A journey through immortal realms begins with a phantom tale.

Two years have passed in the blink of an eye.

For the past two years, Luo Cheng's life has been uneventful. Apart from hunting in the mountains, he has been telling stories to the children in the village.

Little Deer has grown to five years old. Every morning, the first thing the little girl does after waking up is to run to the small wooden house where Luo Cheng lives, climb up to the third floor, rush into his room, and shake his hand.

"Uncle Luo, wake up!"

Luo Cheng opened his eyes groggily. In order to experience the mindset of mortals, he transformed his divine body into a mortal form, gaining not only the feeling of hunger but also the need to sleep like a mortal.

He sat up, looking at the exquisitely beautiful little girl before him, feeling somewhat helpless. He had raised her like a little princess; her complexion was fair and rosy, and her eyes were bright and expressive.

"Stop shaking me, I'll get up."

Luo Cheng walked to the third-floor balcony and saw Aunt Mei watering the plants in the yard. After two years of recuperation, her complexion had changed dramatically; the original sallow complexion had faded, and she had become fair and rosy. However, when she looked at Luo Cheng, there was always a hint of inexplicable resentment in her eyes.

Little Deer sidled up to Luo Cheng, tilting her head back and asking, "Uncle Luo, tell me a story! What happened to Ling'er after she ran away? Did she find her mother?"

The story Luo Cheng told her was from an online novel he had read in his previous life. It was about an empress and her good-for-nothing husband living in seclusion in a mountain village. One day, the empress disappeared, leaving the stay-at-home dad to raise their daughter alone. The stay-at-home dad always boasted that he was a reclusive immortal, and the daughter believed him. She took the "magic weapon" he gave her and ran away from home, saying she wanted to go find her mother.

In Luo Cheng's story, the stay-at-home dad is truly a reclusive master. After his daughter ran away, he secretly protected her, letting her travel and enjoy life to the fullest. Little Deer listened intently, even identifying with the little girl in the story.

These days, Little Deer keeps pestering me with questions like, "Uncle Luo, are you also a reclusive immortal?"

"No." Luo Cheng shook his head decisively. "If I were an immortal, why would I be hunting here?"

"That's true." Little Deer nodded, seemingly understanding.

Not only was she suspicious, but Anita Mui was also filled with doubt: 'Could he really be an immortal? Is that why he looks down on me?'

Mei Gu fell in love with Luo Cheng a month after he arrived in Tiger Village. He was a good hunter, a good storyteller, and most importantly, an exceptionally delicious cook.

One night, Anita Mui mustered up her courage and said to him, "Brother Cheng, I want to have a child for you."

These words nearly scared Luo Cheng so much that he left the planet on the spot. After he decisively refused, Aunt Mei was embarrassed for several days and didn't dare to speak to him.

Little Deer, simple-minded, only thought Luo Cheng smelled good and his cooking was delicious, so she always sought him out to play. Before long, Little Deer and Luo Cheng became friends. Seeing that Luo Cheng didn't reject her daughter, Aunt Mei's heart stirred with another thought: 'This is quite good too.'

After that, she stopped pressuring him and settled down to be a neighbor. After Luo Cheng settled down in Tiger Village, he built a three-story wooden house and also helped Mei Gu repair her house to make it more sturdy and durable.

As the fawn grew up, it became increasingly curious about the outside world.

"Uncle Luo, I want to go outside and have a look around."

Mei immediately objected, sternly reprimanding him: "You little brat, what's so great about the outside world? There are plenty of bad people out there."

"I have Uncle Luo protecting me, I'm not afraid!"

Luo Cheng smiled bitterly to himself: "It seems I've corrupted another child." The last time he had this feeling was on Tianqi Star. He suddenly thought of Lin Mengdie and wondered how that girl was doing now and what level her cultivation had reached.

That day, the village chief found Luo Cheng and sighed, saying, "Young Luo, another child has run away."

"Uh..." Luo Cheng was speechless for a moment.

Ever since he started telling stories to the children, more and more kids have run away. With his abilities, finding them would be easy, but if their minds aren't on the village, even if he finds them, they'll run away again.

