Ch 52: The Malevolent Monster Just Wants To Farm

Although he and Jiang Lin weren’t officially a couple, the two of them were undeniably bound by a Daoist companion contract, even if it happened by mistake. From his innate instincts as a demon, Zong Yu naturally disliked any man or woman hovering around Jiang Lin. Especially now that Huaiyin had informed him that Qin Ling had feelings for Jiang Lin.

Hmph!

After learning about this, Zong Yu started to see Qin Ling differently. Upon closer inspection, it became glaringly obvious. This human pretty boy kept trying to get close to Jiang Lin for no apparent reason. When he looked at Jiang Lin, his face might appear cheerful, but the look in his eyes… it was clear that his intentions weren’t pure!

So, while some people might seem like they just want to be friends with Jiang Lin, in reality, they’re hiding ulterior motives. Hypocrite, such a hypocrite.

As Jiang Lin’s friend, I absolutely cannot let him be deceived by such a hypocritical person, Zong Yu thought with righteous determination.

Jiang Lin noticed that Zong Yu had been acting quite strange lately. For instance, yesterday, Zong Yu suddenly sought out Qin Ling, saying he wanted to spar with him.

Jiang Lin: ??? You’re a several-thousand-year-old great demon, and you want to spar with a two-hundred-year-old human? Do you have any sense of pride?

The outcome, of course, was no surprise—Zong Yu happily beat Qin Ling up. Later, while Jiang Lin was cooking, Zong Yu sneaked into the kitchen, helping to pick vegetables while slyly badmouthing Qin Ling: “Humans are just too weak. I didn’t even use my full strength today, and that Qin Ling couldn’t last ten seconds against me.”

Jiang Lin gave him a strange look and made a fair comment: “For a human, his talent is considered exceptional.”

Young Master Zong was unconvinced: “So what? My talent is the best among all demons!”

Jiang Lin, curious, asked, “Didn’t you say you didn’t like him? Why are you suddenly comparing yourself to him?”

Zong Yu hesitated and quickly pinned the blame on Qingluo: “It’s just that Qingluo said earlier that Qin Ling is quite good-looking, didn’t she? She’s never complimented me like that, so I got upset—is that not allowed?”

After deflecting the blame, he didn’t forget to boast a little: “Besides, I’m much better-looking than he is!”

However, Jiang Lin didn’t even hear his last sentence. His mind, troubled by Zong Yu’s earlier remark, suddenly felt a surge of concern, like a worried father. He quickly lost interest in cooking, hurriedly finished what he was doing, and went to find Qingluo.

Zong Yu: ?

When Jiang Lin found Qingluo, she was picking fruit with Jiang Jin. Jiang Lin had planted spiritual seeds, and with the array he set up, the plants grew especially fast.

Seeing Jiang Lin, Qingluo happily called out, “Daddy, you’re here!” She lowered her head, carefully picking out the largest and best-looking fruit from the ones she had gathered, and offered it to Jiang Lin: “Daddy, eat this one—it’s really sweet.”

Such a considerate daughter—Jiang Lin felt completely content. But thinking back to what Zong Yu had said earlier, his feelings grew even more complicated. After greeting Jiang Jin, he seriously said to Qingluo, “Come with Daddy—I have something to ask you.”

Qingluo, a bit puzzled, nodded and waved goodbye to Jiang Jin. Jiang Jin stood there with her small basket, smiling as she watched Jiang Lin and Qingluo walk away. But then, a faint sadness appeared on her face.

Once they were in a quieter spot, Qingluo began to sense that something was off. She asked Jiang Lin, confused, “Daddy, what is it? Why are you being so mysterious?”

Jiang Lin turned around, looking at Qingluo with a serious expression: “What do you think of Qin Ling?”

Qingluo was completely bewildered.

But she still spoke the truth: “I think Brother Qin Ling is a really good person.”

His personality was straightforward and generous, and he was willing to play with her.

When Jiang Lin heard this, his expression became even more serious. This wasn’t good—affection is often the beginning of every love story, isn’t it? His daughter was still so young, yet her young heart was already stirred?

Jiang Lin wasn’t the type of parent who opposed early relationships or anything like that. Besides, although Qingluo looked like a young girl, she was actually much older and understood everything she needed to know. Jiang Lin’s worry was that Qin Ling could only stay in this world for a lifetime, but Qingluo couldn’t. She would have to leave with him eventually, and that would inevitably lead to heartbreak.

Seeing Jiang Lin’s shifting expressions, Qingluo grew confused and couldn’t help but ask, “Daddy, what exactly do you want to say?”

Jiang Lin snapped out of his thoughts and, looking at his innocent and adorable daughter, felt a bit guilty as he thought: I guess I’ll have to be the parent who breaks up this budding romance. It’s better to nip it in the bud! However, he couldn’t bring himself to badmouth someone, especially someone his daughter liked. Instead, he gently said, “It’s nothing, Daddy just got distracted. Go play with your Sister A-jin.”

Qingluo, still puzzled, left.

That evening, when it was time for dinner, Jiang Lin changed out of his simple scholar’s robes and put on a set of intricately designed formal attire. He took off his hairband and tied his hair up with a jade crown. His body was already handsome, with a refined and elegant demeanor, and coupled with the aura from his cultivation of the Nine Spirits Technique, he now exuded a translucent, gentle glow. He looked like the bright moon itself, making it impossible for anyone to look away.

Qingluo’s eyes sparkled with admiration: “Daddy, you look so beautiful!”

