COO 63 + 3 bonus chapter
At first I got frustrated when reading this novel since both MC never say anything about their feeling and didn't get any hint from the other. After reading the epilogue bonus, it got better and everything become clearer.
Shao Hua lives as a beggar in the temple, she always get her food once a day from an old beggar. The old beggar always said that she has a mother who'll picked her up, so she need to endure everything. But that old beggar is dead, leaving a rancid mantou for Shao Hua. She is fighting with the other beggars when Fang Hua come and ask her to live with him. Fang Hua brought her to a desolate house in bamboo forest, there's no other houses nearby Fang Hua's house.
Fang Hua gave Shao Hua her name, he said it come from her hairpin which look like a spoon. When they were eating, Fang Hua didn't eat any food, he went to flower field and eat herbs and flowers. Shao Hua thought that the flower taste good and tried it, she spat everything and said that it was not a human food. Fang Hua answered that indeed it was not a human food. Shao Hua thought that she angered Fang Hua, she hug him and called him mother because the old beggar said her mother has a mole below eye just like Fang Hua. Fang Hua refused her calling him mother so she called him yifu (foster father). Fang Hua gave her a man robe which bigger then her size, he said the seller insist to give him bigger size since child will grow up soon. Shao Hua thought that she'll still fit in it for 5 years. When she went to piss, Fang Hua saw her and asked her why she's squatting when doing it. Shao Hua answered she'll make a mess if she do it standing. Fang Hua check her sex and thought that she was castrated until nothing.
Fang Hua said that he is Fang Hua beast so he eat flowers. Every tenth day on tenth month, Fang Hua went somewhere and return tired. When Fang Hua's drunk, he said that Shao Hua has the same expression with someone he knew(Fang Hua used 'he' to describe his friend). The next morning when Fang Hua sobered, he said that Shao Hua shouldn't give him meat and drown him in rice wine which angered Shao Hua since he's the one who stole her meat and drunk the wine.
The next year Shao Hua tailed him when he go out, she saw him looking sadly to a red wood. Later Shao Hua knew that red wood is Fang Hua Wood which is Fang Hua beast who got withered and become a red wood. Some time after that Shao Hua went into Fang Hua's study. She read about Fang Hua beast:
The Fang Hua Beast is taciturn and often has still and silent expressions. Its white skin resembles that of a woman, and it exudes an unusually sweet scent all year round. Beneath its eyes and eyebrows is a cinnabar mole, and the color of its teardrop-shaped mark pales according to youth. Upon reaching blackish-red, dim red, or pitch-black, the Fang Hua Beast will flee. After fleeing it turns into a sea, then transforms into a piece of dead wood called Fang Hua Wood. This is considered the Fang Hua Beast's soul, and it is capable of dispelling tens of thousands of poisons on Earth. If one buries the wood in the dirt, and feeds it a mixture of crushed medicinal herbs mixed with dew touched by the first rays of the morning sun, one month later the dead wood will be as red as fire, with the disposition of jade.
Two months later, the wood will grow four branches, and its color will fade. Three months later, the wood will develop the five senses of a human adult, whereupon the wood will turn soft and supple, white without compare. Four months later, the root of the wood will break, and the Fang Hua Beast will be born. If the Beast grows to be ten months old, use true love's blood to wash it daily so its soul can continue to exist. This will help the young Beast recall its memories from a previous incarnation.
A young newborn Beast does not know human language and eats flower nectar as well as a small amount of medicinal herbs. But he grows very quickly, and in half a year will appear no different from a young child. His language skills will become fluid and smooth, and he will become exceedingly intelligent. Afterwards, its every ten days will be equivalent to a cycle of one year in human terms as it continues to mature.
Fang Hua Beasts are animals who possess pure feelings. If adult Beasts can maintain a heart of clarity in the world of mortals, they can extend their longevity and cultivate to become Immortals. Those who are moved by sentiment[2] end up as grassy weeds, withering year by year, bathing in a sea of fire until they return to the cycle of reincarnation. If they are injured by sentiment, its every ten days will be equivalent to a cycle of one year in human terms, and it will sink into the cycle of reincarnation, turning back into dead wood. If they are heavily injured by sentiment, the color of the wood will turn black, and act as a strong dilution agent against poisons.'
Fang Hua have an exceedingly unrivaled beauty resembling that of a woman's, that is difficult to find in the world. As an animal that possesses a sentimental disposition, they will be tied down by the threads of sentiment all their lives. Those who cannot escape the bonds of sentiment are robbed of their lives and die young, leaving the numbers who manage to attain Right Fruit[3] fewer and fewer.'
When Fang Hua got drunk again, he said that his friend loved someone who already have a wife, he spent half of his lifetime in grief and died miserably, buried far from humans with nothing but flowers. Shao Hua thought that Fang Hua love a man. She want to steal a pill from Fang Hua but got found out, Fang Hua asked her to get his clothes. Shao Hua said that his skin is good, Fang Hua answered that she can restore her skin with medicine bath. Shao Hua asked why he didn't say it early and Fang Hua answered that she never ask and thought that she like her current skin.
