Chapter 281 Their Temporary Separation
Mu Tiannan walks towards Lin's villa with a huge bouquet of roses in his hand.
It's hard for anyone to believe that these dewy roses are neither a rare breed nor air-freighted foreign goods. If there is something special, that must be these flowers are planted by Brother Mu, once a total playboy, by himself. Mu Tiannan is just an ordinary person without the Taoist root and now he is already 35. He keeps exercising and practicing ancient martial arts, so he is in great shape and his skin is not loose at all. However, he still has a sense of crisis.
Because the woman he likes, with outstanding personal ability, looks in her early twenties. Time has not left any marks on her face. Whichever way he looks at her, she is much more attractive than they first met.
Thirty-five years old, remarkable family background, and high social status: all these factors make Mu Tiannan a golden bachelor in the eyes of unmarried women. But for the girl he likes, Lin Luoran, she already has enough money. She is also the most mysterious "Uncle Lin" among all unearthly practitioners in Huaxia. Mu Tiannan's advantages only work for ordinary girls.
Now what he has is probably only his sincerity.
In the past year, he sent a rose to Lin's house every day, putting it by the door and back home quietly. Mu Tiannan can hardly believe he has been doing such a silly thing. Xuan Yuanchen has mocked him about it many times.
"If one year can't work, then I will keep doing it for the next ten years!"
That's what Brother Mu has been thinking about. But the morning before, when he was practicing, he felt meridian blockage for the first time.
Shock struck him. It's just a few days before his thirty-sixth birthday. He does not achieve the congenital realm so his meridians will be clogged when he grows older. To be straightforward, he can't stop an age-related decline in his body. If he always can't achieve the congenital realm, it means that his lifetime achievement can just be this much.
He is getting older, but his power does not increase. Is there really not much time left for him to pursue his happiness?
Mu Tiannan's mind wanders back and forth on many problems. It is never his style to be just like a frog slowly being boiled while alive. Xuan Yuanchen also says that it can't show the "Charming Brother Mu" at all. Mu Tiannan decides to give it a shot. Today, instead of just sending the flowers and walking away, he will make it clear and tell her what he thinks. He wants to know whether there is a chance.
Mu Tiannan carefully decides what to wear, and then he shaves, making sure every detail is flawless. He picks all the roses in the garden, even the half-opened ones can't survive. Anyway, today is the day. If he fails, these roses will just be an eyesore in his garden. But if he succeeds, they all contribute to it.
Mu Tiannan felt that he has enough courage to head-on. His love adviser Xuan Yuanchen even thinks the confident Brother Mu, the master of his own destiny, is finally back.
"Brother Mu, you will definitely succeed!" Xuanyuan Chenxi barks.
The man in the mirror is in the most attractive age of his life, mature and charming. It is who he really is.
...
He walks slowly to Lin's villa. It is very quiet today. Usually, there were two children on their winter vacation, Li Xi'er watering the garden, and Mr. Lin fishing. But today they are all gone.
"Okay, it's a good chance to cheer me up. Take a deep breath. Don't be nervous. From the stainless-steel doorplate, I can see my smile is still perfect.
Mu Tiannan, you can do it!"
When he is just about to ring the doorbell, the iron door entangled by flowers is suddenly opened and his dream girl's face suddenly appears in front of him. Mu Tiannan is stunned.
Deep breath... Deep breath! This is probably a gift from God... But before he shows the flowers he hides, he sees Liu Zheng behind Lin Luoran without warning.
Expressing his love in front of his rival in love, this may fire him up. However, here comes the misery part. The lady of the hour only looks at him for just a second.
"Hey, you are here? We have something urgent to do and need to go out for a while. Please wait for me here. "
The keyword is "We". What's worse, what she said is not a question, but an assertive sentence.
Mu Tiannan is stricken to the heart. Liu Zheng even adds: "It's very urgent."
So, it's him who delays their schedule?
Mu Tiannan can't think of any urgent thing that can make Lin Luoran become so fussy. He doesn't say anything he has prepared before. He just hides the flowers and gives way to them.
Lin Luoran nods and smiles at him, and then walks out the door directly.
Just a few steps, they have walked to the shores of the lake. Mu Tiannan gathers his courage: "Luoran, I have something to tell you. Just give me one minute... no... thirty seconds! I want to clarify something between us..." He thinks if she suddenly turns around, then he will show the flowers, just like magic. It will make things more formal and romantic.
Lin Luoran turns around, but she does not stop.
She splits out one word gently: "Sorry..."
There are some other words behind "Sorry", but Mu Tiannan can't hear them at all. His hand holding the bouquet is completely stiffened, because he realizes Lin Luoran doesn't even stop and just said sorry. The next scene he sees is she holding Liu Zheng's hands and flying into the air.
Their clothes are fluttering. Watching them flying away really hurts Mu Tiannan's eyes.
He suddenly realizes everything with grief. He can plant as many roses as he wants, but it's impossible for him to fly with her all his life.
Just because he doesn't have the Taoist root... Mu Tiannan's confidence drains away all at once. His hand holding the bouquet fells down. The iron door closes right then and destroys the dewy flowers. The sprigs and petals are separated. All Mu Tiannan holds in his hands are sprigs with sparse petals.
As for the fragrant and delicate petals, they scattered all over by the door, fallen on the ground and contaminated with dust.
Those crystal dew sinks into the earth and disappears instantly, just like Mu Tiannan's unrequited love.
"Maybe Rong City is not a good place for me." Mu Tiannan mutters and runs down the hill.
"Book a flight back to New York for me ... Yes, tonight, I want the latest one."
...
"Just now, did Brother Mu want to tell you something?" Liu Zheng is just trying to fill silences. He doesn't want to admit that without enough personal ability, he can only fly with Lin Luoran's help. It's a little shameful.
Lin Luoran smiles, "I have told him to wait for me at home. When I go back, I will ask him. Now I can't wait to see the soul wood! Here we are. Let's go! "
The villa is close to Qingcheng Taoist Temple and it's airline distance, so they arrive here very soon. Lin Luoran pulls Liu Zheng down. The crazy Taoist has been already waiting in the yard.
