Shengui Changsheng: Start from Zhenwuwei and add some points to cultivate immortality

Grandpa Yanyao was already bedridden, but he insisted on coming to see her. Leaning back in his wheelchair, he looked at the new petals of the "Memory Flower," and his cloudy eyes suddenly lit up: "It's not the future, it's... what's happening now." The old man gently placed his hand on Xiao Wangshu's hand and pointed to one of the new figures, "Look, that girl has a dried petal of the 'Memory Flower' just like yours pinned in her hair."

Xiao Wangshu looked closely and sure enough, she saw a familiar dried petal on the girl's collar. The blurry figure on the petal was exactly the same as the one she wore. She suddenly understood that the so-called continuation of a story is never about looking back at the past from the present, but about the people of the past having already planted foreshadowing in time, waiting for the people of the present to continue their story.

The winter after Grandpa Ache passed away, the first new plant sprouting from the "Rejuvenating Seed" blossomed. The flower was peculiar; half was the white of the far northern edelweiss, and the other half the purple of the Soul-Gathering Flower of Guixintang, yet a green stem of the Wanggui Grass emerged from the middle, as if the flowers of the three places had been blended together. Xiao Wangshu picked the flower and placed it before Grandpa Ache's spirit tablet, next to the "Rejuvenating Seed" he had brought and the withered leaf of the Wanggui Grass. Suddenly, he noticed that the tip of the grass leaf was pointing towards the "Continuing Spring Garden."

That autumn, Brother Zhao Wang brought over the new scroll of "Continuing Spring" from Puhuitang. The painting depicted no sword mound, no herb garden, only a winding flower path. Three figures walked along it: a girl from Guixintang, a boy from Puhuitang, and a child from the Ice Clan, each holding flower seeds. At the end of the path stretched an endless sea of ​​flowers. "Great-Grandpa said this is how a story should be," Brother Zhao Wang said, unrolling the scroll beneath the "Memory Flower." The flower shadows in the painting gradually overlapped with the real petals. "It's not about who remembers whom; it's about everyone walking on the same path."

Xiao Wangshu joined the scroll to the end of the "Continuing Spring Picture". Watching the circular painting and the circular garden finally overlap completely, she suddenly felt her eyes welling up with tears. She walked to the inscription "Endless Flower Path" and touched the unfilled gap with her fingertips. There, a small clump of longing grass had grown, its leaves facing the gap, as if urging something.

The following spring, carrying the "Rejuvenating Seed" and the newly harvested "Endless Spring" seeds, she embarked on her first journey to the far north. As the carriage passed the stone slabs of the "Endless Flower Road," she suddenly turned around and saw a new figure slowly emerging on the blank petals of the "Memory Flower"—it was herself, sitting in the carriage, gazing at the northern ice plains, the three-colored jade hairpin in her hair shining like a new seed in the sunlight.

She knew the story would continue. "The Spring-Returning Seed" would allow the northern grass to remember more of the south, and "Endless Spring" would bloom along the flower path to even farther places. That unfilled gap would eventually be filled by a child with a new story. And she herself, like Great-Grandma Wangshu, Great-Grandma Zhaohe, and Grandpa Yanyao, would become a shadow on a petal, waiting for those who came after to pick it up beneath the blossoms and ask, "Who is this?"

The wind blows through the "Continuation of Spring Garden," and the century-old branches of the "Memory Flower" sway gently. On the newly sprouted green buds, there hangs a crystal dewdrop, reflecting three overlapping medicinal gardens. The warmth of Guixintang, the resilience of Puhuitang, and the purity of the far north all flow quietly within it, like a river without end.

Meanwhile, along the riverbank, "Endless Spring" continues to bloom, turning everyone who continues the story into flowers in time, forever fragrant and forever young.

When Mingyao, the granddaughter of Xiaowangshu, first saw her own reflection on the petals of the "Memory Flower," the "Flower Path" of Guixintang had already stretched all the way to the Fengling Jade Lake in the far north, following the mountain path of yesteryear.

The figure was small, with her hair in two buns, tiptoeing to water the "Endless Spring" plant. In the mud splattered on the hem of her skirt, one could even see the patterns of the Soul-Gathering Flower. Mingyao was only six years old at the time. Clutching a leaf of the Hope-Returning Grass, she ran to find her great-grandmother, Xiao Wangshu. The old woman was sitting on the century-old stone bench in the "Continuation of Spring Garden," with a yellowed notebook spread out on her lap. The writing on it was blurred, but one could still make out words such as "the wind delivers the flower's message" and "a lineage passed down."

"Great-Grandma, there's a little baby in the flower, is it me?" Mingyao held up a blade of grass in front of the old woman. Dewdrops rolled off the blade, leaving a small wet patch on the stone bench, like a miniature dandelion.

