Courtyard House: The Cultivation System Takes Me Flying

My head was throbbing, as if I had been hit hard on the back of the head with a club.

Qin Lindong suddenly opened his eyes. Instead of the familiar ceiling of his rented room, he saw dark, musty beams with a few tattered spider webs hanging from them, swaying gently in the wind.

A mixture of coal smoke, mold, pickled vegetables, and an indescribable fishy stench filled his nostrils, making him cough involuntarily.

"Cough cough cough..."

With that cough, a wave of aches and pains washed over me, my limbs felt like they were falling apart, I was so weak and powerless, and my stomach was completely empty. I was so hungry that my stomach acid was churning up.

Qin Lindong struggled to sit up, only to find himself lying on a hard wooden bed, covered with a thin, tattered, patched old cotton quilt. The cotton was all matted together, and he was shivering from the cold.

Where is this?

Wasn't he staying up all night at home reading the novel "I Have a Cultivation System in the Courtyard" by Tomato? He was enjoying watching the protagonist defy fate and beat up the beasts in the courtyard when suddenly everything went black and he lost consciousness.

When I opened my eyes again, I was in this godforsaken place?

Qin Lindong propped himself up on his arms and struggled to sit up, looking around.

This was a tiny room, no more than seven or eight square meters. Apart from a wooden bed, there was only a broken wooden table with peeling paint, a rickety chair, and a few chipped earthenware jars piled in the corner. The house was bare and impoverished.

The walls were made of adobe bricks, yellowed and blackened, with cracks everywhere. The window paper had several large holes, and the cold wind blew in through the cracks, making the room chilly.

Through the broken window, Qin Lindong could see the blue brick walls and gray tiles outside, as well as a crooked old locust tree. Under the tree were several broken stools, and a few people dressed in patched gray clothes were sitting there chatting in fluent Beijing dialect, which he could understand clearly.

"Third Uncle, you have to admit, the Jia family is really something else. Yesterday they robbed that kid Qin Lindong of his last half-bag of cornmeal. His parents died long ago, and that's all he has left. Aren't they trying to drive him to his death?"

"Hey, who can control that shrew Jia Zhangshi? Even Master Yi turns a blind eye. Let's mind our own business and avoid getting into trouble."

"That kid Qin Lindong is too cowardly. He's been bullied like this and he doesn't even dare to fart. He's really pitiful."

"What's the use of being pitiful? No parents, soft-hearted, in this courtyard of No. 95 Nanluoguxiang, he's just a nobody at the bottom of society, someone anyone can step on."

Qin Lindong's head buzzed as if he had been hit by a heavy hammer, and countless unfamiliar memories flooded into his mind like a burst dam.

This is a world where birds fill the courtyard!

This is No. 95 Nanluoguxiang!

He transmigrated into the body of a nobody in this courtyard with the same name, who wasn't even a supporting character—Qin Lindong!

The original owner's memories surfaced clearly.

Qin Lindong is twenty years old this year. His parents were both workers in a steel rolling mill. Three years ago, they died in a work injury, leaving behind only this small, dilapidated house in the east wing and a small amount of compensation.

The original owner was timid, cowardly, and not good at speaking, and was often bullied in the courtyard.

None of the households in the courtyard were easy to deal with:

The old man, Yi Zhonghai, was only thinking about retiring and only had eyes for his apprentice, Jia Dongxu. He always turned a blind eye to the original owner of the body, who was an orphan with no one to rely on, and even helped the Jia family to suppress the original owner.

Second Uncle Liu Haizhong was obsessed with officialdom and thought about showing off his power all day long. He wanted to scold anyone he could get his hands on, and the original owner was often scolded by him for no reason.

The third uncle, Yan Bugui, was stingy to the core, always trying to squeeze every penny out of him, and constantly thinking about taking advantage of the original owner of the body.

The Jia family was the tyrant of the courtyard. Jia Zhangshi was unreasonable and threw tantrums, Jia Dongxu was lazy and had high aspirations but low abilities, and Qin Huairu was cunning and only knew how to leech off others. The three of them treated the original owner as a free granary and free laborer, robbing and cursing at will.

Just yesterday, Jia Zhangshi, along with Jia Dongxu, barged into the original owner's small house and robbed him of his last half-bag of cornmeal. When the original owner tried to stop them, Jia Dongxu pushed him down, causing him to hit the back of his head on the corner of a table and faint on the spot.

The others in the courtyard either watched coldly or quietly slipped away; not a single person stood up to say a word in his defense.

The original owner had been starving for several days, and was also injured. He was so angry and anxious that he died, which allowed Qin Lindong from the modern world to take over this body.

Holy crap!

Qin Lindong couldn't help but swear, his face turning ashen.

