Immortal World in Chaos
The Immortal World was supposed to be untouchable, eternal. The great sects and holy lands ruled as gods among mortals, each of their elders wielding enough might to shatter mountains or boil seas. For millennia, the ten most powerful factions had been the pillars of heaven's order.
But today, whispers spread like wildfire.
The Azure Holy Land, one of the ten, had been gutted. More than half of its elders—cultivators who had stood at the pinnacle of power—were dead. Their corpses had been retrieved, bloodied and broken, their golden cores shattered like eggshells.
But it wasn't that which shook the Immortal World.
It was the death of the Immortal Sword King.
A man who had cut down demons by the legions, whose sword qi had carved rivers into continents, whose very presence forced emperors to bow. His name was legend, his blade eternal. The strongest swordsman alive.
And yet, he was found dead in his cultivation chamber.
No wounds. No battle scars. No trace of heavenly tribulation. Only a simple cabbage leaf pressed into his skull, as though it had fallen gently from the sky.
The leaf was sharp enough to pierce through all of his protective arrays, his immortal-grade armor, his sword domain itself.
An immortal. Slain by a round, green cabbage.
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Investigation and Terror
At first, the holy lands thought it a trick, an assassination, a weapon forged in the divine realm. But no—it was too absurd. The immortal world searched for patterns, and soon one emerged.
Every elder who had died, every sect leader whose cultivation had collapsed, every immortal whose qi had withered…
…had been born in the same mortal world.
A backwater realm, one of billions. Insignificant. Forgettable.
And yet, the threads led back to it.
A farmer.
That was the rumor now whispered behind sealed doors, carried in jade slips and frightened breaths. A farmer in that mortal world had destroyed the Azure Sect, crippled its ancestor, slaughtered millions, and—somehow—his cabbages had reached into the immortal world itself.
The Immortal World trembled.
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Back at the Farm
Meanwhile, in that "insignificant" mortal world, Lai was harvesting cabbages.
His hands were rough from tilling, his shirt plain and patched, his straw hat tilted against the sun. Each cabbage was lifted with a gentleness one might reserve for a newborn child. He hummed softly, a tune that had no place in any scripture or dao, yet carried the peace of soil and rain.
Blanca was nearby, hauling buckets of water with her serpent tail swaying behind her, sweat on her brow yet a smile on her face. Garfield wrestled with an iron golem in the fields, roaring in frustration, bones cracking and healing over and over. Long Fei hung from a tree, tied upside down, wooden golems pelting him until he blacked out—only to heal and start again.
It was another ordinary day.
Only the cabbages knew they were anything but ordinary.
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An Unexpected Visitor
At noon, the wind shifted. The farm's scarecrows—woven from wheat stalks—seemed to bow, their straw arms pointing toward the dirt road.
Lai straightened, wiping his hands on his pants. He had known for days that she would come.
A simple carriage rolled into view, pulled by plain horses. Two women dressed like merchant daughters stepped out, their clothes modest, their smiles polite. Yet the air around them was too still, too controlled. Their posture too regal.
The Empress.
Disguised, but not well enough to fool him.
She stepped onto the farm, her eyes widening despite herself. Garfield's aura alone was enough to rival hers. Ao Guang's lazy form by the lake made her knees weaken—she nearly fainted when she recognized his cultivation, his bloodline. Blanca's presence left her trembling in silence: a naga, a princess of a destroyed world.
And then there was Lai.
Just a farmer in worn clothes, hands stained with soil. Yet the way he glanced at her made her heart pound against her ribs as if it might burst.
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The Transaction
She forced a smile, bowing lightly. "Farmer… we've come from the capital. We'd like to purchase some crops."
Lai tilted his head, pretending to think. "Oh? Crops, eh? They're my pride and joy. Won't sell 'em cheap."
He named a price so outrageous that even Blanca blinked. Garfield spat out blood from laughter. Long Fei groaned from the tree.
The Empress didn't hesitate. "We'll pay it."
Her guard gawked at her, horrified. The sum was enough to buy half a province.
Lai raised a brow. "Oh? The capital's that desperate for pumpkins and cabbages?"
She tried to steady her breath. "The empire suffers. Pests plague every harvest. Yet… here, your crops thrive. Perhaps you also have… pesticides?"
Lai crouched, brushing soil from his hands. His eyes were calm, unreadable. "What happened to the farmers of the capital? Can't they solve it themselves?"
Her lips tightened. "…They've tried. None succeeded."
Lai chuckled, shaking his head. "I'm just a village farmer."
"True." Her voice was soft, almost trembling. "But your fields are green. And your cabbages… even the heavens fear them."
Their words circled each other, never meeting. Neither spoke the truth, but both understood it.
At last, Lai plucked a pumpkin from the earth. Its skin gleamed like polished jade, qi humming softly inside. He held it out.
"This is my pride. My baby. You want it? Then pay as I asked."
Without hesitation, she accepted, handing over a pouch heavier than gold.
Their fingers never touched, yet the moment lingered.
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A Merchant's Smile, an Empress's Fear
As the Empress turned to leave, her heart beat violently, her composure slipping. She had faced armies, sects, assassins, even immortal envoys without fear. But this farmer… this man who smiled as if death was just another chore…
He terrified her.
And worse, something else stirred beneath the terror. Something she thought she had buried when she took the throne. A warmth. A longing. A dangerous curiosity.
In the distance, Lai watched her carriage roll away. He returned to his cabbages, smiling faintly.
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Cliffhanger – The Immortal World's Whisper
In the immortal palaces, jade slips shattered as elders shouted.
"The Azure Holy Land is crippled!"
"The Immortal Sword King is dead!"
"It's all traced to that one mortal world!"
One trembling voice spoke what none dared to:
"Who is the farmer?"
The words spread like wildfire, climbing higher, echoing into the Divine Realm itself.
And back in the mortal world, the Empress pressed her hand to her chest, feeling her heart race as she whispered to herself:
"…A farmer…"
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⚡ End of Chapter 17 ⚡