We Agreed On Experiencing Life, So Why Did You Immortals Become Real? Chapter 649: That Man Is Even More Foolish...

Half a month after Qin Siyao's "illness," her condition had gradually improved.

During this period, Xiao Mo visited Qin Siyao's sleeping quarters every day, lending her some dragon-qi.

Dragon-qi, much like spiritual energy, replenished itself daily, and the higher Xiao Mo's cultivation level grew, the more dragon-qi he could carry.

And Qin Siyao, drawing upon Xiao Mo's dragon-qi, exercised proper restraint, causing no impact whatsoever to Xiao Mo's own cultivation or the fortune of mountains and rivers.

Only... every time Xiao Mo had his dragon-qi drawn upon, Qin Siyao would hold him tightly, and Xiao Mo felt she was taking advantage of him somewhat but then again, as a man himself, it seemed as though he were the one taking advantage of her.

Meanwhile, the Confucian Academy had finally transported that phoenix tree to the Zhou Kingdom.

Xiao Mo had originally assumed this would simply be a small phoenix tree sapling, to be planted within the Zhou Kingdom's palace, growing gradually day by day, witnessing the friendship between the Confucian Academy and the Zhou Kingdom, largely a symbolic gesture.

But when the Confucian Academy actually transported this tree over, Xiao Mo very nearly jumped in shock.

This tree was extraordinarily tall and massive! A full fifty zhang! Like a small mountain peak, pulled along by an enormous tortoise possessing the bloodline of the Black Tortoise.

Such an enormous tree, Xiao Mo had no idea how many years it had existed and when this tree was transported over, Shang Qi personally led the delegation, accompanied by several Confucian chancellors, mountain lords, and noble sages, the entire ceremony carrying the utmost solemnity.

Had one not known better, one might have thought they were escorting some supreme treasure of the Confucian Academy itself.

"Ha ha ha, Your Majesty, it's been a while."

Beyond the walls of the Great Zhou capital, Shang Qi descended from the sky, bowing to Xiao Mo, smiling.

"Indeed, it's been quite a while, Master Shang." Xiao Mo glanced behind Shang Qi, unable to help but ask, "Isn't this quite a grand procession for the Confucian Academy?"

"Grand? It's not too excessive, really." Shang Qi smiled, stroking his beard. "This is simply how we demonstrate our regard for the Zhou Kingdom under Your Majesty's leadership."

Hearing Shang Qi's flattering words, the other Confucian Academy members accompanying him could not help but twitch their brows slightly. This wasn't even White Deer Academy's own sacred treasure being given away! No wonder this old fellow felt no heartache over it.

But these chancellors and mountain lords could only grumble to themselves.

After all, the dean had ordered it, insisting this treasure of the Confucian Academy be safely planted within the Zhou Kingdom.

"Oh, right, Your Majesty, where exactly should this tree be planted?" Shang Qi asked Xiao Mo. "This tree is best planted within Your Majesty's own palace, complementing the dragon-qi there, to maximize its effect."

"Please rest assured, Master Shang, I've already made preparations. Please, everyone, this way."

Xiao Mo smiled, leading Shang Qi and the others into the city.

At the same time, Xiao Mo temporarily lifted the capital's no-fly formation array, allowing the tortoise to fly directly to the palace.

At last, Xiao Mo brought everyone into the palace, arriving at a courtyard that had only recently been completed.

This courtyard had originally been the harem's largest.

Though Xiao Mo had always assumed he would simply be planting a small sapling but given how generously the Confucian Academy had treated the Zhou Kingdom already, Xiao Mo felt he could not be stingy in return, believing that even a small sapling deserved the largest, finest setting available.

And so Xiao Mo had this largest courtyard renovated into the "Confucian Grace Garden."

At the very center of the courtyard, the phoenix tree given by the Confucian Academy would be planted.

Xiao Mo felt this decision of his had been quite wise.

Had he chosen any other courtyard, Xiao Mo suspected he genuinely wouldn't have had room to plant such an enormous tree.

That would have proven rather awkward.

"This spot is excellent, truly excellent." Arriving at Confucian Grace Garden, Shang Qi studied the feng shui, praising it. "Since that's the case, would Your Majesty please step back a couple paces? We shall begin planting the tree."

"Please, everyone." Xiao Mo made a welcoming gesture.

Under Shang Qi's direction, the Confucian Academy members began arranging their formation array. Once completed, the various chancellors, mountain lords, and noble sages took their positions at the array's various points.

"Rise!"

Shang Qi called out loudly, and that phoenix tree lifted high into the air.

At the same time, at the center of Confucian Grace Garden, an enormous, deep pit appeared.

"Fall!"

Shang Qi swept his hand downward, and the phoenix tree crashed down heavily into the pit, the earth itself shaking from the impact.

As the soil covered it over, the phoenix tree's roots quickly took hold within the ground.

