Swarmfall

"All spirit farmers—activate your field barriers immediately! Locusts are coming!"

Chen Huaiyang's urgent voice echoed across Vulture Mountain thick with tension.

By now, the lower-level farmers (those below Qi Refinement Fourth Layer) had already activated their barriers, guarding their plots just as Chen Jinshu was.

"I hope they make it in time!"

She glanced toward the southern slopes, praying silently.

Finally, Chen Huaiyang's spirit ship descended, carrying a crowd of farmers rushing to their fields. She exhaled in relief. If the crops were lost, Vulture Mountain would drown in despair.

"Aiyo! My spirit herbs!"

"Damn these locusts to the heavens!"

Cries of anguish rose from the ship.

"Activate the barriers! Exterminate the swarm!"

Chen Huaiyang paled at the sight of the black, writhing mass blotting out the sun. Fields not yet shielded were already half-devoured.

Farmers leaped from the ship, sprinting to their lands. Seeing this, Chen Jinshu stepped out of her barrier—she had to help.

If she didn't, the elders would whisper: "A Chen who won't aid her own? Shameful." Her life here would sour.

Besides, with the Shadowpeak Finch guarding her three acres, she was free to assist. She summoned the Plum Rain Fan, its edge sharpening as she slashed through the air.

"Swish—swish—"

Dozens of locusts split mid-flight, raining down in green, twitching pieces.

"That fan of yours is impressive, Jinshu! Even scatters plum petals—how elegant!"

Chen Yong'an, having secured his own fields, joined her. His plot had suffered minimal damage—just like the others near hers.

Even a simple man could guess why.

"You flatter me, Uncle. It's just a low-grade spirit tool—barely passable."

She downplayed her strength, using only the fan. Yet her strikes cleaved through the swarm like scythes.

"Thank you! Without you, my fields would've been stripped bare." Yong'an lobbed fireballs into the swarm as he spoke.

"You taught me much about spirit plants. This is only fair."

A white lie. The real hero was the sparrow, whose unseen chirps had repelled the insects. But its abilities had to stay hidden—let the credit fall on her.

"Jinshu! Our gratitude!"

"Thank you!"

Farmers from nearby plots bowed, their losses miraculously light.

"No need, uncles. I only did my part."

Had the sparrow not acted, the devastation would've been twice as dire.

Meanwhile, Chen Huaiyang—a one-man wildfire—carved through the swarm with sheets of flame, buying precious time.

By dusk, only scattered locusts remained.

Chen Huaiyang addressed the exhausted crowd: "Assess your losses. I'll petition the family for aid."

Thanks to Jinshu's warning, catastrophe had been averted—but not avoided. The northern fields, closest to the forest, were stripped to stalks.

"Elder Huaiyang's mercy!" The farmers bowed, though despair lingered in their eyes.

"Jinshu's timely alert saved many. Vulture Mountain rewards merit—I'll see her compensated."

Murmurs of gratitude swirled around her:

"Call on us anytime!"

"You've saved our livelihoods!"

"I merely acted when I saw the swarm."

"Your 'mere act' spared ruin for dozens," Chen Huaiyang said, approval glinting in his gaze.

Jinshu nodded, though she expected little. The family was too busy appeasing the Lin heir she'd rejected.

"Tend your fields! Salvage what you can!"

As the crowd dispersed, Chen Huaiyang shot toward the frost pine forest like an arrow.

Jinshu understood—he was hunting the swarm's origin.

But whoever orchestrated this wouldn't leave traces.

Her gaze dropped to the locust corpses.

"Perfect for Little Shadow."

Though unappetizing, the insects were packed with spiritual energy—a feast for the sparrow after its efforts.

"Jinshu, why gather these?" Chen Yong'an eyed her basket of locust parts.

"For my bird. And the spirit chickens—better eggs mean extra income."

At nightfall, Chen Huaiyang returned—face stormy.

Jinshu read the answer before asking: "Any clues, Uncle?"

"Footprints near the cliff. Someone flew up from the gorge—vanished by the time I arrived."

His fists clenched. "That terrain demands Layer 8 or 9 Qi Refining. Even I'd tread carefully..."

Jinshu's brows knit. "So it's not Chen Wenshan... but a high-level enemy of the Chen family?"