I Believe You, My Ass

Outside the Jiang Family Courtyard.

The night was as dark as ink, and Jiang Tu stood at the doorway of the courtyard, watching that line of retreating figures vanish at the end of the village path... The sound of footsteps grew distant and light, until the night wind completely swallowed them up.

Only then did Jiang Tu let out a turbid breath, a layer of cold sweat coating his back.

The child's sudden advancement just now had given him quite a start. Fortunately, neither Qin Niangzi nor Wang Congyun connected this change to him, and they did not necessarily know it was an advancement. Qin Niangzi simply figured the baby had given a kick, and Wang Congyun had been completely oblivious; his perception of the Agricultural Dao Sequence was far less acute than Jiang Tu's.

At that moment, only Jiang Tu knew what had happened.

Eighth Rank in the Womb.

Qin Niangzi had also received blessings because of her child's breakthrough, and the Agricultural Dao aura radiating from her body had grown markedly richer. She herself might not have noticed, but Jiang Tu could sense it—she was already on the verge of the eighth-rank boundary!

Was this the effect of the "Endless Renewal" and "Kindling Flame" bestowals? The efficiency of rising from a trough far surpassed the past!

What concerned Jiang Tu even more, however, was that the sequence feedback had mentioned the enlightenment, guidance, and edification of the Lord of the Great Dao.

The Lord of the Great Dao... As the creator of the sequence, he truly did count as the source of the Agricultural Dao Sequence... In that case, as the Lord of the Great Dao, was his influence on other Agricultural Dao Cultivators greater than he himself had imagined?

Recalling the past, Jiang Tu had usually interacted with quite a few farmers. Sometimes, when he casually dropped a few pointers on farming techniques, the other party truly did benefit, yet none had ever awakened their past life memories. Only toward that unborn fetus had the feedback been so intense.

This made him unable to stop his thoughts from running wild.

Could it be that the Agricultural Dao Sequence, which seemed to pay no heed to aptitude and talent, only valuing a love and reverence for the Agricultural Dao... actually possessed the concept of innate talent deep down?

At the very least, that unborn child possessed absolutely top-tier aptitude, being born ninth grade and reaching the eighth rank in the womb. What would happen when he grew up in the future?

Would there be even deeper karmic entanglements and sequence feedback between him and himself in the future?

Jiang Tu silently made a mental note of it.

Fetal cultivators possessed extraordinary talent and were not to be trifled with; from now on, he would stay as far away from them as possible whenever he encountered one. With such an inherently sensitive constitution, who knew if some casual remark of his might bring tremendous enlightenment to the other party... It was simply too absurd!

After Qin Niangzi and the others left, the Jiang Family Courtyard grew quiet once more.

Jiang Tu returned to his ordinary and plain routine. By day he farmed and tended to the estate, and by night he sneaked into the underground farmland to tend to those few premium-quality plants. The days were dull yet solid... except for one matter that gave him a bit of a headache.

Matchmakers!

Those matchmakers and go-betweens who used to visit his home every few days to introduce young maidens had suddenly changed their tactics!

In the past, they brought proper young ladies, pure maidens, and tender, dewy girls of sixteen or seventeen... But ever since Qin Niangzi stayed on the estate for three days, those matchmakers had lost their minds and started introducing him to big-bellied women and graceful, alluring young widows.

"Brother Tu, this one is good! Her husband just passed away, and she has fields and land at home. She comes with a child, but it doesn't matter!"

"Brother Tu, look at this one. Her figure is fine, and her appearance is pretty. Even though she's carrying a child, whatever she births will be of your Jiang family lineage!"

"Brother Tu, how can such a big estate of yours not have a mistress? What's wrong with a widow? Widows know how to cherish people!"

Jiang Tu was left not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

Wasn't this bloody well asking him to be a second-hand husband?

Times were bad in this era, and there were plenty of dangerous professions, leaving widows everywhere and countless wives in need of stepping in... But this matchmaker operation was simply too outrageous?!

Did you all think I was into this? Did you think I had Cao Cao's penchant and simply fancied other men's wives, eh?

He could only helplessly refuse them one by one.

Actually, he couldn't entirely blame the matchmakers. He and Big Household Zhou knew the reason behind Qin Niangzi's background, but outsiders didn't. A pregnant woman had suddenly popped up to live in the Jiang Family Courtyard for three days before leaving—who wouldn't overthink that?

"Brother Tu is hiding a golden house for his mistress!"

"Whatever is in that woman's belly is most likely Brother Tu's seed! Is it an illegitimate child?"

