Chapter 1: I'm Not Dreaming, That's Definitely My Mom
---
When Lin Mo opened his eyes, he was momentarily blinded by the golden rays pouring through a bamboo window. The warm scent of wood, sunlight, and freshly steamed rice hung in the air.
He blinked.
"…Where the hell am I?"
The ceiling was wooden, not plaster. His hands—smaller than he remembered. Smooth skin. No calluses from all-nighters and instant noodles.
Then came the voice.
"Mo'er! Get your lazy butt down here before I pour your porridge on your head!"
It was beautiful.
It was terrifying.
And it was close.
He jerked upright, heart pounding.
> [Ding!]
[Life Companion System Activated]
"Welcome, Lin Mo. You are now a resident of the Dou Qi Continent."
"Oh, hell yes." A grin stretched across his face.
He hadn't been hallucinating. This wasn't a coma.
He had actually transmigrated. And not into some rando—he was now Lin Mo, 16 years old, decent talent, and... based on the voice yelling at him, an absolutely scary yet beautiful mom.
He was in Battle Through the Heavens.
And he knew everything.
---
Slapping his cheeks to confirm this wasn't a dream (ow, it wasn't), Lin Mo rushed downstairs barefoot, still grinning like an idiot.
As he hit the last step, his breath caught.
There she was.
Wearing a plain white robe, hair up in a soft bun, her posture graceful even as she stirred a clay pot of porridge.
She turned.
Their eyes met.
He almost choked on air.
> "I gave birth to this??"
No wait. "SHE gave birth to me?!"
Her name was Mu Qing, his mother. She looked no older than twenty-five, but her aura was sharp. The kind of beauty that would stop a cultivator mid-fight.
She flicked her fingers, and a spoon flew straight at his forehead. He ducked—barely.
"You're late again, Mo'er! I told you not to practice cultivation late into the night. What good is talent if you sleep through breakfast?!"
"Good morning to you too, Mom," he said, trying not to stare.
> [Mu Qing - Dou Huang (Peak)]
[Mood: 90% happy, 10% suspicious]
"Don't say anything dumb."
He blinked. Where did that come from?
> [Ding!]
[Newbie Reward Claimed!]
Reward: Beginner Shop unlocked
Bonus: Mother's Mood Detector (auto-equipped)
'Okay. That's not creepy at all,' he thought.
---
He sat down obediently, watching her place a bowl of creamy white porridge and pickled vegetables in front of him.
Mu Qing crossed her arms and stared. "Eat. No excuses."
Lin Mo picked up his spoon. "Yes, ma'am."
Despite her strictness, there was a strange warmth in the way she fussed over him. Like this version of Mu Qing had raised him with love, not aloof coldness.
He liked it.
---
Just then, the front door creaked open.
A man walked in, yawning and scratching his head.
He looked like a scholar who hadn't slept—messy long hair, unfastened robe, and sleepy eyes—but the moment he stepped in, the entire house felt heavier.
A Dou Zong. A lazy one.
Lin Jian, his father.
"Morning," Lin Jian muttered, and plopped into the seat across from him. He picked up a bowl, poured tea lazily, then reached into his sleeve—
—and casually dropped a glowing 7th-tier beast core onto the table.
"For you, Mo'er," he said. "Caught this guy on my way home from the latrine."
"...WHAT?!"
Lin Mo nearly spat his porridge.
"You... went to the toilet... and hunted a 7th-tier beast?!"
Lin Jian shrugged. "It was squatting too close to my spot."
Mu Qing pinched the bridge of her nose. "Can't you just act like a normal man for once? Don't teach our son to pick fights with forest kings while peeing."
---
Lin Mo was stunned.
A Dou Zong dad who hunted mythical beasts like flies… and a Dou Huang mom who could kill with porridge ladles.
> "And I thought my old parents yelling over Wi-Fi bills was bad."
But honestly? This felt nice. For once, he had a warm home. Fierce, yes—but warm.
---
Later that afternoon, when his parents went out (likely to punch a mountain or something), Lin Mo opened the System Shop.
It looked... scuffed.
> 🛒 [System Shop]
▸ Beginner Training Manual for Stubborn Beasts – 80 Gold
▸ Low-Rank Cultivation Pill – 100 Gold
▸ Random Pet Egg (Uncommon) – 150 Gold
▸ Mother's Mood Detector – Already Owned
'A pet egg?' Lin Mo's eyes lit up.
He had always loved magical beasts.
Even before transmigrating, he used to collect fantasy beast plushies and cry when a Digimon died.
He spent everything on that egg.
And hid it under his bed like a treasure.
---
That night…
The egg hatched.
Not quietly.
"SKREEEEEEEEEEEE!!"
A horrible, shrill screech echoed through the house.
Lin Mo leapt out of bed, hair frazzled. He grabbed the egg—and it exploded into a swirl of feathers and scales.
A pink creature—half-snake, half-bird—shot up into the air.
It looked like a chicken crossed with a balloon.
And it screamed louder when it saw Mu Qing enter the room with her hair down and a wooden sword in hand.
"IT'S UGLY!" she shouted.
"SHHHHHH! IT'S A BABY!!" Lin Mo protested.
"WHY IS IT DROOLING IN MY PORRIDGE?!"
---
The next morning, chaos continued.
The pink snake-bird, now named Bao Bao, followed Lin Mo around like a clingy child.
It kept trying to wrap itself around Mu Qing's leg, only to be flung away like laundry.
Meanwhile, Lin Jian tried feeding it spirit herbs, which it promptly barfed onto his scrolls.
> [Pet Affection: 83/100]
[Species: ???]
[Personality: Loud. Loyal. Biased. Will only poop in Dad's tea cup.]
Lin Mo hugged it tighter.
"I love him."
Mu Qing sighed. "Mo'er… just don't let it near the alchemy stove again."
Lin Jian chuckled. "Reminds me of you when you were two."
Lin Mo blinked. "I looked like this?!"
"Worse," his father said. "You bit my toe and tried to fly."
---
That night, as the house quieted, Lin Mo stood outside on the balcony with Bao Bao wrapped around his neck like a scarf.
The stars were glittering like soft diamonds. The night breeze smelled of spirit grass and warm soil.
Mu Qing came up behind him.
She didn't say anything at first.
Just ruffled his hair gently.
"You've changed a bit, Mo'er."
"Hm?"
"Used to be hot-headed. But now… you laugh more."
He smiled. "You like this version of me more?"
She smirked. "Not when you keep stealing my tea leaves. But otherwise… yes."
He looked at her face, glowing faintly under the moonlight.
And for a strange moment, his heart thumped weirdly.
> No. That's not normal. She's your mom.
Even if she looked younger than some of his classmates from Earth.
---
As he lay in bed later, Bao Bao snoring softly beside him and glowing faintly from the beast core it had swallowed, Lin Mo stared at the ceiling.
"Medusa… I'll meet you soon."
He grinned.
"But right now, this warm chaos feels kinda nice."
He drifted off to sleep, a smile on his face and a beast snoring in his arms.
Note from Lin mo
"I was supposed to conquer the Dou Qi Continent... not get bullied by my own mom, a flying snake-chicken, and porridge."
"But hey... maybe being her son isn't so bad."
"Medusa, wait for me. Your future husband is currently grounded."