Leaf Drying and Deer Walking
God did not return home until the sun had set.
“Um,” he coughed lightly, taking his hand out from behind his back, “this is for you.”
He was carrying a small bamboo basket with a golden lotus flower inside.
The lotus flower was crystal clear, with golden light emanating from its heart. It was faintly filled with spiritual energy that transformed into starlight, slowly circling and rising into the air.
Lu Yixin's eyes widened instantly, her expression as if she had eaten shit. She jumped up, pointed at Jinlian, and stammered, "Where...where did you get this?!"
“On my way home, I passed a pond and saw this one golden lotus. I thought you might like it, so I picked it and gave it to you,” Shen Qiexing wanted to hone his acting skills a little more, but when he saw Lu Yixin’s face becoming more and more distorted, he had a bad feeling. “What’s wrong? Is there something wrong with this flower?”
It's not just a problem, it's a major problem!
The Golden Lotus of the Sun only produces one plant at a time, and it blooms only once every two hundred years, with a flowering period of only seven days. In the past, the Forest King would always pick it on the seventh day and refine it into a pill. Its effects were unknown to anyone except the Forest King, but the entire Forest Clan knew how important this Golden Lotus was. Lu Yixin never expected that it would be picked by Shen Qiexing today!
If it were an ordinary lotus, it wouldn't matter, but once this Golden Lotus of the Sun is picked, its flowering period will be drastically reduced to one hour. I wonder when Shen Qiexing picked it; could it be too late?
"I took it off about half an hour after I went out."
Upon hearing this, Lu Yixin's vision went black, and she stretched out her legs and plopped down on the ground. "I'm doomed!"
In that instant, no fewer than a hundred different ways to die flashed through her mind, but in the end, Shen Qiexing grabbed her arm and pulled her up with a force.
“In that case,” Shen Qiexing pursed his lips, “I will personally confess my sins to King Sen.”
“You meant well, this is no fault of yours, it’s my fault for not telling you beforehand,” Lu Yixin said, scratching her hair wildly, her eyes gradually hardening. “It’s okay, I’ll go.”
She smiled at Shen Qiexing, sniffed, and said calmly, "Didn't you tell me before that I shouldn't reveal your existence?"
"Besides, I grew up under the care of the Forest King, and he will surely deal with me as appropriate."
For example, the death penalty being turned into being a human pig... doesn't seem to be any better!
From the angle of Shen Qiexing, you can just see half of her profile under her bangs.
The girl wore an expression of resignation, her delicate, slightly upturned nose wrinkling slightly, revealing a sense of sorrow that amplified the strange feeling in his heart.
What's wrong with him?
"I'm leaving."
Lu Yixin stumbled and crashed headfirst into the door frame with a loud thud. Shen Qiexing's expression contorted for a moment, but she herself showed no reaction and continued walking forward.
Was he trying to do something good but ending up with something bad?
—
With trembling legs, Lu Yixin held the Golden Lotus of the Sun in her hands and walked unsteadily up the steps of the Ancient Temple.
Along the way, she tried to revive the Golden Lotus of the Sun with a glimmer of hope, but without exception, all her attempts failed.
She was truly on the verge of tears.
It's no wonder that Shen Qiexing was acting this way; after all, he meant well.
She stepped shakily into the main hall, then immediately slid to her knees before the King of Forest's table. With a determined look, she closed her eyes, raised the Golden Lotus of the Sun, and cried out, "Lu Yixin knows she was wrong, please punish me!"
The light at the lotus heart had already gone out, but the Forest King didn't even look at it. He simply walked down, helped Lu Yixin up, patted her skirt, and scolded, "Why are you in such a panic? You fell down."
She didn't fall; this was her way of apologizing.
"Grandpa..." She was stunned, and whispered, "I... I saw that the Golden Lotus of the Sun was blooming beautifully, and I was momentarily bewitched and picked it. But now an hour has passed. Grandpa, it's my fault. I'll accept whatever punishment you want!"
Senwang gazed calmly at the withered lotus flowers, his eyes filled with too many emotions for Lu Yixin to decipher at the time.
By the time she finally understood, it was too late.
"It's alright, it's just a lotus flower," King Sen put away the Golden Lotus of the Sun, stroked her hair, and said affectionately, "Grandpa has been too busy lately and hasn't had much time to visit you. You've lost a lot of weight."
Despite the words being words of concern, Lu Yixin couldn't manage a smile.
Sen-wang is the thinnest one.
He was already old, and now his hunched body seemed even more bent, his hair was covered in white, and the weariness in his eyes could not be hidden no matter what.
Why did the Phoenix Clan suddenly visit yesterday? A sense of unease settled over her, and an ominous premonition grew stronger. Something must have happened to the Forest Clan.
However, the four major clans rarely have any contact, so this incident has caused a sensation among the Phoenix Clan, which must be no small matter.
Moreover, the Phoenix Maiden's attitude... was really not good.
Even after she returned home, she still couldn't figure out what had happened to the Sen tribe.
"Did the Forest King punish you?" Shen Qiexing rushed up to her as soon as he saw her and asked nervously.
"No." Lu Yixin shook her head, opened her mouth, and then closed it again.
