Chapter 1: The Deceptive System

“Dad, you’ve been sitting on this rock all morning without saying a word. Are you upset?” A girl of eight or nine scrambled up the rock to stand before Chen Changsheng, her voice clear and melodious, sweetly childish.

To be honest, Chen Changsheng was indeed in low spirits—profoundly so. The system that had accompanied him for three years had unilaterally terminated their contract, leaving him no recourse.

Three years ago, he had crossed over from Earth to this place called the Land of Singing Snow, and signed a contract with a World System. Overjoyed, he believed this system would help him dominate his new world, slay monsters, and reach the pinnacle of life.

To his surprise, what the World System proceeded to teach him was cooking, carpentry, blacksmithing, music, chess, poetry, painting, raising pigs, dogs, chickens, ducks, growing vegetables, planting trees, and tending flowers.

What kind of skills were these? What use were they in a world of cultivation?

For three long years, he endured and learned all these miscellaneous arts, convinced that once he mastered them, the system would finally instruct him in the ways of cultivation.

But instead, the system dissolved their contract. It was gone, just like that.

So Chen Changsheng had sat in silence on this rock the entire morning, unable to utter a single word. Yet now, gazing into the bright, innocent eyes of the little girl before him, much of his frustration seemed to melt away.

Yes, with Die’er by his side, who needed a system?

He fondly pinched the girl's soft, dimpled cheeks and smiled, “Die’er, as long as I have you, nothing can make me unhappy.”

This little girl was, in fact, his daughter. For three years, they had depended on each other. The only problem was that in his previous life, Chen Changsheng had been a high schooler—how strange it was to suddenly have a daughter this age.

The girl’s mother had died in childbirth, and her father had succumbed to illness three years ago. It was then that Chen Changsheng transmigrated into the father’s body, embarking on the role of a stay-at-home dad, caring for the child’s every need.

It took him a whole month, dazed and bewildered, before he finally accepted this new reality.

The little girl’s voice was soft and concerned, “But Dad, you haven’t spoken all morning.”

Chen Changsheng hesitated, then forced a laugh, “I was admiring the scenery. Look, isn’t it beautiful here? I got so lost in it I forgot to speak. You know, I’ve mastered music, chess, calligraphy, and painting—such arts require peace of mind, and nothing soothes the mind like beautiful scenery, Die’er.”

The child immediately straightened her tiny chest and cupped her hands in a formal salute, emulating an adult, “Dad, Die’er is here!”

“In this life, we two will never become those lofty immortals. But we needn’t envy them; we’ll spend our days hidden away in peace. In the future, you should learn to appreciate these mountains and rivers as I do…”

The girl interrupted, looking serious, “Dad, what is there to see in these mountains and rivers?”

“Ahem!” Chen Changsheng covered his mouth with a cough. “Die’er, you mustn’t be so inquisitive—it’s not a good habit.”

What could he possibly see in the scenery? Who knew. He’d only come here to clear his head.

“Oh, I understand.” The girl nodded obediently, but after a pause, she added in a small, aggrieved voice, “But Dad, you’ve been out here all morning and I’m starving.”

Her little stomach rumbled at just the right moment, as if to prove her point.

“Oh, sorry!” Chen Changsheng was instantly filled with guilt. He scooped the girl up in his arms. “Come on, let’s go get you something good to eat.”

The two of them hopped off the rock and followed a mountain path to a wooden cabin nestled nearby—their home, where father and daughter had lived in seclusion, untouched by the world’s dust and noise.

Inside, Chen Changsheng began preparing a meal for his daughter. Dressed in a lotus-patterned dress, the little girl sat primly outside on a stone, resting her chin in her hands, patiently awaiting her father’s food.

She sniffed the fragrant aroma drifting from inside. Mmm—what a wonderful smell! It must be delicious.

Images of her father’s many culinary masterpieces danced in her mind. He was truly exceptional.

Meanwhile, far off in the sky, a figure in white sped swiftly toward them—a young woman in a white dress. She was strikingly beautiful, her features exquisite, but her face was deathly pale and her body covered in wounds.

She flew in haste, fear and anger in her eyes—clearly fleeing for her life.

“Damn bastard!” she cursed under her breath, but her strength was failing and her speed slowed with each moment.

“Help me!” Upon spotting the cabin and the little girl sitting outside, the woman cried out for help. To call for aid from a child was unthinkable, but she had no other choice.

“Such dense spiritual energy! What is this place? How can the aura here be so rich?” No sooner had she called out than she noticed the overwhelming spiritual energy saturating the area. It was as if she were breathing pure energy, not air.

But her injuries were too severe. She had taken only two breaths before her body gave out and she plummeted from the sky, landing not far from the little girl.

The child, who had been daydreaming about delicious food, trembled in shock, then hurried over, blinking in disbelief. “Sister, what happened to you?”

The woman in white, anxious and breathless, pleaded, “Little sister, someone’s trying to kill me. Can you help me into the house so I can hide?”

She did not know if her presence would bring disaster upon the home’s residents, but she had no other option.

The little girl’s attention, however, was on something else. Seeing the woman’s grievous wounds, she looked at her sympathetically. “Sister, you look badly hurt. Oh! My dad’s food isn’t just delicious—it can even heal…”

The woman’s injuries were truly dire, with several wounds deep enough to expose bone, impossible not to notice.

Nearly in tears, the woman pleaded again, “Little sister, a villain is after me—he’ll be here any second! Please, help me inside, I’m begging you!”

A cruel laugh echoed from the sky behind them. “Mu Wanqing, do you really think you can escape?”

A young man in black, face pale as death, eyes burning red, and wielding a blood-red sword, descended rapidly and strode toward Mu Wanqing. Taking in her graceful figure, his face twisted with a lecherous grin. “Mu Wanqing, I’ll sever your meridians and turn you into a cripple. Then you’ll be nothing but my plaything.”

Despair flashed in Mu Wanqing’s eyes, her already pale face flushing with shame and anger. Suddenly, she pressed her sword to her snowy neck and shouted, “Xue Wuchang, I’d rather die than let you have your way!”

The little girl’s eyes sparkled with innocent clarity as she asked, “Sister, is that the bad man?”

Mu Wanqing: "..."

Could his evil not be more obvious?