SFP - Chapter 1

The world spun. No, not metaphorically. Literally. Lin Xiao could swear the ceiling above him just did a somersault.

“Urgghhh…” he groaned, the sound croaking from his throat like a dying toad.

His head throbbed. His body ached. And worst of all—he was cold. Not the modern ‘air conditioner set too low’ kind of cold, but a raw, damp, bone-chilling ancient kind of cold. As if someone had pulled him out of a well and left him to dry like laundry.

Actually, now that he thought about it…

Hadn't he just been playing a virtual farming simulator at 2 a.m. back in his apartment in Shenzhen? He had just reached max-level turnip farming. One minute he was yelling at his toaster-slash-oven-slash-smart-KitchenCompanion 9000 for burning his frozen dumplings, and the next—

Splash.

A pond?

A cold one.

Then blackness.

Now, he was here. Wherever “here” was.

He blinked groggily. The ceiling above him was wooden, the planks uneven and age-worn. A tattered canopy hung above the bed, and the mosquito net around him looked like it hadn’t been washed in centuries. And… was that a human-shaped shadow kneeling beside him, sobbing?

He turned his head ever so slowly.

A middle-aged man in a deep green robe was clutching a silk handkerchief and weeping like a dying opera performer.

“Your Highness…! The physician said you might never wake again! Thank the heavens!”

Lin Xiao tried to speak. What came out was, “Blrfgh…”

The man stood up and bolted toward the door. “Eunuch Ming! Eunuch Ming! The Fifth Prince is awake!”

Prince?

Lin Xiao blinked again.

Hold on. Hold. On.

“Did he just call me... prince?”

He tried to sit up. Pain shot through his spine like betrayal. Nope. Not happening.

Just then, a message popped into the corner of his vision.

[System Activation Complete]
Welcome to the Farming System
Bound to: Lin Xiao, age 35 (Host Identity: Fifth Prince of the Yuan Dynasty, Age: 13)
World Origin: 2035 Shenzhen, Modern, China
World Status: Ancient, Pre-industrial, Mild Technological Deviation
Note: Transmigration Complete. Parallel Consciousness Reassigned.

Lin Xiao stared at the glowing message.

Then blinked.

Then muttered the only appropriate reaction:

“…I’ve been isekai’d.”

And not just into any world. No. This wasn’t a peaceful peasant life with a tiny farm and a cute pet duck.

This was royalty. Feudal China-style. Assassination plots. Family rivalries. Power struggles. A system, yes—but with no sign of air conditioning or bubble tea anywhere in sight.

Still, part of him—the small part not still half-frozen and aching—sighed in relief.

He was alive. Somehow.

And better yet…

He was a prince. A real, honest-to-goodness, silk-robed, gold-bowl-using prince.

That had serious salted fish potential.

Maybe he could live out his days doing nothing but napping in bamboo chairs, sipping tea under plum trees, and avoiding responsibility like it was the plague.

A faint smirk tugged at his lips.

“Not bad…”

“Move aside! Let me see him!”

A stream of people entered the room—some noble-looking, some middle-aged with scholarly brows, others suspiciously young but already stiff with authority. Lin Xiao had no idea who they were, but they clearly knew him.

A tall man with graying temples rushed to his side. His dragon-embroidered robe shimmered with imperial gold. His voice thundered like a lion who hadn’t slept all night.

“My son—! Xiao’er! Can you hear me?”

Son? This must be the Emperor.

Lin Xiao widened his eyes a bit, trying to look as frail and innocent as possible.

He remembered enough drama tropes to know that if you woke up too healthy, they might think you were faking.

“Fath…er…” he rasped, weak and dramatic. “It’s… cold…”

The Emperor barked at a nearby eunuch. “Where is the physician?! Why is the room not warmed?! Bring a brazier! No—bring five!”

Immediately, several servants scrambled. Someone brought an elaborate cloak and tried draping it over Lin Xiao’s shoulders. He sagged dramatically into the bed, like a tragic figure from an opera.

Inside, he was smiling smugly.

This was going great.

He didn't need to prove anything. He just had to look frail, mysterious, and slightly pitiful. That would buy him days—weeks—of rest.

Maybe even permanent sick leave.

The Empress entered then. Regal, tall, and sharp-eyed, she swept into the room with the grace of a blade.

Her gaze pierced him. “Xiao’er. Do you remember who you are?”

Lin Xiao blinked.

