Chapter 001: How Old Are You? Do You Want to Adopt Me?
Page (1/3)
Blue Star, Huaguo.
Jiangcheng, Welfare Home.
On a warm winter day, some children played, some read and learned characters, some dozed off, and others stood still in a standing meditation.
In a corner of the courtyard stood a thin child, having remained motionless for half an hour.
Sweat covered his forehead, yet he clenched his teeth and persisted.
At first, both teachers and children found this strange, but now it was accustomed.
"A wooden one, Aunt Liu is here to see you again," the welfare home teacher called out.
“Wooden one” was merely a nickname recently given. When he was admitted, his name was Liu Jing.
But Liu Jing was no longer quite the same.
Three months ago, he was still a three-year-old child. After falling from bed, some fragmented, chaotic memories suddenly appeared in his mind.
The memories belonged to the son of Lü Buwei, a second-generation heir skilled in martial arts and commerce.
After his father died, he was shot by bandits on the way back to Shu.
He wandered in confusion for a whole month until his memories fully merged, earning him the nickname “Wooden One.”
Besides that, he was inexplicably equipped with an entertainment system.
Perhaps because the second-generation heir had acted as a playboy all his life? After all, Lü Buwei had many enemies, including Emperor Qin Shi Huang, who could not tolerate another Lü Buwei in Qin.
If the heir had not been a playboy, he would have likely died even sooner—he was not the only one to have died young.
[Host: Liu Jing (Inactive)]
[Level: One]
[Bond: 0/3]
[Entertainment Energy: 0]
[Ability: Daily Appraisal, once per day; additional uses require payment.]
Spending 10,000 points of Entertainment Energy upgrades the level to Two.
The first ability, Daily Appraisal, is free on the first use, consumes 100 points on the second, 10,000 points on the third, and one million points on the fourth use...
The system was currently inactive; acquiring a single point of Entertainment Energy would activate it automatically.
But what exactly was Entertainment Energy?
Liu Jing was baffled until he met Aunt Liu and her daughter.
“Wooden one, wooden one, this child... sigh...” The teacher sighed deeply. The child was too obedient, making it difficult to get his attention.
“Teacher Li, is he alright?” Aunt Liu asked worriedly, noticing he was even thinner than last week.
Two months ago, after her daughter’s kindergarten performance, Aunt Liu was cycling with her daughter past the welfare home when...
“Dragon…” the little girl called out, then bumped into Liu Jing.
Aunt Liu was no reckless driver; she took the child to the hospital for a check-up. Though there was no major issue, she started visiting every weekend.
“He’s fine, just... he doesn’t like to talk. Before, he would just zone out like a wooden doll; now, inexplicably, he’s started practicing martial arts,” Teacher Li said with a wry smile.
Such an obedient child was rare, but also more troublesome.
He liked to bully the quiet ones; there had been quite a few fights lately. When other kids were bullied, they would cry and tell the teacher. This child, however, would just start fighting without a word, regardless of whether they were boys or girls.
Fortunately, he was careful with his strength.
Hence, no other children dared come within ten meters of Liu Jing.
While the two adults chatted, a little girl approached. “My name is Xixi, what’s yours?”
Liu Jing glanced aside, thinking, You’re supposed to be An Feng, right? Such a small child already lying—really?
The little girl was delicate, dressed like a little princess.
Not long after Liu Jing had merged his memories, he was observing this strange world when he saw the mother and daughter on bicycles.
As the son of Lü Buwei, a notorious playboy, he had seen all kinds of beauties in his memories and was usually indifferent.
But this glance suddenly stunned him, and he forgot to dodge.
Two bubbles floated above the mother and daughter’s heads.
Entertainment Energy +23!
Entertainment Energy +1!
Page (1/3)
Page (2/3)
The previously inactive Entertainment Energy showed as activated the moment the two bubbles were absorbed.
[Host: Liu Jing]
[Level: One (requires 10,000 points to level up)]
[Bond: 0/3]
[Entertainment Energy: 24]
[Ability: Daily Appraisal, once per day; additional uses require payment.]
Without hesitation, he used Daily Appraisal on the little girl; a light screen appeared above her head.
[Name: An Feng]
[Gender: Female]
[Age: Four]
[Description: She is still a child.]
Nonsense, Daily Appraisal—what kind of ability is this? Less reliable than Lü Buwei himself.
He somewhat understood the concept of bonds. Meeting certain conditions allowed one to establish bonds with others, who could help gather Entertainment Energy.
As for the source of Entertainment Energy, he still had no clue.
“Call me Liu Jing,” he said after some thought, considering the bubbles, deciding not to argue.
“Are you practicing martial arts?” The little girl asked with interest, before waiting for an answer she continued, “I’m five by traditional age, how old are you?”
Liu Jing didn’t reply, focusing on a breath of martial practice, too busy to pay her any mind.
“That day, I saw a dragon on your forehead; my mother said it was an illusion.”
“Why are you so skinny? Don’t they feed you?”
“Don’t you go to school? Why practice martial arts?”
“Can you teach me martial arts? I’ll share my snacks with you…”
...
“I’ll teach you the first move. Listen carefully.” Liu Jing exhaled a mouthful of stale air.
What dragon? Liu Jing’s expression shifted; when the system activated, he vaguely heard the sound of a dragon’s roar.
“Okay!” The little girl eagerly leaned in, eager to be a good student.
