Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, but Thunderbolt Taoist Sect

Chapter 184 No Local Flowers Found

Since all Yan Chixia saw were scattered petals, not the flowers themselves, he was afraid he had guessed wrong. So he took the petals to people in the city who liked peonies and had some knowledge of them, and asked them for answers.

"The colors do look similar, but..."

"Just what?"

"Judging peonies isn't just about color; you have to consider the shape, fragrance, and leaves as well. Young master, you've only brought a handful of petals, so I can't just make a judgment. Besides, the Yao Huang and Wei Zi varieties have become rare in the last two years, so I really can't make a definitive conclusion with just a few petals."

"I can't find it here. Isn't this one of your famous brands?"

Upon hearing this, Yan Chixia frowned. If he remembered correctly, Yao Huang and Wei Zi were famous flowers in Luoyang. Luoyang peonies were renowned far and wide, so how could he not see them?

"They are indeed famous brands, but these 'queens' are extremely difficult to raise. Even with dedicated servants, problems can still arise. They can only be kept in the courtyards of high-ranking officials and nobles. Do you see any like them on the streets outside?"

Yao Huang and Wei Zi are indeed famous, respectively known as the king and queen of flowers, but they are also extremely difficult to grow. They are susceptible to drought and waterlogging, and neither cold nor heat can help them. They are also prone to disease, requiring a lot of care and effort, and in the end, you may not get anything out of them. Ordinary flower vendors simply cannot afford to grow them.

Moreover, in recent years, the Chang family's peonies have suddenly become popular. Their Gejin Purple and Yuban White varieties are not only easy to grow, but their flowers are also larger than other peonies of the same species. They are beautiful, easy to grow, and have lower costs. Whether for personal enjoyment or business use, the Chang family's peonies are better than the original choices. Over time, everyone started growing the Chang family's peonies.

Actually, the Chang family doesn't only have two varieties: Gejin Ziyu Banbai. It's just that these two varieties are more prominent in terms of their original advantages, so people who don't care much about the variety just use these.

"As for Wei Zi, those wealthy gentlemen should still have some. Yao Huang... was rare in the past, and now it may only be found in the capital."

The Yao Huang is known as the "King of Flowers," and its flowers are golden yellow, making it a semi-royal flower. No matter how difficult it is to cultivate, there will definitely be people in the capital who will cultivate Yao Huang to please the emperor.

In short, the famous Yao Huang and Wei Zi peonies of Luoyang are now rarely seen in Luoyang. When Yan Chixia came with a bunch of petals and asked about them, the person opposite him thought that he had come here specifically to find flowers because of their past reputation. So after explaining, the person took the initiative to promote the Chang family's peonies to Yan Chixia.

Yan Chixia hadn't expected this situation. The two flower demons he had met earlier seemed to have considerable cultivation and were very skilled in illusions. After they escaped, he couldn't track them down. Demons of this strength usually gather their kind around their dwelling places. But now he was being told that the flower demons' kind were almost extinct in Luoyang.

"Chang Family Peony..."

Looking at the flowers being vigorously promoted in front of him, Yan Chixia admitted that these flowers were indeed larger and more vibrant than those he had seen elsewhere, but he just felt uncomfortable looking at them, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

He always felt that these peonies looked too alike. Although most of them were of the same variety, and he didn't know much about the cultivation methods, Yan Chixia personally felt that it was too much to guarantee that so many flowers would have the same vibrant colors, almost identical flower shapes, and that there were even supposedly no diseased plants...

"Shopkeeper, something's happened!"

While listening to the various sales pitches for peonies, Yan Chixia was also lost in thought about the two peony flower fairies when suddenly an exclamation came from behind the shop. Someone rushed over, saying that some flowers had suddenly withered.

"Just like that time across the street, he suddenly died, it was like a living person had their life force sucked out by a monster!"

The visitor described it this way: Yan Chixia was attracted by the word "monster". Xing Tianshi and Tian Ji were escorting the White Lotus Sect members to the yamen and wouldn't be back for a while, so he went along to see the withered flowers.

Rather than saying it withered, Yan Chixia felt that the flower should be described as completely dead. A withered flower still has some life left, but the peony in front of him was already dead.

"How did the flowers wither when they were in such good condition?"

"We don't know either. It just suddenly became listless, and nobody touched it!"

"What's wrong with the Chang family's flowers? Could they really be infected with some kind of disease?"

Amidst the commotion, Yan Chixia crouched down to carefully examine the withered peony. Not only was the flower dead and lifeless, but the spiritual energy within its branches had also vanished completely, making it seem as if its life force had been drained.

Plants are more dependent on spiritual energy than animals. Similar to soil fertility, the more spiritual energy a place has, the bigger and better the plants can grow.

