Immortal Mystery Sequence: I Establish a Divine Duty for Heaven and Earth

Chapter 15 Zhou Ning'e

The Jiang family courtyard, underground farmland.

Jiang Tu squatted by the edge of the field when he suddenly remembered something.

According to the months, Qin Niangzi's child should have been born long ago; she has been pregnant for nearly thirteen months... A normal pregnancy lasts ten months, and even if there are some discrepancies, the baby should have been born by now, but Jin Ce has not shown any signs of pregnancy.

Could something have gone wrong?

Jiang Tu frowned slightly. An eighth-grade cultivator in the womb was a first since ancient times. Could it be that the fetus's cultivation level was too high, and the pregnant woman couldn't bear it? Or was the pregnancy of an eighth-grade cultivator simply different from that of ordinary people?

Is she pregnant with Nezha? A demon orb descended to earth?

For some reason, Jiang Tu felt a little nervous, but the fact that Jin Ce hadn't died meant that both mother and child were still alive, which at least proved that the place Wang Congyun had found for resettlement was safe enough... He could only put his mind at ease for the time being and wait patiently. He had a feeling that the day the child was born safely would contribute a considerable amount of karma points and cultivation improvement to him, and he was quite looking forward to it.

The next day, early in the morning.

As soon as it was light, Jiang Tu was busy in the fields. There was a lot of work to be done in the spring, and none of it could be delayed, such as turning the soil, fertilizing, or sowing.

While they were busy, they suddenly heard a commotion. Looking up, they saw that Zhou, the wealthy man, was leading a large group of farmers over. He was carrying a wine jar, and behind him was a cartload of grain and most of a carcass of pork. The other farmers were carrying hoes and shovels.

"Tu-ge! Busy?"

With a chuckle, Zhou the landlord placed the wine and meat on the edge of the field and called to the men behind him, "Don't just sit there! Turn over the soil for Tu-ge!"

The farmers responded immediately and went to the fields, moving quickly and efficiently.

Jiang Tu was stunned for a moment, and was about to say something, but was stopped by Zhou Dahu: "Come on, let's go inside and talk, let them do it."

Without saying a word, they dragged Jiang Tu into the back room, pulling and tugging at him.

Jiang Tu was completely confused.

This isn't a big holiday or special occasion, so Zhou the landlord's overly solicitous manner clearly indicates that he needs something from him. Zhou the landlord has been listless ever since the incident in Dajiang County, so why is he all energetic again today?

In the back room, the food and wine were quickly served.

Zhou, the wealthy man, personally poured wine for Jiang Tu and then filled his own cup.

"Tu-ge, I heard you're planning a trip soon? Do you have some way to make money? Where do you plan to go to make your fortune?"

Jiang Tu did indeed spread the word that he was going to Yingfeng City to purchase seeds and fertilizers, in order to build momentum for the "Fake Wife Project".

Yingfeng City is a famous city in Jiangnan, ranking among the top in the entire Jiangzhou. It is a bustling commercial center with a night market and a large population flow, so it is perfectly reasonable to bring a wife back from there.

"Yes," Jiang Tu replied casually. "After the disaster in Dajiang County, high-quality seeds were almost extinct and there was no market for them. I was thinking of trying my luck in Yingfeng City. I heard that a lot of high-quality seeds went to the black market there after the disaster."

Zhou, the wealthy man, waved his hand and said, "Don't listen to outsiders' nonsense. It's not true! The real high-quality seeds have long been divided up by the wealthy families and Taoist priests in the surrounding cities."

He put down his wine glass and said seriously, "If you're going there for this, you might as well not go. I still have a batch of high-quality seeds that I transported and stored from Dajiang County. It's not much... but you can plant them."

Jiang Tu's heart stirred.

Zhou the landlord has indeed accumulated a lot of high-quality seeds, and even a batch of good medicinal seeds, including some that are better than Tingfenglian. If he can get his hands on this batch of goods, the scale of the underground farmland will at least quadruple!

But Zhou has always kept these seeds as a family heirloom, not even letting anyone touch them. What's wrong with them today?

Jiang Tu asked suspiciously, "Master Zhou, you always keep your seeds very secret and don't give them to anyone. Why are you suddenly being so generous today? Do you have something else to ask me? I knew you couldn't stay idle. You've only been quiet for a few months, what are you planning to do now?"

Tell me, and I'll give you some advice.

"No, no, no." The wealthy Zhou waved his hands repeatedly, his tone unusually solemn. "I've long lost all ambition. I don't even think about ways to get rich anymore. I just want to protect my Zhou family's ancestral property and live a peaceful life."

He poured himself another glass of wine, tilted his head back, and downed it in one gulp.

"I won't lie to you, I've come here today because I have a favor to ask. If this works out, we'll be family from now on, and everything the Zhou family owns will belong to the Jiang family."

Jiang Tu felt a chill run down his spine: "???"

"The more you talk, the more dangerous it seems to me. Why don't you just leave?"

"No way! You have no idea how much determination it took for me to come to you!"

"What exactly happened?"

Zhou the landlord opened his mouth, held it in for a long time until his face turned red, and then... he suddenly picked up the wine jar and slammed it on the table.

boom!

"Drink! I can't express it just by talking! Wait until I'm a bit tipsy!"

Jiang Tu was both amused and exasperated, but he could only drink along. After advancing to the eighth rank, his physique had been continuously improving, and his alcohol tolerance had also increased accordingly. In any case, Zhou Da Hu wouldn't be able to get him drunk.

One cup after another, from the height of the sun to its setting.

