Chapter 323: Harvesting

“Master Chen, daydreaming again?”

A young man carrying a book satchel stopped at the shop’s entrance, unable to resist a smile at Chen Luo’s vacant stare. He looked to be around fifteen or sixteen years old, a scholar with a vibrant energy in his eyes, brimming with optimism for the future.

“Yes, daydreaming,” Chen Luo replied casually, glancing briefly at the youth before returning his gaze to the blacksmith across the street. He recognized the boy; he carried one of his Demon Seeds. Lu Jie, the Blood Blade Marauder Cultivator, stood out among his peers. His Blood Blade divine ability, which corrupted divine souls with ruthless efficiency, was particularly vile. After being drawn into the Demonic Heart Tribulation, like all Transcendence Passers, he had forgotten his past and fully assimilated into this new reality.

“I encountered a problem while studying recently,” Lu Jie said, settling down beside Chen Luo and pulling a book from his satchel. He hoped to ask the master for guidance.

Lu Jie had stumbled upon this habitually daydreaming master by chance. Though seemingly dull-witted, Chen Luo possessed profound wisdom hidden beneath his quiet demeanor—a hidden talent concealed in the ordinary. Lu Jie sensed that such a man would inevitably soar to great heights. Recognizing this opportunity, he frequently sought to ingratiate himself, hoping Chen Luo would lend him a hand when his time came.

“Modern scholars focus on superficial knowledge, amassing breadth but lacking depth,” Lu Jie lamented, seeing Chen Luo’s silence. “What is the most essential principle?”

“Sincerity of intent,” Chen Luo replied casually, finding the question trivial. He might not have personally studied such subjects, but his External Brains contained all the necessary knowledge. After replenishing his supply on the island, he now possessed nearly five hundred External Brains, the weakest of which were at the early Foundation Establishment stage. Each had lived for over two centuries, with some peacefully deceased brains having even reached five hundred years. The combined wisdom of these ancient minds had pushed Chen Luo’s data processing capabilities to their limit; anything he had ever seen, he could cite verbatim.

“Sincerity of intent…” Lu Jie muttered, puzzled but diligently noting it down.

He then retrieved his notebook and posed several more questions, each of which Chen Luo answered with ease.

As dusk fell, the blacksmith shop closed its doors.

After parting ways with Lu Jie, Chen Luo followed his memory back home. In the midst of his Demonic Heart Tribulation, he was just twenty years old, and his eldest sister-in-law was still alive, his sole remaining family member.

“Uncle’s back?”

As Chen Luo entered the courtyard, he saw a woman busily working.

It was Xin Hong, his sister-in-law, his elder brother’s wife. She wasn’t a lady from a wealthy family, but a simple farm woman.

Xin Hong had little education and married into the Zhang family at sixteen, when they were at the height of their influence. Both her father-in-law and husband held official positions, not high-ranking, but enough to make them prominent figures in their small alley. Everyone envied Xin Hong, saying she was destined for a life of comfort and luxury.

But fate had other plans.

The Zhang father and son were killed during a bandit suppression campaign. Upon hearing the devastating news, the elderly matriarch collapsed and died from shock.

Barely three months after her wedding, Xin Hong went from being the envy of all to a widow.

At the time, the Zhang family’s youngest son, Zhang Zheng, was only nine years old. Everyone expected Xin Hong to remarry, but she chose to stay, remaining with the Zhang family to care for young Zhang Zheng.

A sixteen-year-old woman with no special skills, Xin Hong eked out a meager living by washing clothes. She even sold her wedding dowry, saving every coin to survive. And so she persevered for twelve long years.

Twelve years had passed. Xin Hong’s delicate hands had become rough and calloused, and wrinkles now etched themselves onto her forehead. She had poured all her hopes into Zhang Zheng, ensuring he could focus on his studies by shielding him from all household chores.

These were the memories embedded in this body.

“Sister-in-law,” Chen Luo greeted her.

“There’s food left on the stove. Remember to eat,” Xin Hong replied with a faint smile, wiping sweat from her forehead with her wrist and gesturing toward the inner room.

“Okay,” Chen Luo nodded and entered the room. He recalled countless similar exchanges. Xin Hong was fiercely independent; whenever he offered to help, she would refuse, reminding him that he was destined to become a Great Lord and shouldn’t waste his time on menial labor.

Life settled into a quiet rhythm.

Day after day passed like this. Every morning, Chen Luo would rise early to find odd jobs in town. Lu Jie, the youth who was actually a Blood Blade Marauder Cultivator in disguise, would regularly come to seek his guidance in scholarly matters, always leaving a small sum of money when he departed.

This routine continued for half a year, until tragedy struck the Lu family.

Chen Luo hadn’t seen Lu Jie for nearly two weeks. When they finally met again, the young man stood before him like a lost soul, utterly distraught and disoriented.

“Teacher,” Lu Jie said, “I’ve come to bid you farewell.”

Chen Luo glanced at Lu Jie and noticed a dense aura of Tribulation Qi swirling around him.

“What happened?”

“I always thought I’d follow in my elders’ footsteps: study diligently, pass the Imperial Examinations, and serve the Imperial Court to the best of my ability. But life is unpredictable.” Lu Jie sat down beside him, without his usual book satchel or questions for consultation. He seemed to have come simply to chat with an old friend.

Chen Luo knew Lu Jie’s moment of decision had arrived.

The Demonic Heart Tribulation, like life itself, was filled with choices. One wrong step could lead to eternal damnation.

“My father has been falsely accused and imprisoned. Despite my elder brother and I exhausting every means to secure his release these past few days, we’ve failed. If we delay any longer, there will be no hope left.” As Lu Jie spoke, his eyes flickered with an unfamiliar intensity, as if the Blood Blade Marauder Cultivator had resurfaced within him.