There's a lot sweet moments in early chapters, I think it will be too long to mention it all. I'll jump to the story short summary and skipped all sweet moments.
One day Fang Hua brought a man home, he's Han Zichuan. Shao Hua thought that Han Zichuan and Fang Hua is a lover so she bullied Han Zichuan. When Shao Hua tried to sell Fang Hua's pills she met Lord Nongyu who bought her pills with gold. Later she met Nongyu again when she's with Han Zichuan. Nongyu greet Zichuan as crown prince. Han Zichuan ask Fang Hua to come with him to cure the emperor. Fang Hua agreed and leave with Han Zichuan, leaving Shao Hua alone. He promised he'll come back. The next day Shao Hua went to the palace by herself. She disguised as a palace maid. She got found out by Nongyu. He helped her disguise and send her to be Fang Hua's maid. She take care Fang Hua, Fang Hua already knew that she's Shao Hua but she refused to admit it. Fang Hua brought her when he treat the emperor. Shao Hua noticed that someone remove an ingredient from the medicine. When the emperor died, Nongyu tried to give all the blame to Fang Hua. Zichuan kill all the servant who take care the emperor except Fang Hua and Shao Hua. He sent Fang Hua to cold palace. Shao Hua saw Zichuan and Fang Hua hugging when they got drunk, she left the palace with Nongyu's help.
Five years later, Shao Hua is famous in jianghu as Carefree Idler who live with 7 young princes each has their own talents. The first is a swordman she saved and insist to pay her back so he follow her around. Later he become a business man and paid all her living expenses. The second is Pill King's disciple whose blood can cure a lot of poison. The third I forgot about him. The fourth is Nongyu's martial brother who's expert in disguise. The fifth also a martial arts, his face got ruined. The sixth is a mute who got a cultivation manual on his back. The seventh is Shao Hua's disguise, Shao Hua cultivate from Sixth's back. The more she cultivate, the more she forget her past. One day Nongyu said that the emperor will come to her soon. She tried to speed up her cultivation. Han Zichuan come to her and forced her to come with him if she want to see Fang Hua. Shao Hua agreed, on the way they got ambushed by assassins.
When she wake up she's in the palace and forgot everything in her past. Zichuan said that she's his empress, he slept with Shao Hua. Shao Hua heard the rumor that there's male concubine named Fang Hua, she heard from a princess in the cold palace that Fang Hua got sick and already left five years ago and only his fake substitute living here. Someone kidnapped her and brought her to Fang Hua's house. Shao Hua thought that in the past she's a third wheel and got her guards up with Fang Hua. Fang Hua fed her his blood to cure her, Shao Hua got her memories back after she met the six princes. She still thought Fang Hua loves Zichuan, since he's dying Shao Hua thought that he can be revived by his loved bloods so she went to bring Zichuan. Then she knew that Zichuan is the one who sent her to Fang Hua, she kidnapped Zichuan and brought him home. When she got back, she only found out Fang Hua Wood with black color. Zichuan make a bet with her if he can revive Fang Hua with his blood he'll leave them alone but if he can't then he'll take the Fang Hua Wood and brought her to the palace as his empress. Shao Hua agreed, after a month there's no change on the Fang Hua Wood. Zichuan told her that Fang Hua loved her and he threaten him with her safety to get him follow to the palace. Now it's too late to revive Fang Hua, he'll leave her alone and take her back to the palace after a week. Shao Hua tried to revive Fang Hua with her bloods.
After a long time, she got sick because she lost too much blood but finally Fang Hua got reborn. He still didn't remember anything and called her, mother. Soon after Fang Hua grow up, Shao Hua died.
There's bonus chapter from the princes POV, the First love Shao Hua, he thought that Shao Hua love him when she saved and took care of him and didn't ask anything in return. Later he found out that she saved him because he's resemble with Fang Hua. The second who stay behind with Fang Hua when he got sick found out that Fang Hua love Shao Hua and not the emperor. But he didn't tell Shao Hua because he know if Shao Hua tried to revive Fang Hua, she'll die, that's also the reason Fang Hua didn't tell Shao Hua until the end. The Sixth is a son of fallen general, his father told him not to share the cultivation on his back with anyone. But he saw Shao Hua keep eating pill to forget her past so he let her see his back and cultivate.
The next 2 bonus chapter is before and after the main story. It said that Shao Hua is some high goddess who everyone called aunt. She like to raise animals, a deity give her a Fang Hua Wood. She raise it and when it become human she took care of him. Later she love him and perform dual cultivation. The daughter of Jade Emperor love a mortal and insist to come down, she said if Shao Hua can love a beast why she can't love human. So the Jade Emperor punish Shao Hua, she need to do a trial in mortal world to sever her affection with Fang Hua. When she went to the reincarnation pool, Fang Hua follow her, she used all her power to save Fang Hua. Then after the main story finish, she come back as deity. The deity who gave her Fang Hua said if she still remember about Fang Hua, Shao Hua said that she'll never forget him. The deity show her where Fang Hua is. Fang Hua already reincarnate to a human named Yu Hua. He has a son named Yu Muqing, his mother is Shao Hua's 3 part souls. Shao Hua decide to stay with Yu Hua and didn't come back to heaven.