Chapter 4: Tempting Him
Qi Zheng remembered that the last time, he had tapped this green icon and seen the demon.
He placed his finger on the green icon.
The next moment, the demon with the furry cat ears appeared on the stone slab again.
As flirtatious as ever.
That fleeting glimpse last time had even made him wonder if he had seen wrongly.
But now it seemed it was indeed real. A demon lived inside this strange stone slab of his.
“How was the painting I gave you?” Chen Bai said.
Qi Zheng: “…”
The stone slab… spoke again!
This was probably the most miraculous stone slab in the world. People said the imperial palace’s secret treasury contained all kinds of rare treasures and strange objects, but in his opinion, even those were nothing compared to this.
Qi Zheng asked in a low voice, “Mountain Lord?”
The demon inside the stone slab nodded.
That painting had indeed been sent by this demon through someone else.
Mountain Lord. Just as recorded in Strange Objects and Curious Records, it was a demon transformed from stone.
But what exactly was this demon’s purpose in approaching him?
Chen Bai was also observing Qi Zheng. Although this man’s expression was gloomy, he was rather bold.
Chen Bai did not waste words and said directly, “Are you interested in learning about a grain crop that can yield a thousand jin per mu?”
In order to save himself, this was the only way he could tempt the other party. The condition he offered was something Qi Zheng would not be able to refuse as long as he was a smart person.
As he spoke, he took out the potatoes he had bought. A pile of potatoes was stacked together beside him, and next to his hand was also an order of fried potato skewers, the kind from a barbecue stall.
He held a skewer, eating while looking at Qi Zheng.
Qi Zheng almost thought he had heard wrong.
A grain crop that could yield a thousand jin per mu?
Great Qian’s staple grain was mainly millet, but its yield was only around four hundred jin, and that was already considered a good harvest.
If someone told him there was a crop that could yield a thousand jin per mu, his first reaction would probably be to scoff.
But the other party was a demon and could not be judged by ordinary logic. What if what this demon said was true?
Outside Shangjing, every year, refugees from famine-stricken regions came seeking aid. But the national treasury was also short of grain and could not provide much relief.
Solving the refugees’ famine problem had originally been Crown Prince Jiao’s responsibility. The king’s original intention had been to let Crown Prince Jiao accumulate the people’s support.
But without grain, no matter how Crown Prince Jiao bragged and claimed credit for himself, it was all useless.
Qi Zheng lowered his brows, seeming to think about something.
Chen Bai was not in a hurry either. He simply treated it as a food livestream.
Potatoes were good. No matter how one cooked them, they tasted good.
As he ate, he picked up a large raw potato and tossed it lightly. “One of these can fill an ordinary person halfway. What is there to hesitate over? As far as I know, Great Qian has no shortage of refugees.”
The livestream sales pitches he had watched before were actually coming in handy now.
Qi Zheng watched Chen Bai finish the potato skewers he had ordered. He ate far too deliciously. Even while eating, he did not forget to tempt people. As expected of a demon.
After a long while, Qi Zheng finally spoke. “Your condition.”
Just as Chen Bai had expected, Qi Zheng could not refuse the bait he had thrown out.
But Qi Zheng had been sent away as a hostage since childhood. He was naturally cautious and suspicious, and it was impossible for him to believe in benefits given for no reason so easily.
Chen Bai did not beat around the bush either and said directly, “I want you to protect someone. Young Master Bai of Great Qian’s Tingwei Office.”
Qi Zheng froze.
He had still been thinking that a demon like this must be just like those written in storybooks—especially fond of strong, well-built men.
If the other party made such an unreasonable demand, should he agree or not?
In the end, the demon actually wanted him to protect someone?
Young Master Bai of the Tingwei Office?
To be honest, his impression of Young Master Bai was not especially good. He did not care whether the man liked men or not, but of all people, he had been blind enough to climb into Crown Prince Jiao’s bed. That was the person Qi Zheng hated most.
Also, what relationship did this demon have with Young Master Bai? Why did he want to protect him?
Chen Bai seemed to see Qi Zheng’s confusion and said, “Young Master Bai was sincere. He once worshipped me in the mountains. If I do not give him a response, how can I show the divine efficacy of this Mountain Lord?”
Qi Zheng: “…”
A person driven to the end of the road could only pray to ghosts and gods. Of course he would be sincere.
Chen Bai added, “You couldn’t find such a worthwhile deal elsewhere even with a lantern.”
Qi Zheng said in a deep voice, “How do I know whether what you’re saying is true or false?”
Chen Bai shrugged and pointed at the potatoes. “Why not try them yourself? I’ll give you some potatoes. Take them back and study them slowly.”
After thinking for a moment, he continued, “Tonight at midnight, send someone to Copper Gong Alley beside Bluestone Street in Shangjing. I’ll put the potatoes there.”
Copper Gong Alley was the alley behind his courtyard.
“After you protect Young Master Bai, I will give you more potato seeds at my discretion.” Chen Bai calmly revealed his trump card.
As long as Qi Zheng took the potatoes back and studied them, whether he believed or not, he would find a way to get seeds from him to try planting them. With this trump card in hand, Chen Bai was not afraid that Qi Zheng would go back on his word or fail to put in effort.
Qi Zheng finally nodded. The bait offered by this demon was simply too tempting. Besides, protecting a Young Master Bai was not difficult for him.
After Chen Bai hung up the video call, he finally let out a breath of relief. Whether his self-rescue would succeed, whether he could avoid the court’s punishment, would now depend on Qi Zheng.