"Follow me!"
The entrance is a wall in the main room of the Qingcheng Taoist Temple. This place was probably the bedroom of Huizhu before. Now the mountainside is almost hollowed out by the crazy Taoist and his apprentices. Down the rotating stone steps, views are more open. Lin Luoran's face is illuminated by a dim cyan light. It's her first time to come to the place where the soul wood grows. She is so shocked.
She guesses that she might see a tree, and she does see a tree. But... what in front of her is just... too big...
Viewed from above, the rotating stone steps lead them to its bottom and this big tree has a diameter of more than ten meters. It is as tall as a building of dozens of floors in Rong City. Its one leaf can already wrap people, just like clothes. The trace of the vein is clearly visible and glowing greenly. It reminds Lin Luoran of the soul wood she has grown for a long time in space. In reality, it is two years. But in fact, it's hundreds of years old. For the first time, Lin Luoran feels inferior for space.
"This is mature soul wood. If it is grown naturally, it takes at least ten thousand years." The crazy Taoist leads the two of them down.
Lin Luoran and Liu Zheng follow him closely. Lin Luoran wonders, "I remember it's planted less than two years ago. How can it be so huge?"
They have been to the bottom, and realizes the dim cyan light is from here. Lin Luoran sees many egg-sized crystals around the bottom of the tree root. She can feel the Wood Reiki without even touching it.
"These spirit stones are from the small Wood Reiki mine under the Qingcheng Taoist Temple. The master has been digging them to breed the soul wood." Liu Zheng explains in a whisper.
Lighter than jadeite in color, looked like polished diamonds, and surrounded by Wood Reiki: these are the famous wood spirit stones?
They are like "diamonds of fire" which are born with Strange Fire. Maybe she has seen the so-called spirit stones before, but they are fire ones.
Lin Luoran picks one up and holds it for a while. Compared with the diamond of fire, these wooden spirit stones are used to cultivate the soul wood so they almost run out of Wood Reiki.
"Master, now can we use the soul wood?" Liu Zheng has told her long ago about it can work, but without a message from the crazy Taoist, Lin Luoran still can't believe it.
The crazy Taoist hesitates for a while, and Lin Luoran becomes more nervous.
"If it's only Baojia who uses it, then it can work... In fact, the ripening trick has destroyed the lineage of the soul wood. You can't find such wood on earth in the future."
As long as she can save Baojia, she doesn't mind its lineage is essentially gone. Besides, there is actually another one in space, but she definitely dare not to say it out. Instead, she asks the crazy Taoist the reason why he said so.
"If the soul wood is used to nourish Bao's soul, then it will naturally wither. There is no way to save it. What you are looking at is mature soul wood. However, its potential is totally given away... Like what people say, it is just a paper tiger." The crazy Taoist turns around the tree, kind of depressed.
Lin Luoran and Liu Zheng look at each other, and the latter changes the subject immediately, "Master, what are we going to do now?"
"Lin goes back to bring Bao Jia, and you stay here to help me prepare for it!"
Lin Luoran signifies her content with a nod. The crazy Taoist calls her again, "If everything goes well, Baojia will stay here for a long time. You can bring the junior one of Qin together."
Well, the junior one of Qin, namely, Commander Qin. The crazy Taoist is really a kind man hallmarked with cold aspect. It's so obvious that he still cares about Commander Qin. Why does he never show it?
Lin Luoran climbs out of the mountain and calls Commander Qin. As soon as the old man knows it is the crazy Taoist's call, he smilingly promises to be Mount Qingcheng within half an hour.
Before Lin Luoran returns home, her parents have returned earlier than her and cleaned the petals on the ground. She doesn't notice anything strange and then she gathers the whole family together.
"Sister Baojia is going to other places for treatment? When will she wake up?" Lin Luodong asks. Her parents and Li Xi'er also look at her anxiously.
Lin Luoran meditates in silence because she can't answer this question. Baojia, lying in bed and long hair scattered, wears the ancient costume. The crazy Taoist says that costume is a dust-proof treasure, so there is no need to change her clothes. She is so peaceful, like a delicate porcelain doll.
She is in a dilemma. Fortunately, Commander Qin arrives here before long. Lin Luoran takes Baojia out of the house and does not let her family follow.
It's better that fewer people know about where Baojia is going to be. If Lin Luodong or Li Xier accidentally lets out the secret, it will be dangerous for Baojia.
When Lin Luoran and Commander Qin leave, Mrs. Lin can't help crying, "Bao Jia, what a good girl. Why does she suffer so much?"
Mr. Lin pats her hand, "You don't need to be sad. Now Bao Jia can be cured and we should be happy about it. The separation is just temporary."
Li Xi'er and Lin Luodong both nod. Mrs. Lin smiles through tears, "Yes, it won't be long before Bao Jia comes back. We should be happy."
...
Chapter 282 The Beauty Sleeping by the Tree
Commander Qin follows Lin Luoran down the revolving steps. The veteran commander has seen much of life. He is much more of a calmer than Lin Luoran about the soul wood.
However, Commander Qin can't keep calm about meeting the crazy Taoist.
The crazy Taoist is his ancestor but looks younger than him in appearance. Commander Qin does not dare to call the crazy Taoist ancestor without permission.
Lin Luoran takes Baojia in her arms and goes down to the end. Then she finds out that the crazy Taoist and Liu Zheng have already dug a large horizontal hole in the center of the soul wood. Broken timbers are all over the place.
Noticing how big the tree hole is, Lin Luoran is shocked, "Master, are you going to let Bao Jia... lay in there?"
It is kind of a strange feeling to put a person in a living tree. What's more, when the tree gash is closed, how can Baojia breathe? And how can she get food? It makes Lin Luoran full of wonder. The crazy Taoist does not get angry at her words but laughs,
"She is not only the only child of the Qin but also Jiang. I will never hurt her. Boy Qin, how about you, any question?"
Lin Luoran's face turns red. Commander Qin replies quickly, "It's all up to you, master."
