The Eternal Farmer: I Trade My Harvest for Immortality

Long Ao glanced toward the staircase, his expression shifting into awkwardness.

“I think I’d better go with you,” he said.

Over the past few days, he had come to a realization: Junior Brother Jiang wasn’t just living here alone. He had a female Dao companion.

A very beautiful one, at that.

And from what he could gather, she was a high-ranking alchemist.

Judging by the noise—the two of them going at it with the vigor of intense dual cultivation all night long—it was no wonder Lin An had chosen to build his hut a hundred meters away.

If Long Ao stayed behind in the house, it would feel intrusive. It might even cause misunderstandings.

Jiang Chen nodded. “Fine. Let’s go together.”

With a thought, he summoned his transport tool. The Giant Leaf materialized, hovering just off the ground.

Long Ao stepped out of the house, and the two men stood side by side on the leaf. With a surge of Qi, they shot into the sky, flying toward the Rain Pavilion.

The journey was mostly silent.

Long Ao was preoccupied with his own heavy thoughts and wasn’t in the mood to chat.

Jiang Chen, on the other hand, was strategizing his upcoming negotiation with Old Bai.

He had a clear bottom line. If the old man opened his mouth like a hungry lion, demanding the heavens, then the deal was off.

Jiang Chen was a pragmatic man. He absolutely refused to suffer a loss in business.

About an hour later, they neared the Black Lake. The silhouette of the Rain Pavilion appeared in the distance.

However, this arrival revealed a different sight—or rather, a new discovery.

The massive creature resting in the water wasn’t the hundred-zhang-long yellow Flying Serpent.

It was something else entirely.

It lay there, docile and motionless, resembling a pitch-black island rising from the depths.

A massive tortoise.

Its shell was intricately carved with complex runes. Some looked like Bagua arrangements, while others resembled the constellation of the Big Dipper.

Its presence alone made the Water Qi in the entire Black Lake significantly denser.

“I’ve been here so many times,” Jiang Chen remarked, surprised. “But this is the first time I’ve actually seen the Mystic Tortoise.”

“My first time as well,” Long Ao chimed in.

The Mystic Tortoise possessed none of the madness, ferocity, or killing intent of the Flying Serpent. Instead, it radiated an aura of stability, restraint, and ancient wisdom.

It simply poked its head out of the water, gazing at something unseen, completely silent.

Jiang Chen and Long Ao circled the massive beast a few times, admiring it, before flying toward the Rain Pavilion’s entrance.

Upon landing, Jiang Chen retrieved Lin Yu’s Communication Talisman and sent a message asking her to come out and meet them.

The Rain Pavilion was strict. Unless one was a relative or a disciple of someone inside, outsiders needed a guarantor to enter. The rules were quite similar to those of the Pill Tower.

Before long, a figure came bouncing out of the gate.

Lin Yu.

Thinking Jiang Chen had come alone, her face was beaming with joy. But the moment she spotted Long Ao standing next to him, she jumped back, startled by his ruined visage.

Jiang Chen quickly stepped in. “This is Senior Brother Long Ao from Beast Mountain.”

“Oh!” Lin Yu exclaimed, eyes widening. “So you’re Long Ao!”

She tilted her head, curiosity getting the better of her. “Senior Brother Long, why did you join Beast Mountain instead of the Rain Pavilion?”

Jiang Chen pricked up his ears. He was curious about this too.

Long Ao paused for a moment, his expression unreadable. “I… nearly did become a disciple of the Rain Pavilion back then. But due to certain reasons regarding spirit beasts, I ended up at Beast Mountain.”

Lin Yu nodded slowly, seeming to understand, though her expression suggested she didn’t quite get it.

Fortunately, her attention span was short. She turned back to Jiang Chen, immediately extending a demanding hand.

“I spent days wearing my father down before he finally agreed to see you. Where are the snacks?”

Jiang Chen tapped his Jade Green Gourd and withdrew a pile of prepared treats.

“These are all for you. If you finish them, just ask me for more.”

