Chapter 1: A Specialized Skill

The autumn sky is clear and crisp, the weather mild and sunny.

Jiangyun Province is located in the southern part of the Great Wei, where the climate is warm—warmer than in other provinces.

Even with winter fast approaching, many pedestrians on the road are still wearing short sleeves and shorts.

Afternoon.

Pedestrians come and go in Songyi City.

Baiwei Street is one of the most prosperous districts in Songyi City.

It gathers delicacies from all the major provinces of the Great Wei, boasting that one can taste a hundred flavors of the world here.

Hence, it is called Baiwei Street.

"Good!"

"Brilliant!"

A burst of enthusiastic cheers erupts from the Bidan Teahouse.

On the storytelling stage, the young master narrates with ease.

"The night is deep, and all is silent.

Ning Caichen had just drifted off to sleep when he felt someone enter his room.

He hurriedly sat up, and upon seeing the visitor, it was none other than the beautiful girl from the household in the north courtyard. He vaguely remembered her name was Xiaoqian.

Ning Caichen asked in surprise, 'Miss, why have you come to my room?'

Xiaoqian smiled charmingly..."

"..."

*Clack!*

The gavel strikes, and the storyteller concludes today's session: "To know what happens next, please listen to the next installment!"

"Ah!"

"It's over already?"

"No way, it just got to the good part!"

"Little Master, give us another bit, it's still early!"

In the teahouse, the guests voice their dissatisfaction, saying they haven't heard enough.

Behind the storytelling stage stands a young scholar of sixteen or seventeen.

The youth has decent facial features, though his skin is somewhat dark and he appears slightly frail.

He wears a green robe, dressed like a scholar, with an air of scholarly spirit about him.

"No, no, my throat can't take any more if I keep going."

Lin Zheyu waved his hand and said.

His voice is a bit hoarse; having spoken for over an hour, his throat is reaching its limit.

"What are we supposed to do? I won't be able to sleep tonight."

"The Little Master is too cruel, stopping right here."

...

Amidst the reluctant calls of the guests, the youth bows and steps off the stage.

"Little Master has great talent, to be able to write such a seductive story—even someone of my age can't help but yearn for it after hearing it."

The teahouse manager says with a smile.

The manager, named Wu Yinghe, is a portly middle-aged man who always wears the expression of a smiling Buddha.

"You flatter me, I'm just making a living."

Lin Zheyu waves his hand and takes the silver handed over by the manager.

"These 138 wen are the tips from the guests, and these 100 wen are today's wages."

"Seeing how hard you worked, I've given you a small raise," Manager Wu Yinghe says with a smile.

Ten days ago, Lin Zheyu had recommended himself to be a storyteller, saying he wouldn't take pay if he wasn't good.

At the time, Wu Yinghe had been somewhat reluctant.

After all, Lin Zheyu was too young and lacked experience; he didn't look like someone who could tell a good story.

However, being a kind-hearted man, he saw that Lin Zheyu looked miserable yet spoke with elegance, like a true scholar, so he let him try.

After all, if he wasn't good, he wouldn't have to pay him.

Unexpectedly, while the youth's storytelling technique was average, his stories were surprisingly brilliant.

Ever since Lin Zheyu started telling stories there, more and more tea drinkers have come for his reputation, thanks to his excellent stories.

The teahouse's business is becoming more and more prosperous.

"Many thanks, Manager," Lin Zheyu says in gratitude.

Leaving the teahouse, he walks along Baiwei Street.

On both sides of the street are dazzling arrays of delicacies, the fragrance tickling his nose and making Lin Zheyu's appetite stir.

He has been in this world for over a month now, and he has adapted to life here.

Thinking back to the miserable days when he first arrived, Lin Zheyu still feels a lingering fear.

The city where his predecessor lived was captured by rebel forces. His family were wealthy merchants in Jiunan City who had learned of the news in advance and moved the whole family.

However, they still couldn't escape their doom.

