Chapter 68: Pear Blossoms Bloom Across the Mountains

Chapter 68: Pears in Full Bloom Across the Mountains

It's him?

How is that possible? Wasn't he already dead?

The young girl wore a look of utter shock, then quickly searched the forum for any photos related to Xue An.

Finally, she confirmed it.

This man was indeed Xue An, who had been missing for a full four years.

She could not help flying into a great rage.

"He really is a scoundrel! Not only did he disappear without a reason, but he also drove my sister to take vows and enter a convent. And now that he's back, he doesn't even bother to come look for her!"

The young girl was filled with anger. After a moment, she calmed down and said in a deep voice, "Someone come."

The door opened silently, and an elderly man with a respectful demeanor walked in.

"Second Miss."

"Prepare the carriage!"

"Very well, where to?"

"Qingmang!"

The Martial Arts Tournament had come to an end.

The death of the Finger-Heaven Elder filled many with fear and made it impossible for the subsequent matches to continue.

Many people quietly left Qingmang Town, but Xue An did not leave.

Because he still had some unfinished business to attend to.

Since he didn't leave, Hua Tingting and Tan Xiaoyu stayed behind as well.

Only Tan Dong had a temporary matter to attend to and left Qingmang Town to return to Beijiang.

That day, Xue An took his two daughters to go mountain climbing.

Tan Xiaoyu and Hua Tingting tagged along as well.

The air in the mountains was as pure as if it had been washed.

As it was close to the Qingming Festival, it drizzled almost every day around Qingmang Mountain.

Yet this could not dampen the enthusiasm of the two little girls. All along the way, they chattered and laughed gaily.

Looking at his two clever and spirited daughters, Xue An's heart was filled with a gentle warmth.

"Daddy, Daddy, look at what that is!" Xue Xiang asked, pointing at a valley in the distance.

Xue An took a glance and said, "Oh, those are pear trees!"

"Pear trees? Are there pears to eat?" Xue Nian perked up immediately.

Xue An smiled. "They haven't even blossomed or borne fruit yet, how can you eat them?"

"Then when will they bloom?" Xue Xiang asked.

"Should be... soon, I suppose!"

"If they bloom, it must be very pretty!" Xue Xiang said with a yearning tone.

Xue An smiled faintly, then casually executed a incantation gesture without anyone noticing.

Their destination for today just happened to be that pear orchard.

However, because the weather had been rather cold this year, they hadn't blossomed yet, even at this late date.

When they arrived in the middle of the valley, a breathtaking scene occurred.

The pear trees all over the mountains seemed to be welcoming their arrival, bursting into full bloom simultaneously in an instant.

The pristine white pear blossoms made it seem as though a heavy snowfall had just blanketed the valley.

Xue Xiang and Xue Nian stared in a daze for a moment, then cheered and rushed into the pear grove.

Hua Tingting and Tan Xiaoyu looked at each other, their eyes filled with shock and confusion.

How could there be such a coincidence in this world?

The moment their group arrived, the pear blossoms burst into full bloom.

Could it be... that this was also done by Xue An?

Hua Tingting suddenly recalled how Xue An had turned a whole courtyard of grass green overnight back at the Qin family residence.

What kind of person was he, really?

Why could he command the grass? Why could he make the pear blossoms bloom across the entire mountain?

Xue An led everyone to the center of the valley.

To their surprise, there was a Taoist temple here.

It was just lacking in maintenance over the years and appeared rather dilapidated.

Xue An walked into the temple. Perhaps their footsteps disturbed the tranquility of the place.

An old and lazy voice drifted from inside the room.

"Visitors may take a look and then leave. If you wish to make an offering, both QR codes and cash are accepted."

A trace of a smile appeared at the corner of Xue An's eyes. "Old Daoist Zhai, you're still not dead yet?"

The room fell silent for a moment, and then the door was pushed open with a creak. An old Taoist in grey robes walked out, muttering under his breath, "Who is it? That voice sounds so familiar!"

Raising his head to look, he happened to see Xue An standing there with a smiling expression, and he froze instantly.

