Free Web NovelChapter 622: Chapter 214: Corner Flower Shop
Thinking about the terrifying monsters in the Secret Castle, Bai Peng couldn’t help but shiver. As a child, it was just fear, but as his power grew, he truly realized what kind of beings resided in the Secret Castle. Thankfully, these monsters never meddled in the Real World.
Bai Peng leaned towards Lu Shuai’s ear, "Does Brother Li want to conquer the world?"
"What are you talking about?"
"The Immortals in the Secret Castle are above angels. Imagine the horror if they all descended into this world." As he spoke, Bai Peng shivered again.
"Impossible, the hidden laws wouldn’t allow it!" Nalan frowned, saying that those monsters were obviously under some kind of shackles. "And this might not even be related to Li Xin."
Bai Peng shrugged indifferently, "I was just speaking offhand. Before today, I didn’t think Immortals could serve as Messengers either."
Nalan was at a loss for words, and it wasn’t just him—everyone felt suffocated and overwhelmed.
Ji Mingyue had silently downed three glasses of wine. Her mood was also low, partly because she suspected it might be related to Li Xin. She still couldn’t come to terms with Li Xin’s rejection of her.
Luo Xue couldn’t console her, nor did she know how to try. Perhaps what His Highness could offer was something Li Xin simply didn’t care about.
She couldn’t help but recall how ridiculous her own past hesitation was. If back in Celestial Capital, she had chosen to stand firmly with Li Xin, perhaps everything would be different.
The light of the red moon shone upon the earth. Li Xin was already asleep, unaware of these thoughts. It was indeed borrowing tiger’s majesty, but rather than wait for trouble, it was better to prevent it, given that there were already enough concerns with the case itself.
Ji Mingyue left first, and Nalan watched as she departed with the head steward accompanying her.
Inside the spacious carriage, the head steward sat on a small stool, looking somewhat comical.
In the Royal Palace, Ji Mingyue could only trust this palace head steward who had served the Ji Family for three generations. Appearing about fifty years old, he was actually an old eunuch, who had rendered great service in guarding the palace, and was granted the surname Ji.
"Ji Sheng, did you know the Immortals have appeared?" Ji Mingyue asked. freeweɓnovel.cѳm
"This old servant saw," Ji Sheng replied with a slight smile. "They came to deliver a message, so I did not stop them."
"Did you not say that the Immortals cannot be driven?"
If she could control this power, she would have more confidence in reviving the Ji Family dynasty.
Ji Sheng chuckled, "It’s not necessarily as Messengers. Immortals are numb monsters trapped in the Secret Castle, bound by chains of law. Besides granting Divine Relics, they must also reclaim them. They appear when some important Divine Relics face disappearance, to take them away when their corporeal forms perish; otherwise, no matter how many Divine Relics there are, they cannot be passed down."
Ji Mingyue trusted Ji Sheng, and also found this explanation reasonable: "What do they want? Can they be driven if their conditions are met?"
If she could harness the power of the Secret Castle, reclaiming the Ji Family’s glory wouldn’t be so difficult.
"This old servant doesn’t know, only that they are under the strongest curses. In fact, keeping a distance is safer; the Five Great Sanctuaries have already been cast aside by the epoch," Ji Sheng said.
"Go investigate what the Immortals gave Patir today," Ji Mingyue instructed.
"Yes, Your Highness," Ji Sheng responded respectfully.
The carriage fell silent, as Ji Mingyue walked a path to restore the Royal Family’s glory, though the path was exceedingly arduous.
Watching the red moon outside the window, she just wanted to reclaim everything she had lost...
***
In the morning, Li Xin started looking for a flower shop, but after visiting several, none had mandrake flowers; he was a bit speechless. Finally, nearing noon, he found a quaint flower shop around a corner, aptly named "Corner Flower Shop."
The owner was a Beijinger woman in her thirties, exquisitely dressed, with an appearance that was immediately comforting and affable. Graceful in demeanor, her skin was snow-white, and she was attentively tending to the flowers under the sunlight.
Although it was already noon, Dragon Capital’s weather was still cold, but upon entering the shop, seeing the owner in the sunlight, it suddenly felt much warmer.
"Boss, do you have mandrake flowers here?" Li Xin asked, resorting to trying anything in desperation.
The woman, upon seeing a vibrant young man, beamed a bright smile, "No mandrake flowers here, but you can take a look at the others."
Li Xin felt hope turn to disappointment again, "Do you know where I can find mandrake flowers? I’ve been searching all morning without success."
"Flower shops don’t sell mandrake flowers; they’re hard to cultivate, and their root sap is toxic. Some people also consider them unlucky, so flower shops generally don’t stock them," the owner said.
"Why? I find them quite beautiful," Li Xin asked curiously, "There must be somewhere to buy them, right?"
"Mandrake flowers come in many varieties, most of which are toxic, especially the black mandrake, symbolizing revenge and difficult to grow, requiring corpse soil to bloom," the owner explained. "Usually, pharmacies might have them, but getting fresh ones is tricky. If you want to gift a girlfriend, roses or tulips—I have many beautiful flowers here—or even resilient little daisies, can be a choice."
Corpse soil?
Suddenly, Li Xin recalled the scent, no wonder it seemed familiar. It was Old Tuo, precisely the strange mix of sour coldness, corpse stench, and an almost antiseptic smell in Old Tuo’s basement.
"Thank you, boss, please wrap a bunch of little daisies for me," Li Xin said.
The owner stood up gracefully, with just a few steps exuding an immensely attractive feminine aroma, precisely the ideal state between a girl’s youth and maturity.
She carefully selected a bunch of daisies, "As it’s our opening day today, it’s on the house for you."
"It’s a kind gesture, but you also run a business; there’s no need not to charge—I’m not here to freeload," Li Xin assumed his Night Patrol clothing gave a wrong impression.
"I know, it’s our offering to the Night Patrol, in honor of Justice," the woman smiled, even as Li Xin, with the case on his mind, felt a sense of surprise.
Such a corner unexpectedly hid such a beautiful shop owner; Li Xin still accepted the daisies, not dwelling on such a trivial matter, thanked her, and left.
Not long after leaving, Li Xin suddenly thought he should’ve asked where he could buy this type of flower in a pharmacy.
It would only take a few minutes. But when he turned back, the flower shop was gone, replaced by an ordinary residential house, with a fierce-looking old lady watching him intently at the door.
Li Xin opened the Secret Eye, scanning the surroundings... traces of Spiritual Ability lingered.
Li Xin frowned, gazing at the daisies in his hand—an illusion?
He hailed a carriage back to the Shadow Owl, where Meng Po was knitting. Upon seeing Li Xin, she stood up.
"Sister Meng, is Old Tuo here?"
"He’s in the basement."
Li Xin nodded, heading straight to the basement, where Old Tuo, sensing someone’s arrival, came out to greet him.
"Li Yinxiao," Old Tuo’s voice was somewhat stiff.
Li Xin handed him the daisies, "Find a vase for these, add a bit of life." freeweɓnøvel.com
Old Tuo glanced at the daisies, "I don’t like living things."
"It won’t last long," Li Xin placed the flowers aside, "I have something I want to discuss with you."
Old Tuo silently nodded, leading Li Xin to the morgue.
"Did Captain Jiang leave something with you?" Li Xin asked directly.
