When it comes down to it, I like to think of Ming Fan as a fish. Fish are a very common household pet, they are sold by the dozens in little plastic bags in fairs and people often think it's okay to do the bare minimum, or give it to a child as a beginner's pet not knowing just how much work goes into actually keeping the fish alive and thriving. Fish often end up in horrendous situations simply because. Well, they are fish. They are quiet and they are there, they don't yowl or growl or make noises like cats and dogs do. Fish are just fish, if a fish dies, you can get another fish.
So when maybe PIDW ming fan dies, and reincarnates a SA common pet fish in one of Qing Jing's many lakes and streams. It is disconcerting being a fish, but ming fan is ming fan, and makes it work anyway. Maybe he can cultivate to a human or half human form (add some mumbo jumbo about systems and how ming fan's core was still intact when he died so it followed him into this reincarnation) and now Qing Jing just has a pet mermaid. Since ming fan grew from a common pet fish (a fact that fascinated many people), he also brought a lot of attention. I like to think Shen Qingiqu avoided him at first before reluctantly building him a little quarter for mermen.
Ming Fan teaching the baby disciples how to defend against aquatic attacks since aquatic beasts and demons are notorious for being difficult to hunt and kill. Ming fan swimming through waterfalls to reach other peaks during the attack while his Shizun was in seclusion. Ming fan sneaking into the IAF to protect people to make sure as little cultivators die as possible. Hehehe.
Ming fan who failed to pull binghe back in time and disappeared from Qing Jing peak in order to try and find another way to protect his Shizun and his sect and somehow met a ugly snake and accidentally freeing a heavenly demon. Oops.
