Cause and Effect Abound, the Sequence Undergoes a Tremendous Change

Crackle, crackle!

The sound of firecrackers saw off the old year. Intermittent and drifting from far to near, every burst reached the ear, occasionally mingled with children's laughter and dogs barking, making the winter night especially lively.

The lamps in the Jiang residence's main hall had long been extinguished, but a candle still burned in the bedroom.

After a night of feasting, everyone had gone to sleep.

Zhou Ning'e lay against her husband's chest, her soft hair spilling loose around her. Dressed in a thin undergarment, her pale, scallion-white fingers idly traced circles over his chest. Enjoying this brief private reunion between husband and wife, she only spoke after a long while. "Did the trip go smoothly?"

Jiang Tu rested his head on one arm. "It wasn't very smooth at first, which delayed me by several months. Fortunately, there was danger but no real harm afterward."

"That's good."

She did not ask for specifics. She knew not to ask what she should not ask.

"These days, I went to inspect the underground fertile fields every day, and rotated the crops according to the method you left behind... Those Wind-Listening Lotuses bloomed once, and we harvested fifty-six lotus seeds in total. I put them all in the medicine cabinet. And those Congealed Ice Orchids..."

She chattered on, her account miscellaneous yet orderly.

Jiang Tu listened to every word and said sincerely, "You've worked hard, my dear."

He had been away for several months, yet Zhou Ning'e had kept everything inside and outside the household in perfect order. She handled matters meticulously and rigorously, diligent and conscientious, never slacking simply because he was absent.

Yet that made it even stranger. Ning E possessed extraordinary talent; she grasped Agricultural Path knowledge at the slightest prompt, learned alchemy after only watching it a few times, and had been studying the Herbal Compendium all along. Yet she simply could not awaken Awakened Wisdom.

Jiang Tu sometimes wondered whether his instruction as the "Lord of the Great Dao" only worked on certain people. Little Tu Yun had been born with an Agricultural Bone blessed by heaven; his instruction worked on her without even needing to teach her. Perhaps Zhou Ning'e, who had studied and cultivated after birth, could only see flowers through the mist in the end?

Or perhaps awakening Awakened Wisdom required reverence for the Agricultural Path. Ning E did not possess that sort of passion or faith. Perhaps she only studied because he liked it, because she wanted to be his virtuous helpmate?

Forget it, forget it. It could not be rushed.

He was now Seventh Grade, and his understanding of the Agricultural Path had improved further. From now on, he would teach Ning E more of the principles of earth and all living things, the workings of mutual generation and restraint, the Five Elements and yin and yang. With enough time spent steeped in it, he refused to believe Ning E would make no progress. He refused to believe she could not enter the Dao!

Putting aside his thoughts, he took out a pale green precious pill.

"This is a New Year's gift for my dear."

Zhou Ning'e accepted it curiously and examined it closely.

The pill was warm and lustrous throughout, gleaming with a faint green sheen. When she brought it close and sniffed it, its medicinal fragrance was light yet lingering, with several scents mingled together.

After examining it for a moment, she suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "This seems to be Premium Quality Snow-Coalescing Herb, paired with Premium Quality Azure Beauty Flower... Blended in the proper proportions, its effect is most likely to preserve one's looks, nourish the complexion, restore youth, and keep this little face intact... Hmph. Husband truly likes my face more than he likes me. Still, I like it very much."

Jiang Tu: "..."

Did that even sound right?

He had clearly selected this beauty-preserving precious pill with great care. How had it become proof that he was a face-lover once it passed through her lips?

Fine. He really was a face-lover. There was no refuting it.

But his wife could analyze the main ingredients and proportions of a completed pill merely by smelling it. Her insight was so meticulous that even a genuine Ninth Grade Farmer or genuine Eighth Grade Field Steward might not be that sharp, right?

Why the hell could she not enter the Dao?

At that moment, Zhou Ning'e abruptly changed the subject.

"How did Husband refine such a precious pill? How did you control the heat? How did you turn liquid into a pill? How did you extract the impurities? Fine! Husband went out on a trip only to delve deeper into alchemy, secretly studying behind my back!"

"This alchemy method cannot be passed on to you in the short term. But if you are willing to diligently study the principles of how all things generate and restrain one another, you may not be unable to master this pill art in the future."

