The myth begins with the Lotus Lantern

Chapter 197: Peach Garden

White clouds linger.

Before we knew it, the road had come to an end, and we were on another level.

The third heaven.

"We're almost at the Peach Garden," said the man in white.

"Isn't the Peach Garden near the Jade Pool?"

Magpie Fairy was startled. She thought that since the Peach Garden belonged to the Jade Pool, even if it wasn't within the Jade Pool, it shouldn't be too far away.

Yaochi is located in the thirty-third heaven, so how could the Peach Garden only be in the third heaven?

After the initial surprise, she felt a little apprehensive. In this unfamiliar new environment, and being a newcomer, Que Xian naturally hoped to get closer to Ding Lin so that they could look after each other.

Ding Lin was also somewhat taken aback, but quickly realized what was happening and didn't show any unusual expression.

"The Peach Orchard covers a vast area, with thousands of acres of peach trees. Of course, it's not in the upper heavens, but right here on the third level. Look, it's over there," the man in white gestured. Ding and Lin, the two demons, looked ahead. In the distance, there was a lush green expanse, with red flowers and green leaves. "One-tenth of this third level is occupied by peach trees. Although it's generally agreed that the higher the heaven, the better the location, this Peach Orchard is an exception..."

After traveling for a while, the white clouds fell.

Outside the vermilion gate, a female immortal dressed in a scarlet robe was waiting. Upon seeing the man in white, she smiled and quickly came forward to greet him.

Ding Lin's eyes flashed. On the way, the white-robed eunuch first introduced him to the Heavenly Court's official system. The color of the official robes was related to the rank. The lower-ranking officials wore black robes and carried half seals. Starting from the ninth rank, the gray robes began to have blue decorations. By the seventh rank, they were half gray and half blue. The sixth rank was pure blue, the fifth rank was light red, the fourth rank was bright red, and those above the third rank wore purple. The female immortal in front of him was wearing bright red, and her official rank was clearly the fourth rank.

"Brother Jin, let me introduce you. This is Hong Gu, the manager of the Peach Garden. She is also an elder of Yaochi. From now on, she will be your superior," the man in white said, then looked at the female immortal in red. "This Brother Jin Lin has just come from the mortal realm. He was recommended by the eldest princess and personally transferred to Yaochi by the ancestor. He will be under your command in the future, so you must make proper arrangements for him."

"Greetings, Your Excellency." Ding Lin said solemnly, straightening his clothes slightly and bowing deeply.

Is it someone with connections?

The woman in red accepted the greeting without showing any surprise, clearly having already received the news.

"According to the Heavenly Court's regulations, a local official is appointed every fifty li. However, the Peach Garden is different from other places. A local official is appointed every five li. The official rank is also higher than that in the mortal world. Those who tend to the peaches that have been growing for three thousand years are seventh-rank officials, those who tend to the peaches that have been growing for six thousand years are sixth-rank officials, and those who tend to the peaches that have been growing for nine thousand years are fifth-rank officials. If they are sent out to other places, they can barely become the chief officials of a department."

“A new position has opened up at the Six Thousand Years Place. I’ve received many requests these past few days and I’m not sure what to do. So, let’s settle Brother Jin there for now. Brother Jin is a seventh-rank official, which isn’t high enough, but with the help of the Grand Princess, I doubt anyone will say anything. The Six Thousand Years Place also has more abundant spiritual energy, which will make it easier for Brother Jin to ascend to immortality sooner,” said the red-clad female immortal.

The man in white shook his head: "The eldest princess means to find Brother Jin a position with abundant spiritual energy, little responsibility, and plenty of free time. After Brother Jin ascends to immortality, we can make other arrangements. The garden land is a place where you need to take care of the fruit trees on a daily basis, with little free time and a lot of responsibility."

"This..." The red-clad fairy hesitated, then tentatively began, "Between the six-thousand-year-old and nine-thousand-year-old fruit trees is a spiritual pool with a spiritual spring inside, used to irrigate the fruit trees. Should we place you there, little brother?"

"Brother Jin, are you satisfied with this arrangement?" The white-robed eunuch looked at Ding Lin with a smile. Such meticulous care suggested that the eldest princess or the fifth fairy maiden had already been well-fed before his arrival.

"Your humble servant thanks you, sir!" Ding Lin bowed again. "I must return to serve the Ancestor. Brother Jin, since your position has been decided, I will not accompany you any longer. We will meet again at Yaochi when you ascend to immortality," said the man in white.

"Thank you, Your Excellency." Ding Lin bowed and expressed his gratitude.

The man in white nodded to Ding Lin one last time, then rose into the clouds beneath his feet, carrying the Magpie Fairy back to the Jade Pool.

"Let's go, I'll take you to the Spirit Pool." Seeing the white-robed eunuch leave, the smile on the red-robed fairy's face slowly faded, and when she looked at Ding Lin again, her face was expressionless.

Ding Lin didn't mind.

Having the soul of his past life, he naturally knew that people with connections were never well-received anywhere, especially since the position he occupied was a lucrative one where one could only reap benefits without contributing anything. He could only imagine how lucrative it was, and yet he was dismissed with just a few words. No wonder his superior wouldn't give him a good look. Don't be fooled by how readily she agreed to the white-robed eunuch's request; she's probably feeling the pinch right now.

Ding Lin could already foresee his life for the foreseeable future: neglected and left to fend for himself.

The red-clad fairy did indeed interrupt in this way.

Those with connections are not to be trifled with. As long as they don't cause trouble, just leave them there, ignore them, let them do whatever they want, and treat them as idle people.

With a wave of her hand, the three large characters "Peach Garden" on the vermilion gate flashed, and then a side gate opened, allowing her to step inside first.

Ding Lin quickly followed, and as soon as he entered, he felt as if he were in a completely different world. The spiritual energy was overwhelming, at least several times denser than outside. One day of cultivation in the celestial realm was equivalent to ten days in the mortal realm, and here it was equivalent to twenty days.

This is only the first time entering the Peach Garden.

Ding Lin recalled the record in "Journey to the West" that the first three thousand trees had small flowers and fruits, so the spiritual energy here should be the weakest. He looked up at the peach trees and saw that some of them were in bloom, some were bearing fruit, and some were ripe. The fruits were big and round, about the size of an adult's fist. This was also considered a small fruit.

The fruit is indeed small.

Three thousand peach trees passed by in a flash. After a clear division, the scene suddenly changed. The newly appeared peach trees had lush leaves and flower buds as big as a child's fist. Some trees were covered with mature fruits, as big as an infant's head, not yet fully grown, with a touch of crimson at the top, and a rich fragrance permeated the garden.

Ding Lin involuntarily swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

"The peaches of immortality are the spiritual roots of heaven and earth. Every fruit here is extremely precious. All the fruits that bear fruit are registered. Not only the fruits, but even every leaf and every flower is recorded. How they grow every day is also recorded. You come from the lower realm and are still wild. You must remember not to take chances. Never covet what is not yours, otherwise..." the red-clad fairy said.

"I have never seen such a magnificent sight before, which is why I lost my composure for a moment. I will remember your words, sir," Ding Lin said.

"That would be best. Being able to cultivate in this peach grove is already an immense opportunity. The spiritual energy concentration among these six-thousand-year-old peach trees is five times that of the outside world. But if one's heart is not satisfied..."

"Don't think you have a powerful background. Everyone who can come here has some kind of background, more or less."

(End of this chapter)