Chapter 23 Plum Blossoms "The plum blossoms are gone."
That noisy parrot is here again.
Hua Xun stayed up all night practicing her dream-entering techniques because she was going to enter Chen Changyan's dream the next day.
As soon as she withdrew her spiritual sense, she heard several noisy "cawing" sounds.
Hua Xun frowned, and without even adjusting her breathing, she got out of bed.
As she stepped outside, she immediately saw the deity sitting at a jade table under the plum blossoms, his expression calm and serene.
Meanwhile, the brightly colored parrot was nestled comfortably in the deity's arms, its eyes half-closed as the deity stroked its feathers, its sharp beak occasionally emitting a comfortable "gurgling" sound.
Upon hearing footsteps, the parrot no longer showed the panic it had displayed the day before. It merely glanced at her lazily before huddling back in its nest.
Hua Xun pursed her lips and stepped forward: "Sir, did you spend the whole night here admiring the flowers?"
The deity slightly raised his eyes to look at her and smiled: "I have no need for sleep."
After realizing something, Dao Wan flicked his fingertip and a golden light flashed, brushing towards Hua Xun.
Hua Xun instantly felt her previously somewhat disordered breathing gradually calm down and flow smoothly within her body.
"Thank you, sir," Hua Xun said, glancing at the parrot in his arms, unable to suppress the sorrow in her voice, "How did it end up here?"
The parrot blinked its small, round eyes and chirped softly twice.
The deity remained as gentle as ever: "Perhaps the original courtyard was empty, so you came here."
Hua Xun agreed to move to the Chen family's house, partly so that the parrot wouldn't be able to find her. Unexpectedly, the parrot followed her scent and came here.
Hua Xun gave a muffled reply and sat down opposite the deity, staring at the parrot with wide eyes.
"Yesterday," the Divine Lord suddenly spoke slowly, a hint of doubt in his expression, "why did you protect me?"
Hua Xun was initially puzzled, but then she realized that the deity was referring to her subconscious pulling him back yesterday: "I didn't think that much about it at the time," she said truthfully.
The deity calmed down, and after a moment, gently waved his hand.
A few golden stars twinkled on the stone table, attracting Hua Xun's attention, and she stared intently at them.
But then the tiny golden rays gradually coalesced into a plum blossom, the branch being lacquered, while the blossom itself was a striking red.
"Sir?" Hua Xun asked, puzzled.
The deity laughed and said, "Last night a breeze blew by, and this plum blossom happened to fall on my shoulder."
"So, you're giving it to me?" Hua Xun asked incredulously.
"Exactly."
Hua Xun held the plum blossom in her hand, admiring it with great affection.
She couldn't help but think that this was the first time the deity had given her a "gift".
The deity observed that her expression seemed to show affection, and smiled slightly.
Hua Xun's mood improved, and her thoughts became more active. Remembering something, she carefully set up a barrier around herself before asking, "Divine Lord, you said yesterday that Chen Changyan's fate was not yet over. Do you know everyone's fate?"
The deity laughed: "Fate has long been predetermined; I merely knew it a little earlier than ordinary people."
Hua Xun asked curiously, "Does the God know how much time I have left to live?"
She had been thinking about this yesterday, how wonderful it would be to know in advance how much longer she had to live.
The deity looked at her and admitted, "I do not know."
"Huh?" Hua Xun asked, puzzled. "Why?"
The Divine Lord lowered his eyes and pondered for a few breaths: "Ordinary Wu tribe members live for fifteen years. After transforming into a demon, they can live for five hundred years. If they cultivate diligently and transform into an immortal, they may live for thousands of years."
Hua Xun exclaimed in delight, "If the Divine Lord doesn't know my destiny, does that mean I will cultivate to the Dao and live for a very long time?"
The deity remained silent.
Even a venerable immortal could know the fate and lifespan of a person, but he truly did not know her.
"Does the deity know his own destiny?" Hua Xun asked again.
The deity smiled and said, "Gods have no destiny. Even if they dissipate, they will transform into celestial energy and exist in the world forever."
Hua Xun was slightly taken aback: "But 'dissipation' itself, for those whom God likes and those who like God, is the end of their lives."
The refuted god looked at her, his voice as ethereal as a breeze: "To the god, all beings are equal."
Therefore, there are no people whom God favors, nor should there be people who like God.
Hua Xun was stunned. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but didn't know how to start.
Just then, a maid came from outside the courtyard and invited them to Chen Changyan's residence in the backyard.
Upon seeing the stranger, the parrot flapped its wings, circled a few times in the air with lingering affection, and then flew away.
The deity remained calm and slowly stood up.
Hua Xun followed in a sullen manner, but then, as if remembering something, she looked towards the west wing: "Shouldn't we call Master Jin?"
The maidservant hurriedly replied, "Reporting to Cultivator Hua, Cultivator Jin has already gone ahead."
This Jin Huan is really going all out for gold.
Hua Xun thought silently.
When they arrived at Chen Changyan's bedroom, Jin Huan was indeed already there. However, he was no longer as kind as he was yesterday, nor as reckless as he was six months ago. Instead, he appeared somewhat gloomy, sitting quietly in the main seat without saying a word.
