Xui died quietly within the afternoon.

Your complete nation was in shock. Despite the fact that information had lengthy since unfold that the Empress was sick, nobody actually believed she’d die. The Emperor and Empress had been counted immortals, and that immortality made the individuals really feel their nation was higher than others. So not solely have been residents unhappy, they have been additionally uneasy… their Immortal Empress had died. What did it imply? However they’d by no means get the reply they have been on the lookout for and, with time, the query light from their minds as new issues distracted them.

As for Shu Fu Jing, he grieved deeply for the loss of life of his beloved fairy spouse. Although he continued on because the Emperor even after she’d died, he misplaced his zeal for all times and solely labored to distract himself. His sorrow made him numb and it was as if his coronary heart wilted. In some ways he grew to become chilly, mechanical, and ruthless.

Xui’s spirit didn’t dissipate into the void, however floated aimlessly for fairly a while within the Palace, weak and mindless. She was formed appreciated an invisible cloud. Neither her husband or son might see or really feel her. All the pieces about herself, she’d forgotten.

There have been no emotions of remorse or sorrow as a result of there have been no ideas to connect such emotions to. The dissipated spirit she had turn out to be simply had a deep sense of tiredness and needing to discover a place to relaxation.

The primary fairy Xui created, merely named Fa, was nonetheless awake. He adopted Crown Prince Shu Lan Jing round, quietly ready for an order. Sadly, Lan had stopped believing in fairies, so he by no means observed him regardless of nonetheless having the ability to see him.

Lan had turn out to be the Crown Prince the nation so desperately desired, and in so doing ignored his Mom’s earnest remaining try and get him to imagine in fairies. He didn’t even imagine half of the letter his Mom had written, seeing it because the unhappy ramblings of a sick and confused lady on her deathbed.

After all he did not present his Father that letter, and as a substitute tucked it away. The one time Jing appeared regular was when he talked to Lan. If his Father knew of the issues his beloved Imperial Mom had written… he may break. And the nation could not afford a damaged Emperor simply then.

Fairy Fa noticed Xui’s shapeless kind by likelihood someday and, for the primary time, did one thing of his personal initiative. He approached the spirit cloud generally known as Xui. Maybe as a result of they have been made from the identical stuff, Xui was interested in the fairy and adopted him with out a lot prompting.

The fairy introduced Xui to the farthest finish of the Imperial Palace. There was a large tree there. It was out-of-season, so there have been no flowers on it. However when it was in bloom, the flowers have been blue. Regardless of it is magnificence, few knew about it, due it being off the overwhelmed path.

Xui felt a direct attraction to it, and to the encircling space by proxy. She felt snug there, although she didn’t even know to ask why. Her spirit appeared to sigh in reduction and descended into the bottom, resting there in peace.

After some time Lan occurred upon the tree once more. The story of his Mom’s tree present was well-known and he remembered it. Pondering it could assist his Father, he dragged Jing to it one evening when it was in full bloom and gave him a prodigious quantity of alcohol to loosen the person’s now chronically stony exterior. They each acquired extraordinarily drunk. And for just a bit bit, they have been their outdated selves once more: loud and bickering endlessly.

The expertise was good for each of them, in order that they made it behavior throughout the spring when the tree was in bloom. Yearly, for a few years, they’d each sit beneath the moonlight, with the scent of the tree flowers hovering over them, and drink outrageous quantities of excessive finish liquor and argue noisily. Throughout that point they could not be stated to be glad, however they have been on the very least content material.

Then, one 12 months, Jing didn’t come. Neither did Jing come the next years after that. The tree was unhappy, although it didn’t know why. That it even observed individuals in any respect sufficient to overlook anybody was past it is understanding. It is flowers not glowed, and it is blooming season shortened.

Lan nonetheless got here. First in frustration and anger, then grief, after which in quiet contemplation. Lan by no means introduced anybody with him when he drank beneath the blossoms throughout the spring and he hardly ever talked. This upset the tree. The tree thought it could be good if Lan talked extra about himself, although it did not know why.

