Lu Shiqiu’s head was spinning.

He had drunk too much the previous day.

With a big yawn, he intended to ask something, but a wave of drowsiness swept over him, and before long, he was snoring loudly.

The system fell silent, apparently bewildered by its host’s behavior.

The next morning, as daylight poured in, Lu Shiqiu was abruptly awakened by the loud noise deliberately made by his sister-in-law.

He scrambled up, remembering that Brother Liu had promised to take him to make a big score the previous day.

As he dressed, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he had forgotten something important.

Furrowing his brows, he tried to recall, but his mind was blank—nothing came to him.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he pulled on his cotton coat, slipped into his shoes, and, without even eating breakfast, hurried out the door and trudged through the snow toward Liu Jia Village.

Liu Jia Village was more than ten miles away from Hongshu Village, and it took Lu Shiqiu about half an hour to get there.

As he entered the village, an urgent need to relieve himself hit him.

He hurried behind a house in Liu’s compound to pee.

Bang!

The loud sound startled him so much that he nearly stopped mid-stream.

He quickly finished, pulled up his pants, and scanned the area, soon spotting the source of the noise.

He crouched by the wall, tilted his head, and listened closely.

Through the thin wall, he could make out Liu’s voice, begging for mercy.

Liu’s distinctive loud voice, which was usually so domineering, now sounded completely different—weak, like a woman’s, mixed with sobbing and pleading.

Pathetic! Too pathetic!

But it was precisely because of this that Lu Shiqiu’s instincts told him something wasn’t right.

He tightened his coat and, staying close to the wall, moved toward Liu’s courtyard. Peeking around the corner, he quickly ducked back, nearly scared out of his wits.

People!

There were so many people!

Liu Shan’s gate was blocked by layers of people, with even more crowding outside, craning their necks to see inside.

Many were standing around the fence, watching the scene with great interest, completely unaware of Lu Shiqiu’s presence.

Of course, he wasn’t concerned about the nosy bystanders.

As a man who had lived by his wits, Lu Shiqiu’s shamelessness was legendary—his face was as thick as a city wall.

Otherwise, how could he go around begging strangers for money, right?

What truly scared Lu Shiqiu were the ten or so constables dressed in black uniforms, standing in formation, their faces grim and their swords drawn.

Just yesterday, his cohorts had been acting like tough guys, but now, they looked as meek as chickens.

Among them, Liu Shan was in the worst shape.

A tall, burly constable held him by the collar, sizing him up with apparent satisfaction.

The constable slapped Liu Shan’s face.

“Weren’t you the one bragging about how tough you were? How come you’re such a disappointment now? I rode through the snow for over two hours just to get here, and this is what I get.”

A deadly silence followed.

Liu Shan was a mess—his face was swollen, his two front teeth were knocked out, and his mouth was bleeding.

He looked terrified, his eyes wide as he stared at the man in front of him.

Who was this guy?

How could he be so skilled?

In just a few moves, he had subdued him.

Liu Shan couldn’t run, and he certainly couldn’t fight back.

The only thing he could do was beg for mercy.

Crawling on the ground, he cupped his hands in front of the constable, begging, “Sir, sir, I will redeem myself. The ones who stole the merchant’s money weren’t just us, there’s also a man named Lu…”

Lu Shiqiu shuddered and immediately turned to run.

This little bastard, coward, just had to knock out two of his front teeth, and he was already ready to give him up.

What a brother through thick and thin!

It’s all lies, damn lies.

Fortunately, he never told these cheap brothers where he lived, or they’d have turned his house upside down.

Lu Shiqiu ran a long way in one breath, almost injuring his leg in the process.

Out of breath, Lu Shiqiu barely managed to leave the village.

As he walked toward his home, the familiar voice sounded again in his ear: “Detection shows that the host is about to face imprisonment. Would you like to bind with this system?”

Lu Shiqiu remembered what he had forgotten.

Last night, he had a conversation with this thing called a system, and it said that if he bound with it, he would have his own child. “Is this true?”

“Absolutely true!”

Lu Shiqiu was overjoyed.

Since the winter of his fifteenth year, when he spent a night in the sea, he had lost all possibility of having children.

He had dreamed of having a biological child his whole life.

But! His joy lasted less than a second before he felt disheartened again!

Even the old doctor who pulled him back from the gates of death couldn’t help him. Could he trust the words of a brat? Dare he trust it?

Lu Shiqiu kicked a clod of earth on the ground, unwilling to speak.

“This system is from two thousand years in the future. Not a brat. I warned you last night that you would face imprisonment.”

Lu Shiqiu was skeptical. “Then show yourself! Hiding like this doesn’t make you a hero.”

“This system exists in your brain and cannot appear outside.”

Lu Shiqiu looked around, unsure whether to believe it.

Could this thing really get into his brain?

As a seasoned thug, Lu Shiqiu not only extorted money, but he also scammed people.

He had fooled many and dabbled in all sorts of superstition, pretending to be a mystic.

After so much trickery, he didn’t believe in ghost stories or supernatural nonsense.

But now, someone—or something—was talking to him in his head, which made him start doubting. Is this real?

“Absolutely real!”