Instantly, Lin Yu was buried under a mountain of food.

If it were anyone else, they might have felt offended or patronized. But Lin Yu’s eyes lit up like stars. She grinned from ear to ear, looking at the snacks as if they were supreme treasures.

Only after she had swept every last crumb into her Storage Bag did she gesture for them to follow.

“Come on in!”

She led Jiang Chen and Long Ao into the Rain Pavilion.

“Looks like he was burned by Mo Sha…”

Jiang Chen and Lin Yu didn’t know many people here, so they moved unnoticed. But the moment Long Ao stepped across the threshold, he attracted the attention of numerous Water Spirit Root disciples.

Eyes turned. Whispers broke out.

Many were visibly frightened by his disfigured face.

The female disciples, in particular, looked at him with pity.

Long Ao had once been handsome, talented, and highly regarded. He had even defeated Shui Wuhen, the number one formal disciple of the Rain Pavilion. He had been the admiration of many.

Now, seeing his ruined appearance, they couldn’t bear to look directly at him.

Fortunately, Long Ao’s heart was tempered like steel. This kind of blow was nothing to him.

He ignored the pointing fingers and the hushed discussions. He simply didn’t care.

His mind was focused on one thing: recovering from his injuries and healing Lord Storm Crane 7.

And then?

Then he would find an opportunity to beat Mo Sha half to death.

Only that would satisfy the hatred burning in his chest.

Moments later, they arrived at the third floor.

There, they saw Lin Yu’s father—Bai Xiaotian.

He was sitting in a chair, yawning widely. He looked utterly exhausted, his eyes heavy with drowsiness.

“Father,” Lin Yu giggled. “Jiang Chen is here.”

Bai Xiaotian grunted, sounding grumpy. “Once we finish talking, I can finally sleep, right?”

Jiang Chen and Long Ao exchanged a glance.

Lin Yu blinked innocently. “Father, you’re a high-level talisman master, and you’ve reached the Perfection stage of Foundation Establishment. You’ve only gone five days without rest.”

Bai Xiaotian’s expression became complicated. He looked past his daughter and locked eyes with Jiang Chen.

“You. Yes, you. Come with me to the other room. Private chat.”

Though surprised, Jiang Chen nodded and followed him into a small side room.

Snap.

The door closed, and the sounds of the outside world were instantly cut off.

The room wasn’t large, but the silence was absolute. Jiang Chen scanned the walls and saw numerous Silence Talismans plastered everywhere.

Bai Xiaotian turned, his brow furrowed deeply. ” kid, what kind of bewitching potion did you feed my two daughters?”

Jiang Chen looked genuinely bewildered. “What potion?”

Bai Xiaotian was so angry he let out a dry, bitter laugh. “My eldest daughter mentions you from time to time—fine, I can ignore that. But this little one? She chants your name every single day.”

Jiang Chen shook his head. “I didn’t feed them any potions. She just likes the meals and snacks I cook.”

Hearing such a simple reason, Bai Xiaotian opened his mouth to argue, but no words came out.

After a long silence, he let out a heavy, bone-deep sigh.

“Sigh…”

“What exactly is going on?” Jiang Chen asked, puzzled.

Bai Xiaotian rubbed his face, looking drained. “At first, I wasn’t interested in your so-called cooperation at all. But she… she kept pestering this old man like a falconer taming a hawk. She wouldn’t let me sleep for days.”

Jiang Chen finally understood.

The reason Bai Xiaotian had agreed wasn’t because of the business proposal. It was because he physically couldn’t hold out against his daughter’s nagging any longer.

Bai Xiaotian collapsed into a chair, taking a deep breath.

“Even now, I’m still not interested in your cooperation.”

He leaned forward; his bloodshot eyes staring intensely at Jiang Chen.

“But there is another matter that I am somewhat eager for.”

“What is it?” Jiang Chen instinctively asked.

“After the formal disciple competition ends,” Bai Xiaotian said, his voice desperate, “take Lin Yu home with you!”