The Prodigies War

To the cloth-robed old man, the farmer’s words were like a heavy hammer that repeatedly smashed down on his heart.

Now, it was about to hit rock bottom!

The farmer obviously did not intend to let him off so lightly.

The feeling of having his fate clutched in the hand of someone else and passively accepting judgment was a great torment to his state of mind.

It had been far too long since he had last experienced something like this after becoming an Emperor.

No one noticed that in the farmer’s sleeve, a thumb-sized, pink rosebud quietly bloomed.

At the same time, a soft and gentle voice echoed in the farmer’s mind, “Eleventh Senior Brother, the Jintian Clan’s founder, Emperor Bai, was once a comrade who fought alongside Senior Brother Xue Ya. This person is a descendant of Emperor Bai, and it certainly hasn’t been easy for him to have come this far on his path, so it’s fine to let him off this once.”

The farmer scratched his head and replied in his mind, “Jun Huan…”

The gentle voice cut him off, “Spare me your reasoning, I’m not in the mood to listen.”

“Also, don’t let word about your appearance here spread. Those old fogeys have already had their eyes on me, so you must not let them get wind of you too,” rang the voice before disappearing completely.

The pink rose in the farmer’s sleeve also abruptly withered and vanished.

The farmer sighed.

Then, he looked at the utterly dispirited cloth-robed old man. “You have a good ancestor.”

The comment had just come out of the blue and was confusing to all who heard it.

However, the cloth-robed old man’s eyes lit up.

Sure enough, the farmer said, “You can live, but not without a fitting punishment.”

The old man said without hesitation, “I’m willing to recompense anything and accept whatever punishment you deign to give me!”

The farmer took out a dull-looking seed. “This is a Heart Sealer Grass Seed. You need only swear not to disclose today’s events and then swallow it.”

Heart Sealer Grass!

This was a marvelous object that could be planted in a cultivator’s mindset after their oath was sealed into it. If that cultivator broke the oath, then the Heart Sealer Grass would wither away and turn into a unique kind of ash that would taint and corrode their dao heart.

This kind of request was too simple. The cloth-robed old man took almost no time to make the oath and swallow the seed.

Seeing this, the farmer nodded and added, “My junior brother also needs compensation.”

As for what the compensation was, he did not say.

However, the cloth-robed old man immediately agreed. Compensation? Not a problem for him. No matter how excessive Lin Xun’s demands could be, he would agree to it all!

Seeing him agree so straightforwardly, the farmer’s expression eased a little. “I advise you to act with caution from now on. Do not bring more shame to your great ancestor.”

The cloth-robed old man was dumbfounded, and a guess could not help but emerge in his mind. Does this man…know our clan’s founder?

Meanwhile, the farmer took out another Heart Sealer Grass Seed and handed it to Jintian Xuanyue.

How could Jintian Xuanyue not know what to do? She also took an oath and then swallowed the seed, all the while looking quite somber.

The blows she received today were too many and too heavy for the mentality of someone as proud as her.

After everything was said and done, the farmer pointed to the distance, “You two may leave.”

The cloth-robed old man bowed and expressed his gratitude before leaving Jintian Xuanyue without delay, lest the farmer change his mind if they stayed any longer.

“And you.” The farmer looked at Liang Chuan who was in a remote corner.

The latter was so startled that he almost fell paralyzed on the ground.

The farmer shook his head. “Such a fragile heart. No wonder you have no chance of certifying your Emperor dao.”

In the end, Liang Chuan also made a vow to not disclose what he had seen today and swallowed a Heart Sealer Grass Seed without resisting. In fact, he even felt lucky that his life was spared.

With a wave of the farmer’s sleeve, Liang Chuan disappeared from Guest Welcome Mountain.

He then turned to Lin Xun with an embarrassed look on his tanned face, “Junior Brother, do you blame me for not killing that old man?”

No matter how one looked at his appearance right now, they would think that he was a normal farmer and not a terrifying character who had just killed an Emperor expert before forcing another to bow down with ease.

“I’m already content, and I completely understand,” replied Lin Xun with a smile.

“It’s great that you understand.” The farmer flashed a big grin, so happy that he had the urge to preach his reason some more. In the end, however, he suppressed that urge.

Since this was their first time meeting, he’d best not leave his youngest junior brother the impression that he was old-fashioned.

“Wait a moment, Junior Brother. Although things have fallen into place, there are still some things that I need done.”

Saying this, the farmer vanished into thin air.

……

In the courtyard.

The hemp-clothed youth was perplexed.

Judging from the style displayed by that farmer, it was impossible that he would spare the cloth-robed old man so easily.

Yet, he had concluded the matter exactly like that.

He mused, “There must be something else going on here.”

Suddenly, the old woman beside him said, “Young Master, you stay put here.”

The youth was dumbfounded, and his heart tightened. Could it be that the farmer wants to deal with Granny?

Just this thought flashed in his mind, his vision blurred and all his senses were blocked and sealed.

At the same time, the farmer appeared in the courtyard with his gaze locked on the old woman.

The old woman spoke up before he could, “You also want this old woman to swallow a Heart Sealer Grass Seed?”

