The light from the cocoon was so dazzling that Lin Chen had to shut his eyes.
Strangely, the chickens around him continued pecking and clucking as usual, as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening.
If anyone else had been there, they would have seen only Lin Chen standing motionless—completely unaware of the extraordinary scene unfolding around him.
Moments later, the glowing cocoon slowly faded, leaving Lin Chen standing with a triumphant smile.
The magical visual effect he had been waiting for all this time had finally appeared before him, filling his heart with joy.
"Looks like my gamble paid off this time!" he said gleefully.
Right after forming a contract with the chicken bowl, Lin Chen faintly sensed something strange.
Curious, he followed the sensation, as if his consciousness were gradually merging with the bowl itself.
Memories sealed within the bowl began to surge through him like crashing waves.
Scene after scene appeared—at first faint and hazy—showing his great-grandfather feeding chickens in the mortal world.
Then the images became clearer: his father and mother, smiling harmoniously as they fed their spirit chickens.
Next, he saw himself as a cheerful little boy, helping his parents feed the chickens with laughter and joy.
The experience felt so real that Lin Chen wondered for a moment—was he the bowl itself?
Without realizing it, tears streamed down his face.
The memories of his parents shown by the bowl made him—an orphan since birth—feel a warmth he had never known before.
The original owner of this body had lost his mother when he was only three years old, leaving him with barely any memory of her.
But this bowl... it had brought that warmth back to life within his heart.
Lin Chen looked at the chicken bowl with misty eyes.
"Even if this bowl turns out to be useless, it's still worth it."
He focused his gaze on the bowl, and a stream of information appeared before him.
[Item: Old Chicken Bowl]
Description: A cracked ceramic bowl decorated with a faded rooster. For many years, it was used to feed the chickens on a small family farm.
More than just a feeding vessel, it holds the emotional bonds of a loving household.
Over the years, it absorbed the scent and qi of the chickens, bringing them peace and calm whenever they ate from it.
Chickens that eat from this bowl will grow 1% faster.
Seeing the information, Lin Chen couldn't help but grin with excitement.
Even though the description was short, the meaning was clear.
"Hah? Just at level zero it can boost growth by one percent? Then what happens when it levels up?" he said, eyes gleaming with anticipation.
The melancholy from earlier was replaced by fiery enthusiasm.
Without wasting any time, he gathered the scattered chicken feed and placed it into the bowl.
Cluck, cluck!
The disturbed chickens squawked in protest, but Lin Chen paid them no mind.
Once finished, he set the bowl down in the middle of the flock.
The chickens eyed both Lin Chen and the bowl suspiciously, but after seeing nothing wrong, they quickly gathered around and began to eat.
Ding!
Chicken Bowl Experience +1!
Chicken Bowl Experience +1!
A string of notification messages appeared in Lin Chen's mind.
He smiled in satisfaction, watching as the bowl's experience rose.
Moments later—
[Level Up!]
The Chicken Bowl had reached Level 2.
[Item: Old Chicken Bowl]
Description: ...Chickens that eat from this bowl will grow 5% faster.
The details were mostly the same—only the level and effect had changed.
Lin Chen couldn't hold back a loud laugh.
"It looks like life's going to be a lot easier from now on!"
He waited for a while, eager to see the actual results of the level-up.
Whether it was real or just placebo, the flock of chickens did seem more energetic.
Satisfied, Lin Chen nodded and returned to the house.
He recalled how the Item Info skill he once dismissed as useless had turned out to have hidden potential.
With renewed hope, he began scanning the area around him.
But nothing happened.
No automatic pop-ups like before.
He frowned. Was his item panel glitching? Or did it only trigger under certain conditions?
Feeling tired, he decided to rest for a bit.
While resting, Lin Chen began recalling all the unique objects in his house—anything that might be suitable for a contract.
At first, he found nothing. Then suddenly, a thought struck him.
He jumped to his feet and hurried to the kitchen, moving aside a stone in the corner.
The soil beneath looked loose, as if it had been dug up before.
His heartbeat quickened.
Holding his breath, he dug down until his shovel struck something hard—a wooden chest.
"Finally... found it!" he murmured in relief.
The chest was heavy, almost as if it resisted being lifted. Lin Chen had to channel a bit of qi to pull it up.
His frail body made him cough, but he managed to bring it to the surface.
After tidying up the hole, he locked himself in his room and opened the chest.
Inside were several old books and trinkets.
No notification appeared.
He pulled everything out, but still—nothing.
"Did I make a mistake?" he muttered doubtfully.
