Chapter 1: Damn! This shitty reality.
August, the hottest time in Yanjing.
In a village near Yanjiao, two aunts flanked Rong Ziyin, forcing him to look at two small groups of limp, lifeless ducks before him.
“Little Rong, look! Could it be that their ducks gave mine the bug? Ever since their ducks came to mine, my female ducks stopped laying eggs!”
“Bullshit! Your ducks are like loose women—they can’t keep their hands off any male they see. What does that have to do with my precious ones? Yours are the sick ones. After eating a single grain from your place, mine started losing feathers.”
“Oh dear, I’m ruined! I rely on selling duck eggs for income. If these ducks get sick, my whole family will be eating air for the rest of the year…” Just as one aunt wiped away tears and began her story, the other aunt bellowed, drowning her out.
“You heartless wretch! My only breeding drake is dying right before my eyes! How will I get ducklings this year? How will the hens brood? Rather than starve to death, I’ll hang myself with my eighty-year-old mother at the village chief’s doorstep today!”
“Oh my god, I can’t go on living!”
The two women put on quite a show, quickly drawing a crowd of curious villagers. Every now and then, the onlookers would sigh and shake their heads at the two groups of limp, lifeless ducks.
“Honestly, these ducks look pretty weak. I hope they don’t die…”
“Can’t survive…”
Hearing those three words, the two women wept even harder, as if it weren’t sick ducks they’d lost but their husbands in an accident.
Rong Ziyin tried several times to speak up but couldn’t get a word in. Giving up on joining the fray, he squatted down to carefully examine the two groups of ducks.
Finally, the commotion became too much. The onlookers hurried to the village committee office and called the village chief over to mediate.
The village chief was a good-natured man. Seeing the two women crying, he quickly joined in the consolation. “Ah, women are so emotional. Come on, stop crying. The veterinarian from the animal husbandry station is here, isn’t he? What’s there to fear? Our Dr. Rong here is a top graduate from the city!”
As he spoke, the village chief patted Rong Ziyin on the shoulder. “So, Dr. Rong, what’s wrong with these ducks?”
Finally, the commotion ceased. Rong Ziyin stood up, glanced at the village chief, and replied slowly, “They’re sick.”
“…” That was hardly a revelation. Not just the village chief, but even the onlookers and the two aunts fell instantly silent.
Rong Ziyin could clearly see a line of subtitles floating above each of their heads: 【Awkwardness +1】
The system in his mind promptly chimed: “Total coins earned: 56~【National Treasure Cuteness.jpg】”
Rong Ziyin nonchalantly accepted the system’s cute emoji gift before refocusing his attention on the two groups of ducks.
It was all an undeserved calamity.
Rong Ziyin was a top student in the veterinary medicine department at Agricultural University, having won the National Scholarship for three consecutive years. He was on track for direct admission to a combined master’s-PhD program. But just as the final decision loomed, he was framed by a schemer and inexplicably entangled in a high-interest loan dispute.
He reported it to the police, went to court, yet ultimately lost his admission eligibility during the review due to a “blemish on his moral character.”
The only silver lining was that with the court acting as the prosecuting party, the loan shark shifted from frequent campus harassment to text message threats.
Even so, Rong Ziyin’s fate remained bleak. A promising pillar of the scientific research community was forced into a remote, godforsaken livestock station as a veterinarian. Rong Ziyin himself was saddled with a baffling debt of 200,000 yuan.
“Such a waste,” his advisor sighed repeatedly. After all, with Rong Ziyin’s academic prowess, being stuck in a rural station was a clear case of wasted talent.
Still, as he saw Rong Ziyin off, the advisor offered heartfelt encouragement: “The village has its own merits. The relationships are simpler. Don’t forget to keep studying over there. If money really gets tight, your teacher can help you out a bit. That loan shark will definitely slip up.”
“Come back soon. Your teacher will be waiting for you here.”
“Thank you, Teacher.” Rong Ziyin respectfully bowed to his mentor. Yet, after leaving the office, his steps felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.
He understood his teacher’s words were merely consolation. For himself, a return to this place seemed impossible for the rest of his life.
Two hundred thousand yuan—for a veterinarian, unless some extraordinary fortune came his way, it would take five years of living on nothing but air to repay. As for the telltale signs his teacher mentioned, he was determined to find them. Whether he could succeed, Rong Ziyin himself was unsure.
In a word, his future was uncertain.
Yong Ziyin exhaled deeply, forcing himself to regain his composure. Just then, his phone vibrated. He opened it to find a photo of a severed hand covered in blood. The image appeared for only a second before self-destructing.
He knew this was a warning from the loan sharks. But Rong Ziyin was just an ordinary, penniless student. He’d exhausted every possible solution and could only endure for now.
