516: Chapter 516 The Longing for the Hundred Flowers

Tanggu Kingdom, Fusang Land.

The so-called Fusang Land is the place once covered by the canopy of the ancient Spiritual Root, the fusang wood.

It spans hundreds of thousands of li, occupying a full two-thirds of the entire Tanggu Kingdom.

Unlike the phantom image of the Erosion Source Blood Tree, the fusang wood of the past truly spread its branches and leaves across this land. Beneath its canopy, a world of its own was formed, where the ten suns rose from Tanggu, and the Spiritual Qi was as dense as rain.

Unfortunately, in ancient times, the Fusang Supreme, in order to Seal the ancient demon Taotie, personally severed this heaven-reaching Spiritual Root, leaving only a withered stump behind.

Tanggu Kingdom is mainly divided into two parts: the north and the south, the Tanggu Plains and Fusang Land.

To the south of Fusang Land lies the main city of Fusang, a towering, massive city where many Sects of Fusang Province gather; to the east lies Mei Valley.

Though called a "Valley," it is actually a range of rolling mountains and the ancestral home of the Giant Clan.

Deep within Mei Valley lies a peach blossom forest.

Spanning no more than a few li, the peach trees are exceptionally ancient. Their branches are gnarled like coiled Dragon and snakes, and pale golden resin seeps from the cracked bark. It feels warm to the touch, carrying a faint sweetness of vegetation baked through by the sun.

The peach blossoms never wither all year round, interwoven with pale gold and moon-white. When they fall without wind, they scatter like fragments of light, covering the forest paths. Stepping on them is soft and silent, as if walking on clouds.

Deep in the forest hides a pool of water.

The surface of the pool is calm and waveless, clear to the bottom, yet wisps of red glow seep from the crevices in the stones at the bottom, dyeing the entire pool a pale amber color, with warm steam rising in curling wisps.

Beside the pool lies a natural bluestone, smooth as a mirror. On the stone surface, the reflection of a heaven-reaching giant tree is faintly visible. Peach blossoms occasionally drift onto the water, but they neither float nor sink, slowly spinning as they submerge into the center of the pool.

On the north bank of the pool, leaning against a few of the oldest peach trees, stand three or four pavilions. They are all built with peach wood beams and covered with blue tiles. The eaves are slightly upturned, with copper bells hanging from them. When the wind blows, they chime, weaving a rhythm with the rustling sound of falling flowers in the forest.

The winding corridors connect the buildings, and vines of unknown age climb the pillars, their flowers blooming white as stars. The windows are half-open, and gauze curtains hang lightly. Occasionally, the figure of a woman walks behind the window, her expression calm and indifferent.

Yu Zhaohua stood before the window of the easternmost pavilion, her long silver-white hair draping to her waist. Her simple, snow-white cloud-patterned wide-sleeved robe was gently ruffled by the draft, loosely held by a dark black ice jade nebula hairpin. She gazed at the grey, hazy sky beyond the ridgeline at the end of the peach forest, her ice-blue eyes as calm as water, her aura nearly extinguished.

Yu Linglong leaned against the railing under the corridor, wearing a moon-white chest-high cloud-patterned ru skirt covered with a transparent gold-threaded gauze robe. Her dark hair was lazily pinned up with a gold-red hairpin, revealing a length of snowy white neck.

She was barefoot, with faint clouds swirling around her ankles, a gold bell faintly visible among them. When she stepped on the cool bluestone floor, the sound of the bell was ethereal and lingering, like the chime of a bell from a distant mountain.

Yu Linglong tilted her head to look at her Revered Master, her tone lazy: "Revered Master, you still haven't achieved a Breakthrough?"

"My state of mind is lacking; it cannot be forced."

Yu Linglong chuckled softly: "What lacking state of mind? It's clearly because that man hasn't arrived yet."

This was said bluntly. Yu Zhaohua did not respond, but Yu Lingling, who was walking from the other end of the corridor, paused in her steps. She wore a light green cross-collared wide-sleeved gauze robe, with a moon-white gradient pleated skirt, her waist cinched with a dark sash inlaid with jade. Her dark hair was half-pinned, with a jade hairpin dangling like a teardrop.

She glanced at her Revered Master's back, then at Yu Linglong, and did not chime in.

Yu Linglong did not mind, turned around and walked back to the natural bluestone by the pool, sat down lazily, and her gaze swept over the few people who were whispering and discussing not far away.

Elder Nangong leaned against an old peach tree, looking down and fiddling with a jade bracelet on her wrist that swirled with Spiritual light, a lazy smile hanging on the corners of her mouth.

The ochre-red sash gauze dress was blown by the wind, clinging tightly to her waist, outlining a breathtaking curve. The plump, rounded snowy white rose and fell slightly at the neckline, squeezed by the gauze dress into a deep valley. When she turned slightly, the round contour swayed under the fabric, then was held back in place.

Baili Qiao stood by her side, her purple palace dress embroidered with intertwining patterns wrapping around her exceptionally full lower silhouette. The plump, perky roundness stretched out a voluptuous arc under the fabric, like a ripe fruit hanging on a branch.

