The Eternal Farmer: I Trade My Harvest for Immortality

Chapter 518: The Beginning of Chaos!

Little Linglong’s eyes darted back and forth, her small face wrinkling with suspicion. “Oh?”

Seeing her act so sly, Jiang Chen let out a warm laugh. “Daddy has never lied to you, why the sudden lack of faith?”

Little Linglong turned her head to look at the puppet, Koji Maid, standing beside her. “Auntie Koji, is it true?”

Caught between her grand master and her little master, the puppet Koji Maid chose the path of silence.

Feigning muteness, she simply turned and went back to her chores.

However, the puppet’s evasion only deepened the suspicion pooling in little Linglong’s eyes.

Seeing that she still refused to believe him, Jiang Chen rubbed his chin. “My good daughter, didn’t I promise to take you to see your mother?”

At those words, little Linglong froze; a second later, her thin frame began to tremble. “Am… am I going to see mother?”

She had only ever pieced together a vague silhouette from the fragmented tales her father shared.

She had waited, day after day, year after year.

At first, she could wander Azure Rock Peak to distract herself, but it could never truly quell the endless, gnawing tide of longing.

Jiang Chen beckoned her over. “The time is ripe. As karma would have it, both your mother and I have a rare moment of peace. The three of us shall finally meet as a family.”

Whatever complaints she had about his questionable wine were instantly cast into the wind.

Having departed the dueling platform, Ruo Qunshuang made a deliberate detour to the Flower Sea market, purchasing an armful of radiantly colored spiritual blooms. Before she even crossed the threshold, she habitually called out, “Brother Qing, I have returned!”

However, as the wooden door creaked open, it was not Jiang Chen who emerged to greet her, but a tiny, delicate silhouette.

She possessed a humanoid form, yet her skin tone, eyes, and the crown of her head bore the distinct marks of something else.

She staggered.

She stumbled.

She swayed unsteadily on her feet.

Unable to mask the surging joy on her face, she cried out in a crisp, clear voice, “Mother~”

Ruo Qunshuang stood rooted to the spot in shock, before realization crashed over her.

Could this be the mermaid daughter Brother Qing had mentioned?

Her name was Xu Linglong!

Truthfully, she had envisioned a thousand different ways this meeting might unfold.

She had meticulously planned the hour, the setting, the atmosphere.

Yet fate had decreed it would happen like this-so sudden, catching her completely off guard.

Little Linglong rushed through the corridor, her bare feet pattering against the blue-stone bricks as the distance between them rapidly shrank.

Seeing such a heart-achingly adorable child, Ruo Qunshuang felt her inner defenses melt entirely. Her eyes pooled with maternal warmth as she dropped into a crouch, spreading her arms wide-flowers and all-to welcome the little girl.

Thud.

Little Linglong crashed into her embrace, her two tiny hands gripping the woman’s robes with a white-knuckled intensity, terrified that if she let go, the illusion would shatter. Teardrops spilled like broken pearls as she choked out, “Mother, I finally get to see you!”

Ruo Qunshuang wrapped her arms tightly around the trembling child, examining her features up close while whispering softly, “Me too, little one.”

The two simply gazed into each other’s eyes.

Then, they nuzzled their cheeks together, wrapped in an aura of profound, unbreakable affection.

Jiang Chen stepped out from the inner rooms. Taking in the heartwarming scene, he exhaled a long breath. The stone hanging in my heart can finally drop.

The reason he hadn’t rushed this fateful meeting between little Linglong and Ruo Qunshuang was purely to afford the latter a buffer-time to acclimate her Dao Heart to the idea.

Simply put, building their foundation as a couple was paramount.

If the child had appeared the moment their romantic karmic ties formed, she would have felt like an intruder.

It would be no different than finding a Dao Companion only to immediately thrust the mantle of motherhood upon her.

The crux of the matter being: the child wasn’t even of her own flesh and blood.

Whether mortal or immortal, man or woman, such an abrupt shift would breed a deep-seated awkwardness in anyone’s heart.

Ruo Qunshuang lifted the vibrant spiritual blooms, a bright smile on her face. “Does Linglong like these?”

Little Linglong nodded with fierce conviction. “As long as it’s from mother, I love it all!”

Ruo Qunshuang scooped up both the child and the flowers into her arms, strolling gracefully across the courtyard.

Within a few paces, the mother and daughter stood before Jiang Chen.

Soon, even Da Huang and Wang Zai trotted over to bask in the lively atmosphere.

Gege, as always, maintained a measured distance-neither overly affectionate nor entirely aloof.

Meeting their gaze, Jiang Chen’s eyes flickered with complex emotions as he opened his mouth. “Sister Shuang…”

Ruo Qunshuang’s gaze swept back and forth between the two of them. After a prolonged, scrutinizing comparison, she couldn’t help but ask, “Brother Qing, was that mermaid princess of yours… orthodox?”

It was her first time hearing of a mermaid possessing both demonic horns and a tail.

Furthermore, the child’s body temperature was unnervingly low, and every breath she exhaled carried a biting, frosty chill.

Jiang Chen’s thick-skinned face flushed a rare shade of crimson. “Ahem.”

Little Linglong grinned, a picture of pure, unadulterated bliss. “Daddy finally didn’t lie to me.”