Are demonic cultivators truly so fickle in temperament?
Thinking this, Hua Xun couldn't help but glance at him, only to be met with his gaze.
Hua Xun was startled, a familiar sense of fear rising inexplicably in her heart, and a chill seemed to slowly creep up her spine.
Jin Huan seemed to pause as well, stiffening for a moment before withdrawing his gaze and not looking at her again.
Hua Xun breathed a sigh of relief, walked to the side of the deity, and told Li Shi and Fang Qinglian, who were already waiting by the bed, about her method of entering the dream.
Both Li and Fang Qinglian were taken aback: "Entering a dream?"
"Would this allow us to see Nagahiko's life story?"
Hua Xun nodded: "You could say that."
Fang Qinglian's eyelashes fluttered slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she lowered her eyes and remained silent.
Li hesitated for a while before saying, "Is there really no other way?"
Hua Xun frowned in confusion: "Human memory is as vast as the sea. No one knows where Young Master Chen's soul is sealed. If we don't go and investigate, how can we find his soul and awaken him?"
Madam Li glanced quickly at Fang Qinglian, pondered for a long time, and then nodded with a forced smile: "Fine, as long as it can wake my son, let cultivator Hua enter the dream if he wants."
Hua Xun glanced at her, then looked at the Divine Lord: "Sir, I'm going."
The deity nodded: "Do not become obsessed with it, otherwise you will easily be assimilated by it and become a stranger in its dreams."
Hua Xun already knew this, nodded solemnly, and glanced at Jin Huan again: "Cultivator Jin, I'll be going now."
Jin Huan looked at her.
Perhaps because he rarely paid attention to her cultivation level, he only realized now that her magical power had improved considerably compared to half a year ago.
Hua Xun, unaware of Jin Huan's thoughts, sat quietly on the tea table by the bed, silently reciting the mantra and directing her magical power. Instantly, her body felt light, and the next moment, her spiritual consciousness transformed into a ray of light blue light that entered Chen Changyan's brow.
When Hua Xun opened her eyes again, she felt as if she were swaying and walking on a cloud, without any sense of reality.
Everything around me seemed like a huge circle, and countless images flashed by in front of my eyes.
Hua Xun quickly calmed herself down and slowed down the images.
The first thing that catches the eye is a boudoir filled with indulgence in sensual pleasures.
Several dancers sang and danced lightly, while charming women draped in red gauze surrounded the man in the center, chatting and laughing, and constantly offering him drinks.
The man was none other than Chen Changyan.
Hua Xun frowned. Although she had guessed that Li's claim that Chen Changyan and Fang Qinglian were "deeply in love" was probably not true, seeing it with her own eyes still made her feel angry... and disgusted.
She watched the dirty man indulging in wine and women, his eyes filled with a murky haze, and she couldn't help but frown.
The scene flashed by rapidly again.
This time, it was the Chen residence, which she knew best.
Hua Xun saw Chen Changyan barging into Fang Qinglian's room with a courtesan in his arms. Fang Qinglian, her face pale, tried to persuade him not to do this, but he impatiently brushed her aside, causing her forehead to hit the sharp corner of the table.
Hua Xun felt an invisible rage rising in her chest and could no longer bear to look.
But what followed was even more infuriating.
The drunken Chen Changyan bossed Fang Qinglian around in a domineering manner, and would punch and kick her if she did not comply with his wishes.
The man was as terrifying as a demon, as if the woman before him were not his wife, but his enemy.
Fang Qinglian, like a lotus flower at the end of summer, gradually withered away amidst the hardships of the Chen family.
But she never left, stubbornly staying at the Chen residence.
Until one day, Chen Changyan saw Fang Qinglian by the pond and whispered: I can't wait for you anymore.
Enraged, Chen Changyan dragged Fang Qinglian into the room, intending to commit adultery.
Fang Qinglian took out a dagger to protect herself, but she was too weak and the dagger fell into Chen Changyan's hands. In the chaos, she saw the dagger slash past, and a small piece of her finger rolled to the ground, covered with a few specks of dust.
Unable to endure it any longer, Hua Xun gathered magical power at her fingertips and was about to strike Chen Changyan.
Before she could make a move, the surroundings began to shake violently, and countless scenes showed signs of collapsing.
Hua Xun felt as if her body was being pulled by an invisible force, as if it were about to tear her apart.
The collapsing scene only gradually stopped after she withdrew her magic.
These are things that have already happened; she cannot change them, or she will only devour herself.
Hua Xun struggled to regulate her breathing, and it took her a long time to gradually calm her disordered breathing.
Then she realized that she had entered Chen Changyan's memories from five years ago.
Beside a clear mountain stream, a handsome man lay on a rock, while a girl carrying a sachet ran towards him with a smile in the distance.
"Changyan, look, isn't the sachet I embroidered pretty?" the girl asked with a smile.
The man raised an eyebrow and said lazily, "It's not good-looking."
The girl said dejectedly, "But I embroidered this especially for you."
