Chapter 160 Pomegranate Flower
Lu Xianbei eventually changed her posture and carried Nanling Yaohua on her back.
This was probably a result of sensing the resentful gaze of Nanling Yaohua, which was like a small kn*fe scraping against her, forcing her to compromise.
Although Lu Xianbei’s slightly slender and petite figure carrying the tall and well-developed Nanling Yaohua often conjured up negative terms like “child labor,” “exploitation,” or “little horse pulling a big cart,” the pose looked much more normal compared to before.
Lying on Lu Xianbei’s back, Nanling Yaohua, who had slightly regained her breath, remained silent for a long time before finally asking in a whisper, “I remember you weren’t with me before I fainted. How did you find me?”
Lu Xianbei glanced at Nanling Yaohua from the corner of her eye and said expressionlessly, “It was just a coincidence.”
“I was just scouting the area and found that small courtyard was much more intact than the other buildings nearby, so I thought I’d go in and take a look, and then I discovered you lying unconscious.”
She knew that if “Lu Xianbei” told Nanling Yaohua, “After waking up inside Yumen Pass, I’ve been looking for you,” Nanling Yaohua might be very happy.
But since it was “Lu Qingyi” saying such words, it wouldn’t just make Nanling Yaohua unhappy—it would also fill the atmosphere with an orange-like scent. So she decided to just speak the truth.
Of course, it wasn’t the whole truth. Lu Xianbei didn’t mention that she went to that small courtyard to search for clues about Xia Lianqing and the Longxiang Army Armor Soldier who had once hidden in that courtyard.
Those experiences from last night, aside from Proxy Player Sister, most others wouldn’t believe, and they might think she was misled by some urban legends in Yumen Pass.
It was just like when she told the doctors at major hospitals in Huacheng that she could see the urban legends running wild in the streets.
“Oh…” After hearing this, Nanling Yaohua’s expression clearly showed some disappointment, but she quickly perked up and asked again, “So my injury… was it you who helped me treat it?”
“Uh, that’s a long story,” Lu Xianbei explained somewhat awkwardly, “But actually, it was my coat that helped you.”
“Really?” Nanling Yaohua frowned slightly, instinctively thinking that Lu Xianbei was avoiding the question or lying.
But soon after, the eager little coat seemed to want to testify for its dear witch master, extending its arms into the shape of a small hand and gently waving in front of Nanling Yaohua.
Coat: Hello, nice to meet you! (^_−)☆
Nanling Yaohua, “……”
Lu Xianbei’s coat was a special existence between urban legends and spirit energy items—a fact she had long been aware of. In fact, when she first sensed the coat’s spirit energy fluctuations, she had even left a special mark on it. She just didn’t know why that mark later disappeared…
Maybe it was discreetly wiped away after Lu Xianbei discovered its existence?~
After a brief silence, the disappointment in her eyes quickly faded, replaced by a fierce anger.
“Speaking of which, have you been doing well since I left?”
After not perfectly dodging two attacks, she had completed charging her energy bar and unleashed her ultimate skill.
“Pretty good, I…” Lu Xianbei instinctively replied.
However, before she could finish her sentence, she suddenly fell silent upon hearing Nanling Yaohua’s next question.
It was as if someone had pressed the mute button on her.
Nanling Yaohua said to her, “Earlier, I smelled the fragrance of pomegranate flowers when the city gate opened… That old tree must have already bloomed, right? I really want to go back and see!”
“What pomegranate…” The words got stuck in her throat, and Lu Xianbei’s body stiffened slightly as her eyes widened and her pupils trembled.
Wait! Did she just say she smelled the fragrance of pomegranate flowers?
The fragrance of most pomegranate flowers is so faint that it can be ignored, and typically, you wouldn’t be able to smell it. In Lu Xianbei’s memory, the only pomegranate flowers that could have a strong fragrance were the two trees in the courtyard of the Lu Family Manor.
At the same time, those were the two pomegranate trees where she had discovered the Wind Chime left by Nanling Yaohua…
Those two pomegranate trees were planted many years ago by Qing Ji for his beloved Yan Zhi, who loved pomegranates.
Lu Xianbei still remembered the first time she brought Qing Ji to the God Realm Prototype in the Lu Family Manor, and how Qing Ji looked at those two pomegranate trees with a face full of sadness.
He wandered alone under the pomegranate trees for a long time, carefully touching the rough bark as if he were caressing the wrinkled face of a beloved.
At first, Lu Xianbei didn’t quite understand why Qing Ji would have such a strong emotional reaction to seeing those two pomegranate trees. According to Qing Ji’s personality, he wasn’t easily brought down; after all, when he saw other old objects related to Yan Zhi left in the manor, he only sighed lightly.
It couldn’t be that having two trees in the house would always evoke feelings of melancholy, right?
Lu Xianbei only learned about the story of those two pomegranate trees later when she casually mentioned the pomegranate flowers outside the courtyard while harassing Zhang Hainan, who told her…
————
“Your great-great-grandmother seemed to have loved eating various fruits since she was little, especially pomegranates. However, in that era of war, it was a problem for ordinary people just to have enough to eat, let alone getting fresh fruits in season…
After learning about her preference, Qing Ji somehow managed to get hold of two high-quality pomegranate trees and secretly planted them in the backyard of the Lu Family Manor under the cover of night.
