Chapter 15 Resurrection and Bringing Back the Dead

Feng Mian, carrying a kettle, walked to Xia Zhu's side. He looked at the tangled vines above his head, his long, curly eyelashes trembling slightly. His eyes were bright, and his expression revealed excitement and an indescribable longing. Xia Zhu heard him muttering to himself.

"Xiao Feng is a genius that our Feng family has only seen once in a century..."

He lowered his head and smiled at Xia Zhu, a faint glow seemingly rising on his fair face. The corners of his mouth turned up, and his tone was full of pride.

"On the day Xiao Feng was born, spring rain accompanied the bright sun, a rainbow appeared on the roof, and plants within a hundred miles bloomed and grew together. The elders of the clan said that there has never been another like it in a hundred years."

"Hey Fengmian, stop talking! We're twins, and that was on the day you were born." Feng Feng retracted the vines and lay back down on the table.

Feng Mian shook her head, smiled, and said nothing more. She placed the tray down and poured hot tea for the three of them. Although she had already witnessed Feng Feng's leaf manipulation technique, this was the first time she had seen such a scene. However, Xia Zhu's character was that of a timid and emotionless girl, yet she could remain calm even when Mount Tai collapsed before her. She couldn't help but ask Feng Mian.

"Is your force of symmetry the same?"

Feng Mian pushed the teacup in front of Xia Zhu, and turned the handle of the cup towards her along the coaster. His expression remained unchanged, still smiling.

"I am disabled; even with all my strength, I can only make the flower bud crack slightly."

“The innate physical characteristics of the divine bloodline are only inherited from the mother. To put it simply, they are passed down to daughters, not sons. Therefore, the males in the family are all disabled.” Feng Ye continued Feng Mian’s words, but her tone sounded normal.

“The Feng family has never believed that a disabled person is any different. Our clan is also unwilling to participate in the honor struggles between different clans and factions. Labor and nature are the eternal pursuits of the Spring Emperor lineage,” Feng Ye continued.

"But that's precisely why there are very few unknown officials in our family. Xiao Feng is the only one in this generation. It's just that her brother is always worried that she might encounter danger alone in her dreams. No matter what, he begged me to give him a talisman so that he could enter the dreams with his sister. Perhaps this is what twins are like, neither of them can live without the other." Feng Ye became happier as she spoke, covering her mouth with her teacup and laughing.

Xia Zhu realized that she had asked a question that wasn't very good. Although the family involved still seemed happy and harmonious, she still felt a little guilty.

Feng Ye mentioned Taihao, the Spring Emperor.

As far as she knows, some sources compare Emperor Taihao of the Spring Dynasty and Fuxi to one person, but she doesn't know if the Feng family are direct descendants of Fuxi, because different historians from different eras and periods have different opinions on the claim that Taihao and Fuxi are the same person, and there are many different opinions.

In conclusion, based on Xia Zhu's observations and Feng Ye's words, the Feng family should be a lineage related to the God of Nature.

She suddenly remembered the large tree totem she had seen in Fengfeng Fuyu.

Perhaps it is some kind of symbol.

That's true. Ever since she set foot on this land, the vibrant life hidden everywhere she went made her heart race. The entire Feng family was like a towering tree bathed in the scorching sun. Standing under this lush green tree, she felt a sense of peace she had never felt before.

Perhaps it was destined that I would embark on this journey. What connection or relationship would I have with this warm home?

Seemingly sensing Xia Zhu's thoughts, Feng Ye promptly offered a suggestion.

“Ah Zhu, Xiaomian told me about your abilities. I suppose they told you that coming to me would give you the answers you want, but I’m sorry, I have no idea how you can enter dreams or how you acquired these abilities.”

After hearing Feng Ye's words, she felt down for a moment, but she quickly recovered.

"I don't have the answer here, but there might be one in a place. Legend has it that the Jiang family of the Wei River is protected by a five-colored divine bird. This bird can see the past and foresee the future. Those with the right opportunity can enter the bird's hidden place and get its answers. Perhaps you can try your luck there. However, we don't usually have any dealings with the Jiang family. Whether you can get permission to enter the Jiang family's territory to seek your opportunity depends on yourself."

