Early morning. Wisps of cooking smoke began to rise from the village houses, and the birds chirped cheerfully.

Zhao Xing, on the other hand, dragged himself out of bed with no energy at all. After washing up, he shuffled over to the breakfast stall at the village entrance.

A few villagers were already there eating. They gave him a nod when they saw him.

Things were cheap in the village, but the selection was slim. A bowl of soy milk was one-fifty, sweet or savory tofu pudding was two-fifty, a fried dough stick was two yuan, and a steamed bun was a single yuan. Pickles were free.

In his mind, the System reminded him, “You have a lot of work today. The Host should eat a little more.”

Zhao Xing cursed under his breath. “You think I don’t want to? If I had the money, I’d order one of everything!”

Just thinking about it brought tears to his eyes.

Last week, after months of nonstop overtime, he collapsed from exhaustion and almost died. At the critical moment, he bonded with the System, which was the only reason he was still breathing.

But according to the System, he wouldn’t be considered truly “alive” until he completed all its tasks and reached the final goal. And what was the System’s grand task? To return to his hometown and take over his grandfather’s guesthouse.

That would have been fine, but when Zhao Xing woke up, he found his bank account completely wiped out.

The system explained that it was the price of saving his life.

Sure, thirty thousand yuan was a fair trade for his life, but they could have at least left him something. Even five hundred yuan would have been nice!

He’d had to borrow money just for the trip home. He’d scraped together a thousand yuan, and now he was down to his last one hundred thirty-eight yuan and forty cents.

His stomach grumbled. Gritting his teeth, Zhao Xing ordered a bowl of tofu pudding and two steamed buns, spending four-fifty to settle his breakfast.

He sat down with his bowl at a table.

A villager next to him chuckled. “Hey, nephew, I hear you’re taking over your grandpa’s guesthouse? What’s gotten into you? A perfectly good college grad giving up a city office job to run off to the mountains!”

Zhao Xing nearly choked on a mouthful of tofu pudding. He put on a brave face. “You don’t get it, Uncle. All the young people nowadays dream of moving to the countryside to open a guesthouse. I’m just making my dream a reality!”

His uncle burst out laughing. “Then you should’ve picked a place with some tourists! We don’t even have a scenic spot here. Who’s going to stay at your guesthouse?”

The other villagers joined in the laughter.

One of the older men added, “You didn’t think this through, kid. If that guesthouse was worth anything, your grandpa would’ve opened it himself long ago. You think he would’ve left it for you?”

Zhao Xing was speechless.

He knew they were right, but he didn’t have a choice!

In his mind, the System chimed in urgently. “Host, do not be swayed. This location is essential for our guesthouse. There is a spatial rift here. Not only can we welcome guests from this world, but we can also host guests from other worlds. In the future, we will become the number one guesthouse in the universe!”

Zhao Xing paused. “This spatial rift… will it affect the people living nearby?”

The System cleared its throat. “Not if you get the guesthouse up and running.”

Zhao Xing had to hand it to the System, which never missed a chance to kick him in the pants.

He slurped down the rest of his tofu pudding, wiped his mouth, and asked the man next to him, “Uncle Luan, are you using your motor-trike today? If not, could I borrow it? I need to haul some stuff up to the guesthouse.”

“Sure thing,” said Uncle Luan. “Use it whenever you need it for the next few days.”

Zhao Xing thanked him and returned to where he’d stayed the night—his grandfather’s old house, where he’d spent every summer vacation as a kid.

He grabbed the bucket, rags, and mop he’d gotten ready last night and the supplies he’d bought in town. Then he went to Uncle Luan’s, started up the motor-trike, and began the clattering journey up the mountain.

His grandfather’s guesthouse was on a nearby hill. Along the way, he ran into several villagers out early to tend their fields.

News travels fast in a small village. He’d only gotten back yesterday, but by today, the whole village knew he was planning to open the guesthouse.

Basically, no one approved. They all thought it was a terrible idea, and they didn’t hesitate to tell him so when they saw him.

Zhao Xing just laughed it off and gave them some vague replies before finally arriving at the guesthouse entrance.

At this point, calling it a “guesthouse” felt a little generous. It was more like a small, abandoned building.

It looked to be about two stories high, though it was hard to tell what it was made of under all the grime. The structure stood there crookedly, its walls pockmarked with holes, and not a single pane of glass was intact. Vines dangled from the eaves, and the surrounding weeds were taller than a golden retriever.

And Zhao Xing’s task for the day was to give the entire building a deep clean.

He sighed mournfully and pulled up the System panel he’d already stared at countless times.

【Host: Zhao Xing

Home World: Blue Star Realm

Guesthouse Name: Immortal’s Rest Inn

Guesthouse Level: 0 (Points to next level: 0/500)

System Price: 0 Yuan/Person

System Evaluation: A pile of rubble】

When he first bonded with the System, it had asked him to name the guesthouse. He hadn’t put much thought into it. Since the guesthouse was located on Immortal’s Rest Mountain, he just went with that.

But honestly, it wasn’t quite a “pile of rubble,” was it? The walls were still standing, at least!

Just as he was thinking this, the System suddenly made a sound like “Huh?”