Little Wangshu smiled, her wrinkles brimming with sunlight, like a century of warmth hidden within. She pointed to a painting in her notebook—"Endless Spring," painted by Grandpa Yanyao years ago. The figures on the petals were layered upon each other, the deepest layer showing the outline of Great-Grandma Wangshu, and the outermost layer showing Little Wangshu herself. "It's you, and it's not you," the old woman's voice was as soft as the wind brushing against the petals, "It's all the girls named 'Wangshu,' living in the flowers."

Mingyao seemed to understand, but she remembered the sentence. Later, as she grew older, she traveled to the three places with the envoys and discovered that everyone named "Nianhe," "Zhaoyan," and "Axue" could find their own shadow in the "Memory Flower," like beads strung together by time, each one shining with the light of longing.

At fifteen, Mingyao became the new envoy of Guixin Hall. Before setting off for Puhui Hall, she picked up a newly fallen petal under the "Memory Flower," on which was imprinted a clear scene: beside the sword mound of Puhui Hall, a boy was gently sweeping the phantom of the Demon-Suppressing Sword with a leaf of the Wanggui Grass on the sword tassel. In the phantom, seven spiritual energies transformed into ribbons of light, wrapping around the boy's wrist—that was Zhao Nian, the current manager of Puhui Hall, the grandson of Zhao Wang's grandfather, and also her companion who was going to the far north with her this time.

“These flowers are even more eager for us to meet than we are.” Mingyao tucked the petals into the journal, her fingertips touching the small print on the edge of the page. It was written by Xiaowang’s great-grandmother: “What continues the story is never the name, but the longing hidden in the name.”

Zhao Nian waited for her beside the sword mound at Puhui Hall. The young man wore a blue cloth shirt, and the scabbard at his waist was undecorated, yet it gleamed warmly in the sunlight—it was made from the stem of "Heart-Connecting Grass," containing a wisp of the Demon-Suppressing Sword's spiritual essence. "Look," he drew the sword, the blade reflecting their shadows, roots sprouting from the shadows' feet and connecting with the Returning Grass beside the sword mound, "Great-Grandfather said this sword can make our shadows become part of the flower-lined path."

As Mingyao gazed at the intertwined roots on the sword blade, he suddenly recalled the scene on the petals of the "Memory Flower." It turned out that the so-called "endless flower path" was not just the road under his feet, but also the unseen connections between people, like the roots of the grass that longs for home, quietly spreading in the soil and connecting the people of the three places together.

The two headed towards the far north with the newly collected "Endless Spring" seeds. In the carriage, Mingyao opened her journal, which contained many such petals: dried snowflakes given by Grandpa Ache from the far north, with the moonlight of Fengling Jade Lake imprinted on the petals; a sword tassel painting drawn by Grandpa Zhaowang, with the three-colored grass leaves on the tassel pointing towards Guixin Hall; and the most special one, which was picked up by Great-Grandma Xiaowangshu when she went to the far north, under the "Heart-Connecting Grass," with the illusory image on the petal showing flowers from three different places blooming on the same grass.

“Do you think our shadows will be remembered by the ‘Memory Flower’?” Mingyao suddenly asked, her fingertip lightly touching the special petal. Zhao Nian looked at the irises flashing past the car window; their leaves were pointing in three directions at the same time, as if guiding them, or as if recording them. “Yes,” he said confidently, “just like the shadows of our great-grandfathers, still smiling on the flowers now.”

Upon arriving in the far north, Ah Xing, the great-grandson of Ah Che's grandfather, was already waiting for them at the "Continuation of Spring Branch Garden" by the Sealed Spirit Jade Lake. The boy wore a fur coat embroidered with "Endless Spring," and the jade pendant around his neck was made of newly discovered Sealed Spirit Jade Marrow. The jade contained the entire view of the flower paths in the three places. When it rotated, one could see the medicine garden of Guixin Hall, the sword tomb of Puhui Hall, and the ice plains of the far north slowly flowing within the jade, like a small world.

"You've finally arrived! The 'Rejuvenating Seed' has grown into a new form!" Ah Xing pulled them towards the herb garden, where the "Rejuvenating Seed" had grown into a peculiar sea of ​​flowers. Each flower had three petals: the purple petals were imprinted with the smoke from Guixin Hall, the green petals were engraved with the sword shadows of Puhui Hall, and the white petals were inlaid with the aurora borealis of the far north. The golden edges of the flower's center were connected, like an unbreakable knot.

“Grandma the witch doctor said this is called ‘Spring Knot’,” Ah Xing said, pointing to the knot in the center of the flower. “It means that the springs of the three places have long been intertwined and cannot be separated.”

Mingyao crouched down and gently plucked a "Spring Knot" flower. The scene on the petal suddenly came to life: the "Memory Flower" of Guixin Hall was blooming, the phantom of the Demon-Suppressing Sword of Puhui Hall was dancing, and the Fengling Jade Lake in the far north was singing. The three scenes converged at the golden edge of the flower's heart, transforming into a group of flying dandelions. The fluffy seeds were written with the names of children from the three places, including her, Zhao Nian, and A Xing.

“Look, we’ve become the end of the story too.” Zhao Nian’s voice was tinged with laughter, and the “Heart-Connecting Grass” pattern on the scabbard suddenly lit up, echoing the gold edge in the flower’s heart.