Both Baojia's grandfather and great-great-grandfather think so. In this way, Lin Luoran has nothing to say but carefully puts Baojia in the tree cave under the crazy Taoist's guidance. The tree hole is so large that a man can almost stand in it. Lin Luoran puts down Baojia in the tree hole. Thinking that she can't meet her friends any more for a long time, she is reluctant to leave Baojia.
Baojia's hair is very long. Lin Luoran remembers the snow sword she had just made a few days ago. Merged with snow, it will be more powerful. Even not, it is still enough for her to fight on usual occasions. When she first knew about Baojia's Taoist root, she wanted to give her the flying sword of the Water. At that time, to encourage Baojia to learn spell sooner, she did not immediately give her the "gift" she had promised. But after the trip to the desert, Baojia has been in deep slumber... Lin Luoran combs Baojia's hair and helps her to wear a hairpin with phoenix. The sword will be a belated gift. But it can be a surprise when Baojia wakes up. So maybe it is also nice?
The crazy Taoist touches his greasy beard and glances at everyone's faces. The next second, for the first time, Lin Luoran sees the cultivator's spell with her own two eyes. Without dazzling light or many gestures, he just lifts his right hand lightly, and then the broken timbers begin to spin up.
More precisely, only parts of them are spinning, like some jigsaw puzzles under his control. They are used to patch the tree. And then the next moment, the big hole, which is enough for people to bend in, disappeared in front of them.
There are still some cracks. The crazy Taoist transmutes the rest of the wood into green liquid and then fills the gaps.
From the outside, no one can see that there is a big hollow that can hide a person in the middle of this huge soul wood.
Lin Luoran uses spiritual mind to check it. The soul wood is worthy of its title. Baojia is completely hidden.
"Master, all is done, right?" Lin Luoran looks at the soul wood which looks exactly the same as the original. What kind of spell is this? How does it do this?
The crazy Taoist shakes his head, "Let's go up first."
Commander Qin goes first, and after him is Liu Zheng. Lin Luoran is still reluctant to leave. Halfway down the stone ladder, the crazy Taoist stops.
"Lin, do you want to learn how to plant magic circles? Today I will show you for free. Watch!"
The crazy Taoist is going to plant magic circles! Not only Lin Luoran, even Liu Zheng hasn't got the chance to learn it. The two stare at him without blinking.
The crazy Taoist moves his fingers, and then lots of blue stones emerge from the ground they stand on and the walls around them. Under the control of the crazy Taoist, these blue stones go up into the sky slowly.
Lin Luoran's breathing has speeded up. She can't be more familiar with these stones: they are reiki-gathering stones! However, these reiki-gathering stones in the crazy Taoist's hands are better than the one she found, no matter in color or texture. The crazy Taoist is not going to put up a magic circle with reiki-gathering stones as the circle core but as nodes. How luxury it is!
These reiki-gathering stones are as big as basketballs, and they rotate in orbits like stars. The crazy Taoist concentrates on controlling them. From time to time, he slightly adjusts their movements.
Lin Luoran tries her best to memorize those orbital routes and the position of these reiki-gathering stones which are the lines and nodes of the magic circle.
More importantly, this is a brand-new magic circle for Lin Luoran. It almost has nothing to do with the attack and defense she has learnt.
Liu Zheng is also watching at the beginning. But soon he feels dizzy and the lines and nodes in his brain are messed up. Now he knows part of the reasons why the crazy Taoist doesn't ask him to learn it. Maybe he does not have enough personal ability. The only thing he can do is closing his eyes to digest the part he has memorized. He can not understand them now. If he continues to look at it, he will hurt himself.
This magic circle is more complicated than the protection circle and the Water Attack circle. Lin Luoran holds on longer than Liu Zheng and remembers the main part of it. But she still feels a pain in her brain.
"I can't watch it anymore." Lin Luoran has to give up, and it's almost the end of it.
The crazy Taoist flicks, and then these reiki-gathering stones in orbits are shot into the ground, walls, or even the tops of caves close to the ground.
The crazy Taoist has begun to do the final step of planting magic circles, inception of spirit.
Two streams of Wakan pour out from his fingertips, one blue and one green. The crazy Taoist also belongs to both the Water and the Wood. Is this a coincidence? Or it's because of the blood of the Baojia family, which the crazy Taoist calls as the blood of Jiuli Tribe? Maybe no one can solve these questions for her. The next moment, what happens disrupts her thoughts.
There is a fierce water rushing out from the mountainside. Lin Luoran thinks it is torrential flood. But the crazy Taoist shouts, "All of you, get out first!"
Time and tide wait for no man. No matter how many questions Lin Luoran has, she has to take Commander Qin and Liu Zheng out first. She just rushes out with the two men and then she feels the ground shaking violently. Is it an earthquake, or is there something wrong with the planting of the magic circle?
Lin Luoran has no time to think about it. In a flash, she flies in the sky taking Commander Qin and Liu Zheng.
The three of them are in the air, and they witness the collapse of the ancient Qingcheng Taoist Temple...
Lin Luoran is gloomy. If Hui Zhu knows that she breaks down these old houses of Qingcheng Taoist Temple, he would definitely break his promise and put up a desperate fight with her.
All are buried under the ruins: exquisite beams and blue bricks, flowers and trees taken good care of in the garden, and traces of life in Qingcheng Taoist Temple for hundreds of years...
Well, wearing other's shoes, she will also get mad if someone ruins her home like this.
But where is the crazy Taoist?
Lin Luoran ignores the childish excitement of Commander Qin, and begins to worry about the crazy Taoist.
...
In the alley diagonally opposite to the Temple of the the Marquis of Wu, a woman moved in a few days ago. She buys the store and now is preparing for the opening of a flower shop.
There are old houses everywhere in this area. The overall planning is to promote tourism. That's the reason why these unprofitable old houses can survive from the hands of estate agents. There is also a small yard behind the shop on the first floor, which is enough for a family to move in.
