Published at 13th of February 2026 7:16 am

Chapter 2027: The Birth of Desire, Severing the Heart Demon

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With a loud "bang".

The eldest disciple of the tea garden was already punched and sent flying, falling into the nearby tea field, continuously holding his face and wailing, saying things like "Master, I was wrong".

The other disciples were trembling in fear.

"Master... Master!" Xiao Die quickly bowed to the newcomer, her pretty face full of nervousness.

Ye Feng also looked at the person who just arrived.

This was an old man with white hair and beard. Although he was only about 1.5 meters tall, his whole body was muscular. Surprisingly, he was a dual cultivator of magic and body, with a cultivation level of the third layer of the Element Gathering Realm, which was quite impressive.

"Are you the Master of the Tea Garden?"

Ye Feng looked at the old man, remaining calm and composed, in stark contrast to the terrified disciples of the tea garden around him.

Xiao Die hurriedly tugged at Ye Feng’s sleeve, looking at her master even more nervously.

"Indeed, I am the owner of this tea garden and the master of these incompetent disciples."

The old man was not unreasonable.

Although he beat the eldest disciple, it was because the latter exposed his shortcomings. But he had just heard secretly that Ye Feng was the owner of a teahouse and was offering flying swords in exchange for tea, making him a valuable customer who should be treated well.

After all, a tea garden also needs to do business.

Without business, there would be no money for cultivation.

The neighboring teahouse owners in the Ancient City and private estates, all places that needed various tea leaves, were customers of the tea garden.

It’s necessary to have a good attitude towards customers.

"Master, this is the owner of the Ancient City Teahouse, named Ye Feng." Seeing that her master seemed not so angry, Xiao Die quickly introduced him.

The old man gently stroked his long beard, looked at Xiao Die with satisfaction, and said, "Xiao Die, you did well. Among the dozens of disciples under my command, you are the most reliable and have sold the most tea leaves. Well done!"

Saying this, he gave a thumbs up.

In the tea field.

The beaten eldest disciple sobbed, not expecting his master to treat the junior sister so well. The more he thought about it, the harder he cried.

"What kind of man cries? How undignified!"

The old man scolded, blowing his beard and glaring.

"Ugh!" The eldest disciple of the tea garden quickly pretended to be dead, not daring to make a sound.

"Master, the eldest brother is straightforward. Please forgive him!" Xiao Die quickly grabbed the old man’s arm, acting like a spoiled child.

"Hmm, I can forgive him, but he must be sent to Lingnan to sell tea leaves!" The old man gently stroked his long beard, then glared at the eldest disciple and scolded.

"Thank you, Master, for your kindness!"

The eldest disciple of the tea garden immediately got up, quickly packed his bags, and then flew on a sword to an Ancient City in the south. There, he would be in charge of managing a tea shop operated by the tea garden.

Moments later.

In the tea garden’s reception hall.

The old man and Ye Feng sat down as host and guest.

"Old Man Lin, I’m just a mortal, while you’re a cultivator. Why are you so courteous to me?" Ye Feng asked the old man beside him while sipping tea.

The old man’s surname was Lin, and he was the Master of the Tea Garden.

Old Man Lin laughed heartily and said, "I often tell my disciples not to think they can bully the weak just because they’re strong. Of course, if they encounter wicked people, they should also understand to exert themselves and stop them. In my view, cultivators and mortals are all lives and should be treated equally."

Upon hearing this, Ye Feng’s eyes lit up.

No wonder he could teach a disciple like Xiao Die. This old man Lin, whose cultivation level wasn’t high, was still quite admirable.

This person could be considered a great mentor.

"Old Man Lin, excuse my impudence, but earlier your eldest disciple said you were cut by someone you admired. What’s that about? I’m quite curious to hear."

Ye Feng asked curiously.

Nowadays, having gained a worldly attachment, he must seize everything he encounters to gain enlightenment.

The matter of Old Man Lin should be significant.

When asked about this, Old Man Lin’s expression stiffened. He then coughed and said, "Boss Ye, you and I are merely business associates, so it’s inconvenient to say more..."

The words stopped abruptly.

This was because Ye Feng placed another flying sword on the table, causing Old Man Lin’s eyes to widen.

"I have more."

Ye Feng took out another high-quality flying sword from his pocket and placed it on the table.

"You... you have a storage bag? But you’re just a mortal, and you can use a storage bag?" Old Man Lin stared at Ye Feng in astonishment.

"I’m somewhat unique. Though I’m a mere mortal, I once encountered a Divine Origin Realm expert early on who bestowed a special treasure upon me, allowing me to use a storage bag. Moreover, in that storage bag, I have many treasures I can’t personally use."

