Ch 31: The Malevolent Monster Just Wants To Farm

The tree demon elder was momentarily taken aback by Jiang Lin’s straightforward acknowledgment. She likely didn’t understand the “my daughter is the best in the world” mentality of a doting father. However, this didn’t prevent her from reassessing Qingluo’s importance in Jiang Lin’s eyes.

Jiang Lin asked her, “Tree demon, why have you come to Black Mountain?”

The tree demon elder wasn’t surprised by his inquiry and presented the prepared explanation, “The fame of the Lord of Black Mountain is well-known, and we lesser demons admire you greatly. I wish to lead the demons of Lanruo Temple in following you, pledging our allegiance.”

Jiang Lin chuckled softly, set down the teacup in his hand, and nodded, “Fair enough.”

The tree demon elder was delighted, never expecting things to go so smoothly. She was just about to say some complimentary words when Jiang Lin spoke first, “Allegiance isn’t just a matter of words, is it? So, how will it be? A blood oath? A heart demon vow? Or a master-servant contract? Choose one.”

Huaiyin was startled, and then a surge of anger rose within her. Demons value their reputation, and the tree demon elder was not an obscure or insignificant demon. A demon of her strength being willing to lower her status and become a follower of another demon was something any powerful demon would consider a great honor because it meant their strength was acknowledged.

Once a demon pledged allegiance, it would be difficult for them to ever establish their own dominion and become a ruler of their own territory. Others would only refer to such a demon as a subordinate of another powerful demon.

Huaiyin was an ambitious woman. If not for the dire circumstances she faced, she would never have been willing to lower herself and compromise. But who would have thought Jiang Lin would say such a thing!

She displayed an offended expression and angrily said, “Lord of Black Mountain, if you look down on Lanruo Temple, just say so. There’s no need to insult me with your words.”

Those oaths, once made, would ensure she could never rise above Jiang Lin in this lifetime.

Jiang Lin calmly watched her change in expression and said quietly, “I’m not an unreasonable demon, nor do I enjoy conflict. If you’re unwilling, I won’t force you. You’re free to leave.”

Huaiyin was startled and was about to say something when Jiang Lin calmly added, “Green Boy, White Boy, show her out.” He gave her no opportunity to respond.

Green Boy and White Boy were the two small boys who had led her earlier.

Huaiyin hadn’t expected Jiang Lin to be so straightforward. Returning like this was clearly not an option for her, as her enemy could ambush her at any moment. In her current state, encountering them would leave no suspense about the outcome.

Her thoughts shifted, and she looked at the eight beautiful women behind her, softening her tone as she pointed at them, “Sir, these eight are maidservants from Lanruo Temple, skilled in all the arts. They admire you greatly and are willing to stay and serve you.”

Jiang Lin didn’t immediately refuse, but instead asked, “Oh?”

Huaiyin thought Jiang Lin was interested, so she quickly gave a signal. The eight beautiful women stepped forward, gracefully bowed to Jiang Lin, and began to introduce themselves.

Jiang Lin was indeed a bit interested, but not in the women themselves. He was purely curious to see which one of them was Nie Xiaoqian. He originally thought the female lead might have a distinctive aura that would make her stand out in the crowd.

Among the eight beauties, Jiang Lin observed that, aside from being attractive, none of them appeared to have any particularly unique qualities. However, after all eight women introduced themselves, Jiang Lin realized that the expected Nie Xiaoqian was not among them. Feeling a bit disappointed, he waved his hand dismissively, saying, “Alright, you can all leave.”

Huaiyin was puzzled. “Is there not a single one that you fancy, sir?” she asked, unwilling to accept his decision.

Jiang Lin sighed, looking at her with disappointment. “Can they farm? Build houses? Or perhaps design and plan structures?”

Huaiyin was dumbfounded. “??”

Jiang Lin, unable to hide his disdain, added, “What else can they do besides looking pretty?”

Huaiyin was utterly confused. Wasn’t being beautiful enough? As a female demon, she often felt a sense of pride and appreciation when she looked at the beautiful girls under her command. Was this Black Mountain demon lord only interested in farming? Was he even a man?

She was so furious that her injuries nearly flared up again. Without saying anything more, she swept out of the room in a huff.

After the tree demon elder and her party left, the system, which had been silent for a long time, suddenly reappeared and asked, puzzled, “Weren’t you planning to recruit them? Why did you send them away?”

Jiang Lin thought for a moment and then asked, “System, I notice that you’re often absent when I need you, but you remember everything I say? How is that?”

His tone was filled with suspicion, almost as if he were accusing the system of secretly spying on him.

The system quickly defended itself, “No, I spend most of my time in a dormant state. I just happened to wake up and overhear that particular comment of yours earlier.”

To further prove its innocence, the system added, “Rest assured, anything involving private matters, I automatically block out.”

Jiang Lin decided to tentatively believe it, mainly because he had no evidence to disprove it.

He answered the system’s earlier question, “If I had accepted her so easily, that tree demon would definitely have had her own plans. It’s better to send her back to face some harsh reality from her enemies, so she can truly realize that only I can save her. That way, she’ll be more willing to serve me.”

The system hesitated. “But what if she actually dies?”

Jiang Lin replied coldly, “If she dies, then so be it. It’s not like I killed her.”

The system was speechless.

“But I don’t think she will,” Jiang Lin continued. “After all, she’s an important antagonist in this world’s story. How could she die at the hands of some random, unnamed demon?”

The system couldn’t argue with that logic.

It would likely take a few days for the tree demon elder to return to Black Mountain. During this time, Jiang Lin decided to enter seclusion and use the Nine Spirits Technique to remodel the Black Mountain’s demon body.

Three days later, Jiang Lin opened his eyes from his meditation. All the demons and monsters near the Black Mountain noticed a sudden change: the mountain, once shrouded in eternal black mist, had transformed. The ominous aura had dissipated, replaced by the gentle energy of wood-based spiritual power that swept across the entire mountain.

The demons and ghosts were filled with suspicion, unsure whether a powerful new entity had arrived at Black Mountain or if the Black Mountain demon had gained some great new ability. They dared not act rashly, but the wild animals, untouched by such concerns, were drawn to the mountain’s newfound aura.

Previously, the heavy ominous aura and surrounding mist had kept these creatures at bay, but now, they felt the mountain was filled with something they instinctively liked. They began to move in, bringing their families along.

In just two days, Black Mountain became much livelier than before.

Jiang Lin estimated that enough time had passed and called out to Qingluo, “Qingluo, come, let’s go somewhere.”

“Where are we going?”

“To a place called Lanruo Temple.”

When Jiang Lin arrived at Lanruo Temple, he was met with an overwhelming aura of demonic energy. Inside the dilapidated temple courtyard, a tall locust tree stood with withered branches and leaves, its vitality almost entirely drained.