Five-year-old Fuguang learned for the first time that raising orchids was such a troublesome thing.
In order to cultivate this orchid well, he searched through the Fuguang Palace’s library, finding all the books related to orchid cultivation.
Fuguang Mountain was cold, so he carried the flowerpot to his bed and used his spiritual energy to warm it every day. It needed sunlight, so he carried it to the highest peak of Fuguang Mountain every day to find sunlight. There were no rotten leaves on the mountain, so he could only crush the spiritual herbs sent by the sects and mix them into the soil little by little.
If he watered it too much, it would droop its leaves listlessly. If he watered it too little, its leaves would start to curl and turn yellow. If he didn’t water it at all, it would die on him. Later, he learned to collect moon essence and to fish for moonfish in the moonlight. He buried the moonfish in its flowerpot and watered its leaves with moon essence. Day after day, it finally grew new leaves.
But he never found it annoying, because it would shake its leaves while he was reading and writing, and it would light up with tiny points of fluorescence in the cold, dark nights.
Although it always had yellow leaves and curled edges, it still tried hard to turn green again.
It and he were the only living creatures on the entire Fuguang Mountain.
Although the time spent on Fuguang Mountain was long, it was not so difficult to endure with it by his side.
He didn’t know when it had disappeared. He had simply woken up to find the flowerpot empty. He searched every corner of Fuguang Mountain, even checking every puppet, but he could not find it anywhere. It was lost.
He still fished for moonfish on the nights of the full moon, collecting moon essence. The number of dried moonfish increased, and he had also collected many bottles of moon essence. However, he did not know who else he could give these things to.
Time seemed to pass more and more slowly. He had a dream, in which it cried and made a fuss, asking him to find her.
He wanted to go out and have a look. In his dream, he had promised to go find it.
Immortal Lord Fuguang could not leave Fuguang Mountain, but his heart could.
For him, who was eroded by spiritual energy day after day, gouging out his heart was not painful. He had long been accustomed to such pain.
He then walked every inch of the ten major sects and visited many cities, but he could not find any trace of her.
Passing by a mountain forest, he rescued a hunter who had fallen into a trap and sent him home.
“Young master are you also going to Wenxian City to seek an immortal opportunity?” The hunter said, “Wenxian City has been bustling these past few days. With your bearing, young master, you will definitely be able to embark on the path of immortal cultivation.”
He was carrying the smoked meat and dried vegetables that the hunter had given him. “Wenxian City… are there many people?”
He hadn’t spoken to anyone in a long time, so even opening his mouth to talk to someone felt a bit awkward.
“Yes, many people. I heard from the village chief that all the cultivation sects in the world are there.”
With the hunter’s endless gratitude, he carried the jerky and smoked meat and slowly walked towards Wenxian City.
Before returning to Fuguang Mountain, let’s go and take another look.
“Young master, although you are a descendant of a hero, with your aptitude, you are not suited to remain in my humble sect to cultivate.”
Passersby came and went in a hurry, no one paid any attention to him. No matter how bustling the city was, it had nothing to do with him.
“Young master, please stay. I see that you have some affinity with our humble sect.”
As he was about to leave, someone called out to him.
“My humble surname is Mo, and I am an Elder of Wangshu Pavilion. May I inquire as to your esteemed name, young master?”
“I… This junior is called Zhi You.” He turned his head to look at the old man. “The Zhi You of flourishing and abundance.”
“Zhi You, is my true form really that good-looking?” Jiu Hui looked at the glowing garlic chive that Zhi You was drawing, propping her chin up with her hands, somewhat in disbelief.
“It’s very beautiful.” Zhi You hung up the painting and looked back at Jiu Hui with a smile. “There’s no garlic chive more beautiful than you.”
“But someone used to think I was an orchid.” Jiu Hui crossed her arms over her chest. “Now, no matter how much you praise me, it’s useless.”
Zhi You lowered his eyelids. “It’s my fault. I read a few books and thought I knew everything. If only I had more experience in raising flowers.”
