Deer drink from the stream in the empty forest
It seems he guessed right.
Not only the Heavenly Female Sea, but all living creatures that inhabit water have to submit to him.
This time, it wasn't that he intentionally made things difficult for Zhaozhao; it was just that this oppressive aura was something he had been born with, and with his current strength, he simply couldn't control it.
Shen Qiexing's fingers twitched slightly beneath his sleeve. Zhao Zhao was unwilling to disobey his command, but since she was unable to move, she had no choice but to sink down.
"Zhaozhao!"
Lu Yixin almost fell into the lake. She scratched her head in confusion and nearly fell on her bottom when she stood up because her legs were numb from sitting.
"What's wrong with her today? Why is she ignoring me?" Lu Yixin looked at the water with a puzzled expression. "I wanted her to pick a few more lotus flowers for me."
Shen Qiexing seemed to flinch for a moment, a fleeting look of disappointment crossing his face, before quickly forcing a smile. "Maybe she doesn't like me."
“It’s alright,” he pursed his lips, a hint of tears glistening in his eyes, “I have you, that’s enough.”
He skillfully allowed Lu Yixin to detect his emotions, and without any psychological burden, he pinned the blame on Zhao Zhao.
“No,” Lu Yixin shook her head. “Zhao Zhao isn’t that kind of person. I think she might be sick and not feeling well today. I’ll come see her another day.”
It didn't matter which day it was; he placed a seal on Zhao Zhao, forbidding her from revealing his identity in any way.
Despite Lu Yixin's best efforts to hide her displeasure after being turned away by Zhao Zhao, Shen Qiexing noticed it immediately.
He casually plucked a soft willow branch, quickly wove it into a bracelet, and handed it to Lu Yixin, saying, "Cheer up, Little Deer Fairy."
Lu Yixin glanced at him, put the bracelet on her wrist, waved it in front of his eyes, and smiled, "Looks good, right?"
Her snow-white wrists seemed to glow, and Shen Qiexing stared at her for a moment before looking away.
He had a willow twig twirled between his fingers, and suddenly asked, seemingly out of curiosity, "The plants in Mitianze seem slightly different from those elsewhere?"
“You’re quite perceptive,” Lu Yixin immediately put the unpleasantness from before behind her back. “Speaking of which, I’ve never left Mitianze before and have never seen any other plants or trees.”
"However, Mitianze is a place where natural spiritual energy gathers. The roots of flowers, grasses and trees are intertwined deep underground, constantly absorbing natural spiritual energy. Compared to the outside, they should be more robust."
She pointed to the bracelets and began to explain them to Shen Qiexing one by one, "This is a weeping willow, a type of weeping willow, which mostly grows near water. And this one on my left..."
Lu Yixin talked incessantly the whole way, while Shen Qiexing turned his face away where she couldn't see him and sighed impatiently.
If he hadn't been unaware of the tree, he would have sewed her mouth shut long ago.
“This is called a sand pear tree,” Lu Yixin said, putting her hand to her eyebrows to shield her eyes from the sun, and pointing to Shen Qiexing with her head tilted back. “The fruit on it is delicious.”
It's finally here.
Shen Qiexing casually raised an eyebrow, "A sandalwood tree?"
"Mmm!" Lu Yixin looked at him. "Do you want to eat crabapples too? It'll be another two months."
“No,” Shen Qiexing smiled gently at her. He tapped the tree trunk with his fingers and asked curiously, “Is there some mystery to the trunk of this tree?”
"You could tell from that?" Lu Yixin tilted her head in surprise: "That's right, the biggest difference between sand pear wood and ordinary trees is its affinity for water."
"Other types of wood will mold and rot soon after getting wet, making them difficult to preserve, but sand pear wood can remain intact in deep lakes for thousands of years without decaying, looking exactly the same."
"Is that so...?"
Shen Qiexing's face darkened instantly, and his deep-sea-like eyes glowed with blue light, as if he were brewing an unprecedented disaster.
He gathered blue light in his hand, shifted his body, and aimed it at Lu Yixin's back.
"I've heard that the sand pear tree only grows among the Sen tribe. Is that true?"
His expression was cold and indifferent, his face was pale, but his voice remained gentle.
"It's true, and because of the special material of the sandalwood, we often use it for underwater operations, but I don't know the specifics."
Shen Qiexing seemed to suddenly lose his balance, staggered, and had to hold onto the tree trunk to relieve his dizziness.
