Ch 75: The Malevolent Monster Just Wants To Farm

Jiang Lin asked her, “Is there something troubling you?”

Zhinü shook her head, hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

She said, “I had a… not-so-good dream.”

Jiang Lin quietly listened to her. “I’m all ears.”

However, the things in her dream were difficult for Zhinü to speak of to Jiang Lin.

She opened her mouth but finally said, “Never mind, it’s just a dream after all, not reality.”

It was as if she was trying to convince herself. She nodded again, more firmly, and repeated, “Just a dream, it’s all false.”

Jiang Lin said, “But immortals rarely dream, Zhinü. If this dream troubles you so much, have you considered that it might be trying to tell you something?”

Zhinü’s face turned a little pale.

She murmured, “You’re right. Maybe it’s fate giving me a sign, and I shouldn’t just sit idly by.”

But then Jiang Lin added, “But there’s no need to be too anxious either. As you said yourself, a dream is just a dream, and it’s not the same as reality.”

Zhinü looked at Jiang Lin, a bit confused.

“Immortal Lord,” she said softly, “you seem to have changed a lot. We’ve known each other for tens of thousands of years, but we’ve never had such a long conversation before.”

“Everyone changes,” Jiang Lin replied with a smile. “I’ve known you for thousands of years, but I’ve never seen you wear such a beautiful dress and look so lovely, have I?”

Zhinü instinctively touched her dress.

Then she heard Jiang Lin say, “Don’t overthink it. If you’re really worried about the dream affecting reality, why not try to change things yourself?”

Zhinü looked up at him.

Jiang Lin smiled and said, “Now I can answer your question.”

“We are friends. If you have any difficulties, you can come to me.”

Zhinü’s eyes welled up, and she whispered, “Thank you.”

After a pause, she added, “I’m sorry.”

Jiang Lin was surprised. “Why are you apologizing?”

Zhinü seemed to have let go of a heavy burden in her heart. She smiled and said, “I had trapped myself in a prison of my own making, worrying about things that hadn’t even happened yet, and nearly misunderstood innocent people. Now, I finally understand.”

Jiang Lin didn’t ask what she meant, only said, “It’s good that you’ve come to terms with it.”

Zhinü smiled lightly. “Then I’ll take my leave, Immortal Lord.”

Jiang Lin nodded, “Take care.”

Zhinü turned and left the Ninth Heaven, returning to her palace.

Jiang Lin resumed squatting by the Milky Way, thinking every day about how to nurture his newly cultivated, delicate little treasure.

Within a month, he overheard a piece of news from some celestial maidens who came to admire the peach blossoms:

The princess, Zhinü, who had long secluded herself in her palace, suddenly appeared outside the Heavenly Emperor’s palace, holding a piece of radiant cloud brocade. She declared that she was ashamed for not appreciating her father’s grace over the years and felt deeply unfilial.

“Zhinü has only meager divine power and cannot protect a domain for the Heavenly Emperor. All I can do is offer my humble skills and weave a piece of cloud brocade by hand as a token of my filial piety.”

The Heavenly Emperor was momentarily stunned when he heard the news.

Jiang Lin’s suspicions were correct—the lofty Heavenly Emperor had long since forgotten about this daughter of his.

It took him several seconds to even recall that he had a daughter named Zhinü.

When he heard the news, he couldn’t even remember what Zhinü looked like.

But as a parent, he was still pleased by his child’s filial gesture.

Although he found Zhinü’s behavior a bit sudden, the Heavenly Emperor was in a good mood and granted her an audience.

When they met, the Heavenly Emperor saw that Zhinü was exquisitely beautiful, with her hair and makeup perfectly done, and he was even more satisfied, rewarding her with a large number of treasures and even showing rare concern for her well-being.

Zhinü, deeply moved, replied, “Even though I weave the clouds at the edge of the sky every day and rarely have any free time, I don’t feel tired at all when I think about how I can add beauty to the Heavenly Court.”

Upon hearing this, the Heavenly Emperor frowned.

“Rarely have any free time? No wonder I haven’t seen you in hundreds of years.”

The Heavenly Emperor then instructed the celestial attendants to carefully select dozens of weaving maidens to assist Zhinü in her palace.

Zhinü, overwhelmed with gratitude, thanked him and then left after receiving many treasures as a reward from the Heavenly Emperor.

Watching her leave, the Heavenly Emperor felt rather pleased. “This daughter of mine is quite interesting.”

At that moment, Houtu arrived with reports from the various land gods. Noticing the smile on the Heavenly Emperor’s face, he asked, “What joyful event has occurred, Your Majesty?”

The Heavenly Emperor chuckled, “Just now, a beautiful daughter of mine gave me a precious piece of cloud brocade and hinted that her life has been too harsh.”

Houtu was surprised. “Oh? You have such a bold daughter, Your Majesty?”

The Heavenly Emperor thought for a moment, then shook his head. “I never really paid attention to what kind of person Zhinü was before. However, she never used to dare appear before me, so she probably wasn’t always this bold.”

Recalling the matter, his sharp divine eyes looked in the direction where Zhinü had left, with a gray mist of reincarnation appearing in his gaze.

“Immortal Lord Liu and… a little cowherd god from the west side of the Milky Way?” The Heavenly Emperor saw two lines of fate connected to Zhinü.