He went out to search and found that some of the children who had run away were playing in the town, while others had suffered. He himself had returned to the village.

"How about this, I'll go to town and look for it," Luo Cheng said.

"That's all we can do," the village chief nodded helplessly.

Just then, the child's parents arrived, their eyes reddening at the sight of Luo Cheng: "Luo, it's all your fault! You made our child run away!"

Mei Gu quickly stepped forward to defend him: "This matter cannot be blamed on Luo Cheng."

"Whose fault is it if not his? It's because he tells the kid those weird and strange stories that the kid's mind became so wild!"

The village chief quickly smoothed things over, which put the matter to rest.

Luo Cheng could sense the villagers' resentment towards him, and sighed inwardly, "It's time to leave."

For the people of this small mountain village, children are their lifeblood.

In this backward place, every extra person means an extra source of labor, and only then can a family live a better life. But the stories he told made the children yearn for the outside world, and every now and then some of them would run away, and the villagers' resentment towards him grew deeper and deeper.

That night, Luo Cheng said to Mei Gu next door, "Mei Gu, I'm getting ready to leave."

The news came suddenly, yet it was also within Anita Mui's expectations; her mind went blank.

Little Deer tugged at Luo Cheng's sleeve: "Uncle Luo, I'll go with you!"

Anita Mui was stunned for a moment, then suddenly said with a determined look, "I'll go with you too."

She thought to herself that if Luo Cheng left, she would have to find a villager to live with, but that was not the life she wanted.

Ever since meeting Luo Cheng, she couldn't stand anyone else. He didn't have the sweaty smell of the villagers, he knew a lot, and he could cook all sorts of delicious food... Perhaps it was after hearing his stories that she developed a longing for the outside world.

Luo Cheng nodded in agreement.

Anita Mui's face instantly lit up with a smile, and she said the same thing she had said two years ago: "If you want a child, I'll have one for you."

Luo Cheng shuddered in fright, and suddenly felt a pang of regret: Was it right or wrong to take the mother and daughter away?

The next day, Luo Cheng went to say goodbye to the village chief. The village chief, as if prepared, patted him on the shoulder: "You are a true dragon; our little pond in Tiger Village cannot hide you."

The happiest person when leaving the village was the little deer.

On the way, Mei-gu suddenly said, "Little Deer doesn't have a proper name yet, why don't you give it one?"

"You should do it," Luo Cheng said.

"Then... I'd like her to take your surname and be named Luo Xiaolu. What do you think?"

"OK."

Mei smiled happily. For some reason, Luo Cheng felt his heart, which had been dormant for two years, tremble slightly.

For the past two years, he outwardly integrated into ordinary life, but inwardly he remained resistant. For example, when interacting with Mei Gu, he would always deliberately avoid her; he knew he could leave at any moment, and in his heart, he didn't belong to this world. But when Mei Gu allowed Xiao Lu'er to take his surname, he suddenly felt a connection to this mortal world.

Little Deer hugged Luo Cheng's neck, giggling, "Deer has a surname now! Luo Little Deer, it sounds so nice!"

Mei Gu was also delighted, feeling that she and Luo Cheng had grown closer. Luo Cheng sighed inwardly: Oh well, let fate decide.

Qiyun Town has a population of nearly 100,000 and is the most prosperous place near Tiger Village.

It was the first time for both Mei Gu and Xiao Lu'er to leave the village, and they were full of curiosity about everything in the town. It was more than 200 miles from Tiger Village to the town, and Mei Gu would not have dared to come if Luo Cheng hadn't been there with her.

Looking at the bustling streets and listening to the noisy crowds, the little deer was both curious and a little timid, clutching Luo Cheng's clothes tightly.

Luo Cheng patted her head: "Are you hungry? I'll take you to get something to eat."

Seeing his calm expression and his insistence on taking them out to eat, Mei Gu couldn't help but ask, "Have you been to this town before?"

"I've been here before."

"As expected, you're no ordinary person." Aunt Mei was even more certain of her guess.

The little deer perched on Luo Cheng's shoulder and whispered, "Uncle Luo, are you a deity?"

"no."

"I don't believe you, you are!"

Luo Cheng chose a clean and tidy restaurant and led the mother and daughter inside. Soon, the waiter came running over.

