Chapter 4: I Planted a Radish, and a Beast Sect Spy Set Off a Doomsday Trap?!
The moon hung high over the Crimson Cloud Mountains, casting a silver glow over the forbidden region known as the Red Zone. Everything was calm.
Too calm.
Inside the sprawling mansion, Ayan was fast asleep in the courtyard hammock, snoring softly, cradling a fat orange cat in his arms. Meowster, the Celestial Lightning Tiger, endured the indignity of being used as a body pillow with stoic silence. A pigeon roosted nearby on a spirit lamp, feathers fluffed. In the pond, the turtle snored. (Yes, turtles can snore. Especially if they're actually an Earth Dragon.)
Unbeknownst to them, a sinister ripple passed through the mist just beyond the barrier.
A shadow stepped onto the boundary line, hidden in a dark cloak, eyes glowing faintly red.
"Coordinates confirmed," he muttered into a black crystal. "Target mansion is real. Spiritual pressure is unnatural. I'm proceeding."
"Don't engage. Just observe," a voice crackled from the other side. "If the resident detects you, you're dead. That place may house a divine guardian."
"Roger."
The spy tossed a black talisman at the shimmering barrier. The moment it touched the mist, the fog twisted, trembled—and then parted for exactly two seconds.
He stepped in.
The Beast Sect scout was a top-tier stealth specialist, cloaked in multiple concealment formations. He moved soundlessly through the outer garden, eyes scanning, nose twitching.
"Strange… no guards. No spiritual beasts. Just plants."
His foot brushed against something. He looked down.
A single radish.
"...What?"
He turned to leave.
And stepped directly onto a formation circle.
Meanwhile: Inside the Mansion
Ayan rolled over in his hammock. "Mmm. Radish stew sounds good tomorrow…"
Under the ground, deep beneath the soil, an ancient array pulsed to life. Stone rings aligned. A sunken altar glowed. A defensive trap, disguised as a vegetable garden.
Five years ago, Ayan thought he was planting "spirit radish" seeds. In reality, the system had handed him Forbidden Tier World Anchor Seeds, which grow over energy nodes and automatically draw celestial ley lines.
Unwittingly, Ayan had created a spiritual time bomb.
Outer Garden – Ten Seconds Later
The Beast Sect spy realized something was wrong when the wind vanished.
Everything went still. No birds. No insects. No sound.
The air shimmered.
"...Oh no."
FWOOOSH!
The ground beneath him exploded in golden light as an interlocking spiritual array surged to life.
The spy tried to run, but space folded. He froze mid-air, stuck in a time-locked cube of divine energy. The world around him turned white. A whisper echoed:
"Unauthorized entity detected. Executing purification."
The radish he stepped on blinked.
Yes. Blinked.
A split second later, the spy vanished.
Gone. Disintegrated. Not even ashes remained.
Back at the Mansion – Morning
Ayan stretched and walked barefoot into the garden. "Hmm, time to check on my radishes. I think one got bigger yesterday…"
He blinked.
One of the radishes was missing. The soil was freshly disturbed.
"Did Meowster eat one again? Bad kitty."
The cat yawned innocently.
He dug another one out and sniffed it. "Smells spicy. Might throw this one in stew."
Behind him, Lan Yueru stepped out, brushing her hair, robes fluttering. "Morning, Ayan. Did you feel that energy last night? It felt like a divine pressure wave."
Ayan scratched his head. "Might've been a thunderstorm? Or maybe Barky farted."
Lan Yueru paused, then chuckled softly. "You're unreal."
Just then, a low rumble echoed from the mountains.
Sky Sect Ship – Perimeter
Lan Tian was pale.
An elder knelt before him, trembling. "Reporting! We lost our scrying formation. A massive energy burst occurred inside the Red Zone. Something... disintegrated a scout-level intruder."
Lan Tian clenched his fists. "It wasn't us. It wasn't even Sky Realm. It was higher."
Another elder whispered, "The boy is a recluse... but the mansion protects him. If he wished to destroy our entire sect, he could probably do it by planting more vegetables."
They all stared at the mist, horrified.
Beast Sect – War Hall
An elder slammed his hand on the table. "We lost contact with the scout. No trace left. Not even a soul imprint."
The sect leader's face was like stone. "Only one explanation: he triggered a supreme-grade death formation."
"No formation master alive could create that level of defense... unless..."
They looked at each other.
"Unless the boy is an ancient reborn. Or... something even worse."
Back at the Mansion – Kitchen
Lan Yueru helped Ayan chop spirit onions, which cried for you when sliced.
"So," she said carefully, "you said you lived here your whole life?"
"Yup. Grandpa dropped me off when I was six, then disappeared. I used to talk to the sky until I heard a voice that taught me stuff. Called itself the System."
She dropped her knife. "You had a Heaven-grade cultivation System?!"
"I thought it was imaginary," he said. "It stopped talking five years ago."
She stared at him. Then at the pot of soup now glowing golden.
"...I think you might be the most dangerous mortal on the continent."
He blinked. "Because I used spirit pepper by accident?"
"Because everything about you breaks logic."
Suddenly, the fire crow burst into the room, cawing madly.
Ayan sighed. "What? Did you sit in the stew again?"
The crow flapped, agitated.
Lan Yueru frowned. "Wait. That aura… something's coming. Something BIG."
Sky Sect – Inbound Visitors
A flying barge covered in banners approached the barrier, holding gifts, rare pills, divine ore.
"We come in peace!" Lan Tian shouted, holding up a white banner.
Back in the mansion, Ayan poked his head over the wall.
"Hey, people! Wait, how did you get so close?"
Lan Yueru ran out. "Father!"
Lan Tian stared. "Yueru! Are you safe? Did that boy imprison you?!"
"No! He saved me! Twice! Also he gave me soup!"
Ayan waved. "Want some?"
All the sect elders recoiled.
"No thank you! We come in humble reverence, Great One!"
Ayan blinked. "Who, me?"
Lan Tian dropped to one knee. "We would like to offer gifts in exchange for your protection and forgiveness!"
Ayan looked at the pile of divine gifts.
"Wait... are those golden potatoes?!"
Lan Tian sweated. "Y-yes, Great One!"
"Neat. I ran out."
To Be Continued...
Next Chapter:Ayan Tries to Teach Lan Yueru How to Garden and Accidentally Summons an Ancient Spirit Tree That Thinks He's Its Father.