Ch 46: The Malevolent Monster Just Wants To Farm

Qin Ling knew very well that something was off about Jiang Lin. How could a newly formed ghost, dead for just over twenty days, possess such abilities? Not to mention, the demon named Qingluo and the other named Huaiyin by his side—Huaiyin’s aura alone made Qin Ling extremely uneasy.

Jiang Jin’s heart was fully occupied with her brother, so she didn’t notice anything else, but Qin Ling clearly heard Huaiyin call Jiang Lin “Master.” However, Qin Ling didn’t mind. Whether Jiang Lin was truly Jiang Lin or not, what did it matter to him? He was interested in the current Jiang Lin, and that was all that mattered.

The situation at the Chen residence had changed drastically. The master of the house had fallen gravely ill with an extremely rare cold syndrome, his complexion pale, and his body as cold as ice to the touch. Whenever he was lucid, he would speak in terror, claiming that a ghost was out to get him. Meanwhile, the bedridden mistress had recovered, but she looked deeply sorrowful and weary as she took charge of household affairs.

The others assumed the mistress was worried about her husband’s condition, but only Jiang Shi knew who she was truly mourning. Jiang Jin’s hatred for Chen Bo’an was so intense that simply letting him die would have been too merciful. She visited him every day, dragging him into an endless hellish illusion, forcing him to endure the pain she had suffered, magnified a thousand times over.

Such torment was unbearable for a mortal. In just two days, Chen Bo’an was reduced to a shadow of his former self. Jiang Shi knew very well what his fate would be. She sent letters to her married daughter and her son at the frontier, urging them to return home to see Chen Bo’an one last time.

At the same time, Jiang Shi discreetly sent a trusted servant to find Jiang Lin and Jiang Jin’s bodies. Jiang Lin could have buried himself, but he thought it might bring more comfort to the siblings if a blood relative like Jiang Shi did it.

Of course, the bodies were in terrible condition when they were found, and Jiang Shi cried again. She ordered a burial in a good Feng Shui location and had a proper ceremony conducted, erecting a tombstone for the two of them. Thanks to Jiang Lin’s concealment, no one noticed any of this.

When the eldest daughter, Chen Ying, returned home, she cried upon seeing her father’s state. But while attending to him, she noticed her mother’s strange expression—a mix of pity, resentment, and satisfaction. Chen Ying, being naturally observant, was horrified by the thought: Could it be that her mother was involved…?

That night, she quietly approached Jiang Shi. Seeing her caring daughter, Jiang Shi couldn’t hold it in any longer and tearfully recounted everything that had happened.

Chen Ying turned pale, nearly collapsing. Despite the evil deeds her father had committed, he was still her father. But Jiang Jin and Jiang Lin were even more innocent victims. Seeing her mother’s expression, she knew what her mother’s decision would be.

“I…” Chen Ying instinctively wanted to plead for her father’s life, but she couldn’t bring herself to speak the words. If her cousins were still alive, she might have been able to swallow her pride and beg for mercy. But now, what right did she have to ask the ghosts of the very people her father had wronged to spare him?

No one had the face to ask for their forgiveness.

She turned away, silently shedding tears.

The mother and daughter had no idea that as they spoke, Jiang Lin and Jiang Jin were right beside them. Thanks to the satisfaction of tormenting Chen Bo’an over the past two days, much of the resentment clouding Jiang Jin had dissipated, making her appearance look less eerie than before.

Jiang Lin patted his sister’s head and said, “You see, our cousin is also a good person who understands things.”

A-Jin looked up at him and softly said, “I understand, Brother.”

She knew what Jiang Lin meant by showing her all of this. He wanted her not to be blinded by her hatred. Chen Bo’an had wronged her, and she could seek her revenge on him as she wished. But at the same time, she shouldn’t ignore the fact that there were still people who loved her.

Her eyes felt a little sore. “Thank you, Brother.”

Now that much of her resentment had dissipated and her mind had cleared, she could fully grasp his intentions. Seeing that she understood, Jiang Lin felt a sense of relief. His mission was to continue living well, but because of Jiang Lin’s unique identity, his fate was tied to A-Jin’s. He had to ensure that A-Jin also got through this ordeal. Afterward, whether she chose to live freely as a ghost or to let go and reincarnate, it would be her choice.

Besides, even if the mission didn’t require it, if he could, with little effort, change the tragic fate of this poor girl, why wouldn’t he?

Chen Bo’an ultimately didn’t live to see his legitimate son return. He died. When the travel-worn Chen Huan arrived at the mourning hall, he saw his father’s body. The funeral was arranged by Jiang Shi, and as if to compensate for something, it was a very grand affair.

After the funeral, Jiang Shi told Chen Huan about Jiang Lin and A-Jin. She seemed to have aged significantly in those few short days. Looking at her stunned son, she calmly said, “I am a sinner. My husband caused the death of my nephew and niece, and I stood by and did nothing as I watched him walk towards his own death.”

Ignoring the objections of Chen Huan and Chen Ying, she went to a small Taoist temple outside the capital, intending to spend the rest of her life in quiet meditation.

When Chen Huan left the capital, he took a jug of wine to the graves of Jiang Lin and A-Jin. He poured each of them a cup, then knelt before their tombstones and knocked his head three times on the ground.

“The Chen family has wronged you,” he said hoarsely, his eyes red with tears. “But the grace of a father cannot be forgotten. After today, I will no longer have a cousin and cousin sister.”

