Chapter 677: Diagonal Wind Piercing the Forest (Thanks to jing for the silver patronage)
The flickering fireflies illuminated the forest path, dreamlike and ethereal. On a moonless night, Lolan Hill walked towards her small courtyard with only the faint light to guide her.
Her fingers fumbled through the dark shadows, touching the cold copper ring and groove. Lolan Hill took out the copper token tied around her wrist, wound it around her finger, and pressed it into the groove. A pale golden ripple spread from the door, revealing intricate patterns before a soft click indicated the door was unlocked.
Holding what she had received that day, she stepped over the high threshold and entered the courtyard, closing the door behind her with one hand.
She glanced at the dark courtyard and blinked. Two green flames floated out from her side, settling into the palace lanterns in the courtyard. The two eight-sided lanterns then emitted a soft warm light, illuminating the path and surrounding structures.
Pushing open the door of the pavilion, the air inside was slightly cool.
A series of chirping sounds came, followed by two birds fluttering their wings towards Lolan Hill. They circled her head, chattering, before landing on a birdcage nearby. Their little heads tilted to look at what Lolan Hill was holding, searching for something edible.
It seemed she had forgotten to bring food for these two little ones, and a sense of unease and guilt welled up in her heart.
She placed the wooden box containing clothes aside and walked into the courtyard, looking at the surrounding trees.
It should be possible to accelerate the ripening of ordinary crops now, Lolan Hill thought, searching for suitable trees and focusing her gaze on the tall pine trees nearby.
After selecting them, she fetched a wooden flute from inside and began playing in the courtyard.
Green butterflies, formed by scattered magic light points, appeared one by one beside her. Seeing her start to play the flute, the two birds flew out, circling above the courtyard and chirping curiously at the girl below.
As Lolan Hill continued to play, the butterflies flew up, entering the tall pine trees. The green fluorescent butterflies danced among the branches, stopping on twigs and turning into particles of light.
The pine tree, infused with the particles of light, began to sprout new buds, quickly blooming and producing pine cones, which adorned the branches.
The night wind blew, causing the branches and leaves to sway, and the pine cones gently collided, making a soft wood sound.
When Lolan Hill finished her spell, the pine cones fell, gathered by a whirlwind in the center of the courtyard.
Seeing the plump pine cones form, the two birds happily circled in the air before landing on the stone slabs in the courtyard. They looked at the fallen pine cones and the fragrance of pine needles and cones filled the courtyard.
They hopped over and pecked at the pine cones, the hard shells cracking easily under their beaks, releasing the oily pine nuts into their mouths. The one named Dai Ju even exhaled wisps of flame, roasting the pine nuts to improve their taste.
The nearby blue-black crow didn’t have much ability related to flames, so it could only envy and continue pecking at the raw pine nuts.
Lolan Hill approached and stroked the little guy’s head. Then, a gust of air rose from the ground, lifting some of the pine nuts into the air. Threads of green flames, like vines, spread and outlined in the air, scorching the pine nuts, evenly distributing heat into them. Some tightly closed pine cones cracked open, filling the courtyard with the scent of pine oil.
These roasted pine nuts then gathered again, falling onto the clean stone slabs in the courtyard.
“Eat them; they should taste much better this way,” Lolan Hill said, stroking the little blue-black feathered creature. She then sat on a green stone nearby, watching the two simple birds.
She realized she was quite hungry herself. Seeing the birds eating happily, she picked up some clean pine nuts, peeled them one by one, and blew away the brownish oil skin, letting the white, delicate pine nuts fall into her palm.
Leaning against the green stone in the courtyard, Lolan Hill looked up at the star-studded night sky, munching on the nutritious pine nuts, listening to the sounds of the night wind and insect chirps.
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In the following days, Lolan Hill mostly stayed in her courtyard and seldom went out.
First, she tidied and cleaned the courtyard, removing the accumulated dust and airing it out. Then, she bought daily necessities from Changwu Shop to fill the empty courtyard.
After cleaning the courtyard, Lolan Hill started studying the classics.
On a sunny afternoon, near the water pond in the courtyard.
Tall pines stood outside the walls, some extending into the courtyard. Lolan Hill lay on a bamboo recliner under the shade of the trees, flipping through the outer gate classics in her hands. The two birds perched on the pine branches, occasionally glancing down at the young lady and the distance before curling up their heads and closing their eyes for a nap.
Yellow pages turned gently, occasionally fluttering slightly with the breeze, making a rustling sound. The ink-black text was clear and tidy, narrating the origins of Huilu Continent and Xiangyu Sect.
Regardless of which organization or faction, the first part of their classics never discussed techniques but instead introduced their lineage and origins.
Huilu Continent originated in ancient times. It was said that at that time, a red flame giant and a winged dragon fought on the earth. When the flame giant died, its body collapsed here, its head turning into a roaring volcano, and its body becoming a flow of flames spreading into the various states and counties.
One of the most toxic and hot streams flowed into Huilu Continent, burning the green mountains and turning them into a sea of fire. The earth steamed, gradually becoming white-hot sand.
This situation persisted for a long time, and the term “Huilu” was not auspicious, representing fire disasters. The residents living around this area suffered greatly.
This situation continued until thousands of years ago when the Seven Phoenix True Flame Lord rolled up the thousand-layer waves of the South Sea, crossed countless mountains and rivers, like a river pouring down, extinguishing the Huilu fire and quelling the unquenchable wild fire. Afterward, this five-colored phoenix descended with yellow-brown seeds, and many mulberry trees grew here, absorbing the underground toxins, solidifying the soil, and opening up the dragon veins, allowing the energy of heaven and earth to flow, carrying away excess heat.
Thus, this place became habitable.
To this day, most of the land in this state still grows many mulberry trees. Their leaves do not wither after falling, remaining a tender yellow color. Some special and excellent individuals are called autumn-yellow mulberry trees, and local factions often cultivate them.
Several days ago, the ‘yellow-brown gauze robe’ given to Lolan Hill used a large amount of the bark fibers from these autumn-yellow mulberry trees. Besides being tough, they were also toxin-resistant and fireproof.
Although ordinary yellow mulberry trees were not used for extraordinary purposes, they had significant applications in other fields. Their inner bark fibers were long and soft, highly absorbent, making them excellent material for making mulberry paper.
The ‘Xiang’ in Xiangyu Sect meant writing and also referred to scrolls, originating from this very concept.
Due to the suitability for papermaking and the abundance of raw materials, Huilu Continent was once a place for printing and producing books. As a result, the number of scholars gradually increased. Later, the immortal Hong Chun chose this place to establish the sect due to these reasons.
The expansion of knowledge cannot be separated from books. With the production of various books, the fame of Huilu Continent and Xiangyu Sect gradually spread, becoming a prominent upper-class sect on the East Dragon Continent, enduring for a millennium. Even after several splits, its reputation did not decline.
The young lady slowly flipped through the yellow pages made of mulberry trees, imagining the distant and changing history in the book.
The afternoon wind blew through the pine forest, the branches swaying, and the two birds and one person immersed in the tranquil afternoon, with time blurring and blending into a kaleidoscope.
—
To be continued.