Chapter 24: The Spirit Tree of Red Peaches

Yiyun finally stirred from the trunk, waking in a haze. Upon seeing the scene—which looked like the aftermath of a massacre—she felt a wave of dizziness and nearly fainted again.

Jiang Yunyun looked at the righteous youth in white robes and said with deep gratitude: "Thank you, young master. I will surely repay your life-saving grace tenfold. I cannot offer my own life, as I have a young, helpless sister at home to care for, but my elder brother can offer his services to you! He is honest, diligent, good-natured, and fiercely loyal; he will not disappoint you."

She had realized that these two young men were likely from families even more prominent than the Jiang Mo family, so she seized the chance to recommend her brother. Following such influential figures would secure his future, sparing him from the daily grind of hunting for spirit stones just to make ends meet, which left him no time to cultivate.

The youth in white robes initially thought the girl was offering herself to him, only to be redirected to the young man beside her. The youth was spirited and sturdy—a fine fellow—though the white-robed youth felt a strange sense of disappointment. The other youth, dressed in dark gold immortal robes, had also assumed the girl was like others, trying to climb the social ladder by snagging a wealthy husband. He was surprised to find her trying to "sell" her brother to Gu Huaiying instead. It was certainly an unconventional approach, and he found it rather intriguing.

The brothers of Jiang Lin, hearing that their comrade's sister had such a golden opportunity and was thinking of her own kin, couldn't help but sigh at how wonderful it was to have such a thoughtful sister. Jiang Lin himself was so moved that his eyes grew misty. His sister, who had always wished to be "sold" to earn spirit stones for the family and spent her life daydreaming of riches, was now putting his interests first when faced with a real opportunity. He ruffled her small head. He wondered if his sister had never visited him in his past life because of this very moment.

The youth in white looked at the honest lad, who was thin but possessed a stout heart. Thinking of his courage and resourcefulness at such a young age—his cultivation likely reaching the peak of the Qi Refining stage—he saw a promising, grounded man of character and felt an urge to befriend him. He nimbly dismounted, cupped his hands, and said solemnly: "I am Gu Huaiying of the Gu family in Fengxian County. You are a man of true spirit, hero; your future is bound to be bright!"

The youth in dark gold robes, seeing his friend declare his identity and show such genuine intent to befriend the lad, took a closer look at the boy. The Gu family was a prestigious clan of a thousand years, and Gu Huaiying was the legitimate son of a high-ranking imperial military commander. While Gu Huaiying was chivalrous and kind, the heir to such an ancient clan would certainly not be blind to character. He, too, dismounted, saluted, and said sternly: "I am Pei Yuxi of the Pei family in Lanling Prefecture. May your path to the Great Dao be ever-lasting, hero!"

The boys from Qingmu Village had never left their home, let alone witnessed such a grand display, but they found this exchange of identities incredibly cool.

Jiang Haohao also thought it was cool. Her eyes shining, she babbled and chirped, "I am Jiang Haohao of the Jiang family!"

The two merchants, still bound and half-dead, watched the scene with bewilderment. *Wait, are you all planning to become blood brothers now?*

Jiang Lin, moved by the solemn respect shown to him by these two scholarly youths, felt his blood surge with passion. "I am Jiang Lin of the Jiang family in Qingmu Village. I pray that you, too, may find your path to the Great Dao, friends!"

Pei Yuxi looked at the earnest, slightly dazed lad and couldn't help but laugh; Gu Huaiying joined in. "Today, you carry the name of Qingmu Village; one day, Qingmu Village will take pride in you!"

Jiang Lin smiled, and as the sunlight hit the once-destitute youth, he felt, for the first time, a sense of openness and vitality.

Pei Yuxi, a member of the ancient Pei clan, laughed with a magnanimous air. "We were headed to the Wanfo Temple to pay our respects to Master Liaoran, but I think that can wait. Why don't we find a place to drink to our hearts' content instead?"

Jiang Yunyun watched the back-and-forth between her brother and the two youths, confused by the turn of events. She grew anxious, wondering if the young master had actually agreed to the arrangement.

Suddenly, a large group of horses and carriages arrived—the bodyguards of the Gu and Pei families. Seeing their young masters, they rushed forward. "Young masters, you've gone the wrong way! Wanfo Temple isn't in this direction!"

"It doesn't matter. We're in high spirits today; we're heading back to the county seat for drinks!"

The group rode off into the sunset, full of joy. The local ruffians, having ridden horses for the first time, looked smug—though they had been hoisted onto the saddles, and they had originally intended to rob the travelers, but let's just gloss over that!

In the woods, the four bandits, seeing the large entourage of guards, dared not emerge to seek death. However, seeing the boy who had saved his sister look back at them, the leader smiled wickedly and raised his middle finger in the air. Jiang Lin saw the hostility and shouted back at the woods: "I am Jiang Chentian of the Jiang family in Guangning County!"

***

Song Liyao ventured out alone with her spirit sword. The small secret realm she had visited earlier had been picked clean by local cultivators, so she had to search other, larger forests, hoping to encounter another dragon.

She was now at the middle stage of the Golden Core realm, and these hills were a trifle to her. Gradually, she reached a remote village outside the city, overshadowed by the Wanfo Temple. She had always wanted to visit the temple to pray for her family’s protection, but she had never gone. Prayer required incense money, and she was too poor to afford it. *The Buddha does not save the poor; the poor must save themselves.*

Having never been to the temple, she lost her way. After flying for a long distance, she stumbled upon four bandits holding sharp blades, whispering to one another.

"Boss, why did you call those snot-nosed brats over?"

"Hmph, Er Mazi, I told you to eat more brains to nourish your own. They’re here to be our scapegoats, of course!"

"The boss is brilliant!"

A one-eyed man frowned. "But something's still not right. If they were really that valuable, why would Master Bao tell us about them?"

"There's definitely a trap, but the higher the waves, the more valuable the fish!"

Song Liyao dared not move. These were fierce bandits; if you encountered them, they would hound you until you died. They were known for their extreme vindictiveness. Perhaps because her cultivation had stagnated for years, even as a Foundation Establishment cultivator, her instinct was to hide and run.

As she fled, she spotted a spirit tree laden with plump red peaches. It caught her eye, and knowing her children loved them, she stopped to uproot the tree and hurried home. But when she arrived, she found her children were not there, and even Tuanzi's bamboo basket was missing.

She rushed to ask Yiyun’s mother, but was told that Yiyun was gone too. Apparently, the two girls had run off to follow the peddler and hadn't returned. She wondered if they had simply lost track of time while playing.