Today the shop does not open yet. The hostess is conducting a delivery truck to move a flower tree, wrapped in plastic film, over the wall into the yard. Because it has been bundled up, the neighbors can not know which kind of tree it is. From the way its owner treating it, it should be a very expensive breed.
Owing to her good looking and passion, the hostess becomes integrated with her neighbors just in a few days. Holding a glass of water in hand, another hostess selling Tibetan jewelry next to her asks curiously,
"Yang, what kind of tree is this? Is it expensive?"
The shopkeeper, Yang, shakes her head with a smile, "Not at all. It has been with me for many years. I don't want to abandon it so I always take it with me when I move house."
Some people love pets, some flowers, and some trees. It's no big deal. So the other hostess just forgets it and invites Yang to have lunch with her.
"How could I? I have had two meals at your house, Sister Dong!" Speaking of two meals, the young Ms. Yang blushes, a little embarrassed.
The hostess Dong, waves her hands, "What are you talking about! My son really likes your delicious Herb and Rib soup. I really want to learn it from you. That's the deal. Just come to my house for lunch at noon."
Yang can't refuse it so she just says yes. After a while, the tree has been put in the yard. The mover asks her if she needs some men to help with planting the tree. Yang smiles and turns down the offer with dimpled cheeks, "All my neighbors are so nice and helpful, so I won't bother you."
The man gets it, "Then Miss Yang, please sign for it."
She nods and takes over the pen. She signs her name "Yang Lisha" in the space. The name is very common. Her handwriting is just like her, both very beautiful.
After the movers leave, Yang Lisa does not ask her neighbors to help her plant the tree. Instead, she moves some bonsai and flowers from the car and puts them in the yard. When she just finishes watering them, Dong asks her to join their lunch.
This girl is just in her early twenties, but she has a natural ability to put people at ease. The honey-lipped girl is very funny. Even the difficult in-laws of Dong like her so much that they keep putting food onto her plate.
After lunch, Dong asks her if she needs some help with planting the tree when Yang Lisa offers to clean up the dishes,
"The movers have already helped me with it. I can handle such trifle. Don't worry, Sister Dong."
In the afternoon, the business of the Tibetan jewelry store is so good that Dong totally forgets to take a look at Yang Lisa's beloved tree. In the backyard of the flower shop, Yang Lisha cuts off the plastic film. She erects the huge Acacia tree and puts it in a large pit dug long ago with unbelievable strength.
She is so gentle that most buds in the tree haven't fallen down.
The crown of the tree is like a cloud, almost covering the whole small yard.
The thick branches make it difficult for others to see everything in the courtyard. Yang Lisa covers the tree lightly with earth and waters it. She looks kind of tired.
"We are together again. Do you like our new home?"
She leans her face on the tree, looked like a cute and warm little girl, like the refreshing half-opened gladioli in this yard.
The spring sunshine is cozy. Maybe because home moving is really exhausting, she falls asleep soundly very soon.
...
Chapter 283 Yin-Yang-Mote Circle
On the flying sword, the three of Lin Luoran are very worried about the crazy Taoist, because he has disappeared for a long time. When the earthquake stops, Liu Zheng wants to look for him. Lin Luoran directs the flying sword to land. Commander Qin is still trying to stand up when he sees a shadowy figure being thrown into the air from a mess of bricks.
The broken bricks splash on Lin Luoran's shield, just like raining. Lin Luoran squints and looks at the sky. The "unidentified flying object" is in a total mess. It is the crazy Taoist, whose robe is not its original color any more. Liu Zheng's facial expressions are subtle and Lin Luoran kind of knows the reason.
How about Commander Qin's reaction? Now he is crazy, just like the crazy Taoist. It's obvious that the Taoist root can't affect the connection of their kinship.
When the crazy Taoist adjusts his direction and goes on to land safely, he ignores his apprentice's pale face and asks Lin Luoran to accompany him for a walk.
Many houses of the Qingcheng Taoist Temple have collapsed. Dust is everywhere so Lin Luoran doesn't want to stay here anymore. She knows the crazy Taoist must have something to tell her so she just follows him.
"XiaoLiu, can I still call you this way?" After they leave, Commander Qin suddenly says.
Liu Zheng is stunned. Since Baojia was hurt by Zou Yaowei, the relationship between Qin and Liu has been down to the freezing point. After that, Baojia began her cultivation and he broke off their engagement. Commander Qin hasn't called him the intimate nickname "XiaoLiu" for a long time.
With nostalgia for the past, Liu Zhengzheng nods his head slowly.
...
Lin Luoran follows the crazy Taoist to walk in the forests. He is kind of crazy, but in Lin Luoran's opinion, he is very soft-hearted. He always avoids stepping on the grass when he walks.
"Master, is everything goes well with Baojia?" Since the crazy Taoist doesn't say anything for a long time, Lin Luoran chooses to break the ice first.
The crazy Taoist jumps on the tall pine tree, "Come with me."
They step on a pine branch, overlooking the whole mountain. The crazy Taoist catches a naughty squirrel, "I think you will ask something about the magic circle. Does something change your mind so you give it up? You really want to learn it a few days ago."
Blue sky and green trees, it is really a nice day. Lin Luoran releases the squirrel in the crazy Taoist's hand. "Compared with the magic circle, I care more about Baojia... Master, you can tell me the truth. How long does it take for Baojia to wake up?" From what happened today and the collapsed Qingcheng Taoist Temple, Lin Luoran has a feeling that the gathering of Baojia's spiritual mind is actually more difficult than she thought.
The crazy Taoist pauses, "You are smarter than I imagine."
He points at the Qingcheng Mountains surrounded by clouds and mist. "The soul wood and Baojia are now trapped somewhere under this mountain. The magic circle I made is called Yin-Yang-Mote Circle. It nourishes Baojia's body with the Wood Reiki from the mine and this mountain. The soul wood can fulfill its role as the circle core with the water Reiki from Dujiang river and the power of the magic circle... To be honest, when the inception of spirit finishes, it is a dead circle, having an entrance but no exit. "
Yin-Yang-Mote Circle... absorbs the Reiki of mountain and Dujiang river. Lin Luoran feels her heart is sinking when she knows more about it.