Fuguang Mountain was covered with snow all year round, and not even a single living creature could be seen. It wasn’t his fault that he couldn’t tell the difference between garlic chives and orchids…
Jiu Hui reached out and pulled him in front of her. “Alright, I was just kidding with you.”
Zhi You looked at her pitifully, like an innocent puppy.
“This is for you.” Jiu Hui placed a Cloud Crane Ruyi* hairpin in his hand.
TN: roughly meaning having one’s wishes fulfilled
“This is?“carpreads.pages.dev
“This hairpin and my Ruyi hairpin were made from the same piece of jade. Now, it belongs to you.” Jiu Hui pulled him to sit in front of the bronze mirror, took off the jade hairpin from his head, and replaced it with the Ruyi hairpin she had prepared. “Life is full of disappointments, but I hope you will have more wishes fulfilled and less sorrow in the future.”
Zhi You held Jiu Hui’s hand. Under the warm candlelight, he saw himself smiling foolishly in the bronze mirror.
When he was lost, he met her. When he was lonely, she was there for him. When he doubted there was a way forward, he met her again.
He was already very satisfied.
“Zhi You, Little Jiu, the bonfire is lit. Come out and dance.” Grandpa Long’s voice came from outside the courtyard. “Everyone is here, just waiting for you two.”
“They’re here!”
The two turned into a beam of light and followed Grandpa Long to the foot of Nushen Mountain.
Under the moonlight, a huge bonfire was burning, and the treetops were hung with lanterns of various colors, each lantern representing a yao cultivator.
“The Little Overlord and her future zhuixu have arrived.”
Jiu Hui pretended not to hear the little yaos’ words. She took out a garlic chive lantern from her storage ring and turned to look at Zhi You. “Where’s your lantern?”
Under Jiu Hui’s curious gaze, a strangely shaped lantern appeared in Zhi You’s hand. Jiu Hui stared at it for a few moments. “Is this… a flowerpot?”
Zhi You smiled and said, “Yes.”
Jiu Hui was stunned for a moment, then she laughed out loud and grabbed his hand, saying, “Let’s go find a good spot to hang them together.”
Along the way, Zhi You saw many styles of lanterns, some shaped like dragons, birds, fish, and trees, illuminating the dark night with a dazzling array of colors.
“Every ten years, the yaos organize a bonfire party, and all the yaos of Nushen Mountain will attend.” Jiu Hui stopped in her tracks and looked back at the path they had come from, which was illuminated by countless lanterns. “On this night, no matter what conflicts there are, there can be no quarrels.”
“When I was a child, I didn’t understand why we held this bonfire party. Now I finally get it.” Jiu Hui hung the lantern on the treetop, a faint smile on her lips. “Nushen Mountain has protected the yaos for many years. Every additional lantern represents another member of the yao clan. This is the yao clan’s way of expressing their gratitude to Nushen Mountain.”
Zhi You walked to Jiu Hui’s side and hung the lantern representing him below Jiu Hui’s lantern. When the wind blew, the garlic chive flower and the flowerpot leaned against each other, dancing together in the night wind.
In an instant, the mountain echoed with the roars of beasts and the cries of birds. Jiu Hui grabbed his hand and lifted her skirt, hurriedly running down the mountain. “The evening party has begun!”
The lights were dazzling. Zhi You followed behind Jiu Hui, and together they surged into the crowd.
“Young Master Jiu, come dance.”
Jiu Hui was squeezed into the middle by the little yaos, but she didn’t hesitate and danced with the young masters.
“Young Master Jiu is dancing, how can her future zhuixu just stand by and watch?”
“Yes, yes, yes, Young Master Zhi, you should go too!”
The little yaos who were afraid of Jiu Hui and Zhi You on a normal day were much bolder tonight. They pushed Zhi You into the middle of the young masters and laughed out loud as they watched him clumsily follow along, clapping his hands, twisting his waist, and kicking his legs.
“Don’t laugh, don’t laugh.” Jiu Hui spun around and came to Zhi You’s side. She held his hand and said to the yaos, “My Zhi You is attending our yao campfire party for the first time. I’ll teach him how to dance.”
These words made the little yaos laugh and make even more noise.
“I told you our y_ao_ clan has many handsome men, but the young master only favors Young Master Zhi.”
