Chapter 1: Exiled Three Thousand Miles, Starting with Binding the Shennong System

“Scholars are just pedantic. This woman already has one foot in the gate of hell, even the Heavenly King or the Old Lord couldn’t help her. Yet he actually believed I could save her and even went out to borrow money. Fine, I’ll reluctantly accept it. After all, wandering the martial world, I probably won’t meet him again in the future.”

A sinister voice entered Lin Xi’s ears.

Who was speaking?

Lin Xi moved her eyelids and painfully opened her eyes, only to see a lean man sitting beside her bed, grinning maliciously.

Looking around again — wooden beams, mud walls, the smell of rot filling her nose — even modern rural houses aren’t this dilapidated. What kind of place was this? Wasn’t she supposed to be at a meeting?

“Ugh…”

Wang Erma heard the sound and instinctively glanced at the bed. Not looking might have been better, when he saw her eyes open, he nearly jumped off his chair in fright. This person had looked like she was on her last breath just a moment ago, so how was she now able to open her eyes?

A return of consciousness — it must be a brief return of consciousness!

Lin Xi frowned, and suddenly countless memories flooded her mind.

She was originally a mid-level manager at a multinational company. While attending a meeting abroad, an earthquake struck. Because there was no one directing the evacuation, panic broke out and a stampede occurred. Unfortunately, Lin Xi was one of the unlucky people trampled.

The young woman she had transmigrated into shared the same name and surname — Lin Xi, the youngest daughter of the prestigious Lin family in the capital city, a legitimate daughter who had been deeply cherished since childhood.

When it came time for marriage, the Lin family carefully selected the son of the Regent Prince, Xiao Yongyan.

Less than a month after the wedding, the Regent Prince was accused by the emperor and imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison, while his son was sentenced to exile three thousand miles away. Naturally, the unlucky Lin Xi was exiled along with him.

The hardships and helplessness of the exile process can be set aside for now. Upon arriving at the destination, the village chief of Taoli Village only assigned them a broken shack — nothing else.

As soon as they moved into the thatched hut, Lin Xi’s body gave out. Xiao Yongyan was so anxious he was pacing in circles. Coincidentally, a traveling physician happened to arrive in Taoli Village, so Xiao Yongyan invited him to treat her.

While Lin Xi was still sorting through her memories, Xiao Yongyan came into the house, clutching a handful of copper coins in his hand and said urgently, “Doctor, I’ve borrowed the money. Please, you must save my wife!”

Wang Erma, seeing someone enter, quickly said, “Your wife’s condition has improved. If she takes one of my pills every day from now on, she’ll definitely recover.”

A look of joy flashed across Xiao Yongyan’s face, and he handed over all the copper coins to Wang Erma without hesitation.

The moment he felt the weight of the coins, Wang Erma could tell there was a decent amount, but more than that, he was worried Lin Xi might still die, and the man would come after him for it.

“Well then… I still have other patients waiting. I’ll be off now.”

After saying that, Wang Erma turned to slip away quickly.

“Wait,” Lin Xi, lying on the bed, suddenly spoke.

Wang Erma froze, gave a couple of dry laughs, and turned back to Lin Xi, saying, “Young lady, don’t worry. Your ancestors must have accumulated great virtue — you have a strong fate. With proper care, you’ll be just fine.”

Lin Xi sneered. The original owner of this body had already passed away. The one inhabiting it now was Lin Xi from the 21st century. That so-called “miracle” had nothing to do with this so-called physician.

“Doctor, may I ask what illness I was suffering from, and how exactly did you manage to save me? I’ve read a few medical books and would love to exchange ideas with you.” Lin Xi blinked innocently, staring straight at Wang Erma.

In reality, she had never read any medical books — she was just bluffing.

Wang Erma’s face instantly stiffened. He began rambling incoherently, trying to dodge the question.

“When I was unconscious just now, didn’t you say you didn’t have the ability to save me? If that’s the case, how can you justify taking payment for your treatment?” Lin Xi said coldly.

Wang Erma didn’t expect that Lin Xi had heard his earlier remarks. His beady eyes darted around nervously, and he let out a couple of sly chuckles. “Young lady must be confused — how could I have said something like that?”