The crazy Taoist uses so much power which means Baojia is in a serious condition... Why did he put up a dead circle with an entrance but no exit? With his great strength, the crazy Taoist still has something to fear?
Wait a minute, Lin Luoran suddenly gets the point, "Master, do you mean only BaoJia can go out when she wakes up and no one else can go in to help her? "
If a real earthquake happens and then totally change the landscape, what should Baojia do?
The crazy Taoist has faith in himself, "Yin-Yang-Mote—motes are everywhere. The circle hides the soul wood in this mountain and always changes as the mountain changes. In fact, it's not a total dead circle. When you gather vitality and Baojia still doesn't come out, you can break into it and take a look at her. "
Gathering Vitality? ！
Lin Luoran is so shocked that she almost slips. She still doesn't know if she can break the curse of the world of cultivation and then gather vitality successfully or not. Even if she can, how many years will it take? Three hundred years? Five hundred years? She never thinks that Baojia will sleep for so long...
"You can trust me. The soul wood tree has long been renowned for its wonderful effect on nourishing the spirit. It's a great big world full of danger. Baojia may not be the only one whose spiritual mind is hurt. Many people have known you are looking for soul wood. Those people who are afraid of me are the furthest thing from a threat. However, there are some unknown and powerful people. In order to get the soul wood, they may pull BaoJia out of the tree and lie themselves in."
Lin Luoran is totally stunned. How doesn't she think of that?
The crazy Taoist is powerful, but there may still be some other more powerful cultivators bearing essence in Huaxia. Not to mention others, the sea turtle in the undersea tunnel can be on the list. Whenever Lin Luoran becomes proud, she thinks of the sea turtle that looks so deep.
Looking at her downcast face, the crazy Taoist laughs, "You little girl has too much to worry about. There is a possibility. But unless he is an expert of the magic circle and also able to kill me, Baojia will always be safe in Qingcheng Mountains."
Lin Luoran is still worried and it is not totally unreasonable. The earth is very dangerous.
"Not only cultivators, can technology also destroy it? For example, missiles or nuclear weapons? "
The crazy Taoist stares at her with a strange look, "Who will destroy here with a missile?"
Lin Luoran whispers a few words. The crazy Taoist also becomes serious, "It never occurred to me. You little girl are really thoughtful."
It's not thoughtful. The crazy Taoist has been away from earthly life for a long time. Nowadays, many crazy things happen. For health care, some people even eat placenta. Maybe, there will be a powerful politician who gets a disease, like brain death, and does everything it takes to survive. What shall they do if the crazy politician uses military drill as an excuse and dynamite the Qingcheng Mountains?
Listening to what she says, the crazy Taoist suddenly calms down. He touches his greasy beard with a mysterious look,
"Do you know... what motes are?"
...
"Do you know what motes are?"
Lin Luoran comes back from tranquility. Until now that Lin Luoran understands it. The nodes shimmer with beautiful light, like stars in the sky.
Even if the crazy Taoist had engraved the magic circle into her head, there would still have been a layer of mist covering it, making Lin Luoran unable to fully understand how the Yin-Yang-Mote Circle works.
It takes her a long time to understand why the crazy Taoist asked her what motes are that day. The circle will always follow the mountain, just like a mote. In this way, if a weapon wants to forcibly break into the circle, it's impossible to even find the target, not to mention intruding into it.
Even if the mountain is razed, the circle may hide in a mote at your feet, which is hard to find.
Lin Luoran also asked another question. Maybe someday, she will successfully gather vitality but Baojia still can't come out. In this case, the magic circle may be hidden in the mountains, deep in the ground, or under a small rock near the stream. How could she find Baojia?
At that time, she couldn't see the look of the crazy Taoist because of the backlight. Lin Luoran only heard his mysterious voice:
"So, you have to grasp how this magic circle works while you gather vitality. Remember, you need to understand its essence, not simply how to plant. Then you will naturally know how to close it."
She stretches herself. Someone is knocking on her door loudly,
"Sister, You have promised me you will accompany me to see the flowers!"
Chapter 284 The Reiki-Devouring Worm
The winter holiday is over, and Lin Luodong returns to school. Her vacation life in the Lin's villa comes to an end.
Back to the Rong City urban district, Li Xi'er finally finds someone to exchange flower growing experience with her. Well, sometimes Lin Luoran thinks Li Xi'er with the nature of Gold has picked a wrong lifetime hobby. Even in the Lin's villa, a place full of Reiki, only two or three out of every ten of Li Xi'er's flowers can survive, no matter which variety.
After Li Xi'er "kills" some famous flowers again, Lin Luoran thinks it's time to check how she raises her flowers.
Li Xi'er does love flowers. The problem is, she loves them too much. Raising flowers is like raising a child. Huang Weijian is a free-range kid, like the orchid beside the mountain stream，strong and wild. Lin Luodong is the "business before pleasure" type. Weather-beaten, then she is transplanted to the greenhouse. Everything about her is good in its place. As for fatty Ma Ming, he is definitely overweight and far beyond the standard of beauty... Li Xier's way of growing flowers is just like how Ma Ming is raised. The soil is always wet because she worries that the flowers would be thirsty to death. As a result, her flowers are overwatered. Obviously, the flower is "obese" and loses its beauty, but she is still over-fertilizing it.
"What's the matter with your peony?"
Lin Luoran comes out and sees Li Xi'er holding a pot of peony in her hand. The name of this dignified flower is " Nature's Masterpiece", a very famous ancient variety.
However, its dignity only lasts a few days. Now its branches and leaves are all down and no one can know it's a kind of noble flower. Without the same flowerpot, Lin Luoran can hardly recognize it.
She puts some Wood Reiki in it, and the peony recovers a little bit. Li Xi'er is relieved and decides to raise it for another few days to see how it is going.