The man's face stiffened, then he coughed awkwardly, "It's... passable."
The girl was still not in high spirits: "I'll throw this away and go embroider another one..."
Before the sachet could be released, the man nimbly jumped off the rock and snatched it away: "Beautiful, beautiful, especially beautiful."
The girl looked at him and secretly smiled.
Hua Xun looked at the two of them and couldn't help but smile.
Perhaps because Chen Changyan and Fang Qinglian were so hateful and pitiful before, it wasn't until after she finished laughing that she belatedly realized that these two were also Chen Changyan and Fang Qinglian.
The further back you go in your memories, the more beautiful they become.
Hua Xun watched as the sixteen-year-olds blushed and pledged their lives to each other; the fifteen-year-olds exchanged tokens of love; the twelve-year-olds studied and practiced calligraphy together; the eight-year-old Chen Changyan secretly climbed a tree to get a kite for Fang Qinglian; the six-year-olds fought over a piece of candy, ultimately winning because Fang Qinglian shed tears…
Until she was six years old, Hua Xun wanted to continue exploring, when suddenly a bewitching white mist appeared in the void.
Hua Xun was shrouded in white mist, and she felt her consciousness gradually becoming detached, and her memories seemed to be slowly fading away.
She began to forget why she was there, and where she was.
As the white mist gradually encroached, the memories of the God on White Mist Cliff gradually faded into nothingness, as did the ten years with Baili Sheng, and the time when she took human form...
Until... Hua Xun stood blankly in the clouds, her eyes unfocused.
who is she?
As if some unknown force was propelling her forward.
After an unknown amount of time, a long street appeared ahead that looked exactly like a bustling human market, with pedestrians thronging past each other.
She couldn't see their faces clearly, but she walked forward blankly, involuntarily wanting to step into their midst.
Just before she stepped into the market, something moved slightly at her waist.
Hua Xun looked down blankly; her purse was shimmering with a faint light.
She opened her purse, and on top of it was a plum blossom.
Hua Xun held the plum blossom in her hand and stared at it intently: "My Lord..." she murmured involuntarily.
In an instant, the long street vanished, the pedestrians disappeared, and she returned to her starting point.
The memories swallowed by the white mist rushed into her mind like a receding landscape.
Hua Xun suddenly woke up. Just now, she had almost been assimilated by the dream and become a stranger in Chen Changyan's memory.
Hua Xun frowned, determined to continue investigating Chen Changyan's memories from before he was six years old.
But at that moment, a familiar crimson light appeared from the side.
Hua Xun was shocked and quickly took a few steps back to look closely.
It was the same red fox that had attacked her last night; its body was still almost transparent, resembling a ghost.
It was baring its teeth fiercely at her, letting out a vicious growl from its throat.
Hua Xun looked at it cautiously: "What exactly are you?"
The fox stared intently at her, as if guarding the memories behind it.
Hua Xun had not found Chen Changyan's soul along the way, and her gaze was fixed on the scene behind him shrouded in mist.
"Did you seal Chen Changyan's soul?" Hua Xun asked. "Where is his soul?"
It's unclear what word provoked the fox, but it suddenly became enraged and leaped forward to attack her.
Hua Xun quickly stepped aside to avoid it.
But the fox's magic was far superior to hers. With a slash of its claws, a wisp of celestial energy transformed into a sharp blade, cleanly severing the stray strands of her hair that were floating in the wind.
Hua Xun was startled. If that magic power had struck her, she would probably have already died.
She hurriedly turned around, wanting to leave quickly, but suddenly everything went dark before her eyes, followed by a heavy feeling in her chest.
The fox hadn't used its full strength, but the pure magic struck her heart, and Hua Xun was still sent flying like a kite with a broken string, crashing into the fragmented images, a metallic taste of blood rising in her throat.
Hua Xun tried to stand up.
The fox growled warningly, its eyes fixed on her. Seeing that she still insisted on getting up, it attacked her again.
At the critical moment, a long branch emerged from Hua Xun's purse, adorned with a few red plum blossoms. The branch seemed to come alive, transforming into a soft yet resilient vine that tethered the fox's steps.
Seeing this, Hua Xun did not hesitate and quickly sat cross-legged on the ground, silently reciting the mantra while guiding his spiritual consciousness out of the dream.
After the plum branches binding the fox were shattered, Hua Xun watched helplessly as the fox attacked her, and her vision changed rapidly.
After a long period of darkness, Hua Xun regained her sight.
Before her was a familiar bedroom. Li Shi and Fang Qinglian stood to the side, looking nervously at her, then at Chen Changyan on the bed.
Jin Huan also stood up from his seat at some point and stood not far away, frowning as he stared at her, his expression seemingly even more gloomy.
And... Hua Xun looked at the God standing in front of her, his expression serene.
He was looking at her and asked gently, "Are you alright?"
Hua Xun stared blankly at the deity: "Sir," she murmured, her heart filled with the relief of surviving a disaster. Relying on the fact that the deity wouldn't be angry, she reached out and gently hugged his waist, saying in a muffled voice, "...The plum blossoms are gone."
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