Ch 100: The Malevolent Monster Just Wants To Farm

“Nezha?” Jiang Lin sized up the young man in front of him. With his sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, he was full of heroic spirit, quite different from the impulsive and quick-tempered child in his memory. Yet, there was still something familiar in his features.

“Nezha,” Jiang Lin finally recalled. “Didn’t your family go to guard the borders?”

Years ago, Li Jing had concealed the fact that Chentang Pass hadn’t seen rain for three years, which had enraged the Emperor. As a result, Li Jing was stripped of his position and sent to the borders. Several decades had passed since then.

Nezha looked far younger than his actual age, but he wasn’t an ordinary person. Having studied under an immortal master and learned immortal arts, he had a long lifespan, and his appearance remained at its prime.

Nezha replied, “A few years ago, we were pardoned, and my family’s crimes were absolved.” He paused and continued, “My parents have since passed away, and my brothers have their own families now. I’ve been traveling, and I remembered that I still owe you time from our century-long agreement.”

Having heard that the Third Prince had transformed into a dragon vein, Nezha wasn’t sure if he could find Jiang Lin, but he still wanted to try his luck in Zhaoge.

Looking at the tall and heroic young man before him, Jiang Lin felt that he had unintentionally done something good. At the very least, this person didn’t have to remain trapped in a child’s body forever due to others’ wrongdoings.

Jiang Lin smiled, “That agreement no longer matters. I don’t need protection now.” He looked Nezha over and added, “You seem to be doing well.”

Many years ago, when he first met Nezha, Jiang Lin noticed that Nezha’s temper was excessively volatile, and there was an unusual hostility in his eyes. Although Li Jing had some restless thoughts, he was strict in his household, and Madam Li was a dignified and straightforward woman of outstanding virtue. So why did Nezha have such a personality?

He had been concerned and, when heading to the Heavenly Court, gave Nezha a jade bottle, instructing him to take a drop each day during his cultivation and place it on his forehead. The bottle contained spiritual spring water from the Jade Space, and Jiang Lin had even added two strands of Yin He’s hair into it. Yin He, born from the Nine Heavens Milky Way, was an innate spiritual treasure with the power to cleanse the mind and purify the spirit.

Now, looking at Nezha again, that former hostility had completely vanished.

Hearing Jiang Lin’s words, Nezha’s expression darkened for a moment, but only for a moment. He then raised his eyebrows and laughed heartily, “Sir, the debt I owe you is one I can never fully repay. I have no attachments and only my skills to offer. Let me serve as your attendant.”

Jiang Lin shook his head, “I don’t need you to repay me. You were at fault back then, but you were also manipulated, and I wasn’t entirely blameless. It’s all in the past now; let it go.”

But Nezha insisted, “If you say that, then I’ll never be able to repay my debt to you.”

He thought for a moment and added, “Now that you can’t leave Zhaoge, if you ever need someone to handle things for you, you can count on me.”

Seeing Nezha’s determination, Jiang Lin couldn’t refuse any further and said, “Do as you wish.”

Just then, Zi Shou, who had been quietly following Jiang Lin, suddenly spoke up, “Are you the Nezha from Chentang Pass?”

Raised as the crown prince, Zi Shou had developed a regal demeanor even at a young age. When he stared at someone, it made ordinary people feel too intimidated to meet his gaze.

But Nezha was no ordinary person.

He nodded, “Yes, I am Nezha.” Then he asked, “And you must be Prince Shou?”

At his young age and with such a commanding presence, it was easy to guess his identity. Zi Shou didn’t answer Nezha’s question but instead gripped the short sword hanging at his waist and said firmly, “You’re the one who, without distinguishing right from wrong, ripped off my teacher’s dragon scales and nearly took his life—Nezha!”

With Jiang Lin’s transformation into the dragon vein of Zhaoge witnessed by all, his past deeds had been unearthed and widely recounted. The incident between him and Nezha, which had caused a great stir at the time, was no exception. The whole world now knew that decades ago, the Third Prince had almost been flayed and dismembered by Nezha, the son of Li Jing from Chentang Pass.

Even though this grudge had been settled long ago, the common people were naturally biased. Their logic was simple: since the Third Prince was now their guardian deity, Nezha couldn’t possibly be a good person.

Zi Shou had been close to Jiang Lin from a young age and was very familiar with his story. Upon hearing the name “Nezha,” he instinctively disliked it.

Nezha noticed the hostility but didn’t try to defend himself. He simply nodded and admitted, “Yes, that was me.”

If they hadn’t been in a busy marketplace, Zi Shou would have drawn his sword then and there. He coldly declared, “When we return, I’m going to fight you!”

Jiang Lin hadn’t expected this reaction from Zi Shou. Looking at the little boy who barely reached his chest, he said, “Zi Shou, this matter was settled long ago. I don’t need you to stand up for me.”

Zi Shou responded seriously, “You’re my teacher. If someone bullies my teacher, as your student, I absolutely cannot pretend nothing happened.” He argued, “Bullying my teacher is the same as bullying me. Even if you’ve forgiven him, I haven’t!”

