding back.
Hearing this, Jiang Ning couldn't help but smile and rubbed her little head, saying, "Do you even know what's beautiful or not!"
"Beautiful is beautiful, Dudou is beautiful! She's as good-looking as my father!" The little Doubao didn't back down.
Hearing these words, Jiang Ning smiled, not sure whether to agree or disagree.
6◇9◇Book◇End
Just then, a woman's voice faintly drifted out from the nearby kitchen.
"Meal time!"
The voice was direct and cold, without much emotion, but it carried a naturally gentle aura.
Jiang Ning looked up and saw a woman in her thirties standing at the kitchen door. Her appearance and demeanor were like that of a well-bred young lady. As she noticed Jiang Ning's gaze,
The woman, with her exceptionally stunning looks, glanced at him indifferently, then averted her eyes, seemingly with a hint of disdain.
Seeing this, Jiang Ning couldn't help but smile awkwardly.
How could he not know that this elder sister-in-law had some complaints about him living in his eldest brother's home for over a decade?
After all, his elder sister-in-law and his eldest brother had been married for over ten years, and now they had a son and a daughter.
The eldest son, Jiang Yiming, was already fourteen years old. He was studying both literature and martial arts, with great ambitions. However, he had been well-read since childhood, and to cultivate his martial arts, his physique had been enhanced at a considerable cost.
In this situation, Jiang Ning, for over a decade, had not engaged in any productive work, living a leisurely life. All expenses were borne by his eldest brother.
Moreover, his eldest brother was just a sheriff in Luo Shui County, with limited income. How could his sister-in-law not have any complaints about him?
Especially in recent times, with the rising food prices, there were five mouths to feed in the family, making their finances even tighter, and her complaints about him had grown louder.
Thinking of this, he felt rather helpless.
Knowing that his sister-in-law didn't like him, he understood it well, and he could fully comprehend this as a normal human emotion.
He had been relying on his eldest brother and sister-in-law's family for so long.
But now, he had no other choice. He had no savings from his previous life, and most of the time since his transmigration had been spent recovering from his injuries. Even if he wanted to move out, he couldn't.
"Continuing to rely on my eldest brother's family for a short while longer is inevitable. After all, Luo Shui County isn't a peaceful place right now!" Jiang Ning thought to himself.
He already had plans for the future.
These days, based on his eldest brother's work at the county government office and his own recent diligent reading, he had come to understand the changing dynamics of the world.
The Great Xia Dynasty, where he currently lived, was clearly in a state of turmoil, typical of the end of a dynasty.
Even in this small Luo Shui County, there were undercurrents of several forces stirring.
As a history major in his past life, he was all too familiar with such situations.
History always repeats itself, with no absolute similarities, but there are unavoidable common patterns.
Therefore, he was well aware that the Great Xia Dynasty, having existed for over eight hundred years, was facing the risk of collapse amid natural disasters, refugee crises, and rampant rebellions, as well as the eruption of bizarre and distorted churches.
Faced with such a situation, only personal strength could ensure survival during the end of a dynasty.
Otherwise, once the tide of great changes swept in, the world would descend into chaos, with warlords vying for power. Especially in this world, where martial arts were flourishing, the weak could fight ten, the strong could form armies, and the mightiest could challenge nations.
As an ordinary commoner, how could one survive being caught up in such tumultuous times? His eldest brother was just an ordinary sheriff, no different from a grain of sand in the flow of history.
"I still need to rely on my eldest brother's strength for a short while, and as for my eldest brother and sister-in-law's family, I can only repay them in the future!"
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