Meanwhile, Qi Zheng was still poking at the phone with his finger. This stone slab was truly far too miraculous.
Such an aloof and withdrawn person was actually amusing himself with a phone. If Chen Bai saw it, he would probably laugh until he rolled on the floor.
At night, an hour before midnight.
Chen Bai walked to the corner of the cold, quiet courtyard. Just beyond the wall was Copper Gong Alley.
He took out his phone and bought one hundred jin of potatoes. At two yuan per jin, the total cost was not much.
One hundred jin. He could be considered sincere.
Then he tore open the packaging and began throwing the potatoes over the wall one by one.
There was no other way. That crooked-neck tree had been cut down, and he could not climb the wall at all.
Shangjing had a curfew. In the dead of night, he was not afraid that someone would pick up his potatoes. Unless they were someone with a specific purpose, no one would come to this empty alley.
To be honest, that alley was pitch-black and rather frightening at night.
By the time he had thrown all one hundred jin of potatoes over, Chen Bai was covered in sweat.
It was late now, and there was no way to have someone bring bathwater. But that did not matter. His courtyard had its own separate kitchen, used for making small dishes. Although it had not been used for a long time, it could still boil water.
Chen Bai underestimated how difficult it was to use an ancient stove. By the time he finished boiling the water, his face was covered in soot.
During that time, he even went to the corner of the courtyard to listen secretly for a while. At midnight, there were faint rustling sounds outside. It should be the people Qi Zheng sent picking up the potatoes.
Only then did he relax and take a comfortable bath. He had wounds on his body, so bathing was troublesome, and it took quite a long time.
Qi Zheng also had not slept. He waited for his people to bring the potatoes back.
He held a potato in his hand. It was even bigger than it had looked through the stone slab.
It did not look like a bean that grew underground. Instead, it looked like a plump fruit that had grown on a tree.
And just one potato felt quite heavy.
Qi Zheng picked out a few and ordered people to cook them.
After they were done, he personally tasted them.
The texture exceeded his expectations. It was soft and glutinous, and his mouth was filled with the fresh fragrance of food.
Moreover, after eating just one, he actually felt full.
It truly was a very good food.
Now all that remained was to verify whether it really could yield a thousand jin per mu, as that demon had said.
If that was true, calling it an auspicious sign for Great Qian would not be an exaggeration.
If it were Crown Prince Jiao, he would only need to present the potatoes directly to the Emperor, and it would definitely be a great achievement.
But if Qi Zheng presented them directly, whether he would receive credit or not was uncertain. The first thing that would happen was that he would be questioned. His situation in court was not as good as one might imagine. He was even targeted everywhere.
So he had to prove its yield and leave no loopholes for others to seize on.
Qi Zheng looked at the remaining potatoes. To prove the yield, he needed seeds.
“That demon really calculates every step. He is certain I will seek him out again for seeds. And if I want seeds, I must first protect Young Master Bai.”
The trusted aide beside him had been watching Qi Zheng the entire time.
Their prince was so strange. Eating was eating, but why did he have to skewer the food with chopsticks?
Such a big bean, skewered with chopsticks—was that not odd?
Qi Zheng felt nothing was wrong at all, because he had seen that demon eat it this way. He had eaten it especially deliciously.
…
After bathing, Chen Bai dried his hair with a towel.
While drying it, he picked up his phone. Calculating the time, Qi Zheng should have studied those potatoes almost enough by now.
He tapped open the video call.
Qi Zheng: “…”
His hand tightened on the sword, then loosened; loosened, then tightened again. Should he cut down this demon who knew nothing of human propriety?
In the middle of the night, it had actually come to seduce him. He knew this demon had ulterior motives. As expected, it was the sort that liked strong men. No wonder it would answer Young Master Bai’s prayer. They were simply birds of a feather.
Chen Bai was also stunned. Why did Qi Zheng draw his sword at every turn?
And Qi Zheng’s eyes kept darting away. Why did he look like he did not dare look at the phone?
Chen Bai looked at himself. The special effects on the phone were exactly the same as before, and nothing seemed different.
He thought to himself, the rumors were true after all. Prince Zheng was moody and strange by nature. He really was an odd person. No wonder he was not liked.
Better to get down to business.
Chen Bai said, “The potato seed is actually the potato itself. You only need to cut it into four pieces, roll them in plant ash, and place them somewhere warm. In a few days, the skin will turn green and grow tender shoots. Then you can move them into the field. Potatoes aren’t picky about soil. They can grow anywhere.”
“This season is exactly the right time to plant potatoes. You need to hurry.”
Chen Bai emphasized the words “hurry” very heavily, making them carry a double meaning.
In any case, the potatoes he had given Qi Zheng were not enough even for trial planting. Qi Zheng would have no choice but to ask him for more seeds.
Qi Zheng finally put down the sword in his hand.
His hands were damp. Truly, he had struggled against it. But this demon’s bait was something no one could refuse.
A demon was a demon. It truly made people willingly yield to temptation.
Expressionless, Qi Zheng said, “When will you give me the seeds?”
Chen Bai laughed inwardly. The fish had taken the bait. He said directly, “When I can confirm Young Master Bai is safe, I’ll give you the seeds.”
Qi Zheng said in a low voice, “There will definitely be a result within three days.”
Young Master Bai had disgraced the Crown Prince’s reputation. If Qi Zheng protected Young Master Bai, Crown Prince Jiao would certainly think he was deliberately opposing him.
Now that he was about to establish his own residence, Crown Prince Jiao likely would not miss the chance to make trouble for him.
