The Fairy: From the Traveling Merchant

Chapter 1030 Hibiscus Peak

Even someone as thick-skinned as Gong Yun didn't want to recall the previous scene. She coughed, skipped over that part, and continued the previous topic:

"That secret realm was created by a mysterious monk in ancient times to cultivate 'ginseng fruit trees'. The reason why he chose to open the entrance in the valley at the foot of Helan Mountain was because the master was 'compassionate' and could not bear to feed the fruit trees with mortal babies, so he chose another substitute unique to Helan Snow Mountain."

Mysterious monk? Ginseng fruit... Upon hearing these two words, Zhao Chen immediately focused his attention on the monk who had met Fairy Mingguang in "Mirror Village".

After taking away the clone created from Fairy Mingguang's "previous" body, the person fed her a ginseng fruit in order to prolong her life...

So this is where his ginseng fruit was grown... I never expected to see his traces again after being separated by more than half of the Great Xia Dynasty. What a coincidence!
Zhao Chen narrowed his eyes and asked, "What kind of 'substitute'?"

"That thing was called the 'Egg of the Mysterious Phoenix' by the 'Lord.' I'm not quite sure what it is, but it's said that the monk only found one, and it replaced a hundred babies with special destinies and birth charts." Gong Yun briefly recounted the information she had obtained from the "Spirit of the Blessed Land," and concluded, "In short, this master shouldn't be the kind of evil person we used to imagine, after all, he cut off the life of the fruit tree after taking the ginseng fruit."

"Furthermore, because they were worried that the tree would not die but remain upright, they specially sealed off the secret realm, isolated it from spiritual energy, and passed on to the Guo family ancestor a secret method to extract the life force and destiny of the secret realm and transform it into one's own cultivation."

"Speaking of which, the ancestors of the Guo family did have some connection with the ginseng fruit tree in this secret realm. After all, it was because their family practiced that technique generation after generation that the tree's life force was completely cut off."

"I guess Guo Jingyuan may have learned some of the facts from the few words recorded in his family records, but he didn't know the whole story. That's why he regarded the secret realm as his own property and refused to give up."

That monk is "compassionate"? If he were truly "compassionate," he wouldn't have planted such a thing! Besides, isn't the "Egg of the Mysterious Phoenix" essentially an "infant"? From a human perspective, it might seem harmless, but for a monk who claims to "save all sentient beings" to do this appears "narrow-minded."

He really was a fake monk!

Furthermore, could the "Egg of the Mysterious Phoenix" be the egg that Feng Wantong was looking for when he forcibly broke into the Feng family's territory?
Hmm, I've actually heard that phoenixes once roosted in the Helan Snow Mountain in ancient times. Could this be the so-called "Xuanhuang"? Did it build its nest and lay its eggs here?

Moreover, Xuanhuang is one of the five types of phoenix blood essence that the "Birdman" mission is looking for... It seems that thing is indeed quite something.

Amidst his racing thoughts, Zhao Chen even considered going to the Feng family to steal back the "Egg of the Mysterious Phoenix".

However, considering that Feng Qing's whereabouts were unknown at the moment, and that she might be hiding in her own home, she put aside this idea.

Anyway, once Feng Qing is "tricked" to death and Wan'er returns to the family to take charge, won't he be able to take whatever he wants from the entire Feng family? There's no need to rush... Besides, there's another phoenix relic in Yingzhou Furong Peak waiting for him to study.

Thinking of this, Zhao Chen smiled and said, "It's fortunate that Guo Jingyuan didn't get anything of value from that secret realm, otherwise this karma might have backfired on him."

"Actually, it's hard to say... I heard that the Guo family has already offered a reward for a way to revive the Divine Tree Spirit Root," Gong Yun said gloatingly.

She had a worse impression of the Guo family than the Feng family, after all, her sworn sister was from the Feng family, so there was some affection between them.

“If we really manage to save them, the Guo family will probably be the first to be sacrificed in blood, to pay back all the debts they owed in the past…” Zhao Chen shook his head, but did not intend to interfere.

After all, no one would believe him even if he said it, and he didn't believe that a dead ginseng fruit tree could really be resurrected.

The four ancient goddesses, including the "Flower Goddess," are nominally "missing," but each of their influence seems to have permeated every aspect of Xuan Tian… This alone makes it impossible for them to truly be "dead." Of course, it's also possible that I'm currently caught in some strange fate of "entering wherever there are flowers," which is why I always encounter things related to the "Flower Goddess." Zhao Chen took a deep breath, abandoning these difficult thoughts, and instead asked:
"Yun'er, where do you plan to advance your 'supernatural powers'?"

Upon being asked, Gong Yun snorted and deliberately said in a pretentious manner, "In your current identity, you should call me 'Heroine Gong'!"

Zhao Chen smiled helplessly, clearly knowing that Gong Yun was expressing her dissatisfaction that he had used his main body to accompany Feng Wan while having his clone deal with her.

He coughed and said, "My main body will probably be back on the Great Xia mainland in about a week."

The mission's "Commander of the Army" sent word that he would return to his unit after the Princess had finished visiting the East China Sea Navy.

“A week later… alright, I’ll be breaking through in Yumen County City a week from now, and you’ll have to come and protect me.” Gong Yun said with a smile, “As for your clone, just continue your travels… Oh, and remember to bring your newly accepted little apprentice with you.”

You're really pushing your luck, but I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. The main body will definitely have to meet Qiongniang, because the main body has to personally "see" what the things in her inner world are to know.

Besides, we also need to arrange for Pei Niang and Qiong Niang to reunite, right?
Zhao Chen muttered a few words to himself, but on the surface, he agreed to Gong Yun's "request," which made her smile.

……

Yingzhou, Furong Peak.

This peak is named for its resemblance to a hibiscus flower. Its towering body reaches into the clouds, and its snow-capped peak resembles an inverted fan hanging in the air, hence it is also known as the "Jade Fan".

At the request of the princess, the delegation is staying in a small town at the foot of the mountain.

As this is the most famous tourist attraction in the entire Yingzhou, it attracts a constant stream of tourists from the Great Xia region. The supporting facilities are quite complete, and there are also high-end villas prepared for dignitaries, so the accommodation conditions are quite good.

At least the hot springs there are just as good as those in Tagawa Castle.

"After soaking in hot springs so many times, they're not so special anymore," Ming Hongyue said with a smirk as she admired Furong Peak, wearing a yukata.

Her target wasn't actually the hot springs, but rather Zhao Chen's refusal to take her "treasure hunt" in the mountains.

“This is different from the previous Mirror Village. I only brought you here because I was absolutely certain of your safety. But this time, even my ‘Sky-Gazing and Earth-Measuring Divine Mirror’ couldn’t observe the whole picture.” At this point, Zhao Chen’s expression also became serious. After all, the fact that the ‘Sky-Gazing and Earth-Measuring’ couldn’t fully measure it meant that it involved something at the ‘Ascension to Profound’ level.

It might not be considered dangerous—if it were truly dangerous, the "birdman" wouldn't have tempted Hongyue to go; ensuring Hongyue's successful transformation into a "Dongxuan" was its primary mission.

However, when it comes to "ascension to the heavens," no one can guarantee that no unexpected changes will occur.

Zhao Chen has many ways to "save his life" and is confident that he can escape, but he is not so sure about taking Hong Yue with him.

(End of this chapter)