Ch 95: The Malevolent Monster Just Wants To Farm

After finishing the grilled mushrooms, Jiang Lin casually tidied up and began clearing the surrounding weeds. Zong Yu asked him, “What are you doing?”

Jiang Lin replied offhandedly, “Life in here is really boring. I saw some edible plants in the forest earlier. Once I finish clearing this area, I’ll transplant them here and grow them for fun.”

Zong Yu’s eyes lit up. “Are they as tasty as the mushrooms?”

Jiang Lin hesitated for a moment. “Probably?”

Zong Yu immediately offered, “I’ll help you!”

In the blink of an eye, a year passed in the human world.

As the youngest son of the Human Emperor reached his first birthday, the emperor had issued a decree months earlier, inviting various vassals to a grand celebration. The scale of this event made it clear to the court that the emperor intended to make this young prince, Zi Shou, the crown prince and future king of the Shang Dynasty.

Such an important birthday celebration couldn’t be taken lightly, and the vassals prepared valuable gifts to present at the capital, Zhaoge.

In a small courtyard in Chentang Pass, “Jiang Lin” smiled and said, “Let’s get ready and set out for Zhaoge.”

On the ninth day, Emperor Yi held a grand banquet for the court officials in the palace. As the wine flowed, he laughed heartily and declared, “Zi Shou is the son of the queen, of noble birth, and shall be the crown prince of Shang!”

The officials all raised their cups and loudly offered their congratulations.

Unexpectedly, the emperor suddenly added, “When the queen gave birth to Zi Shou, she dreamed of a demon wreaking havoc. Fortunately, a divine dragon descended from the heavens, tore the demon apart, and protected the queen and the prince.”

The officials began to discuss this. In these times, the presence of gods and demons was common, and no one thought this was merely a simple dream. Could it be that a divine dragon really did save the queen and the prince?

Emperor Yi’s younger brother, Bi Gan, stood up and said, “Your Majesty should set up an altar to thank the divine dragon for its assistance.”

Emperor Yi agreed, “Bi Gan speaks wisely.”

He suddenly stood up and said, “There’s no time like the present. Everyone, follow me to the altar.”

The officials were bewildered by this sudden development. However, seeing the emperor in high spirits, and knowing his mood was good, none of them wanted to dampen it. Only Bi Gan felt a sense of doubt. He was close to Emperor Yi and knew his brother well—such impulsive actions were not in his character. Emperor Yi was someone who always thought things through before acting.

The palace had a designated area for sacrifices, and the group soon arrived at the altar. Bi Gan glanced around and saw that all the offerings and incense were already prepared, which put his mind at ease. He thought to himself, “It seems the king didn’t make this decision on a whim. But what is his real intention behind this grand gesture?”

As he pondered, Emperor Yi was already standing at the altar. Holding incense in his hand and dressed in imperial robes, he loudly declared, “I, Zi Xian, the 29th king of Shang, offer this sacrifice to heaven and the ancestors. Today, a divine dragon has protected the queen and the prince. I am deeply grateful. From now on, the divine dragon shall be the guardian spirit of Shang, sharing our national fate, bringing prosperity for ten thousand generations!”

As soon as these words were spoken, thunder rumbled in the sky, signifying the heavens’ acknowledgment of Emperor Yi’s declaration. The officials were stunned, none of them having expected the king to make such a pronouncement.

At the same time, the winds and clouds surged, the seas roared, and the sound of a dragon’s cry echoed in response to the emperor. A golden light shot up from Zhaoge, piercing the skies and the abyss, landing on Jiang Lin, who was squatting on the ground, playing with mud.

“So soon?” Jiang Lin clapped his hands and stood up. He looked at Zong Yu, “Want to come out with me?”

Without hesitation, Zong Yu nodded. This place was cold and boring; if it weren’t for Jiang Lin being here, he wouldn’t want to stay.