Under the sandalwood tree grew a large patch of unidentified white flowers, about half the size of a palm, standing gracefully in the breeze, quite lovely. Lu Yixin squatted down and picked a large bunch. She turned around and handed the small white flowers to Shen Qiexing, "These flowers are so fragrant, they won't dissipate for days if they stick to your body."
"This is for you."
Almost at the same moment she turned around, Shen Qiexing dispersed the condensed light in his hand.
The March sun was warm but not glaring. The girl's bright green skirt fluttered gently in the breeze, the silk imprinting on the petals. She held up the bouquet in her hand, her face as warm and gentle as jade. The ribbons on her arms fluttered up and down with her movements, brushing against Shen Qiexing's lips.
He stood in the shadows, and the bouquet became his only connection to the dawn.
The flowers rubbed together, making a soft rustling sound, and Lu Yixin immediately smiled, her eyes crinkling.
He accepted the bouquet.
—
In the afternoon, a guard from the Canggu Temple came to Lu Yixin's courtyard.
Sensing the arrival of the guests, Shen Qiexing and Lu Yixin exchanged a glance, then untied the beaded curtain and went to the backyard.
After confirming that she had completely concealed Shen Qiexing's aura, Lu Yixin hurriedly came out and gave a curtsy to the guest.
"Xinxin, Wang wants you to go over there this afternoon. Don't forget to bring lotus flower pastries."
This visitor was none other than one of the king's trusted confidants.
But she hadn't received any new lotus flowers yet. Lu Yixin sighed and agreed anyway.
The fact that he called her so hastily suggests that Grandpa must have just finished dealing with official business and was extremely tired.
She never interfered in clan affairs; each time she went over, she would simply keep her grandfather company, say a few words, and give him a shoulder and back massage.
However, she couldn't make lotus flower pastries. Fortunately, it was the peak season for peach blossoms, so she picked some plump peach blossoms and hurriedly made a small basket of peach blossom cakes.
"You should try some too."
She quickly stuffed one into Shen Qiexing's mouth, then hurriedly grabbed the bamboo basket and rushed out the door.
Too sweet, sickeningly sweet.
Shen Qiexing stared at Lu Yixin's flustered back, then concealed himself and followed her silently.
—
"Grandpa, I made peach blossom cake today. Please try it and see if it's delicious."
Lu Yixin sat beside Sen Wang, her hands clasped together, looking at him with anticipation.
"It's delicious. Grandpa likes everything Xinxin makes." Senwang stroked his beard and affectionately patted her hair.
He was used to the constant intrigue and backstabbing, but he was inevitably exhausted. Lu Yixin was like a little sun, warming his weary body.
He was truly old; his hands were as wrinkled as tree bark, his hair as dry as winter grass, and his body like a hollowed-out tree trunk. He knew his time was coming to an end, but he really didn't know who to pass the throne to.
No one has yet reached the standard to govern and revitalize the Sen tribe. The people here are becoming increasingly selfish, incompetent, and foolish. If this continues, the Sen tribe will be destroyed by them sooner or later.
Recently, there has been undercurrent of conflict and constant fighting within the clan, which is exhausting even for him.
King Sen sighed inwardly. This child was simple and kind-hearted, but that was hardly a good thing in the Sen tribe these days. He wasn't afraid of anything else, but he was afraid that she would be bullied after he left.
"Xin Xin, I'm so sorry you've had to go through all this."
After a long silence, King Sen suddenly said something like this. Lu Yixin naturally knew what he meant, and her nose suddenly stung with tears. She whispered, "What are you saying?"
Since the constant warfare within her tribe, whenever she went out, many people stared at her with strange eyes, as if they could burn a hole in her. She could only choose to walk on less crowded roads, or put on a cloak, lower her head and hurry past, trying to minimize her presence as much as possible.
She doesn't like to lie, and to be honest, she has also felt wronged.
She was closest to the King of the Forest, yet now she has become the target of everyone's criticism.
But she never really thought about inheriting the throne of the Forest King, and she knew very well that the Forest King would never pass the throne to her.
But she couldn't say these things to the King of the Forest.
The two exchanged a few more words about other things when a guard came in. He looked unwell and seemed to have something important to report, so Lu Yixin wisely left.