"You... you are..."

Xue An nodded. "Old Daoist Zhai, don't you recognize me?"

The old Taoist suddenly grew excited. "Xiao An? You're actually still alive? But I remember doing divination for you several times, and every reading indicated that you were no longer in this world?"

Xue An smiled. "Perhaps your divination skills aren't very accurate!"

Old Daoist Zhai shook his head and said with absolute confidence, "My divinations have always been very accurate. This is truly strange!"

Then, Old Daoist Zhai noticed the two little girls following Xue An, and a loving smile immediately bloomed on his face.

"Such pretty and pure little girls."

"My daughters!" Xue An said proudly.

Old Daoist Zhai nodded. "I can tell."

He then turned and went back into the room. A moment later, he emerged holding two small prayer beads bracelets.

"These have been consecrated through my day and night chanting of scriptures, and they can ward off all evils!"

"Thank you, Grandpa!" the two little girls chorused together.

"Ah, good!" Old Daoist Zhai smiled so widely that his beard curled up.

Only then did he notice the unusual surroundings. He froze for a second, and then said with a bewildered expression, "Strange, when I just came out a moment ago, the pear blossoms hadn't opened yet! How did they all burst into full bloom in the blink of an eye?"

Xue An smiled. "Perhaps they're welcoming us!"

With that, Xue An pulled a bank card from his pocket. "This is the money for the pears I owed you from many years ago."

Old Daoist Zhai didn't refuse at all. After taking it, he said with a smile, "Back then you swore that you would definitely return the money one day, and I didn't believe it. Now it seems you really did pull it off! How much money is in here?"

"Tens of millions, I'm not entirely sure of the exact amount," Xue An said calmly.

Old Daoist Zhai, who had been excited just a moment ago, stiffened entirely. "Y-you... you said how much?"

"Tens of millions, give or take!"

"Did you... rob a bank?" Old Daoist Zhai blurted out.

Xue An didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Do you think robbing a bank nowadays would actually yield that much cash?"

"That's true. Even my temple accepts QR code payments for offerings now!" Old Daoist Zhai muttered under his breath.

One could tell that he was genuinely happy.

Not because of the wealth, but because of Xue An's arrival.

At this moment, Xue An also felt a surge of emotion in his heart.

When he was young, his family suffered a massive upheaval. To make a living, he often ventured into the mountains to gather herbs. By chance, he stumbled into this pear valley and met Old Daoist Zhai, who was still in his prime back then.

Although this Old Daoist Zhai could sometimes be eccentric and long-winded, he sympathized with Xue An's plight and frequently used the offering money from the temple to help him out.

Xue An had promised back then that he would return to repay the kindness.

Now, he had fulfilled that promise.

Xue An walked into the main hall.

The main hall was also aged and lacked maintenance, appearing somewhat dim, but the divine statues remained intact.

The deities worshipped here were a rather motley assortment, including the Three Pure Ones, the Jade Emperor, and various other immortals.

Even a fox spirit was enshrined in the corner.

Xue An smiled, picked up a bundle of incense sticks from the side, lit them, and inserted them into the censer.

"Why did you put them all in one censer? Separate them a bit!" Old Daoist Zhai remarked.

Xue An smiled. "No need, let them sort it out themselves!"

Old Daoist Zhai thought nothing of it, but as he turned to leave, something remarkable happened.

Every single divine statue in the main hall began to tremble slightly, as if... they were paying homage to Xue An.

Xue An stood with his hands behind his back, looking at these divine statues with a faint smile on his face.

These deities genuinely existed.

Xue An had even crossed paths with them in the past.

However, compared to Xue An, who had defied the heavens and cultivated his way to the immortal realm step by step, the biggest flaw of these native deities was that they could only survive by relying on the power of faith.

Once they lost their faith, it was equivalent to death.

And Xue An's single bundle of incense sticks showed more than enough respect to these deities.

That was why he told them to sort it out amongst themselves.

It was strange today; I rewrote this chapter no less than ten times before finally being barely satisfied with it!

(End of this chapter)