Strange Stories

Chapter 512: Flowers as Boats
The apricot blossoms have fallen, replaced by peach blossoms and magnolias.

There are always more peach blossoms and fewer magnolias, but they are all pink.

The spring water from Fengshan flows down with peach blossoms, and when it passes by the small ridge, it makes a sound like pearls falling on a jade plate, which is very pleasant to the ear.

There were dots of peach blossoms, some were flowing slowly in the stream, some were trapped in the whirlpool, swirling constantly, and some sank to the bottom of the almost transparent water, dotted with the yellow sand of the stream. However, there was a white fox sitting upright on the shore, licking its paws, and turning its head from time to time to look at the stream beside it -

In the quiet stream, a magnolia petal is floating.

The petals of magnolia flowers are much larger than those of peach blossoms, about half the size of a palm, curved and concave, like a boat, floating quietly in the stream.

As if it was really a ship!

Because on top of the petals, there was a table with three cushions, and on the cushions were three tiny figures sitting, eating fruit and drinking tea facing each other.

It was none other than Junior Sister, Lin Jue and Taoist Jiang.

There are two kinds of tea on the table. One is the mountain tea roasted by Lin Jue himself, which is light and pleasant with the scent of jasmine. The other is the cold-brewed fruit tea made by Master Jiang, which is sour and sweet and can be eaten as a meal.

The junior sister picked up the hot cup first and tasted the former. The fresh jasmine scent mixed with the light tea fragrance made her feel good.

Then he picked up the cold cup again.

She felt it was cool when she touched it, and took a sip. The contrast was obvious because she had just drunk hot water and then drank ice water. Her teeth felt a little sore, but she liked the fruity and sweet taste that followed. Even her eyes lit up and she hummed heavily to show her approval.

Unconsciously, she began to like this slightly bitter tea, but her heart remained clear and she still loved drinking this sour, sweet and cool tea.

It will probably be like this for the rest of my life.

If you are firm and strong enough, why do you need to change with the passage of time?
"I went to Beijing some time ago and found that this kind of tea is now available there." The junior sister pointed at the cup of jasmine tea that was as light as water.

"Really?"

The senior brother was quite interested.

"Really? It's not your fault."

"How to say?"

"What else can I say?" The little sister shook her head and picked up the fruit tea again. "It is said that the emperor dreamed of a fairy at night. The fairy invited him to drink tea, but the tea he drank was not the common tea with many ingredients added to the human world. It was a kind of tea as light as water. It tastes fresh and fragrant. It doesn't fill you up, but it refreshes you. That's what the world says."

Pause, take a sip of fruit tea, and taste the sour and sweet taste:
"It is said that the emperor liked it very much after drinking it. After asking, he found out that this tea was not boiled tea or brewed tea, but brewed tea. After waking up, he ordered the palace servants to do the same, and asked the tea craftsman to develop tea leaves suitable for brewing. When the civil officials and military generals saw that the emperor did the same, they also tried and followed suit. This habit left the palace and gradually spread to the capital."

"Why are you going to the capital?" asked Taoist Master Jiang on the opposite side.

"Collect materials for alchemy."

As the junior sister answered, she glanced and saw a peach petal in the stream next to her slowly floating towards the magnolia flower. It was as big as the table in front of her. She took out the long sword next to her and used the scabbard to prop up the peach blossom to move it further away. As a result, the magnolia flower beneath her swayed slightly, causing barely visible ripples.

"Junior sister, how is your collection of golden elixir materials going?"

Lin Jue also waved his sleeves, blowing out a breeze, so that a fallen leaf as big as the Xinyi boat under him would float away.

"I have worked together with several brothers and sisters and have collected a few items, but we are still short of a few. Even if we gather the materials for one or two of them first, we are still short of a few items." The little sister said, and lowered her head to drink fruit tea. Her delicate mind made her want to smack her lips after every sip. If only the brothers were here, she would really do so. "There are two things that are the most difficult to collect."

"What two?"

"Dragon whiskers and phoenix feathers."

The junior sister glanced at Master Jiang without avoiding the question.

This should not be hidden from the clever gods.

Because when the senior brother was refining the elixir, there were first the roar of dragons and the cry of phoenixes, and then the dragons and phoenixes dancing together. If the gods were knowledgeable about elixir, it would be easy to guess what was used.

I just don't know the specific dosage and refining process.

Besides, the golden elixir is useless to gods, and this golden elixir has fallen into the mortal world. Besides, both parties are friends who have known each other for many years, so there is really no need to avoid this point.

"After the ancient times, many auspicious beasts and birds have almost become extinct. There were originally two nine-tailed foxes, the fan-shaped nine-tailed fox and the wheat-ear nine-tailed fox. Now there is only one Yaohua Goddess left." Taoist Jiang said, "The traces of dragons and phoenixes are also getting fewer and fewer. I know that there are still some in the sky."

"For example?" Lin Jue asked.

"For example, didn't you go to see the fight between Lord Fu Chi and three of the four saints under the command of Tian Weng in the past? Isn't it true that every Lord is accompanied by a black dragon? The black dragon also has the ability of an immortal. Didn't you ever think of pulling out a few of its whiskers while the chaos was going on?" Taoist Jiang said.

"There was no chance then..."

"Not even after the fight?"

"I'm busy with other things."

Lin Jue smiled slightly and told the truth.

As he became enlightened, and gradually consolidated his practice, comprehended the great Dao, and improved his attainments in magic and supernatural powers, he no longer had to be as cautious around ancient books and silver-eating ghosts, which he had been extremely cautious about before.