Feng Ye picked up his teacup, took a sip of hot tea, and patted Feng Feng awake, who was already asleep.

"After the New Year comes the Nine Heavens Assembly. At that time, all the unknown officials from the families will go to Sun and Moon Mountain to participate. The siblings will also go. Azhu, you can come along. Sun and Moon Mountain is not far from the Wei River. The Nine Heavens Assembly is full of hidden talents. You might find someone to guide you."

Feng Feng, still half asleep, was initially happy after hearing this, but then remembered something and grabbed Feng Ye's hand with a worried expression: "Mom, A-Zhu entered a dream again on the way here. Although she came out safely with the stone, it's really too dangerous for her to enter a dream without any warning. Is there any way to help her? I'm really afraid that she'll be trapped in the dream and won't be able to get out before we even reach Riyue Mountain and see any divine birds."

"That's easy, wait for me." Feng Ye patted Feng Feng's face, got up from the sofa and went upstairs, with Feng Feng following like a tail.

Only Feng Mian and Xia Zhu remained in the living room. The two sat on the sofa in silence for a moment. Xia Zhu remembered the question about Xiang Li from earlier and felt a little embarrassed to apologize, but she was too tongue-tied to know how to start the conversation.

So she said, "Fengmian, Uncle's cooking is delicious, and so is yours." Although he didn't have Xiaofeng's talent, in her heart Fengmian was a very, very good person. She didn't know how to describe it, but he was just very good.

Feng Mian's eyes crinkled with laughter as she heard that her apology wasn't straightforward.

"It's nothing, Azhu. Whether or not I have the power of divination is not important to me. What's important is that my family is safe and happy every day. Besides, the ability of women to give birth is a divine gift, and the power of divination should and should only be passed down in their blood." His eyelashes were very long, perhaps longer than Feng Feng and Xia Zhu combined, and now they drooped down, like a curtain covering his light-colored pupils.

"It's just tough on Xiao Feng. She's shouldered the responsibility of being an unknown official since she was little. Almost no one in the family is willing to enter dreams to exorcise evil spirits, and we've never asked her if she's willing. All I know is that she loves running around in the fields and in the wild, making inventions and researching this kind of grass and that kind of flower. But serving as an unknown official is the duty of all families with divine blood. Someone from the Feng family had to step forward. It was only natural that the most talented Xiao Feng took on the responsibility of wearing the talisman for everyone."

Feng Mian raised his eyes and looked at the stairs leading to the second floor. Feng Feng was skipping down the stairs, his voice very soft, and Xia Zhu could barely hear him.

"All I can do is prepare every meal for her, take care of everyone, ensure she has no worries, and not hold her back or become a burden in her dreams..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Feng Feng pounced on the sofa. Feng Ye followed him downstairs, carrying a wooden box in his hands. He walked up to Xia Zhu, opened the box, and found three or four brown jade bead pendants inside, the same ones that Feng Feng and his sister wore on their right ears.

“These are the Feng family’s talismans. There are seven in total, which were distributed to seven unknown officials over the generations. However, in this generation, only Xiao Feng and Xiaomian chose to enter the dream, so I still have some left.” As he spoke, Feng Ye took one out of the box and gestured to Xia Zhu’s ear.

“The talisman is the key to entering dreams, and it is also a magical artifact for those who are descendants of the divine bloodline. Wearing it may allow you to control your ability to enter dreams. Azhu, do you have pierced ears?”

Xia Zhu nodded, and at Feng Ye's prompting, she tucked her hair behind her ears. Her ear piercings were done by her grandfather when she was a child, who said they would protect her health and bring her good fortune.

"Left or right?"

"Right side, please." Just like Feng Feng and the others.

It took some effort to pierce her ear with the earring needle. After starting junior high school, she stopped wearing earrings, and a thin film grew back there.

"Alright, what do you think? Our Fu Yu wears them on her ears, it's convenient and doesn't interfere with her work." Feng Ye handed a mirror to Xia Zhu.

