The village of Pinghai lay nestled between mountains and rivers, its beauty wasted on the poor families struggling to survive there. Among the poorest was the Lin family. Their home leaned to one side, as though it might collapse with the next strong wind. Inside, the air always smelled faintly of smoke and boiled cabbage, and the cupboards were nearly bare.
Lin Feng sat on a broken stool in front of their noodle stall, lazily fanning himself with a cracked bamboo fan. His clothes were patched so many times that no one could guess their original color. Customers walked past the stall without even glancing at it.
"Another day, another empty pot," Lin Feng muttered, patting his growling stomach. He looked at the cloudless sky and grinned bitterly. "Even the heavens are mocking me. At least rain would bring free water."
"Lin Feng!" his mother snapped from inside the stall. Her face was thin, her hair tied back hastily. "If you have time to joke, go cut firewood. We need it for dinner."
Lin Feng saluted dramatically. "Yes, Commander Mother. But if I don't return, know that I died bravely fighting against the evil forces of hunger."
His father sighed from the corner, shaking his head. "This boy… always making light of everything."
Grabbing his small hatchet, Lin Feng strolled toward the forest. As he walked, he muttered, "If joking could make money, I'd be richer than the emperor by now."
The forest was quiet, the leaves whispering as the wind passed through. Lin Feng hummed a silly tune, swinging his hatchet like a sword. "Hah! The great Lin Feng defeats another invisible bandit!" He struck a tree stump and laughed at himself. "Even the bandits run away before I can starve them with my jokes."
He kicked at a pile of dirt, and his foot struck something hard. "Ow!" he yelped, hopping on one leg. Bending down, he brushed aside soil and roots to reveal a rusty old kettle half-buried in the ground. The handle was bent, the surface mottled with green rust.
"What's this? Did the heavens send me a kettle so I can boil my misery?" Lin Feng picked it up, shaking it. "Empty. Useless. Just like my pockets."
Curious, he tapped it against a rock. The kettle cracked with a loud snap. A rush of black smoke burst forth, twisting into the sky. Lin Feng stumbled back, waving his hands. "Ah! I broke someone's stove spirit!"
The smoke thickened, forming the shape of a tall man in flowing robes. His eyes glowed gold, and his voice boomed like thunder. "Who dares break my vessel?"
Lin Feng's jaw dropped, then he grinned. "Me. Sorry about that. Do you want me to glue it back together?"
The figure frowned. "Insolent brat! I am a genie, sealed for a thousand years. The one who frees me is granted a single wish."
Lin Feng rubbed his chin dramatically. "A wish, eh? Anything?"
"Anything, within the laws of the heavens."
Lin Feng's eyes sparkled mischievously. "Then I wish… that every wish I make will come true!"
The genie nearly choked. "Absolutely forbidden! That breaks the rules."
"Cheh. Stingy." Lin Feng tapped his chin again. "Then how about… I wish for a system. A system that gives me quests, and when I complete them, I get rewards. Money, food, martial arts techniques, treasures, you name it."
The genie hesitated. "A system? That is… unusual. But within the rules." He raised his hand, chanting ancient words. Light flashed, and a glowing panel appeared before Lin Feng.
[System Activated! Welcome, Host Lin Feng.]
[First Quest: Make three people laugh today. Reward: 10 silver coins.]
Lin Feng blinked. "Eh? That's it? You call this a system? What am I, a village clown?"
The genie smirked. "You asked. I delivered. Farewell, brat." With that, he vanished into thin air, leaving only the cracked kettle behind.
Lin Feng stared at the glowing screen floating before his eyes. Slowly, a grin spread across his face. "Three people? That's easy! I'll have the whole village rolling on the ground. And when I'm done, I'll be so rich that even the emperor will envy me!"
He raised his hatchet dramatically toward the sky. "Behold! The era of Lin Feng begins!"
The forest birds scattered in fright, as though mocking his declaration. But Lin Feng only laughed louder, unaware that his life had just taken the strangest turn imaginable.