When others transmigrate, they become either rich second-generation heirs or protagonists. Even if they become villains, they are powerful and influential villains. But he was different. He directly transmigrated into the most miserable passerby in the courtyard. He had no parents, no money, no power, and was cowardly. He was bullied by the whole courtyard. He almost starved to death and was beaten to death as soon as he transmigrated!

This start is absolutely hellish!

The original owner's life could not even be described as bleak:

They were starving and cold, their food was stolen, they were bullied, schemed against, and ignored. They were treated worse than dogs in the courtyard. In the end, they were driven to their deaths by the Jia family, and no one even came to collect their bodies.

No!

Absolutely not!

Qin Lindong clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white, his eyes blazing with a fierce will to survive and fury.

He comes from the modern era and believes in the principle of "I will not offend others unless they offend me, and if they offend me, I will retaliate tenfold!"

Now that he has taken over the original owner's body, he will never repeat the original owner's mistakes and be at the mercy of others!

The Jia family, right?

Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, and Yan Bugui, right?

And then there's Qin Huairu, that innocent-looking girl; He Yuzhu, that sucker; and that old deaf woman, that feudalistic old woman!

From today onwards, anyone who dares to bully Qin Lindong or make a move against him will pay the price!

Defying fate!

He was determined to make a name for himself in this courtyard full of beasts and escape the original owner's bleak and miserable fate!

"Gurgle..."

My stomach growled loudly at the worst possible time, and hunger struck again, leaving me with absolutely no strength.

Qin Lindong looked around the empty house; there wasn't even a drop of water, let alone food.

The original owner's food was all stolen, and his money was also taken by Jia Zhangshi. Now he was truly penniless and on the verge of starvation.

Just then, a cold, mechanical, and emotionless voice suddenly rang in his mind:

[Ding! Host's soul detected as stable, body compatibility 100%!]

[The Myriad Realms Cultivation Culinary System is currently binding...]

[Binding successful!]

[Host: Qin Lindong]

Age: 20

[Realm: None (Mortal Body)]

Physical Strength: 3 (The average for a normal adult male is 10; you are extremely weak)

[Mental Strength: 8 (Transmigrator's soul, slightly above average)]

[Skills: None]

[System Inventory: Empty]

[Current Mission: Survive! Eat any food to overcome hunger.]

[Task Rewards: A beginner's gift pack, Body Tempering Realm Level 1 cultivation, and a Divine Culinary Skill *1]

system!

Qin Lindong's eyes lit up instantly, and he almost jumped up with excitement!

A cheat code! The time traveler's cheat code has arrived!

It's still the cultivation system he wanted to see the most!

With the system, not only can you establish yourself in a courtyard house, but you can also defy fate and reach the pinnacle of life with ease!

"System! This is great!" Qin Lindong was overjoyed.

He had read countless system novels and knew the power of systems, especially this kind of cultivation and cooking system. In this era of scarcity, it was simply a game-changer!

Cooking increases cultivation, eating earns rewards, and punishing evil brings treasures—it's practically a cheat code tailor-made for him!

"System, I need to complete the mission! I want to eat!"

Qin Lindong immediately shouted in his heart, but looking around, he couldn't find a single grain of rice, let alone food or water.

What should I do?

Go out and borrow it?

Stop kidding me!

Everyone in the courtyard is a miser. Yi Zhonghai only helps the Jia family, Yan Bugui is stingy, Liu Haizhong only puts on airs, He Yuzhu himself was tricked by Qin Huairu, and the Jia family even stole his grain. How could they possibly lend him any money?

Go out begging for food?

That's even more impossible!

Even if he starves to death, he, Qin Lindong, will not beg for food, nor will he bow down to those beasts!

Just as Qin Lindong was extremely anxious, his gaze fell on a broken pottery jar in the corner.

In the original owner's memory, there was only a small handful of dried wild vegetables left in that pottery jar. The original owner had dug them up from the mountain and intended to eat them only when he was extremely hungry, and he hadn't been able to bring himself to eat them.

Qin Lindong struggled to climb off the bed, his legs weak. He finally reached the earthenware jar, reached in and pulled out a small handful of dried, yellowish wild vegetables, which weighed at most about an ounce, a pitifully small amount.

This little bit of food wouldn't even be enough to fill a tooth gap, but right now, it's his only food.

"Something is better than nothing!"

Qin Lindong gritted his teeth, took the dried wild vegetables, and walked to the small coal stove in the corner of the room.

There was still a little ember in the coal stove, warm and cozy, with a broken iron pot sitting on top, containing a little bit of cold water.

He quickly washed the dried wild vegetables, threw them into the pot, added some water, put the lid on, and started cooking.

A few minutes later, a faint, slightly fishy smell of wild vegetables wafted from the pot.

No salt, no oil, no seasonings, just a pot of plain water boiled with wild vegetables.