Right after, a gust of wind, as though flipping through countless pages, swept out from Confucian Grace Garden, sweeping through the palace, through the entire capital.

All the common people, feeling this clear breeze, felt their minds and spirits considerably refreshed.

"Ha ha ha..."

A little girl's laughter rang out from the treetop.

Xiao Mo raised his head to look, and saw a diminutive young girl dressed in a short jacket and skirt, sitting on the treetop hugging a scroll of books, swinging her fair, delicate legs happily.

Watching this scene, Xiao Mo sensed something was off.

Ordinarily, how could an ordinary tree possibly produce such an unusual phenomenon?

Even a tree spirit had emerged?!

Was this tree given by the Confucian Academy truly ordinary at all?

"?"

The little tree spirit, seeing Xiao Mo, her large, bell-shaped eyes flickering with surprise then, the little girl in the short jacket and skirt tiptoed forward, leaping down from the treetop, landing on Xiao Mo's shoulder, gently tugging at his hair, appearing rather familiar and affectionate with him.

And just as Xiao Mo tried to catch the little girl in his hand, she leapt away again, back to the treetop, sticking out her tongue playfully at Xiao Mo, thoroughly mischievous.

"ROAR!"

At the same time, the palace's fortune of mountains and rivers, too, sensed something, condensing into a golden dragon, coiling ceaselessly around this ancient tree, though the dragon condensed from the fortune of mountains and rivers showed not the slightest hostility toward the tree.

"Hup."

The little girl in the short jacket and skirt, hugging her scroll of books, leapt up, seating herself upon the dragon formed from the fortune of mountains and rivers.

The two of them coiled ceaselessly through the sky above the palace.

Streaks of ink-colored clouds appeared above the palace as well.

These ink clouds were all transformations of literary fortune, the golden dragon weaving through them.

The ink clouds stained the golden dragon's body, its scales gradually taking on a black-gold hue.

The common people of the capital, never having witnessed such an overwhelming phenomenon before, all froze in astonishment, and once they came to their senses, hurried to kneel toward the direction of the palace.

A full quarter hour passed before, once this tree had thoroughly taken root within the Zhou Kingdom, the light of Confucian Grace Garden's formation array gradually faded.

The long dragon of mountains and rivers' fortune, too, dissolved, and that little tree spirit in the short jacket and skirt descended from the sky, settling peacefully back into the tree.

Shang Qi and the others let out a breath of relief, wiping the sweat from their foreheads.

"Your Majesty, we've planted this phoenix tree. How do you find it?" Shang Qi asked with a smile.

"Excellent, truly. My thanks to all of you for your trouble." Xiao Mo nodded, gazing at this towering ancient tree before him. "It's just... I keep feeling this tree seems rather too precious?"

"Not precious at all, not precious at all."

Shang Qi shook his head with a smile.

"Whatever is given to Your Majesty could never be called too precious."

"And this tree does, indeed, carry some history behind it, though Your Majesty need not concern yourself with that. This tree will help stabilize the Zhou Kingdom's literary fortune, bringing forth more promising seeds of scholarship for the kingdom."

"Beyond this, with this tree established within the palace, it will also help solidify the Zhou Kingdom's own fortune of mountains and rivers." Shang Qi smiled, stroking his beard. "And this phoenix tree's spirit does seem to quite like this place as well."

"I'm glad she likes it. My genuine thanks to all of you, gentlemen."

Xiao Mo bowed, expressing his gratitude.

Truth be told, Xiao Mo still felt this tree was no ordinary matter but then again, Xiao Mo felt that, as the ruler of a small kingdom, he was, before the Confucian Academy, essentially a country bumpkin with far too limited a perspective, and so this tree seemed extraordinary to him, when in truth, to the Confucian Academy, it might well have amounted to very little at all.

"Your Majesty is too gracious." Shang Qi smiled. "Now that the phoenix tree has been delivered, we shall take our leave."

"All of you have traveled a long way. Though our Zhou Kingdom is but a small, remote nation, we understand proper hospitality. Please, all of you, attend a banquet, and let Great Zhou fulfill its duty as host."

"Ha ha ha, since Your Majesty insists, we shall not stand on ceremony."

"Please."

"After you, Your Majesty."

After exchanging further pleasantries, Xiao Mo led everyone to the palace's front hall for the banquet.

Once the feast concluded, Xiao Mo saw them out of the palace once more.

Once the Confucian Academy's delegation had left, Xiao Mo returned to Confucian Grace Garden, gazing at this phoenix tree.

Because of this tree's presence, the entire palace's spiritual energy seemed considerably richer and as the breeze passed through, the leaves rustled, producing a remarkably pleasant sound yet the tree stood so tall and massive that it shaded over half the courtyard, though sunlight still filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled shadows below, quite lovely to behold.

"Hee hee hee..."

The phoenix tree spirit materialized once more, mischievously leaping onto Xiao Mo's shoulder.

