It’s tough for the bright-minded Yan to adapt and master the storytelling methods of these traditional societal tales fantasized by impoverished scholars. After three chapters, I really didn’t want to continue reading. The characters are thin, simplistic, their behaviors stereotypical and thoughtless. Just changing names and places turns them into ten-thousand-word stories, which are frankly bland to read. It seems that learning to 'skim' has become a basic skill for the writer.