The Eternal Farmer: I Trade My Harvest for Immortality

They had braced themselves for the worst—losing all their profits, or perhaps even being kicked out of the sect entirely.

If the two of them had simply handled things with a modicum of competence, the situation never would have spiraled so wildly out of control.

If Mo Yue had possessed even a shred of rationality, he wouldn’t have challenged Sen Xuan to a duel, let alone staked the entire Casting Peak business on the outcome. And Jin Fugui was no better; not only had he failed to restrain the hot-headed Mo Yue, but he had also stood by and watched as the flames of conflict were fanned into an inferno.

It was a stroke of luck that Jiang Chen had returned when he did. First, he had called upon Tie Xin to suppress Sen Xuan, and then he had petitioned Chen Bo to step in and negotiate with Su Qing of the Harvest Alliance. Only then was the disaster averted.

The process seemed simple on the surface—just a matter of knowing the right people—but in reality, Jiang Chen had taken a massive risk.

“We’re all brothers,” Jiang Chen said, waving a hand to dismiss their apologies.

The profits from Casting Peak were already in decline. Giving Senior Brother Li a twenty percent cut not only resolved the immediate crisis but also tied him to their “pirate ship,” which, all things considered, felt like a solid strategic move.

After all, Jiang Chen’s real goldmine lay in the Loose Cultivator market.

Spirit Rice Wine. High-quality pills.

Once those ventures stabilized, the daily intake of Spirit Stones would dwarf the income from Casting Peak by ten, maybe even a hundred times.

Jin Fugui took a deep, shuddering breath. “Old Jiang, from now on, your word is law.”

Mo Yue, equally moved, chimed in, “I’ll cast Spirit Rain for your plants every single day!”

Jiang Chen jumped, startled. “Don’t you dare water them every day! If the spirit plants get flooded, I’ll suffer a huge loss.”

Shortly after, Jin Fugui was the first to leave. He had a mountain of work waiting for him back in Beast Mountain. He had been aggressively acquiring land and expanding his stock of spirit beasts, and his operation was finally taking shape. Give it another year or two, and Jin Fugui would likely be the undisputed king of manure suppliers in the valley.

Mo Yue, still feeling a pang of guilt, cast a gentle Spirit Rain over the field before taking his leave.

Seeing that noon had arrived, Jiang Chen headed into the kitchen to prepare a meal.

By the time he finished, half an hour had passed.

Da Huang and the pearl chickens, bellies full, were dozing under the poplar tree. Jiang Chen dragged a wooden chair to the doorway, sank into it, and retrieved Tie Xin’s Communication Talisman.

“I really owe you for your help this time, Senior Sister Han!”

The reply was swift and characteristically sharp. “Cut the crap. What do you want?”

“I have some new Yellow Rice Wine. Thought I’d send some over for you to taste?”

“You, you, you… Stop with the formal ‘You’! You’re giving this old lady goosebumps!”

“That’s more like it,” Jiang Chen chuckled. “I’m tied up with something and can’t make the trip. Could you come pick up the Yellow Rice Wine yourself?”

“…”

The connection cut off.

Jiang Chen tucked the talisman back into his small storage pouch and returned to the kitchen. Stepping inside, he frowned at the cramped conditions.

The brewing operation was getting out of hand. One barrel of High-quality Spirit Rice Wine. One barrel of Top-quality Spirit Rice Wine. And now, a barrel of Top-quality Yellow Rice Wine.

These three vessels alone swallowed up two-thirds of the kitchen. The remaining space was a chaotic jumble of the stove, chopping board, medicine pot, water buckets, and the drainage ditch.

I need to find Junior Brother Tie to open up some more space, Jiang Chen mused. Preferably a basement.

He walked over to the large barrel of Yellow Rice Wine and lifted the cheesecloth cover. The yield wasn’t high—only about five jin. Unless he scaled up production, he’d cap out at ten jin a month. Originally, he barely had enough for his own consumption, and now he had to give it all away.

But there was no helping it. He owed Tie Xin a favor.

Jiang Chen carefully decanted the five jin of Yellow Rice Wine into a container. Then, he opened the barrel of Top-quality Spirit Rice Wine and drew out another twenty jin.

Twenty-five jin in total. He would send this batch first as a gesture of goodwill. If she wasn’t satisfied, he could always send more later.

Without further delay, he left the house, summoning his Giant Leaf to fly toward the Earth Vein.

Since this wasn’t his first trip, the journey was smooth. However, upon arrival, he was surprised to see the entrance to the underground caverns was still guarded by Shan Fei.

The tall, muscular man with the sharp, hawk-like eyes looked up.

“Business?” Shan Fei’s expression shifted from indifference to attentiveness the moment he spotted the Giant Leaf.

In this world, one could often gauge a person’s background and status by their mount. A Paper Crane or a land-based spirit beast screamed ‘ordinary disciple.’ But anyone with real capability used something better.

Jiang Chen offered a faint smile. “I’m here to see Formation Master Tie Xin.”

Shan Fei’s brow lifted. “Do you have an appointment?”

“I arranged it with her before coming,” Jiang Chen nodded.

“In that case, follow me.” Shan Fei nodded slightly, his tone softening.

Anyone who had a personal connection with a Formation Master was not someone to be trifled with. He dispensed with the interrogation usually reserved for formal disciples and waived the standard procedures.

Jiang Chen fell in step beside Shan Fei, and together they descended the spiraling ramp into the earth, heading toward the deeper strata.

When they reached the bottom, Jiang Chen found the scene unchanged from his last visit. The place was teeming with Earth Spirit Root disciples, looking more like miners than cultivators. Their complexions were sallow, their movements heavy, and a gloomy silence hung over them.

Shan Fei pointed toward one of the tunnel entrances. “Almost all Formation Masters live below the 20th layer of the Earth Vein. The Tie Xin you mentioned is on the 38th layer.”

“Many thanks.” Jiang Chen cupped his hands in salute and headed for the entrance.

Shan Fei watched his retreating back, frowning in thought. “I swear I’ve seen that guy somewhere before…”

Jiang Chen descended deeper into the underground network.

After a while, he passed a signpost: [Earth Vein – Layer 1].

It was common knowledge that from this point on, every hundred meters of depth constituted a new ‘layer.’ Tie Xin lived on the 38th layer—3800 meters underground.

The deeper one went, the denser the Earth Qi became.

Fortunately, Jiang Chen had visited the depths for several consecutive days back when he was helping Jin Man cultivate the Earth Lotus. He was familiar with the environment, the crushing atmosphere, and the rising pressure.

But he was no longer the cultivator he was then. He had reached the early stages of Foundation Establishment and possessed the Companion Green Lotus. Unless he ventured down to the 100th layer, the pressure here was negligible.

He moved quickly, counting the layers as they passed.

Ten layers… twenty layers… thirty-eight layers.

When he finally arrived at the 38th layer, Jiang Chen paused in surprise.

He had expected a series of private caves or workshops. Instead, he found himself on a broad, open platform. A crowd of Earth Spirit Root disciples had gathered here, and Tie Xin was standing at the very front.

Beside her stood three men and one woman. The five of them formed a distinct group, surrounded by a buffer of empty space as if the ordinary disciples dared not approach them.

At this moment, everyone was staring intently across the chasm into the dark depths, as if searching for something.

Suddenly, the air in the cavern began to vibrate. A low hum resonated through the rock, followed by a thunderous, rolling roar from the abyss opposite them.

It sounded as if some ancient, colossal creature was waking from a long slumber.