Just as Rong Ziyin returned to his dorm to pack his things, preparing to report to the village, his roommates mocked him.
“Wow! You’re quite the top student—universities still guarantee job placements these days!”
“Exactly, Second Brother~ It’s all thanks to the school sponsoring you. After all, if you don’t start working soon, you’ll never pay back that 200,000 yuan loan shark debt! Hehehe.”
Rong Ziyin had heard similar taunts his whole life. They invariably targeted his academic achievements and his family’s financial struggles, mocking him as an “oddball” who refused to conform.
His parents had died young in an accident, leaving no insurance or compensation. From a tender age, he’d juggled studies with grueling work to survive. Struggling to stay afloat, he’d never bothered with gossip.
But now it was different. Rong Ziyin and his dorm mates were parting ways here, likely never to meet again. The concept of “face” suddenly felt less important.
What’s more, he’d been robbed of a promising future for no reason. Burdened with a massive debt of 200,000 yuan before even graduating, even someone as easygoing as Rong Ziyin couldn’t help but feel a surge of anger.
Thus, the usually silent Rong Ziyin, after packing his belongings, gave his dorm mates a gentle smile and uttered a particularly blunt remark: “The make-up exams are coming up soon. Are you guys going to pass?”
“…”
“As for the guaranteed job placement thing, I was actually pretty surprised too. But what surprised me even more was how difficult it turned out to be for you guys to even get your college diplomas.”
“Good luck, everyone. I’m off.”
His words hit the nail on the head. The dorm fell silent as the struggling students glared at Rong Ziyin, their eyes practically devouring him.
But none of this mattered to Rong Ziyin as he walked away with his luggage. Leaving campus, he was about to start a new life. Right now, the most pressing matters were the 200,000 yuan owed to loan sharks and finding a way to clear his name of debt.
Stay calm, don’t panic. Rong Ziyin mentally coached himself. Though things started off unlucky, his luck had always been low since childhood—he was used to it.
After all, fortune and misfortune depend entirely on one’s mindset.
Perhaps it was this open-mindedness that actually turned his luck around this time.
After a four-hour journey, Rong Ziyin finally reached the small village. The moment he stepped into the livestock station, a strange message materialized in his mind.
It roughly stated that due to his exceptionally poor luck, the Heavenly Way had granted him compensation—
Heavenly Way: The first item you touch will determine the direction of your divine favor. Follow the system’s guidance, and you shall become a peerless master in that field.
It sounded pretty good. However, after glancing at the pregnant sow the villagers had just handed him, Rong Ziyin fell silent.
Was this supposed to make him a pig farming tycoon?
A minute later, Rong Ziyin realized the world around him had changed. Anything related to agriculture or animal husbandry now had a stream of comments floating above its head. Simultaneously, a system appeared in his mind.
System: Newbie Quest—Repay Debts. Two hundred thousand? A mere drop in the bucket. Let’s work hard together, Host!
Rong Ziyin pondered that “duck” and felt rather conflicted. He quickly snapped out of his surprise and meticulously examined the system’s functions.
The system had two sections: one for exchanges, currently locked due to insufficient coins.
The other was the Lottery, costing 1,000 gold coins per draw. Prizes drawn could be transferred to reality—ranging from extraordinary skills to actual cash. Nothing was beyond its reach.
As the system put it, if Rong Ziyin got lucky and drew something like a diamond antique, his 200,000 debt would vanish instantly. As for transferring prizes to the real world, there’s no need to worry about attracting unwanted attention. Since these are rewards granted by the Way of Heaven, the Way automatically fills in the narrative gaps surrounding Rong Ziyin’s acquisitions. To outsiders, everything appears seamless and flawless, ensuring no trouble for Rong Ziyin.
The most astonishing aspect, however, is the source of the gold coins required by the system: they originate from the emotional fluctuations of all living beings around Rong Ziyin.
For instance, after successfully saving a sow in labor that day, the moment she regained consciousness, the number [Gratitude Value +300] appeared above her head. Her owner likewise displayed [Gratitude Value +200]. This total of five hundred points was then converted into Rong Ziyin’s system gold coins at a one-to-one ratio.
Originally, Rong Ziyin had assumed only positive emotions would yield coins, but now it seemed awkwardness could provide them too. Suddenly, the system felt far more intriguing.
Crucially, through this system, Rong Ziyin finally glimpsed a sliver of hope for a brighter future.
As for the ducks before him, Rong Ziyin had a pretty good idea what ailment they might be suffering from. However, to make an accurate diagnosis, some tests would be necessary.
So he asked the two women directly, “Both your households have had ducks die in the past couple of days, right?”
