Chapter 16 In Peach Blossom Valley, a withered peach tree stands alone in the courtyard...
The withered tree stood alone in the courtyard, seemingly neither falling nor dying, appearing particularly eerie. Qin Wenxue passed by the withered tree, and a branch of the withered tree inadvertently touched Shi Wenzhe's fingertip. In that instant, a drop of blood fell onto the branch of the withered tree, like a pebble falling into the center of a lake, creating ripples.
A fragrance of flowers drifted in from afar, growing stronger and stronger. Qin Wenxue's fingers tightened, and he suddenly looked up. The withered trees in the courtyard were bursting with flowers, and the green leaves on the branches were falling heavily. The scene before him was like an ink painting fading away. He heard the babbling of a stream, white cranes spreading their wings, birds singing, and misty clouds, all of which were lush and verdant.
A moist and fresh breeze wafted towards them, and a thin layer of water mist seeped into Qin Wenxue's hair. Shi Wenzhe's palms felt cold, and in his sleep, he tugged at Qin Wenxue's hair, while also pushing the wet little fox in his arms a little further away.
Qin Wenxue's eyes trembled slightly, his surprise barely concealed. He looked at the lush mountains and rivers that resembled a paradise on earth and couldn't help but feel dazed, thinking it was just an illusion. But the chirping of birds was like a sharp sword, piercing through the tranquility and daze.
Apart from the few scattered green plants in Yunmengze, the Demon Realm is barren all year round, but the scenery before him is lush and green, and the fragrance of flowers wafts on the wind. All of this shakes his mind, and a picture appears in his mind. The scenery in the picture is exactly the same as this place, which makes him feel familiar yet strange. A layer of red appears at the corner of Qin Wenxue's eyes as she stares blankly at the peach tree that blocks out the sky in front of her.
The peach tree stands proudly atop the mountain in the valley, its branches reaching straight to the sky. It is tall and lush, with peach blossoms blooming in abundance, as beautiful as brocade. Birds take flight from the branches, their wings fluttering, their calls echoing through the valley. The sounds of deer and monkeys reverberate through the valley.
Qin Wenxue suddenly closed her eyes, not daring to look anymore.
"Your Excellency? Your Excellency?!" Yun Jin's voice came from afar, but it was as if there was a membrane between them, making it difficult to hear clearly, and it soon disappeared.
The Chongming Sword rose at will, slashing in all directions, but only left a few sword marks in the air; this was not a barrier or illusion.
Qin Wenxue's spiritual energy flowed around her, protecting the person in her arms.
The fog gradually thickened, obscuring his vision. He gently tilted his head to avoid the mist dripping from the peach blossoms; the rustling of the leaves disturbed Shi Wenzhe's peaceful dream.
Stimulated by the damp mist, she coughed violently a few times. Her mind gradually cleared, and a sharp pain came from her back. Her soul seemed to float away. Shi Wenzhe vaguely heard a voice: "Peach Blossom Valley..." The voice was extremely unreal. She felt like she was dreaming. Otherwise, why would Qin Wenxue say that sentence in such a puzzled tone?
This is unlike him; he should be decisive and resolute.
"A dream?" Shi Wen frowned, her face contorted with pain and confusion. She couldn't see her own expression, so she had no idea how grotesque it was.
"Sizzle... sizzle sizzle sizzle... sizzle sizzle sizzle sizzle sizzle sizzle sizzle—!"
The familiar inorganic electronic sound was a relief for Shi Wenzhe, who was trapped in a dream. She finally broke free from the deep dream and received signals from the outside world. Shi Wenzhe smelled a delicate floral fragrance, which was refreshing and lingered around her for a long time, as if she were in a sea of flowers.
The woman in his arms trembled slightly, her brows slowly relaxing. She seemed to be dreaming of something beautiful, and a satisfied smile appeared on her face. Qin Wenxue brushed away the stray hairs that were covering her eyes and eyebrows, making her upturned eyes even brighter.
