LoserQueen

Chapter 24 Find the Way

Hua Qingyue said, "This flower is commonly seen in our place. We have special florists responsible for planting these flowers. Although these flowers are high maintenance, their flower season is quite long. During the flower season, they emit a lot of toxins, which serve as a deterrent, driving off magical beasts."

Dugu Muyou nodded and spoke, "Fair enough. It is painstaking to constantly look out for magical beasts while living here. As long as the flowers are planted near the courtyard, no magical beast dares to come near. This person must be clever."

Hua Qingshui responded, "That's right. However, only people from our place can get their hands on the seeds of this kind of flower. It's just I have no idea who lives here from Taoyuan Wonderland. If there were any, I would usually know who that person is."

Dugu Muyou smiled, "It is Taoyuan Wonderland you're talking about. It's not a big place, but it's not tiny either. Do you really know everybody there? Are you a celestial being? Maybe some people are just tired of leading a comfortable life and want to experience different living environments. People have their own aspirations, so don't overthink it."

"This explanation is barely acceptable. Muyou, are you sure you want to stay in the Valley of Magical Animals and practice? Actually, I know a place, which is not bad. It's outside Jinnan City. I've heard that place is called Tianyuan Swamp. A lot of masters were trained over there and became very successful."

Hearing Hua Qingyue's words, Dugu Muyou responded with a nod and kept his suggestion in mind. She thought after conquering here she would head to Tianyuan Swamp. And she hoped it was as magical as he said. Otherwise, she would get back on him!

"Do you smell an even stronger fragrance now? It seems the flowers are right ahead." Hua Qingyue suddenly stopped and sniffed the familiar scent carefully.

He explained that waking up every morning back in Taoyuan Wonderland, they would smell the fragrance of these flowers. This familiar smell had accompanied them all the way to their adulthood. When they were kids, they liked playing around among the flowers. They asked their father curiously why these flower petals never fell, and their father explained that these flowers were protected by divine spirits, so the fragrance was very special.

These flowers protected people with kind hearts. If people lied or acted disobediently, the flowers would wither.

Hearing Hua Qingyue's stories, Dugu Muyou laughed and responded, "Are you saying you have done nothing bad throughout the years? Have you never lied before? Are you trying to say you're a good person?"

Hua Qingshui walked while looking back at Dugu Muyou and Hua Qingyue. He smiled thinly, "Miss Dugu, don't listen to him. My father did explain the reason why the flowers bloom all year round, but it's not for that reason."

Dugu Muyou got curious and caught with Hua Qingshui, "What is the reason then? I wonder why flowers can bloom all year round in this world?"

Hua Qingyue pouted her lips, "Muyou, you don't believe me?"

Dugu Muyou looked back and laughed, "Indeed, I don't believe you. Do you expect people to be as dumb as you by buying your unconvincing explanation?"

Hua Qingshui grinned gently, and his thoughts seemed to travel back to his childhood, which was a memory he did not touch upon for a long time and belonged to a distant part of his past.

If it were not for Dugu Muyou, he would probably never revisit this phase of memory of his life.

The thing that happened, of which even Hua Qingyue was not aware, had a long-lasting impact on him. Now seeing Dugu Muyou looking at him expectantly, somehow he wanted to share the story.

This particular feeling urged him to share and let her know some of his secrets.

"Just say it. You've been thinking for so long. Is it difficult to put that memory into words? Or just inconvenient to share it with an outsider?"

That might be it. Since this kind of flower was the divine property of Taoyuan Wonderland, it was inconvenient to be known by outsiders. Dugu Muyou did not enjoy forcing people, despite she was really curious about the novelty flower in this world.

Hua Qingshui shook his head and responded, "Not like that. It's not hard to speak out, but I just don't know where to start all of a sudden. It is actually a family secret, and Qingyue doesn't know about it."

Hua Qingyue frowned, "Really? Even I don't know that? I want to hear it out."

Having said that, he walked side by side with Hua Qingshui. Hua Qingshui was walking quietly between Dugu Muyou and Hua Qingyue, who were ready to share the unsayable past.

Hua Qingshui sorted out his thoughts and said slowly, "Two decades have passed ever since it happened. Two decades ago, the flower was not known as Xue Linglong. At that time, it was just a beautiful flower. There was a woman who adored it very much, and she planted this kind of flowers across the yard."

Dugu Muyou nodded, "That was unexpected."

"Yes. A very disgraceful thing happened in the family in the summer two decades ago, and my father has been concealing it ever since. A guardian saintess from our family fell in love with a guy outside the family, who was an ordinary man without any spiritual power. In the place where we live, this is not acceptable."

Then he sighed heavily and continued, "However, things got out of control after the saintess fell in love with the guy. She nearly fell out and became enemies with our father. The saintess would not listen to the arrangement made by the family and wanted to marry the man wholeheartedly."

