NOVEL WEB Chapter 13: Chapter 12: The Seeds That GuardThe stars were restless.
Chapter 12: The Seeds That Guard
The stars were restless.
Each night, they shifted farther out of place, like the universe itself sensed what was coming. Li Yuan stood atop the eastern hill, the wind pulling at his long white hair. His golden eyes scanned the horizon with purpose, yet beneath their calm shimmer was something heavier—resolve.
The time had come to leave Green Mist Village.
The Guardian Dilemma
The relics of the past, the divine implements scattered and hidden across realms, called out to him now. The Rootsplit Hoe was but one. There were others—lost tools of his past godhood that had once balanced creation and destruction. And with the Harrower en route, he needed them all.
But he couldn't abandon the village.
Not again.
Not after what Ashborne's fire revealed.
He gathered the elders beneath the Spirit Willow, the old tree that once served as the village's anchor during the Wailing Winters. Granny Xue looked at him knowingly.
"You're leaving, aren't you?"
Li Yuan nodded slowly.
"I must. But I will not leave you undefended."
He knelt, hands full of radiant soil infused with his qi.
The Planting Ritual
For three days, he walked the boundary of Green Mist Village. In every direction—north, south, east, and west—he planted seeds in silence. They weren't ordinary seeds. Each was a condensed piece of his spirit, tied to the earth, given shape through divine intention.
As each seed touched soil, a green glow pulsed and sank beneath the ground.
[System Alert: Guardian Seed imbued. Territory linked: Green Mist Village.]
After the final seed, Li Yuan stood back as soft rumbling began underfoot. Small mounds rose from the earth—thirty in total.
From each mound, a humanoid form emerged.
They were Seedbuds.
Each bore the face of serenity, eyes closed until danger called. Their bodies were formed from living bark and spirit-weaved cloth. Their movements, when they took a breath, were slow and deliberate, like trees learning to walk.
They radiated calm.
But they also radiated power.
The Guardians Awaken
The villagers gathered, murmuring in awe and some in fear.
Granny Xue stepped forward, running her hand along the arm of one Seedbud. Its surface was warm, like fresh soil after rain.
"Will they speak?" she asked.
"Only if needed," Li Yuan said. "They hold parts of me—but they are not me. They exist for one purpose."
One Seedbud opened its eyes. Deep golden orbs mirrored Li Yuan's own.
"We are Rootbound. We are the Will of the Farmer. We do not roam. We do not sleep. We protect."
A hush fell over the village.
Li Yuan nodded.
"They cannot leave the boundary. But within it, they are impenetrable. Even the Harrower would think twice."
He stepped forward, placed a hand on the nearest Seedbud's chest.
"Guard them like I would."
And then, he turned to go.
Journey Begins
At dawn, Li Yuan walked alone through the foggy valley that led to the broken mountains. Behind him, thirty Seedbuds lined the village's edge, unmoving yet alive. Children stood at the highest rooftops watching him disappear into mist.
[System Notice: Quest Line Activated – "The Relics of the Earthlord"]
[Target 1: The Spade of Buried Truths]
[Location: Valley of Echoing Dust]
His steps were steady, but the world around him began to change.
The winds grew colder.
The ground more reluctant.
The sky—less familiar.
Yet Li Yuan did not waver.
"Let the fields behind be safe," he whispered.
"And may the seeds I leave behind become forests of resistance."