Emperor Shu Lan Jing grew outdated however did not age. And as he grew older, his human look started to fad and was changed with one thing… otherworldly. It was as if his fairy spirit grew to become stronger than his human physique. He grew to become very lovely to take a look at and intensely highly effective. Like his dad and mom earlier than him, he was thought of an Immortal, and was each cherished and feared by his individuals.

The tree appreciated Lan. It could not bear in mind why, however it knew Lan was essential to it. So it all the time waited and bloomed only for him. It couldn’t glow, however it could all the time bloom for Lan. For a protracted whereas, that was the routine for the tree: look forward to vital man to come back and bloom vigorously.

The tree thought it is blossoms matched particularly properly with Lan’s now ridiculously good-looking face. Typically Lan would complain about discovering flower petals in locations they need to not have been, which amused the tree endlessly too. Despite the fact that it was a tree, humor and sweetness was nonetheless essential to it.

Hm? What was magnificence? What was humor? It counted Lan as lovely and humorous, however why? Despite the fact that it was very gradual, such questions started to crop up many times within the bushes thoughts.

After which someday the tree remembered one thing vital: It had walked as soon as and it had come from very distant. This place was not it is dwelling. What was “dwelling” anyway? Hadn’t it all the time lived in a backyard, even when it wasn’t this one significantly? However regardless of how onerous it tried, it couldn’t recall.

The tree grew very outdated and really giant. The Palace Backyard it’d initially been planted in had lengthy since disappeared again into the bottom. The Palace itself was however rubble and dust. The tree did not significantly thoughts, because the Palace had turn out to be ugly in it is outdated age and the tree disliked ugly issues.

The actual drawback was that Lan had stopped visiting. It knew Lan was on the market someplace, although the way it knew it couldn’t clarify. It was simply that the younger man not got here to see it. For the primary time, the tree felt genuinely alone and it stopped blooming in it is disappointment.

Extra time handed like that. The tree felt the air, breathed within the solar, drank up the earth, all of the whereas questioning concerning the world and itself. Questions started to stand up in it is thoughts always: What occurred to the Palace? Why had individuals let all the pieces get so ugly? Why did it even care if issues have been ugly? The place did all of the individuals go? Was it regular for a tree to marvel these items? Was it regular for a tree to assume in any respect? Why was it considering anyway?

However regardless of what number of questions it requested, there was nobody to reply.

Then, someday, an individual appeared. Not solely that, the individual got here proper as much as the tree to look at it, a lot to the tree’s delight. Nobody had visited it particularly in a really very long time!

And what a wierd customer had come calling! Why, this customer was someway extra lovely than Lan, and Lan had been shockingly beautiful. And the place this customer walked, grass grew vibrant and inexperienced, even flowering! The tree had by no means seen something like that. It might really feel the encircling vegetation virtually quiver in delight on the sudden publicity to such pure, unadulterated religious power.

“So it is true. You actually have been right here this complete time.” Mentioned the customer after scrutinizing it from the highest of it is leaf to the underside of it is trunk. The tree realized the customer was, in actual fact, a person.

Was that actually alright, to be that lovely and be a person? The Tree thought, specializing in the improper factor fully. Why, this customer was so superb wanting, that even the tree’s finest blooming season would not match him. He was actually higher wanting than a flower, and that simply could not be proper!

The gorgeous man out of the blue reached out and touched the tree’s trunk. It is complete physique shuddered because it was crammed together with his divine power. If it might have, it could have shied away, as such bottomless energy was intimidating. But it surely was a tree and it could not transfer, so it might solely complain bitterly to itself concerning the customer being so inconsiderate.

Despite the fact that it was overwhelming, the person stored pushing extra of that heavenly energy into the tree. Increasingly more he poured in and the tree puzzled if the person was making an attempt to drown it by way of power over-saturation.

After all that may tough to do, if that was his purpose, for the tree was outdated and it is spirit was a lot older nonetheless. It will take a really very long time for the person to come back even near filling up the spirit contained in the tree. It was solely a husk of it is former self and to be correctly revived would require a mountain of power. Or only a mountain.

