Chapter 26, is the person you mentioned that peach tree...?

"Crack—Bang!" The sound of a tree branch breaking rang out outside the cave. Shi Wenzhe opened his eyes and looked over, only to see a cold and stern figure standing at the cave entrance. He was backlit by the serene moonlight, holding a lifeless pheasant in his hand, breathing heavily as if he had suffered a serious injury.

Shi Wenzhe asked softly, "Linglong?"

Why aren't you saying anything?

The night was too dark, and the moonlight was mostly blocked by Linglong's back. Shi Wenzhe's vision was not clear, and he could not see the expression on his face. However, she could still feel the faint gloomy aura on Linglong. He stood there motionless, staring straight at the two people in the cave. He was lifeless and had no trace of the liveliness and agility he had during the day.

Shi Wenzhe felt a little flustered, as if the Linglong of the past had disappeared, and what appeared now was nothing more than a puppet or a shadow...

"Linglong!" Shi Wenzhe cried out in a panic.

"Crack—snap!" Another dead branch was broken by footsteps, finally shattering the silence inside the cave.

Linglong seemed to come alive from that voice. He was a little confused, not understanding what had just happened to him. He looked at the pheasant he was holding and scratched his head.

"What's wrong, Xiaoshi?"

Shi Wenzhe breathed a sigh of relief. The atmosphere just now was really strange. Linglong seemed to be under a spell, like a soulless puppet.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

Linglong replied, "It's alright." He put the pheasant down, lit the firewood again, and walked behind the stone slab. He seemed to be fiddling with something when Shi Wenzhe saw him take out pots and pans from behind.

"A cave even has these things?" she exclaimed in surprise, but then she felt relieved. She had just been wondering how to cook the pheasant she had hunted without any cooking utensils. Would she roast it? She hadn't expected the cave to be so well-equipped.

Linglong set up the iron pot and casually said, "I traded it with the old man." He glanced at Shi Wenzhe and added, "Don't worry, I traded it with five rabbits, five pheasants and a wild boar. I didn't take advantage of him."

"Can you cook?" Linglong was stumped. The pheasant had already been plucked clean and was placed bald in the wooden basin. He rubbed his forehead and muttered, "He said my cooking is not good."

Shi Wen replied, "I will."

Linglong looked at the motionless Shi Wenzhe and tilted her head: "You can come down, right? The beauty isn't some sickly beauty, there's no need to be so careful."

"Hurry up, I need to finish so I can go home. He hasn't seen me all day, he must be missing me."

"But it's strange, I took the same route as usual, so why did it take me until dark to get back?" Linglong looked puzzled. He lowered his head and thought about something. He remembered the strange thing in the valley during the day. He felt like he was being carried by a deer, which seemed to want to play with him. Unfortunately, Linglong had something to do and had to refuse. Now that he thought about it, the deer clearly wanted to take him somewhere.

He knew the secluded paths of Peach Blossom Valley very well; he could even etch every blade of grass and tree into his mind. Although the deer was still small, it was clearly not due to its youth, but rather to malnutrition that caused its stuntedness and weakness. The valley was rich in spiritual energy and lush with vegetation; it was impossible for such a weak creature to exist there. The deer also seemed to have injuries on its body; where did they come from?

He didn't understand, but he just shook his head, cleared his mind, and looked at Shi Wenzhe, who was still motionless.

The sapling had no feet, only its roots buried in the soil, waiting for him year after year, day after day. Linglong thought, "I miss him too. I'll cook something and take it back to him to apologize."

"Wait a minute..." Shi Wenzhe smiled awkwardly and said embarrassedly, "My legs are numb."

"You should have said so earlier." He straightened his wrinkled clothes, and the blue feather behind his ear swayed with his movements. Shi Wenzhe thought that the feather must be a treasure, otherwise it wouldn't glow in the dark.

Linglong walked behind Shi Wenzhe, stretched out her hand and channeled spiritual energy. A warm current flowed down his back, merging into Shi Wenzhe's limbs and bones, and the soreness and numbness instantly disappeared.

She rubbed her shoulders and gathered her long, loose hair. She wore a hairpin with a pendant hanging down her head. The pendant was a bit annoying; Shi Wenzhe didn't know where it came from, but it had been on her head ever since she transmigrated, so she hadn't taken it off.

However, she still preferred to tie her long hair up neatly and cleanly. The long red ribbon magically wrapped around her hands several times before finally tying it into a high ponytail. The end of the ribbon hung down onto Qin Wenxue's red dress, forming a ball like a blooming flower.

Shi Wenzhe carefully placed Qin Wenxue on the stone slab, then tucked the four corners of his cloak in. The little white dog was placed in Qin Wenxue's arms and was fast asleep.

The orange-yellow firelight illuminated the surroundings, making her features appear gentle and tender.

“I admit he is very handsome, but you don’t need to stare at him for so long,” Linglong interrupted. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on him for you.” With that, she cleared the space in front of the pot, walked to the stone slab, sat down, and gestured for Shi Wenzhe to begin.

"Thank you."

"Oh, it's nothing." He scratched his head sheepishly and said in a low voice, "I'll take a bowl of chicken soup with me. Just make sure the pheasant is well-cooked. No need to thank me."

"Also, put your clothes on properly! It's really inappropriate to leave them draped over your body like that."

Shi Wenzhe smiled at the awkward child. She put on her coat and smiled gently, "Okay, I'll definitely cook it for you properly. I have some mushrooms left over, would you like some?"