The Pill Pinching Technique was one of the core abilities of the Seventh Grade. His wife could not learn it unless she entered the Seventh Grade.

He reached into his robes again and brought out two more items: a bottle of pills and a small box.

"These are for Father-in-law. They can nourish the body and prolong life. In the future, Father-in-law can spend more time at your side and enjoy his old age. If he can live to enjoy the happiness of four generations under one roof, that would be even better... Give them to Father-in-law another day, and say they are a New Year's gift from both of us."

Zhou Ning'e pondered silently, then solemnly nodded and accepted them.

A precious pill that prolonged life and increased longevity was a rare treasure no matter where it was found, a wondrous item with a price but no market!

Her husband had truly put thought into it!

But... four generations under one roof?

Did Husband not only intend to disguise himself as little grandson Jiang Liu, but also have his eye on the identity of an unborn great-grandson?

Wasn't that planning a little too far ahead?

"This box is for Xueli and Xianggua. Apply it to the face after washing every day, and it will replenish moisture and keep the skin hydrated. In the long run, it can also preserve their looks. Young girls love such trifles most."

Zhou Ning'e stared at this, dazed for a long while, her emotions difficult to settle.

Her husband had been away from home... yet he had still thought of them at every moment. She was not one for sentimentality, but during the months he had been gone, she had shouldered all the household affairs alone. Though they were not difficult, she had constantly thought about when he would return.

Now that her husband had returned, every gift he brought was for those around him. He had considered every angle and arranged everything with utmost care. It showed that husband and wife were of one heart; even separated by a thousand miles, nothing had changed.

"I have something for Husband too!" She rolled over, pulled a redwood box from beneath the bed, and handed it to him, looking a little embarrassed. "This was not bought from some ready-made clothing shop outside. I sewed it myself!"

Jiang Tu opened the box. Inside was a thick winter garment. Every stitch in the dark blue cotton cloth was dense and carefully sewn. The size fit him perfectly; without understanding him over many years, it would have been impossible to make something so precise.

"Mhm. I can tell it was sewn by hand."

"What do you mean? Is Husband saying my sewing is rough and inferior to the work of the master tailors outside?"

"Of course it is inferior. You never learned needlework when you were young; you only just started learning. How can you compare yourself to people who make their living by it?"

"Husband, you're making fun of me!"

Zhou Ning'e reached out irritably to snatch it back, but she gave a soft cry as Jiang Tu pulled her into his arms and casually drew the quilt over them.

She struggled twice after being bundled into the bedding, but could not break free, so she simply stopped struggling. With a muffled hum, she examined her husband at close range.

Her husband was already past forty. Ordinarily, he should have been a middle-aged man, at the age when one understood heaven's mandate. Yet when outside, he disguised himself as rough and dark-skinned; at home, however, he no longer hid himself. His skin was tender, his bearing deep and steady. He looked younger than before they had parted, and there was an additional sense of being uniquely favored by heaven, as though he existed alongside heaven and earth.

In her daze, he still seemed like a young man. If not for the greater maturity and stability in his features and bearing, others might have mistaken him for a teenager.

The more she looked, the more she liked him.

Compared to him, she actually felt somewhat ashamed of herself. She had always been confident in her own looks and temperament, yet even natural beauty fell short before the cultivation-enhanced presence of a Daoist Sect cultivator.

A short parting was better than newlywed bliss. The couple cast aside their adornments, and the night's tender chaos, its hidden spring tides surging beneath the surface, needed no further telling.

By the latter half of the night, Zhou Ning'e was drowsy and half asleep as she mumbled, "This moisturizing cosmetic of Husband's has reminded me... Such skincare items are quite scarce on the market, and every woman likes them... If Premium Quality medicinal herb powder were mixed with ordinary medicinal ingredients and made into a cream, the cost would not be high, yet demand would be great... Perhaps we could open up a trade route and run such a business..."

Her voice grew softer and softer until it could no longer be heard, while her breathing gradually became even.

Jiang Tu shook his head with a smile. Her eyes could barely stay open, yet she was still calculating the family business.

He had never expected his wife to possess a talent and mind for trade. But what she said made sense. The costs were low, it would not expose the secret of Premium Quality seeds, and the profits would be substantial. It could serve as a legitimate source of visible income.

