Chapter 67 The Flower That Never Fades
The two characters “I love you” were carved awkwardly and strangely, each stroke as if imprinted from a mold. Mu Jianjian gently stroked the two characters, as if she could touch the temperature of ten thousand years ago.
She picked up the booklet. At the bottom of the box was a purple necklace made entirely of pure silver, adorned with three translucent purple crystals that shimmered with iridescent light under the sunlight.
This must be the purple tassel necklace that the master mentioned in the letter, which he gave her.
Although it was just a wooden box containing no information about her unknown master, Mu Jianjian still solemnly bowed three times to the cherry blossom tree as a gesture of apprenticeship.
This is the first master she has taken on since she transmigrated into the book.
After putting the purple tassel necklace around her neck, Mu Jianjian put the booklet and the wooden box into the system space.
She wanted to take a look at the photos of the flowers and plants her master had mentioned.
Although she used to work in a flower shop, she still had no clue what to do with the half-withered flowers in front of her, but she could try to use the light orb that the tree spirit gave her.
Mu Jianjian opened her palm, and tiny points of light appeared. A vibrant natural life force surged out, flowing continuously towards the withered flowers and plants under the control of her true energy. The withered flowers and plants were slowly regaining their green color.
After working for a while, Mu Jianjian wiped the fine sweat from her forehead and looked with satisfaction at the flowers and plants in the small courtyard that had regained their vitality.
Although it won't consume too much true energy, it will still deplete a lot of mental energy.
After standing up, Mu Jianjian felt the cool breeze and walked to the courtyard railing, propping her head up and gazing into the distance.
If no one disturbs her afterward, she can leave the secret realm safely.
Having gained much from the Xuan Tian Secret Realm, after returning to the sect to see Father Mu, one can try setting off for Yingzhou and returning the silver bracelet that Linghu Zhuoyu lent him along the way.
Mu Jianjian will not stop her senior brother's decision, but in case of any unexpected events, she can observe remotely and escape with him.
Imagining herself pulling her senior brother to escape Yingzhou, Mu Jianjian couldn't help but smile and laugh out loud.
She glanced down unintentionally and, through the slowly moving clouds, vaguely saw the scene behind the Zhu Pavilion.
Are there any other buildings behind the Zhu Pavilion?
Didn't the original book say that the Zhu Pavilion was located at the very center of the secret realm, and that nothingness lay beyond the Red Mansion?
Mu Jianjian waved her hand, gathered her energy, and struck the clouds in front of her. With the impact of the airflow, the clouds slowly dissipated as if they were evaporating, revealing the appearance behind the Zhu Pavilion.
She was stunned.
It was a huge, mirror-like dark lake, its water so black that it reflected nothing. Around the lake's shore were piles of rubble as big as mountains, and the surrounding pavilions and towers seemed to have been destroyed by some great force, appearing as different ruins. Upon closer inspection, one could vaguely see piles of white bones among them.
The entire image appears even more desolate, dilapidated, and lifeless than the gray of the inner edges.
Looking down into the lake from the broken stone path, one can see a perfectly intact pentagonal pavilion standing on the water.
Even on the stone table in the pavilion in the middle of the lake, there was a porcelain vase with three fresh flowers in it—
As the only color in a black and white image.
A strange sensation welled up in Mu Jianjian's heart, and then a man dressed in dark blue clothes appeared in her field of vision.
The man quickly ran towards the dark lake, and in the blink of an eye, he jumped across the stone bridge into the lakeside pavilion and plunged into the water with a splash.
Mu Jianjian: ?
What's going on?
Is she hallucinating?
Just as Mu Jianjian was about to rub her eyes, she saw a man in red leap into the lake following the same route as the man before her.
Isn't this Ye Wuluo?
She guessed that there was probably treasure at the bottom of the lake.
Go? Or not?
Just as Mu Jianjian was wavering between opportunity and danger, another slender figure entered the lake from the pavilion in the middle of the lake.
Ahhh!
Isn't that Yueyue?