She wanted to tell Shen Qiexing about the question she had been pondering all the way, but he was, after all, a foreigner, and as the old saying goes, one should not wash one's dirty linen in public. So, after a moment of hesitation, she swallowed the question back down.
—
The moon was full and bright. As usual, Shen Qiexing went to Lu Yixin's room first, intending to cover her with a blanket before exploring the Canggu Temple. However, he was surprised to find that she was sleeping unusually soundly tonight.
His arms and legs were all neatly under the blanket, and his nose wasn't blocked.
It's a miracle.
He raised an eyebrow slightly and climbed out of the window.
Once everything had quieted down, Lu Yixin slowly opened her eyes.
With too many things weighing on her mind, she suffered from insomnia for the first time ever.
What was God doing in her room?
Why did you go out again?
She frowned deeply, hesitated for a moment, quickly changed her clothes, and quietly followed them out.
Shen Qiexing was very fast. By the time Lu Yixin went out, he had disappeared without a trace. Lu Yixin cast a spell and quickly determined a direction, which made her even more suspicious.
He went to the Ancient Temple?
Shen Qiexing arrived at the council hall, looked at the seal on the door, and narrowed his eyes slightly.
He could break the seal, but it would take some effort.
He passed by several rooms, but only the council hall was sealed. Didn't that mean there was something inside that couldn't be seen by others?
King Sen is so old, yet he doesn't even understand the principle of trying to cover up one's true intentions.
Shen Qiexing snorted coldly, and the seal broke.
The council hall was pitch black. Shen Qiexing held up a ball of eerie blue light in his palm to illuminate the surroundings, only then realizing that the council hall was boundless in size.
A long table was placed in the center of the hall, and at the far end stood a door that was almost integrated with the wall. He stepped forward, and just as his fingers touched the door frame, a white flash suddenly streaked across his eyes. He immediately took two steps back, his face darkened, and his gaze became unfriendly.
The seal on this door is too strong; with his current strength, he cannot break through it at all.
He raised his middle and index fingers together, and a bright blue light shone from the top of his head. Two dragon horns stood up abruptly, and he muttered something. In an instant, a strong green light emanated from the door, as if it wanted to illuminate the entire night.
A formation slowly appeared on the door. Shen Qiexing clicked his tongue, gathered all his strength, and prepared to launch a powerful attack.
"Come quick! The burglar is here!"
Suddenly, the voice of a guard rang out from outside. Shen Qiexing lowered his eyes impatiently, quickly memorized the formation, and then disappeared from the spot in a flash.
Lu Yixin hid behind the wall, cautiously peeking out her head before quickly retreating back inside.
It was she who made the commotion, attracting the guards.
She bit her lower lip hard, and when she heard the guards sigh in disappointment, she felt a sudden sense of relief and left the Canggu Temple.
Why did Shen Qiexing come to the Canggu Temple? Why did he go to the council hall? How was he able to break the seal?
There were too many suspicious things about him. Lu Yixin suddenly remembered the first time she saw him, he was covered in blood and lying on the rocks, and she couldn't help but question herself.
Did he really come to Mitianze by accident?
She lay on the bed and waited for about fifteen minutes, but Shen Qiexing did not come in again, so she breathed a sigh of relief.
It seems he didn't suspect him.
Lu Yixin sighed and quickly fell asleep.
Shen Qiexing did not doubt Lu Yixin. In his mind, Lu Yixin was nothing more than a fool who would not have such cunning.
He looked at the scabbed wound on his finger and clenched his fist.
"Brother Qiexing, what happened to your hand?"
Lu Yixin tried her best to hide her emotions and faced him as usual.
"It's nothing, just an accidental scratch," Shen Qiexing smiled gently at her. "You're up early today."
“Yes,” Lu Yixin’s eyes darted away, “This morning I heard people outside talking about something, it seems that a thief broke into the Canggu Temple.”
"A thief broke in?" Shen Qiexing raised an eyebrow, his face showing surprise. "The Canggu Temple is the residence of the Forest Clan King. Logically, it should be heavily guarded. How could someone have broken in?"
Lu Yixin carefully observed his expression but could not detect the slightest flaw.
He... acted as if nothing had happened.
If she hadn't known he was the thief, she would never have questioned him.
“That’s true,” she forced a smile. “Starting today, the King has tripled the number of guards patrolling. I suppose that thief won’t dare to steal anything anymore.”
She said this to remind God to keep going and to stop him from messing with the council chamber.
But she didn't know that even if the entire Sen tribe surrounded Shen Qiexing, he could easily escape if he wanted to.
Moreover, how could Shen Qiexing let this go? The more the King of Sen did this, the more it showed that there was something he wanted inside. He remained silent, pondering how to get back into the council hall under the noses of so many guards.
Looks like he's going to climb out the window again.
Seeing his appearance, Lu Yixin knew he wouldn't give up so easily. Just as she was about to say something, she suddenly heard Zhaozhao's voice outside the door.
"Heart! Breaking news! I heard that the burglar left clues in the council hall. The king is investigating with all his might, and should be able to find out who the burglar is soon!"
Upon hearing this, Lu Yixin immediately stood up.
She and Shen Qiexing exchanged a glance, and saw the worry in each other's eyes.
Shen Qiexing then looked at her with amusement, and Lu Yixin immediately realized that she had given herself away.
She actually had no right to worry.
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