Chapter 19: The Farmer and The Harrower
The air itself screamed as The Harrower stepped fully through the rift, his towering form cloaked in shifting crimson threads. Each breath he took distorted the space around him, bending light as if reality itself bowed to his presence. His mask, carved with three vertical lines glowing faint red, reflected Li Yuan's calm, golden gaze.
The villagers trembled, clutching their children. Granny Xue stood with her cane planted firmly, refusing to move despite the crushing weight of his aura. Mei Lin hid behind a Seedbud, wide-eyed yet defiant.
The newly sprouted golden Seedbud, standing beside Li Yuan, tensed, its bark-like skin hardening, leaves curling into sharp blade-like shapes.
The Harrower Speaks
The Harrower's voice was calm, almost polite, but it carried a weight that pressed into every chest.
"You were supposed to stay buried, Xiao Tianmie. To die as a farmer. To let the world grow without your interference."
Li Yuan's grip tightened on his Rootsplit Hoe, but his golden eyes remained soft, unshaken.
"And you were supposed to prune without thought, weren't you? No questioning. Just cutting."
The Harrower tilted his head slightly, his aura flaring, causing cracks to splinter across the ground.
"I prune so that life may flourish."
Li Yuan planted the Hoe into the soil beside him, his white hair drifting in the sudden wind.
"And I plant so that life learns to grow on its own. There's a difference."
For a brief moment, they simply stood—two opposing forces, both believing themselves to be gardeners of fate.
Then The Harrower moved.
The First Strike
The Harrower vanished.
A crimson slash of qi split the air where Li Yuan had been standing an instant ago, cutting through three houses like paper. Dust and wooden shards exploded, villagers screaming as they ran for safety.
But Li Yuan had already stepped aside, moving with a farmer's calm rhythm, his Hoe swinging up to parry the next strike. The clash sent shockwaves rippling through the soil, tearing open trenches.
Clang!
The Rootsplit Hoe met The Harrower's blade—a weapon that looked more like a giant pruning shear than a sword, its edges humming with cutting intent.
Their auras collided, shaking the earth. Cracks spread, and the sky's fractures deepened, letting threads of crimson and gold light bleed through.
Battle of Roots and Threads
Li Yuan swung his Hoe low, striking the ground. Golden roots erupted, twisting toward The Harrower like serpents. In response, crimson threads slashed downward, slicing roots apart before they could entangle him.
"You still weave life into every strike," The Harrower said, his tone unreadable. "Even now, you refuse to kill."
"Because killing is easy," Li Yuan replied, dodging another razor-thin slash, his golden eyes glowing faintly. "But planting something better… that's harder."
The Harrower's blade arced in a clean horizontal sweep, so fast it split a mountain boulder behind Li Yuan in half. Li Yuan ducked low, spinning his Hoe in a perfect circular sweep, sending soil flying like shrapnel—but every grain carried spiritual intent, forming tiny sharp vines mid-air.
The Harrower sliced through them, his every move precise, cold, calculated.
This wasn't just brute force—it was a dance of philosophies made into weapons.
The Seedbud Awakens
Suddenly, a crimson thread shot past Li Yuan, aiming for a group of villagers cowering near the well.
Before Li Yuan could move, the golden Seedbud stepped forward.
Thrum!
Leaves hardened into shimmering blades as it swung its arms, deflecting the crimson thread with a metallic clang. Then, for the first time, it spoke aloud:
"Protecting… is… harder."
The Harrower paused for half a breath, glancing at it.
Li Yuan gave a small, approving nod.
"Good. You understand."
The Seedbud's golden eyes brightened. It stepped fully into the fight, roots spiraling from its feet, creating a protective dome around the villagers. Crimson threads lashed at it, but it countered with living vines that pulsed with Li Yuan's essence.
The villagers gasped in awe. Mei Lin clung to Granny Xue's sleeve, whispering:
"It's… alive. Really alive!"
Granny Xue's eyes softened, her old hands trembling.
"He's teaching even his seeds to choose."
The Harrower's Shift
The Harrower's calm tone deepened, almost admiring.
"You're changing the soil too much, Farmer. You're making them… think. That's dangerous."
He stepped forward, his crimson aura expanding like a storm.
"I cannot let you grow weeds."
Suddenly, his mask flared. Multiple crimson threads shot into the ground, and from them rose spectral shapes—phantom silhouettes of Li Yuan's past victims, screaming as they lunged forward.
The Seedbud fought desperately, deflecting threads and shielding villagers, but the numbers kept multiplying.
Li Yuan Unleashed
Li Yuan exhaled slowly.
The calm in his golden eyes shifted, just slightly. A faint ripple of something deeper—something godlike—rose from him.
[System Alert: Suppression Levels Breaching — Xiao Tianmie Aura Leakage 11%]
The soil beneath his feet glowed gold, roots bursting outward like veins of light. Each root sprouted flowers instantly, which released glowing spores into the air.
The spores condensed into phantom arms of golden vines, sweeping across the battlefield, tearing through crimson threads with terrifying precision.
The Harrower narrowed his eyes behind his mask.
Li Yuan swung the Rootsplit Hoe once more—no wasted motion, no flashiness, just a perfect farmer's swing.
But the swing split the ground in a clean line, uprooting crimson threads and shattering The Harrower's illusions.
For the first time, The Harrower slid back two steps.
"You're leaking through, Farmer," The Harrower said, voice colder, mask dimming slightly. "Keep this up, and you'll remember who you are."
Li Yuan's golden eyes dimmed to calm again, his breathing slow.
"I know exactly who I am. I just won't be who you want me to be."
The Clash of Ideals
They charged at the same time.
The Hoe and the Crimson Shears clashed mid-air, sending a dome of spiritual force rippling across the entire village, knocking over walls and uprooting trees. Golden roots and crimson threads fought mid-air like two living armies, twisting and tearing each other apart.
The golden Seedbud darted between stray attacks, shielding villagers with its own body, bark cracking but never falling.
The Harrower struck in clean, surgical cuts; Li Yuan countered with sweeping arcs, every motion planting something new—even as he fought, tiny flowers sprouted where his feet touched.
It wasn't just a battle. It was a clash of two gardeners, one who pruned and one who planted.
Finally, both pulled back slightly, standing opposite each other.
The Harrower's mask glowed brighter, threads whipping furiously around him.
Li Yuan's golden aura dimmed slightly, the godlike ripple receding.
The Harrower tilted his head.
"You're better than before. But you're still not planting where it matters."
Li Yuan planted his Hoe into the soil again, smiling faintly.
"I'm planting here. That's enough for now."
The Harrower was silent for a moment… then stepped back.
The crimson rift behind him widened.
"Then grow, Farmer. Grow strong enough to make me cut you down."
And with that, he vanished, the rift snapping shut.
The air calmed. The villagers exhaled, some sobbing in relief.
The golden Seedbud turned to Li Yuan, tilting its head.
"Did… we win?" it asked in its soft mental voice.
Li Yuan looked at it, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
"We planted enough to fight another day."
End of Chapter 19