Zhao Xing shot back, “What is it now?”

The System replied, “Host, please do not be so biased against the System. This is good news.”

【Daily Task Issued: The guesthouse has received its first guest. They seem to be in a spot of trouble. Please help them resolve their difficulty!】

Zhao Xing: ???

It took him a second to process, and then he nearly jumped out of his skin. He hissed in a low voice, “Are you telling me a guest is hiding in this derelict building? Where did the guest come from? Don’t tell me it’s a fugitive!”

“Rest assured,” the System said calmly. “The guesthouse’s guests are not limited to humans. There is no danger.”

Not limited to humans?

An idea sparked in Zhao Xing’s mind. Could it be one of those so-called otherworldly guests? Or maybe a non-human creature from his own world…

Following the System’s instructions, he started searching the small building.

Dust was everywhere. He had to cover his nose and mouth as he searched high and low.

Finally, he found a small orange kitten in the corner of a first-floor storage room.

Looking at the small, dust-covered ball of fur rising and falling with each breath, the corner of Zhao Xing’s mouth twitched. “…System, this is what you call a guest?”

The System replied, “The Host must explore on their own.”

The little cat, hidden behind a pile of junk, shrank back.

Left with no other choice, Zhao Xing took a few careful steps forward.

As expected, a guest panel popped up in front of him:

【Name: None

Reception Points: 1 Point/Visit

Introduction: An eight-month-old stray male cat. A decent hunter, but with average luck. Independent and skilled at repaying kindness. It is currently very hungry. Please give it some food!

Likes: Unknown】

Zhao Xing breathed a sigh of relief. So it was just hungry.

He bought some snacks when he went to town yesterday afternoon, initially thinking he’d put them on a shelf to make the guesthouse look more present once it was cleaned up.

Now, he rummaged through his bag and pulled out a ham sausage.

He picked up a clean leaf, crumbled the sausage onto it, and placed it on the ground a short distance from the kitten.

The savory aroma of the sausage wafted through the air. An eight-month-old kitten couldn’t resist the temptation. A moment later, two furry triangular ears peeked out from behind the junk pile.

Zhao Xing held his breath, not daring to move.

The little ears twitched, listening cautiously. Then, the little guy crept out stealthily and pounced on the leaf, gobbling down the food.

Watching it eat so heartily made Zhao Xing feel a little hungry himself. He fumbled in his bag for another sausage, but then he remembered that one stick cost a full two yuan, and with tears welling in his eyes, he stuffed it back.

After the orange kitten finished eating, its attitude improved considerably. It started washing its face, tilting its little head to look at Zhao Xing. It still wouldn’t let him pet it, but the hostility was gone.

Zhao Xing whispered, “Its eyes are emerald green. They’re actually really pretty.”

The System made no comment.

The kitten finished cleaning itself, then, acting nonchalant, it rubbed against Zhao Xing’s pant leg before hopping onto the pile of junk and disappearing out a broken window.

Before Zhao Xing could even feel a pang of disappointment, the System page popped up:

【Congratulations, Host, on completing the Daily Task!】

【Let’s take a look at the guest’s review!】

“There are guest reviews?” Zhao Xing asked.

“They are generated based on the guest’s true feelings,” the System explained.

Zhao Xing raised an eyebrow and tapped it open.

【Review Grade: S

Review Comment: Meow meow!】

【An S-Grade review receives double the reception points.】

Double reception points… Zhao Xing filed that piece of information away and opened the daily task page.

【Congratulations, Host, on completing the task.

Reward received: 5 Points

Wallpaper: Ancient Wood Fragrance】

【Wallpaper: Ancient Wood Fragrance: A highly realistic wooden wallpaper. The scent of ancient wood it emits will relax the mind and create a sense of well-being. Go ahead and try it on!】

“Wallpaper…” This was Zhao Xing’s first completed task, and for a moment, he actually felt like he was playing a management sim. But when he tried to apply the wallpaper, the System prompted: 【Please clean the area before changing the wallpaper.】

Zhao Xing: …

He opened the guesthouse panel again:

【Host: Zhao Xing

Home World: Blue Star Realm

Guesthouse Name: Immortal’s Rest Inn

Guesthouse Level: 0 (Points to next level: 7/500)

System Price: 0 Yuan/Person

System Evaluation: A pile of rubble】

The orange kitten’s reception points were 1, which doubled to 2 after the S-grade review. Adding the 5 points from the daily task reward gave him a total of 7 points.

After a quick mental calculation, Zhao Xing’s eyes lit up. “Since animals can be guests, why don’t I partner with a farm? There’s a chicken farm nearby with at least a thousand chickens! I could pay them a little to herd the chickens over here, give them a meal, and then send them back! If one chicken is 1 point, then a thousand chickens are…”

The System thought: You’re a real genius, aren’t you?

Aloud, it said: “The Host should abandon such unrealistic ideas. This System has standards for judgment. Guests must arrive of their own free will.”

The System added, “Besides, Host, do you have any money?”

Zhao Xing: “…”

He looked at the hundred-something yuan in his pocket, tears streaming down his face. “Right. I’ll just go start the deep clean…”