Oh. However how did the tree know that?

As the person poured his power into the tree, hazy ideas and emotions started to sharpen. Recollections and information lengthy misplaced returned in a jumble, making the tree really feel dizzy. It wished the person would let go, would let it set up itself a bit, an excessive amount of was occurring all of sudden!

However the customer wouldn’t let go, wouldn’t cease. Not even because the final leaf and the final tip of the final root was drenched in his religious power. Nonetheless he stored going.

After which a really curious factor occurred: The tree’s kind modified.

It had lastly remembered who it actually was and with that reminiscence a picture of what it ought to appear like appeared in it is thoughts. It is physique, now overflowing with extra energy, instinctively shifted to the shape the tree was most conversant in: a human lady with lengthy black hair, pale white pores and skin, and sharp brown eyes.

Solely when it was totally fashioned into the girl, did the person launch his grip.

The not too long ago reworked lady lifted up a hand to the sky in wonderment. She was bare and sitting within the vibrant inexperienced grass, her hair draping over her physique like a black waterfall. She did not notice it, however her magnificence now rivaled that of the customer who’d rudely stuffed her with divine energy.

After a number of minutes of amazement at having a human physique once more, the tree spirit remembered that another person was there. He was presently stroking her hair and appeared immensely happy with himself.

Trying up at him, she smiled politely and eliminated his wandering hand from her head. Rearranging herself to sit down in a extra swish place, she launched herself with a bow, “Thanks on your assist. I have been caught in that tree for a really very long time. I’ve passed by different names previously however since I rely you my savior, chances are you’ll name me Xui.”

“I do know.” He replied.

She blinked. “You do? I urge your pardon, however have we met someplace earlier than?”

“Do you not acknowledge me?”

Xui seemed carefully at his face once more. Now that she had eyes and a transparent thoughts, he did certainly look acquainted to her.

“I do really feel as if I’ve seen you earlier than someplace however…”

He impudently put his hand again on her head, “Come again to the Blue Flower Mountains, to your rightful dwelling, Xuiying.”

“What?” Xui frowned, questioning if she ought to slap his hand. They actually should know one another, for him to know that she got here from the mountain and act so acquainted apart from. “I am unable to. My Brother will kill everybody if I do.”

“It is alright. Your Brother is now correctly repentant for his actions. He will not undergo together with his risk.”

“Oh? However as a spirit he cannot—”

“His path was not so completely different from yours.”

This gave her pause. She thought for a second and checked out him in disbelief. “You imply to say he turned himself human!?”

“Sure, precisely.”

She burst out laughing, “Goodness! All these years of being cussed and he did the identical factor as I did in the long run! We actually are associated!”

The person chuckled. “You’re very alike in that sense.”

Xui stared at him for a protracted second. When he laughed, he seemed much more like somebody she knew. It vexed her that she couldn’t place his face. Normally she was good at remembering individuals.

“Are you Little Lan?” She lastly requested. Lan had been along with her the longest and this man did resemble him, although very distantly.

The person’s physique went inflexible in anger whereas he pointed at her accusingly, “You—— how dare you assume I am that little rascal! How dare you mistake me for him! Did he spend a life time wandering the earth in sorrow for you? Did he undergo trials and tribulations for you? Did he dwell a thousand years and ascend to the heavens to plead your case earlier than the Jade Emperor? Did he study beneath the Goddess Nuwa to search out your treatment? Do not assume since you’ve been caught in a tree for millennium, I am letting you get away with that! If I’ve to take you proper right here to make you bear in mind, Xui, I am going to do it!”

Xui’s eyes widened. It had been a very long time since she’d been lectured with such unbridled ardour. The way in which he frowned, that pointing determine, the tone of voice, and even how he’d persistently touched her hair… it might solely be one individual!

“Jing!” She cried out in joyous recognition as she jumped up and kissed him soundly.

He blinked after which smiled, wrapping his arms round her new, divine kind.

As he kissed her again, she glowed.