Chapter 2: A Glitchy System

At noon, the human world was bathed in sunlight, and the cicadas droned on endlessly.

The moment Yun Tao stepped out of the restaurant, he realized their little eatery was tucked away in a quiet corner of the street. The trees lining the road were tall and lush, while the surrounding buildings stood high, adorned with colorful shop signs. The scene before him was quite different from the human world he remembered, but he adapted quickly. The only downside? His current child-sized form was way too short—no matter how hard he craned his neck, he couldn’t see very far.

He shut the door behind him, and Ta Xue gracefully leaped to his side, looking every bit like a loyal bodyguard.

Yun Tao didn’t send the cat back. Instead, he took a step forward, his tiny legs carrying him along the shaded part of the street as he embarked on his hunting expedition.

He hadn’t walked far when he spotted a street sign. He could read, so he sounded out the words: “Shanhai Street.”

The moment he said it, he grinned, flashing his tiny fangs. Turning to Ta Xue, he declared, “What a coincidence! I came from Shanhai too—and I was the scariest thing in there!”

Ta Xue tilted its head and gazed at him with fond amusement, its sapphire-blue eyes full of indulgence. “Meow~” Sure, sure, if you say so.

The street was lined with all sorts of shops. As Yun Tao and Treading Snow strolled past, shopkeepers and customers alike turned to watch them, curiosity written all over their faces.

Just as they passed a weaving shop, an elderly woman suddenly stepped out and stopped him.

She squatted down to his level, gently taking his hand in hers. “Sweetheart, why are you out here alone at this time of day? Where are your parents?”

Yun Tao processed her words for a moment before shaking his head. “I don’t have parents. Just a brother.”

Hearing that, the old lady’s eyes filled with sympathy. She held his hand a little tighter. “Where’s your brother, then? Let me take you to him. Look at you, your little face is all red from the sun. What if you get heatstroke?”

It had been a long, long time since Yun Tao had interacted with humans, so he wasn’t quite used to it. But this elderly lady felt warm and kind, and he didn’t dislike her.

He pointed toward the old restaurant. “That’s my home. My brother’s asleep. I’m just taking a little walk.”

“Number 12?” The old woman’s expression brightened. “You must be Xiao He’s little brother! He’s mentioned you before, but I never got the chance to meet you. I didn’t expect you to be such a tiny thing.” She seemed to know a little about Yun Fenghe’s situation, and her attitude became even kinder. “Sweetheart, have you eaten yet?”

Yun Tao nodded. “I have.”

Right then, his stomach let out a loud, undeniable growl.

The old lady mistook his response for stubborn politeness—he probably hadn’t eaten but didn’t want to trouble anyone. Her heart ached even more. “Stay right here, sweetheart. Grandma’s got something for you.”

Before Yun Tao could refuse, the old woman bustled into the shop.

A few minutes later, he was sitting on a small stool at the entrance of the weaving shop, enjoying the cool breeze from a tiny electric fan. In his hands was a red sugar sponge cake bigger than his face.

The shopkeepers from the neighboring stores had also caught wind of the situation and gathered around, each bringing some kind of treat, all of them smiling as they tried to chat with him.

The old woman sat in front of him, scooping up a spoonful of porridge and bringing it to his mouth. “Here, sweetheart, try this.”

Yun Tao, who had never been surrounded by so many humans before, felt his face heat up with embarrassment. His cheeks flushed red as he mumbled, “I can eat by myself.”

The old lady coaxed him gently, “Sweetheart, the porridge is hot. You can feed yourself when you’re a little older.”

Yun Tao couldn’t resist the mouthwatering aroma. Blushing furiously, he let her feed him a spoonful.

The century egg and lean pork porridge was slow-cooked to perfection, soft and flavorful with just the right amount of seasoning. The moment it touched his tongue, Yun Tao’s eyes lit up, sparkling like tiny stars.

“That was sooo good.” As soon as he relaxed, his voice took on a soft, almost coquettish lilt.

The adults around him practically melted on the spot.

“What a sweet little thing—adorable and well-behaved!”

“I know, right? I just wanna take him home and raise him myself!”

“Baby, do you want some milk shortbread? Auntie made it herself—it’s super sweet!”