That night, the three of them buried newly mixed flower seeds under the "Memory Flower" in the "Continuation Spring Branch Garden"—the "Knot of Spring" petals from Guixintang, the Sword Shadow pollen from Puhuitang, and the Sealed Spirit Jade Marrow powder from the far north. Ah Xing even sprinkled some melted snow from the Ice Plains into the soil, saying that this would allow the flower seeds to remember the temperatures of the three places.

“When the flowers bloom next year, our shadows will be imprinted on them.” Ah Xing looked at the flower field, his eyes shining even brighter than Feng Lingyu’s. “Grandma the witch doctor said that these flowers will grow more and more lush, paving flower paths to places we’ve never been before.”

Mingyao nodded, tucking the "Knot of Spring" flower into her journal, placing it right next to that special petal. The golden edges of the two flowers gently overlapped in the moonlight, like tying a new knot in a century-old bond. She suddenly understood that what Great-Grandma Wang had meant when she said, "All the girls named Wangshu live in the flowers," was that everyone who continued the story became a knot between the past and the future, gently passing on the longings of those who came before to those who followed.

As they left the far north, Ah Xing gave them a new packet of "Spring Blossom" seeds, mixed with some seeds of the Ice Plains' "Wanting Home Grass." The outlines of Gui Xin Tang and Pu Hui Tang could already be seen on the leaves. "Remember to plant these at the gap in 'Endless Flower Path.'" The boy waved his hand, the "Endless Spring" pattern on his fur coat undulating in the wind like a flowing sea of ​​flowers. "Grandma the witch doctor said that it's our turn to fill that gap."

When the carriage returned to Qing Shi Town, the "Memory Flower" at Gui Xin Tang was in full bloom. Ming Yao and Zhao Nian walked to the inscription "Endless Flower Path" and scattered "Spring Knot" seeds into the unfilled gap. Miraculously, as soon as the seeds fell, tender green sprouts emerged, growing along the outline of the gap and quickly filling the shallow mark. A small "Spring Knot" flower bloomed on the tip of the sprout, and the golden edge of the flower perfectly completed the character "尽" (end) into the complete "无尽" (endless).

“So the gap wasn’t meant for us to carve words.” Mingyao looked at the newly grown flowers and suddenly smiled. “It was meant for us to plant flowers so that ‘Endless’ could truly grow in the soil.”

Zhao Nian's scabbard gently touched the new flower. The shadow on the blade overlapped with the flower's shadow, forming a complete circle on the ground. Within the circle were the medicinal gardens of the three places, like a living "continuation of spring picture". "Great-grandfather said that the best continuation is to let the story grow legs and walk on its own."

Mingyao opened the journal and drew the "Spring Knot" that filled the gap on the latest page, writing beside it: "Flowers may fade, shadows may remain, the road is endless, spring never ceases." She knew this story would continue—the "Spring Knot" would bloom along the flower path to even farther places, her children would find their own reflections in the "Memory Flower," new messengers would travel between the three lands carrying flower seeds, and the "Endless" filled with flowers would remind those who came after each spring:
Eternity is nothing more than one flower blooming after another, one knot growing after another, continuing the story of a hundred years into an endless spring.

Just like now, the wind blows through "Xuchun Garden," the petals of the "Memory Flower" rustle softly, and the newly repaired "Knot of Spring" sways in the breeze. The golden edges of the flower's center reflect the sunlight, like a thread connecting the past and the future, stringing together all those who continue the story into the most beautiful knot in time. And this knot will grow bigger and warmer until it wraps the whole world in this endless spring. When Mingyao's great-grandson Yanshen took over Guixin Hall, the "Knot of Spring" flowers had already woven an invisible net across three locations along the "Endless Flower Path."

This network is invisible and intangible, yet it can be sensed in the rhythm of the plants—when the "Memory Flower" of Guixin Hall blooms, the "Wanggui Grass" of Puhui Hall sways in sync, and the "Jiechun" in the far north turns golden; when the Demon-Suppressing Sword of Puhui Hall resounds, the Soul-Gathering Flowers of Guixin Hall all turn westward, and the Fengling Jade Lake in the far north ripples. The elders say that this is because the story has grown nerves, connecting the heartbeats of the three places together.

Yan Shen, barely thirty, possessed a serene air that seemed to transcend centuries. The jade pendant at his waist was forged from the fossilized calyx of a "Knot of Spring" flower and sealed spirit jade marrow. A naturally formed character for "continued" appeared within the jade, with purple, green, and white hues flowing between the characters, as if locking away all the stories that had been continued within. Every day, he would climb the Wangyue Tower of Guixin Hall, overlooking the net woven from flower paths: "Here are the flower knots mended by Great-Grandma Mingyao, there are the grass veins connected by Grandpa Zhao Nian, and that shimmering golden edge—that's the 'Knot of Spring' sea planted by Grandpa Axing in the far north." (End of Chapter)