Ascending Towards the Sun

Chapter Seventeen The headless corpse

The two walked in the front while the rest of the boys followed some distance behind them.

The story you told was it true asked Lan Zhan

Yes, it was true even if I did change many details but how I received him was true said Hua Ying

Jiang Cheng knows who you are. Said Lan Zhan

Yes, he knows. He knew the night that I took Jin Ling's curse mark, you saw Zidian's mark. replied Hua Ying as he patted little apple. He can't do or say anything though because there is no evidence to prove who I am, like I said Wei Ying died thirteen years ago I am Hua Ying I have always been Hua Ying since birth. Little apple tossed his ears back to hear what Hua Ying had said as he sat on top of him, he whined in response and nodded his head. Besides he only knew I was me when I ran from that beast if it didn't come I he wouldn't have found me.

So, I'm curious. Just how did you recognize me? Asked Hua Ying

I am also curious as to why your memory is so bad. Said Lan Zhan calmly

It's because of what happened said Hua Ying as he smiled.

They arrived at Tanzhou within a day. Before they met up with ZeWu-Jun, they passed a garden along the way. Seeing how the garden was big and majestic yet had no-one to care for it, all the disciples went inside out of curiosity. If it wasn't anything against the sect rules, Lan Zhan never stopped them, which was why he let them inside. In the garden, there was a pavilion and a few fences, a table and a few stools, all made of stone, for people to enjoy the scenery. However, through years of wind and rain, one corner had fallen off the pavilion and two of the stools had toppled over. There were no plants or flowers in the garden, only brittle branches and withered leaves. This garden had been abandoned since a long time ago.

She had left long ago, if she knew her garden was this now, she would mourn. Thought Hua Ying as he touched the stone and heard Lan Sizhui speak

This is the garden of the Damsel of Annual Blossoms, is it not? Asked Lan Sizhui

It was replied Hua Ying sadly

The Damsel of Annual Blossoms? Who is that? Does the garden have an owner? Why does it look so worn-down? It seems like nobody has been caring for it for a long time. Said Lan Jingyi confused

Placing his hand over one of the pillars of the pavilion, If I remember correctly, it probably is. This garden used to be rather famous. I read about it on a book once, in the chapter The Blossoming Spirit of the Florist Damsel. In Tanzhou there is a garden, and in the garden, there is a damsel. Under the moonlight, if one should recite poetry, when she deems it fine, she grants them an annual blossom, the fragrance of which persists for three years; when she deems it poor or when the rhyming does not pass, she casts a blossom at their face, then fades away. Said Lan Sizhui

So, if you recited the poetry wrong, she would throw a flower at your face? Hopefully the flowers did not have thorns. Or else, if I were there to try, my face would start bleeding. What sort of fae was she? Asked Lan Jingyi

I would not call her a fae. She was more like a spirit. The legends have it that the earliest owner of the garden was a poet. He planted these flowers himself and treated them as friends, reciting poetry here every day. Affected by the emotions of the poetry, a spirit crystallized from the flora of the garden and became the Damsel of Annual Blossoms. When someone came, if their poetry was decent and allowed her to remember the one who planted her, she would be happy and give them a flower. If the poetry was wrong or did not sound pleasing, she would emerge from the bushes and hurl a flower onto the person's face. The one who had been attacked would faint and realize that they had been thrown out of the garden after they woke up. Ten years ago, an endless number of people would come to this garden. Said Lan Sizhui