The streets of Fallen Town bustled with life. Merchants shouted their wares, children darted between carts, and beggars stretched out trembling hands for coins. Yet beneath the noise, an unspoken tension lingered in the air.
Everyone knew why.
The Chen family.
Their crest—two interlocking serpents—hung above shops and taverns alike, reminding all who walked these streets who truly ruled here. The guards patrolling in Chen colors weren't protectors; they were enforcers, extorting coins and "taxes" as they pleased.
Lai strolled lazily through the crowd, a basket of fresh cabbages balanced easily on one shoulder. Beside him, Garfield walked in human form, white hair catching the light. His sharp golden eyes flicked around the streets with disdain.
"Master," Garfield muttered, "this town stinks of arrogance."
"Mm." Lai yawned. "Like manure. But at least manure helps cabbages grow."
Garfield blinked. "…You're comparing people to fertilizer?"
"Mm." Lai didn't deny it.
As they turned a corner, a faint, angry whisper caught Lai's attention.
"Just you wait, Chen family," a boy muttered through clenched teeth. "In three years, I'll have my revenge."
The Boy in the Alley
The voice came from a narrow alley. Lai stepped closer and found a youth no older than fifteen, ragged and thin, fists trembling at his sides. His face was gaunt, but his eyes burned with desperate fire.
Lai smiled faintly. "Haha… totally cliché."
The boy jerked up, startled. "Who—who are you?"
"Just a farmer," Lai replied, adjusting his basket. "But tell me—why three years?"
The boy gritted his teeth. "…Because I'm too weak now. In three years, I'll cultivate, I'll grow stronger, and then I'll destroy them!"
"Mm. The Chen family?"
The boy's eyes darkened with hatred. "They killed my father for opposing their greed. My mother was taken, and I…" His voice cracked. "…I survived, barely. I'll kill them all. Even if it costs me my life."
Lai tilted his head. "Very heroic. Very cliché. But revenge in three years?" He chuckled softly. "Why not today?"
The boy froze, confused.
Enter the Chen Disciples
Before Lai could explain further, mocking laughter echoed down the street.
A group of young men in embroidered robes swaggered into view, the Chen family crest stitched proudly onto their sleeves. Their smug expressions twisted as soon as they spotted the boy.
"Well, well," one sneered. "If it isn't the stray dog."
Another stepped forward, cracking his knuckles. "Still barking about revenge, are you? Hah! Pathetic."
The boy went pale, instinctively stepping back. His fists clenched tighter, but his whole body shook.
The disciples grinned, circling him like wolves. "Didn't your father teach you? Mortals who bite the Chen family get slaughtered." One slapped the boy hard across the face, sending him sprawling into the dirt.
The crowd glanced away, whispering nervously. Nobody dared intervene.
"Garfield," Lai murmured.
The tiger growled low, ready to act. But Lai lifted a hand lazily. "Wait."
The Chen disciples' attention shifted to Lai's basket.
"What's this? Vegetables?" The leader sneered. "Farmer, if you want to sell here, you pay tax."
Lai raised a brow. "Tax?" He plucked a single cabbage from the basket, placed it on the ground, and smiled faintly.
"This should be enough."
The street went silent.
The disciple's face twisted with rage. "You dare mock the Chen family?!" He lifted his palm, qi surging.
Lai's eyes glinted.
"Paralyzed."
The word fell softly, almost bored.
Instantly, the disciples froze. Their limbs locked, their expressions stiffened, and panic flooded their eyes. They strained desperately, but their bodies refused to obey.
The Farmer's Cruel Lesson
Lai stepped forward slowly, crouching before the lead disciple. His voice was calm, almost gentle.
"You think strength means bullying the weak? No. Strength means deciding whether ants like you are allowed to breathe."
The disciple's pupils shrank. His lips quivered, but not a sound emerged.
Lai tapped his chest lightly.
The man's veins bulged black. His blood boiled, flesh swelling grotesquely. In the next instant, his body burst apart in a shower of gore, painting the cobblestones red.
The other disciples screamed in silence, trapped in their paralyzed bodies.
Lai turned his head slowly, meeting each of their terrified gazes. One by one, he snapped his fingers. Bones snapped, souls unraveled, bodies collapsed into nothing but mangled flesh.
Finally, he released one trembling survivor.
The disciple collapsed to the ground, gasping in terror. Lai crouched again, voice soft.
"Run. Tell your master… the farmer is waiting."
The youth scrambled away on all fours, fleeing in blind panic.
The marketplace was deathly silent.
Some villagers trembled, horrified by the carnage. Others stared with wide eyes, unable to hide the flicker of satisfaction—someone had finally defied the Chen family.
The Cliché Protagonist
Lai dusted his hands and turned back to the boy still sitting in the dirt. "Revenge? No need for three years. Your chance has already arrived."
The boy's eyes widened in shock. "Senior… who are you?"
"Just a farmer." Lai picked up his basket. "Help in the farm, and I'll train you. Make you into someone worthy of your name."
The boy swallowed, then bowed his head. "My name is Long Fei."
Lai blinked, then burst out laughing. "Haha! Long Fei? That's the most cliché name I've ever heard. You sound like the protagonist of a cheap novel."
The boy flushed red, but Lai waved his hand. "Fine, fine. Long Fei it is. Come along, protagonist. Let's see if you can actually live up to that name."
Long Fei's heart pounded. His knees hit the ground. "Senior! Please… let me follow you!"
From the side, Garfield rolled his golden eyes. "Another one? Master, your farm is becoming a sect."
"Not a sect," Lai said lazily. "Just a farm. But even a farm needs workers."
Cliffhanger – The Chen Patriarch
By nightfall, whispers spread through Fallen Town like wildfire.
"Did you see? The Chen disciples were butchered!"
"By a farmer, no less!"
"Impossible… who could he be?"
Back in the Chen mansion, a trembling disciple knelt before the Patriarch, stammering out the tale of what he had witnessed.
The Chen Patriarch's face darkened, his aura pressing down like a storm. His voice was cold and sharp.
"A farmer dares humiliate my Chen family?"
He rose slowly from his throne, eyes glinting with murderous intent.
"Prepare the elders. No farmer will live to see another harvest."
End of Chapter 3