Zhou Da Hu's face grew redder and redder, and he talked more and more, but he kept going around in circles and refused to get to the point. Jiang Tu didn't urge him, and just slowly drank and waited.

By evening, after several rounds of drinks and several dishes, the evening had passed.

Zhou, the wealthy man, suddenly put down his wine glass, covered his face with his hands, and began to sob.

"Tu-ge'er... to tell you the truth, my life is miserable! My Zhou family lineage is all miserable, with few descendants, as you know. I've tried to treat my body so many times, but I still can't have a son."

"I didn't go to Dajiang County to get rich! I went there to awaken my innate wisdom... I was thinking that if I could awaken it, would my health improve? Would I be able to live a few more years and have a chance to have a son to carry on the family line?"

"And now? Nothing the hell is left! Absolutely nothing!"

Jiang Tu tried to soothe him helplessly... "Why is it happening again? Do you have to get all emo at night? How many times has this happened?"

But Zhou waved his hand, signaling him to continue listening.

"My life has been miserable enough... but I never expected that fate would be so cruel as to destroy the Zhou family! My daughter, Ning'e... has had an even more miserable life! Brother Tu, let's not beat around the bush! I've come to your door today to ask you, could you please marry my Ning'e?"

Jiang Tu's hand, holding the wine glass, suddenly froze: "???"

What do you mean?

We've been best friends for years, and you want to be my dad?!

Why are you being promoted to a higher generation here?

He had met Zhou Ning'e, the daughter of the wealthy Zhou family, once. The girl was incredibly intelligent and quick-witted, and she was also exceptionally beautiful. Not to mention Xiaopei County, there were few like her in the entire Jiangzhou. Since childhood, suitors had been lining up to propose marriage, but the wealthy Zhou family had rejected them all. Why did she suddenly want to marry him?

There must be a demon in the abnormal situation!

Jiang Tu instinctively became alert.

He was a perfectly healthy man, and of course he liked pretty girls, but he wasn't really interested in romance. Immortality was his priority. No matter how beautiful a mortal woman was, she would only live for a few decades before turning into a pile of dust...

Having attained cultivation and a lifespan that surpasses the length of time, what kind of soulmate could one not find?

When asked to marry Zhou Ning'e, his first thought wasn't about the good things, but rather the potential trouble he might get into.

"Master Zhou," he put down his wine glass, "we've known each other for many years, you know what kind of person I am. I've devoted myself to this field, I'm just an honest, barefoot farmer. Besides, I'm over thirty, while Ning'e is a beautiful young woman in her prime. I've always regarded her as a junior."

"Besides, you had your daughter late in life, and she's been a precious jewel since she was little. You're flattering me too much."

"No, no, no!" Zhou the landlord cried out anxiously, "Tu-ge'er, let me finish!"

"I have recently been looking for a husband for Ning'e. I think that with the conditions of my Zhou family, tens of thousands of acres of fertile land and a century-old family business, it is not impossible to find a son-in-law to have children and continue the family line."

"But after I had the female doctor examine Ning'e, I found out that Ning'e will never be able to have children in this lifetime."

Jiang Tu was taken aback. Was there really such a twist?

"She was born with a weak constitution due to a difficult childbirth, and it took me many years to treat her to recover, but the aftereffects still lingered."

Zhou Dahu's voice grew softer and softer.

"What decent man would want to become a live-in son-in-law and never have a child? Can you find someone in this world who would treat Ning'e as his wife and be devoted to her for life? Impossible! She might be destined to be someone's concubine, and then neither my Zhou family's business nor our bloodline will be able to continue."

"I looked at everyone around me, and you're the only one I can rely on! Tu-ge'er! Only you are reliable!"

"If you don't covet my family's wealth and don't care about personal feelings, as long as you're willing to marry Ning'e with the proper rites of a principal wife and promise to keep Ning'e's position as the principal wife even if you take concubines to continue the family line, all of my Zhou family's wealth will be yours! From now on, I'll treat you like a brother!"

Jiang Tu remained silent for a long while. A wife who couldn't bear children? And it seemed that he didn't need to take a concubine?

Is there really such a good thing?!

This seems to perfectly solve his wife problem! It easily silences all the gossip!

In the future, it might even help him resolve a bigger identity issue...

He didn't care much about the Zhou family's century-old business; taking it for free would only make others envious. The key was the batch of high-quality seeds, which rightfully belonged to him.

After much deliberation, he made a decision.

"Master Zhou."

"Why?"

"It's a deal! I, Jiang Tu, am willing to grant Zhou Ning'e the honor of being betrothed by the three matchmakers and six betrothal gifts, with an eight-bearer sedan chair, to be her my wife for life."

Zhou the landlord was stunned for a moment, and then tears welled up in his eyes!

"But I have one more request," Jiang Tu said earnestly. "Once you agree to this marriage, Ning'e will be my wife. Could you please keep this a secret... and not make it public that she can't have children? After all, this is a woman's private matter, and I don't want it to become the talk of the town!"

"Furthermore, the continuation of the family line, which is valued by the world, is not important to me. I have been orphaned since childhood and have grown up relying on the kindness of others. Now that I am thirty, I am still unmarried. I have always been very lenient about this matter. As for offspring, I am fortunate to have them and I am destined to lose them. If Ning'e is fortunate enough to have children in the future, that would be my good fortune. If not, I will live my life alone and that is fine. I will not take a concubine."

Zhou Dahu's pupils suddenly contracted.

The next moment, he couldn't help but burst into tears, hugged Jiang Tu tightly, and shouted incoherently.

"This...this...brother! Good brother! I really didn't misjudge you!!"