“My wife is kind by nature. She would never make baseless accusations. Doctor, I suggest you choose your words carefully,” Xiao Yongyan said, frowning, without hesitation standing firmly on Lin Xi’s side.

In her past life, Lin Xi had been a workaholic, single since birth for thirty years. To suddenly be defended so earnestly by someone like this filled her heart with unexpected warmth.

“Oh, I see how it is! I worked so hard to treat a patient, and now you don’t even want to pay the consultation fee?” Wang Erma took two steps back. “You two—are you scheming together to rip me off?!”

As he spoke, he kept retreating — clearly planning to make a run for it.

“Husband, stop him!” Lin Xi shouted.

Xiao Yongyan reacted quickly, grabbing the fleeing Wang Erma in one swift motion. He wasn’t a fool — Wang Erma’s behavior made it obvious he had a guilty conscience. Back then, he had been too anxious and was deceived by this quack doctor.

“Return the consultation fee! Otherwise, I’ll give you a beating and throw you into the mountains to feed the jackals!” Lin Xi snapped fiercely, threatening him harshly. “We’ve survived exile across three thousand miles, barely escaping death time and time again. Do you really think we’d be afraid of dealing with a fraud like you?!”

Looking at the fierce expression on Xiao Yongyan’s face — he practically looked like a demon from hell — Wang Erma’s survival instincts told him Lin Xi probably wasn’t bluffing.

“No, no, I’ll give it all back, alright?” Wang Erma’s hands trembled, and all the copper coins fell to the ground. Seeing this, Xiao Yongyan finally let go of him.

“But don’t be too happy just yet,” Wang Erma sneered. “Anyone exiled here is required to pay ten ^[1]Shi (石) is an ancient Chinese unit of volume used to measure grain, roughly equivalent to 100 liters.shi of grain to the local government every year. All those sent here before you failed to meet the quota and ended up beaten to death.”

With those parting words, Wang Erma ran off without looking back.

Ten shi of grain? Lin Xi turned to Xiao Yongyan with a questioning look. He sighed and nodded, confirming what Wang Erma had said.

“The village chief didn’t assign us any land, did he?” Lin Xi asked.

Xiao Yongyan shook his head. “He said the wasteland behind the mountain is free to cultivate.”

Lin Xi fell silent. There were only two of them in the household. Sure, Xiao Yongyan was a man, but he had been a pampered noble son from the capital — what did he know about farming?

Aren’t transmigrators supposed to have ^[2]“golden finger” (金手指) refers to a cheat-like advantage or special power granted to the protagonist — usually something that helps them succeed far beyond ordinary limits.golden finger? Where was hers?

【Ding — Host request detected. Shennong System is now downloading…】

【1%… 26%… 48%… 85%… 100%】

【System is now binding with host】

【Binding successful!】

【As a first-time bonus, the host receives 10 experience points】

A cold, mechanical voice rang in Lin Xi’s ears — yet to her, it sounded like celestial music.

【The Shennong System is composed of three main modules: Plants, Animals, and Minerals】

【Currently, the Plant Module is unlocked】

【The main functions of the Plant Module include: plant identification, soil testing, species improvement, nutrient solution production, etc.】

While the system was still introducing itself, Lin Xi’s stomach gave a loud growl — she was hungry.

“I’ll go find you something to eat,” Xiao Yongyan said, immediately lifting his foot to head outside after hearing her stomach growl.

【The Plant Module’s “Plant Search” function is now available. Would you like to spend 1 experience point to use it?】

Looking at the system panel, the only lit-up button was “Search.” Without hesitation, Lin Xi tapped it.

【1 experience point successfully deducted】

【Scanning all plants within a 1-kilometer radius…】

Before Lin Xi’s eyes appeared a scene full of high-tech flair — all the surrounding plants were labeled with their names and brief descriptions.

【Notice: Edible plant kalimeris indica (Indian aster) found】

According to the system’s markers, the kalimeris was growing right in her backyard.

Moments later, Xiao Yongyan saw Lin Xi squatting in front of a clump of wild herbs, picking quickly — soon, she had gathered a whole pile. He felt useless. He had let his wife go so hungry that she had to resort to eating wild grass.