I ran to my pet while yelling, “Cutie, let go of Mr. Snake!”

I don’t know if she understood me or just got spooked, but my pet let go of the snake she had been holding in her tentacles. The serpent lost no time in slithering off.

“Good girl,” I cooed when I reached her position. Petting her on the head, I took out a special treat from the System’s pet tab, a cute [Flower Cake], and placed it on the ground in front of her. It was made of flower petals and smelled great.

“Chuuu!” Cutie poked the [Flower Cake] with her tentacles then jumped on it, making the petals swirl around her.

She played with the petals, jumping on them and blowing on them to make them dance, while I kept an eye on her.

“Where did the snake go?” asked Mo with a worried frown. “Could it be venomous?”

“I doubt it,” I said. “Most snakes aren't. Have I told you guys that snakes are our friends?”

The three of them exchanged understanding looks.

“Teacher really likes the Black Tortoise,” said Kharli.

Mo and Lari nodded.

The Black Tortoise of myth was always depicted with a companion snake on its back.

“Yes, I do like the Black Tortoise, but what I meant was that snakes eat rodents and vermin.” I waved a hand at the fields around us. “As farmers, there’s no reason to kill snakes.”

“Unless they live too near the house,” said Lari.

“Right, but I doubt there’s a snake habitat near the farm,” I said. “Let's continue. I’ll plant a few more trees since I have a bit of energy left.”

Cutie finished playing with the [Flower Cake] and bounced along with me as I worked.

“There, I’m done. Shall we go to the tree?” I asked the others. “After cleaning up, of course.”

We called it “the tree” because it was too much work to say [Mustard Tree Pocket Dimension] or Grand View Garden every time.

They all agreed and we went to the main house to shower and change before spending the rest of the morning at the western field examining the [Ruling Plants]. The [King of Ginseng], [Lord of Rice], [Queen of Tea], [King Corn], and [Lady Wheat] were all growing quite fast and were now one handspan tall. They should be full-grown by summer.

The eggs had also gotten bigger though it looked like it would take some time before they hatched.

***

The next few days passed in the same way, with the staff busily preparing for our upcoming journey south.

Scholar Wu made made a two-day trip to the camps and returned with news and gossip. We went to the walled [Herb Garden] and had tea while we chatted.

“Ever since the Vermillion Bird clan got their zidan back, half of the other clan members were forced to move north, either to the White Tiger clan’s territory or to the buffer zone,” said Scholar Wu.

Zidan was the reason why the clans tended not to invade other people’s territory. As long as a clan’s zidan was strong, it exerted a mystical force that made invaders feel uncomfortable.

Mo looked surprised. “But everyone is there to help kill the demon! They’re not there to steal territory.”

“That’s why half of the clan members can stay. The other half are either too sensitive or unused to traveling,” said Scholar Wu.

“Prince Baiyu said he used to spend time in the Northernlands,” said Kharli. “That’s why he’s friends with Prince Muyang.”

“The north is vast and sparsely populated,” said Scholar Wu. “It’s easier to spend time in a place where there aren’t too many people. In the camps, everyone lives close together.”

“How is Prince Baiyu?” I asked.

This, of course, triggered a few rounds of teasing from the others, but I did get the information I wanted. He was in good spirits and busy training with his peers.

“That’s good to know,” I said. “What can I expect when the fighting starts?”

“The leaders have formed a tentative strategy based on the ancient records on historical accounts of wars when all the clan fought together,” said Scholar Wu.

We listened intently as she spoke.

The Azure Dragon clan members would attack the demon’s legs. They were best suited for it since they excelled in physical attacks and had sturdy bodies.

The Black Tortoise clan members would be responsible for shielding and protecting the Vermillion Bird clans members. The two of them would attack the demon’s back.

The White Tiger clan were the fastest and most agile of the four and would distract the demon by attacking its head, especially the eyes and throat. They would also serve as messengers.

“Lady Violet, you’ll be in the back with the Black Tortoise clan and Prince Baiyu,” said Scholar Wu. “The strongest mage who can use the [Diamond Scepter and Thunderbolt Bell] you made will be protecting you with her shield.”

“Sweet,” I said.

There were more details, but it was hard for me to remember all the names of the people I had never met. At the end of Scholar Wu’s talk about battle strategies, she asked to see the famous weapons.

“Sure, here you go.” I handed her a pair of items. “They’re amazing! My ancestors must have been friends of the Black Tortoise clan to include this in my bloodline inheritance.”

