Chapter 74 Planting Peach Trees
"Young Master Luo Ying, how is your injury?" Song Chi asked Cui Luo Ying politely as she came to greet him.
Cui Luoying smiled and said, "Thanks to you, I'm much better now."
The two then sat down on the couch and had some tea.
Song Chi didn't bother with pretense and went straight to the point. "Young Master Luo Ying!"
"If Junior Sister Song doesn't mind, you can call me Senior Brother Luo Ying."
According to Cui Xue Ruo's line of seniority, her address is clearly inappropriate. However, according to the senior brother's line of seniority, it's not entirely unacceptable.
Song Chi then said tactfully, "Senior Brother Luo Ying, when you sent that invitation last time, if the secret realm weren't right in front of us, I would have been really fascinated by the pink and dreamlike peach garden you described in your letter. I even felt a great sense of regret at the time. But... alas, Senior Brother Luo Ying is injured today, so it's not suitable for you to travel around."
Her last words might have been a bit over the top, and Cui Luoying could tell that she wasn't being sincere, so she chuckled softly.
He then stood up with a smile.
"It's just a minor injury, nothing to worry about. Besides, Junior Sister Song is so fond of Peach Blossom Garden, how could I not accompany her? Junior Sister Song, please."
Song Chi immediately gestured for them to proceed, and the two of them then walked together toward the pink peach grove stretching for a hundred miles to the east.
These peach orchards are indeed quite unique. The difference lies in the fact that they bloom twice a year, each bloom lasting two months, and they do not bear fruit.
Putting that aside, these peach blossoms do indeed have a faint mist swirling around them, making them truly ethereal and extraordinary.
But Cui Luoying occasionally recited a poem along the way, which was something he shouldn't have done.
Could he be expecting her to compose poems with him? No way. That beautifully written parallel prose last time was actually ghostwritten by his senior brother. If she were to do it herself, let's see if she could squeeze out five words in an hour.
Moreover, Song Chi didn't even offer any praise for his poetry. She merely smiled and followed his gaze to admire the beautiful scene of fluttering peach blossoms. Because if she were to praise him, she would only say "good poem," which would be disrespectful to her master. She couldn't accept that; she wouldn't give Cui Luoying that opportunity.
The two claimed to be strolling through the peach garden, but Song Chi intentionally avoided Cui Luoying's Zhuying Pavilion. This was because the two peach trees needed to be planted in a place where Cui Luoying could see them every day.
What could she do besides walk around his house?
Unexpectedly, Zhu Ying Pavilion was quite large, with pavilions, terraces, waterside pavilions, flower terraces, long corridors, and lotus ponds—everything one could want. Moreover, it was divided into an east courtyard, a west courtyard, a front courtyard, and a back courtyard.
If you were to say this is a palace, that would be plausible.
Song Chi started from the front gate and circled around from the east to the west gate.
She then noticed that the golden scroll and the peach tree were moving simultaneously. She saw that there was indeed a small patch of land where no peach trees were planted, but instead a ring of light blue, unidentified flowers.
“These flowers are so beautiful,” Song Chi exclaimed as he jumped over.
In reality, these light blue flowers are as small as wildflowers, and quite ordinary.
Moreover, she strolled through the peach orchard, talking about how much she longed for the peach blossom grove, but in the end, she praised all the wildflowers. She seemed seriously ill.
But Song Chi didn't care. She pretended to really like the flowers and walked around them, looking at them as she went.
"These are the seeds I found in a mysterious place when I was young. I casually scattered them here, and to my surprise, they bloomed into small flowers. Although they are not very bright, they are quite elegant. So I left them here."
Cui Luoying said this.
Song Chi thought to himself, "I'm afraid that you obtaining this seed wasn't entirely by chance, but rather an arrangement by the ascendants. Otherwise, why would the Immortal Peach Spiritual Root have to be planted among these little flowers?"
Song Chi immediately ruthlessly destroyed the flower, plucking off a single petal and tying it into a small bouquet.
"They're so beautiful. I hope Senior Brother Luo Ying won't mind me picking them."
"Of course I don't mind."
Song Chi, holding the bouquet, wanted to show how much she liked it, so she brought it to her nose and smelled it. "Mmm, that scent..."
She couldn't bring herself to praise it, not only because it had no fragrance at all, but also because it had an indescribable fishy smell.
"It smells so good," she said against her conscience.
Cui Luoying chuckled softly with pleasure. "I'm glad Junior Sister Song likes it."
Then Song Chi placed the flowers under the peach tree next to her and looked at the patch of land where she had plucked the flowers, a look of embarrassment on her face.
"I'm so sorry, I ruined your flower bed."
Cui Luoying said in a good-natured manner, "It's alright. I'll sow some more seeds after it rains in a few days. In just a few days, a patch of small flowers will bloom again."
We can't keep sowing seeds then!
Song Chi walked around the flowerbed twice with an air of nonchalance, then shook his head as if he had severe obsessive-compulsive disorder.