In the mirror, she could see the large, leafy tree, as if it were encased in solidified amber.

“That’s Taihao’s totem, Jianmu! Isn’t it beautiful? It suits you perfectly, Azhu.” Feng Feng also came over.

“There’s one more important thing,” Feng Ye’s expression changed slightly, “A Zhu, it’s best if you don’t reveal your abilities. Other families may not accept the existence of ‘non-humans.’ Even if you haven’t done anything to threaten them or humanity, for most divine descendants, variables are the biggest threat. Letting those families know that there are people in the world who are out of their control and so different from them probably won’t be a good thing for you.”

After saying that, she pointed to a pot of orange blossoms on the windowsill behind Xia Zhu. Feng Mian understood and got up to bring the flowerpot over.

"Xiao Feng, let the flowers wither and die."

Although Feng Feng didn't quite understand his mother's intention, he still raised his hand and tapped the flower branch.

A pot of orange blossoms, which were in full bloom, withered rapidly under her fingertips, and then the entire plant pitifully died in the pot.

"Xiao Mian said you have the ability to bring birds back to life, maybe it will work on plants too, give it a try, Azhu."

"But I don't know any tricks or spells; it may just be a coincidence."

"It's okay, relax, Azhu. How did you do it last time? Try the same position this time."

"Okay, I'll give it a try."

Actually, she wasn't sure. That time, she had only held the little bird in her hands, and it had suddenly come back to life without warning. She was afraid it was just a coincidence, and that she might not have any special abilities at all.

Despite the overwhelming urge to give up, she still reached out and gently gathered the lifeless flower in her palm.

Thinking about whether she should say something, but too embarrassed to speak, she could only silently pray, "Come back to life, come back to life."

Miraculously, the previously withered orange tree roots began to turn green, and the curled dry leaves visibly unfurled. Xia Zhu could even hear the vacuoles in the plant cells popping.

The orange blossoms, just like before, are full of life again.

"That makes things easier. You can use your resurrection technique on plants to tell others that you are a member of the Feng family. If it really comes to the point where you need to prove yourself to others, just do what you did today and have Xiao Feng cooperate with you." Feng Ye patted Xia Zhu's shoulder with a look of satisfaction.

"Yay! I have a sister from today onwards! Ah Zhu, does that mean you'll change your name to... Feng Zhu?" Xiao Feng pounced on Xia Zhu, burying her fluffy head into her neck.

The phrase "a candle in the wind" sounds like it indicates that one's life is nearing its end.

“There’s no need to change your name. Just call me A-Zhu in front of outsiders. You can’t even pretend. You’re the smartest, Xiao Feng.” Feng Ye laughed and flicked Feng Feng’s nose.

Lying in a warm bed, with the scent of grass and trees on the blankets and pillows, closing my eyes feels like lying on a meadow.

She had just drunk the sweet soup that Feng Feng's father had brought her and taken a hot bath. Now, lying in bed, her limbs felt warm and melting. The window was open, and the night breeze was warm and the humidity was just right. She wanted to linger a while to see the moonlight streaming into the room.

Even now, Xia Zhu still feels like she's in a dream, but it's not a nightmare; it's a wonderful dream. The only discomfort she feels is the black five-finger mark she found on her right forearm before taking a shower. If Xiao Feng said she was in a dream, why could the Jiao Ren from the dream leave a mark on her real body?

In addition, she always felt that there was a strange gaze watching her from the shadows.

This feeling of being watched has existed since she set foot on the Feng family's territory. She wasn't sure if it was a side effect of leaving the dream, nor could she judge the intentions of the person watching her. It was just that it was sometimes particularly strong, so strong that it could not be ignored.

For example, right now, through the open window, someone or something is secretly peering into the room, searching for Xia Zhu's figure in the blind spot by the window.

She hesitated for a moment, and was about to lift the covers to check when there was a knock on the skylight door leading to the attic.

"Ah Zhu, are you asleep? I have something I want to tell you. Is now a good time?"

It was the sound of wind blowing through the leaves.

A note from the author:

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