[Diamond Scepter and Thunderbolt Bell:

Unbreakable as a diamond, irresistible as a thunderbolt! The Diamond Scepter allows the user to cast a shield, while the chiming of the Thunderbolt Bell emits a wave of power that cleanses demonic energies.

Casts Diamond Shield and Thunderbolt Wave.

Comes as a set. Usable only by the Black Tortoise Clan.]

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

“May I study this one? I know your bloodline inheritance says that only the Black Tortoise clan can use it, but this hasn’t been tested.”

I smiled indulgently. “But how can you afford it? I thought you said your research budget for this year was all used up.”

Perhaps she was hoping I would give it to her for free, but I was no longer the young naive farmer who didn’t know the true value of her System.

Scholar Wu turned over the [Diamond Scepter and Thunderbolt Bell] in her hands and gave them a longing look. “That is sadly correct. I hope to have more funds next year.”

I graciously permitted her to bring them to her rooms for a few days to allow her time to pore over them with a magnifying glass and sketch them. “But enough about serious matters. Tell us the gossip!”

“There’s so much that I hardly know where to start.” Scholar Wu picked up her teacup and took a sip while we waited breathlessly for the juiciest story from the war camps. “Two lovers from rival Azure Dragon clans eloped and both their families demanded that they be given leave to search every tent.”

Beside me, I could almost see the maids’ ears perking up as they served tea and steamed buns while listening to the story of the two star-crossed lovers. It was a true Romeo and Juliet tale, complete with duels, forbidden love, clandestine meetings, misunderstandings, vendettas, and a secret wedding. In the end, the two lovers sailed off to sea to an unknown fate.

“How romantic!” Kharli sighed in a satisfied sort of way. She turned to Mo and asked her, “Isn’t it just like the story of The Magnolia Lovers?”

“Yes!” Mo’s eyes were shining.

“Except for the part where they don’t die and turn into magnolia trees.” Lari smirked, but though he was scoffing now, he had been just as engrossed in the story as the rest of us.

“What was that part about them forming a new clan?” I asked Scholar Wu. “Is it really that easy to leave your family and form a new clan? With just two people?”

“It’s that way for the Azure Dragon clans. Their zidan is somewhat unusual that way.” Scholar Wu hesitated for a moment before continuing. “While others may regard this as a weakness, the Azure Dragon clans consider it one of the best features of their zidan which they call ‘wild and free.’ Every clan's zidan is different. For example, the Black Tortoise clan’s territories are set in stone and have not changed in hundreds of years, but the White Tiger clan territories change with every generation.”

The Azure Dragon clan’s zidan sounded flawed to me, but I kept my mouth shut since I understood that to say that aloud about a clan member was to say that he or she was broken in some fundamental way.

“Do they really have tons of duels all the time?” asked Lari.

“Non-lethal duels, yes. Deadly duels are extremely rare.”

I waved a meat bun in Lari’s direction. “No! Please, no talk about deadly duels. I would like more love stories.”

The girls and maids laughed.

Talk then turned to more gossip and we had fun chatting until it was time for the rest of this morning's chores.

We said our goodbyes to Scholar Wu, and I led the kids to my [Ranch House] where I had a private talk with them.

“This is a secret, and you must all swear not to reveal it to anyone,” I said to them. “Not even Fengying or any of the other staff, okay?”

They solemnly swore to do so, and I showed them the [Rain Statue], a three-foot-tall wooden statue carved in the shape of a dragon with eyes made of star sapphire, that I had placed on my porch.

[Rain Statue:

A mystical dragon statue that grants rain in exchange for eight Nymph’s Jewels.]

The jewel was a very rare item that one unlocked after harvesting ten thousand crops, after which they could be found randomly while tilling, planting seeds, harvesting, Fishing, Mining, Hunting, Woodcutting, or Foraging. Players in Adventure Incarnate normally only used the [Rain Statue] if they were completionists since it could be sold to the Farm Guide for ten thousand gold coins.

I had 2,147,483,647 of them courtesy of GodIAm.

“I honestly never wanted to use this, but I thought it would be unfair to force one of you to stay on the farm while the rest of us go on an adventure south. Before we leave, I’ll set this to rain for seven days,” I said.

Kharli exchanged baffled looks with the others before saying, “Teacher, you can control the weather?”

“No, this will only create a drizzle that will water the plants on the farm. It won’t rain outside,” I said. “The fact that you asked that means we should definitely keep this a secret.”

