Chapter 30 - Something Fishy in the Zhou Family
She raised her little chin, pleased. That strange, witty look of hers made Ye Chenyuan want to hug her to his chest and keep anyone else from seeing her cuteness. He didn’t give a thought before saying, “Master is good at everything.”
Satisfied, Yuan Chu instantly changed into some more suitable clothes, a white one with gold lining and flame colored pattern. He realized Yuan Chu really liked wearing bright clothes. Wearing them, she looked both noble and adorable. Nothing could suit her more.
“Done! Let’s go!” Yuan Chu took out the birthday gift they had prepared in advance and walked through the grand doors of the Zhou family.
Having long known that someone from Myriad Sword Sect would come for the next day’s birthday feast, and a Nascent Soul at that, the head of the Zhou family, Zhou Ji, was already respectfully awaiting them. His eyes lit up at the sight of Yuan Chu, and seeing the identification tile on her waist, Zhou Ji’s smile widened. He walked over to welcome them.
“Honored sir is too polite. You’ve had a long trip. I am the current head of the Zhou family, Zhou Ji. Our ancestor sent me to await you. We’ve prepared good food and drink for honored sir’s welcoming dinner!”
Although Yuan Chu’s appearance was a bit unexpected, what strange people did the cultivation world not have? Maybe when she was reconstructing her golden body, she had wanted to look like a little girl? To comment on a Nascent Soul, wasn’t that just a way to throw away your life?
Yuan Chu was very satisfied to have been personally welcomed by the head of the Zhou family. This was the benefit of being strong. There were few Nascent Souls in the Heavenly Continent. No matter where she went, she would be treated as a guest of honor. Grinning, she said, “Thank you for your troubles! Why don’t you take me to see Dao Friend Zhou.”
“Yes, this way please.”
Zhou Ji relaxed seeing how amiable Yuan Chu was. He hurried ahead to lead the way. Together, Yuan Chu and Ye Chenyuan walked into the exquisite, painting-like courtyard.
The spiritual plants nearby were covered in a thin layer of moisture. A light fog floated around, making the courtyard seem like a small paradise. It was an entirely different world compared to the front courtyard’s bright lanterns and banners.
“Master.” Ye Chenyuan suddenly tugged on Yuan Chu’s sleeve. He whispered, “Venerable Li said there’s something strange about this place.”
Strange? Yuan Chu froze for a moment. She had come to offer birthday congratulations under the orders of the sect master and hadn’t given it a second thought. But that old guy Venerable Li, if he said something was fishy, then there was definitely something fishy. Thus, Yuan Chu immediately raised her guard.
Not long after, she met the focus of the birthday celebration, Zhou Daofu, the Zhou family’s ancestor.
Zhou Ji bowed in greeting. “Ancestor, the Nascent Soul honored sir of Myriad Sword Sect’s Frost Sword Peak has come. Grandson will withdraw first as you talk.”
Old and gray-haired, the elderly-looking Zhou Daofu waved his hand. Once he saw Yuan Chu, he startled in surprise. Benignly, he used his cultivation, which was higher than Yuan Chu’s, to sense the age of her bones. It seemed… very small!
He had long heard that Myriad Sword Sect had the only successful case of immediate enlightenment. Could it be the child in front of him? That Myriad Sword Sect’s sect master would demand such a thing and have her personally come, there was no mistaking it.
“So it turns out to be a little girl…” Zhou Daofu laughed amiably. “Come, sit here. I’ve lived for so long, but it’s the first time I’ve seen such a young Nascent Soul!”
Yuan Chu replied in a similarly friendly fashion and sat down, tugging on Ye Chenyuan.
Ye Chenyuan looked at Zhou Daofu. The only people in the room were the three of them. Normally, Ye Chenyuan would have had no qualifications to sit, so Yuan Chu’s action drew Zhou Daofu’s attention to Ye Chenyuan.
“And this is?”
Ye Chenyuan bowed to Zhou Daofu. “Greetings to Senior Zhou. I am Ye Chenyuan.”
Grinning, Yuan Chu pitched in, “He’s my disciple!”
Ye Chenyuan thought Zhou Daofu would be like everyone else and think he had no future under a six-year-old little girl. Yet when Zhou Daofu heard this, besides surprise, he looked at him quite enviously.
“Good child, your master is only six and already a Nascent Soul. Her future prospects aer unlimited! Following her, you’ve truly made the right choice!”
Ye Chenyuan’s smile immediately turned much more sincere.
After exchanging a few more sentences, Yuan Chu pulled out a box and handed it to Zhou Daofu. “Dao Friend Zhou, this is the gift our sect master entrusted me with. May your happiness and longevity be continuous.”
He didn’t open the box, seeming to already know what it held. Instead, he looked at her gratefully and said, “I don’t dare to think about happiness and longevity anymore. It would be the gift of heaven if these old bones could live a few more years.”
He stared at her, the admiration in his eyes obvious. At a thought, he too pulled out a box.
“Actually, before you arrived, Sect Master Moqi had already contacted me. This is for you, take it.”
“This is?” Yuan Chu took the box and opened it. Inside was a round pink fruit.
Zhou Daifu stroked his long, white beard, saying, “This is an item only our Zhou family has, the Joyous Union Fruit.”
Yuan Chu had a slight expression of distaste. This joyous union, just by its name, it couldn’t be anything proper.
Seeming to notice her doubts, Zhou Daofu laughed. “Coming to LIhaiqian Province, little friend must have heard about our Zhou family’s affairs. It’s not wrong, we depend on our dual cultivation technique to be so prosperous. And those that want to use our technique must use the tree paste of a precious our ancestors have always revered. That tree is called the Joyous Union Tree. This fruit is the Joyous Union Tree’s fruit.”
“Although it’s also called Joyous Union, its use and name are very different. The Joyous Union Tree’s pulp agitates, while the fruit has a mysterious soul-calming effect. It’s very effective for suppressing Qi deviation! Only, the fruit is very hard to come by. There is one every five hundred years.”
Yuan Chu suddenly saw the light. The sect master had wanted to give her this, so he sent her here. On the surface, it was a birthday celebration, but in fact, it was a trade?
No wonder she had felt their gift had been too precious. After, the Zhou family was just a small household compared to Myriad Sword Sect. When would they have relations ordinarily? It turned out it was to exchange for this fruit… But then why did she have to come herself?
As if guessing Yuan Chu’s thoughts, Zhou Daofu continued, “Ever since our Zhou family got hands on this treasure, our ancestors researched it greatly. The discovered that the spiritual spring next to the Joyous Union Tree is very special. When cultivating in it, there is a soul calming, foundation stabilizing effect. To use it even further, our ancestors developed a soul pacification method. Using the method, you can get twice the results with half the effort. I think Sect Master Moqi probably had you come with the intent of letting you cultivate here as well.”
Yuan Chu wasn’t very excited hearing this, but Ye Chenyuan’s eyes lit up.
Joyous Union Fruit which could stabilize the soul? It would be great if he could have a lot of it. He had heard Venerable Li say it was even better than the ten thousand year spirit essence for soul stabilizing.
“We’ve troubled you, dao friend. Since that’s how it is, my disciple and I thank you for your hospitality!”
is there a pit in this fruit can we grow it at home?
ReplyDeleteI have no idea. If it's that rare, then odds are no one but the Zhou family knows how to take care of the seedling anyways (different trees and plants need distinctly different growing environments)
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