"Gentlemen, what would you like to eat?"

Mei was a little nervous, unsure of what to eat.

Luo Cheng said, "Bring something light for the child."

"Let me introduce some to you? See if any of them suit your taste."

"Go ahead and say it."

The waiter named a few dishes, and Luo Cheng ordered four dishes and a soup: "That's all."

The waiter didn't move, rubbing his hands together with a forced smile: "Sir, what do you think..."

Luo Cheng immediately understood; the other party, seeing their simple attire, guessed they were from a village and feared they couldn't afford to pay. He took out a piece of silver and placed it on the table: "Is this enough?"

"That's enough!" The waiter's eyes lit up, and he quickly put away the silver and ran to the kitchen.

Looking at the silver, Mei Gu felt a pang of heartache: "This is too expensive; it could buy a whole wild boar."

Luo Cheng didn't mind: "Once we find a place to stay and do some work, we can earn money."

"I'll listen to you," Mei Gu said gently, like a young wife.

The dishes were served shortly. Little Deer took a bite, then frowned, "Uncle Luo, it's not as good as yours."

"Lu'er, don't talk nonsense." Mei Gu quickly covered her mouth, afraid that the shopkeeper would hear.

Seeing her mother's tense expression, the little deer obediently nodded.

Luo Cheng laughed and said, "We're all hungry, let's eat something first."

"Um!"

After finishing his meal, Luo Cheng said, "I'll go and inquire about buying a small courtyard house to live in."

"Okay." Mei Gu had lost her own opinion at this moment. Everything in the town felt unfamiliar to her, and she could only follow Luo Cheng closely.

In just half a day, Luo Cheng had bought a small courtyard house. Mei Gu was shocked; the little money she had saved couldn't even buy one room in that courtyard. She couldn't understand where Luo Cheng got so much money besides hunting. This made her even more certain that this man was no ordinary person.

After buying the small courtyard, Luo Cheng smiled and said, "From now on, this will be our home."

The words "our home" sent a shiver down Anita Mui's spine, and her cheeks flushed slightly: 'Does this mean he...accepts me?'

Luo Cheng didn't think much of it; he just wanted to experience the life of an ordinary person.

Over the next few days, Luo Cheng didn't rush to find a job. Instead, he took the mother and daughter for a stroll around the town, letting them gradually get used to life there.

A month later, the three of them sat in the courtyard basking in the sun.

Luo Cheng asked Little Deer, "Little Deer, is there anything you want to learn?"

"I don't know." The little guy shook his head, his eyes darting around.

Luo Cheng then asked Mei Gu, "And you? Is there anything you want to learn, or anything you want to do?"

Mei Gu was stunned for a moment, feeling a little disappointed: "Does he think I'm useless and want me to go out and earn money?" After arriving in the small town, she truly understood the importance of money; every day she woke up to all sorts of expenses. She calculated that even if she grew vegetables in the yard, she would still need other sources of income to survive.

She remained silent for a while, then whispered, "Brother Cheng, am I really stupid? I can't do anything, I don't understand anything..."

"It's okay if you don't understand, I can teach you," Luo Cheng said gently.

Mei Gu's eyes lit up, and after thinking for a moment, she said, "I've noticed that the restaurants in town are making a lot of money these past few days, so I'm thinking of opening one."

"Okay," Luo Cheng immediately agreed.

Little Deer was only five years old, a playful age where she wanted to learn everything and was curious about everything. Luo Cheng thought for a moment and decided to teach her to read first, and then tell her some children's stories.

Luo Cheng thought to himself, "I can't tell those stories from novels anymore, it will corrupt the children."

Suddenly, a beam of light appeared in the void. Luo Cheng raised his hand, grasped the light, and a stream of information surged into his mind. A smile appeared on Luo Cheng's face.

This is a letter from Li Qiang. He says he has arrived in Linming.

Luo Cheng took out several immortal stones, set up a small teleportation array, entered the information into the jade slip, and activated the teleportation array.

The jade slip vanished into the void and flew towards Linming Star.

Luo Cheng thought to himself, "Once I advance to the second level, I'll go to Lin Mingxing."