Divine Wood Part 2

Wu Xingxue asked again: "Are you guarding an object, or a place?"

"Who made you guard it?"

"And..."

'Could Xiao Fuxuan be there...?'

The innkeeper struggled to open his mouth again.

Perhaps, over the years, he had rambled the same words to many people, but those who heard him were either frightened or wary, and no one ever thought deeply about it.

Now, he had finally met someone who asked this question, so he had to say one more thing, no matter what.

The innkeeper's voice was extremely hoarse as he spoke with difficulty, asking Wu Xingxue a question: "Do you know... why this place is called... Fallen Flower Terrace..."

Wu Xingxue froze, and a sentence flashed through his mind:

'Do you know why that place is called Fallen Flower Terrace?'

***

It was a long night in the Immortal Capital.

Wu Xingxue, still the Spirit King back then, had finished his business and returned to Zuo Chunfeng. After dismissing two chattering Little Attendants, he took a pot of fine Jade Nectar and climbed onto the high jade eaves of the Yao Palace.

White mist floated around the eaves. He leaned against it with one leg propped up, as if sitting on the edge of a drifting cloud.

He drank three cups of wine and felt a lazy drowsiness creep over him. He lay back, pillowing his head on his elbow, and casually covered his face with the mask he always wore.

But not long after, he heard a sound from the jade eaves, as if someone else had also come up.

Footsteps approached from the other end of the jade eaves and stopped beside him.

After a moment, his mask was lifted slightly. Not all the way, just a corner raised from his chin.

Then, Xiao Fuxuan's voice sounded in the night: "You drank my wine."

The upper half of Wu Xingxue's face was still hidden by the mask. He couldn't be bothered to move, nor did he open his eyes, simply replying in a soft, slow voice: "You're being utterly unreasonable. I have three pots of this Jade Nectar. Two are my own, and one was swiped from you. How do you know which pot I drank from?"

Xiao Fuxuan replied: "I can tell by the smell."

The night wind of the Immortal Capital tickled his ears, and the mask was also a bit bothersome. Wu Xingxue narrowed his eyes.

He propped himself up, took off the mask, and handed the wine pot to the person beside him: "Here, it's yours."

Xiao Fuxuan didn't take it, saying: "Return a full pot to me next time."

Wu Xingxue shot him a sidelong glance and tapped the jade eaves with a bent finger. The two Little Attendants came scurrying out from the room, stood beneath the eaves, and looked up, calling: "My lord, what are your orders?"

Wu Xingxue said to them: "Bring me another pot of Jade Nectar. Tianxiu wants me to return it to him."

The two Little Attendants tucked their hands in their sleeves, turned their eyes to Xiao Fuxuan in unison, and, having perfectly inherited their master's ways, said: "The great Tianxiu, so petty."

Wu Xingxue leaned on his propped-up leg and laughed.

Xiao Fuxuan looked down at the two little ones and said nonchalantly: "If I were any more generous, my Nanchuang Xia would be completely emptied."

...

The Little Attendants were in the wrong and couldn't retort, so they ran off.

Working on the principle that returning half a pot still counted as returning it, Wu Xingxue insisted on pouring three cups for Xiao Fuxuan as well.

After Xiao Fuxuan finished drinking, he saw Wu Xingxue pointing to a mountainous area in the Mortal Realm below the Immortal Capital, saying: "It looks like the lanterns are lit at Fallen Flower Terrace. Is it the third day of the third month today?"

Xiao Fuxuan: "You mean the mortal calendar?"

Wu Xingxue said, "Yes, it should be. That Mountain Market lights its lanterns and opens on the third day of the third month. It's very lively. I go take a look occasionally when I happen upon it."

Xiao Fuxuan looked at the faintly visible lights in the direction the Spirit King was pointing. He had some impression of that place; he had once wandered into those mountains by chance, but it wasn't the right season, so he didn't see the Mountain Market.

Wu Xingxue watched for a while and said: "Do you know why that place is called Fallen Flower Terrace?"

Xiao Fuxuan turned to look at him: "...Why?"

Wu Xingxue said: "A long time ago, there was a Divine Wood there, even older than Lingtai. The ground where it grew was covered in Jade Essence, and when its blossoms fell, they stretched for twelve miles, which is why it's called Fallen Flower Terrace. There's still some Jade Essence left there now."