Jiang Lin was bathed in the golden light, feeling completely invigorated as his previous injuries healed under its radiance. He was now filled with power.

He thought for a moment and said, “You’re lucky, kid.” With that, he transformed into his dragon form—a beautiful, graceful white dragon. Lowering his head, his silver eyes gazed at Zong Yu. “Climb on; you can’t get out of here on your own.”

Zong Yu stared at him in astonishment and blurted out, “You’re letting me ride you?”

Jiang Lin was speechless. He flicked his long tail, scooping the speechless little sea demon onto his back. With a long, resonant roar, he transformed into a streak of light and soared out of the abyss.

The light was strikingly conspicuous, especially in the dark, sunless void of the abyss. The elderly white-haired deity looked up and muttered, “A god leaving the abyss? How is that possible…”

He mumbled that it was impossible, but then suddenly burst into laughter. “Haotian! Haotian! You once said that the abyss was a place of no return, and now look… a god has left!”

In almost an instant, Jiang Lin descended from the first heaven and appeared above Zhaoge. Naturally, he let Zong Yu down as he entered the city. After all, it wouldn’t be appropriate for a divine dragon to carry someone on its back.

That day, all the citizens of Zhaoge witnessed the white dragon descending from the heavens, circling the city several times before finally landing on the royal palace.

“By the grace of the Emperor’s trust, I, Ao Bing, hereby declare to heaven and earth that I will offer my body as a sacrifice, transforming into the dragon vein to protect the fate of the Shang Dynasty. May our dynasty prosper for ten thousand generations!”

As soon as these words were spoken, the white dragon grew to a thousand feet long, and thousands of beams of golden light erupted from its body, outshining even the sun. The dragon’s form gradually became transparent within the golden light, and with a mighty roar, its body shattered into countless points of golden light, sinking into every inch of the land in Zhaoge.

The onlookers—both officials and citizens of the Shang Dynasty—were awestruck by the magnificent sight. Their hearts surged with emotion, and they shouted at the top of their lungs:

“May our dynasty prosper for ten thousand generations!”

“May our dynasty prosper for ten thousand generations!”

…

In the hidden heaven where the immortals resided, they sensed the sudden surge in Shang’s fate and were astonished. When they calculated further, they realized that the fate of the Shang Dynasty, which they had foreseen as inevitably declining, now seemed to have a glimmer of hope.

“The dragon clan…”

A melodious female voice sighed softly, “We underestimated them. They do have the courage to burn their bridges.”

“But changing the Mandate of Heaven isn’t that simple.”

To maintain secrecy, Jiang Lin had kept his deal with Emperor Yi private, only confiding in a few spirit plants with whom he had signed a soul contract. When he spoke those words, the dragon clans of the Four Seas were momentarily stunned. Upon closer investigation, they realized that they could no longer sense Jiang Lin’s presence.

The Dragon King of the East Sea immediately felt a sharp pain in his chest, and tears streamed down his old face. “My son…”

He had never hated himself so much for being too indecisive and unambitious in the past. Now, his young son had to sacrifice himself to secure a glimmer of hope for the dragon clan.

By sacrificing his body to become the dragon vein, Jiang Lin’s bond with the dragon clan had been severed. From this point on, his life and fate were inseparably tied to the Shang Dynasty. As long as Shang remained strong, so would he. But if Shang were to fall, he would perish along with it.

This was different from other divine dragons who were merely guardian beasts of their nations. The dragon clan couldn’t enjoy the benefits Jiang Lin now possessed, but they also didn’t bear the enormous responsibility he did, nor were they bound to Shang’s fate.

All the dragons lowered their heads in gratitude for Ao Bing’s sacrifice.

But the most stunned of all was Zong Yu. He had just found his good friend—the beautiful one who could cook delicious meals. And in the blink of an eye, he turned into golden light and disappeared?

