Ch 64: The Malevolent Monster Just Wants To Farm

Moreover, this man named “Lin” in front of him gave Zi Qi a very unsettling feeling. He started to suspect that Lin’s purpose in coming to Sea city and opening this shop might be the same as his own. But Zi Qi was reluctant to believe it: in the entire Tu Su tribe, he was the only one who had the foresight to think ahead and seek an alliance with the East Sea region to suppress the Shen Nong tribe.

Could the Shen Nong tribe really have someone as cunning?

Zi Qi’s self-confidence wasn’t unfounded. The people in this world often had shockingly simple and straightforward ways of thinking. When the Tu Su tribe and the Shen Nong tribe clashed over territory, they would simply gather their elite warriors, issue a challenge, and fight it out. Whoever was stronger and won the battle would be the new owner of that piece of land.

The concepts of conspiracy and strategy hadn’t even been invented yet.

Except for Jiang Lin, who was a bit of a cheat, Zi Qi really was one of the smarter individuals around—though his character left much to be desired, being somewhat treacherous.

Zi Qi realized he couldn’t afford to be careless. He whispered into Ao Yue’s ear, “Princess, how can you so easily trust a stranger from the human race? The Dragon King is of such high status; how can you show something of unknown origin to him so casually?”

Ao Yue noticed that her new companion had been acting strangely ever since they arrived at this shop. He had been so considerate, gentle, and obedient before, but now he kept saying things that annoyed her.

She grew irritated and retorted, “You also know what kind of status my father has. He’s so powerful, what is there to fear? If something goes wrong with this gift, my father will know, and he can just swat the person responsible dead with one slap, right?”

Jiang Lin, who was standing nearby, thought to himself, “Girl, could you be a little more considerate of the fact that the person you’re talking about is standing right here?”

He wasn’t offended, though; it only confirmed his suspicion that the dragons in this world were rather simple-minded.

Their approach to life was straightforward and blunt. While their words might be harsh at times, interacting with them was actually quite easy. Compared to someone like Zi Qi, Jiang Lin would much rather befriend the dragon clan.

Jiang Lin even let his thoughts wander a bit: the straightforward people of the Shen Nong tribe would probably get along quite well with the dragons.

Although Jiang Lin wasn’t upset, the same couldn’t be said for Zong Yu, who was clearly displeased by what he heard. He glared at Ao Yue and said, “What do you mean ‘if something goes wrong’? Jiang… Lin only sells quality goods. You’ve already checked everything and found no problems. If anything goes wrong afterward, it would definitely happen on your end, so don’t go around falsely accusing people!”

Ao Yue clicked her tongue but surprisingly didn’t get angry. She replied, “Alright, alright, I know you care about him. I won’t say any more.”

After purchasing the maximum amount of goods a customer could buy, and receiving a carefully prepared gift from Jiang Lin, Ao Yue left in high spirits, feeling very satisfied.

And Jiang Lin, watching her and Zi Qi’s departing figures, also felt quite content.

It wasn’t long—barely an hour—before the news that “the Dragon Princess also shops at the Shen Nong Specialty Store” spread throughout Sea city.

Although Sea city was home to a mixed population of various races, the majority were still sea creatures. In the minds of all the sea creatures, the dragon clan was their supreme rulers. What good things could they possibly lack?

If even the princess was buying things from the Shen Nong store, what did that mean?

It meant that the shop’s goods were truly excellent!

In no time, Jiang Lin’s shop became even more famous.

Ao Yue, being someone who kept her word, went to the Dragon Palace to seek an audience with her father the very day she returned.

But she couldn’t see him.

Ao Yue understood this: her father was very busy.

Busy visiting his treasure trove, busy sleeping, busy having romantic encounters.

In short, as his biological daughter, she had to wait nearly two months before the Dragon King finally agreed to see her. And this was considered quite fast.

Zi Qi also wanted to accompany Ao Yue to meet the Dragon King but was flatly refused.

He put on a hurt expression and asked, “Why, Ao Yue, why won’t you take me to meet your father? Are you ashamed of me? Do you look down on me?”

He had used this tactic countless times before, and when dealing with Jiang, it had been an unbeatable weapon. However, the same approach doesn’t yield the same results when applied to different people. Ao Yue and Jiang were completely different kinds of people. This method of retreating to advance simply didn’t work on someone who was as straightforward, carefree, and confident as Ao Yue.

Hearing her companion speak this way, Ao Yue felt a bit troubled. She frowned and hesitated before saying, “Of course not, I never looked down on you.”

