36: Chapter 36 The Warmth of the Palm

News of the Spirit Garden quickly spread throughout the entire camp.

In the afternoon, the girls came in groups of three to five to visit.

Zhao Linger was the first to rush over, her baby face blooming with a smile brighter than the flowers in the flowerbed.

She hugged her bamboo flute and spun three circles under the golden sun flower tree, saying she wanted to practice a tune called "Flower Tune" in the garden.

Xiao Yuqing stood before the seven-colored spirit chrysanthemums, drawing her bow and gesturing, saying that if the chrysanthemum pollen could be used for arrowheads, both range and penetration would increase.

Hua Jieyu squatted beside the jade heart herb, carefully examining its medicinal properties, her gentle almond eyes growing brighter and brighter.

She turned and took Su Mengyao's hand, saying, "Mengyao, you're amazing. The quality of this jade heart herb is countless times better than what's sold in the market."

Zheng Liuli and Nalan Ruo also arrived. The Alchemist Grandmaster and the Azure Fire Alchemist exchanged glances.

They almost simultaneously uttered the four words "honey refining pills," then both squatted in front of the frost moon orchid and began a heated discussion.

Pei Yanzhi, on the other hand, became interested in a spirit flower in the Spirit Garden called "Silk Spirit Flower." The petals of this flower have fibers finer than silk and tougher than spirit cloth, making it a top-grade material for weaving Dharma robes.

Su Mengyao was surrounded by everyone, her emerald eyes as warm as a spring lake, a gentle smile gracing her lips, as she answered everyone's questions one by one.

Her voice was soft as wind, yet every word was clear and methodical. The Nature Druid's understanding of spirit flowers was like a mother's understanding of her children.

She knew every flower, every leaf, every stem like the back of her hand.

Wang Sheng stood under the golden sun flower tree, watching this scene. Su Mengyao was surrounded by the girls in the flowerbed.

Her emerald green hair, in the afternoon sun, was like a piece of emerald silk sprinkled with gold dust. Her emerald eyes were as warm and bright as a spring lake.

Her porcelain-like face showed a faint green tint and a light blush, and her plump, soft figure beneath her light green dress was like a flower stem pushed to its peak by the spring breeze.

She smiled as she answered everyone's questions, her laughter like a clear spring hitting stones, gentle and bright, like a hundred flowers blooming, like a spring breeze caressing one's face, as rich and inclusive as the Spirit Garden itself.

Shen Xun'er had come to his side at some point, her almond eyes also gazing at Su Mengyao in the flowerbed, filled with tenderness and admiration.

"Mengyao is truly amazing," Shen Xun'er said softly, her voice as gentle as moonlight.

"Spirit fields, medicinal gardens, Spirit Garden—she alone supports the entire logistics system of the Bright Tribe.

And she never complains of being tired, never grumbles, always faces everything with a smile."

"Mm," Wang Sheng nodded.

Shen Xun'er's voice lowered slightly, her almond eyes shifting from Su Mengyao to his face.

"Mengyao's feelings for you... you must have noticed, right?"

Wang Sheng fell silent for a moment.

"I have noticed," his voice was flat, but Shen Xun'er detected a subtle, almost imperceptible softness in his tone.

"Then what are your thoughts?"

Wang Sheng turned to look at Shen Xun'er. Her almond eyes in the afternoon sun were like two warm amber stones, containing no jealousy, no probing.

Only the composure and magnanimity of a primary wife, and her unreserved trust in him.

Shen Xun'er was never the type to be jealous. Her breadth of vision and demeanor far surpassed that of ordinary girls.

She cared about the development of the tribe and everyone's happiness, not about monopolizing someone's heart.

"I don't know," Wang Sheng answered honestly, "but I know she deserves to be treated well."

Shen Xun'er's almond eyes curved, like two warm crescent moons. She reached out and gently patted his arm, her voice like language formed from moonlight:

"That's good. I'll help arrange it."

Then she turned and walked towards Su Mengyao in the flowerbed, handing her a handkerchief.

Su Mengyao's forehead was beaded with fine sweat, and a few strands of her emerald green hair, damp with sweat, clung to her cheeks, yet her smile remained as warm as the spring breeze.

Shen Xun'er helped her wipe the sweat from her forehead. The two exchanged a smile; the unspoken understanding between a primary wife and a virtuous consort needed no words, a single glance was enough.

Wang Sheng stood under the golden sun flower tree, watching their figures in the flowerbed.

Shen Xun'er's moon-white sacrificial robe and Su Mengyao's light green dress, in the play of light and shadow among the flowers, were like a flowing ink wash painting. Silver-blue and emerald green intertwined, moonlight and floral fragrance merged.

They were as beautiful as the two most precious flowers bestowed upon the Bright Tribe by the Primordial Era itself.

At dusk, the girls in the Spirit Garden gradually dispersed.

The setting sun dyed the wild sky a golden red, and the fragmented golden ripples on the surface of the Lingxi River were slowly dimming.

Su Mengyao was busy alone in the garden, giving each spirit flower its last watering. Although spirit flowers nurtured by the Power of Nature grew quickly,

they also required more water and spirit energy than ordinary spirit flowers, needing at least two waterings a day to maintain optimal condition.

She squatted under the golden sun flower tree, her emerald green hair in the sunset like a piece of emerald silk dyed with golden edges, the hem of her light green dress spread on the soil like flowing jade green.

She used the Power of Nature to guide the water from the Lingxi River through the root system to water the flowerbed, her emerald eyes slightly closed.

Her eyelashes cast two fine shadows in the sunset, her face serene and peaceful, like Mother Earth gently caressing her children at dusk.

"Still not done?"

Wang Sheng's voice came from behind her.

Su Mengyao opened her eyes, her emerald eyes in the sunset like two emerald gems infused with golden light, her lips unconsciously curving upwards:

"Almost. The golden sun flower has the deepest roots, so it needs to be watered a bit longer."

Wang Sheng squatted beside her, looking at the intricate Spirit Runes on the golden sun flower's trunk. The Spirit Runes glowed with a faint golden light in the sunset, like the tree's veins transporting nutrients from the earth.

"Need help?"

"Can you water flowers?" Su Mengyao tilted her head to look at him, a mischievous smile flashing in her emerald eyes.

"If I can't, I can learn."

Su Mengyao chuckled softly, her laughter as pleasant as a clear spring hitting stones.

She extended her fair, slender hand and placed it over his, her fingertips faintly tinged with green, her palm warm and soft as cotton.

Natural spiritual energy flowed from her palm into the back of his hand, like a wisp of spring breeze passing through his meridians.

"I'll teach you," her voice was soft as a dream, her emerald eyes in the sunset like two speaking gems.

"Guide your spiritual energy to your palm, then... like this, slowly release it along the direction of the roots.

Don't pour it in, but let it permeate, allowing the spiritual energy and water to seep into the soil together, to be absorbed naturally by the roots."