Further away under the corridor, Baili Rou, Zhu Jin, Bai Zhi, and Shu Lan were sitting around a low table.

Baili Rou was gentle and compliant, with a sweet voice, pushing a plate of peach blossom cakes to her Junior Sister; Zhu Jin smiled brightly, took a cake, and took a bite, her eyes curving into crescents.

Bai Zhi was cold and taciturn, sitting on the side flipping through bamboo slips, occasionally lifting her eyes to look at the distant ridgeline; Shu Lan was lively and agile, leaning against the low table, her posture as light as a leaf that could fly away at any moment.

Their auras were all not weak; the Body Integration Stage Spiritual power fluctuations were steady and restrained, clearly indicating a solid Foundation.

Yu Linglong withdrew her gaze and looked at Elder Nangong and Baili Qiao: "Tell us, what is the situation outside."

Elder Nangong stopped her movements and lifted her eyes. Those charming eyes held a touch of seriousness: "Same old. Not counting those below the Undergoing Tribulation stage, the four great eighth-rank Sects add up to eight Tribulation Transcendence Heavenly Venerables. The Golden Crow Holy Land has a newly promoted Mahayana, and there is another Mahayana, who seems to be from the Xuanwu Holy Land? These people have been searching back and forth in the areas of Fusang Land other than Mei Valley, having almost turned the ground upside down."

Baili Qiao took over: "They don't dare to break into Mei Valley, so naturally they can't discover us."

Yu Linglong scoffed: "And what if they did discover us? It's not that we can't beat them; it's just that we don't want to ruin that man's plans."

"It's a pity, I don't know which soul-snatcher has lured our Sect Master away; it's been so long and he still hasn't arrived."

Elder Nangong added slowly.

As she spoke, her gaze drifted intentionally or unintentionally toward Yu Zhaohua, and the corners of her mouth hooked into a meaningful arc: "So, let's just wait for the Sect Master to come."

"Yes, let's wait for the Sect Master." Baili Qiao also agreed in a low voice.

Baili Rou, listening from the side, whispered: "But why hasn't the Sect Master come yet... Didn't Sister Ling Shuang already travel with the Sect Master?"

Zhu Jin smiled and patted her shoulder: "What are you rushing for? The Sect Master will naturally come when he should."

"It's not that I..." Baili Rou's voice grew quieter, "...I just want to see the Sect Master sooner."

The corridor was silent for a moment.

Elder Nangong suddenly laughed: "Little Rou, is that you wanting to see the Sect Master? You're wanting the Sect Master to do that with you, aren't you?"

"Elder Nangong!" Baili Rou's face flushed instantly, and a thin layer of pink spread from her ears to her neck.

Zhu Jin laughed generously: "Elder Nangong, don't tease Baili Rou. Aren't you the same? During these days in Fusang Land, you toss and turn every night unable to sleep. Listening to the movements in your room..."

"You little brat, daring to mock me?" Elder Nangong raised an eyebrow and leaned more comfortably against the peach tree, "That's right, I really do miss him. I miss his hands, I miss his vigor—I miss him pressing me onto the couch, where I can't say a word, only left to whimper. How about you? Good Qiaoqiao?"

As she spoke, her gaze inadvertently swept across Baili Qiao. Baili Qiao did not look up, her full lower silhouette tightening slightly under the palace dress, as if she were restraining something.

"No."

"How is that possible, let me see..."

Yu Lingling stood under the corridor and turned her face away. Her expression seemed calm, but the jade hairpin in her hand turned gently.

Yu Linglong listened with great interest. The gold bell on her ankle emitted a crisp, tinkling sound with the rhythm of her swaying. She observed everyone's reactions with great interest but did not speak, as if enjoying a good show.

Yu Zhaohua stood by the window, her back as straight as bamboo. She heard every word of the conversation. She raised her hand and touched the dark black ice jade nebula hairpin.

That was given to her by Ling Hao, who had personally pinned it into her hair.

More teasing followed, "Alright, alright."

Yu Linglong stood up from the bluestone, the gold bell chiming, "Didn't the Sect Master send us a message when he left Fire Turtle Kingdom? We don't need to guess blindly here. Calculating the days, it's just a matter of these few days; what should come will come. Rest up and nourish your spirits and bodies. When the time comes, if you can't hold up, don't blame others if you miss out."

Elder Nangong looked at her meaningfully: "Linglong, you don't seem anxious. Why not be the last one?"

"Why would I be anxious?" Yu Linglong flicked the non-existent dust off her cuffs and turned to walk into the depths of the peach forest, "Those who are anxious are probably not going to sleep well tonight."

"However, it still depends on who the Sect Master wants to be with first."

The evening breeze blew, and peach blossoms fell with a rustle, landing on the water, on the bluestone, and on their shoulders and hair.

Warm mist rose from the pool, wrapping around the pale golden fragments of peach blossoms, dyeing this forest area hazy and romantic.