The Eternal Farmer: I Trade My Harvest for Immortality

Chapter 221: Matchmaking

Lin An entered the room, carefully carrying a tray. He placed the steaming cups on the table. “Senior Brothers, please enjoy the tea.”

The moment the liquid settled, a rich, floral aroma drifted through the air.

Li Chun sniffed deeply, his eyes widening in pleasant surprise. “That scent… it’s extraordinary.”

Jiang Chen smiled warmly. “It is a gift from a friend of mine, called Orchid Mist Tea. If Senior Brother Chen finds it to his liking, please take an ounce or two with you when you leave.”

Li Chun didn’t say yes immediately, but he gave a slight, satisfied nod. The intent was clear.

Jiang Chen personally poured a cup for each of them before getting down to business. “Senior Brothers, when exactly should I head to the outer area of the Spirit Farm?”

Li Chun and Chen Bo exchanged a brief glance.

“It should be within the next few days,” Li Chun replied. “Make your preparations, Junior Brother Jiang. We will notify you when the time comes.”

Lin An bowed and withdrew, leaving the three formal disciples to chat over their tea.

Li Chun tapped the table thoughtfully. “I actually have some recollection of your current plot. The previous owner was quite an old Spirit Farmer.”

“How much does Senior Brother Chen know about him?” Jiang Chen asked.

“He never managed to break through to the Golden Core stage,” Li Chun said, shaking his head. “In the end, he simply died of old age.”

He took a sip of tea, his expression grim. “When we found him, he had already breathed his last. He was withered away, thin as a bag of bones.”

Jiang Chen listened intently. He had always been curious about the previous tenant of his land. When he had asked Zhu Fuxian about it, the man had been tight-lipped. Now, the pieces were falling into place.

The previous owner was named Lan Xin. A Wood Spirit Root cultivator who had reached the late Foundation Establishment stage. He had toiled in the core area of the Spirit Farm for over a hundred years.

There was nothing particularly special about him. No great legends, no scandalous failures. He was, in every sense, an ordinary, unremarkable Spirit Farmer who quietly faded away.

“Did Senior Brother Lan Xin leave no descendants?” Jiang Chen asked.

Li Chun searched his memory. “Lan Xin never sought a Dao Companion, but he did maintain a mortal family—a wife and children—in a place called Mystic Heart City.”

Mystic Heart City.

Jiang Chen recognized the name. It was where Long Ao had participated in the Thousand Sails Competition. It was a bit further away than the local Loose Cultivator market, but it was a major hub. The concentration of cultivators there was high, and the atmosphere was vibrant. The Thousand Sails Competition alone attracted disciples from major sects across the region.

After a while, Li Chun stood up, dusting off his robes. “Alright, that’s enough chatting for today. I still need to verify if the other Spirit Farmers are participating in the formal disciple competition.”

Jiang Chen immediately produced a wrapped packet containing an ounce of Orchid Mist Tea and handed it over with both hands. “Safe travels, Senior Brother.”

Li Chun accepted the gift, his eyes curving into a smile. “I can see why Junior Brothers Chen Bo and Wang Ze both recommended you.”

This Junior Brother Jiang knew how to conduct himself. He understood the rules of social grease perfectly.

Clutching his tea, Li Chun walked out the door.

Jiang Chen and Chen Bo stood to see him off. Before mounting his Paper Crane, Li Chun shot a meaningful glance at Chen Bo, then soared into the sky and vanished into the clouds.

Once they were alone, Jiang Chen turned to his friend. “Senior Brother Jin… what is really going on here?”

Chen Bo didn’t answer immediately. He walked to the edge of the field and stood with his hands clasped behind his back, letting the cool breeze ruffle his robes.

“You know my cousin Chen Tian is currently hunting demons in the Rust Empire, in the central region, correct?”

Jiang Chen frowned. “Yes, but what does that have to do with the Spirit Farm?”

“A prince of the Rust Empire was recently tested and found to possess a Wood Spirit Root,” Chen Bo explained slowly. “He wants to join our Cloud Sea Sect. He is using my cousin’s recommendation to bypass the usual channels.”

Jiang Chen raised an eyebrow. “A prince of the Rust Empire? Surely, with that status, he doesn’t need our help to enter the Sect?”

Chen Bo turned around, locking eyes with Jiang Chen. “This prince was captured by demons when he was a child. Although he was eventually rescued, he suffered from ‘Soul-Loss Syndrome.'”