The Zhou Household already had trade caravans and several commercial storefronts. If they connected to this line of business, the Jiang Household's income would no longer depend solely on farming.

If his wife liked it, he could leave it to her. It was worth developing properly.

Naturally, the Zhou Household had to stand behind it. The Zhou Household had interests intertwined with Daoist masters and county magistrates in the surrounding counties and cities. With the Zhou Household publicly taking the greater share, there would be no need to worry about provoking others' envy.

He thought no further and sank his consciousness into the Golden Tome—

"Name: Jiang Tu"

"Remaining lifespan: 45/128"

"Cultivation: Newly Entering the Dao Path (Agricultural Dao Sequence · Seventh Grade · Herbal Scholar) (26/15000)"

"Remaining evolution duration: 13 years, 7 months"

His remaining lifespan had surged to 128. The increase in constitution and lifespan brought by breaking through to the Seventh Grade was plain to see.

However, his cultivation progress was only 26 points, still far from the 15,000-point limit. Reaching the peak of Eighth Grade, with its mere 2,000 cultivation points, had taken him more than ten years. At the Seventh Grade, even with Agricultural Bone and Dao Foundation supporting him, without a method to advance his cultivation, he feared it would still take decades just to touch the threshold of Sixth Grade.

Compared to the Eighth Grade, his advantage was the Pill Pinching Technique. Taking Premium Quality precious pills could appropriately increase cultivation. If he grew more Premium Quality plants in the future and selected the best among the best, perhaps even producing heavenly materials and earthly treasures, his cultivation could accelerate somewhat further.

But this was ultimately drinking poison to quench thirst. Without instruction, the speed was indeed too slow; yet opening instruction meant exposure, and exposure meant risk.

He had to find a way to have the best of both worlds!

Perhaps after a few more years, when there were more Seventh Grade cultivators in the world, he could change identities and quietly spread the Dao in secret. By then, after several decades of evolution, the Agricultural Dao Sequence would no longer be such a rare thing. If he changed his identity and spread the Dao elsewhere, he would not stand out so much.

As for the fourth evolution... he did not intend to begin it for the moment.

He now had thirteen years of evolution duration, but the previous evolutions had all been cut short because he lacked enough time. This time, he wanted to save up enough time to complete at least one full evolution all the way to the Sixth Grade. Thirteen years was still a little too little.

Besides, his own cultivation progress had to keep up with the evolution. If Luo Jin's cultivation rose all the way while he remained at the entry level of Seventh Grade, it would be difficult for him to seize the first wave of benefits from the sequence's later initial release.

At the very least, he had to first cultivate the Straw Figure Technique like Luo Jin and complete the bestowal of enlightenment, then absorb the more than one thousand pills refined through the Pill Pinching Technique into his own strength before considering evolution.

He opened the sequence panel, which had not been touched in a long time, and instantly revealed an ecstatic expression—

"Agricultural Dao Sequence"

"Sequence number: 01"

"Current evolution progress: Seventh Grade · 'Herbal Scholar'"

"Total cultivators in this sequence: 1347"

"Sequence influence level: lv2.1 (both the open and hidden lines have achieved success)"

"Harvestable karma value: 3188"

"Because the sequence influence level has broken through lv2, you have obtained the 3rd blessing slot"

(Note: After the sequence influence level breaks through lv3, special changes will occur to this sequence and its evolution process.)

"Because the total number of cultivators in this sequence has exceeded 1000, you have obtained the 2nd Dao Foundation slot for this sequence"

(Note: When the total number of cultivators in this sequence exceeds 50000, special changes will occur to this sequence and its evolution process.)

Over 1,000 cultivators, influence level above 2, and more than 3,000 harvestable karma value.

Over these seven years, the Agricultural Path branches at Green Mountain Lake and New Dajiang County had expanded in tandem. The feedback brought by the twin lines advancing together was even more substantial than he had expected!

And there was the newly unlocked third blessing slot and second Dao Foundation slot!

But from whom would the second Dao Foundation come? Where would the Agricultural Path's next heaven-blessed prodigy appear? Green Mountain Lake? Or New Dajiang County?

Not to mention the special changes that would appear in the future...!

On this New Year festival, karma abounded. Everything that should come would come. He was filled with anticipation for the future!