Test time.

He couldn’t possibly recite this body’s family tree yet. But he had a trick. The oldest trick in the lazy person’s book.

“…Mother… my head hurts.”

Bam. Full sympathy combo.

The Empress frowned, then sighed. She sat beside him and reached for his wrist, pretending to check his pulse like a doctor from a drama, but found nothing special.

“You had a terrible fever. The pond water nearly killed you. They say… someone pushed you.”

A flicker of cold ran through him. So the original Lin Xiao was murdered.

Wait—hold on again.

If he transmigrated here, where did the original go?

Before he could process it, the System chimed again.

Parallel Consciousness Transfer: Complete.
Original Soul redirected to Alternate World – Status: Active
Item Transfer Function: Unlocked
One-Way Portal Available
First package available in: 2 days

That was… oddly convenient.

So the original prince had been sent to another parallel world, just like him. But he, Lin Xiao of year 2035, now owned this body. He wasn’t just pretending.

And that meant only one thing:

This salted fish life was officially his now.

The moment the Empress stepped out with a final worried glance, the imperial physician stepped in like a man marching into his execution. White-bearded, hunchbacked, and wearing robes that smelled faintly of powdered herbs and regret, the man gave Lin Xiao a long look.

“Your Highness, forgive this old one. I must check your pulse.”

Lin Xiao nodded weakly and extended his hand, adding a small, pained wince for dramatic effect. “Doctor... will I live?”

He said it with just the right amount of melodrama, as if clinging to the last string of life. His acting teacher in middle school would’ve wept with pride.

The physician took his pulse with trembling fingers, squinted at him, then squinted harder—as if trying to see through Lin Xiao’s skin to his soul.

“You… your body seems… stronger than before. Hmm. It’s as if… something changed inside you.”

Lin Xiao’s mind screamed: Abort mission!!!. He suspects something. Fake weakness harder.

He coughed, dramatically. “Everything… feels unfamiliar. I dreamed… I was falling… through stars… Then… warm dumplings…”

“Eh?” the physician blinked.

Lin Xiao turned his gaze to the ceiling with hollow eyes, like a broken hero in a tragic legend. “Maybe I hit my head too hard. Maybe… I’m just tired of fighting.”

“...You weren’t fighting anything,” Eunuch Ming whispered nearby, confused.

Lin Xiao coughed again and whispered, “But I was fighting life, Eunuch Ming. Fighting so hard... to survive.”

Eunuch Ming promptly burst into tears.

The physician wrote something on his scroll, nodding solemnly. “The young prince has endured great trauma. Best not to strain his mind. Let him rest. We’ll monitor his qi flow and spleen energy.”

Lin Xiao almost choked.

Why the spleen?! Why always the spleen?!

Still, he lay back with a satisfied sigh. No more questions. No more suspicion.

He was officially sick enough to be pitied, dramatic enough to be admired, and mentally unstable enough to be left alone.

Perfect.

The next morning, he was still alive. That was already a win in ancient China.

Even better, someone had arranged for congee, steamed buns, and sliced pears to be served beside his bed. He took one bite of the congee and wept internally.

Where’s the chili oil? The preserved egg? The soy sauce?!

He nearly asked out loud but caught himself in time.

“...Tastes wonderful,” he murmured, tears in his eyes—not from emotion, but from the sheer blandness of royal food.

The door creaked open, and a soft voice called, “Xiao’er?”

Two girls entered, both around fifteen or sixteen, graceful in their movements and wearing pastel palace gowns. The older one had an elegant calmness, while the younger skipped like a spring squirrel.

These must be the older sisters, daughters of Noble Concubine Xiang—same mother as Lin Xiao. They likely are the only ones who wouldn’t want him assassinated for breakfast.

The older girl sat beside his bed and gently brushed his hair back. “I’m Lin Feiyan, your eldest sister. This is Lin Ruoqing. You scared us to death.”

Ruoqing, the younger one, immediately blurted, “You looked like a boiled dumpling! Pale and squishy!”

Lin Xiao stared at her. “…Thanks?”

Ruoqing grinned. “But you look less like a dumpling now. Maybe a steamed bun.”

Feiyan sighed. “Ignore her.”

Lin Xiao chuckled. It hurt a little, but felt good too. “I’m glad I have sisters who care for me.”

Feiyan gave him a gentle, knowing look. “Our mother… would’ve been devastated. She always said you had a weak body but a clever soul.”