The flower's spiritual energy vanished completely, or perhaps it was a sudden change? Yan Chixia immediately thought of the woman in purple who had run away. According to what he had just heard, the Chang family's peony business had squeezed out the original peony flowers in Luoyang. Even dogs fight over territory, so it was understandable that the other party would target the Chang family for this reason.

But if this was done by a flower demon, and she has such abilities, why would she need to rely on the White Lotus Sect?

"click"

A few small pieces of tile fell from the eaves. Yan Chixia came out of the shop and saw a white shadow flash across the eaves. Then Tian Ji appeared from the other side. He didn't say anything, but just looked at Yan Chixia and pointed in a direction.

This was to send Yan Chixia along, knowing there was something to discuss. He followed Tianji out of the shop. Since he had returned, it meant that the remnants of the White Lotus Sect had been dealt with.

The authorities will investigate the identities of these people, as well as the person who filed the report. Xing Tianshi and his companions claimed to be from a very far place, and probably do not have identification here. Yan Chixia did not know how they would argue with the government, but Xing Tianshi said there would be no problem.

He followed Tianji into a side path and saw Ye Dan, who had removed the flower wreath, but did not see Xing Tianshi.

"Where's the Heavenly Master?"

Tianji pointed behind Yan Chixia, and Yan Chixia turned his head, but saw no one, only a large pile of miscellaneous items.

"Let's let one let, let one let!"

The clutter made a loud noise; it turned out that Xing Tianshi was carrying a large pile of things, which blocked his view.

Yan Chixia looked at them carefully and saw that they were all items used for opening altars and performing rituals. Could it be that Xing Tianshi was going to perform a ritual to exorcise demons?

"Does the Celestial Master need to perform a ritual?"

"Pretty much, a summoning of spirits."

Xing Tianshi put the things down, clapped his hands, and said casually.

“We went to the Chang family's house to take a look. The souls of their two little peony babies are sleeping underground, and they look like they're about to wake up. I'll try to find their exact location.”

"Peony...doll?"

Didn't we agree to go to the yamen? When did we go to the Chang family? Yan Chixia always felt that he was a step behind Xing Tianshi in terms of progress. It's true that high-level cultivators can calculate all things in the world, but it shouldn't be this fast, right?

"The two peonies in the Chang family are essentially still demons, but they are too young and don't have much autonomy. They've been growing in the ground for a few years, so it's about time."

When Xing Tianshi heard the woman in purple say that she was helping her "nephew" get revenge, he knew she wasn't telling the truth. Although he couldn't see her true form, the original text didn't describe the situation of Lady Cao's side in much detail. At most, he only knew that Ge Jin was Lady Cao's daughter and Yu Ban was Ge Jin's cousin. The sudden appearance of a purple flower fairy claiming to be Ge Jin's sister was not very convincing.

There must be a reason why they went to such great lengths to deal with the Chang family. Thinking that the road wasn't far, Xing Tianshi also went to the Chang family to check the situation. He found that the spiritual energy in the backyard of the Chang family was extremely dense, exceeding the normal value.

The source of the spiritual energy wasn't mysterious; it was just the two peony bushes in the backyard. Ge Jin and Yu Ban eventually threw the child to the ground and then disappeared themselves. What happened to the two children was never clearly explained in the end.

Throwing a newborn baby to the ground would likely kill an ordinary child, but those two were the children of flower spirits. They simply turned into two motionless peonies after being thrown to the ground, making it impossible to determine the children's true condition.

Whether the peonies were truly transformed into peonies, or merely a trick by the two mothers to use the peonies to impersonate their children and thus successfully take them away, Xing Tianshi dared not draw a conclusion. He knew that in this world, the two children were indeed still in the courtyard.

As for the incident of throwing the children, considering Ge Jin and Yu Ban's identities as flower fairies, Xing Tianshi believes their actions can be explained with one word: "rooted in the earth."

The two children transformed back into their original peony forms upon landing, took root in the yard, and continued to grow in the shape of flowers. When the time came, they would transform back into human form, essentially using the Chang family's yard as a cradle for their babies.

The reason why a large patch of similar flowers appeared was actually due to the unintentional actions of two little flower fairies. It's normal for plant spirits to affect the surrounding environment, whether you consider them as humans or demons. These were two infants who had just been born. How could infants know how to control their power? As their spiritual energy spread, a large patch of peonies appeared.

"So, all the peonies sold by the Chang family were transformed from those two children?"

This is truly making money off one's own child. After being told that the Chang family had married a peony flower fairy, Yan Chixia guessed that the peonies sold by the Chang family might be related to the flower fairy, but he never expected it to be this kind of relationship.

