Beginning of the Month Let's make a splash! Quickly collect flowers and throw them!
Surrounded by mountains on all sides, a small lake like a bright mirror reflects the azure and slightly rosy sky. The water is calm and still, as green as a large gemstone, crystal clear to the bottom where fine white sand can be seen. A circle of snow-white fine sand lines the shore, and beyond that lies a grove filled with falling flowers. The sound of birds chirping in the empty mountains can be heard. This place feels like a fairyland.
Chu Xi jumped off the small boat, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath, clearly intoxicated by the beauty around her.
Li Hong was surprised and was about to ask when suddenly he caught a whiff of something. A faint floral fragrance wafted in with the gentle breeze, utterly enchanting.
"Let's go see Jade Flower," Chu Xi exclaimed, grabbing Li Hong's hand and running ahead.
Caught off guard, Li Hong felt the warmth and softness of her hand, causing his face to flush slightly.
After running up for about a hundred steps, they entered a narrow valley. The sound of flowing water filled their ears as a small stream flowed gently down the mountainside, carrying many pure white petals that swirled lightly on the clear surface. The floral scent grew stronger, seemingly mixed with Chu Xi's "Forget-Me-Not Butterfly" fragrance. The combination of these two scents was intoxicating.
Suddenly, a bright sight appeared before them.
A waterfall cascaded down from the mountaintop, splashing droplets like pearls into a deep pool below. The edges of the pool were adorned with many vibrant white flowers. These flowers resembled hydrangeas but were a hundred times more beautiful, with broad green leaves cradling large, heavy-petaled white blooms. The petals were as white as jade, without any hint of color; at first glance, they looked like sculptures made of white jade or clusters of butterflies. The rich floral fragrance was overwhelming and delightful.
Chu Xi cheered and ran into the flower cluster, laughing joyfully as she spread her arms wide and exclaimed, "This is the legendary Jade Flower. I finally see it!"
Seeing her enraptured expression, Li Hong gradually understood—this girl loves flowers. Whether it’s the "Forget-Me-Not Butterfly" from Nine Vermilion Peaks or the Jade Flower here, they must be her favorites.
Petals danced in the air as Chu Xi, slender and delicate, flitted through the snow-white Jade Flower cluster like a silver butterfly, giggling all the while. Occasionally she would turn back, her bright black eyes curving like crescent moons.
Oh girl cherished by the world's Spiritual Energy, she seemed like a flower fairy who had fallen into the Mortal Realm. For a moment, Li Hong couldn't tell whether he was admiring the flowers or watching her.
At noon, Chu Xi, satisfied with a big bouquet of Jade Flower, walked out from Feiying Stream.
By the Wingless Ship, the four sat on the ground in astonishment as they watched Chu Xi magically pull out one item after another from a small silver bag: small bowls, delicate silver chopsticks, exquisite little jade cups, boxes filled with various snacks and treats, wine bottles; finally, she even managed to pull out a roast chicken from that bag which was only half the size of a book. She patted the bag and cheerfully said, "That's it! Let's eat."
Without thinking, Li Hong reached out to touch that bag. It was small and soft, seemingly woven from silver threads; it looked impossible for it to hold so many items.
"Master's Spirit Bag, I borrowed it. Don't be fooled by its small size; it can hold a lot of things," Chu Xi smiled.
Chuxiong clicked his tongue in amazement, utterly astonished.
"This Spirit Bag isn't even the most spacious one. Sect Leader Uncle has a Cosmic Bag that can hold as much as a whole building, but you need to be at the Nascent Soul Stage to use it. Our master's Spirit Bag is more convenient; anyone can use it," Chu Yan said with a smile.
Chu Xi set out the food and poured everyone a drink. She raised her cup first and said, "Today is my birthday, and I'm so happy to be out here with all of you." She took a sip of her drink, sighed contentedly, and her eyes squinted joyfully like crescent moons.
She was truly a cheerful and innocent girl. Li Hong smiled, comfortably stretching his legs and sipping his drink slowly. The wine had a faint floral aroma and was very delicious.
The sky was a deep blue with a hint of red, surrounded by lush green mountains. The air was filled with the fragrant scent of Jade Flower, and there were two beautiful girls in front of him. His good friend Chuxiong was so happy that his dark face turned slightly red as he chuckled continuously. Feeling so relaxed, he wanted to shout out loud.
The difficult days of the Li Family Hollow were gradually fading away. The hard labor of facing the dirt and turning their backs to the sky, the turbulent and miserable years, the hellish mountain fires, and the struggles of not having enough to eat or wear seemed like they belonged to a past life. Yet… a beautiful face filled with sorrow flashed through his mind…
Until they returned, Li Hong remained silent.
Chu Xi thought he was unhappy and pouted, saying, "Do you think it's too early to go back? I'm sorry, Brother Chu Hong; Master said I should return early to pay respects to my parents." Her expression darkened as tears began to well up in her eyes. "My parents passed away before I could understand anything. I've only seen their portraits; I have no memories of them. I grew up with my uncle and aunt, but they and the clan didn't care much for me; I often went hungry. Master is actually my great ancestor. Once when he saw me during a visit, he said I had spiritual roots and promised to take me as his disciple when I turned twelve. After that, our Lin Family dared not look down on me as an orphan anymore; Master is my closest relative in this world. It's a pity my parents didn't live to see me join the Nine Li Sect." Two clear tears overflowed from her long eyelashes and slowly slid down onto her silver robe.