"Sizzle... sizzle, keyword 'Peach Blossom Valley' detected... sizzle sizzle sizzle..."
"Sizzle—humph!" Shi Wenzhe let out a muffled groan. Her whole body was numb and painful after the electric shock, and she finally slowly woke up. However, the nerves in her temples kept throbbing, causing her head to throb with pain. Qin Wenxue sensed the danger and, at the critical moment, suspended Shi Wenzhe in mid-air before slowly landing her on the grass and trees.
"Cough cough—" A chill crept into Shi Wenzhe's back. She gasped for breath, using all her strength to breathe. She knew very well that Ming Shu had absorbed all the damage she had suffered, even though she was unharmed. But the damage she had endured was too unforgettable. Her nerves remembered all the pain she had experienced. Her flesh was torn apart time and time again, her bones were broken and then healed, and her heart was dug out again and again. It was a desperate torture. The wounds had healed, but the pain remained.
Shi Wenzhe got up. The grass under her hands was still tender and green, and mist hung among the grass. However, the sharp leaves cut her hands in several places. She leaned on the grass and slowly exhaled a wisp of smoke, then coughed violently a few times.
Shi Wenzhe touched her long hair, which was standing on end from the electric shock. Her hair was dry and tangled, and she looked like a demon who had just crawled out of hell, not fierce but rather disheveled.
"I give up," she murmured. She was truly fed up with 001. Why did it always attack her when she came back to life? This was the nth time she had asked herself this question. She couldn't understand it. Was persecuting her host some necessary objective to achieve? She hadn't died in the perilous world of immortals and heroes, but she had almost died at the hands of her own people.
Shi Wenzhe was still a little dizzy, so she didn't notice that Qin Wenxue was staring straight at her with a passionate and direct gaze, which was somewhat presumptuous.
Qin Wenxue tilted his head. A breeze blew from the valley, causing the man's long hair to flutter in the wind. Small bells seemed to hang from the silver chain in his hair, their sound clear and melodious. Shi Wenzhe shuddered, his pupils shrinking to slits as he gazed intently. He saw the valley as green as the sea, the distant mountains shrouded in mist, and Qin Wenxue, dressed in red, standing under a bright peach tree. Behind him was a line of sky, and below him was the lush landscape. His figure was tall and slender, like a celestial being, his beauty no less than that of the peach tree. Shi Wenzhe was mesmerized once again.
"You've come to your senses," Qin Wenxue said calmly.
Shi Wenzhe nodded, but still stared blankly. She finally reacted under Qin Wenxue's gaze.
"That's impolite, is this even scientific?" she asked herself. "Although she is indeed a rare beauty, there's no need to be so infatuated. You're so pathetic, Shi Wenzhe."
She covered her face and took a deep breath to calm her rapidly beating heart. As she silently counted down from three to two, she removed her hand and looked at Qin Wenxue. She thought she could look directly at her calmly, but to her surprise, Qin Wenxue remained as elegant as ever, even more dazzling in her now-clear vision.
Shi Wenzhe couldn't help but laugh out loud. She thought, "So what if she's spineless? Even if she's being mocked, she'll still look at someone this beautiful to her heart's content."
Shi Wenzhe smiled and called out, "Qinwen Xue."
"Hmm?" Qin Wenxue responded.
You are so beautiful.
Qin Wenxue blinked, standing under the tree, seemingly lost in thought. But Shi Wenzhe could sense that Qin Wenxue's mood had improved considerably in that instant, and he seemed to have regained a semblance of life. Shi Wenzhe thought to himself, "The Qin Wenxue from before seemed to exist in a different world from her. He was somewhat lonely, handsome yet distant, untouchable to her. The Qin Wenxue of today is much better, close at hand, someone she can talk to. That's wonderful."
Shi Wenzhe was in a bright mood, laughing happily and contentedly. Then she became bolder and made no attempt to hide her joy.
Qin Wenxue stroked the white ball of dough and said in a deep voice, "Stop looking."
