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

Late at night, in the Jiang family courtyard.

Jiang Tu quietly climbed into bed. The blankets were warm and soft, and Zhou Ning'e was curled up and sleeping peacefully. Hearing the noise, she drowsily turned over and snuggled back into his arms, nuzzling her little head against his chest, finding a comfortable spot to continue sleeping.

Four years into their marriage, life has been smooth sailing. Their relationship is sweet and harmonious, without any major ups and downs. They have always been in perfect harmony, always supporting each other and living in perfect accord. They have developed a great deal of mutual understanding.

Jiang Tu rested his head on his arm and lay quietly for a while. The moonlight shone through the window paper and curtains, creating a hazy scene.

Finally, he broke the silence: "Are you asleep?"

The person in his arms did not answer immediately. After a few breaths, a soft chuckle came from inside.

"Whether I slept or not, doesn't my husband know perfectly well enough?"

Jiang Tu looked down at her. Zhou Ning'e remained lying on his chest, only looking up at him with eyes as bright as the moon and stars, carrying a knowing smile.

Over the past four years, she had long been used to him leaving and returning late at night, and she had also long seen through the fact that he was hiding something from her, but she never asked. This had almost become an unspoken understanding between the couple, a little secret that was left unsaid.

"I need to discuss something."

"Hmm~ Do you want me to join in your antics again?" She poked Jiang Tu's chest and teased, "Husband... you really haven't lost any of your charm, you don't look old at all."

"...Serious business."

"Oh." She blinked her misty eyes, slowly sat up, her close-fitting clothes clinging to her body, revealing large glimpses of her fair skin. The thin moonlight shone on her profile, softening her features and highlighting her bright and beautiful face. She put away her playful thoughts and looked at Jiang Tu seriously, "Please speak, my husband."

Jiang Tu remained silent for a few moments, considering how to begin.

Zhou Ning'e didn't urge her, but waited quietly.

After a moment, he said, "Starting tomorrow, I will summon more doctors and physicians to the manor, and I will also send people to Yingfeng City to buy some high-quality precious medicines and basic Dao pills."

Zhou Ning'e's eyes darkened for a moment.

Of course she knew why all this was for. Since their marriage, Jiang Tu had been diligently working, night after night, indulging in pleasure day and night, but her belly was indeed uncooperative, never showing any signs of pregnancy.

Jiang Tu had been seeking medical help to treat her condition, and she had been given herbal medicine without interruption. She had consulted many famous doctors, but after examining her, they all shook their heads and sighed, saying that her illness was something she had been born with, a congenital condition, and that no matter how much she took care of herself, it would be difficult to see any improvement. They could only leave it to fate.

She herself had no other physical abnormalities, except that she couldn't have children. Over the four years, their relationship remained unchanged and even grew closer. Naturally, she hoped to leave her husband with a child to continue the family line for the Jiang family and her Zhou family, but fate had other plans.

"My husband, I..."

"I know." Jiang Tu interrupted her, his tone softening. "Ning'e, it's not your fault, and I've never blamed you for it. What's meant to be will be, and what's not meant to be shouldn't be forced. You don't need to hold a grudge... You should be able to tell that I don't really care much about having children or continuing the family line."

"I am saying this today for another reason. I hope that in a few months you will announce to the public that you are pregnant and have started to rest and recuperate at home. To those who know the truth, you will say that your years of recuperation have finally shown results."

Zhou Ning'e frowned slightly, her delicate nose wrinkling: "Why?"

Jiang Tu remained silent for a long time before speaking: "I... actually keep a mistress outside the home. She is pregnant, and I want to bring her child into the household and register it under your name."

After saying this, he himself felt that the excuse was rather poorly made up, a self-deprecating way to cover up the secret. If not handled properly, it could potentially affect the relationship between husband and wife and create a rift between them.

But... I can't find a better excuse for the time being.

Zhou Ning'e's reaction was completely unexpected. Instead of being angry or annoyed, she lowered her head, covered her mouth, and burst out laughing.

"My husband is so good at joking with me~"

"I'm not kidding, it's true!"

Zhou Ning'e looked up at him, her eyes clear and bright in the moonlight, without a trace of doubt. She said firmly, "My husband would not keep a mistress behind my back. My husband is not that kind of philanderer... Besides, how could my husband have time to keep a mistress? He goes to the fields to work every day at dawn, and he is more diligent than the farmers we hire."

"Every time I go out at night, it's to keep my mistresses company."

"Do you think I believe that?" Zhou Ning'e tilted her head, giving him a "you're kidding me" look. "Husband, I'm not stupid. I know exactly where you go every night and whether you've left home. If I'm not mistaken, there's an underground farm right beneath our feet, isn't there?"

Jiang Tu's breath hitched.

"Let me guess, it's planted with all sorts of high-quality crops, right? The good seeds Father gave us back then, and the ones you've saved up over the years, are all hidden in there. You leave every night to take care of those things."

"You, you have no interest in any other women except me. You're even more interested in the seeds in the field than in women. If it weren't for my husband's diligent work every night and his complete lack of care for my body, I would probably suspect that you have some kind of hidden illness."