"No, this doesn't sit well with me. We have to plant something right away!"
Cui Luoying immediately waved her hand. "Then let someone transplant two peach trees. This place is so empty; it feels like something is missing."
Look how sensible and understanding you are; you certainly look even more handsome now.
Song Chi immediately pulled out two peach trees from his sleeve.
“If Senior Brother Luo Ying doesn’t mind, please use these two of my peach trees. I saw these peach trees in the secret realm and they were so green and lovely that I dug them up and brought them back out of boredom. I originally intended to take them back and plant them.”
At this point, Song Chi hesitated. Seeing that the Cui family servant had indeed carried the peach tree over, he was about to take it back.
"Never mind, I'll take it back and plant it. My senior brother also has a few immortal peach trees in the east courtyard, so it's good to plant them there."
Upon hearing this, Cui Luoying immediately stopped her.
"Since it's Junior Sister Song's kind offer, how could I dare not comply? How about I plant these two? Wouldn't it be too tiring for you to carry them all the way back?"
What good would it do to put it in a storage ring?
Song Chi had just deliberately brought up Mo Shubai. Mainly because the book mentioned that Cui Luoying and Mo Shubai were somewhat at odds.
Although she hadn't seen the two of them spend much time together in real life, it would be good to use it now.
Sure enough, she quickly got into a fight and insisted on planting those two plants.
You see, she's a guest, so of course she has to go along with the host's arrangements.
Then Song Chi picked up a hoe, dug a hole, planted a peach tree, and handed over the hoe.
"Wouldn't it be even more beautiful if each of us planted one, symbolizing our everlasting friendship?"
Forget about everlasting friendships; all we can do now is spout nonsense.
Upon hearing this, Cui Luoying gave a low laugh and indeed picked up a hoe to plant another peach tree.
He then seemed to be going back to rest. It was clear that he was still recovering from his serious injuries; he had only planted a peach tree, yet a thin layer of sweat had appeared on his forehead.
But Song Chi still pinched his chin without any pity, pretending not to see his exhaustion.
"Senior Brother Luo Ying, I suddenly feel like playing a tune. I wonder if it will spoil your enjoyment."
"How dare I!" Cui Luoying's smile seemed to brighten even more.
He really loves the new piece; that piece, Guangling San, probably really touched his heart.
But this time things didn't go as he wished. This time, the theme was set as the Peach Blossom Fairy Song, a melody with a hazy, dreamlike quality, imbued with extremely strong wood elemental energy. In Song Chi's opinion, it was quite beautiful.
However, if Cui Luoying liked the new piece, she would only be disappointed. This piece must have been created by a great master of music from the ancients of this realm, and it wasn't that different from those pieces created by those with wood-elemental music cultivation.
Song Chi no longer cared about his preferences. He pulled out the sheet music he had written and gave it to Cui Luoying.
"Senior Brother Luo Ying, how about you play the zither and I play the flute?"
Cui Luoying looked at the sheet music for a while, then glanced at her with a hint of doubt. He probably thought the sheet music was just so-so in his eyes. But he was truly a perceptive man, and immediately ordered someone to set up a zither.
He then played the guqin, and Song Chi slowly harmonized with the xiao (a type of vertical flute).
Cui Luoying seemed to have sensed something, so he deliberately infused his music with wood elemental power, specifically targeting the two peach trees.
Song Chi thought to herself, she couldn't be happier. Anyway, the golden scroll indicated that before the immortal peach spiritual root grew into a mature plant, it was no different from an ordinary immortal peach tree.
No matter how powerful the Cui family's peach blossom cultivation technique was, they couldn't tell the difference between the two peach trees.
Sure enough, in the end, the ordinary little twig didn't change at all. It didn't even give a perfunctory shake to express its gratitude for being watered—not even that basic courtesy. It was utterly unremarkable.
Although Cui Luoying had some doubts, she only glanced at her with a slight smile.
Song Chi originally thought that her mission was over once she arrived here, and she was thinking about how to say goodbye.
Unexpectedly, the golden scroll moved. "The Immortal Peach Spirit Branch has encountered a problem and needs the power of metal spirit to exorcise the evil. It would be best to infuse the metal spirit with a bamboo flute or a xiao (vertical bamboo flute).
Song Chi: "..." Don't you know that metal and wood are incompatible? The best elements to use with bamboo flutes and xiao are clearly wood and water elemental powers.
"I can't give you the song list here, but you're a walking music encyclopedia, so this is no problem for you, right?"
You big dummy.
But Song Chi really does have a walking music library; she can memorize sheet music after just one glance. At that moment, a thought popped into her head, and the D-major xiao piece "Ming Jian Ye Ying" (The Shadow of the Sword) came to mind.
It was just background music from a game, but the sound of the flute was undeniably striking and melodious, carrying a strong sense of solemnity. A definite expression of the Metal elemental root.
However, Jin Juan noted that Cui Luoying's cooperation was still needed to complete it. The piece was a combination of a bamboo flute and electronic music; she didn't have the ability to compose the music herself.