Jiang Chen understood immediately. He finished the sentence for him. “His mind isn’t right?”

Chen Bo nodded. “Exactly. He is physically a teenager, but mentally, he acts like a child who refuses to grow up. Getting him to pass the Spirit Farm’s entrance assessment through normal means… would be difficult.”

Jiang Chen lowered his head, calculating the variables.

Logically, this was a favor for Chen Tian—the future Golden Core powerhouse. He should do it. If the candidate were merely untalented, Jiang Chen would agree without hesitation.

But a child with Soul-Loss Syndrome? A mentally regressed prince? That was a recipe for trouble.

Seeing Jiang Chen’s hesitation, Chen Bo waved his hand dismissively. “Don’t worry. The Rust Empire has made a promise. They will not let you suffer a loss.”

Jiang Chen snapped his head up. “What kind of promise?”

Chen Bo grinned. “If he passes the assessment, the Grade-2 Spirit Farm plot assigned to that foolish prince will be yours to manage. On top of that, you will receive an annual salary of 3,000 Mid-grade Spirit Stones.”

“Oh?” Jiang Chen’s eyes lit up. Now we’re talking.

Chen Bo winked. “And that’s not all. If this succeeds, all of us will become honored guests of the Rust Empire. Especially you. You could become a Royal Retainer, enjoying the highest level of treatment. In the future, if your children don’t Awaken a Spirit Root, you can send them there to secure a cushy government position.”

Jiang Chen was stunned. “With benefits like that… wouldn’t you be more suitable for this task, Senior Brother?”

Chen Bo shook his head. “You know me. I prefer to be alone.”

It was a flimsy excuse, and they both knew it.

Originally, Chen Tian had wanted Chen Bo to handle this. They were blood relatives; the trust was implicit.

But recently, Chen Bo had come to a harsh realization. After deciding to enter the formal disciple competition and grinding endlessly in the arena, he had seen the ceiling of his own potential.

His aptitude was average.

In combat, he couldn’t beat his childhood sweetheart, Huo Ling.

In farming, he couldn’t hold a candle to his Junior Brother, Jiang Chen.

When his cousin Chen Tian inevitably broke through to the Golden Core stage, Chen Bo knew he wouldn’t be able to keep up. He would be left behind.

In the future, the person who could truly stand beside Chen Tian—who could be a useful ally rather than a burden—was Jiang Chen.

Chen Bo had decided to act as the bridge. He wanted to bind Jiang Chen and Chen Tian together now, while the bonds could still be forged.

It was good for Jiang Chen. It was good for his cousin. And ultimately, it was good for himself.

Chen Bo knew that Jiang Chen was a man who valued loyalty and righteousness. He treated his friends—Chen Bo, Mo Yu, even the ex-convict Lin An—with genuine care. If Chen Bo was one day left in the dust by his genius cousin, he knew he would still have a Junior Brother to rely on.

Jiang Chen sensed the layers of unspoken meaning in Chen Bo’s words, but he didn’t press. He simply nodded firmly.

“Alright. Leave this matter to me.”

“Then I’ll be off.” Chen Bo summoned his Paper Crane.

Jiang Chen cupped his hands and bowed. “Goodbye, Senior Brother!”

Within moments, Chen Bo was a speck in the distance.

That night, on the luxurious nanmu bed.

Jiang Chen held the warm, fragrant, soft jade of Yu Caiqing in his arms, recounting the day’s events. He expressed his confusion about why Chen Bo would pass up such a lucrative opportunity.

Yu Caiqing listened quietly, then spoke. “Let me ask you… are Chen Tian and Chen Bo related by blood?”

“Yes,” Jiang Chen replied.

“Since they are relatives, why didn’t Chen Tian give this fat piece of meat to his cousin? Why give it to you?”

Jiang Chen frowned. “Is there a trap?”

Yu Caiqing rolled her eyes, looking equal parts exasperated and amused. She reached out with a slender, scallion-white finger and flicked him gently on the forehead.

“Think, you blockhead. How is Chen Bo’s talent in farming?”

Jiang Chen thought for a moment. “When we were in the outer area, I thought he was decent. But after coming to the core area… I don’t really know.”

He paused, then took a deep breath. “He is not as good as me.”

Yu Caiqing smiled radiantly, her eyes sparkling with intelligence.

“Exactly. Don’t you see? Chen Bo isn’t just passing off a job. He is trying to matchmake you with his cousin, Chen Tian!”