"Later one day, the saintess had a date with the guy among the flowers, namely Xue Linglong. Back then, the flowers blossomed everywhere in Taoyuan Wonderland, charming and fragrant."

Dugu Muyou was fascinated by the story and raised questions from time to time, "Then what? What happened to the flowers?"

Hua Qingshui sighed, "They all say love is the most harmful thing, which is right." The saintess' date with the man was later known by our father. He was in the prime of his youth and got so angry that the date, injurious to the public decency, happened within the family."

Hua Qingyue shook his head, "Ouch, fortunately, our family did not enact rules like men must marry women within the family. Otherwise, my life will be miserable."

Dugu Muyou glared at him, "How does that have anything to do with you? Just listen and don't interrupt."

"When my father arrived at the scene, he saw the saintess was ready to take off with the man. My father got so angry at the time that he hit the man directly in the chest. He was powerless and spat blood, and then he fell and died in the flowers."

Dugu Muyou shook her head and said, "Indeed, ordinary men could not take a blow like that. That's why we need to practice and get stronger. Otherwise, it is too dreadful and pitiful to be killed by a slap."

Hua Qingshui frowned helplessly, "Miss Dugu, you're right about that. The saintess suffered the heartache of the death of her loved one. She had always been a prestigious woman in the family, and my father thought very highly of her because of her cultivation. As the saintess of our family, my father had a very high opinion of her."

"My father did not expect that she would betray his trust for a guy, and he wanted to end her life back then."

"What happened? Did your father kill the saintess? No way! She was only attempting to elope with him, but she never really succeeded in her attempt."

Dugu Muyou thought it was rather unfair. Everyone had a right to pursue love. Why people in his family were subject to be beaten to death for the pursuit of love? This world was so inhuman!

"Nothing can be accomplished without rules. That was the rule set by our family since ancient times. If everyone had done things according to their wishes, Taoyuan Wonderland would have been caught up in chaos." As the eldest son of the family, Hua Qingshui knew it was not easy to take charge of a large family like his, but it was too late to say anything.

"Go on, please. Then what happened?"

"When the man died, the saintess accused my father of murderer. She had tremendous respect for my mother, but she could not give obedience to this matter. Fair enough, if this were to happen to anyone, it would be hard not to defy him. Thus, she fought hard with my father."

"Wow, I bet that fight was surely quite extraordinary! It was a pity you two weren't even born." Dugu Muyou seemed to be in a good mood while listening to the story, but she said so in an effort to change the depressing vibe.

"The saintess was weaker than my father and lost the fight to him. But... Knowing her beloved one was deceased, she did not want to live anymore. My father failed to stop her from suicide, and she killed herself among Xue Linglong. Her blood flowed into the ground, and Xue Linglong blossomed overnight. After that, these flowers become everblooming, and their color is as red as blood."

Hua Qingyue touched his forehead and sighed, "This version was outrageous beyond reason." Hearing the story for the first time, he felt his world was turned upside down!

"So, is the reason why Xue Linglong is everblooming? The saintess was exceptionally remarkable and was remembered by the descendant forever. She sacrificed her life completely for love, which is admirable!"

Dugu Muyou sighed, "I'd like to pay homage to the flowers when I see them!"

"When you see Xue Linglong, do not say anything that would blemish saintess. Qingyue was right about one thing that this kind of flower has spirit. People will encounter great misfortune if they are cursed by the flower."

Hua Qingshui warned Hua Qingyue and Dugu Muyou.

Hearing his words, they both nodded and said, "After listening to what you shared, we certainly don't dare to talk nonsense. Don't worry. I can't wait to worship her. Why will I talk nonsense? I am just curious what kind of man will make a girl do anything for him and even to the point of ending her life."

Dugu Muyou was deep in thought and heard Hua Qingyue saying, "I don't know what kind of man is worth that kind of sacrifice. But I know that if I met a woman I really love, I would be willing to give her everything, including my life."

When Hua Qingyue said it, there was a faint trace of sentimentality revealing in the corner of his eyes. It was just that that woman didn't know his feelings towards her.

"Look ahead. Are those flowers over there?"

Dugu Muyou pointed to the red light, which was a dazzling red color caused by the refraction of light. "Is that red light from the flowers known as Xue Linglong?"

Hua Qingshui looked at it, "It seems similar to Xue Linglong. Let's take a closer look."

"Okay. Let's go."

Hua Qingyue walked in the front. Gazing at the blooming red flowers, he smiled, "Right, there is Xue Linglong. Who would have thought to run into Xue Linglong in this place? The Valley of Magical Animals is quite an unusual place!"

Dugu Muyou followed behind. After they climbed a high hill, they saw a sea of blooming flowers as red as the color of blood. She had never seen anything like these flowers, so delicate and beautiful!

This place made people believe in the existence of wonderland and fairyland. Over there, the sunshine was bright, unlike the shadowy trees of the forest. Seeing the bright view, Dugu Muyou could not help but exclaim.