Ch 66: The Malevolent Monster Just Wants To Farm

After explaining everything to the Dragon King, Jiang Lin asked Huaiyin to watch over the shop and returned to the Shen Nong tribe. Although Emperor Yan had previously said not to contact him unless it was a major issue, Jiang Lin considered the situation in the East Sea a major issue.

Without hesitation, he sent a message to Emperor Yan, and within two minutes, he saw the void tear open and two figures step out from it.

“Father, Mother,” Jiang Lin sensed the familiar aura and approached them with a smile.

Shen Nong’s wife, Yuan Nu, appeared to be a delicate and gentle woman. She had very fair skin, her hair was meticulously styled with small, intricate braids, and she wore a light green long dress that was completely different from the styles worn by other women in the tribe.

Jiang Lin knew this: his mother loved beauty, and the dress was made by Emperor Yan using the essence of a hundred herbs, empowered by his divine abilities.

Of course, anyone who underestimated Yuan Nu due to her appearance would quickly learn their lesson from her iron fist.

“Jiang.” Yuan Nu immediately came over and warmly embraced Jiang Lin.

Jiang Lin: “…”

Alright, even the delicate and gentle-looking Yuan Nu was taller than the 1.8-meter “little cutie.”

Helpless, Jiang Lin wriggled out of her embrace, only to be pulled over by Emperor Yan, who weighed him up and frowned, “Why do you seem even lighter?”

There’s a kind of thinness that comes when your father thinks you’ve lost weight, and you can’t argue.

Jiang Lin remained silent, quickly changing the subject: “By the way, Father, Mother, the reason I contacted you this time is because something important happened.”

He recounted his trip to the East Sea and the encounter with Zi Qi, then said, “As expected, Zi Qi is indeed a spy from the Tu Su tribe. He went to the East Sea to try and forge an alliance between the Tu Su tribe and the East Sea.”

“An alliance?” Emperor Yan was indeed surprised, “The East Sea is far from the land, and the sea tribes don’t need to live on land. What use would an alliance be?”

“Who wouldn’t want more territory?” Jiang Lin said nonchalantly. “Even if some can see the bigger picture, there are always those whose minds aren’t as clear.”

“Moreover, profit tempts people,” Jiang Lin continued. “What if the Tu Su tribe offers enough benefits to get the East Sea to help them?”

It’s important to know that while most of the East Sea consists of ordinary sea tribes who, due to their nature, cannot stay on land for long, the truth is that a small number of those with powerful bloodlines, especially the top-tier dragon clan, are the strongest combat forces in the East Sea.

Hearing this, Emperor Yan laughed, “What good things could the Tu Su tribe possibly offer? And as for that arrogant fellow from the Tu Su clan, could he really come up with the idea of an alliance on his own?”

Although Emperor Yan wasn’t particularly harsh, having a strong opponent constantly eyeing you would make anyone’s temper wear thin.

Moreover, the Tu Su tribe worshiped the god of frost and destruction, and the god they worshiped determined the kind of life they would lead. Rather than focusing on how to live better, they kept an eye on the Shen Nong tribe, imagining that others were stealing their food and land. What kind of behavior is that?

It must be said that Emperor Yan had a good understanding of his opponents.

Based on Jiang’s memories and the details of this encounter with Zi Qi, Jiang Lin deduced that the real decision-makers in the Tu Su tribe had no intention of cooperating with the sea tribes. This idea was most likely Zi Qi’s own.

It had to be admitted that his idea was correct, and he was indeed clever. But as with both Jiang and Ao Yue, his methods were somewhat underhanded.

He dared not act openly and was thus unfit for anything grand.

“Indeed, he wanted an alliance but couldn’t offer the right incentives, so he couldn’t even meet the Dragon King.”

Jiang Lin then shifted the conversation: “But on my trip to the East Sea, I encountered an unexpected opportunity.”

“Hmm?”

Jiang Lin told them about how he had opened a shop in the East Sea region that was very popular among the sea tribes and even mentioned his encounter with the Dragon King.

“I discovered that the food we grow in the Shen Nong tribe is beneficial to the sea tribes when they eat it,” Jiang Lin explained. “And our food from the Shen Nong tribe is extremely valuable in the East Sea, fetching very high prices.”

“Similarly, the East Sea has many things that the Shen Nong tribe doesn’t have,” he continued. “They have an endless supply of pearls and gemstones, beautiful shark silk, delicious foods from the deep sea, more advanced weaving techniques than ours, and even their seawater can be dried to make salt! They also have a plant called yellow grass, whose sap can be used as a condiment!”

There were many more things Jiang Lin couldn’t list all at once. For example, the sea tribes have a natural talent for aesthetics and art. Not only are their weaving techniques advanced, but their architecture, clothing, and lifestyle also surpass those of the Shen Nong tribe in many ways.

Emperor Yan, being the wise leader he was, quickly grasped Jiang Lin’s point: “Are you suggesting that our Shen Nong tribe could cooperate with the East Sea region?”

Jiang Lin nodded, “Yes, we both have things that the other doesn’t. If we establish trade relations, it would be a mutually beneficial arrangement.”

Shen Nong studied his son thoughtfully. For so many years, he had always treated his youngest son as a delicate treasure that needed protection, never realizing that at some point, this son had grown to such an extent.

He felt deeply gratified. “Jiang, you have grown up. And you’re smarter than your siblings; even I hadn’t thought of these things.”

