Xu Dian transmigrated into a relaxing, healing farming game. From the start, he inherited the little farm left behind by his grandpa, chatted with the village NPCs, bought seeds, went fishing, fixed up the house, and completed easy everyday quests.
One day, the quest guide told him: You unlocked the mountain behind the village. Go to Liu the Blacksmith to have an iron sword made, then start exploring.
The mountain was the game's most important resource spot. You could enter caves to dig for reishi mushrooms and medicinal herbs, and if you were lucky, you might even find ore that would sell for a lot of money.
But the caves were full of all sorts of little monsters. It was a game, after all, so resource spots were bound to spawn enemies. And deep in the cave lived the ultimate demon.
Xu Dian entered the cave with his newly forged iron sword and came across a very cool-looking man.
Xu Dian eagerly asked, "Are you a player too?"
The man frowned. Although he'd been exiled by his clan and was cultivating in these remote mountains, he was still a member of the Wan clan.
He nodded. "Mm."
He was interested in the glowing squares beside the little person who'd barged into his cave.
"What kind of magical artifact is that?"
Xu Dian eagerly shared it with his fellow player. "It's the quest panel. Can you see my... Wait, did you glitch?"
The man thought he'd been in seclusion in the mountains too long and could no longer understand what these little people were saying.
All he wanted was to take the magical artifact from him.
But he didn't manage to snatch it. The little person kept coming to the cave every few days to "gather resources," often getting beaten up by the little monsters inside and passing out. The man ended up using quite a few of his own pills and medicinal herbs to treat him. In the end, unable to watch any longer, he even gave the little person an ancient spirit sword.
The little person successfully dug up a whole bag of gold and jewels. At the cave entrance, he happily hugged the man and said, "Fellow countryman, I love you so much."
The great demon thought about the little person's heartfelt confession for half an incense stick, then accepted!
Xu Dian received a pact proposal from his kind and generous fellow countryman.
Xu Dian: "Can two men form a romantic bond here? What's the benefit?"
Wan Ze: "Of course... Once we're bound by a pact, you'll have a wealthy and powerful husband like me. You can use my pills and magical artifacts whenever you want."
Xu Dian: "Great!"
That night, his fellow countryman made a big production of their pact. Xu Dian was pinned down beneath the red gauze curtains and kissed by the man. "Wait, this isn't right, is it?"
That night, he learned that the man wasn't a fellow countryman at all. He was the great demon who lived in the cave!
Later, while his husband... no, while that great demon was fighting his clan, Xu Dian quietly slipped away.
But after that battle, it was hard to find anywhere safe outside. Xu Dian was knocked unconscious by a blast of demonic power, and when he woke up, his fellow-countryman husband was right there in front of him.
He'd forgotten something, but his husband was so good to him it was almost too much. Every day, he braved danger to go out and find clean food to bring back for him.
Xu Dian slowly came to terms with having a man for a husband.
But one day, when he woke up and looked at the man beside him... he remembered something else.
Theme: Whether or not life gets better, you have to make yourself better.