He stood on the bustling streets of Zhaoge, surrounded by people eagerly discussing the recent event of the divine dragon’s sacrificial transformation. Zong Yu was both sad and angry, feeling a sense of unspoken grievance: “So much for being good friends—how could you do something this big without telling me first!” His fists itched, wanting to punch something to calm down.

But soon, he realized something wasn’t right. Although Jiang Lin had indeed vanished right before his eyes, the familiar aura that had guided him to Jiang Lin had not disappeared from his soul. A glimmer of light sparked in Zong Yu’s big eyes as he followed that familiar aura.

Where was Jiang Lin? He was in the palace of Zhaoge, looking at the one-year-old Emperor Xin. At this time, the child should still be called Prince Shou.

Jiang Lin’s body had already transformed into the dragon vein beneath the earth of Zhaoge, but his soul could still move freely—though only within the confines of Zhaoge.

“Looks like I got the short end of the stick,” Jiang Lin sighed, looking at Emperor Yi. “Back when I was in the Void Abyss, I could still send out my divine soul to wander around. Now I’m trapped here in Zhaoge.” With his icy, snow-like beauty and sorrowful expression, he looked at Emperor Yi with a face that could melt even the hardest of hearts.

However, Emperor Yi remained completely unmoved, coldly pointing out, “You were the one who sought me out and proposed the cooperation.”

“So,” Emperor Yi said as he lightly touched his son’s smooth little face, “it has nothing to do with me.”

In the palace of Zhaoge, there was no need to worry about being overheard. No matter how powerful the Heavenly Court’s spies were, they couldn’t eavesdrop on conversations within the palace, which was protected by the purple aura of the human emperor.

Emperor Yi remembered something important. “You mentioned that my son would be bewitched by demons and turn into a tyrant. What kind of demon is it, and how does it enchant him?” He needed to know as soon as possible so he could take precautions.

Jiang Lin replied, “It’s a beauty trap. In the stories I know, your son is lustful and loves beautiful women. The immortals sent a nine-tailed fox spirit to Zhaoge, who bewitched him into becoming a tyrant.”

After hearing this, Emperor Yi pondered for a moment and then said, “I should replace all the beauties in Shou’s palace.”

“No, no, that won’t work!” Before Jiang Lin could respond, he changed his mind, “I’ll select new beauties to take care of Shou instead.”

He made up his mind: “Yes, that’s the way to go. If he’s used to seeing the most beautiful women in the world from a young age, he won’t be easily swayed by beauty later on.”

Jiang Lin agreed, “That actually makes sense.”

But then Emperor Yi turned his gaze to Jiang Lin, giving him a sly smile. “Third Prince, there’s something else I need to ask of you.”

Jiang Lin was puzzled.

Emperor Yi handed the baby over to Jiang Lin.

Confused, Jiang Lin accepted the child out of politeness.

Emperor Yi smiled, “Of all the beauties I’ve seen in my life, none can compare to the Third Prince. My son Shou is in need of a tutor, so I’ll leave this task to you.”

Jiang Lin: “…”

He had already planned to keep an eye on Emperor Xin as he grew up, to make sure he didn’t go astray. But he certainly hadn’t intended to become his tutor!

Jiang Lin tried to decline, “The role of tutor is too important. Your Majesty should reconsider.”

Emperor Yi waved it off, “No need to worry, Third Prince. I have it all planned out.”

Jiang Lin soon discovered what Emperor Yi’s plan was.

Emperor Yi issued an edict, appointing six tutors for the newly-appointed crown prince, Shou. Each tutor was responsible for teaching different aspects, including literature, martial arts, military strategy, and music.

Jiang Lin was just one among them, filling a spot.

Jiang Lin: “…”

Well, at least now he didn’t have to worry about messing up Emperor Xin’s education. Clearly, Emperor Yi hadn’t dismissed what Jiang Lin had told him, despite his outward nonchalance.

However…

Jiang Lin looked at the carefree infant Emperor Xin in the swaddle and silently shed an imaginary tear of sympathy for him.