"No wonder he wouldn't accept any maidens when they were introduced to him all these years. So he's into this sort of thing..."

Gossip spread through the village like wildfire. Aside from the headache it caused him, Jiang Tu also realized one thing: the issue of a wife could no longer be dragged out. Sooner was better than later.

No matter what, come next spring he would take a long trip out, rustle up a "fake wife," and shut all those wagging tongues!

The winter of the twenty-eighth year of Jingtai was exceptionally long.

Snow fell in wave after wave, freezing the banks of the Spirit River solid. The farmers of Locust Tree Village huddled inside their houses, and few ventured outdoors.

Yet even in the depths of winter, the news of the Strange Calamity in Dajiang County rapidly swept through the entirety of Jiang Prefecture.

"Have you heard? Dajiang County is completely finished!"

"A territory spanning five hundred miles, with all fertile land and crops utterly destroyed! Nine out of ten houses are empty, and blood flowed like a river!"

"They say tens of thousands of people died! Not a single one of those farmers who awakened their past life memories was left..."

When the news reached Xiaopei County, the farmers were first shocked, then terrified, and finally lapsed into a prolonged silence.

Those Agricultural Dao Cultivators who used to make them green with envy, and who they wished they could emulate and try their luck with, had all vanished overnight! They finally realized that in this era, living a stable life was already a luxury!

Fortunately, the Daoist Sect reacted swiftly. Less than two days after the Strange Calamity erupted, the Daoist Sect dispatched the majority of their Daoist priests down the mountain to reinforce the area. Seven of the twelve True Persons of Lingjiang Temple set out in unison, crossing the empty air via sword-flight, slaying enemies with Dao spells and flying swords to purge the evil spirits!

During those few days, sword light rained across the skies above the Spirit River, and thunder rumbled. The flashes of lightning at the horizon could be seen from a hundred miles away.

Had the Daoist Sect not taken action in time, the Strange Calamity probably would have spread to other counties. Whenever the farmers brought this up, they felt a mix of relief and lingering fear.

"The Daoist Sect is still what you can rely on!"

"If it weren't for the Daoist priests, our Xiaopei County would have been in danger!"

"From now on... give a bit more peace money to the Daoist Sect! It's worth it!"

Jiang Tu caught an earful of this at the village entrance, nodding along on the surface while a chill welled up in his heart.

The Daoist Sect reacted swiftly?

They dispatched reinforcements after two days.

Two whole days!

Dajiang County had long since become a dead wasteland! Were those Daoist priests going to save people, or were they going to clean up the mess and cover up the traces? He had no way of knowing.

As for the lands contaminated by the strange Qi, they had completely degraded into wasteland just like previous Strange Calamities. Not only could crops no longer be grown there, but new strange entities frequently emerged from them, requiring the Daoist Sect to constantly clean them up.

Dajiang County was practically wiped off the map within the borders of Jiang Prefecture. The defense lines contracted, and the old territory was classified as a restricted zone.

Jiang Tu remained silent for a long time, unable to help himself from thinking of those old acquaintances from Dajiang County—Zhao Tiezhu, Liu Gen, Sun Xiaoniang... In the Golden Tome, they were merely a string of names and a line of karmic value, yet they had also once been living, breathing people with wives, children, dependents, hopes, and expectations for a bountiful harvest.

Now, all of them were gone.

A sense of regret rose in his heart, but life still had to go on.

Day after day passed, and in the blink of an eye, it was already a time of fluttering grass and soaring orioles, with all things reviving.

The twenty-ninth year of Jingtai, Qingming Festival.

A hazy drizzle fell, and the grass along both banks of the Spirit River was a lush green.

Mist blanketed Cloudshadow Mountain; the stone steps were slick, and patches of moss were mottled.

Wang Congyun hurried up the stone steps in a rush, travel-worn and dusty, wearing a semi-worn Daoist robe with a cloth pouch hung at his waist.

His entire journey back up the mountain had been cautious and prudent, picking remote and desolate paths out of fear of running into something he shouldn't have. At last catching sight of the mountain gate, he let out a long breath of relief.

Regardless of what things were like on the inside, on the surface this majestic mountain gate still presented a peaceful scene, standing tall for a thousand years.

The moment he entered the temple gates, several inner-sect junior and senior brother disciples swarmed over.

"Congyun! You're still alive!"

"We all thought you died in Dajiang County!"

"Master sent quite a few people down the mountain to look for you, but that place was too chaotic, and after searching for months, they found nothing..."