On the road to the Central Plains, they encountered bandits, and his predecessor was separated from his parents and kin.

After many days of wandering, he arrived in Songyi City mixed in with refugees.

Not long after arriving in Songyi City, his predecessor couldn't hold on any longer, and Lin Zheyu took over the body.

When he first arrived, Lin Zheyu's stomach was full of mud, tree bark, and weeds, so uncomfortable that he couldn't defecate for days.

It wasn't until he drank dirty water and developed diarrhea that he felt a bit better.

But he had also nearly lost his life because of it.

"I still have to thank Miss Ren Qingying of the Ren Mansion. Without the thin porridge she gave as charity, I fear I would have kicked the bucket right after being reborn."

Lin Zheyu sighs.

The Ren family is a famous noble family in Songyi City, and Ren Qingying is beautiful and kind-hearted, a living Bodhisattva in the hearts of many refugees.

If it weren't for them boiling porridge to provide relief outside the city multiple times, Lin Zheyu definitely wouldn't have survived.

"It smells so good!"

Walking on the street, Lin Zheyu sniffs, and his stomach lets out a growl.

He digs into his pocket, resisting the urge to buy something.

He has just saved up a little money and cannot squander it recklessly.

In this world, besides storytelling, Lin Zheyu hasn't found a good way to make money.

Originally, he had high ambitions, thinking he would rely on the thinking and knowledge of his past life to make a name for himself in this world.

But soon, the cruelty of reality woke him from his beautiful dream.

After several attempts, Lin Zheyu discovered he couldn't do anything.

Fortunately, in his past life, he loved listening to Old Guo tell stories, and through osmosis, he learned some superficial insights.

In the end, relying on the stories from his past life, he managed to land a job as a storyteller.

His storytelling technique is average, but his facial expressions and ability to convey emotion are excellent, and his stories are superb.

Overall, he tells them quite well and has managed to scrape by.

"Now that I've saved a little over a tael of silver, I wonder if it's enough to learn a martial art."

"This world is too chaotic. Without clan members or relatives by my side, it's very easy to be bullied when alone."

Lin Zheyu tightens his grip on the silver in his pocket.

He has been robbed several times already.

Because he is alone without a clan to rely on, he has suffered a lot since coming to this world.

Even if he reported it to the authorities, the magistrate's office has too many things to deal with; how could they care about such a small matter for Lin Zheyu?

Fortunately, the world is chaotic, and he is not without something to rely on.

Lin Zheyu looks at the data in his consciousness; this thing has existed since he arrived in this world.

【Heaven Rewards Diligence】

Name: Lin Zheyu

Source Power: 1

Skills: None

This appeared in his mind after he arrived in this world.

As long as Lin Zheyu works hard enough, every time he exercises his body and breaks through his physical limits, he can obtain 1 unit of Source Power.

Using Source Power, he can improve his skills.

He tried it once a few days ago; after that breakthrough of his physical limits, his whole body ached for a week before recovering.

"Ordinary exercise movements don't count as skills. I wonder if the martial arts of this world count."

Lin Zheyu thinks to himself.

The martial power in this world is very strong.

Before Jiunan City was captured by the rebels, his predecessor's family kept many martial artists, and those with strong strength could easily take on ten opponents.

Unfortunately, his predecessor was a weak scholar who only wanted to pass the imperial examinations and had not learned any martial arts at all.

He passes through Baiwei Street.

After walking a few more miles, passing by a square and turning through streets and alleys, he arrives at the much more dilapidated Baishan district.

This place is far from the core area of Songyi City and belongs to the outer city, where poor people live.

Lin Zheyu was a newcomer and didn't have enough silver, so he could only rent a small hut here to get by.

Fortunately, his storytelling is gradually improving, and he has saved up quite a bit of silver; it is time to move into the city proper.

"It smells terrible."

Lin Zheyu pinches his nose, unable to stand the smell of the Baishan district.

The smells of sweat, urine, feces, fermenting trash, and so on are mixed together, brewing a disgusting and foul odor.