But Jiang Lin shook his head. He simply knew the storyline and had been exposed to modern knowledge from the future. Compared to the people of this time, he was standing on the shoulders of giants, which is why he had so many “innovative” ideas for this era.

“I just happened to be in the East Sea, happened to open a shop, and was lucky enough to catch the Dragon King’s attention,” Jiang Lin said modestly, smiling. “The most important thing is that our Shen Nong tribe has so many good things, and that’s all thanks to you, Father!”

“Exactly,” Emperor Yan beamed with pride at that last remark. “Our Shen Nong tribe has so many good things, unlike that Tu Su clan.”

“But,” he added, “this isn’t just my accomplishment; it’s the result of the hard work of countless citizens of the Shen Nong tribe.”

With Emperor Yan’s approval, Jiang Lin found it much easier to move forward with certain things.

Unbeknownst to him, Emperor Yan had already secretly communicated with the Dragon King. The day after their conversation, a “teleportation array” that directly connected to the Sea City appeared on the edge of the Shen Nong tribe’s territory, along with a garrison of elite warriors.

Jiang Lin quickly gathered the first group of volunteers willing to “explore” the East Sea region. With a large amount of goods in tow, the first wave of what would later become the famous “merchants” of the Shen Nong tribe settled in Sea City.

There’s strength in numbers.

Within just three days, the Shen Nong tribe had purchased an entire rundown street in Sea City, completed renovations, and unified the branding under the name “Shen Nong Specialties,” with each shop displaying a flag bearing a golden sheaf of rice.

Such a large-scale operation naturally drew a lot of attention.

Jiang Lin’s original shop had first attracted Ao Ning, then many sea tribe nobles, followed by a visit from Princess Ao Yue herself. There were even rumors that the Dragon King had appeared in the shop.

Now, the Shen Nong Specialties shop had become a trendsetter in Sea City and throughout the entire sea tribe. If you didn’t know about the Shen Nong Specialties shop or hadn’t bought anything from it, you were considered out of touch.

So, when an entire street of Shen Nong Specialties shops appeared in Sea City, how could it not cause a sensation?

On the first day the shops officially opened, the street in Sea City was flooded with people.

Moreover, it wasn’t long before people realized that all the newly opened shops were indeed run by people from the Shen Nong tribe, selling high-quality goods at even lower prices than those at Jiang Lin’s original shop.

So what was there to hesitate about? Buy!

The Shen Nong tribe became an instant sensation in Sea City and throughout the entire Eastern Sea Region.

The first group of people who followed Jiang Lin to Sea City found that they quite liked it there. The sea folk, who were mostly beautiful, had slender figures, spoke gently, and were generous in their dealings, making interactions with them quite pleasant. The only discomfort was…

“This young man, do you have a partner?”
“How old are you, young man? Are you free in the evening? Would you like to watch the tides with me?”
“Young lady, do you prefer pearls or gemstones?”
“…”

When selecting the initial group to go, Jiang Lin anticipated that business would be busy and that they’d also have to repair shops and move goods, so he specifically chose young people. The men and women of the Shen Nong tribe were all tall, with well-defined muscles and handsome features. Seeing this, the romantic and flirtatious sea folk couldn’t let such an opportunity pass.

They were quite direct, without much concern for subtlety, openly expressing their interest, which left many of the young men and women from the Shen Nong tribe feeling quite at a loss.

In the end, Jiang Lin had to add a new rule to all the shops: “Customers are not allowed to harass staff during working hours; violators will be banned from the shop.” This finally curbed the trend.

After all this was settled, about a month had passed.

Jiang Lin chose a beautiful, sunny day, perfect for a little “justice,” and, with a persistent follower in Zong Yu, went to find Zi Qi’s recovery shack.

It must be said that Ao Yue was quite a considerate partner. After the breakup fight, seeing Zi Qi half-dead, she kindly found an empty house for him to recuperate in, preventing him from dying outside.

Jiang Lin, of course, easily found out where the house was.

Zi Qi had barely managed to sit up. He had had a rather miserable month. After being beaten nearly to death by Ao Yue and left in the house, the dragoness didn’t consider that he might still need care. So, Zi Qi lay on a simple bed for a month, unable to move and with no one to bring him food.

Fortunately, the humans in this world were quite resilient. Their physical constitution, favored by the heavens, allowed them to survive a month without food or water, also sparing them the trouble of dealing with bodily functions. However, they became significantly weaker, and their wounds healed more slowly.

When Jiang Lin arrived, he was greeted by a pale and haggard-looking Zi Qi.

Zi Qi’s already pale face turned even paler when he saw Jiang Lin, as if he were about to die on the spot.

“You… Jiang? What are you doing here?” Zi Qi asked warily, looking at him.

Before he could finish, he saw Zong Yu standing beside Jiang Lin. He still remembered Zong Yu, who had been by Jiang Lin’s side at the time. Zi Qi suddenly realized, his eyes flaring up with anger, “You! You’re the shopkeeper! You were deceiving me!”

Jiang Lin chuckled, “So this is what they mean by a guilty conscience. Who was it that lied about being from a small tribe, tried to deceive my feelings, and then fled the Shen Nong tribe in disgrace? Do you need me to remind you?”

Zi Qi’s face turned green as he tried to stand but tore at his wound. Realizing his predicament, he softened his tone and said, “Jiang, you misunderstood me. I have my reasons. I truly care for you.”