The three of them nodded.

I mentally right-clicked on the statue and fiddled with the settings before placing a small pile of jewels in front of it.

Mo knelt in front of the statue and ran a finger along its base. “I know why Teacher never used this before. This is an exp waste.”

“Hmm?” I grinned at her. “Are you saying you want the exp for watering the plants? Are you volunteering to stay here and miss the event of the century?”

“Never!” Mo jumped up and smiled back at me. “But I think the real event of the century will be Teacher’s wedding.”

“Never!” I copied Mo’s tone from earlier. “My wedding will be very small and private.”

***

The next day, we all flew to the war camp in my [Floating Solarium].

The site had been chosen based on its proximity to a wide and deep river which not only provided water to the camps but might also prove to be a natural barrier to the demon when it hatched. The blue sky was bright and clear with a few fluffy white clouds scattered here and there, but the view was dominated by the vast, ominous bulk of the demon egg which was as big as a mountain. This close, I could see that its surface was not smooth. Rather, it was pockmarked with large craters and studded with rocky protrusions. The most alarming thing about it was the veins of glowing red light that pulsed on the egg's surface, presumably in time with the demon’s heartbeat.

I turned away from that awful sight and looked down at the rows of neatly ordered tents below us as my ship slowly descended. This was not a modern, professional army. Rather than a structured military camp with barracks for all, the fighters lived in tents alongside their families, organized by clan. Their encampments were a patchwork of various tent sizes, shapes, and colors, a stark contrast to the standardized tents I would have expected of an army back on Earth.

The White Tiger clan’s welcoming committee met us when we landed. Scholar Wu made the introductions and they swiftly and efficiently led us to our designated site, a small cleared area on the edge of the camp. There I used the System’s build tab to erect the [CampMaster 50 XL], a dome-type shelter made of waterproofed canvas and steel poles. It was large enough for fifty people and was raised on a wooden platform. I considered it a glamping tent since it had air conditioning and luxury furnishings inside.

At the edge of our camping area, I added a few smaller tents for the portable toilets, and on the opposite side of the clearing, I placed two medium-sized tents for the portable showers.

“This should be enough since we won’t be here long,” I said to my staff.

“This is plenty,” said Scholar Wu.

It was a hot day, and the sun mercilessly beat down on the top of my head, making my skin sticky from the humidity. Around us, the dense jungle was full of life, with vibrantly green flora. Tall trees, thick with moss and hung with vines, dominated the landscape. Beneath them was a tangle of ferns and shrubs that competed for space with mushrooms and colorful flowers.

“Nice place,” I said to the others. “Hot, but very alive, you know?”

“Good place for farming once you clear the jungle,” said Lari. “The soil here is dark and fertile.”

Fengying and Deming went inside our tent to supervise my household in unpacking our stuff while Scholar Wu, my apprentices, and I made ourselves comfortable under a tamarind tree with some wooden chairs and a large farmhouse table from my inventory. This was where I received the necessary visit from the camp officials who went over the rules with us, making sure that we understood everything before they left. They also gave us all wooden tokens carved with strange runes that served as an entry and exit pass for the formation covering the entire riverside. Once we received them, they planted formation flags at each corner of our camp. I couldn’t see what difference that made, but Scholar Wu assured me that the army’s very strong shield now covered the area assigned to us.

Lari, the most outgoing of my apprentices, went off with the kitchen staff to explore. Haoran was particularly eager to go since, as Deming’s most senior assistant, he knew quite a few of the humans, mostly cooks, who were also serving clan members in the camp.

“Noon?” asked Scholar Wu, frowning at the demon egg in the distance.

“Possibly at noon,” I answered.

“I would have thought that demons hatch at night,” said Kharli.

Despite the tropical heat, Mo shivered. Seeing her reaction, Kharli put an arm around her shoulders and squeezed.

I was about to say something when I caught sight of someone approaching. Whoever it was waved at us and when he got closer, I saw that it was a male human child with wild spiky black hair, dark brown eyes, and a mischievous grin. He was undoubtedly a cultivator since he was wearing a green and white robe with the Dawn Skyblade Sect symbol, a stylized sword rising through a cloud, embroidered on it. Slung on his back was a ridiculously huge sword two feet wide and as long as he was tall.

He cupped his hands and bowed, first to me, then to Scholar Wu and my apprentices. We rose and returned the greeting.

“Lady Violet, I’ve come to recheck your Spirit Root and reassess your potential for immortal cultivation,” he said.