“Then tell me, why did you say I would end up in prison? How did you figure that out?”

“This system knows both the heavens and the earth. The traveling merchant you robbed yesterday was upset and didn’t go home. Instead, he turned around and went to the county town to report you. The constables rushed over and caught you all red-handed.”

Lu Shiqiu counted on his fingers.

According to the traveling merchant’s speed, by the time the merchant reached the county town, this system had already alerted him.

It seemed this system really had some abilities.

Lu Shiqiu started to believe a little, but he knew there was no such thing as a free lunch.

His face was full of suspicion. “So, what do you want me to do?”

“Buy one, get three free. You just need to take in three more daughters!”

Lu Shiqiu: !!!!!

While silently complaining, Lu Shilai gritted his teeth. “Bind it!”

【Welcome, Host. Binding to the Child-Rearing System, Code 1111】

“1111? Four 1’s?” Lu Shiqiu muttered under his breath.

What kind of name is that?

It sounds too casual.

If he were to have a child, he’d definitely choose a much more powerful name.

“Four 1, when can I have a child?”

【You haven’t married yet!】

Lu Shiqiu froze.

Right, he hadn’t married yet. “Then I’ll go find a matchmaker when I get back!”

He was determined to marry the most beautiful and capable woman, so he wouldn’t have to envy others anymore.

“Four 1, listen, I know several beautiful girls. Tao Ye from the salt field is very pretty, and I heard Xinghua from Zhangjia Village is also quite striking. Liuer from Wangjia Village is also beautiful. Ah, so many beautiful girls, which one should I choose to be my wife?”

His feet seemed to float as he talked, and his face was filled with a sweet distress, as if he could hug the girl of his dreams any second.

He didn’t stop to think that with his rogue ways, which parents would be reckless enough to give their daughter to him?

But since there was no one else around, no one interrupted his sweet dream.

Truly a rare bit of luck.

However, in the next second, the smile on his face faded.

Because—

【According to your physical condition, this system will select a suitable wife for you.】

“What? I can’t choose myself?” Lu Shiqiu gritted his teeth, then thought for a moment and realized he was losing out.

【Your body suffered significant harm years ago. You must marry the woman with the best fate to bear a quality child.】

“Ah, what’s that supposed to mean? I don’t understand.”

【It means you can’t make just any woman pregnant. Only this system can choose for you.】

Lu Shiqiu was unhappy, but seeing no other way, he resigned himself. “Fine! I’ll listen to you. Hurry up and choose. I can’t wait anymore.”

【Selection in progress!】

After that, 1111 was stuck in a busy signal.

Along the way, whenever Lu Shiqiu asked, 1111 would respond, “There are very few women with good fate.”

The gist of it was, his body was too weak, and there weren’t many suitable women to choose from.

Lu Shiqiu fumed, but he soon reached Hongshu Village.

As he was about to turn into the village, he heard the sound of horse hooves behind him.

Just as he was about to turn around, a gust of wind blew past, kicking up dust that went straight into his mouth.

“Pfft, pfft, pfft!”

These bastards!

Just because they have horses, they look down on people like him who don’t have one.

He was about to shout insults, but then noticed the horses had stopped, seemingly to ask for directions.

Looking again, he saw someone pointing at him.

Lu Shiqiu, being guilty, looked up and realized it was the group of constables from this morning.

Terrified, he turned and ran!

What’s going on?

Didn’t he tell those cheap brothers not to mention his address?

How did these constables find him?

Lu Shiqiu turned into the village and sprinted with all his might.

“Stop! Lu Shiqiu, stop right there!”

Lu Shiqiu’s forehead was covered in sweat!

What the hell, where did things go wrong?

How do they even know his name?

These constables were on horseback, and in no time, they caught up with him.

Lu Shiqiu’s legs were already leaving afterimages as he ran, and just as the sound of the hooves was right behind him, he quickly darted into a small alley.

This wasn’t a city alley, but a small gap between houses, just wide enough for one person to pass through.

The horses couldn’t fit.

The constables got off their horses and gave chase.

But the alley was very short, and in just a few moments, Lu Shiqiu disappeared without a trace.

“Forget it! You can run from the monk, but not the temple. Let’s go wait for him at his house!” one of the constables raised his hand.

【Host, they are heading to your house. Aren’t you going to check?】 1111 reminded.

“Going to my house is the best. Let my father compensate them, and they won’t have to arrest me.”

System 1111 was speechless.

The new host wasn’t just a hooligan, he was also unfilial.

System 1111 doubted if it had made the wrong choice.

Could someone like him really become a good father?

Before 1111 could respond, Lu Shiqiu finally caught his breath. “Did you find anyone? Who’s suitable to be my wife?”

System 1111 was silent.

It really wanted to ask, at a time like this, are you still thinking about finding a wife?

Lu Shiqiu was anxious.

The New Year was the busiest time of the year, and Hongshu Village was a fishing village where one could go the whole year without seeing a single official.

Who would’ve thought that several officials would show up during the New Year.

Everyone ran out to watch the excitement.

Lu Shiqiu ducked to the side, keeping one eye on the crowd at the village entrance, thinking to himself how boring this was.

Before System 1111 could speak, he felt something soft brush against his hand.