The Wood Reiki is quite useful. On the second day, the peony rejuvenates. On the third day, its leaves stretch again and it looks like a totally new one. Its branches are strong and the leaves are thin and green. With all sizes of leaves surrounding the little red bud, it looks much more dignified than ever. Jubilantly, Li Xi'er shows fanatical worship to Lin Luoran.
It suddenly takes a turn on the fifth day. The peony withers again. It catches Lin Luoran's attention because now other vegetables and fruit trees in the Lin's villa also turns yellow, just like Li Xi'er's Nature's Masterpiece.
This is so unnatural. With the magic circle and Lin Luoran's work, Lin's villa has been like a small magic world where every vegetable and fruit tree can live and thrive.
They are sick... or something hurts them?
"Where did you get these flowers?" Li Xi'er's Nature's Masterpiece shows the symptom first. Lin Luoran checks it but finds nothing, which makes her even more puzzled.
Li Xi'er thinks about it and then counts them one by one, "I dug the chypre from the mountain. It can live a long life so I want it here. As for the rest, they are all from the flower market. Oh...right! Nature's Masterpiece is from Fatty Cui."
Fatty Cui, how pathetic! Giving Li Xi'er such a pot of expensive peony, but she can hardly remember it.
Besides vegetables and fruit trees, there are also some flowers and plants raised by Li Xi'er and a medicinal garden of a cyan little fox in the backyard. Lin Luoran slowly walks toward the Huan island, thinking about checking it all at once.
As soon as she steps on the Huan island, the fox jumps to her feet and pulls her trouser leg, wanting to tell her something.
Those spirit herbs are also withering. With confusion, Lin Luoran looks at the cyan little fox jumping up and down, "You mean, Goldie does all of it?"
Goldie likes to eat spirit herbs, but it won't like Li Xi'er's normal flowers. In Goldie's eyes, those flowers are not different from weeds. Cyan little fox says that Goldie walks around the medicine garden and is the most probable suspect. But Lin Luoran doesn't think so.
If it isn't Goldie but it stayed around the medicine garden, does it mean that Goldie noticed something abnormal?
Goldie comes back late at night. Seeing Lin Luoran in the bamboo forests, it jumps down immediately. It shows no coldness as it is to others, only intimacy.
It holds a ganoderma in its mouth and then puts it in Lin Luoran's hands. The Ganoderma looks like an old one. Lin Luoran wonders, "Why don't you eat it if you find it?"
Goldie lets out a bark, making the ganoderma in Lin Luoran's hands fall to the ground. It pulls her sleeve and takes her to the room. Goldie and Lin Luoran are connected. From Goldie's reaction, Lin Luoran knows that it must find something. Lin Luoran hides in the bamboo house and holds the cyan little fox which is going to argue with Goldie in her arms. Goldie also flies to the roof. The small Huan island is quiet again.
The chirpings gradually weakens and the sun is going to come up. It is the time when people feel the most sleepy. Even cyan little fox is dozing off. Lin Luoran is still staring at the Ganoderma on the ground. This is the bait that Goldie particularly finds for the trap. However, who does Goldie set this trap for?
The moment that the night turns into the day, Lin Luoran blinks. Goldie seizes the Ganoderma in a flash with his claws.
Get it? What is it? Lin Luoran can't even see it clearly.
She rushes out of the house and carefully takes the broken ganoderma from Goldie's claws. In the section, a living creature with the same color of ganoderma is wriggling. It is surrounded by Lin Luoran's Wakan but it does not even try to fight back. Instead, it abandons the ganoderma and lays on Lin Luoran's hands.
Lin Luoran is shocked. Then she realizes that this little worm slowly becomes transparent. To her surprise, it is "eating" her Wakan.
Lin Luoran takes out a green spirit herb and plays with the worm. The small worm is about five centimeters in length and is as thick as Lin Luoran's fingers. After it discovers the spirit herb, it desperately rushes to it. On the spirit herb, it slowly turns green.
How does the worm, which can change its color and feeds on Reiki, appear in her home?
Luoran thinks about it. She takes out the bamboo tube that Yuan Ye gave her when sending Butterflybush Flower. She seals the little worm inside, and decides to go to the space to ask fire phoenix.
The ancient bird which has lived for so many years has no clue. However, the silver fish thinks about it for a while, "It shouldn't be here."
Shouldn't be here? So silver fish knows what it is?
"I remember I have seen it before... in the transmission circle. It doesn't have an official name, and people just call it reiki-devouring worm. It's useless... You can kill it just with a slight pinch. " The silver fish is sitting on the swing. Fire phoenix breathes on the swing and then it sways.
Reiki-devouring worm? This little thing can find a reiki mine? Lin Luoran's eyes light up, but she just asks casually, "Which transmission circle? Are these worms easy to catch?" They should catch lots of them and then using them as labors around the world. If so, the Lin family has nothing to worry about cultivation.
"The Interstellar Transmission Circle. Your personal ability is so bad. You can't even get there. There is no need to try to catch them."
Lin Luoran takes its advice and nods. It is the Interstellar Transmission Circle... She gets the news and then is about to leave. But she suddenly realizes something... What has silver fish told her? The Interstellar Transmission Circle?
She almost loses the watermelon and picks up the sesame... This news is much more important than Reiki-devouring worm!
Looking at her turning back, fire phoenix is alert, "What do you want, woman?" They have been familiar with Lin Luoran for a long time. Fire phoenix doesn't call himself "The emperor" any more. Their attitudes toward Lin Luoran are totally different. Silver fish is gentle and soft but fire phoenix always dampens her enthusiasm.
Lin Luoran ignores it, "My dear little fish, do you know anything about the interstellar transmission circle? Is it the kind of circle that can bring people to other planets? "
Silver fish is asking fire phoenix to make it swing even higher. Apparently, this question does not catch its attention, "I have been there before but now totally forget the way. Since I wake up, I forget so many things. It is so strange."
Without further information, Lin Luoran still holds her temper. An important reason why fire phoenix is so bad to her is that she almost killed silver fish when it was about to advance to the Wisdom Chaos. So, silver fish's memory, including its inheritance, has all lost. Its mind becomes as simple as a little girl.
