The Eternal Farmer: I Trade My Harvest for Immortality

Zhu Fuxian escorted him to the gate.

Once outside the bamboo fence, Jiang Chen turned and cupped his hands. “Senior Brother, there is no need to see me further.”

Zhu Fuxian paused, his gaze sharp. “Junior Brother Jiang, are you aware that there are Fire Crows in our area?”

Jiang Chen blinked, then nodded with a smile. “I am.”

“Fire Crows have a voracious appetite for anything with fire attributes,” Zhu Fuxian warned. “Do not expose the [Crimson Sun Ginseng] you just acquired, or it will attract their covetousness.”

Jiang Chen waved his hand dismissively. “Senior Brother, rest assured. Those Fire Crows belong to me. I bought five of them from the Earth Fire Zone just yesterday.”

Since the old man had noticed and issued a warning, playing dumb would only invite suspicion. Better to be open.

Several people knew about the purchase—Jin Fugui, Liu Wei, Wang Xiang. It was not a secret that could be kept forever. Anyone who cared to investigate would find out the truth quickly enough.

“Ah,” Zhu Fuxian nodded, a flicker of realization in his eyes. “So they are your pets. Then there is no issue.”

“How did Senior Brother know they were around?” Jiang Chen asked, feigning ignorance.

Zhu Fuxian smiled. “One flew over my land last night. I was wondering where it came from. I didn’t expect it was Junior Brother’s new acquisition.”

Jiang Chen immediately put on a nervous expression. “It didn’t harm your spirit plants, did it?”

“My Spirit Farm is protected by a complete set of high-level defensive formations,” Zhu Fuxian said with quiet confidence. “A mere Fire Crow? If it dared to intrude, the Gengjin Qi would have shredded it before it could touch a single leaf.”

“That is a relief. I will take my leave then.” Jiang Chen breathed a sigh of relief, cupped his hands again, and summoned his [Giant Leaf]. He stepped onto it and soared into the sky, disappearing into the distance.

Zhu Fuxian watched him go, his gaze deep and unreadable.

On the flight home, Jiang Chen’s brow furrowed.

‘That’s not right. Gengjin Qi is white. The light I saw last night was clearly cyan.’

The old man had lied.

This revealed two things. First, Senior Brother Zhu did not trust him. Second, the old man did not know that Fire Crows could share their vision with their master.

Jiang Chen smiled wryly.

Everyone had secrets. No one told the whole truth. But as long as their interests didn’t conflict, there was no need to tear off the mask of civility.

After all, in this vast, lonely sector, Zhu Fuxian was his only “neighbor”—even if he was a neighbor who lived a ten-minute flight away.

The isolation was exactly why Jiang Chen had chosen this plot of land. No prying eyes meant safety. And now, with five Fire Crows patrolling the perimeter, his security was better than ever.

Ten minutes later, he touched down at his farm.

Everything was as he left it. Da Huang was digging a hole in the dirt, the Pearl Chicken was hunting for bugs, and “Fortress” the puppet was standing motionless under the poplar tree, having already completed its daily water-fetching duties.

It was noon. Jiang Chen tossed the [Companion Green Lotus] into the second field to boost the crops, then headed into the kitchen.

Today’s menu included a new ingredient: [Fire Spirit Liquid].

It looked like red chili oil. Thanks to the [Fire Crow Qi Nurturing Method], his five crows produced five drops every ten hours. It functioned similarly to Spirit Rice, aiding cultivation.

Five drops amounted to a small saucer. Jiang Chen drank it in one gulp. A warm current slid down his throat and settled in his abdomen.

He refined it using the [Blazing Oil Technique], feeling a minuscule increase in his Fire Spiritual Power.

‘Inefficient,’ he concluded. ‘It would take a hundred drops to increase my power by one percent. That requires a hundred tamed crows. Not cost-effective.’

The best way to train his Fire Spirit Root was to move to the Earth Fire Zone, where the ambient Fire Qi was dense enough to make every breath a form of cultivation. Just as Wood Spirit Roots thrived on farms and Water Spirit Roots by rivers, location mattered.

After lunch, Jiang Chen lay on his wooden bed, seemingly napping but actually contemplating his next move.

Should he learn the technique [Nine Flames Profound Art] or the spell [Scorching Sun Finger]?

The [Nine Flames Profound Art] allowed the user to master nine different colors of flame, each with unique properties. His current manual was incomplete, containing only Red, Orange, Yellow, and Blue. But with his lifespan cheat, he could complete it.

The [Scorching Sun Finger] condensed extreme heat at the fingertip for a piercing attack. Completing it unlocked a long-range “Rainbow Finger Force.”

After weighing the pros and cons, he chose the [Nine Flames Profound Art].

He wasn’t planning to fight in the Grand Competition, so an offensive spell was low priority. His current technique, the [Blazing Oil Technique], was only Qi Condensation level. Upgrading to a high-level fire manipulation art was the logical step.

With the Fire Crows on patrol and Fortress handling the chores, Jiang Chen had ample free time. He threw himself into study.

While neither Spirit Wine nor Golden Wine directly boosted fire affinity, the [Top-quality Golden Wine] granted a +30% comprehension speed for high-level techniques while tipsy.

Combined with his high intelligence, he estimated he could master the basics in less than a month.

Days turned into weeks.

The temperature plummeted. A bone-chilling cold settled over the Spirit Farm, threatening the crops.

For Jiang Chen, however, the cold was irrelevant. His Wood Spirit Root made him resilient, and his new Fire Spirit Root made him practically immune.

He stood on the ridge in a thin white robe, unfazed by the biting wind.

At his feet, Da Huang shivered violently, his fawning expression replaced by misery. With a whine, the dog bolted back to his warm house, curling into a tight ball. The Pearl Chicken hadn’t left its coop in days, living the good life of a pampered pet.

Only the Fire Crows remained active, their red forms darting through the gray sky like sparks.

Jiang Chen looked out at his fields. The [Golden Crow Vine] and [Moonlight Grass] were finally mature.

He raised his sickle. It was harvest time.