Early spring in the southern city of Jiangnan was always a mix of drizzle and damp air—
either bright sunlight for a few days or endless soft rain that made everything feel sticky and cold.
By the small lake, inside a stone pavilion, a young man lay sideways on a bamboo recliner,
reading a book and lazily biting into a yellow pear.
His brows furrowed now and then, muttering curses under his breath.
Outside, beaded curtains hung over the pavilion entrance,
catching the scattered raindrops that splashed from the eaves.
They ran down the strings like silver threads and splattered onto the bluestone floor below.
> "Illiterate… useless… can't even read a word. Are you a pig?"
Liam Qin rubbed his temples in frustration,
his tone sounding more like a street rascal than the heir of a noble house.
It had been three days since he arrived in this world.
The memories of his past life were hazy, but he'd adapted somewhat to this new identity—
Liam Qin, the first son of the Qin family, fifteen years old,
and engaged since childhood to the ten-year-old daughter of another noble family.
Through the past few days, he had absorbed the original Liam's memories.
Thanks to that, he could pass off as the same spoiled young master without arousing suspicion.
But that didn't solve his biggest problem—
the original Liam was completely uneducated.
His father, Lord Fen Qin, had doted on him beyond reason.
Born when his father was already middle-aged, Liam had been treated like a rare treasure—
fed, clothed, and pampered to the extreme.
Study at private school?
> "Too tiring, not interested."
"Alright, go play," said his father.
Spending nights in taverns and pleasure houses?
> "I want to go, but I need money."
"Fine, take as much as you need."
And thus, at fifteen years old,
the boy's vocabulary barely exceeded fifty words.
To the modern-minded Liam, this was a nightmare.
Although the characters of this world looked similar to Chinese,
their structure and meaning were completely different.
He was a literal illiterate—
unable even to read the history books in the Qin family's vast library.
The only thing he knew: the Qin residence was in Azure Sun City,
a riverside city along the Gusu River, where merchant ships often docked.
Beyond that, his knowledge was close to zero.
For three days, he had done little but study the local primer, The Three Character Classic,
but progress was painfully slow.
Each time frustration mounted, he ended up swearing at the heavens.
> "Forget it. That thing should be ready soon anyway."
He set down the book and focused on the air before him—
where a faint white text hovered like an illusion:
[Activation countdown: 00:01:09]
This mysterious display had appeared the day he arrived in this world,
counting down from seventy-two hours.
Now, only a minute remained.
When the final second ticked away,
the words suddenly transformed before his eyes.
---
Super Assist System
> Attributes | Skills | Enhance | Decompose | Fuse
Personal Stats:
Strength: 0.4 (Weak)
Agility: 0.3 (Slow)
Constitution: 0.3 (Poor)
Spirit: 0.9 (Normal)
Charm: 0.8 (Plain)
Omni Essence: 0
Skills:
Pickpocket (0/10) – Beginner
Throwing Knife (0/10) – Beginner
---
Liam stared at the panel, excitement replacing confusion.
After half an incense stick of studying, he figured out its functions.
The five basic attributes were self-explanatory,
but this thing called "Omni Essence" puzzled him—how did one obtain it?
As for Pickpocket and Throwing Knife,
they made him blink in surprise.
So the original spoiled young master did have some tricks up his sleeve.
He dug into the original's memory.
Apparently, years ago Liam had drunkenly rescued a thief
who repaid him with two illustrated manuals—
one on pickpocketing, one on knife throwing.
The boy, who couldn't read, had halfheartedly mimicked the pictures for a few days
and then used the manuals to prop up a wobbly table.
So that's where the skills came from.
Curious, Liam tested the Decompose function.
> Decompose "Three Character Classic"?
[Yes / No]
He pressed Yes.
The book vanished instantly, replaced by a message:
> Decomposition successful! Gained: "Universal Literacy"
A glowing orb materialized in his hand.
When he squeezed it, it shattered into light and sank into his body.
A new skill appeared in his list:
Universal Literacy (0/160) – Mastery
Passive 1: Easier to learn written language
Passive 2: Faster comprehension of texts
Suddenly, his mind flooded with understanding—
he could now read every single word of that primer.
> "Now this is what I call a cheat!"
Grinning, he tossed his half-eaten pear into the lake,
watching koi fight over it, then ran straight to the library.
---
There, he found countless books—histories, local tales, folk records.
He picked one titled Notes from the Ziwei Cottage and started reading.
He learned that Azure Sun City was part of the Tang Dominion,
with neighboring northern states like Liao, Jin, and Xia,
while the west and south were home to barbaric tribes.
Beyond those lands lay vast unexplored wilderness where even masters perished.
The deeper he read, the more uneasy he became.
Records of bizarre deaths, haunted temples, ghostly parades,
and mirror spirits filled the pages.
> "This world's not exactly safe…"
Just as he was digesting this grim realization,
a maid rushed in.
> "Young Master! Your father asks you to the guest hall—your fiancée has arrived!"
> "Fiancée… wait, don't tell me she's here to cancel the engagement?"
> "Of course not! Miss Su brought you some medicinal soup!"
> "Oh… that's fine then."
---