Just as he was about to give up, his fingers knocked against the bottom of the chest—producing a hollow sound.
His eyes lit up.
Quickly, he checked and discovered a hidden compartment!
Inside lay a jade pendant shaped like a turtle.
Seeing its delicate, feminine design, Lin Chen sighed helplessly.
"Probably just a piece of jewelry," he thought.
But then—
Ding!
[Item: Jade Turtle Pendant]
Description: A pendant that emits a faint warmth and is beautiful to wear.
The description was brief, yet the sudden notification proved this item was anything but ordinary.
"So my hunch was right after all!" Lin Chen exclaimed joyfully.
He examined the pendant closely.
Nothing seemed special about it—except for one thing: in the chicken bowl's memories, his mother had worn a pendant identical to this one.
"Could this... be Mother's keepsake?" he whispered. "But why did Father never mention it?"
After thinking for a moment, he shook his head.
"Well, since it's come to this, I might as well form a contract with it!"
As soon as he spoke, the air around him grew dense.
Tiny motes of light gathered and enveloped him once more.
This time, Lin Chen remained calm, already familiar with the sensation.
His consciousness was drawn into another vision.
On a beach, a tiny turtle crawled toward the sea, eager to explore the vast ocean.
But just before it touched the waves, a violent storm struck.
Panicking, the little turtle spat out a bubble from its mouth—a fragile shield against the raging storm.
Time passed.
The turtle remained trapped within the bubble until one day, a fisherman caught it in his net and sold the strange stone at the market.
The stone changed hands repeatedly, until one day a handsome young man carved it into a pendant and gifted it to the woman he loved.
They lived happily and had a child—but the woman passed away not long after.
The following scenes showed the man—now old—clutching the pendant tightly, as if it were the only thing keeping him alive.
Watching all this, Lin Chen couldn't hold back his tears.
"Thank you... Father."
His trembling voice echoed oddly, as if two people had spoken in unison, though he was the only one in the room.
After a long silence, Lin Chen looked back down at the pendant.
[Item: Jade Turtle Pendant]
Description: A jade pendant containing a tiny turtle trapped within. Warm to the touch and beautiful, it symbolizes the bond between two souls deeply in love.
The pendant holds the eternal qi of a newborn turtle that has hibernated for thousands of years.
Whoever wears it will unconsciously match their breathing rhythm to the turtle's, subtly nourishing their body.
Seeing the updated description, Lin Chen smiled in delight.
His frail body seemed perfectly suited for this item.
He quickly placed the pendant around his neck.
Instantly, a wave of comfort washed over him.
He drew in a deep breath, feeling as if he could inhale all the air in the world.
Jade Turtle Pendant Experience +1!
Jade Turtle Pendant Experience +1!
Notifications floated before him—proof that the pendant was working.
Immersed in tranquility, Lin Chen relaxed completely until at last he realized his body felt noticeably lighter.
"Ahhh... that feels amazing," he sighed, stretching his limbs.
He opened the status window again.
[Jade Turtle Pendant: Level 1 → Level 2]
Description: ...The wearer's breathing now aligns more deeply with the turtle's rhythm, providing even greater restorative effects.
The single change from "slightly" to "greatly" was enough to make him grin.
But his joy didn't last long.
The familiar sound of frantic clucking echoed from outside.
"What's wrong with these chickens now? Why are they always making a fuss?"
Rushing out, Lin Chen froze—one of the chickens was sprawled on the ground, trembling violently.
Panicking, he crouched to check it. The bird was sick, though he couldn't tell why.
Upon closer inspection, he realized most of the chickens looked weak.
It turned out that the previous owner of this body hadn't taken proper care of them.
They should've been fine for a while—but the bowl's growth-boosting effect had forced their bodies beyond their limits.
Lin Chen's face turned pale. If the chickens died, he wouldn't just lose his income—he could be expelled from the marketplace entirely.
Desperate, he reached out and began breathing deeply.
"If this pendant can heal a human body... why not chickens too?" he thought recklessly.
He tried syncing his breathing rhythm with the pendant, hoping the chickens might respond.
To his surprise, one of the sick birds stopped convulsing for a moment.
Hope flickered in his eyes.
But then, the spasms returned.
Time passed. Lin Chen kept at it, sweat dripping down his face as he struggled to maintain his breathing pattern.
But despite his efforts, the chickens showed no real improvement.
Some even grew more agitated.
"Will this... not work?" he whispered helplessly.
He wanted so badly to save them—but this was the only way he could think of.