Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“What I have bet was that their plan will not work.” Miao Xiao Miao smiled. “Since you are not even going, there’s no way their plans against you will work. So I’m winning the bet! We made the bet in front of a large crowd, so there will be no room for his denial. I’m going to be granted access to the Gardens every year, so even if I don’t succeed this time, there will be more chances to come for me to gain recognition from the Tree!”
“I am still a bit disappointed that you refused to go. But in this sense, I still need to thank you!” Miao Xiao Miao was ready to go as she finished the sentence.
“Wait!” Jun Mo Xie leaped up as if he was on drugs. “Who said that I am not going? Bring me there!”
“Huh?” Miao Xiao Miao stared at him. What’s he up to now?
“With my talent, there’s no way I will lose to them! Bring me there! I will not make you disappointed!”
Miao Xiao Miao stumbled as she felt a ball of fire getting stuck upon her chest! Is he an idiot? Wasn’t he so determined to avoid the conflict? Didn’t I tell him that I will win as long as he doesn’t go?
Although there was some disappointment within her, it was also accompanied by the satisfaction from the thought that she was going to win the bet. The disappointment was no longer bothering her.
There had to be some disappointment. As she uncovered the chivalry and talent from this young man, she couldn’t help feel curious about him. She wanted to know what else was he capable of. In her expectations, Mo Jun Ye was like a mysterious mist that hides many secrets waiting for people to discover, and all the secrets would leave her in awe and surprise. She knew that he was unique and he indeed redefined the notion of a successful young man for her. The poetic lines he came up with really touched her soul, leaving her indulged in the endless reflections triggered by them. She even had the feeling that she could spend a whole evening pondering about what he had said while admiring the sunset and enjoying fragrant tea under a flowering tree below the ever-changing clouds… how romantic! Hence if he refused to go, she would lose the chance of knowing him more. There would definitely be some mild disappointment!
On the other hand, if he really went, there was a risk that he would be humiliated, especially for his comparatively weak Xuan cultivation. If that were to happen, she would be heartbroken! So his refusal relieved her from this possibility and she was quite grateful. Furthermore, there was the bet with Zhan Qing Feng… So she was so happy that she had to share with him the joy by telling him about the bet. But he suddenly changed his mind upon hearing it. It felt like a very uncomfortable roller-coaster ride to her. This bastard, he’s purposely messing with me!
She couldn’t help cursing, “Why don’t you just die!”
Jun Mo Xie was satisfied as he saw her annoyed. “I changed my mind because I want to save you from loneliness. Just imagine entering the vast and almost empty Gardens with all those old men. How lonely and bored are you going to be? Perhaps, another way around, this is for me to accompany you. How’s that?”
“What? You want to accompany me?” Miao Xiao Miao was stunned. He wants to accompany me so that I’m not bored… that’s a bit sweet…
“Of course. If I go with you, at least it won’t be as dull! Also, I like the smell of herbs; they really refresh my mind. That’s why I even grow my own herbs sometimes!” Jun Mo Xie could really say anything to impress girls.
“That’s an interesting idea… but… it is a rule that only one person from the younger generations can enter the Spiritual Herbal Gardens!”
Miao Xiao Miao was concerned. “Also, the Rainbow Holy Tree is very strict in choosing the person it recognizes. The candidate has to be less than twenty-years-old and must carry a scent of nature. If two many young people enter, it might become confused…”
Something caught Jun Mo Xie’s attention. “Do you mean the Rainbow Holy Tree has already acquired consciousness?”
“Yes! But its spiritual senses develop very slowly. According to my grandfather, it gained consciousness as early as three thousand years ago. However, it is only as intelligent as a five-years-old now. So it really likes to throw tantrums. For example, if someone it doesn’t like tries to take its fruit, it will hide the fruit… It is really child-like…” Miao Xiao Miao sounded happy to feel helpless as she described the Rainbow Holy Tree as if it were her naughty child.
Miao Xiao Miao continued. “Even the seniors who enter the Gardens are not allowed to enter a certain parameter around the Tree! If they do, all the herbs within that parameter will instantly wither! Only when the Tree willingly allows us to plant its branches, then the seniors can communicate with it with all their Xuan Qi so that it will produce a branch from the ground below it. After that, they will let the young candidate be observed by the tree and if he qualifies, he will plant the branch within the parameter. The small tree that grows from the branch will be exclusively under the care of the Tree itself, and no one else will be allowed to help…”
“That’s amazing! It’s only a tree, but it’s so domineering!”
“Of course! Or why would the Misty Illusory Manor hail it as the Holy Tree?”
“But the rule on letting only one young candidate in… who made it? Can’t there be an exception?”
“There are no exceptions. A thousand five hundred years ago, we sent two young candidates in, but the tree expelled them from the Gardens with no hesitation! Then, the Gardens were left unattended until a hundred years ago when my father became the chosen one by coincidence. As you can see, the manager of the Gardens is not appointed by the leaders of the Misty Illusory Manor. He has to be chosen by the Tree. The whole Garden is like its territory! It will not let anything it doesn’t approve to happen in the Gardens! Even my father is not allowed to take a single herb out of the Gardens without permission!”
“I see… So how did your father become acknowledged by the Tree?” Jun Mo Xie felt that the Tree would not be easy to handle.
“It’s not a secret. Many older generations know about it. My father had a terrible physique and the Misty Illusory Manor had seen him as completely useless. He couldn’t even make his way into the Supreme level.” Miao Xiao Miao smiled helplessly, as if she were pitying her father’s past. “Even my grandfather lost hope in him. And it was at that point of time that my father fell gravely ill. Although grandfather didn’t like him much, he was still the heir of the bloodline. So my grandfather used his authority to ask for permission to bring my father in from the Elders. No one had entered the Gardens in a thousand and four hundred years, so there was definitely a huge amount of Spiritual Qi accumulated there. So it was the only hope of curing my father. The Elders eventually agreed as my grandfather was very reputable. Then, the unexpected happened. After my father entered the Garden, he soon recovered and the Tree acknowledged him. I don’t know the details, but it happened!”