The disciples chattered all at once, pulling out magical artifacts to check him over from head to toe. Only after confirming he was free of any strange Qi did they truly set their minds at ease.

Wang Congyun politely greeted them one by one. "I had a great deal of luck and ran fast, dodging a disaster. Sorry to have made everyone worry."

After a round of polite small talk, he managed to slip away, walking along the long corridor toward the back hall.

Dong Daozi was still seated on a straw cushion, wearing a cyan-grey Daoist robe, with crane-like hair and a youthful complexion. White breath puffed in and out of his mouth with every respiration, resembling a dragon or a snake.

Wang Congyun dropped to his knees in a bow. "Greetings, Master! This disciple lacks talent and has returned several months late."

Dong Daozi slowly opened his eyes and formed a hand seal with a beckoning motion.

Swish!

Wang Congyun's vision blurred, and he was already pulled right up close.

Dong Daozi inspected him carefully, and only after confirming he was entirely intact did he reveal a faint smile.

"Good disciple, truly tremendous fortune! You could escape with your life from that kind of Strange Calamity; your teacher did not teach you in vain."

"Yes. Without the Daoist Sect's Dao Reception, and without my benevolent teacher's instruction, this disciple surely would not have escaped unscathed this time... This disciple pays respects and thanks my benevolent teacher!"

"Having undergone this trial, your cultivation has also made great progress, and even that frivolous and profligate air has changed quite a bit. You actually possess a bit of the composed and steady demeanor of our sect's people; given time, you will surely become a True Person and mighty expert... Your trial down the mountain this time is already completed beyond expectation, and your teacher will choose a day to perform the Second Dao Reception for you, bestowing upon you our sect's true transmission of the Five Thunders Technique and the Sword-Flight Technique."

Wang Congyun's heart tightened, though his expression remained unchanged.

He prostrated himself in another bow. "Benevolent teacher flatters me! This disciple is unruly and unrefined, with crude and clumsy talent born from humble origins. I still need to study and practice diligently! This trip down the mountain made this disciple feel all the more his own foolishness; the world is vast, yet this disciple is merely like a frog at the bottom of a well... I am unworthy of a Second Dao Reception! Without ten years of accumulation, rushing into a Dao Reception would only make me unable to bear this heaven-reaching stroke of good fortune..."

After a brief silence, Dong Daozi slowly stroked his beard, his gaze calm. "Infinite Heavenly Venerable! To have such thoughts means your poor Daoist really didn't teach you in vain. Since that is the case, you can hone yourself a bit more. There is no rush for the Second Dao Reception."

Wang Congyun's heart relaxed, and he said submissively on the surface, "Thank you, benevolent teacher, for your consideration."

Just as he was about to withdraw, Dong Daozi suddenly spoke up: "Disciple."

"This disciple is here."

"Have you... ever harbored any doubts in your heart?"

Wang Congyun's footsteps paused.

"You had already sensed the anomalies of the Strange Calamity in advance that day, and you were not the only Daoist Sect member in Dajiang County. Why was the disaster not discovered earlier, and insights gained at the microcosm to avert this crisis of county destruction?"

At that instant, the hairs on the back of Wang Congyun's neck stood straight up, and cold sweat poured down.

He raised his head, wearing an earnest expression as he forced himself to recall.

After a moment, he shook his head and said, "This disciple... truly never thought about it!"

"To not keep it from benevolent teacher, this disciple was truly scared out of his wits back then, fleeing in a panic and caring only for saving his life! That was the first time in this disciple's life I had ever encountered so many strange entities, and my heart was filled to the extreme with cowardice. To my shame... as a member of the Daoist Sect, I didn't dare stand up and fight the strange entities, truly losing face for Master!"

"However, now that benevolent teacher mentions it, this disciple is indeed puzzled. Why didn't this disciple receive any reply back then? Why didn't any of the other junior/senior brother disciples and paternal uncles lend a helping hand?"

Dong Daozi let out a long sigh, pity written across his face.

"This was also Dajiang County's destiny! At the time, our temple just happened to be putting all our strength into cultivating Agricultural Dao Cultivators, failing to notice for a moment. By the time the Strange Calamity appeared, we urgently dispatched manpower... but it was still too late!"

"In the end, this matter was the heavens failing to bless them; the lives of Dajiang County's common folk were thinner than paper."

Wang Congyun joined in with a sorrowful sigh, though he sneered inwardly in his heart.

You can trick Wang Goudan from back when he was a kid with that line, but you can't trick the current him.

I believe your ghost!

I don't believe a single word of it!