He immediately dismissed the little cowherd god. “Could it be that Immortal Lord Liu came up with this idea with her?”

Houtu asked, “Would you like me to summon Immortal Lord Liu to meet with you?”

The Heavenly Emperor withdrew his gaze and, losing interest, said, “Forget it. My daughter has become a bit bolder, asking me for a few helpers. It’s rather amusing. There’s no need to see him.”

Zhinü, maintaining a calm expression, exited the Heavenly Emperor’s palace. It wasn’t until she had walked a considerable distance and reached a secluded area that she placed her hand over her rapidly beating heart.

She was indeed afraid of the Heavenly Emperor.

Whether it was the fear of a daughter toward her father or the fear of a goddess toward the Heavenly Emperor.

Never before had she dared to imagine that she would one day take the initiative to request an audience with her father.

But she had been thinking about it for a long time.

That dream—whether it was false or true—was enough to make her realize how miserable her life had been.

She couldn’t go on living like that.

Immortal Lord Liu was right: Why should she work tirelessly day and night?

She wasn’t the only goddess in the Heavenly Court who could weave.

With the long, nearly endless lifespan of an immortal, what was the point of being trapped day after day in that small palace?

She was indeed very afraid of the Heavenly Emperor, and she had hesitated for a long time before going.

But she was even more afraid that what happened in the dream would become reality.

Comparing the two—

“Compared to the hopeless scenario in the dream, I have nothing left to fear,” Zhinü muttered to herself.

Zhinü then went to the Ninth Heaven to thank Jiang Lin.

This was the third time Jiang Lin had seen Zhinü since he crossed into this world.

The first time, she looked lost and dazed, her eyes weary, as if something was heavily weighing her down.

The second time, when she left, the confusion in her eyes had disappeared, as if a withered tree had suddenly burst back to life.

And now, Jiang Lin looked on in surprise at the radiant and glowing goddess before him.

“Congratulations, you seem to be doing very well lately,” he praised.

Zhinü smiled, dressed in a beautifully embroidered celestial robe, her jewelry jingling softly. She carried herself with grace, and her gaze was confident.

“I’m here to thank you, Immortal Lord,” Zhinü said, bowing to him. “You awakened me that day.”

Jiang Lin, however, stepped aside and shook his head. “I didn’t do anything. You should thank yourself.”

He then asked, “So, have the things that troubled you been resolved?”

Zhinü hesitated and shook her head. “It’s hard to say. I don’t know how things will unfold in the future, but I’m certain of one thing—”

Her eyes regained their resolute focus. “I now know what I truly want. If things continue as they did in the dream, I won’t passively accept my fate or succumb to despair and self-pity.”

“That’s good!” Jiang Lin was genuinely pleased with her transformation and, with a warmth reminiscent of his previous life, offered, “To celebrate, I’ll cook a meal for you!”

“A meal?” Zhinü was momentarily stunned.

Jiang Lin nodded naturally. “Yes, we have fresh fruits and vegetables grown in the fertile soil of the Ninth Heaven. Recently, Xiao Zong even brought back some rare birds from the Beast Garden, and they’re kept out back.”

Zhinü: ?

She followed Jiang Lin into the celestial palace, still somewhat dazed, and then—

Zhinü: …???

Due to Qingfeng and Qingyue’s adamant insistence on preserving the “reputation” of the celestial palace, Jiang Lin had to compromise by not planting vegetables in the front, where the peach blossom grove and dandelions were.

But when it came to farming, Jiang Lin was unwavering.

Using the celestial palace as a boundary, Jiang Lin personally set up a barrier behind it. With his current power, only a few of the most powerful deities in the Heavenly Court could see through it.

And it was evident that those deities wouldn’t bother to visit his desolate domain.

Now, Zhinü stood before a scene where rows of trellises were hung with various fruits. On either side were neatly cultivated vegetable beds, bursting with fresh, healthy produce.

In the distance, there was a large pond that had been manually dug out. Around the pond, a few graceful spiritual beasts were strolling.

Of course, in Jiang Lin’s eyes, their value as food far outweighed their value as ornamental creatures.

Jiang Lin pointed out the pond as a highlight. “I dug this by hand, using magic to draw in the water. Some of the aquatic life here came from the Heavenly Court’s kitchens, and I even went to the mortal realm myself to bring back a variety of species to raise.”

He then praised, “The Heavenly Court is really something. With its abundant spiritual energy, everything—whether it’s vegetables or fish—grows exceptionally well here.”

Zhinü: “…”

She looked at Jiang Lin with a complex expression. “Are you… really Immortal Lord Liu?”

A change in personality was something she could accept.

But this change was too extreme, wasn’t it?

Jiang Lin simply responded with a question, “And are you still Zhinü?”

Zhinü reflected on herself for a moment. She realized that, in the eyes of others, her own transformation might also seem drastic.

Perhaps I’m overthinking things, she mused.

Jiang Lin was genuinely happy to see that a once-tragic goddess was able to escape her fate.

With rare enthusiasm, he personally cooked a large and delicious meal to treat Zhinü.

In his mind, cooking for a friend was perfectly normal.

But there was someone who wasn’t too happy about it.