Ch 59: The Malevolent Monster Just Wants To Farm

The thing that delighted Jiang Lin the most was that the agricultural god’s power also benefited his cultivation of the Nine Spirits Technique. It wasn’t a simple conversion, but with this body that possessed the bloodline of the agricultural god, Jiang Lin could clearly feel that his cultivation speed had increased several times, as if he were using a cheat-level spiritual gathering array.

Now, Jiang Lin had already broken through to the third level of the Nine Spirits Technique, and both Qingluo and Huaiyin’s cultivation levels had also soared rapidly.

Unfortunately, despite the abundance of plants in this world, Jiang Lin still hadn’t found a suitable candidate for a spiritual contract. However, he was open-minded about it—if he couldn’t find one, he would just take his time. After all, his cultivation was steadily advancing, and the spiritual plant contract would come with time; there was no need to force it.

After transforming the entire Shen Nong tribe, Jiang Lin turned his attention elsewhere.

He had been searching for Zi Qi all along, even asking his siblings to help look for him, but there had been no news. It was as if this person… never existed.

Jiang Lin wasn’t too surprised. For Zi Qi to boldly enter the Shen Nong tribe’s territory and seduce their little prince, he had most likely used some sort of appearance-altering magic, so it was normal not to find him. Moreover, there had been no reports of any unusual activity from those monitoring the Tu Su tribe.

However, Jiang Lin couldn’t shake the feeling that in the original storyline, Jiang’s death wasn’t an accident and wasn’t solely Zi Qi’s doing. The Tu Su tribe didn’t have the ability to control water, especially not in the Eastern Sea. How could it be that Jiang was swallowed by a giant wave just as he happened to be by the sea?

Moreover, although Jiang’s combat abilities were weak, that was only in comparison to the elite warriors of the tribe. After all, he was the son of the Yan Emperor. He had some self-defense capabilities, and an ordinary wave couldn’t have swallowed him without him being able to resist.

But the Tu Su tribe and the Eastern Sea had never had any open interactions; otherwise, the Yan Emperor would not have been completely unaware. The Eastern Sea had no enmity with the Shen Nong tribe, so it didn’t make sense for them to risk antagonizing the Yan Emperor by killing his son.

So, rather than believing that the Eastern Sea and the Tu Su tribe were colluding, Jiang Lin leaned more toward the idea that someone in the Eastern Sea was working with the Tu Su tribe. It hadn’t escalated to the level of a tribal conspiracy yet.

But in any case, the fact that these two powerful forces had come into contact wasn’t good news for the Shen Nong tribe.

Jiang Lin had no intention of sitting idly by and becoming passive. Moreover, after learning a bit about the Eastern Sea, Jiang Lin had a vague plan in mind. Whether this plan could come to fruition would require him to see it for himself.

With the Yan Emperor away, Jiang Lin casually mentioned to his siblings that he wanted to leave the Shen Nong tribe and explore other places. Unsurprisingly, this proposal was met with unanimous opposition from all four of them.

It was odd because the Shen Nong tribe didn’t have a tradition of coddling children. For example, Ji and Huan had roamed all over the continent and even been to the battlefield before they were of age. No one thought there was anything particularly wrong with that; they were even praised for their bravery.

But when it came to Jiang, the feeling was different. The four siblings were worried about this little brother, convinced that if Jiang left home, he would definitely not eat or sleep well and might even encounter malicious people like last time, who would take advantage of him.

Ah, they just couldn’t rest easy.

The key was that they didn’t think there was anything wrong with their concerns: their little brother looked like a fragile, delicate crystal person, and of course, they needed to be more careful with him than with their thick-skinned selves.

After hearing their concerns, Jiang, who was supposedly as delicate as crystal, sneered. In front of the four of them, he summoned Huaiyin and Qingluo and pointed at his third brother, “Come on, let’s have a match!”

Huaiyin and Qingluo had already made their appearances in front of everyone. In this era, it wasn’t unusual for fierce beasts and plants to develop intelligence. For example, the Yan Emperor and Jiang’s siblings all had their own spirit beasts and mounts.

To them, it was perfectly normal for Jiang Lin, who possessed the bloodline of the agricultural god, to have a few plant-based followers.

Although they knew their little brother had greatly advanced the tribe’s agriculture over the years, and his strength must have significantly improved, none of them had ever personally tested Jiang Lin’s abilities.

In Ji’s heart, Jiang Lin was still the same fragile little prince who needed his brother’s protection—until Qingluo’s vines shot up into the sky, firmly binding him before he could react. Then, Jiang Lin’s divine power transformed into a massive hand in the void, slapping Ji hard.

The other three siblings watched as Ji was sent flying dozens of meters away, crashing into a tree and breaking it, leaving a crater in the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust. Rather than showing any concern, they excitedly started chatting:

“Little brother has pretty good battle instincts, using vines to restrain Ji’s movements first.”

“Those vines are not bad, though a bit fragile, but they’re definitely annoying in a fight.”

“It seems like all of Jiang’s followers take after him—delicate-looking and not very good in a fight.”

“Jiang’s power has grown a lot! Ji actually got smacked away by our little brother. Let’s see if he dares brag about being the bravest in the tribe now,” Huan even started mocking.

