Yun Qingxue was amused by Qiandai’s rigid demeanor and, supporting her, continued toward the couch, saying, “It’s fine—I allowed you to rest there!”
“Your servant thanks the Flower King for your kindness!” Qiandai stopped resisting and let Yun Qingxue guide her onto the couch.
“Flower King!” Qiandai lay still, her glassy eyes fixed intently on Yun Qingxue, her eyes reddening as a tear rolled down.
Frowning in concern, Yun Qingxue asked, “Does your injury hurt badly? Are there any medicines here? I’ll go find some for you.”
“Your servant isn’t in pain…”
Qiandai sniffled. “Your servant is happy—after waiting all these years, the day has finally come when the young mistress’s soul has returned!”
“Soul returned?”
Yun Qingxue looked at Qiandai with suspicion.
Qiandai nodded. “Yes. The reason the young mistress has always been as innocent as a child is because the heart-soul within her spirit was not in her body. Now that the soul has returned, the young mistress has regained clarity!”
After Qiandai finished speaking, Yun Qingxue frowned and fell into deep thought.
So, the flower demon body she had possessed was originally incomplete in spirit, and her possession had been an accidental twist of fate. But from Qiandai’s words, it seemed the true heart-soul of this body would return sooner or later. She wondered if, when the original owner of this body came back, she would be forced out of this vessel that didn’t belong to her. If that happened, she would become a wandering ghost…
Unconsciously, Yun Qingxue thought back to her past life—over twenty years in an orphanage, only to be betrayed by the person she trusted most.
And now, in this life, she didn’t even have a body of her own…
Yun Qingxue smiled bitterly. If the Buddhist saying of “past causes, present effects” held true, then perhaps the suffering of her two lifetimes was due to some great evil she had committed in a life before those?
“Young mistress.”
Qiandai reached out and grasped Yun Qingxue’s hand, breathing slightly labored. “Your servant needs to circulate magic to regulate my energy. The Flower and Wood Clan is no longer as peaceful as it was a thousand years ago. Please promise me you’ll stay quietly in this Flower God Hall.”
“Mm, I won’t wander off,” Yun Qingxue replied, pulling her thoughts back. Only then did Qiandai close her eyes in relief, soon enveloped in a soft pink glow.
Yun Qingxue stepped back and walked to the window, pushing it open. Outside, the courtyard was lush with towering flame tree branches, their red and orange blossoms blooming in fiery profusion.
A lark fluttered its wings and flew out from the dense foliage, landing gracefully on Yun Qingxue’s slender shoulder.
“How wonderful, Qingxue! You’ve regained your human form!” The lark’s sharp beak opened and closed, its voice as melodious as a song.
Yun Qingxue tilted her head slightly, meeting the lark’s gaze. Her crimson lips parted. “Who are you?”
The lark cocked its head, its dark, shining eyes studying Yun Qingxue’s stunning face for a moment before chirping, “Huh? Qingxue, are you joking with me now?”
Frowning, Yun Qingxue watched as the lark on her shoulder flapped its wings and took flight. A flash of white light crossed her vision, and when she looked again, the lark was gone—replaced by a sprightly young girl in yellow standing before her. The girl’s youthful face was radiantly fresh, and she tilted her head just like the lark had, her dark eyes gleaming as she gazed at Yun Qingxue.
“Qingxue, do you remember me now?” The girl smiled sweetly.
But Yun Qingxue suddenly felt a sharp pain in her head. A name surfaced in her mind, and she murmured it unconsciously: “Liuying?”
“It’s me!” The lively girl answered brightly, bouncing over to Yun Qingxue and wrapping her arms around her in a playful embrace, chattering away as if delighted.
“I knew it! How could you not recognize me, Qingxue? We’re such good friends! Heehee!”
But Yun Qingxue wasn’t listening. After uttering the name “Liuying,” the pain in her head intensified—a dense, stabbing sensation, as if countless needles were piercing every nerve in her skull. Along with the pain, unfamiliar scenes began flashing through her mind.
Time and space seemed to twist. Yun Qingxue felt dizzy and closed her eyes. Fragmented memories slowly pieced themselves together.
The Xuanling Continent—a fantastical land where eight races coexisted: the Divine, the Demonic, the Human, the Avian, the Beast, the Aquatic, the Wood, and the Ghost.
Each race had its own leader, their authority passed down through bloodlines. Each leader held a sacred token imbued with immense spiritual power, used to command their people. The Divine King’s Token, the Demon King’s Token, the Human Emperor’s Token, the Phoenix Token of the Avians, the Beast King’s Token, the Water Ripple Token, the Flower King’s Token, and the Nether King’s Token.
The Flower King whose body Yun Qingxue now inhabited was also named Yun Qingxue. The chattering lark spirit, Liuying, was an immortal of the Avian race. She had become close to the Flower King after being rescued by her long ago. Grateful, Liuying didn’t mind the Flower King’s mental immaturity and would often sneak into the Flower and Wood Clan to play with her.
However… From the reassembled memories, Yun Qingxue saw that Qiandai seemed to dislike Liuying. Several times when Liuying had slipped in to visit, Qiandai had driven her away. Yet despite this, Liuying still found ways to sneak back in.
As for Qiandai…
She was the Flower King’s lifelong attendant, having been by her side since the earliest memories.
Though the Flower King Yun Qingxue had the noble bloodline of the Star-Blue Peony, her mental deficiency left her with only the title of Flower King—all real power in the Flower and Wood Clan had fallen into the hands of the Grand Elder Tongyun and the Second Elder Lanxin.
From the memories, Yun Qingxue learned that Grand Elder Tongyun despised her, even allowing her subordinates to bully the Flower King. The peony form Yun Qingxue had awakened in was the result of a malicious scheme by Tongyun’s maids. Tongyun’s hatred stemmed from Yun Qingxue occupying the Flower King’s position solely due to her bloodline.
As Tongyun’s grip on power tightened, her ambition for the throne grew increasingly brazen. If not for the restraining influence of Elder Lanxin, who often clashed with her, Tongyun would likely have killed the mentally impaired Yun Qingxue long ago and taken her place.
Now, if Tongyun discovered Yun Qingxue was no longer simple-minded, she would undoubtedly seek to eliminate her despite Lanxin’s interference. That was why Qiandai had urged Yun Qingxue to continue pretending to be foolish when Tongyun arrived.
As for Second Elder Lanxin, though she had secretly helped Yun Qingxue a few times, her attitude was inconsistent—sometimes warm, sometimes cold, always maintaining a faint distance.
Because the original owner had been mentally impaired, the memories only provided a rough understanding of Yun Qingxue’s current circumstances. Once the fragments had fully played out in her mind, the pain in her head faded. Slowly, she opened her eyes—two beautiful faces were the first things she saw.
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