Arcane light surged in her cloudy eyes, and her entire aura changed with it.

The farmer said, “How can someone as beautiful as you be an old woman? Your disguise cannot fool me.”

The old woman was stunned. Does an honest man also care if someone is beautiful or not?

Still, her appearance quietly changed from that of an old woman to a stunning goddess.

She was clad in a light-green dress and wore her silky black hair in a cloud-shaped bun. Her skin was fair and dewy, her eyes were as bright and clear as the moon, and her slightly-pursed, red lips outlined a perfect arc.

Between her brows was a vermilion-red bindi.

She stood there, looking like a dream as her skirt fluttered and flowing haze shrouded her figure.

“I guess there’s no need to conceal myself anymore now that you’ve seen through me,” she said, her voice clear and crisp like the sound a jade pendant would make, ethereal and pleasant to the ears.

This was a peerless and stunning Emperor!

The farmer, however, seemed to be oblivious to her beauty as he said, “Since you are from the Xuan Clan, you naturally do not need to use the Heart Sealer Grass Seed.

“I’m just here to let you know that my junior brother never asks for anyone to take the blame for him, nor does he want to drag anyone down with him ever. Also, he will not want a mile if you give him an inch, and he is well aware of his own limitations. You may think he is weak now, but in the future, his achievements will only surpass yours.”

After saying all that with a serious face, he left.

The green-dress woman was stunned.

Originally, she had been ready to face a great enemy and even prepared to fight with all she had, should the other party dare to make her use a Heart Sealer Grass Seed.

However, it turned out that he had only dropped by to say such words!

For a while, she felt immensely stifled.

This was retaliation!

The seemingly honest farmer had actually seen everything that had happened on Guest Welcome Mountain today, including her unceremonious warning to his junior brother.

He had only come here to let off steam in that young man’s stead!

The green-dress woman secretly gritted her teeth. His achievements will surpass mine? You don’t know how long I’ve lived and how many Emperors I have seen rise and fall during my lifetime!

She was a little frustrated.

As an Emperor, being reprimanded like that was truly an unpleasant experience.

Meanwhile, the farmer was wearing a satisfied smile, thinking that he had finally done right by his junior brother.

This also counted as fulfilling his duty as a senior brother, right?

……

“Junior Brother, my birth name is too vulgar, so after I joined our sect, Master gave me the Dharma name Pu Zhen[1], and I’m his eleventh disciple.”

After getting back to Lin Xun, the farmer introduced himself.

“Before I entered the sect, I was indeed a crop farmer who didn’t know a single word. Only after I was enlightened by Master did I embark on the path of cultivation.

“I’m not like Ninth Senior Brother Ge Yupu, he’s really stupid like a block of wood, while I’m just too honest to tell lies. But Master said that all beings are born different, and that honest people also have their advantages.

“I’m best at farming. After joining our sect, I helped grow and care for all sorts of aeth articles.

“Later, I traveled the world and tasted all kinds of aeth grains, plants, and herbs, and finally found the right dao path for myself.”

Pu Zhen then took out a jade slip and handed it to Lin Xun.

“This is the All-Inclusive Plant Index that I personally compiled, summarizing various plants on the Ancient Nebula Road. It’s not a cultivation art nor anything too valuable, so you can take it without worry. Should you come across any aeth plants that you don’t know on your journey, you can look it up in this index. “

Lin Xun accessed the jade slip, and after taking a long time to read it, he couldn’t help but gasp.

The number of aeth articles documented in this All-Inclusive Plant Index was simply as infinite as the sea with each article entailing its own detailed record.

Such as the name, shape, use, habitat, etc. It was even attached with several lifelike drawings.

This kind of index could be said to be a supreme treasure that every alchemist in this world could only wish for. Its value was incalculable!

Even for a cultivator like Lin Xun, flipping through this index allowed him to gain insight into the nature of various aeth objects under heavens, which would be of great benefit to his cultivation.

After all, all things were birthed by nature with the dao conceived in them. The mysteries of the great dao were hidden in everything, from small to big, between heaven and earth!

When cultivators perceived the world and sought the dao, what they gained was the knowledge of everything in existence.

“I’m deeply grateful to you, Senior Brother, for passing on this index to me.” Lin Xun solemnly saluted.

Pu Zhen hurriedly waved his hands, “We are fellow disciples. Don’t be so formal.”

He then looked up at the distant void and sighed softly, “Time is running out. I will be noticed if I stay here any longer.

“Junior Brother, the path of the great dao is long. I look forward to the day when you certify your dao and become an Emperor.”

There was delight and anticipation in his voice.

Lin Xun couldn’t help but ask, “Where are you going next?”

Pu Zhen grinned. “To a place where a lonely soul should be.”

With that, he carried his rusty pickaxe and took a step forward. This single step took him to the starry sky above.

“See you again, Junior Brother!”

Pu Zhen’s pure laughter resounded in Lin Xun’s mind for a long time before it faded.

He looked up and muttered, “See you again, Senior Brother.”

1. ’pu’ means simple and honest, ‘zhen’ means real ☜