This memory makes Lin Luoran really want to cry. It was the silver fish who swallowed the bead first. Well, she was also wrong because she picked the ice spirit herb that the little silver fish had kept for so long. But if she had confronted the silver fish which enters the Wisdom Chaos, she would definitely be a dead man! Speaking the truth, in the first place, she was just curious about the fast silver so she followed it. If she had known that it was an alien, she would definitely escape.
Hearing silver fish saying about losing memory, fire phoenix stares at her angrily. Lin Luoran knows that it's time for her to leave.
She remembers that everything began with the peony sent by Fatty Cui. If she can know where the flower is from, she will get some clues, knowing where the Reiki-devouring worm came from... Following all these things, she may know the location of the Interstellar transmission circle.
Lin Luoran steps on jade stairs. The star atlas she once saw is so gorgeous. How about the real starry sky?
Seniors Gathering Vitality, do they go to other planets through the transmission circle? Is it really a perfect place for cultivation?
These questions puzzle Lin Luoran. She feels ups and downs, just like she knows there are other practitioners on earth. She looks at the starry sky above her head, and her mind ripples.
In space, silver fish has done with swinging and suddenly cries out.
Fire phoenix asks it what happens. Silver fish just pats its back with its tail. "Did she just ask me something about the interstellar transmission circle? I don't remember the way, but I can remember the direction... Well, forget it. Her personal ability is so bad. If she goes there, she will never come back anymore. Then no one can talk with us."
Fire phoenix sneers, "Just such a short distance, and you juniors need the transmission circle thing. Can't you just fly?"
Silver fish is not angry, "Without the transmission circle, we will be injured."
"Why din't you leave when you knew the transmission circle? I heard the woman saying that the earth is now an abandoned planet. There are no monsters there. "
Silver fish thinks for a long time but can't remember it. It just giggles, "I forget."
It forgets who it was and why it stays. Now the carefree silver fish is kind of worried because of Fire phoenix's words.
Fire phoenix is so regretful. Hitting a nerve is what it usually does to Lin Luoran, but now it just crosses the line.
Chapter 285 A Battle of Stratagem
Nature's Masterpiece, the peony Fatty Cui gave Li Xi'er as a present, was originally given to him by a jade merchant who does business with him. Fatty Cui is not a big fan of plants while Lucy is very naughty. He gave Nature's Masterpiece to Li Xi'er only because it would be a waste to keep it himself.
"My friend told me he bought it at a newly opened flower shop opposite the Temple of the Marquis Wu. Is it fake?"
His question makes Lin Luoran amused and speechless. Fatty Cui has been in the jade trade for so long that it has become an instinct for him to ask the "fake or real" question once he sees everything.
"Of course, the peony is real. We want to visit the shop and buy flowers from them exactly because the peony is of good quality. Do you know their address?
Fatty Cui smiles in a low voice and says, "Go ahead. The shop's easy to find, right in the alley diagonally opposite the Temple of the Marquis Wu. The owner is a young lady whose surname is Yang. Ask around and you'll find her." In fact, what his friend told him was the young lady who owns the shop is more attractive than flowers. Otherwise, why would Fatty Cui spend a fortune on some so-called precious peonies he knew nothing about?
Lin Luoran then invites Li Xier to go to the flower shop together after she gets the address.
The shop is not too far away. They drive there. The alley is very lively. The shop is the only shop that sells potted plants in the alley so is easy to find as Fatty Cui said.
There are few customers. Lin Luoran takes a look at flowers put outside. Their prices vary from hundreds to thousands of Yuan. Potted plants used as room decorations cost just about ten dollars nowadays. People who are not enthusiastic about plants would hardly buy such high-end flowers sold at the shop.
Lin Luoran sees two old men at the entrance checking an orchid thoroughly with a magnifying glass. They seem to want to find out the authenticity of the breed. There are many tourists who admire the potted plants from afar. Only those who think they can afford will come close and look at the plants because one can easily break their vulnerable leaves and flowers.
Thus, the young lady at the shop doesn't really have much work to do. It surprises her when Lin Luoran and Li Xi'er enter the shop. She pauses for a short while and welcomes them with a smile.
"You can look around as you like."
Lin Luoran moves her eyes away from the orchid to the shop owner. She is very young, probably in her early twenties, and definitely a beauty in the crowd. However, Lin Luoran has seen so many beautiful girls in the world of cultivation. As far as she knows,White Fairy has the beauty of Helen of Troy. Xin Yuanping is also an extremely beautiful girl, Li Xi'er's outstanding appearance could make her a famous actress even if she cannot act, let alone those who are not close to Lin Luoran. The lady of the flower shop, on the other hand, doesn't have any outstanding facial features, but her face is in a perfect proportion, especially her dimples which make her amiable.
Her vital energy and blood are the same as ordinary people. There is no abnormality. However, Lin Luoran starts to be nervous about how she feels about her.
She never feels someone is amiable just because of their appearance. The only exception was Xin Yuanping. Lin and her family completely fall for Xin Yuanping's every twinkle and smile when she talks. Lin Luoran still remembers the great price she paid because of Xin Yuanping's beauty.
"My friend here loves flowers and plants. A man gave her a peony a few days ago, but its leaves are shriveled up now. We tried a lot of ways to treat it, but nothing works. So, we come here to ask if there are any ways to save it. Oh, I forgot to say that my friend said it was bought in your shop."
She sounds like the kind of unreasonable customer who blames the seller when their flowers get sick. If they were not all girls, the two old men who've been appreciating flowers would stand up and say something for the owner.
Yang Lisha is not offended at all. She smiles and asks, "Miss, you can call me Miss Yang. Do you remember when did your friend buy that peony? We have records of everything we sell. Even if you bought it in other stores, I can give you some advice anyway."
What a flawless answer! Yang Lisha impresses all of the customers in the shop with her response and generosity.
Lin Luoran is surprised, "Actually, it's a gift so we don't know when our friend bought it."
Yang Lisha's smile remains the same, "It doesn't matter if you don't know. Can you tell me more about the symptoms of the peony?"