When she woke up in the morning and saw the pomegranate trees suddenly appear in the courtyard, she was so happy that she couldn’t stop smiling all day. In the following days, she cared for them like children, and the next year the two pomegranate trees blossomed and bore fruit.
Every year after that, your great-great-grandmother could enjoy all the pomegranates from those two trees by herself. Yes, all to herself. No one else was allowed to touch them. I once tried to sneak a few and nearly got tortured by Qing Ji… Thinking back on it now, I feel like I lost out; those two pomegranates were still…”
“Still what?” Lu Xianbei interjected, “Did they bear fruit?”
“……” Perhaps recalling the experience of eating raw, Zhang Hainan fell silent for a moment, then seamlessly jumped over that part.
“By the way, Qing Ji told me that he married your great-great-grandmother when those two pomegranate trees first bloomed. It was said to be filled with lights and festoons, combined with the bright red pomegranate flowers, making it particularly festive.”
Upon hearing this, Lu Xianbei thought she understood why Qing Ji would be so touched by those two pomegranate trees. From a certain point of view, those two pomegranate trees, like the embroidered shoes of Yan Zhi that Qing Ji lost, were both tokens of their love.
However, what Zhang Hainan said next made her realize that she actually did not understand.
“Speaking of which, do you know why the flowers on those two pomegranate trees smell so fragrant?” Zhang Hainan asked.
“Isn’t it the result of time accumulation?” Lu Xianbei said, “The neighbors on Mudan Street all say this. Isn’t that the case?”
“Of course not!” Zhang Hainan refuted without hesitation, “That was all Qing Ji’s doing.”
“Ancestor?” Lu Xianbei sounded confused.
“Yeah.” Zhang Hainan explained, “You might not know, but your great-great-grandmother passed away in winter, and one of her last wishes was to see the pomegranates bloom in the courtyard once more. I guess, at the moment of d*ath, she must have thought of their wedding day, right?”
“The blooming season for pomegranates is from late spring to early autumn; there are no blooming pomegranates in winter!” Lu Xianbei realized suddenly, “So, the ancestor used some means to force those two pomegranate trees to bloom in winter so that my great-great-grandmother could see the flowers, right?”
If special means were used to make the pomegranate trees bloom, then it would explain why the flowers on those two pomegranate trees were so fragrant.
Using spirit energy or alchemical potions, Qing Ji forcibly made the flowers bloom without letting the two pomegranate trees turn into urban legends was already impressive.
“Then…” After understanding the story of the two pomegranate trees, Lu Xianbei suddenly thought of a very serious question, “Did my great-great-grandmother see the pomegranate flowers?”
“……” Zhang Hainan fell into a long silence without answering her question directly, only responding lightly, “I’m not sure about that. I only know that after your great-great-grandmother passed away, Qing Ji never let those two pomegranate trees bloom again.”
Upon hearing this, Lu Xianbei felt suddenly heavy-hearted.
In her view, it was likely that Yan Zhi never saw the pomegranate flowers in the end.
She could even imagine that after Qing Ji forced the two pomegranate trees to bloom, he hurried back to Yan Zhi’s side, preparing to take her to the courtyard to see the flowers, but Yan Zhi, exhausted, managed to say her last words to Qing Ji and passed away before they could even step outside.
Otherwise, Qing Ji wouldn’t have prevented those two pomegranate trees from blooming.
Timing is everything, isn’t it?
So that’s it, never blooming again!
If Qing Ji didn’t angrily cut down those two pomegranate trees, maybe it was because he couldn’t bear to remember the sight of Yan Zhi wearing her wedding dress when looking at them.
————
Returning her thoughts from the story of the two pomegranate trees, Lu Xianbei realized something terrifying.
In the dream city created by Mrs. Wang Meili, the location of those two pomegranate trees was originally near the staff quarters. In the memories that suddenly came to her, she had once plucked a pomegranate flower and personally placed it in Nanling Yaohua’s hair, saying some strange words…
When Nanling Yaohua left Huacheng, she hung the wind chime on the branches of the pomegranate tree, indicating that she hadn’t forgotten the words she had heard in the dream city and took them to heart…
And when she previously opened the passage to the God Realm Prototype and sent the Imposter Calamity inside, the destination was precisely the Lu Family Manor, which is why Nanling Yaohua said she smelled the fragrance of flowers just before the city gate opened…
As all the details connected and formed a complete loop, Lu Xianbei felt that, barring any accidents, she likely wouldn’t be able to return to Dai Mu Institute completely today.
The gaze of someone who wants to k*ll cannot be hidden; even if the person revealing such a gaze is behind you, it can still be sensed.
As if sensing Lu Xianbei’s unease, Nanling Yaohua reached out and gently wiped the sweat off her forehead, softly asking, “What’s wrong, Qing Yi? Why are you sweating? Is it hot?”
“I…” Lu Xianbei opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but before she could organize her words, a scream for help suddenly came from the front.
“Help, help… someone, help me!”
Following the sound, they saw a girl with round-frame glasses and short hair rushing towards them, looking disheveled and panicked.
The girl looked familiar to Lu Xianbei and Nanling Yaohua; she was the accomplice of Dailin that they had recently followed together.
Upon seeing the girl, Lu Xianbei’s eyes lit up.
Although the intent to k*ll cannot be hidden, it can be diverted.
At the moment the girl appeared, Lu Xianbei distinctly felt Nanling Yaohua’s murderous gaze swiftly shift from her to the girl…