Normally, Qin Lindong wouldn't even glance at it, but now, he was so hungry his eyes were practically green.

He lifted the pot lid, and without caring whether it was hot or not, picked up a twig as chopsticks and began to wolf down the food.

The wild vegetables were bitter and astringent, making them difficult to swallow, but Qin Lindong forced them down.

One bite, two bites, three bites...

He quickly devoured the small handful of dried wild vegetables, even drinking every last drop of the soup.

Finally, I had something in my stomach, and that extreme hunger was relieved quite a bit.

Just then, the system's voice sounded again:

[Ding! Host has completed the mission: Survive!]

[The task reward has been issued!]

[Congratulations, host, you have received: New Player Gift Pack *1!]

[Congratulations, host, on breaking through to the first level of the Body Tempering Realm!]

[Congratulations, host, you have acquired a god-level skill: God-level Knife Skill!]

boom--

A gentle yet powerful force suddenly surged from his dantian, instantly flowing throughout his limbs and bones!

My body, which was originally weak, sore, and cold, was instantly enveloped by a warm current. All the fatigue, pain, and hunger in my body disappeared without a trace, just like ice and snow meeting the scorching sun!

His physical strength recovered rapidly, his muscles became firm and powerful, his originally pale face became rosy, and his whole body was full of inexhaustible energy!

Body Tempering Realm, Level 1!

He has truly embarked on the path of spiritual cultivation!

At the same time, countless memories, techniques, and experiences about knife skills flooded into his mind like a sudden enlightenment. Slicing, slicing, chopping, splitting, carving, and engraving... all kinds of knife skills were mastered to perfection. Even a chef at a state banquet could not compare to him by even a fraction!

God-level knife skills!

Qin Lindong clenched his fist, feeling the surging power within him, and a sharp light flashed in his eyes.

From this day forward, Qin Lindong will no longer be that nobody who can be bullied!

With the support of the system, cultivation, and god-level culinary skills, it's time for a change in the world of this courtyard house!

If anyone dares to provoke him or bully him again, he won't mind letting them taste what it's like to be slapped in the face and punished!

Just then, a loud, shrill curse came from outside, growing louder as it approached his small house.

"Qin Lindong! You little brat, are you awake yet? Get your ass out here right now!"

"Let me tell you, don't think you can get away with playing dead. Hand over everything of value you have in your house!"

"Don't force me to go in and smash up your dilapidated house!"

Without even thinking, Qin Lindong knew that Jia Zhangshi had come again!

Yesterday they robbed him of his food, and today they're still not satisfied; they want to plunder his dilapidated house too!

It's like choosing the path to hell when there's a way to heaven!

A cold smile curved Qin Lindong's lips, his eyes as sharp as knives.

Is it Jia Zhangshi?

Exactly!

I'll use you as a sacrifice!

Let everyone in the courtyard know that from today onwards, Qin Lindong is not to be trifled with!

He strode to the door, pushed open the dilapidated door, and looked coldly at Jia Zhangshi walking towards him in the glaring sunlight.

Sunlight shone on him, and the once timid and thin young man now stood tall and straight, with sharp eyes, exuding an unprecedented aura, as if he had been reborn!

When Jia Zhangshi saw Qin Lindong, she was first taken aback, then revealed her arrogant face, put her hands on her hips, pointed at Qin Lindong's nose and started cursing:

"You little brat, you finally dared to come out? I thought you were dead inside!"

"Hurry up and hand over everything in your house, or I'll tear your mouth apart!"

Qin Lindong looked at the fat, gruff old shrew in front of him, who was throwing a tantrum. He sneered inwardly.

The grudges of the past life and the debts of this life, it's time to settle them!

He took a step forward, releasing a slight aura of the first level of Body Tempering Realm. His icy gaze fixed on Jia Zhangshi, and he spoke each word coldly:

"Jia Zhangshi, you stole my grain yesterday, and I haven't settled the score with you yet."

"You dare come here looking for death today?"

"I advise you to get out of here right now, or don't blame me for being rude!"

The voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable authority, like a thunderclap, striking Jia Zhangshi's ears!

Jia Zhangshi was completely stunned, staring blankly at Qin Lindong with an incredulous expression.

Is this still the same cowardly, timid, and unyielding Qin Lindong who never fights back or talks back?

Why has this kid suddenly become so fierce?

His eyes were intimidating, his aura was intimidating, and even his voice was forceful!

For a moment, Madam Jia was so frightened by Qin Lindong's imposing aura that she took a step back!

This scene was clearly witnessed by Yi Zhonghai, Yan Bugui, and He Yuzhu, who were chatting under the locust tree in the courtyard and had just returned from get off work!

Everyone was stunned, their faces filled with shock.

Qin Lindong...has changed?