Ye Feng said with a smile.

All of the above were fabricated by him.

Upon hearing that Ye Feng knew a Divine Origin Realm expert and possessed so many treasures, making him undoubtedly a major customer, Old Man Lin’s attitude immediately softened.

"Since Boss Ye wants to hear, then I’m not afraid of being a laughingstock and will just say it!"

Old Man Lin looked outside, lost in memory.

"Over a hundred years ago, back then, I was still a handsome young man. Although a bit short, my cultivation talent was still quite good."

"At that time, I joined a sect."

"The strongest there was a Spirit Sea Realm expert, with several Element Gathering Realm elders under their command, followed by hundreds of Qi Refining Realm disciples."

"I became one of them."

"In the same year, a woman named Xiao Xiao also joined this sect. Her sweet appearance and smile I still remember vividly to this day."

"Initially, our relationship was quite good."

"She didn’t disdain my height and would engage with me daily to attend lectures in the great hall of teachings, and afterward, we would discuss cultivation issues together."

"As they say, feelings grow over time."

"Three years later, both she and I had broken through to the fifth layer of the Qi Refining Realm and had secretly grown affectionate, eventually becoming a genuine couple."

"My sweet life continued for ten years."

At this point, Old Man Lin sighed.

"And then?" Ye Feng asked.

Old Man Lin said helplessly, "And then? Haha, by the tenth year of our relationship, we both reached the peak of the Qi Refining Realm, but were stuck at a bottleneck."

"Neither of us, despite several attempts to break through the bottleneck, succeeded."

"After that, everything changed."

"She blamed me, saying our relationship influenced her cultivation, wanting to break up with me."

"I naturally disagreed."

"But, her resolve to leave was firm."

"One night, as we quarreled over the breakup, I held my ground in disagreement, and she swung a sword at my chest, a scar I carry to this day."

As he spoke, he suddenly tore open his shirt, revealing a shocking sword scar on his chest.

This left Ye Feng astonished.

"In truth, relationships wouldn’t affect cultivation, in my view, she likely had a change of heart?"

Ye Feng speculated.

Old Man Lin dressed himself, saying, "Indeed, how could two people in a relationship affect cultivation? I said the same thing that night, but she told me, the first step in cultivation was to cut off the one you love. Regrettably, I was the person she cut."

He paused for a moment, then continued his story.

"That sword not only left a scar on my chest but also slashed a canyon—a forbidden ground of emotional scars—inside my heart!"

"But, if it were just that, it might have been alright."

"However, a few years later, when she successfully broke into the Element Gathering Realm, I learned she had seduced an elder of the sect becoming his concubine. With the elder’s resource support, she was able to break through her bottleneck and advance to the Element Gathering Realm."

"Heh heh!"

"So, I was just a big fool."

Old Man Lin spoke while pounding his own thigh with his hand, the veins on his face bulging.

Hearing this, Ye Feng was speechless.

That kind of woman is indeed disgusting.

"And then?" Ye Feng asked again.

"Later, I found out that the woman had reached the Element Gathering Realm, so I left the sect and ventured outside. I eventually ended up in these mountains and came across the owners of the Tea Garden at the time."

"They were mere mortals, with little time left."

"I saved them, extending their lifespans so they could live over a hundred years. To show their gratitude, they gave the Tea Garden to me."

"After that, I managed the teahouse and coincidentally acquired a body cultivation technique in the Tea Garden. From then on, I embarked on the path of body cultivation. Unexpectedly, when both my magical and physical cultivation levels reached the peak of Qi Refinement, I mysteriously broke through."

"Subsequently, I continued to run the Tea Garden and advanced to the third level of the Element Gathering Realm. Over the years, I took on Xiao Die and a group of disciples, up to now."

"So, that’s my story."

"The story of an old man."

At this point, Old Man Lin looked at Ye Feng.

If Ye Feng weren’t such a valued customer, he wouldn’t have shared his experiences from all these years.

Ye Feng nodded, thinking Old Man Lin’s experiences were quite tragic. Of course, there are many like him in this world.

Some people just can’t resist temptation.

Like Old Man Lin’s ex-girlfriend.

Thinking of this, Ye Feng quickly pinpointed the word "desire," then smiled.

Indeed, he had asked the right question!

Through Old Man Lin’s experience, Ye Feng realized that temptations and desires exist everywhere in the world—like Old Man Lin’s ex-girlfriend, who had the desire to advance to the Element Gathering Realm but couldn’t resist the temptation of a sect elder, ultimately choosing to betray and take another path.