Nezha found the crown prince quite interesting and bent down to say, “Good, you’ve got spirit. But, Your Highness, you can’t beat me right now.”

Zi Shou glanced at the height difference between them and remained silent.

Jiang Lin thought Zi Shou had finally realized his impulsiveness. Seeing that Zi Shou didn’t speak, Jiang Lin chuckled inwardly and changed the subject, letting the matter drop. He assumed that was the end of it.

However, a few days later, Nezha returned home, grimacing in pain. He tried to keep it a secret, but the large bruise around his left eye was impossible to ignore.

Jiang Lin looked at him in surprise, “Who did you get into a fight with? Is there really someone in Zhaoge who could hurt you like this?”

He was more curious about how someone capable of going toe-to-toe with Nezha, or even besting him, could still resort to such physical methods—especially by intentionally hitting his face.

Nezha, with an expression that said it was complicated, replied, “It was Prince Shou. He brought a whole group of people to ambush me.”

Jiang Lin: “…”

Nezha glanced at Zong Yu, who was sitting quietly in a chair with an innocent look that said, “This has nothing to do with me.”

Most of the people Zi Shou had brought were a disorganized rabble and couldn’t pose a real threat to Nezha—except for Zong Yu. Feeling guilty about the past and knowing the two were standing up for Jiang Lin, Nezha held back and didn’t fight back much. With one side looking to teach a lesson and the other feeling guilty and not retaliating, what did you expect the result to be?

Jiang Lin followed Nezha’s gaze.

Zong Yu, looking innocent, said, “I happened to be passing by and thought Nezha was bullying Zi Shou, so I just lent a hand. It was all a misunderstanding.”

Nezha: “…”

Jiang Lin: “…”

The next day, when Jiang Lin went to the palace, he asked about the incident. Zi Shou responded very matter-of-factly, “I’m a prince, and I’ll be a king in the future. I have plenty of people willing to fight for me. You taught me that I should know how to use my advantages to achieve victory, didn’t you?”

Jiang Lin: “What I taught you isn’t wrong, but that doesn’t mean hitting people is right.”

Zong Yu and Zi Shou were punished by being sent to clear one hundred acres of land without any help and without Zong Yu being allowed to use magic to take shortcuts. The two kids went off with sullen faces, while Nezha, not holding any grudges, even ran over to help them. Men’s friendships are strange like that.

In less than a month, Zi Shou’s attitude toward Nezha had changed.

Ten years passed in the blink of an eye.

Zi Shou had grown into a confident and ambitious crown prince. He was handsome, tall, powerful, and capable of taking on a hundred men by himself.

Meanwhile, in Xiqi, which Jiang Lin had always kept an eye on, the Marquis of the West had married and had his first son, Bo Yikao, while the now-famous Jifa had just turned two. Surprisingly, Xiqi had been very well-behaved these past few years. The Marquis of the West handled affairs meticulously and was very loyal to Zhaoge, showing no signs of opposing the capital.

Emperor Yi was getting old, and his health was failing. Over the past two years, he had gradually handed over state affairs to Zi Shou, assigning ministers like Bi Gan and Wen Zhong to assist him, clearly planning for the future.

As for Jiang Lin, Emperor Yi had once specially summoned him.

“I can’t help but feel some worry,” said Emperor Yi, now old, his face lined with wrinkles and his once tall frame slightly stooped. But his eyes remained sharp and clear as he looked at Jiang Lin. “Dragon Lord, the bond between Zi Shou and you is extraordinary. When I’m gone, I entrust him to your care.”

Jiang Lin sighed. “Rest assured. Zi Shou was taught by you personally. You’ve seen his character and abilities with your own eyes; there’s no need to worry.”

Emperor Yi coughed twice and then smiled. “Yes, Zi Shou is so outstanding. Why should I still be concerned with those vague and illusory fates?”

A little over a month later, Emperor Yi passed away.

Zi Shou ascended the throne as Emperor Xin.

As per tradition, the new king was required to offer sacrifices to heaven and earth. The location of the sacrificial altar happened to be near a temple dedicated to the Goddess Nuwa. Given Nuwa’s great contributions to humanity, Emperor Xin decided to lead his ministers in paying their respects.

Upon entering Nuwa’s temple, they saw a life-sized statue of the god in the main hall. The statue was exquisitely carved, with the Goddess’s likeness vividly portrayed. Emperor Xin glanced at it briefly before shifting his gaze and lighting incense at the altar.

Just as he was about to leave, a sudden breeze swept through the hall. Emperor Xin felt a momentary dizziness. Fortunately, this disorienting feeling lasted only for a brief moment, as a warm power dispelled it.

However, when he regained his senses, he was shocked to find himself standing before the statue, his hand raised as if to touch the statue’s face—a rather disrespectful posture. The ministers below were all staring at him in astonishment.

Emperor Xin quickly composed himself, adjusting his position to use his sleeve to dust off the statue while calmly saying, “Who is in charge of maintaining this temple? Look, there’s already dust on it.”