However, since Cui Luoying is extremely skilled at playing the guqin and is a talented man proficient in all the arts, he must be fine.
Song Chi immediately supported his flute, looking quite moved.
"Senior Brother Luo Ying, I recently composed a new piece. However, I haven't been able to find any matching zither pieces, which makes it sound a bit monotonous. It's a real shame!"
Upon hearing this, Cui Luoying glanced at her slightly with her beautiful eyes. Then she gestured for her to proceed.
"If Junior Sister Song doesn't mind my clumsy hands, perhaps I can play a tune for you."
Song Chi immediately laughed and said, "Senior Brother Luo Ying is a renowned master of traditional Chinese performing arts, how could I dare to say I am clumsy? Then, Senior Brother Luo Ying, please let me perform first."
"Junior Sister Song, please."
Song Chi immediately began to play. The sound of the xiao (vertical bamboo flute) was extremely distinctive, like the sound of a sword, like the cry of a crane, solemn and tragic, yet filled with a full passion.
Of course, it's unclear whether Song Chi's passionate expression was effective. She's not particularly skilled at playing the xiao (vertical bamboo flute), but she likes this piece and has practiced it diligently before.
The effect was clearly good. Song Chi sensed several figures with extremely high cultivation levels, probably similar to his master's, hidden in the shadows of the peach grove.
Some of the young girls from the Cui family also peeked out from behind the trees or rocks in the woods.
Of course, she didn't play the tune for that effect.
After the song ended, she looked at Cui Luoying. "Senior Brother Luoying, is it ready?"
Cui Luoying paced back and forth in the woods a few times, then turned back and smiled. "Let's begin!"
Song Chi raised an eyebrow. The great scholar Cao Zhi could compose a poem in seven steps; this man could compose a melody in seven steps. Amazing!
Then Cui Luoying began to harmonize with her, and it was indeed a tone full of killing intent, like a turbid torrent washed by a rainstorm, echoing around the flute like the cry of a crane.
It's a perfect fusion. This guy is truly talented! He deserves his reputation for being both talented and handsome.
Indeed, those who make a name for themselves in the cultivation world are by no means undeserving of their reputation.
After that piece ended, I thought it was over? The Immortal Peach Spirit Branch was quite picky, saying that the previous piece had been too murderous, damaging its spiritual energy, and needed a water-elemental piece to soothe it. Moreover, it needed a piece filled with deep emotion! But this time, it could be played alone.
Song Chi: "..." He played a deeply emotional piece about the Water Spirit Roots while watering the Immortal Peach Spirit Branch.
Is this something she could actually do? She has no feelings, no feelings, no feelings—how many times do I need to emphasize that?
But then I thought about it again, Cui Luoying is a perfectionist, and she can't stand the fact that the music is not presented perfectly with emotion.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have played "Snow Between the Eyebrows" again during the Immortal Alliance Grand Competition and criticized her emotionless playing.
For now, that's enough. But a song of deep affection immediately popped into my mind. That song was indeed tender and affectionate, very beautiful. It was very much in line with the Shui Ling Gen Yin playing method.
So Song Chi put down his flute, glanced around, and sighed.
“Our song just now was too intense; look, these flowering trees have all wilted.”
No. Except for those two trees in front of me that were indeed slightly wilted, the rest of the tall peach trees were still swaying and blooming in the spring breeze.
But this doesn't stop Song Chi from saying any kind of nonsense.
"Why don't I use the Water Spirit Root music to nourish them?" she said, and brought out her zither.
Cui Luoying's eyes lit up immediately; it was clear that he preferred her to play the zither rather than the flute.
However, after Song Chi finished playing that piece, Cui Luoying indeed looked somewhat speechless.
Ultimately, perfectionism prevailed; his face was quite pale, and he looked somewhat weak. But his genuine love for the piano was undeniable.
He then took out a zither from his sleeve and quickly played a piece with deep emotion. Furthermore, the distribution of water elemental roots was flawless.
After she finished playing, the glance she gave me still carried a hint of reproach.
Yes, yes, yes! You all have the strongest bond.
Song Chi has now successfully completed his mission. The two peach trees, nourished by the three different musical pieces, are now thriving and should be able to grow into mature trees.
If it weren't for the fact that this task couldn't be mentioned at all, she could have made a fortune just by selling those two spirit peaches to the Cui family. Thinking about it, it really is a bit of a pity.
She felt that Cui Luoying actually owed her a favor.
Without another word, Song Chi smiled and took his leave.
"Senior Brother Luo Ying, I see you look a bit tired, so I won't bother you any longer and will head back now."
Cui Luoying was indeed already on the verge of collapse. He was seriously injured and was still using his spiritual power to play the zither, which was already quite difficult.
Hearing this, he could only smile apologetically. "In that case, I'll invite Junior Sister Song to my residence for a chat another day when I'm better."
Then he added, "I'll see you off!"
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Author's Note: [Cat emoji][Cat emoji] First update delivered~
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