Luochuan City remains prosperous.
Two figures, one tall and one short, appeared on the streets of Luochuan City and headed straight for the Happy Pavilion.
Qinghe: "You don't have to follow me."
Shen Xun: "With me here, I can still help you."
Qinghe: "How can you help me?"
Shen Xun thought for a moment: "How about I help you boost your morale?"
Qinghe looked him over, his small frame barely reaching his waist, and said coolly, "I guess you could say that."
Shen Xun stared at her face for a moment and then said, "You really fell in love with Qi Rong. For him, you even gave the Divine Pearl to Li Jiang and came to Luochuan City without a care in the world."
These mature words seemed inappropriate for a child, yet he uttered them nonetheless: "If he weren't in Luochuan City, if he were truly dead, what would you do?"
Qinghe countered with, "Do you have someone you like?"
Shen Xun was taken aback: "Yes."
Qinghe: "Then you shouldn't have asked me that question."
Shen Xun was silent for a moment, then laughed and said, "That's right, I was confused."
If there is true love in your heart, what can death do to you?
The choices he made back then, Qinghe will make the same choices now.
The Happy Pavilion was still bustling with activity and many customers. The beautiful woman we had seen before was still sitting at the table, acting as a pretty croupier and mingling with the customers.
When Qinghe entered, the beautiful woman spotted her immediately, gave a charming smile, and then stepped down from the gambling table and walked towards her.
"We meet again. Is the young lady here to sell pills again?" In this line of work, her memory has always been excellent.
Qinghe cut to the chase: "I want to see your boss."
The woman chuckled: "Our boss isn't someone you can meet so easily."
Qinghe suddenly struck her pressure points and then pulled her upstairs.
The room was familiar, but there were no familiar faces.
Qinghe asked the woman, "Where did Qirong go?"
The woman looked at her warily: "Who exactly are you? What do you want with the boss?"
Judging by their posture, are they here for revenge?
Qinghe replied, "I am your boss's wife."
The woman suddenly opened her eyes wide.
Qinghe raised his hand to release her pressure points and said, "Now you can talk, right?"
The woman paused for a moment before saying, "We never inquire about the boss's whereabouts, so I don't know where he went."
Qinghe frowned: "When was the last time you saw him?"
The woman thought for a moment and said, "About a month ago."
A little over a month ago was the day Qinghe left Luochuan City.
Then he asked, "What did he do when he came back? Was there anything unusual?"
The woman recalled, "That day, the boss was indeed acting strangely. He was pale and bloodless, moved slowly, and was unsteady on his feet, as if he had been seriously injured."
Qinghe felt a chill run down her spine, and couldn't help but regret why she had devoured the divine pearl, causing Qirong to become like this.
The woman, oblivious to Qinghe's change, continued, "That day, the boss told me he was going to a very far place and wouldn't be back for a while. He asked me to take good care of the gambling den's business. Oh, and he also gave me something. He said if anyone came looking for him, I had to personally deliver it to that person."
She looked at Qinghe and exclaimed in realization, "It couldn't be you, could it?"
Qinghe asked directly, "What is it?"
The woman took a small box out of her sleeve. "Here, this is it. I haven't opened it."
Qinghe reached out and took the box, opening it to find a golden leaf inside. The box emitted a shimmering golden light as soon as it was opened.
Putting the box away, Qinghe asked, "Did he say where he was going?"
The woman shook her head: "No."
Qing remained silent, and she couldn't help but think of that dream: the divine tree, the tree coffin—could Qi Rong really be there?
Seeing that Qinghe was looking down and seemingly lost in thought, the woman said, "I've said everything I need to say. I really don't know anything else."
Qinghe snapped out of her daze and said, "Thank you."
The woman smiled. "I always thought our boss was aloof and uninterested in women, but I never imagined he'd be with you." She sighed. "I used to doubt myself. How could he not like a beautiful woman like me? I really didn't know what kind of woman he liked. Turns out, he likes people with your cool and aloof气质 (qi zhi - a kind of refined elegance/aura)."
She looked Qinghe up and down: "I have to say, you and our boss are quite a good match."
Qinghe's lips curled into a faint smile, a smile as pure and beautiful as a lotus, captivating the heart and making even the most beautiful woman momentarily mesmerized.
After leaving the Happy Pavilion, Qinghe went to Qi Rong's residence, but without exception, there was no sign of Qi Rong.
The cold-resistant jade fungus in the courtyard is still growing vigorously, but its owner is no longer by its side.
A servant brought her something, saying it was left by the young master; it was still a small wooden box.
Qinghe opened it and found another golden leaf.
She took out the gold leaf and examined it closely, but apart from the veins of the leaf, she couldn't see anything else.
Shen Xun asked, "You are knowledgeable and experienced, do you know what this is?"
Shen Xun stared at it for a while and said, "It looks familiar, but I can't remember it."
Qinghe: "..." I shouldn't have relied on you.
"Do you know where in the Three Realms there is a divine tree that grows, and is covered with souls?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Xun looked at Qing He with a strange expression: "Where did you find out?"
Qinghe suddenly patted his shoulder: "You know, right? This place really exists?"
Shen Xun nodded: "But I advise you not to go to that place, it's very dangerous."
Qinghe: "Just tell me where that place is, and I'll go there myself."
Shen Xun's expression was serious: "I'm not joking, it's really dangerous there, you could lose your life."
Qinghe insisted, "I must go."
Shen Xun looked at her: "Is it absolutely necessary to go?"
Qinghe: "We absolutely have to go."
After a long silence, Shen Xun sighed and began to explain: "The divine tree you mentioned grows in the temple of Mount Futu. It is covered with thirteen thousand souls, and all living beings in the Three Realms originate from this tree."
Qinghe recalled the words spoken by the voice in his dream, which were almost identical to what Shen Xun had said.
"Legend has it that the divine tree was formed from the hair of an ancient god. His three thousand black hairs turned into white hair, each forming a separate branch. The ancient god passed away in the void, and his white hairs detached from his body and fell into Mount Futu. They took root on the ground and grew into a tree over a long period of time. The gods of Mount Futu worshipped this tree as a divine tree and made pilgrimages to it every day. Over time, it formed a spiritual body, produced a soul, and gave birth to living beings."
Shen Xun looked at Qing He: "Mount Futu is surrounded by the Black Sea. Mortals cannot cross the Black Sea unless they have a sacred ship that can travel through the air or the four divine beasts from ten thousand years ago that carried people into the Black Sea. Otherwise, the terrifying spiritual pressure of the Black Sea alone can crush people and sink them into the Black Sea, never to emerge again."
He asked Qinghe, "Even so, are you still going?"
Qinghe looked at him with unwavering determination: "I never easily go back on my word."
Shen Xun patted her shoulder, his eyes deep and filled with admiration. "Very good, then go ahead. I'll pack your luggage."
Qing looked gratefully at his retreating figure and said, "You helped me."
Shen Xun stumbled and nearly fell. "Have you forgotten what you just said about going by yourself and that you wouldn't easily go back on your word?"
Qinghe said softly, "You said it was easy, so there are bound to be exceptions."
Shen Xun took a deep breath, gave her a thumbs up, and said, "You won."
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