Just as she turned the corner of a long corridor, she suddenly caught a glimpse of a golden figure out of the corner of her eye. She immediately turned her head, but the figure had already disappeared, leaving only an orange-yellow feather that fell from the sky and landed on her head.
She grabbed the feather and looked at it closely.
Are these bird feathers?
Where did the bird feathers of the Kosen tribe come from?
She couldn't understand it, but she still put the feather into her small pouch.
—
Shen Qiexing firmly believes that he can find clues to the records of the Dragon Clan's extermination a thousand years ago in the Canggu Temple.
This is no small matter. The destruction of a clan, let alone the dragon clan, is enough to overhaul the entire continent. If it was really the Forest Clan that did it, then how exactly did they manage to do it, and why is the Forest Clan still subordinate to the Phoenix and Spirit clans, and even seems to be in decline?
If it wasn't made by the Sen tribe, how should we explain that piece of sandalwood?
Shen Qiexing followed Lu Yixin to the outside of the temple, but no matter what he did, he couldn't climb the steps.
He was kept outside by a barrier.
No wonder.
When he arrived, he was wondering why there was no one patrolling outside the huge temple. Wasn't King Sen afraid that the temple would be stolen?
There was indeed a special barrier in place. After some searching, he figured out that only members of the Forest Clan who had received a unique mark from the Forest King could pass through it. But how did he know who had that mark...?
It's either the Little Deer Fairy or that guard.
If it's the Little Deer Fairy, then things will be much easier.
Let's ask her properly when she gets back.
"Huh? You mean this?"
Lu Yixin lifted her bangs, revealing a strangely shaped green leaf pattern embedded in the center of her brow, flashing a green light quickly.
“If we’re talking about the people in the Forest Clan who have the deepest faith in the Forest King, then I’m definitely one of them,” she said proudly, puffing out her chest. “This ‘Ancient Lily of the Valley’ is a gift from the Forest King to us based on our faith. It’s a privilege that belongs exclusively to believers. Only those who obtain the Ancient Lily of the Valley can freely enter and leave the Ancient Temple and participate in the Forest Clan’s political affairs.”
She brushed her bangs back a little embarrassedly, "But I have never participated in the council because I am not qualified enough. Only those who have cultivated for more than a thousand years and are carriers of the Ancient Lily of the Valley can participate in the council."
Little Deer Fairy is such a kind person, Shen Qiexing really wants to applaud her.
He had only asked one question, "Can the ruler of the Forest Clan gain the faith of all his people?" and the little deer fairy spilled everything out like beans from a bamboo tube.
Who would have thought that a big, silly little deer could be one of the closest people to the Forest King?
How can I convince her to take me to the Ancient Temple tonight...?
He glanced thoughtfully at the little deer fairy who was skipping back from outside, carrying a bamboo basket filled with peach blossoms.
Sensing his gaze, Lu Yixin immediately looked back, holding up her small basket. "Want some peach blossom cheese? It's a new dessert I recently invented, it's super delicious!"
“Eat,” Shen Qiexing smiled happily, “What we Little Deer Fairy make is always the best.”
He had an idea.
—
The moon is bright and the stars are few; clouds and mist reflect off the branches.
Shen Qiexing held a dagger in his hand and quietly walked towards Lu Yixin's room.
The tip of the dagger gleamed coldly, just like the indifferent and detached look in Shen Qiexing's eyes at that moment.
He stood before Lu Yixin's bedside and slowly raised the dagger toward her heart.
With a snap, a strand of dark brown hair drifted down and landed in Shen Qiexing's palm.
Although he couldn't take Lu Yixin with him, taking something from her body would be a piece of cake for him.
He wasn't sure if the strand of hair would work, but he figured he might as well give it a try.
Lu Yixin's sleeping posture remained arrogant and unruly. Shen Qiexing lifted her legs and arms, which had fallen to the ground, back onto the bed, hastily covered her with a quilt he found outside the window, and then tucked that strand of hair into the sachet at his waist.
Before leaving, he gazed intently at the little deer fairy's face one last time.
If he finds out that it was indeed the Forest Clan that wiped out his Dragon Clan, he might just leave her a complete corpse.
This was his only remaining, and last, bit of kindness.
The little deer fairy is innocent, of course, but then again, who isn't?
How could he not miss his people?
But he was the last dragon in the world. After he left, there would be no more dragons in the world.
Thinking of this, Shen Qie Xing no longer hesitated and turned to leave through the window.
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