Shi Wenzhe responded sweetly, and the kitten nodded, "Okay." Then it laughed a few more times.
She nimbly got up, the copper coin tassel at her waist particularly eye-catching. Shi Wenzhe touched it, ignoring the pain in his body, and tried to hop forward, but his legs were not very strong. Shi Wenzhe groaned and limped towards Qin Wenxue, a trace of pain showing in his eyes.
"What a rollercoaster of twists and turns! The ankle that was sprained first is the one that's hurting last. Why didn't the sprain heal by the time the flesh was healing?" She couldn't understand it, and she stopped thinking about it. The pain wasn't unbearable, it was just very sharp when she first stood up. But after a while, it didn't seem so bad.
Qin Wenxue looked at her questioningly, but she smiled indifferently and walked towards him again. The ground was covered with white and pink peach blossoms, and the spot where Qin Wenxue was standing was more prominent. He was surrounded by the clusters of flowers, like a flower god who had taken form from them. The wind blew the peach trees down, and the rustling sound echoed through the valley. One by one, the full petals drifted down to the ground, like a rain of petals, landing on Qin Wenxue's shoulders, and even falling on the white dumpling.
Shi Wen picked a peach blossom, held it close to Qin Wenxue, and foolishly stretched out her hand to show it to him: "It's so beautiful! This tree is so tall, even the flowers are so plump." She asked, "Doesn't it look like a peony...?"
The petals trembled slightly in the wind, but Qin Wenxue showed no particular emotion, remaining indifferent. Shi Wenzhe observed him and noticed that the worry between his brows was even more pronounced, as if something he couldn't understand was troubling him.
Shi Wenzhe's heart skipped a beat, and even Qin Wenxue was troubled. Just how big of a deal was that?
His stomach rumbled, quite inopportunely. Shi Wenzhe scratched his head awkwardly, chuckled, and said sheepishly, "I'm hungry, hehe."
She brazenly asked, "Is there anything to eat, Qinwenxue?"
Qin Wenxue: "..."
He pursed his lips and reluctantly pulled a piece of candy from his pocket. The candy was quite unusual because it was colorful. The sun hadn't risen in the valley yet, but Shi Wenzhe could still see the colorful light reflected from the candy.
"..." She stared wide-eyed in disbelief, muttering softly, "The world of immortals and heroes is truly extraordinary. It looks delicious." She reached out to take it, but Qin Wenxue suddenly moved her hand away, and Shi Wen fell into empty air.
She looked up cautiously and asked, "Can't I eat it?"
Qin Wenxue hesitated for a moment, then moved her hand back and said, "Eat." Her voice was even more muffled.
Shi Wenzhe felt a little strange. He hadn't expected that Qin Wenxue, such a cold person, would be so possessive of her food. It was... kind of cute. But this candy was definitely not ordinary. It must have been hard to come by.
She held it in her mouth and savored it carefully. It was a little sour, with a faint floral fragrance. It tasted quite good.
"Thank you, Aoqinwenxue. This valley is so big, there must be delicious food. I'll cook it for you then, okay?"
Qin Wenxue neither nodded nor shook his head. He noticed that Shi Wenzhe seemed oblivious, as if he had been mentally preparing his response for a long time before finally choosing his words carefully to ask, "Are you cold?"
Shi Wenzhe: "Huh?" She touched her cold arms and nodded hesitantly: "Speaking of which, it does seem a bit cold. Maybe it's because the wind is strong in the valley, and we're still on the mountaintop." She looked around and found that the fog was quite thick. Qin Wenxue's hair was sticking to her skin, and her clothes were soaked. She asked with concern: "Are you cold? Do you want to wear my clothes?"
Seeing her looking blank, Qin Wenxue changed her question: "Did you bring any other clothes?"
Shi Wen tilted his head in confusion: "What do you mean?"
Qin Wenxue sighed and had no choice but to say directly, "Your clothes are torn."
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