Though lacking extraordinary power, he exuded a presence far beyond that of ordinary men.

“As a filial son, how could I abandon my parents to death? I intend to sacrifice my life to save my father.” A plan had already formed in Lu Jie’s mind.

“Years of diligent study, all for naught? Is it worth it? Perhaps your father wouldn’t want you to save him this way.”

“There are things one must do, and things one must not.”

The light in Lu Jie’s eyes hardened with resolve. He hadn’t come to Chen Luo for consultation, only to bid farewell. After a few parting words, Lu Jie rose, solemnly took his leave, and strode across the street.

Chen Luo watched Lu Jie’s retreating figure, imagining he saw a heroic swordsman from Yan Land.

Life and death, loyalty and filial piety.

Chen Luo stood up, packed away his stall for the day, and headed in the direction Lu Jie had disappeared. He wanted to witness Lu Jie’s final choice. If the young man truly held firm to his principles, he would undoubtedly nurture a formidable Demon Seed for Chen Luo after emerging from the Demonic Heart Tribulation.

A grand banquet was underway at Zhou Mansion.

Prefect Zhou Sima was celebrating his birthday, and the hall overflowed with distinguished guests. High-ranking officials mingled with merchants, cups clinked in toasts, and servants hurried between tables. Lu Jie, a dagger concealed in his sleeve, slipped into Zhou Mansion unnoticed amidst the bustling crowd. No one paid attention to the young man; they simply assumed he was another guest come to offer birthday greetings.

Zhou Sima was at the peak of his career. Having recently collaborated with allies to oust his political rivals, he now faced no obstacles and was poised for rapid advancement.

This is the proper path to follow, Zhou Sima thought. As for the youthful dreams he once cherished, he now dismissed them as childish naivety—the foolish notions of someone who hadn’t yet grasped the true nature of the world. To climb the ladder of success, one had to abandon such sentimentalities.

“May Lord Zhou’s career flourish, leading him to the Grand Secretariat and the premiership.”

Zhou Sima had just finished boasting about his power and influence when a voice suddenly rang in his ear.

Slightly tipsy, Zhou Sima turned to see an unfamiliar young man. Judging by his youthful features, he was likely the son of some noble family, seizing the opportunity of a toast to curry favor and make an impression. Zhou Sima had encountered many like him before, but this was the first time he’d seen one so young.

This is how officials should behave! If that Lu fellow had shown such sense, would I have gone to such lengths to ruin him? Wouldn’t it have been better for everyone to prosper together? Instead, he insisted on speaking up for those muddy-footed peasants.

As Zhou Sima lowered his wine cup, a glint of cold steel flashed from the youth’s sleeve. At such close range, the slightly inebriated Zhou Sima had no time to react.

Thunk!

The blade pierced his throat.

Scalding blood gushed from Zhou Sima’s neck as he clawed at the wound, desperately trying to stem the flow.

But it was too late.

“Protect the Lord!”

The sudden violence stunned everyone at the head table. Some cried out in panic, others collapsed to the floor. Only Lu Jie stood calmly to one side, dagger in hand, his face set with grim determination. Surveying the room with unwavering eyes, he declared, “I did it.”

“Lu Jie is the murderer!”

The guards surged forward, hacking him down with a frenzy of blades. The frail Lu Jie stood no chance against these hardened soldiers; he was cut down in moments. As he lay bleeding in a pool of blood, a faint smile lingered on his face.

He knew his father would be saved.

The assassination of the Prefect was a grave matter that would undoubtedly reach the imperial court. Once the higher authorities investigated, the unjust case against his father would collapse, and the Lu family would finally escape this mire.

It’s just a pity I won’t be able to discuss literature with my teacher again.

In his final moments, Lu Jie’s mind drifted to his scholarly mentor. He thought he glimpsed that familiar figure among the guests.

“Knowing what to do and what not to do… excellent.”

Chen Luo stood among the guests, watching Lu Jie’s cooling body. He turned and walked away.

In the void, an invisible force descended upon Lu Jie—the feedback from his Demonic Heart Tribulation. This energy flowed into his body and was swiftly absorbed by the Demon Seed nestled between his brows. Nourished by this power, the seed rapidly cracked open, transforming into a small, pitch-black pebble.

The rewards originally meant for Immortal Cultivators had been intercepted by the Demon Seed.

The tribulation had originated with Chen Luo, so it would naturally return to him.

These Transcendence Seekers were merely crops.

This was the true method of Demonseeding.

Lu Jie’s consciousness floated in the air, as if he had transformed into a Yin Soul. Unable to depart or communicate, his memories of his past life began to resurface after death. He recalled his identity and recognized the ‘Master’. He wondered why his consciousness remained intact while others had vanished. Subconsciously, he glanced at Zhou Sima, whom he had killed, and discovered that the man was also a Marauder Cultivator from the outside world. Yet, unlike Lu Jie, Zhou Sima’s consciousness had not escaped, and the luminous points on his body had dimmed.

He must be truly dead, Lu Jie thought.

As Lu Jie stared in confusion, the ‘Master’ stood among the guests and gently beckoned to him. A small stone radiating an eerie glow flew from Lu Jie’s body and landed in the Master’s palm.

“Master,” Lu Jie called out.

“Having survived, savor this experience,” Chen Luo advised, then turned and strode out the door, no longer paying attention to the floating Lu Jie. This Demonic Heart Tribulation wasn’t just about him. Chen Luo’s true high-stakes bet—the Demon Seed—lay in Ao Ye, the youngest son of the Great King of Black Horn.