He couldn’t see it, but A-Jin, holding an umbrella, was standing right beside him. The black mist in A-Jin’s eyes dissipated a little more as she watched Chen Huan’s desolate figure walk away. She softly said, “Goodbye, Cousin.”

The matter with the Chen family was resolved, but the story of Jiang siblings wasn’t over yet. Jiang Lin handed A-Jin a fist-sized round bead.

“What’s this?” A-Jin asked curiously.

“It’s Chen Bo’an’s soul,” Jiang Lin replied.

A-Jin was stunned and looked at him in confusion.

Jiang Lin explained, “I’ve trapped Chen Bo’an’s ghost inside, with restrictions. He can’t escape. If you ever feel uneasy or can’t control your resentment, just call his name and bring him out to vent your anger.”

A-Jin hadn’t expected this and looked at the bead with a mischievous grin before happily putting it away. “Thank you, Brother!”

Huaiyin, standing off to the side, thought sourly, The master always says he doesn’t have a heart, that he treats these girls with only ordinary affection. But clearly, he’s spoiling each one of them to no end, isn’t he?

He even went out of his way to create a soul-binding bead for her! Jiang Lin said, “A-Jin, you’ve already avenged half of your grievances. Leave the rest to me.”

A-Jin was taken aback and quickly said, “But I can still…”

Jiang Lin, with a hint of melancholy, replied, “But as a man, it’s rather embarrassing to always have my younger sister take the lead.”

A-Jin felt that something didn’t quite add up, but seeing the furrowed brow on Jiang Lin’s face, she instinctively nodded, “Alright then. But if you need anything, Brother, I can help too.”

Only then did Jiang Lin smile broadly, “That’s more like it.”

He suddenly looked at his sister, smiling gently, “Since you’ve finished your part of the revenge, it’s time to start practicing some proper cultivation techniques with me. Cultivate your mind and spirit, and rid yourself of this resentment as soon as possible.”

A-Jin suddenly had a bad feeling. “Brother… what do you mean by that?”

Huaiyin seemed to recall something and looked away, unable to watch. Qingluo covered her mouth, giggling.

Jiang Lin’s smile grew even softer, “It’s something I enjoy very much.”

A-Jin, still naive about the treachery of ghosts, foolishly nodded, “If Brother likes it, then A-Jin will naturally like it too.”

Jiang Lin chuckled happily, “I knew A-Jin was the best.”

Two days later…

Not far from the Dongyang Monastery on the outskirts of the capital, a new house of moderate size had been built.

A-Jin stood in stunned silence, staring at the tasks Jiang Lin had given her:

The first task was to recite the “Clear Heart Sutra” thirty times a day to keep her mind clear and free from demonic influences, which made sense.

The second was to practice the “Soul Condensation Record,” a cultivation method for ghostly beings that Jiang Lin had borrowed from Huaiyin. It was also suitable for her.

But then…

She stared blankly at the thick book in her hands, titled “Three Hundred Common Methods for Plant Cultivation,” and asked, confused, “Brother, what is this?”

Jiang Lin pulled out a large bag filled with various seeds and solemnly handed them to A-Jin. “These are the spiritual plants I carefully selected that can be grown to feed ghosts. From now on, whether or not your brother goes hungry depends on you.”

A-Jin nodded dumbly but was still confused. “But I… I don’t know how to farm.”

She had been pampered and sheltered her entire life, never even having seen a farm, let alone worked on one.

“Don’t worry,” Jiang Lin said without hesitation, pulling the still-laughing Huaiyin into the room. “Your sister Huaiyin will teach you.”

Huaiyin was speechless: “…”

“And if I’m home, you can always ask me,” Jiang Lin added.

A-Jin, holding the large bag of seeds that now felt surprisingly light, simply replied, “Alright, Brother.”

Jiang Lin watched her leave, smiling.

Huaiyin, with a complex expression, commented, “Master, your obsession with farming is truly beyond this demon’s comprehension.”

Jiang Lin quickly admitted, “If I didn’t have any tasks to complete, my ideal life would be like Black Mountain’s—having a large piece of land where I could grow whatever I wanted.”

“But having A-Jin farm isn’t entirely selfish,” Jiang Lin continued, watching his sister’s departing figure. In his eyes, A-Jin’s gentle, small frame was still shrouded in persistent dark mist.

“A-Jin has too much resentment. Finding something peaceful and calming for her to do will help her temper her mind,” Jiang Lin said. Then he looked back at Huaiyin, “After all, hasn’t the Tree Demon Elder experienced something similar?”

Huaiyin: “…”

It was true—after a century of tending to medicinal fields in Black Mountain, she had indeed mellowed considerably.

With A-Jin settled for now, Jiang Lin was ready to handle some serious business. While Chen Bo’an was dead, the real culprits behind the deaths of Jiang Lin and A-Jin were still at large.

Jiang Lin’s eyes narrowed as he smiled coldly. He had kept A-Jin out of this because the people behind it were beyond her current ability to deal with.

Jiang Lin eventually tracked down the man with the mole on his brow. When he found him, the man was in a brothel, drunkenly holding a beautiful woman in his arms. As he was about to enjoy himself, he suddenly felt a chill in his embrace.

The beauty in his arms lifted her head, revealing a face with no features—a bloody, empty visage with two dark, hollow eyes grinning back at him.