That made him pause.

He barely remembered Noble Concubine Xiang from the fragments the System had passed on. She died when the original Lin Xiao was ten, of a slow illness. Quiet, beautiful, and mostly ignored by palace politics. Her children were raised far from the inner court, in a side courtyard near the plum gardens.

Feiyan patted his hand. “Rest well. We’ll send you honey cakes later.”

Ruoqing waved. “Don't fall into any more ponds! Or you’ll really turn into a boiled dumpling next time!”

Lin Xiao chuckled again as they left.

So far so good. Sisters are: funny, warm. No threat.

Then came the next wave.

A group of older boys entered the room. All four of them were obviously imperial princes. All four shared a resemblance to the Emperor. And all four had eyes like hawks.

The Crown Prince walked at the front. Lin Yijun. Seventeen, proper, tall, noble. He looked like a sculpture carved by a committee of Confucian scholars.

Behind him was Lin Yichen, the second prince—sharp-eyed and quiet, with the expression of a tax inspector.

Then Lin Yixuan, third prince, with sleepy eyes and a fan in hand. The only one who looked like he might be a fellow salted fish.

Last was Lin Yiran, the fourth prince. Serious. Muscular. Like a general who worked out between calligraphy sessions.

“Fifth Brother,” Lin Yijun said politely. “How are you feeling?”

Lin Xiao gave them his best helpless smile. “Like a steamed bun that someone stepped on.”

A pause.

Then, unexpectedly, Lin Yixuan chuckled. “Still has his mouth, I see.”

Lin Yichen narrowed his eyes. “Your fall… was suspicious. Do you remember anything?”

Lin Xiao looked down, voice trembling. “I… remember the cold… then darkness…”

They watched him.

He added, “...And someone saying ‘oops.’”

Lin Yiran choked.

Yijun furrowed his brow. “If you remember more, report it. No one touches our family and walks free.”

Lin Xiao nodded solemnly. “I just want to stay alive, Big Brother.”

The words carried more sincerity than they realized.

As they left, the Crown Prince paused at the door.

“You’ve changed,” Yijun said quietly.

Lin Xiao blinked. “For better or worse?”

Yijun offered a small, unreadable smile. “We’ll see.”

Great, Lin Xiao thought as the door shut behind them. The Crown Prince is onto me.

But then again… Wasn’t it better to look weak, confused, and harmless?

He had no plans to enter politics. No desire to be a war hero. No interest in courtiers or brides or noble titles.

All he needed was a sunny courtyard, a soft couch, a full belly, and a System that delivered preserved duck eggs.

He would become the best salted fish prince this dynasty had ever seen.

........................................

Main Character:
Lin Xiao – 13-year-old 5th Prince of the Yuan Dynasty. Lazy. Shameless. Transmigrated from modern 2035. Now a salted fish prince who wants nothing to do with politics, throne, or responsibility.

Royal Family & Key Characters

Father (The Emperor):
Emperor Lin Zhen – Calm, wise, sometimes confused by Lin Xiao’s strange words. Secretly quite fond of his “weird” son.

Mother (The Empress):
Empress Yuan Shuyin – Regal and intelligent. Dotes on her sons but keeps discipline. Notices Lin Xiao’s personality change early.

Birth Mother (Noble Concubine Xiang):
Noble Concubine Xiang Yuru – Elegant and quiet. Deceased in Lin Xiao’s parallel world. Alive in the main world.

Siblings (All dote on Lin Xiao in their own weird ways):
Crown Prince Lin Yijun – 18, responsible, competent, but confused why his brother wants to laze around all day. Birth Mother : The Empress.

2nd Prince Lin Yichen – 17, scholarly, suspects Lin Xiao has divine enlightenment. Birth Mother : The Empress.

3rd Prince Lin Yixuan – 15, martial, adores sparring. Tries to make Lin Xiao exercise. Always fails. Birth Mother : The Empress.

4th Prince Lin Yiran – 14, artist. Tries painting Lin Xiao napping in different poses. Birth Mother : The Empress.

Elder Sister Lin Feiyan – 17, sharp-tongued, competitive, suspicious that Lin Xiao is pretending to be lazy to trick everyone. Birth Mother: Noble Concubine Xiang

Second Sister Lin Ruoqing – 15, sweet but nosy. Always trying to feed him "tonics" he doesn't want. Birth Mother: Noble Concubine Xiang.