“Let’s pack some for him to take home later. But first, finish the porridge—proper meals come first.” The elderly lady from the weaving shop made the final call, then turned to him with a warm smile. “Sweetheart, why don’t you come over for dinner tonight? I’ll make braised sweet-and-sour ribs just for you, how about that?”

The fruit shop owner chimed in, “If you have lunch at Granny’s, then come to Auntie’s for dinner! Bring your brother, too—we’re making slow-braised pork bones tonight!”

Everyone on Shanhai Street knew that Yun Fenghe lived in the abandoned old restaurant. He kept to himself, was in poor health, and his household was barely scraping by. They’d all wanted to help in some way, but the young man had his pride—he always declined, polite but firm.

Watching these humans line up to feed him felt oddly familiar—just like when the stray cats had brought fish for his brother.

Yun Tao had already noticed that business wasn’t great on this street. These people probably weren’t well-off themselves. To him, this food wouldn’t even make a dent in his hunger, but to them, it was valuable.

So he shook his head. “My brother made fish soup for me. I have to go home for dinner.”

Everyone sighed in disappointment. The fruit shop owner tucked a bag of lychees into his arms. “These are from my garden. When you finish them, come by, and I’ll take you to pick more. And if you ever need help, just come find Auntie, okay?”

This time, Yun Tao didn’t refuse.

The elderly lady continued feeding him porridge. Since business was slow, no one was in a rush. They sat outside, cooling off in the shade, chatting about everyday life.

Someone asked the fruit shop owner, “A-Ying, how’s your daughter doing?”

Aunt Ying sighed. “Same as before—stress eating like crazy, says she’s never full no matter how much she eats.”

She didn’t mention what she saw the other night—her daughter secretly forcing herself to throw up. The girl was an adult now. Some things a mother had to pretend not to see.

“That’s not good for her body. Maybe she should see a doctor?”

“I already took her. They said it’s just stress—not bad enough to need medication. She needs to work through it on her own. I suggested she quit her job and take a break. She’s still thinking about it.”

“Try to convince her. Money’s not worth ruining your health over.”

“Kids these days have it so tough. My son’s been working overtime non-stop. If he skips a single day of sweeping, his whole floor is covered in hair. I’m terrified he’s gonna go bald before his father does…”

“Losing that much hair at his age? Could be a hormonal imbalance.”

Yun Tao pricked up his ears, listening in on their conversation. He couldn’t help but sigh to himself—I get it! I have it tough too! I’m always hungry no matter how much I eat! And my spiritual energy’s completely out of whack!

By the time the elderly lady finished feeding him porridge, she noticed that at some point, he’d also polished off the massive red sugar sponge cake. That—huge—slice. Gone.

She patted his tiny belly, surprised to find it still perfectly flat.

“Sweetheart, are you sure you didn’t eat too much?”

“Nope.” How could he possibly overeat? He’d never felt full a day in his life.

Worried he didn’t know his own limits, the elderly lady decided not to give him any more. “If your tummy starts hurting, have your brother bring you to me, okay?”

“Okay.”

By the time Yun Tao left, his pockets were stuffed with candies and biscuits, and he was clutching a bag of lychees in his arms. Before heading home, he tugged on Aunt Ying’s sleeve. “Aunt Ying, do you have incense at home?”

Aunt Ying wasn’t expecting that question. She blinked, then nodded. “Yeah, I do.”

After a whole trip around town, Yun Tao hadn’t managed to catch any real prey.

That’s when he made a heartbreaking discovery—this era was seriously lacking in spiritual energy. The heavenly treasures that used to be as common as candy had probably vanished, just like that secret realm. As for demon beasts or supernatural creatures? Probably even rarer.

In short… he might have to stay hungry forever.

Feeling defeated, Yun Tao trudged home. But the moment he pushed open the restaurant door, a voice suddenly echoed in his mind:

[Detecting host’s vital signs have stabilized. Rebinding system…]

[You have successfully bound the Shanhai Business System.]

Then came a soul-stirring question:

[Host, do you want to eat your fill?]

“Yes,” Yun Tao answered without hesitation.

The “system” explained that it had originally bound itself to him when he accidentally ingested poison. But since he’d been unconscious all this time, it had been stuck in a dormant state.

Now that he was awake, the system had reactivated. The moment the rebinding was complete, Yun Tao received an influx of knowledge about this era.