“How could that be!” Rong Ziyin’s question startled them both. “Our ducks only have minor issues—how could they possibly die?”
In rural areas, disease is the greatest fear in animal husbandry. Minor ailments were tolerable, but if a contagious epidemic struck, not only would their own flock face certain annihilation, but the entire village would be quarantined.
For families relying on this livelihood, it felt like an instant catastrophe—not only would their homes be destroyed, but they’d face the village’s resentment. This was a matter of life and death.
The two men, who had been blaming each other moments before, suddenly united in their anger, directing their fury at Rong Ziyin.
“You’re just a wet-beard kid who doesn’t know what he’s talking about! My family has been raising ducks since my great-grandfather’s time. I know every single thing about them.”
“He just grabbed some college kid to gild his reputation in our village—this is just screwing us over! Pah!”
“Doctor Rong, look at this…” The village chief was momentarily flustered, unsure how to explain to Rong Ziyin.
Rong Ziyin remained calm, pointing at the flock. “If none die in the next couple days, we’ll slaughter one for testing.”
After a pause, he added, “If you all refuse testing, we can simply burn both flocks.”
“…” Silence fell once more.
Auntie 1 & 2: Rage +700
Clearly, they were about to grab weapons and beat him any second.
Rong Ziyin paused, trying to explain in a gentle tone, “It’s an infectious disease. There’s no other way.”
“Bullshit!” The two aunts exploded. Not just them—even the village chief and surrounding villagers all turned pale.
Poultry farming was no trivial matter. Infectious diseases were serious—one infected household endangered the entire village.
Though duck-raising was only a side business here, it supplemented livelihoods. If an outbreak occurred, entire families would suffer for the year.
And it wasn’t just ducks—there were chickens too! All poultry, though different species, shared similar vulnerabilities to disease.
The village chief quickly intervened, “Now, Doctor Rong, you can’t just make claims about infectious diseases.”
Rong Ziyin pointed at the most listless duck. “If you don’t believe me, I can prove it right now.”
Rong Ziyin’s tone was too confident. The village chief dared not gamble with the entire village’s poultry. Ignoring the two aunts’ protests, he hurriedly ordered someone to kill the duck.
Rong Ziyin opened the medical kit he carried on his back and retrieved a sharp scalpel.
“Enlarged liver with small nodules.” He deftly located the duck’s liver, removed it, and showed it to the village chief, the two aunts, and the surrounding villagers.
“How did it get like this?” The village chief frowned immediately.
He didn’t quite understand what nodules were, but having farmed most of his life and tended livestock for decades, he knew a duck’s liver shouldn’t develop these millet-sized lumps.
Some villagers, overcome with disgust, instinctively took a step back.
Rong Ziyin had already removed the duck’s spleen as well. It was no different from the liver—covered in lumps and bumps.
But the most alarming discovery was the heart’s epicardium, which bore nodules ranging from mung bean to soybean size, resembling dried insect cocoons.
“Parasites?”
“No. Preliminary diagnosis points to avian tuberculosis. Confirmation requires submitting tissue samples for testing. But given the symptoms in both flocks, testing is pointless now.”
“Lethargy, neck retraction, weak legs, reluctance to move or enter water, hunched backs, reduced appetite, emaciation, and declining egg production. These symptoms combined with the autopsy findings conclusively point to avian tuberculosis.”
“Then what do we do now?” The village chief grew frantic.
Tuberculosis was deadly even for humans, let alone ducks. Just hearing about it sounded dire.
The two aunts grew even more frantic.
Rong Ziyin sighed. “There’s no choice. We’ll have to burn them on the spot.”
The two aunts: Grief Level 1000
Seeing them on the verge of fainting, Rong Ziyin quickly added, “You can apply for compensation for duck tuberculosis. The cost of ducklings can be covered.”
The two aunts instantly breathed a sigh of relief, each providing Rong Ziyin with an additional 400 points of satisfaction.
With this, Rong Ziyin now had a total of 10,000 gold coins, including his previous savings—just enough for a ten-pull.
System: Go for it! First consecutive pull doubles drop rates, and participation guarantees a Dragon-Slaying Sword.
Ignoring the others nearby, the system seized the moment to persuade Rong Ziyin. Curious himself about what might appear, Rong Ziyin decided to indulge for once. He promptly agreed to the system, “Draw!”
Within the system, the lottery wheel spun rapidly at Rong Ziyin’s command. Seconds later, a row of items appeared in his system inventory.
Te
n smooth, rounded pieces of pale blue leather lay neatly arranged before him.
Rong Ziyin: …Dragon-Slaying Sword?
System: Holy shit! How the hell did that happen? Rong Ziyin, your dad must be an African chieftain!