Jiang Lin glanced at his daughter and saw that her entire focus was on him; she hadn’t looked at any other man. He was immediately satisfied. The result seemed unexpectedly good. He had never thought his looks could be so useful. Since Qingluo complimented Qin Ling’s appearance, wouldn’t it be even better if he looked more handsome? The longer his daughter stayed with him, the higher her standards would become. Although it might seem a bit impolite, Jiang Lin thought that once his daughter’s standards were higher, she might lose interest in Qin Ling. This was the reasoning of the thousand-year-old single man, Jiang Lin.

Jiang Lin thought his plan was quite clever but overlooked the way Qin Ling was staring at him. Qin Ling had never seen Jiang Lin dressed like this. He had always thought that simple clothes and black hair suited Jiang Lin best, like a natural, effortless breeze or the bright moon.

But seeing Jiang Lin dressed so formally, Qin Ling realized he was wrong. Some people didn’t need any attire to enhance their beauty—Jiang Lin would draw attention no matter what he wore.

Zong Yu also came in at that moment. When he saw Jiang Lin about to take his seat, he froze. He stared blankly at Jiang Lin, and unnoticed by anyone else, the tips of his ears gradually turned red.

“Why are you dressed like that today?” he asked, coughing slightly.

Jiang Lin looked up at him, and with today’s outfit, he resembled a noble young master raised in luxury, losing some of his ethereal, celestial aura. His exquisite features were more grounded and realistic, like a figure in a painting.

Jiang Lin also paused for a moment and then smiled, “Why are you dressed like that?”

Zong Yu was always in his signature black robe, which seemed to be some sort of magical artifact—Jiang Lin hadn’t seen him wear anything else for years. But today, he had somehow gotten himself a blue and white Daoist robe, which was visibly worn out, with frayed edges that made him look rather shabby. Not only was he wearing this worn-out robe, but he also tied his long hair into a high ponytail with a hairband, making him look about seventy percent similar to Qin Ling.

When Jiang Lin asked, Zong Yu instinctively glanced at Qin Ling and said, “I saw Qin Ling dressing like this, and the Taoist heroes in the mortal world also like to dress this way. I thought it was interesting, so I got myself an outfit too.”

The appearance of the clothes didn’t matter much to him; the main point was to wear something similar to Qin Ling’s and outshine him. Zong Yu moved closer to Jiang Lin and spun around in front of him. “So, how do I look?”

Zong Yu was naturally good-looking—Jiang Lin had known that since Zong Yu appeared as a six or seven-year-old child. What was remarkable was that Zong Yu had grown up without losing his charm, becoming even more handsome. At fifteen or sixteen, he was at the prime age for a young man.

Even when Zong Yu was always wrapped in a black robe, Jiang Lin could see how refined and naturally noble he was. Suddenly changing into a different outfit, even a somewhat shabby one, did nothing to diminish his looks. In fact, the high ponytail and the snug outfit added to his youthful energy, highlighting his slender waist and long legs, making him appear more dashing and free-spirited.

He looked like the perfect lead for any martial arts or fantasy drama from Jiang Lin’s past life!

Jiang Lin sincerely praised him, “You look really handsome!”

Zong Yu was satisfied. He subtly glanced at Qin Ling with a proud expression, only to find Qin Ling staring blankly at Jiang Lin. The joy in Zong Yu’s heart immediately diminished by half. He snorted softly and sat down in the spot closest to Jiang Lin.

He whispered to Jiang Lin, “You still haven’t told me why you dressed like this today.”

It couldn’t be that you dressed up for that Taoist, right? Jiang Lin, who saw Zong Yu as half a younger brother and half a junior, didn’t hide anything from him. “Didn’t you say Qingluo mentioned that Qin Ling looked good? I asked her about it today, and she admitted it. She said she thinks Qin Ling is pretty nice; it seems like she might like him.”

Jiang Lin was worried. “I’m afraid Qingluo might develop feelings for Qin Ling, but they can’t be together forever.”

Zong Yu had been drinking tea while listening to Jiang Lin, but when he heard this, he sheepishly set the cup down and sneaked a glance at Qingluo. The innocent young girl was happily chatting with her new friend, Sister Jiang Jin, completely unaware of the dangers in the world.

Zong Yu coughed and tried to restore Qingluo’s reputation. “You might be mistaken. Qingluo is still just a child; what does she know about love between a man and a woman?”

But Jiang Lin, who understood the importance of adolescence, countered, “Qingluo is already hundreds of years old. In the mortal world, it’s not uncommon for boys and girls in their teens to start having romantic feelings.”

Zong Yu, realizing he might have unintentionally set Qingluo up, decided to make one last effort to fix things. “But Qingluo doesn’t seem like someone who’s ‘awakened’ to those feelings. When she says she likes someone, it’s probably just in the general sense. If you ask her if she likes me or Huaiyin, she’ll probably say she likes us too.”

Jiang Lin paused. “Really? Did I misunderstand?”

Zong Yu nodded seriously. “Most likely.”

Jiang Lin thought for a moment. “Then I’ll ask her again later.”

Zong Yu finally breathed a sigh of relief.

No one else noticed anything amiss, except for Huaiyin. She looked at Qin Ling, who was staring at Jiang Lin, then at Jiang Lin, who was calmly eating, and finally at Zong Yu, who unconsciously hovered around Jiang Lin.

Her expression suddenly turned strange. She felt like she might have overlooked something important. As she reconsidered, and looked at Zong Yu’s inexplicable dislike for Qin Ling and his outfit today…

Clink! The sound of something falling caught everyone’s attention.

Everyone looked over.

Huaiyin picked up the spoon that had fallen into her bowl and calmly said, “Slipped, it slipped.”

No one knew that a storm was brewing in her heart: Little Lord Zong, who would’ve thought…