Xiao Mo extended a finger, poking her cheek gently.

She puffed out her cheeks in mild annoyance, her small, tender fists tapping lightly, harmlessly, upon Xiao Mo's head.

"Do you have a name?" Xiao Mo asked the little girl.

The girl nodded, then pointed her fair, delicate finger forward.

"You mean your name is Wutong (Phoenix Tree)?" Xiao Mo guessed.

The girl nodded happily and just as the girl tugged at Xiao Mo's hair, wanting to play with him, she seemed to sense something, her small body trembling slightly, and she hurried to fly back into the tree.

Sensing something, Xiao Mo turned around, and saw Yan Ruxue, her hands folded before her, walking toward him, elegant and composed.

"This concubine pays respects to Your Majesty."

Walking up to Xiao Mo, Yan Ruxue bowed gracefully.

"There's no one else here but us. There's no need for such formality, Ruxue." Xiao Mo smiled faintly, helping Yan Ruxue up. "Come, Ruxue, help me look over this phoenix tree the Confucian Academy sent."

Yan Ruxue walked to Xiao Mo's side, looking at this towering tree, smiling: "This phoenix tree truly is remarkable. With this tree here, the Zhou Kingdom's future literary fortune will grow ever stronger, certainly not inferior to the ten great dynasties."

"Hm? That precious?" Xiao Mo felt a jolt of surprise.

"Ha ha ha, to others, this might be extremely precious, but to Your Majesty, nothing is truly too precious. Your Majesty need only accept it with peace of mind." Yan Ruxue laughed softly, covering her mouth.

"That Master Shang said much the same thing to me earlier, Ruxue." Xiao Mo shook his head with a smile.

"That shows he still understands his own place, at least." Yan Ruxue's tone grew somewhat cold, as though holding the Confucian Academy in some contempt.

In truth, Xiao Mo had already noticed that Ruxue held little regard for the Confucian Academy, as though harboring some grievance against them, though Xiao Mo had never pressed the matter.

"Speaking of which, does Your Majesty know the story behind this tree?"

Yan Ruxue smiled at Xiao Mo, changing the subject.

"A story?" Xiao Mo paused. "I genuinely don't know. Please, do tell."

"Legend has it that this phoenix tree was planted by that Confucian ancestor himself."

Yan Ruxue spoke slowly, telling the story.

"Legend has it that, in the ancient era, that is, during the age of the divine spirits, once the human race gained the ability to cultivate, sect after sect emerged, each carving out its own path toward the heavens."

"Among them, there was a man whose mastery of swordsmanship was extraordinarily high, and whose scholarship, likewise, was extraordinarily profound."

"He read widely, and together with a certain woman, founded the Confucian tradition."

"Later, this man of profound swordsmanship became the world's first sword immortal, and also became the leader of the alliance of the myriad races."

"The man led the myriad races in resistance against the divine spirits, and that woman, naturally, followed him as well, joining the war against the gods."

"This war between humans and gods lasted who knows how long."

"And legend has it that this woman had, in truth, always loved that sword immortal, yet had never once dared to voice it aloud."

"In the final battle against the divine spirits, one great cultivator after another among the myriad races perished alongside the gods, and that sword immortal, his body and soul about to shatter entirely, brought down a tree from the heavens above, entrusting it to that woman."

"That sword immortal hoped she would plant this tree, passing down the Confucian tradition in his stead, teaching and educating others, helping the people of this world understand proper reason, and reducing conflict."

"Before long, that sword immortal's body was destroyed, his Dao extinguished, his soul scattered to the winds."

"And that woman, having heard the sword immortal's final words, planted this tree with her own hands, within a small academy."

"But she did not believe, could not believe, that he had truly died like that. The woman believed she would surely meet him again one day."

"From that point on, that woman remained at that small academy, tending to that tree, teaching student after student, both fulfilling his final wish, and waiting for his return."

As she spoke, Yan Ruxue seemed to recall something, gently lowering her lovely head.

"And did she? Did she ever wait for him?" Xiao Mo asked.

"She did not..." Yan Ruxue shook her head. "That woman had, in truth, suffered grave injuries during that final battle against the gods as well. Legend has it that, two thousand years after the war ended, she passed away, never once having seen him again, even at the very end."

"..."

Hearing the story's conclusion, Xiao Mo raised his head, looking at this ancient tree, sighing with feeling: "So there truly are such deeply devoted souls in this world..."

"There are." Yan Ruxue nodded, smiling. "And such stories aren't so rare, either. Legend has it there was even a demon who searched for her beloved across two lifetimes, spanning ten thousand years."

"That demon was a fool too." Xiao Mo said with a smile, shaking his head.

"Indeed. Whether that woman from the ancient era, or that demon who searched for ten thousand years, both were such fools..."

Yan Ruxue smiled gently, turning her head, looking at the man beside her, her gaze carrying a tenderness beyond words.

"But... that man was even more foolish..."