In the end, it was desire causing trouble.

"Desire, truly harmful!"

Ye Feng thus sighed.

Old Man Lin, however, shook his head and said, "A person should have desires, but those uncontrollable desires, and those that can harm others, should be guarded against. Of course, some desires are good and can motivate people to strive forward."

Upon hearing this, Ye Feng’s eyes lit up.

Indeed!

If a person has no desires or aspirations, wouldn’t they end up doing nothing, becoming like a salted fish?

"For example, a cultivator, if he has the desire to break through realms, and, if he walks the right path, using the correct methods to strive, eventually breaking through and fulfilling his desire, isn’t that a good thing?"

Ye Feng thought to himself.

Then he continued analyzing, deeply moved.

This conversation with Old Man Lin made him realize many truths he used to overlook in daily life.

The gain was indeed substantial.

"Ye, the owner." Suddenly, Old Man Lin rubbed his hands together, "You see, after hearing my story, about our cooperation?"

Ye Feng handed both flying swords on the table to Old Man Lin, saying, "This is the advance payment for the tea."

"Wonderful!" Old Man Lin rejoiced.

Seeing him smile, Ye Feng also smiled.

Desire! Still desire!

Old Man Lin has desires too; now, what he wants is cultivation, but he uses legitimate means, like generating business through managing the Tea Garden, eventually converting it into various resources to aid in his cultivation.

This counts as striving for a career.

It’s commendable.

"Desires, pretty much everyone has their own. Sometimes, it’s more appropriate to call them one’s pursuits rather than desires."

Ye Feng murmured to himself.

Old Man Lin listened, thinking of Xiao Die. It was clear she seemed to like Ye Feng, so he said, "Ye, the owner, I don’t know if I should say this."

Ye Feng nodded, "Go ahead!"

Old Man Lin sighed and said, "You must have noticed, Xiao Die likes you, right?"

Ye Feng was taken aback, then nodded.

"But you, one is a mortal, the other a cultivator. And it must be known that the outcome of love between a mortal and a cultivator is often not good."

Saying this, Old Man Lin gave a long sigh.

Ye Feng nodded and said, "I know. After all, I’m just a mortal, maybe I can live for a few decades. Even if I have so many treasures, I might live over a hundred years, but Xiao Die is a cultivator. Once she breaks through the Element Gathering Realm, her lifespan would exceed three hundred years, far surpassing a mortal’s lifespan limit."

He paused and added:

"If I truly fall in love with her, the likely future scenario is my lifespan expiring first, while she stands helpless and watches."

"Isn’t that so?"

He looked intently at Old Man Lin.

"Sigh," Old Man Lin only sighed, saying nothing, but that was an acknowledgement.

"You just said it, everyone has their desires," Ye Feng said, "I’m the same."

Old Man Lin widened his eyes, "So?"

"Follow your heart!" Ye Feng smiled, got up, and walked toward the door, "Sometimes, we should really give it our all, shouldn’t we?"

"Uh..." Old Man Lin was speechless.

If Ye Feng were just an ordinary person, he would undoubtedly stop him from having any chance with Xiao Die.

But Ye Feng is a valued customer!

Offending him would make it difficult to acquire more cultivation resources—not worth it.

After thinking for a bit, he chose to permit it.

Outside the hall.

Ye Feng looked into the distance and saw Xiao Die carrying a bamboo basket, picking tea leaves in the Tea Garden.

"In the end, he couldn’t resist desire."

Ye Feng mumbled.

Previously, he was testing Old Man Lin, but it was clear that Old Man Lin still couldn’t resist the temptation of cultivation resources, ultimately allowing Ye Feng to associate with Xiao Die.

But Ye Feng did not intend to develop a relationship with Xiao Die.

She was just a flower resembling another, but ultimately not Yu Jie, not the one he loved.

Thinking of this, Ye Feng’s mind was in turmoil.

"So, is Yu Jie my heart demon?"

Ye Feng sat beneath an old tea tree beside the Tea Garden, casually picked a tea leaf, chewed it in his mouth. The taste was a bit bitter, leading him into deep thought.

Then he actually fell asleep.

In his dreams.

Ye Feng dreamt of Yu Jie, but she was dead. Then she reincarnated as Xiao Die, and they fell in love, living a happy life, long-lasting.

But Ye Feng sensed something was wrong.

"No, you can’t possibly be Yu Jie!"

Ye Feng suddenly shouted, pulled out the Primordial Sword Embryo from his back, and slashed it down on Xiao Die.

Then a scream echoed.

[PS: This Chapter has over 4100 words, good afternoon!]

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