Mu Jianjian covered her face with her hands, finally making up her mind to go down to the lake together.
She stepped onto the railing, her heart pounding as she looked shakily at the ground a hundred meters above the Zhu Pavilion.
As it turns out, even if someone has cultivation in a fantasy novel, it doesn't change the fact that they are afraid of heights.
"This is my first time jumping off a building, I'm so nervous."
Mu Jianjian cried out for help in her heart.
[It's okay, host. You'll get more experience after jumping a few more times, and you won't be nervous anymore.]
Mu Jianjian: ...
There's no need for that; you've already taken all the bamboo shoots from the mountain.
She took a deep breath, jumped off the railing, landed lightly, mentally gave herself a perfect score, and then quickly headed towards the dark lake.
It wasn't until Mu Jianjian personally visited the broken palace that she discovered how many skeletons there were along the way—on the roads, inside the palace, and by the dark lake. It was hard to imagine what had happened there back then.
She crossed the broken stone bridge and gently landed in the pavilion in the middle of the lake, her gaze drawn to the flowers in the porcelain vase on the stone table.
Looking up from the Zhu Pavilion, one might mistake them for real flowers, but upon closer inspection, one discovers that they are actually artificial flowers carved from jade of different colors.
Even the veins on the petals are clearly depicted, lifelike.
Mu Jianjian withdrew her gaze, walked to the spot where the three had fallen into the water, and resignedly closed her eyes to getting into the water.
——
From the outside, the lake appears dark, but once you get into the water, you can still see the faint underwater features when the light shines through.
The enormous palace in the water was gloomy and dark, with a white dome covering it. Mu Jianjian tentatively stepped inside and discovered that the white dome was actually used to isolate the lake water.
The palace hall was empty except for a paper lantern hanging in the center above, casting a soft glow. It was so quiet that it seemed as if seeing three people enter earlier was an illusion.
Mu Jianjian entered through the corridor. The flying grass that was originally in the shadows wanted to attack her, but it seemed to shrink back in fear at the sight of something.
After walking for more than ten minutes, a fork in the road appeared in front of us.
Left or right?
Mu Jianjian tried to use the dust on the ground to tell which way the three people had taken, but later found that it was impossible to tell. She had been a dust sweeper for a long time for nothing.
In a fit of anger, she chose the right side, praying that both paths would lead to the same destination.
After walking for a long time in the dark, light finally appeared. Mu Jianjian stood in front of the wooden door, squinting as she looked her over.
This art style doesn't look like that of an underwater palace at all, does it?
She was certain she had taken the wrong turn, but she still opened the wooden door, clinging to a sliver of hope.
Upon seeing the bright, ostentatious jade-colored walkway before her, Mu Jianjian guessed that this was the underground level of the Zhu Pavilion.
We should definitely rule out the direction she wanted to choose.
She sighed and was about to close the door and walk in the opposite direction when, just as she closed the wooden door, a loud "thump-thump" sound came from the other side, as if something heavy was slowly moving.
“I couldn’t find that female cultivator,” a familiar voice came from behind the door. “I don’t know where she went.”
“She will come back sooner or later.” Another voice sounded very familiar. “But these spirits are barely enough.”
"These can't compare to that female cultivator! I don't believe you didn't smell it back then..."
While the voices were still muttering, Mu Jianjian curiously pressed her eyes to the crack in the door and slowly peeked out.
Two gray figures stood in the wide corridor behind the wooden door—
It turned out to be the stone tiger and stone lion at the entrance of the Zhu Pavilion!
They no longer lay prone, but stood on their hind legs, using their front feet like hands to grab different cultivators and throw them into the room on the right side of the corridor.
Each cultivator was unconscious, their expressions calm and peaceful, completely unaware that they had been tossed around like objects by the lions and tigers.
Mu Jianjian bit her lip and scanned the crowd. Surprisingly, she spotted the brother and sister she had met in the Xuanzi Room among the people behind Shi Hu. Behind them was Rong Yuqi, whose eyes were closed, whom she hadn't seen for a long time.
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