After many years, maybe the fate has come, and the heart has aged, like Senior Ruhua, and he has no other magic skills to learn, and it is time for Gu Shu to find the next generation of destined people. "It is said that Ji Ling Zhenjun was the least injured that day, only his chest and heart were broken, and even his body was not destroyed. But now the Tianweng has changed, and all the Tianweng Palaces in the world have been replaced by Zidi Palaces. In addition, because the previous Tianweng's subordinate, Youling Zhenjun, committed many evil deeds, although he and Baosheng Zhenjun are relatively upright, they are also implicated because they respect the previous Tianweng's "inaction."

Daoist Master Jiang did not ask any more questions, but just said:

"According to the rules, their popularity would have slowly declined with the retirement of the previous Tianweng. However, unexpectedly, starting from the year before last, all the palaces and temples in the world removed their statues. If the previous Tianweng had not allocated some of his popularity to them, their popularity would have declined even faster now."

This is news that only the gods know.

"If you want to find it, you can go find him. Maybe you can exchange some conditions for some dragon whiskers."

"Now that the previous Tianweng has fallen, won't they change their allegiance?" asked the junior sister.

"This kind of thing has happened in the Nine Heavens, but it's rare." Daoist Jiang shook his head, "The True Lords under the previous Tianweng were all very loyal and had deep ties."

"Will the old Tianweng share the incense with them?" the younger sister asked again.

"Of course they will. But as time goes by, the incense offerings to Shang Ren Tian Weng will become less and less. You see, he is still standing next to Zi Di now, but he will gradually become more and more distant in the future. For example, there are almost no temples or statues of the ancient emperors now." Taoist Jiang continued to shake his head, holding the teacup, "By then, Shang Ren Tian Weng will not have enough for himself, will they have the nerve to take it if we give it to them?"

"Where are the True Lords under the command of the former Lord Tianweng?" Lin Jue asked.

"If it were a pure spirit, most of them would have died out," said Daoist Jiang, looking at the gurgling stream beside him. "Time is like this flowing water. Except for true immortals and saints, no one can live forever."

"Too……"

Lin Jue also felt emotional, and then asked, "What is the character of Ji Ling Zhenjun?"

"Rude and barbaric, hot-tempered and easily angered. But at least he has not brought disaster to the world like the True Lord of Guarding the Saint and the True Lord of Protecting the Spirit."

"I see."

Lin Jue nodded and said to his junior sister, "When I have time, I will go find the dragon whisker and phoenix feather for you and the other senior brothers. You can focus your attention elsewhere."

"Alright!"

The junior sister simply nodded.

They continued drinking tea and chatting.

Because my junior sister was looking for materials for the golden elixir, she often walked at the foot of the mountain and saw many of the customs of the new dynasty.

Several people started talking about this new dynasty.

When the new dynasty was established, many changes occurred.

The emperor attached more importance to the imperial examination, established academies, strictly investigated official corruption, strengthened performance appraisal, encouraged mutual supervision, and relied on elite troops to quickly wipe out bandits and evil gangsters in the country and persuade people to return to the countryside. Many corrupt aspects of the previous dynasty were curbed, and those absurd customs were strictly prohibited. If any old official of the previous dynasty missed the past and secretly took Wu Shi Powder with his friends and played with concubines and maids, he would be dismissed if reported.

Overall, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages at present.

In addition to sweeping away the long-standing illnesses of the previous dynasty, the atmosphere became clear and bright, and there were many auspicious signs.

Just like what the ancient scribes said—

When harmonious energy comes into contact with each other, red grass will grow, elephant chariots will appear in the mountains, divine horses will appear in the marshes, black cinnabar will appear in the hills, unearthed monsters will appear in the mountains, large shells will appear in the south of the Yangtze River, and bright pearls will appear in the sea. The benevolent ruler will prosper, the people will live longer, and the world will be peaceful.

The auspicious aura interacted with each other, so much so that red grass grew in the capital, huge elephant-cart wood grew in the forests of Yushan, two stone horses leaped out of the swamp of Baolin, black cinnabar was paid as tribute from the plateau, earth monsters grew on the hills but they did no harm to people, huge shells grew in the rivers, and bright pearls grew in the sea.

It is said that this is an auspicious sign that the benevolent monarch will live long and prosperously, the people will live longer and healthier, and the world will be peaceful.

The news spread all over the capital.

Some people even made it into a song to spread it.

Customs throughout the world have also changed.

Because many northerners came to the capital, they liked to drink a kind of sweet but not intoxicating morning wine, which was hot and was also popular among the people of the capital.

Most of the nobles and powerful officials of the Xin Dynasty came from the north. They loved riding horses, archery, swordplay and wrestling. This hobby spread from top to bottom and also affected ordinary people in the capital, and then slowly spread from the capital to the outside.

As they chatted, the little sister looked at her brother again:
"Recently, there was a rumor in the palace that a fairy boy came riding on a thunder cloud. He was stopped and questioned by the palace gate gods. They said he was a disciple of a fairy. The fairy fruit planted by the fairy was ripe today, so they brought one to give to the emperor.

"That day, the fragrance of the fairy fruit filled the entire palace. Just smelling it made people salivate and feel extremely comfortable. The emperor took it and slept for three days and three nights. When he woke up, his back was rosy and glowing, and he looked a lot younger.

“As a result, there was another wave of people going deep into the mountains to seek immortality.

"It's Senior Brother's doing again."

As she spoke, she lowered her head and looked at the half plate of fairy fruits on the table. They were the size of fists and had an enticing aroma.

The fox stood on the shore, stretched out its claws, and tried to hook the magnolia petals and the people on the petals by the stream, but was rebuked and stopped by the Taoist priest.

The stream eventually pushed the petals and flowed downwards.

(End of this chapter)