Many Immortals had heard rumors about the Divine Wood, but they knew very little. Some rumors claimed the Divine Wood could bring the dead back to life, while others said that was false. The one consistent rumor was that after Lingtai appeared, the Divine Wood ceased to exist, as if it had never been there.

Later generations would often wonder why a place with few flowers or trees, which later became famous for its Mountain Market, would be called "Fallen Flower Terrace".

Xiao Fuxuan glanced at Wu Xingxue and asked: "Then how did you learn the origin of Fallen Flower Terrace?"

Wu Xingxue said: "I was originally born there."

***

Because of the innkeeper's words, Wu Xingxue recalled some fragmented memories about Fallen Flower Terrace. He then connected this to the new Jade Essence that had suddenly appeared in the inn's backyard...

He instantly knew what was being guarded here, and also knew where Xiao Fuxuan was.

Perhaps that Divine Wood had not truly ceased to exist, but was simply sealed away by the Lingtai Heavenly Dao for some reason.

He didn't know how Xiao Fuxuan had been taken in, only that to get in now, he would have to find the entrance to that Forbidden Land.

Wu Xingxue's eyes shot up as he asked the innkeeper: "Where is the stone crevice that grew the Jade Branch?"

Since the Jade Essence follows the Divine Wood, then focusing on that new Jade Branch couldn't be wrong.

The innkeeper said dryly: "In the courtyard."

This inn's courtyard was also built against the mountain, divided into three tiers, forming a semi-circle that wrapped around the entire inn.

The first tier had a well and a canopy, surrounded by piled stones. The other two tiers were planted with some auspicious trees, with more stones piled beneath them.

The huge courtyard was full of rocks and stone slabs, and there were crevices everywhere.

But he had to find the exact location. After all, if a forbidden place didn't want to be discovered, its entrance certainly wouldn't be large.

Wu Xingxue swept his gaze around and asked the innkeeper: "Which crevice?"

The innkeeper pointed to the left. Wu Xingxue glanced in the direction he pointed, then turned and walked away decisively, heading in the complete opposite direction.

Innkeeper: "..."

Since it's a forbidden place, and the innkeeper is under a restriction, not allowed to say anything, the place he pointed to must be fake.

For a false location, it would naturally be as far away from the real location as possible. So, although the innkeeper couldn't say it directly, Wu Xingxue could deduce the truth.

He walked a short distance and asked the innkeeper again.

This time, the innkeeper paused for a moment before pointing to the southeast.

He had thought the other man would head towards the northwest, but this time, Wu Xingxue believed him again. He walked straight towards the southeast, exactly where he had pointed.

Innkeeper: "..."

After several rounds of this, the innkeeper was at his wit's end, but Wu Xingxue had pinpointed the location with great accuracy.

Finally, he stood beside an extremely inconspicuous pile of stones.

It looked like rocks that had crumbled off the courtyard wall from constant exposure to wind and rain, just piled messily in a corner. It was untended, so it was covered in moss, with almost no gaps visible.

Wu Xingxue reached out and touched the broken section of the wall, then turned to ask the Feng Clan disciples: "Everyone, can you open a hole out of thin air? A quiet one."

The Feng Clan disciples looked at each other. They still seemed to be in a daze from the shock that the disappeared person was Xiao Fuxuan, somewhat absent-minded.

Especially the young woman in the lead. She was holding a few Soul-Seeking Talismans, but before she could even write Xiao Fuxuan's name, they were no longer needed.

She heard Wu Xingxue's question and was stunned for a moment before she reacted, saying: "We can try, but what if we can't open it?"

Wu Xingxue looked at them and said: "Then my only option is to make as big of a commotion as possible."

He might as well go all out, affect the illusion until it was on the verge of collapsing. At that point, the relatively hard and stable areas would be the most suspicious.

The more Wu Xingxue thought about it, the more feasible this method seemed, and he was about to act on it.

In that instant, thick clouds suddenly surged in the high night sky of Fallen Flower Mountain Market. Lightning flashed and thunder roared. Even the half-collapsed courtyard wall began to tremble violently, like teeth chattering uncontrollably in the extreme cold.

Wu Xingxue's fingers, pale as ice, had already curled.

He channeled all his Qi, about to unleash it in a wild surge, when he felt a hand reach out from the mountain mist and grasp his.

He said, stunned: "Xiao Fuxuan?"

The next moment, his curled, tense fingers relaxed.

A thick fog rushed to his face—he was pulled into the Forbidden Land by that hand.