Jiang Lin, overhearing their conversation: “…”

Although he knew these people were tough and could take a hit, and his strike was probably just a tickle to Ji, weren’t they being a bit too unconcerned? And mocking their brother for getting beaten up—what kind of siblings were they?

As he was thinking this, Ji energetically climbed out of the distant crater, dusted himself off, and looked at Jiang Lin with bright eyes full of fighting spirit: “Not bad, Jiang. Now I’m going to get serious!”

Huaiyin was eager to join in, but Jiang Lin stopped her.

He sighed, “I’d better handle this myself. If I don’t prove my strength, I’m afraid I won’t be able to leave the Shen Nong tribe’s territory.”

A faint green light appeared in his hand, forming into a silver-glowing long sword. He called out to Ji, “Third brother, you better be careful.”

As soon as he finished speaking, his figure suddenly disappeared.

People of this time preferred to fight with real weapons in close combat, maybe summoning a wind or rain spirit to interfere with the opponent. It was rare to see someone like Jiang Lin, who focused on a refined and strategic approach.

Ji was momentarily stunned but then felt a chill behind him. Without hesitation, he shifted left to avoid the stabbing sword. His hand flipped back to grab his attacker.

Jiang Lin silently praised him, revealing himself in the void and dodging Ji’s left hand. His third brother might not be familiar with this fighting style, but his combat instincts were indeed impressive.

Luo and the others had initially been watching with casual amusement, but gradually, their expressions became more serious.

Luo said solemnly, “Jiang’s fighting style is very novel, something I’ve never seen before.”

Second brother Yun nodded in agreement, “His movements are agile, and every strike is precise, targeting Ji’s blind spots.”

Number one Jiang fan Luo’s eyes shone with admiration as she praised Jiang Lin, “His movements are light and graceful, yet his attacks are strong. Our little brother is a genius! His strength might not be his forte, but he’s figured out a fighting style that suits him perfectly!”

Number two Jiang fan Yun, not to be outdone, added, “Yes, considering how little time he’s been training seriously, it’s amazing he can hold his own against Ji. His talent is incredible!”

Only Huan, who preferred a more straightforward, brute-force approach with her big hammer, looked a bit conflicted as she watched the fight. She couldn’t help it—her taste was for wild, unrestrained brawling. Though her little brother’s moves were light and elegant, she just couldn’t fully appreciate them.

Huan hesitated for a moment, struggling to find the right words, and ultimately resorted to belittling her third brother in order to praise her little brother: “You can’t even beat our little brother who’s only been training seriously for less than a hundred years, Ji—aren’t you ashamed?”

Ji, with his sharp hearing, could clearly hear everything: “…”

He suddenly stepped back and shouted, “I’m not fighting anymore!”

Jiang Lin paused. He had taken a hit to his left arm, and it was still tingling and sore. However, Ji also had a noticeable cut from Jiang Lin’s sword, though with his terrifyingly strong constitution, that injury would likely heal on its own by tomorrow.

Ji, frustrated, complained, “You’re too nimble. I can’t catch you, so it’s no fun to fight!”

After venting, he turned to the trio who had been watching and became even more annoyed: “You have the nerve to mock me? Why don’t you fight Jiang yourself? Let’s see how good you are!”

Jiang Lin, not wanting to spar with them, quickly interjected, “No more fighting! I sparred with Ji just to prove that I’m capable of traveling on my own. Now, can you all rest easy?”

The siblings exchanged glances. Despite their lingering concerns and the urge to prevent Jiang Lin from leaving, they were honest and couldn’t bring themselves to lie or deny the truth.

Finally, Luo, still displeased, said, “Your strength is definitely sufficient, but the world outside is really dangerous, Jiang. Are you sure you don’t want to reconsider?”

Jiang Lin sighed, “Elder sister, I’m over a thousand years old—I’m not a child anymore!”

Luo retorted with full confidence, “What else would you call someone who’s only a thousand years old?”

Jiang Lin: “…”

It was clear that although they wanted to stop him, they knew deep down that they couldn’t. Besides, they also understood that their little brother was the son of their father, the mighty Shen Nong. Shen Nong’s son couldn’t just hide under his father and siblings’ protection like a coward.

On a sunny day, Jiang Lin, after being hugged and ruffled by his siblings one last time, finally straightened his hair with a stern face and set off.

He was in a hurry and used a travel spell, reaching the East Sea in just a few days.

The East Sea was a vast, seemingly endless ocean, but its territory wasn’t limited to the sea alone. The dragons were dominant, and the land on the edge of the East Sea was universally acknowledged to be under their control, with no other powers daring to encroach.

The beings of the East Sea, with their long lifespans, found life monotonous, so they built cities near the sea and lived like the humans on land. They named these cities “Sea Cities.”

Occasionally, non-marine creatures would visit, intrigued by the novelty, and stay for a while. The sea dwellers were known for their romance and many formed relationships with outsiders, resulting in numerous half-human, half-marine hybrids.

These hybrids couldn’t live underwater but also couldn’t stray too far from the sea, so they made their homes in these cities. Over time, the cities became increasingly diverse in population.

The other powers didn’t dare to occupy these lands, and the sea dwellers were too indifferent to govern them, so the cities became the most chaotic yet free places on the ancient continent.

On this day, in one of the Sea Cities, an inconspicuous shop quietly opened its doors.