He quickly grasped the situation between him and the system. What mattered most, though, was: “So if I work with you, I’ll never go hungry again?”

[Correct.]

“Explain.”

Yun Tao waited for a response. And waited. And waited.

“System? You still there?”

[Apologies, host! I’ve been idle for too long, and I seem to have some glitches. I, uh… didn’t quite catch that. Could you repeat?]

“….”

A broken system. Fantastic.

Yun Tao gave a sweet, harmless smile. “You know what? Maybe we should just unbind~”

[Host, no! Please trust me! My core functions are perfectly fine! In fact, I’ve already secured ownership of Shanhai Street’s No. 12 Restaurant for you. It’s officially your property now!]

[By using the system, you can draw Shanhai Employee Cards to recruit staff, complete Business Missions, and earn incredible resources from the mystical realm of Shanhai!]

[There are all sorts of foods that can actually satisfy a Taotie’s hunger. Think about it carefully!]

Worried Yun Tao might actually ditch it, the system quickly ran through its features and pulled up an interface for him.

A translucent screen appeared in front of Yun Tao. He instantly knew—just like the system’s voice—only he could see it. Thanks to the knowledge transfer, everything made perfect sense to him.

The home screen showed a to-scale map of Shan Hai Street, detailed down to every tree and blade of grass. It updated in real-time, and at the top, four major functions stood out:

[Personal Info
Shanhai Card Pool
Shanhai Market
Business Missions]

The system began explaining each function.

[Personal Info:

Entrepreneur: Yun Tao
Business Level: 0 (0/100 Shanhai Points)
Entrepreneurial Skill: Cooking
Liquid Assets: None
Fixed Assets: Shanhai Street’s No. 12 Restaurant
Restaurant Status: Abandoned, lacking equipment, rundown environment, zero customers]

Next up was the Shanhai Card Pool, which contained three sections:

[Employee Cards
Resource Cards
Special Cards]

A description appeared beside them:

Each card draw requires one Shanhai Ticket. Drop rates vary per pool, with Special Cards being the rarest. Shanhai Tickets can only be earned through mission rewards.

As for the Shanhai Marketplace, it was packed with all sorts of rare treasures straight out of The Classic of Mountains and Seas—a dazzling array of mystical ingredients, divine herbs, and legendary artifacts. Surprisingly, it also featured a fully stocked human supermarket. Purchases required Shanhai Coins, but there were level restrictions. Completing tasks would earn rewards in Shanhai Coins, which could even be exchanged for modern currency.

Right now, though, Yun Tao was stuck at Level 0, with exactly 0 Shanhai Coupons and 0 Shanhai Coins. Broke. Utterly and completely broke.

Just then, the Startup Task tab lit up.

[Newbie Task: Your business license is complete. Please restore the restaurant to an operational state within 24 hours.
Task Reward: Newbie Pack (100 Shanhai Points, 100 Shanhai Coins, 1 Restaurant Signboard, 1 Shanhai Coupon)
Failure Penalty: You will be sent to a random world for 24 hours of volunteer work. Three failed tasks will result in 1,000 years of compulsory labor under the Main System.]

Yun Tao let out a cold chuckle. “A thousand years? You don’t even feel embarrassed saying that?”

The system cleared its throat. Ahem. “For a mighty beast like you, a thousand years is just the blink of an eye.”

It quickly switched to persuasion mode. “But, host, once you complete this task, you’ll be able to summon Shanhai Employees!”

Yun Tao frowned. “With only one Shanhai Coupon? I might just end up with nothing useful.”

The system couldn’t argue with that, so it shamelessly flattered him instead: “Wow, your vocabulary is amazing!”

“…You’re surprisingly good at buttering up a demon.” Yun Tao sighed, throwing up his hands. “Not like I have any other choice, do I? Fine, I’ll take the task.”

The system practically sighed in relief.

“Host, my energy is running low. I need to enter sleep mode. Call me if you need anything.”

Yun Tao gave it a skeptical look. “You sure I’ll actually be able to summon you?”

The system hesitated. “…Not 100% sure.”

Great. First, he got stuck with a weak, half-starved guardian. Now, he was stuck with a half-broken system. Yun Tao felt utterly exhausted. He threw on his best I-have-no-more-f**s-to-give* expression and waved dismissively.

“Fine. Go take your nap.”