"Yes." Linglong reached into her bosom and pulled out a handful of lotus seeds, handing them to Shi Wenzhe and gesturing for her to put them in the pot to stew together. She added earnestly, "Peach Blossom Valley has all kinds of flowers, but the lotus flowers in the pond a hundred meters from the head of Lingluo Creek are the most beautiful. Have you seen them?"

I often heard him shake his head.

Linglong felt sorry for her: "You should have gone to see it. The lotus flowers are in full bloom for miles, the lotus leaves are fluttering, the lotus pods are sweet for miles, butterflies linger and dragonflies skim the water..." He recalled, his face full of happiness and satisfaction, and said: "Especially when the sun comes out, the pink and white petals are so delicate."

“Just like peach blossoms.” Linglong’s face flushed slightly, a faint smile appeared on her lips, and even her eyebrows were filled with joy. She spoke softly, but Shi Wenzhe could not hear her very clearly, so he knew that she was not speaking to her, but to herself.

He swung his leg and looked at Shi Wenzhe with bright eyes, as if wanting her to confirm: "Then you must have seen that peach tree, right?"

Shi Wenzhe nodded and gave a soft "hmm".

“Oh.” Linglong replied, “That’s right. That peach tree is unique and one of a kind in the world. It’s understandable that you haven’t seen the lotus pond, but if you miss that tree, you’ll probably regret it for the rest of your life.”

He smiled sheepishly, lowered his head, and the flame illuminated his entire body, the flickering warm yellow candlelight making him feel as warm as the sun.

He asked, "Is it pretty?"

The steam rising from the pot was a little hot. Shi Wenzhe moved her hand away from the pot, and she came back to her senses under the lush lamplight, murmuring, "It's beautiful."

"Qinwenxue said it has become a spirit. Can it transform into human form?"

Linglong shook her head, somewhat regretfully, and said in a deep voice, "Not yet. However, Peach Blossom Valley is rich in spiritual energy, and creatures can cultivate here with twice the results. If we wait a little longer, it should be able to take human form."

Shi Wenzhe said, "Then its human form must be very beautiful."

Linglong raised an eyebrow: "Of course." It was the unrestrained and flamboyant demeanor of a young person.

A rich aroma wafted from the pot, steam blurred Shi Wenzhe's features, and sparks crackled and popped. Linglong sat on a rock talking, while casually braiding the little white dog's hair. The little white dog slept soundly, completely unaware that it had become a disheveled puppy. Linglong stroked its fur, occasionally swinging her legs, looking playful and adorable.

When Shi Wenzhe Fu suddenly spoke up, he asked, "Is the 'he' you keep talking about that peach tree?"

Linglong paused, then pretended to be nonchalant as she let down the little white dog's braided hair. She said quietly, "No."

"Isn't that right?" Shi Wenzhe thought to himself, "My intuition is usually very accurate. Linglong clearly cares a lot about that peach tree, so how could it not be?"

She then asked, "You seem to care about him a lot. Is he your good friend?"

"Okay, whatever you say." He lowered his head, not even looking at Shi Wenzhe, thinking, "They've been entangled for so many years, and although they don't have any official status, they should... be considered good friends." But that person has such a calm temperament, doesn't like to talk much, such a quiet person—would they really want to be friends with him?

He shook his head, shaking off the little bit of annoyance in his heart.

"Is it because of him that you've been trading food with humans?"

"ah……"

Shi Wenzhe chuckled, "Why are you so hesitant? Is he very strict? Will he yell at you?"

"No...no, it isn't." He muttered, "Hey, why do you have so many questions?"

"I'm just curious, so I can talk to you about it." Shi Wenzhe said teasingly with an "I understand" look on his face, "Are you shy? Why are you so reluctant to talk about him?"

"No, that's not true." Linglong retorted, "If anyone should be shy, it shouldn't be me... Never mind, he just likes it, that's all." She then added seriously, "Make it a little more fragrant for me."

"Don't worry, I guarantee it will smell delicious. It contains lotus seeds, and I also added some fruit from the thorny vine. The fruit tastes sour but is very fragrant. He should like it."

“The lotus seeds are indeed very fragrant, but…” Linglong asked, puzzled, “What is the thorny vine? There is no such plant in Peach Blossom Valley.”

“I planted them in Yunmengze. If you have the chance, I’ll take you to see them,” Shi Wenzhe shared happily.

"Outside Peach Blossom Valley?"

"Um."

"I never leave the valley."

"Why?"

"The humans and immortals outside the valley are not friendly to our demon race, and they often threaten to kill us."

Shi Wen paused in his movements: "The Immortal Clan? Aren't they outside the Nine Heavens? Very far from the mortal realm."

Linglong seemed puzzled and asked, "What are you talking about? What is the Nine Heavens? The Immortal Clan is clearly on Mount Huaqing, and Mount Huaqing is only separated from Peach Blossom Valley by the Sea of ​​Illusion."

"Buzz—" Shi Wensheng felt as if she had been struck on the head, her mind went blank. She remembered what Qin Wenxue had said. This was an old image of Peach Blossom Valley. It was a pity that she did not know the history of the Demon Realm. Otherwise, she could have used this to deduce what point in time it was.

Was Peach Blossom Valley like this in the past? The human, immortal, and demon races lived together on the Zhaoyao Continent, not outside the Nine Heavens.

Shi Wen gripped the spoon handle tightly and asked casually, "Is that so?"