"I don't know much about plants. Its leaves wither and turn yellow." At this moment, Lin Luoran really looks like a rich yet difficult customer who doesn't know how to spend her money. She notices the two old men finally have some facial expressions, so she immediately adds, "But I brought it here. Xi'er, take it here and let Miss. Yang have a look."
Li Xi'er comes in with a dying peony with yellow leaves. The two men admiring orchid give a few glances at them and whisper "It looks like the precious breed from Yangzhou we saw last time. The buyer turns out to be them. What a pity! They even don't know how to take good care of it."
Li Xi'er is irritated by their conversation. They have been talking too much. She glares at them regardless of respect.
Yang Lisha knows what happens once she sees the peony. "It is sold by us. I am afraid that aphids ate the stems. If you trust me, you can leave it here and pick it up in two days. I'll kill the aphids and let it be in full bloom."
She naturally stands in front of the slightly opened door leading to the backyard. Lin Luoran is taller so she can see many more precious flowers are put in the yard. A big tree with a girth of one person's arm span is standing in the middle. It looks very similar to the Acacia tree Lin Luoran once saw in a picture album.
The two old men keep praising the shop owner's excellent skills in floriculture and say that most of the precious flowers here are cultivated by Yang.
Li Xi'er wants to respond while Lin Luoran nods and agrees to leave the peony at the shop. After leaving her address and phone number, she orders some potted flowers and leaves.
Li Xi'er has been with Lin Luoran for a long time. She knows how Lin Luoran would react under different circumstances. Sending the peony back is not as simple as how it looks. She doesn't say a word until they drive far away from the flower shop.
Lin Luoran creates a Mini World to block sound transmission. Li Xi'er takes a deep breath and asks, "Luoran, do we need to do something about her?"
"Good question. You've made progress."
Li Xi'er mutters, "Don't treat me like a three-year-old, Luoran. Is the shop owner a cultivator too? She's not a demonized cultivator, is she? I didn't realize at all."
Lin Luoran laughs, "Me neither."
A light of alert comes into Li Xi'er's eyes, "There must be something wrong."
I agree. I didn't see anything on her. There must be some problems. It's uncommon for a girl at her age to open a flower shop with that many precious flowers. If she is just some ordinary girl, wouldn't she be afraid of thieves? I can feel Wood Reiki rushing out from the Acacia tree in the backyard and nourishing the precious flowers there.
However, Miss Yang doesn't have any personal abilities. The Reiki-devouring worms love Reiki. If the Reiki-devouring worm got into Lin's mansion with the peony, why did it choose to live in an ordinary peony instead of the Acacia tree with abundant Wood Reiki? I'm afraid there's only one explanation. Miss Yang owns it. The Reiki-devouring worm doesn't have the gut to touch that Acacia tree without her consent.
Lin Luoran takes a look at the business card she took unintentionally from the shop. Yang Lisha is such an ordinary name.
Nevertheless, all the mysteries will be solved tonight.
The Reiki-devouring worm is kept at Lin's mansion. Will Miss Yang come to find it?
Will the moon shine bright tonight?
......
Shortly after Lin Loran leaves, Yang Lisha closes the shop earlier today. She pulls out the peony and carefully digs into the soil under it.
"You naughty bug, hiding in the peony behind my back. I almost sold you to those two young cultivators. You should be glad they didn't recognize you and sent you back because they couldn't treat the peony."
It is true that the two young cultivators didn't recognize the Reiki-devouring worm, but Lin Luoran has two experts in her space. Yang Lisha would never know about this and in a short time she frowns.
The soil in the flowerpot falls all over the yard yet there is no trace of the worm. Yang doesn't think Lin Luoran took it. She frowns because she thinks the Reiki-devouring worm stays at other's home and doesn't want to leave. Thinking about Lin Luoran's personal abilities, Yang Lisha suddenly realizes something. She grabs the address book and finds her address. Everything makes sense now.
"So, it is you. Fate has brought us together."
She replants the peony and puts it under the Acacia tree. Then, she washes her hands and sweeps a ladybug off the trunk.
"I didn't expect to find someone involved so quickly. Although she's not the true owner, there is no much difference. Voiddy, are you helping me silently?"
The Acacia tree has a name. She stands in the middle of the yard and doesn't answer.
Yang Lisha stands under the tree for a while. She blinks her eyes, trying to hold back her tears. Then, she raises her head.
......
Night falls soon. Li Xi'er is too excited to fall asleep. She has to peep through the window and looks outside because Lin Luoran asks her to hurry up and go to bed.
Lin Luoran makes a pot of scented tea and puts it on the stone table in the front yard. Koi fish in the tank jump out of the water from time to time, competing for the peanuts Lin Luoran occasionally throws into the tank.
The peanuts are big. Their seeds were sowed in Lin Luoran's space yesterday and ripened overnight. Koi fish go crazy again. The peanuts must taste good.
Lin Luoran feels the protection circle she spent great efforts to build moves a bit. The water magic circle of attack shuts down before it launches. The shadow that shows up on the wall seems to belong to an ordinary passerby. It all looks like a false alarm.
Seeing Lin Luoran sitting in the yard drinking tea and is not surprised by her visit, the intruder stops and jumps off the wall.
"Are you waiting for me?" Does this female cultivator see through her? Yang Lisha hesitates for a while then sitting down and pouring herself a cup of scented tea. The tea is really good. Its scent reaches every corner of Yang Lisha's mouth. However, she still doesn't believe that Lin Luoran knows who she really is.
Lin Luoran puts the bamboo tube on the stone table and gives her a faint smile, "I also know you are looking for this."
Yang Lisha is not surprised as well, "You seem to know the Reiki-devouring worm as I do. It's in your hand now. Why don't you keep it yourself?" Reiki is in great shortage recently. A Reiki mine is hundreds of, even thousands of times more valuable than before. A Reiki-devouring worm can help you find one.
Lin Luoran takes a sip of tea and says,
"I show it to you because I'm greedy. I want more than this, like......the place you find it."