“The young master and Young Master Zhi You are a match made in heaven. We monsters, yaos, and demons can only watch the show.”
Jiu Hui put her hands on her hips and said, “He’s my zhuixu. If I don’t spoil him, who should I spoil?”
Amidst the laughter of the little yaos, Zhi You retrieved a qin from his storage ring. “Although I cannot dance, I can play a few melodies. Allow me to accompany you with my qin.”
“Okay, play something lively and cheerful.”
“Alright.” Zhi You sat down on the ground and lightly plucked the strings of his qin, and a cheerful melody spread to the ears of all the yaos present.
“Good!”
Some yaos sang ditties at the top of their lungs, while others drank and danced to the music, their hips swaying. Beyond the crimson bonfire, every yao wore a smile of joy.
-—–
“The bonfire party on Nushen Mountain is getting livelier.” The village chief looked at the children dancing around the bonfire, a kind smile on his face.
“Bring more wine.” Grandpa Long sat cross-legged at the stone table, his index finger tapping the table lightly in time with the music. “Zhi You is becoming more and more like these children from Nushen Mountain.”
“They’re just children after all.” The village chief grabbed a handful of spirit fruits and gave them to the little yaos beside him. “Children should laugh happily, play freely, and do whatever they want.”
They saw Jiu Hui squeeze next to Zhi You and play a tune with him. The originally pleasant and melodious tune became a bit more lively.
Zhi You, who had been disrupted by her, not only didn’t get angry, but instead laughed even more happily, and even cooperated with Jiu Hui to fool around.
A yao came to block Jiu Hui, and the two of them ran off while holding hands and hugging the qin. While running, Zhi You didn’t forget to hand the qin to Jiu Hui, letting her strum it a few times, which attracted more little yaos to chase after them.
“Cough.” Grandpa Long silently shifted his gaze away.
Zhi You was such a good kid, but in the end, he was corrupted by that little garlic chive.
But under the candlelight, Zhi You laughed so freely and happily, as if he had already obtained everything in the world.
In the corner, Yu Li of the koi clan was jumping up and down, cheering for Jiu Hui. Bai Yan held up his wine cup and watched Jiu Hui and Zhi You holding hands, a faint smile on his face.
Kong Cangnan crossed his arms over his chest and turned his head away from the lively crowd. In the end, he couldn’t bear the awful sound of the qin any longer and joined the crowd chasing after Jiu Hui and Zhi You.
The bonfire party didn’t end until dawn, and Zhi You and Jiu Hui walked home hand in hand.
As the morning sun rose, it illuminated the entire Nushen Mountain. Jiu Hui led Zhi You onto the path he had taken when he first entered the village.
“How should we word the invitations to the yaos for our wedding ceremony?”
Zhi You stopped in his tracks and handed the invitation hidden in his arms to Jiu Hui. “Is it okay to write it like this?”
“Knowing her, I will never be alone. Heaven and earth may end, but this love will never die.”
“With the vow of eternity, I ask the Heavenly Dao to witness.”
“The light wine is prepared, and we look forward to your visit.”
[Full Text End]
Author Note:
Little Garlic Chive, Zhi You: Wish you all happiness in the new year, all the dark clouds will disappear, everything will go smoothly, and everything will be perfect.
After thinking about it for a long time, let’s end the story of Little Garlic Chive and Zhi Youyou with this invitation. From then on, they lived happily ever after in Shanghuang Village and Wangshu Pavilion~
Before writing this story, something very sad happened, and I was unable to write normally for a long time. I am very grateful to every reader for your companionship and support. I wish all readers and friends good health, all the best, happiness and worry-free life. If we are destined, we will see you in the next book~
2024/02/07
carp: and that’s a wrap, folks! Thanks for reading along. If you can, leave a rating/review on NU for future readers! I do not know what happened with the author previously but I’m glad things appear to be better. And at the risk of sounding like a broken record, please support the original work 在下平平无奇 on JJWXC (here’s how ). Buy on the app, it’s much cheaper! Just 1,161 points, roughly $2 USD, very cheap for a half-a-million characters story~