In this way, he understood why he had a strange feeling when he looked at those peonies. They were not cultivated by normal means, but were just byproducts of two flower demons' unconscious interference with the surrounding environment. Because there were so many of them and their internal spiritual energy was no different from that of ordinary plants, Yan Chixia did not think about the interference of demons.

Based on his personal experience, he had only ever seen monsters interfere with the environment in a negative way, either to make it easier for them to become kings of the mountains or to harm people. This was the first time he had ever seen one that only cared about growing flowers.

"So the flowers that were transplanted are now dying because the little flower fairy's spirit is flowing back."

Thinking back to the peony I just checked, all its spiritual energy had disappeared, so it must have returned to its flower fairy form.

"Once the repatriation is complete, the transplanted peonies will probably all wither and die. We should go and tell the Chang family."

"It's one thing to say, but the other side has to believe it."

Xing Tianshi fiddled with a bunch of things on the side. This time, his method was not to summon souls or catch ghosts, but to find the exact location of the two little flower fairies' souls and see how their spiritual energy was flowing back.

"Since the other two flower fairies want the Chang family's little peony so much, they will definitely show up again. We can just wait for them to come to us."

Let's not worry about what other secrets there are. All this back and forth is too tedious. Let's just get straight to the point. The other two flower fairies care so much about the Chang family. I don't believe Xing Tianshi can't catch them.

……

"This is the teacher I found for Xi'er. He is quite learned, and Xi'er will study under him from now on."

Ma Jiepu revealed his identity as a fox spirit, took away Yang Wanzhong's family and Yang Wanshi's concubine who had suffered so much injustice, and helped them settle down in Henan and start a new life.

Xi'er needed to study, but Ma Jiepu's residence was in a remote area, and it was too far to go to a private school, so he helped find a teacher.

"Brother Ma, you really are..."

As far as sworn brothers are concerned, Ma Jiepu is truly a good brother. He has helped the Yang family many times and has been a great benefactor to the Yang family. Yang Wanzhong wanted to repay him but couldn't find a suitable way.

“Xi’er is destined for officialdom, so I can’t just watch him be buried in obscurity.”

Ma Jiepu didn't think much of it. He always believed in making friends based on fate and his own feelings. If they got along, he was willing to help them. If they didn't get along, they would never see each other again.

“Now that my brother is settled, I should set off again. I don’t know how many years it will be before we meet again. Perhaps by the time I return, Xi’er will have already become the top scholar in the imperial examination.”

Looking at the child who was not even as tall as his waist, Ma Jiepu couldn't help but sigh. His sworn brother was just an ordinary person. He had been wandering around for more than ten years. The next time they met, Xi'er's own child would probably be just this age.

"Brother Yang... when Xi'er grows up, you will be reunited."

Ma Jiepu had calculated that although the Yang family would face another major calamity, it would not harm Yang Wanshi and his wife, Yin. Knowing this, he felt at ease taking everyone he wanted with him. The two families would eventually meet again, but it was unclear in what form.

After all, by then, Ma Jiepu might be anywhere, and he certainly wouldn't be able to make it to the Yang family for this reunion.

"Uncle Ma, where are you going?"

Xi'er tugged at Ma Jiepu's clothes, trying to keep this young uncle who she didn't see often, but whose presence always brought good fortune to her family, and who could eventually lead them "out of their misery".

"I don't know where I'm going. I'll just wander around and see what's there. But before I officially set off, I plan to go to Luoyang first. I have two old acquaintances there. It's the time of year when peonies are in full bloom, so they should be there."

This was only one reason. On the other hand, Ma Jiepu had also heard that there was an "Asura King" in Luoyang. He had dealt with many innate people before and after, and knew some of the facts. He knew immediately that the one in Luoyang was fake, and guessed that it was the work of a monster skilled in transformation.

The White Lotus Sect is now universally hated among demons. Moreover, the White Lotus Sect is in complete disarray internally. If that fake one stirs things up again, the situation in the south will just be calmed down, and the north will probably be thrown into chaos again. Ma Jiepu wants to go and see what's going on. If he can resolve the situation, he will do so first.

“My residence is in a remote place and things haven’t been peaceful lately. The Dragon King of the East Sea has found a son-in-law, and many immortal cultivators living in the mortal world have gone to the East Sea. Brother Yang, you should take care of the affairs at home first and don’t worry about things outside for now.”

After giving his last instructions, Ma Jiepu led his donkey away. He wanted to calculate the situation in Luoyang first, but he came up empty-handed. This had happened before; whenever the matter he was trying to calculate involved innate beings like Shuangxiu and Yue Wuque, he would encounter unknown obstacles.

The fact that this situation is happening now shows that there are also innate people in Luoyang. Thinking of those extraordinary hermit masters, Ma Jiepu felt that Luoyang wouldn't have too much trouble.