Ruo Qunshuang arched a delicate brow in surprise. “What? Does he lie to you often?”

Just as little Linglong opened her mouth to answer, Jiang Chen interjected with desperate haste. “My good daughter, you can drink milk recklessly, but you must not speak recklessly.”

What do you mean, ‘lie’?

Those were beautiful illusions woven with profound intent.

I have truly ground my own heart into dust trying to hold this family together.

His flustered defense elicited a synchronous, ringing laugh from both Ruo Qunshuang and little Linglong.

Jiang Chen waved them toward the inner hall. “Everyone, come inside! I shall personally take charge of the cauldrons today!”

Never mind Ruo Qunshuang; even the spirit dogs’ eyes lit up like blazing torches at those words.

…

…

Several days drifted by like flowing water, and Ruo Qunshuang and little Linglong finally forged a deep, familiar bond.

The courtyard was constantly filled with the sweet exchanges of “Mother” and “My good daughter.”

They cultivated, dined, and rested side by side, practically inseparable.

It cast Jiang Chen into the periphery, making him look very much like the actual “third wheel” of his own household.

On this particular day, while the family of three was basking in their harmonious sanctuary, a spiritual vibration pulsed from the Square Inch Ring.

Jiang Chen swept it with his divine sense and withdrew the item; it was Chen Bo’s Communication Talisman.

“Senior Brother!”

“Make haste to Narcissus Peak!”

“What has happened?”

“Chen Tian has returned! The heavens are about to overturn!”

“I… I am on my way!”

Lowering the Communication Talisman, the casual warmth drained from Jiang Chen’s face, replaced by a grave solemnity.

For someone as steady as Chen Bo to lose his composure, an ill wind was truly blowing.

Sensing the shift in his aura, Ruo Qunshuang quickly pressed, “What is it?”

Jiang Chen shook his head, his eyes dark. “I cannot glean the truth yet. The two of you, remain within the safety of these walls.”

Without wasting another breath, he strode from the chamber and summoned Shattered Moon Flowing Frost with a sharp gesture.

Tearing through the sky as a streak of chilling light, he ascended toward Narcissus Peak in the highest heavens.

In times past, one would rarely cross paths with other cultivators on this secluded route.

Yet today, spectral flashes of passing Daoists flickered intermittently through the clouds.

Each figure pushed their movement arts to the limit, vanishing like phantoms over the horizon.

It wasn’t long before Jiang Chen broke through the mist and arrived at Narcissus Peak. As the restrictive arrays washed over him, the world violently inverted, sky becoming earth.

When his divine sense stabilized, his eyes immediately locked onto Chen Bo.

Clearly, the man had been anxiously holding his ground at the outer perimeter, waiting to intercept him.

Jiang Chen swiftly closed the distance. “Senior Brother Chen Bo!”

Chen Bo urgently waved him forward. “Quickly. Chen Tian is awaiting us in the inner sanctum.”

As Jiang Chen matched his brisk pace, he probed, “Wasn’t Senior Brother Chen Tian tempering his Dao in the mortal realm? Why this sudden return?”

Unwilling to waste a single breath on speculation, Chen Bo offered a tight-lipped reply: “Lay eyes on Chen Tian, and the heavenly decree will become clear.”

The pair pierced through the inner watery barriers, swiftly arriving before Chen Tian’s secluded cave dwelling.

Upon crossing the threshold, Jiang Chen was met with a gathering of familiar faces; Long Ao, Pei Mo, Tie Xin, and Xuan Zang had all congregated within.

Catching sight of Jiang Chen, the group respectfully cupped their hands in greeting, their camaraderie evident despite the heavy atmosphere.

However, Jiang Chen’s gaze bypassed them entirely, his absolute focus zeroing in on the figure commanding the center of the chamber.

Chen Tian.

The heaven-defying genius possessing a Triple Spirit Root.

An Earth Grade Golden Core sovereign who had yet to see his fortieth winter.

After years of tempering himself in the harsh crucible of the outside world, he had completely sheathed his former razor-sharp arrogance, radiating an aura as fathomless and immovable as an ancient mountain.

Clad in pitch-black martial robes, he stood tall and unyielding, reminiscent of a solitary pine clinging to a jagged cliff.

Chen Tian offered Jiang Chen a solemn, measured nod. “You have arrived.”

Jiang Chen immediately clasped his hands in deep respect. “Senior Brother Chen Tian.”

Stepping forward, Chen Bo addressed the room. “Junior Brother, since the karmic circle is complete, you may speak.”

Yet, Chen Tian slowly raised a hand to stall him. “No. One thread remains absent.”

At this cryptic decree, the assembled cultivators exchanged baffled glances, sweeping the cavern with their divine sense.

Yet, every vital ally of their inner circle was already accounted for.

Moments later, the heavy stone doors yielded to the missing guest-shockingly, it was the deranged prince, Mo Yin.

His mind remained lost to the abyss of madness. The instant his frantic eyes locked onto Chen Tian, he shrieked, “Imperial Father! You have finally returned to us!”

Chen Tian stared down at the broken royal, his expression carved from glacial ice as his words sent a bone-deep chill through the room. “I have indeed returned. But your true Imperial Father… shall never return.”