Jiang Tu opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything for a long time.

Indeed, it's easy to hide some things from others, but it's quite difficult to hide them from your spouse, especially a kind and intelligent one.

Wait, who doesn't cherish it?

He always understood and cherished her, and even though Ning'e was young and vigorous, he always tried to be the first to her!

He's young but has a big addiction.

If it weren't for his eighth-rank foundation, he might not have been able to satisfy this young lady.

Now they're turning around and accusing me?!

Seeing his somewhat surprised expression, Zhou Ning'e chuckled and reassured him, "Alright, I didn't want my husband to tell me everything. Between husband and wife, it's better to keep quiet than to lie and deceive each other."

"We are husband and wife, one in spirit, inseparable... You will tell me when you are willing, and I will not force you if you are not willing."

"If my husband truly wants me to pretend to be pregnant and raise a child to cover for you, I will do as he says. It would just fulfill my regret of not having children. But I only want to know one thing... whose child is it?"

Jiang Tu remained silent.

"Is she an orphan adopted by my husband? Or something... a descendant of an old friend, whose identity cannot be revealed to the outside world? I just want to know the origin of the child I raised."

Jiang Tu looked at her, and the tension in his heart eased slightly.

He knew some things couldn't be hidden any longer. Besides, the trust built up over the past four years, and Zhou Ning'e's wholehearted devotion to him, her never doubting him, never asking too many questions, and her equal caution and secrecy, made him decide to take the initiative to reveal some of the truth.

He took a deep breath and pulled out a straw figure the size of his palm.

Zhou Ning'e looked at the little thing with a puzzled expression, tilting her head slightly.

The straw figure lay quietly in her palm, its dark green leaves gleaming faintly in the moonlight. She leaned closer for a closer look, and the straw figure suddenly turned its head and tilted its head to meet her gaze. The two, one human and one straw, stared at each other with their heads tilted and their eyes wide open.

Zhou Ning'e: "..."

Little Grass Man: "..."

Zhou Ning'e: "—!"

scare!!

She jerked back, almost falling off the bed, but Jiang Tu caught her.

Her eyes widened, still reeling from the shock, as she stared at the straw figure, her words tumbling out incoherently: "This...is it alive?!"

Jiang Tu didn't speak, but simply flicked his finger.

Snapped!

The palm-sized grass figure rapidly swelled and deformed under the moonlight, revealing skin, robes, eyebrows, and eyes.

In just a few breaths, it transformed into an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes. The infant's face resembled Jiang Tu by four or five points, and its eyebrows and eyes were also five or six points similar to Zhou Ning'e's. Its eyes were closed and its breathing was even, as if it were sleeping peacefully.

Jiang Tu spent a long time sculpting this face, and it was completely modeled after the couple.

Zhou Ning'e covered her mouth, her eyes wide open.

Then, the straw man slowly grew bigger, from an infant to a child, from a child to a teenager, and from a teenager to a young adult. The appearance of each stage transitioned naturally, as if it were really growing taller and more mature, and finally it settled into the appearance of a young man.

With delicate features and a gentle temperament, she looks like a younger version of Jiang Tu at first glance, but upon closer inspection, she also bears some resemblance to Zhou Ning'e.

Zhou Ning'e watched for a long time, as if she had just woken up from a dream. She saw their child running around on the ground, and as he walked, his little mouth opened several times but no sound came out.

After a long pause, she took a deep breath and asked in a low voice, "...A Taoist magical artifact?"

Jiang Tu neither denied nor admitted it.

Zhou Ning'e suddenly realized and said, "So, my husband, you are a Taoist cultivator? You came down from the mountain to undergo tribulations in the mortal world? I heard that Taoist cultivators cannot reveal their identities to outsiders during their training... Could you tell me this?"

Looking into her bright eyes, Jiang Tu suddenly felt a little lost and didn't know what to say.

The Taoist cultivator descended the mountain to gain experience and conceal his identity, which is a good explanation. It would not expose the truth of the "Agricultural Dao Sequence" and could also explain the straw man, the underground farmland, and his various unusual behaviors.

Therefore, he simply smiled noncommittally.

Zhou Ning'e quickly pieced together all the clues: "So, you have a lifespan far exceeding that of ordinary people, and you don't age. To avoid arousing suspicion, you need to change your identity every few decades? That's why you need a son... You use a straw effigy to transform into your son's appearance, so that when this identity ages, your son will take over the family business and continue living under another identity? It makes perfect sense!"

Jiang Tu looked at her, his feelings somewhat complicated.

Indeed, he repeatedly instructed Zhou Dahu not to reveal Ning'e's infertility, partly because it was a girl's private matter and not to be spread, and partly as a preparation for her to take the place of her father.

His wife was much smarter than he had imagined; she had guessed everything from just a few hints.

Underground farmland, high-quality crops, straw man transformation, identity change plan... The only thing he guessed wrong was his identity as a Taoist cultivator, but that was precisely the part he needed her to guess wrong the most.

This is Ning'e, his Ning'e.