Chapter 181: The Vegetable Farmer Seeks Knowledge

The King of the Underworld strode in with a naturally familiar air, smiling as warm and gentle as jade, the very picture of an elegant gentleman. But the moment he opened his mouth, that gentle image instantly shattered.

“I say, little disciple! Why did you two leave without even saying goodbye? I woke up and you and Night Abyss were both gone! You should’ve at least told me, so I wouldn’t be left wondering. Night Abyss I can understand—he never greets me anyway—but little disciple, don’t you pick up his bad habits! Do you know how long I looked for you two? You can’t imagine how troublesome it is to use tracking spells. I hate using spells the most! If it weren’t for finding you, I wouldn’t have bothered with the Tracing Curse. By the way, was there some emergency? Even if there was, you could’ve told me, little disciple…”

He started rambling endlessly again. The old man beside him was utterly dumbfounded, staring blankly as he tried to catch the key point. Finally, he turned to Yun Jiao and asked, “When did you get another master?!”

Why didn’t he know about this?

Yun Jiao’s face darkened as she shot him a glare. Don’t you have some idea whether I have a master or not?

But the King of the Underworld earnestly explained, “Ah, you misunderstand, fellow Daoist. I’m not little disciple’s master. She’s Night Abyss’s little disciple, not mine. I never take disciples—no little disciples, no big ones either! Taking apprentices is troublesome; I’d rather grow flowers. By the way, are you interested in gardening? Let me tell you, about growing flowers…”

And off he went again. The old man’s temple veins throbbed as he finally snapped, “Who the hell are you?!”

“Oh! I forgot to introduce myself!” The King of the Underworld suddenly remembered and quickly bowed. “My name is Ying Lun. And you, fellow Daoist—how should I address you? Oh, right, I don’t even know little disciple’s name yet. But that’s fine, we’re all friends—once we know each other, we’ll get familiar soon enough! And I can tell, you, like my little disciple here, are fated with the art of gardening. How about we study it together—”

“…Fated, my ass!” The old man’s face twitched violently. So he doesn’t even know the girl’s name?! No wonder he kept calling her “little disciple.” Back outside the temple, he’d only said he was looking for “the one studying in the side hall.” He thought it was someone she had arranged to meet!

“What’s that?” Yun Jiao pointed at the large sack in his hand. She hadn’t noticed earlier, but it looked quite full—at least twenty to thirty catties heavy.

“Oh, this?” Ying Lun slapped his forehead, eyes lighting up as he lifted the sack and dropped it heavily on Yun Jiao’s desk. With a bright grin, he said, “I thought it might be rude to drop by suddenly, so I brought you a little something!”

“…You actually know what’s rude?” Yun Jiao’s heart sank. Wait—don’t tell me he brought…

The next second, he untied the rope and poured it out. Round, pale green garlic bulbs—still coated in earthy soil and rich with yin energy—rolled all over the desk, crushing her neatly arranged schedule into a muddy mess.

Yun Jiao: “…”

Old man: “…”

Holy crap! It really was garlic!

(￣△￣；)

“How about that? My garlic’s not bad, huh?” Ying Lun said proudly. “This is the first time I’ve given them away. After growing them for so long, I’ve developed feelings for them. But we’re all friends—eat as much as you want! If you run out, come to me for more. I’ve got plenty! I tell you, my garlic isn’t like the mortal kind—look at its moisture, its shape—nowhere else will you find any like it! Take this bulb for example, it’s ten years old! Compared to ordinary garlic, it’s—”

“…Speechless!”

Just as he was about to launch into another round of garlic-farmer brainwashing, Yun Jiao took a deep breath, suppressing her irritation, and cut him off sharply. “Ying Lun, right?! What exactly did you come here for?”

Ying Lun froze for a second, then his eyes suddenly lit up. Rubbing his hands with a sheepish smile, he said, “Ah, little disciple, you’re so straightforward! I liked you from the first moment I saw you—so genuine! And now I can see I wasn’t wrong about you at all! All right, since you’re so direct, I won’t beat around the bush.”

“…So you know you’re long-winded?”

凸(艹皿艹)

“Here’s the thing,” he said seriously. “I’ve been thinking. Just growing garlic by the river all these years is getting boring. Staring at it all the time—I’m honestly a little tired of it. So, I came to learn more about that thing you mentioned before—what was it again? Is it really that good?”

“You want to grow coriander? Green onions?” Yun Jiao guessed flatly.

“Yes, yes, that’s it!” he nodded enthusiastically, his eyes shining even brighter. “You see, I’ve been busy with garlic all these years, and since I’ve been asleep for so long, I’m not really familiar with this realm anymore. How about you show me around? Maybe help me find some seeds and teach me how to grow them? Don’t worry, I learn fast—I’ll get it right away!”

“Any mortal could teach you that,” Yun Jiao interrupted again. “I don’t have time.”

“Wait, little disciple!” Ying Lun grew anxious and took a step forward. “I just woke up not long ago and don’t know anyone else, so I had to come to you. Besides, Night Abyss and I go way back! For old time’s sake, help me out, will you? As they say—‘Fate brings us together, two realms connected by a thread, cherish this bond!’ How about this: just give me some seeds, and I’ll go figure it out myself. You can have as much garlic as you want—”

“…” Who the hell wants your garlic?!

But he kept chattering, “And when the scallions and coriander grow, you can pick as much as you want. How’s that?”

No thanks!

“That won’t be necessary,” Yun Jiao refused flatly. Taking a deep breath, she picked up one of the garlic bulbs from the desk, still coated in dirt, and sighed. “We can’t use these. Take them back.” With a sharp twist, she broke it apart—and immediately, a wave of cold yin energy seeped out.

“Yin energy!” the old man exclaimed, his eyes widening in shock as he turned to Ying Lun. “You’re from the Underworld! Who are you really?” He instinctively reached for the talisman at his waist, alert and ready. For one of the Underworld to appear in broad daylight at Qingyang Temple without being detected—his cultivation must be formidable. Was he a Yama King or a Ghost Judge from another domain?

“Wait, old man!” Yun Jiao quickly stopped him. “Relax—he’s not an enemy.”

“Girl, who is he then?” the old man asked, baffled.

Yun Jiao gave him a sidelong look and patted his shoulder. “Trust me—you don’t want to know.”

If you knew this was your temporary superior, you’d cry.

“…”

“These garlic bulbs were grown in the Underworld. Even touching them can taint mortals with yin energy, let alone eating them!” Yun Jiao patiently explained. “You’d better take them back.”

But the King of the Underworld showed no intention of retrieving them. “Oh, that’s simple! Just a bit of yin energy—it’s easy to fix. If you don’t like it, I’ll remove it. Don’t worry, my garlic is perfectly fine.”

As he spoke, he placed a hand on the table. Whatever he did next, a wave of power swept across the desk. In the blink of an eye, the garlic bulbs that had been brimming with yin energy were purified completely—their chill vanished, leaving them fresh and pure white as if newly washed. Not only that, the entire desk—one Yun Jiao had been using for months—suddenly shimmered. From its center came a faint crack, and out sprouted a tender green shoot.

Both Yun Jiao and the old man were stunned. That energy just now—it couldn’t be… life force!

He had infused life energy into the garlic!

(⊙_⊙)

The two exchanged silent looks.

Yun Jiao: “…” I have a bold idea.

Bai Yu: “…” So do I.

(End of chapter)