Chapter 2: The Gifted Attribute
After realizing this was an era where people preyed on each other, Ye Liuyun had anticipated a day when blood would be spilled. Yet he never expected that his first target would be his own brother.
“*Huff!*”
After it was all over, Ye Liuyun threw down his dagger, panting heavily, and collapsed onto the ground. The physical exhaustion was secondary to the weariness that weighed heavier on his soul.
“Looks like, after all, I’m no good.”
Staring at Ye Liufeng’s corpse, Ye Liuyun let out a bitter laugh, surprised that he didn’t feel even a shred of disgust or nausea.
Shaking his head, he intended to rest and regain his strength.
But then, Ye Liuyun suddenly noticed faint glimmers of light drifting from the dead Ye Liufeng’s body—some blue, some green.
“What is this?”
Souls? It didn’t seem like it.
Curious, Ye Liuyun reached out to touch them. In the next instant, several lines of text appeared before his eyes.
“Detected collectible attributes: Robust Physique (Green), Prideful (Green), Blade Talent (Blue).”
“Robust Physique (Green): Your body is stronger and healthier than that of an ordinary person.”
“Prideful (Green): Prone to failure due to overconfidence.”
“Blade Talent (Blue): You possess a natural gift for blade mastery, destined to become a first-rate warrior.”
After a brief moment of stunned silence, Ye Liuyun immediately understood.
A system! This was his own system!
He had tried many times since his transmigration in the past days, but nothing had happened; he had thought he might not have such an “external aid.” Now it seemed he simply hadn’t used the right method.
Of course, as a transmigrator, how could he be without an aid system?
“System! Are you there? System!”
“...”
Ye Liuyun called out, but there was no response.
If not for the lingering sparkles, he might have thought it was a hallucination.
Perhaps it lacked intelligence? After a moment of silence, Ye Liuyun tried a different approach.
“System, open my character template.”
This time, there was a reaction. A luminous screen visible only to Ye Liuyun appeared before him.
“Talent Attribute System!
Host: Ye Liuyun!
Realm: None!
Talent Attributes: Petty Thief (White), Luck (Purple),”
“Petty Thief (White): You have a decent talent for petty theft.”
“Luck (Purple): You occasionally encounter extremely fortunate circumstances.”
A rather plain character template, yet the Luck attribute surprised Ye Liuyun; it showed he wasn’t entirely worthless.
Glancing once more at Ye Liufeng’s capabilities, Ye Liuyun smiled.
“Sometimes, luck is part of strength.”
He studied the system further. Though it lacked intelligence, all necessary descriptions were present; he just had to read them himself.
In essence, everyone possesses certain talents, and Ye Liuyun could acquire these talents by hunting down targets.
Talent attributes also had ranks: from lowest to highest—White, Green, Blue, Purple, Gold, and Red.
“Looking at it this way, my purple-tier Luck is quite good.”
Ye Liufeng’s blade talent was Blue, one rank below his own.
By the time Ye Liuyun looked back, the attributes on Ye Liufeng’s body were slowly fading, about to vanish.
Calculating roughly half an hour, these talents would disappear.
He immediately took the Robust Physique and Blade Talent attributes, discarding the Prideful one.
Ye Liufeng’s downfall was partly due to his overconfidence, along with Ye Liuyun’s luck.
Those who pop champagne too early rarely end well.
“Talent Attribute System!
Host: Ye Liuyun!
Realm: None!
Talent Attributes: Luck (Purple), Robust Physique (Green), Blade Talent (Blue),”
With these two new attributes, his character template felt much fuller.
As for the original White-tier Petty Thief attribute, Ye Liuyun discarded it outright.
He could throw away unwanted attributes—though the system lacked intelligence, its functionality satisfied him greatly.
Standing and stretching his limbs, Ye Liuyun felt lighter and stronger than before, thanks to the Robust Physique attribute.
He planned to leave immediately but reconsidered and returned to Ye Liufeng’s side.
“From today onward, I am Ye Liufeng, General of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.”
He sought to change his identity simply to survive.
But now, thinking further, possessing the title of General made it easier to encounter people with special talents. Besides, it was said that many warriors died daily in the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s prison—wasn’t this an opportunity?
His system destined him not to be invincible right away.
A brief period of endurance was necessary.
With this in mind, Ye Liuyun moved the stone pressing on Ye Liufeng’s body and changed his clothes.
Then, beside a ruined temple, he dug a grave and buried him.
At least, he could rest in peace.
“Though you were worthless, this is the utmost mercy I can offer—not letting you become a wandering spirit. Don’t worry; if I remember, I’ll burn incense for you.”
No need for a gravestone.
In these times, small unmarked graves were everywhere.
Death was far too common.
After standing a while longer, Ye Liuyun grabbed Ye Liufeng’s dagger and left.
...
Before a grand mansion, Ye Liuyun stopped.
He had forgotten that Ye Liufeng had been married; the woman was nominally his sister-in-law.
The original Ye Liuyun barely remembered his sister-in-law—he had seen her only a few times, and she always wore a lofty, indifferent expression. Even facing her husband’s brother, she never spared a glance.
No wonder; he was a good-for-nothing ruffian with nothing to offer.
Moreover, it was said that his sister-in-law came from a distinguished family, owning this mansion. Although Ye Liufeng had married her, it was more like marrying into her family.
“Master! The master has returned!”
At this moment, a servant noticed Ye Liuyun outside and hurried out to greet him.
“Hmm!”
The more one spoke, the more mistakes were likely.
Thinking so, Ye Liuyun said nothing more, merely nodded, and followed the servant inside.
Truly magnificent.
Though he had visited a few times before, each time seeing this grand residence—and recalling the thatched hut he lived in—he couldn’t help but sigh.
“Master!”
Just then, a fair young lady approached.
...