Li Hong was taken aback, recalling how he once doubted she was the illegitimate daughter of Spirit Stone and Ling Xiangzi, cursing himself for being foolish!
Such a young girl who appeared so innocent and cheerful had such a tragic background. It must have been very difficult for her after her parents passed away. Li Hong felt secretly sad for her.
Chu Xi clenched her pale pink fists and declared loudly, "I will definitely cultivate diligently and become a Fairy with great abilities like Master! Hmph! Let those clan members who look down on me see what I'm capable of; they won't even be able to curry favor with me in the future!"
Her words sounded somewhat childish, causing Chu Yan to chuckle softly. After thinking about it, Chu Xi felt a bit embarrassed but smiled brightly again. The earlier gloom dissipated.
So this was why she worked so hard at cultivation and risked her life going to Golden Lantern Gorge. Li Hong truly began to see Chu Xi in a new light.
Everyone parted ways happily.
As the sky darkened, Li Hong and Chuxiong, feeling quite full, decided against going to the Dining Hall for dinner and made their way back to their residence, passing by the Spirit Stone's Three-Story Pavilion.
A voice called out from above. Spirit Stone leaned out of the window and shouted, "You two come up here."
Spirit Stone had returned.
Li Hong and Chuxiong entered the Three-Story Pavilion. Spirit Stone's living room was on the second floor, a place they were quite familiar with. As they walked up the back stairs into the living room, Li Hong noticed something strange. Chuxuan stood before Spirit Stone with a gloomy expression, while Spirit Stone appeared somewhat annoyed.
"May I ask what instructions you have for us, Master?"
Spirit Stone cleared his throat, seemingly unsure of how to begin. After a moment, he said, "Old Six, how many Elixirs have you received from me? Old Seven, what about you?"
Li Hong was baffled. "Master never gave us any Elixirs! Just yesterday, Fifth Senior Brother brought two Fire Origin Pills and two Washing Marrow Pills for me and Old Seven, but we already gave them to Sister Chu Xi just now. We don't have even half a pill left."
"That's right," Chuxiong added, equally confused.
"Old Eight, are you listening carefully? Master has made it very clear, yet you refuse to believe it. Now do you believe it? Your Sixth Senior Brother and Seventh Senior Brother just returned from outside. Surely you don't think Master is colluding with them to deceive you," Spirit Stone said with a helpless expression. "You stubborn child! I've told you time and again, but you just won't listen. Sigh."
Li Hong couldn't help but exchange glances with Chuxiong. What was Chuxuan up to?
Chuxuan's handsome face was dark with anger. Seeing Li Hong and Chuxiong only fueled his rage as he retorted, "I don't believe it. Fifth Senior Brother said Master gave them Fire Origin Pills separately. Would Fifth Senior Brother lie? If Master is biased, then so be it; I dare not blame him."
"You!" Spirit Stone's anger flared as he abruptly stood up. "Fine! I'll call Fifth Brother over for questioning! I want to ask him which eye of his saw me secretly giving Old Six and Old Seven Fire Origin Pills!" He took a communication talisman from his desk and waved it slightly; a Little Yellow Paper Bird appeared and flapped its wings as it flew out the window.
Chu Gang soon appeared at the top of the stairs on the second floor. Spirit Stone shouted, "Fifth Brother! Come here! Which eye of yours saw me secretly giving Old Six and Old Seven Fire Origin Pills?"
Chu Gang was taken aback and replied somewhat sheepishly, "You didn't give them any?"
"Nonsense!" Spirit Stone slammed his hand on the table and stood up angrily. "One person makes baseless claims while another runs here with hearsay! I have good disciples! You all dare to recklessly accuse your master without even having grown up yet! Bah! How did I end up with such troublesome students?"
Chu Gang felt extremely embarrassed, his face turning red and purple, wishing he could find a crack in the ground to hide in.
“Old Eight, what do you have to say now? Do you still have any doubts? Are you still claiming that Master is biased?” Spirit Stone shouted at Chuxuan.
“Then why have those two improved so quickly? Is it not because Master has secretly favored them and given them Elixir?” Chuxuan retorted angrily.
Chu Gang was taken aback, not expecting the newly admitted Eighth Disciple to speak such words. His expression immediately turned grim, showing deep regret.
Li Hong understood the situation by now. It seemed that Fifth Senior Brother had casually mentioned something in front of Chuxuan, and today Chuxuan was rejected by Chu Xi for an outing, filled with jealousy, he actually came here to cause a scene with Spirit Stone. What a petty person!
Spirit Stone was furious, his face turning pale as he shouted, “Listen well! I have never given any disciple even a single Elixir in private! Hmph! Even if I did, that would be my own business! All of you get out! Don’t come to me again with baseless accusations!”
As Chuxuan was leaving, he shot a fierce glare at Li Hong. Li Hong couldn’t be bothered to respond and calmly said to the embarrassed Chu Gang, “I’ll take my leave first.” He then went downstairs with Chuxiong.
Suddenly, Spirit Stone said, “Old Six, stay behind.”
Li Hong was taken aback.
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