“Shut your mouth, don’t talk, stand there like me for ten minutes.” He pointed to a nearby tree, with a few sparse yellow leaves.
“And then?”
“Persist like this for a month, then you’ll master the first move. Next time, I’ll teach you the second.”
The little girl obediently trotted to the tree and began to imitate him earnestly.
Liu Jing felt gratified; regardless of whether the posture was correct, the world had finally become peaceful.
Aunt Liu was also pleased. Her only daughter lacked playmates and was somewhat lonely; she had few friends at kindergarten.
These days, her daughter had been clinging to her, worrying about this little boy.
Now it seemed they got along well; adopting him would be like gaining a little brother—three benefits at once.
“Teacher Li, I want to adopt this child. What procedures do I need to follow?” Aunt Liu suddenly asked.
Teacher Li paused, then brightened. Every child who got adopted brought joy to them.
A child growing up in a normal family was what they most hoped for and found most gratifying.
“The procedure is simple, and you meet the requirements. But have you discussed it with your husband?” Teacher Li asked.
She was somewhat familiar with Aunt Liu’s background, given her frequent visits lately.
“We have discussed it. He will come here shortly,” Aunt Liu replied.
She sighed softly; convincing her husband’s family was no easy task.
Recently, her mother-in-law had been pressuring her to have a second child and was unhappy about her working outside the home.
A second child was impossible.
Resigning to stay home was even less likely.
The family had been quite discordant these past two years.
Page (2/3)
Page (3/3)
Discussing the adoption had somewhat eased the couple’s relationship.
“Ha ha, that’s good, that’s good,” Teacher Li laughed heartily, pulling Aunt Liu over to Liu Jing’s side. “Xiaoli, this child doesn’t cry or throw tantrums and is very obedient. He just has a few small issues.”
“What issues?” Aunt Liu asked anxiously. A problematic child would be hard to bring home. Her husband was already somewhat opposed to adopting such an older child.
“He often zones out and doesn’t talk to others, which is why he’s called ‘Wooden One,’” Teacher Li sighed.
Liu Jing muttered silently—who wouldn’t be confused when a three-year-old was stuffed with the memories of a thirty-year-old?
Messy, fragmented, and incomplete, it was already impressive he hadn’t gone crazy.
“No problem, my Xixi is quite lively; this will be a good balance of calm and energy,” Aunt Liu was even more satisfied. If her daughter hadn’t been so clingy, she wouldn’t have decided to adopt. If this child was as lively as her daughter, life would certainly be lively.
“He often cries silently, but when bullied, he never tells the teachers and always solves things himself,” Teacher Li continued introducing.
Liu Jing wanted to roll his eyes—my tears have nothing to do with being bullied.
Daily Appraisal had a side effect: it made him tear up.
The more information he obtained, the more tears flowed freely.
It didn’t harm his eyes; in fact, his gaze grew sharper.
He used it once a day, appraising the sky, the earth, the air, cats, dogs, toys, and occasionally people.
“Poor child,” Aunt Liu’s heart filled with pity; a child without a mother was truly pitiable.
“All right, you and ‘Wooden One’ should talk,” Teacher Li gave the necessary advice. They had to be cautious; if problems arose later, parents might cause trouble.
“Wooden One, uh, Liu Jing, how old are you this year?” Aunt Liu crouched down and asked gently.
They were close, and Aunt Liu was surprised; the child had a high nose bridge and well-defined features, somewhat resembling a mixed race.
“About three,” Liu Jing answered.
“About? When is your birthday?” Aunt Liu thought he might not know how to calculate.
“I don’t know,” Liu Jing shook his head. He truly did not know and didn’t care much.
Teacher Li, watching nearby, replied, “Wooden One was born in ’88, under the dragon sign. His birthday is November 11th, just recently passed. That’s not the day he was admitted; he has a note with his name and birth details.”
Aunt Liu’s pity grew. Such an obedient, pitiful child. “Liu Jing, come home with Auntie. Auntie’s home has...”
Liu Jing, having been here over three months and not clueless, asked, “You want to adopt me?”
“Yes. What do you think?” Aunt Liu asked.
Liu Jing pondered, “How old are you?”
Aunt Liu laughed softly, teasing, “I was born in 1959; this is 1991. Can you figure out my age?”
“At your age, you’re more like my sister,” Liu Jing replied seriously.
If he were an adult, this wouldn’t be funny.
But he was a three-year-old, speaking earnestly in a milk-like voice.
“Ha ha, calling me sister works, makes me seem younger,” Aunt Liu laughed; the child was amusing.
“Xixi, come here. He’ll be your little brother from now on.” Aunt Liu beckoned to the little girl.
Liu Jing frowned. Calling her big sister was acceptable—after all, the one whose memories he inherited died in his twenties.
But calling a tiny kid sister was too embarrassing.
The little girl gritted her teeth, squatting in a horse stance, looking stubborn. It wasn’t yet time to speak.
“What’s she doing?” Aunt Liu asked curiously.
“Practicing silent meditation,” he replied.
He suspected the beautiful woman was lying about her age. After one Daily Appraisal, she instantly teared up.
“Child, don’t cry. We’re a family now,” Aunt Liu said comfortingly. The child’s tears showed he understood loyalty.
“I’ll bring you a lifetime of wealth and honor.”
“Ha ha, you’re quite the child...”
Page (3/3)