Zi Qi’s heart stirred, and he pretended to be upset, saying, “If you don’t look down on me, then take me to see your father.”

But Ao Yue didn’t catch onto his ulterior motives. She responded honestly, “I’d love to take you, but do you realize who my father is? He’s the Dragon King. Even I have to request an audience with him in advance, and given your status…”

She glanced at Zi Qi and tried to be as tactful as possible, “You wouldn’t even get past the gate of the Dragon Palace. One should have some self-awareness.”

Zi Qi: “…”

He couldn’t see any tact in her words and felt deeply insulted. He gritted his teeth in anger but still didn’t want to give up this opportunity. Suppressing his rage, he spoke softly, “Please, just ask your father on my behalf. You’re his daughter; surely he would make an exception for you.”

Ao Yue immediately dismissed the idea, “Are you dreaming? Even I can’t get my father to make exceptions. If I pester him, he’d slap me halfway across the East Sea, and that would be incredibly embarrassing.”

She then looked at Zi Qi curiously and added, “There’s something off about you.”

Zi Qi was taken aback and looked at her in confusion.

Ao Yue continued, “I’ve had many beautiful companions, some who loved me for who I am and others for my status. I can usually tell the difference.”

She scrutinized Zi Qi closely, “Everything you say seems to be urging me to speak on your behalf, to help you meet my father. Your intentions aren’t pure. If you truly loved me, you wouldn’t ask me to break my father’s rules. Zi Qi, do you even love me?”

The words “do you even love me” were thrown back at him, word for word. Zi Qi was startled, not expecting that the usually simple-minded Ao Yue would have such a moment of clarity. He quickly forced a smile and said softly, “How could you think that? Of course, I love you.”

Ao Yue studied him for a long moment but ultimately couldn’t discern anything and eventually gave up. “It doesn’t matter,” she said. “Whether you love me for who I am or for my status, it’s all the same. After all, I’m just attracted to your looks and your body.”

Zi Qi: “…”

Ao Yue straightforwardly concluded, “In any case, as long as you’re with me, you’ll have wealth and beauty at your fingertips. But don’t expect anything more—I won’t break my father’s rules for some pretty face.”

Zi Qi’s expression twisted slightly. He watched as Ao Yue adjusted her ceremonial robes and followed the guards into the Dragon Palace. Only after her figure disappeared from view did he let his face fall.

It seemed the path through Ao Yue was a dead end.

This woman seemed foolish, but she was incredibly stubborn and straightforward, making her difficult to manipulate. He had been in the East Sea for quite some time now without achieving anything, and the tribe was growing impatient with him. He needed to think of another way.

Meanwhile, Ao Yue entered the Dragon Palace. A handsome young man lazily sat on the throne, saying, “It’s Ao Yue. You mentioned you had some good things from the Shen Nong tribe for me to see?”

Ao Yue, who admired her father greatly, looked at him with shining eyes and happily said, “Yes, Father.” She then began pulling out a large assortment of items from her storage bracelet. Fortunately, her storage artifact had a preservation function, so the fruits and crops she took out were as fresh as when she had put them in.

For the Dragon King, there were more staple foods than fruits intended as snacks. Jiang Lin even wrote a letter in the common language, explaining how to eat each item and its benefits.

Soon, a maid brought in a cleaned fruit platter, and Ao Yue began reading the letter aloud.

“The taste is decent,” the Dragon King commented after trying a few, but he didn’t show much reaction. Having lived for so long, he had seen plenty of good things, and this alone wasn’t enough to impress him.

However, when Ao Yue read the line, “Ordinary sea folk, who live in the sea for long periods, lack vitamin C…” the Dragon King didn’t understand what “vitamin C” was, but when he heard the following sentence, “Symptoms include physical weakness, easy bruising, and excessive bleeding,” his gaze sharpened.

“Interesting,” he thought. He knew that the letter wasn’t making things up. While high-bloodline sea tribes like the dragons had no such worries, the East Sea was vast and home to countless smaller tribes. Every sea creature was a subject of the Dragon King, and he was well aware of the issues that troubled the weaker sea tribes.

So, the crops from the Shen Nong tribe could alleviate symptoms caused by a deficiency of this so-called “vitamin”?

He asked, “Is this person the one you mentioned who opened a shop in Sea City from the Shen Nong tribe?”

Ao Yue nodded, “Yes.”

The Dragon King then said, “Bring him to see me.”

Ao Yue was about to nod when the Dragon King added, “Never mind, I have nothing to do now; I’ll go see for myself.”