He smiled slightly, his heart softening, and agreed to her request.
"Alright, I'll call you Yueyao."
Yueyao smiled with satisfaction and called back.
"Brother Liu, Yueyao pays her respects."
Liu Shinian suddenly felt a bit shy and cupped his hands in a slight bow.
"I dare not, I dare not."
Yueyao covered her mouth and giggled, like a vibrant peony in full bloom. Then, she seriously began to explain to him.
"For this type of flower, you must first select the right species."
She looked around and realized she had forgotten to bring any flower seeds. A look of apology crossed her face, and she said sheepishly.
"I rushed here a bit and forgot to bring any seedlings. Wait for me, I'll go back and get some."
Liu Shinian nodded in agreement. Yueyao put down her tools and ran back quickly.
Returning to the small courtyard where she lived, she searched diligently for usable seedlings within her own yard.
After a long search, she found only fully grown flowers, not even a single small seedling.
She sighed, feeling diligent for the first time, and sat dejectedly on the steps, propping her chin with one hand, sighing melancholically.
Suddenly, a familiar call came from ahead.
"Princess."
She looked up and saw Shui Xiao and several sisters carrying pots of small seedlings towards her.
Yueyao was overjoyed and stood up, quickly asking.
"Where did you get these seedlings?"
Shui Xiao explained.
"Actually, we also wanted to learn to plant flowers and help the princess, so we planted some ourselves. It was quite a bit of effort, but they're still not as good as yours."
Yueyao was a little surprised. They had been with her for so long, and she had never known they wanted to learn flower planting.
"Why didn't you ever tell me? I could have taught you."
A girl named Miaoyun explained the reason.
"We originally wanted to surprise the princess, but we never succeeded, so we didn't pay much attention to it."
Yueyao sighed, thinking how much clumsier they were than herself. If they had only said something earlier, they wouldn't have gone to so much trouble.
Now it was perfect. Liu Shinian also wanted to learn flower planting, so why not invite them along? It would be good to learn together. She said.
"Since that's the case, and it seems you've put in a lot of effort, and the new Brother Liu also wants to learn flower planting, do you want to join us?"
Upon hearing that the handsome young man also wanted to learn flower planting, the girls' interest was immediately piqued, and they all chimed in.
"Yes, yes!"
So, carrying the seedlings, the group followed Yueyao back to the garden with excitement.
Liu Shinian had been waiting for a while. He turned his head and saw that it was only Yueyao, but suddenly there were several people. He frowned slightly, looking a bit confused.
"What is this?"
As they approached, Liu Shinian voiced his confusion.
Yueyao explained.
"Oh, my sisters here all want to learn flower planting, and I was just about to teach Brother Liu, so I brought them along."
The girls crowded around Yueyao, smiling brightly at him, each holding a pot of delicate seedlings.
Liu Shinian looked at the group of lovely and innocent girls and smiled faintly.
Yueyao secretly glanced at him, seeing his radiant smile, and couldn't help but chuckle. Just one glance was captivating.
She swallowed silently, carefully concealing her emotions.
Liu Shinian said.
"That's perfect, let's learn together."
The girls nodded sweetly, then placed their pots down one by one, awaiting Yueyao's guidance.
Yueyao bent down and examined each one carefully.
Then, pointing to a lush, full-looking branch, she said.
"This one is good. I'll pick this one to demonstrate. You can all learn to plant the other flowers by following my example."
As she spoke, she picked up her flower-planting tool, a small wooden stick, and poked at the soil in the pot, then said.
"The soil in this pot is too dry, making it difficult to work with. At this point, you need to use a trowel to loosen the soil."
Saying this, she turned and took a small shovel from her tool box, digging into the soil in the pot.
Then, she poured out all the loosened soil, leaving only the soil around the roots.
"When loosening the soil, leave a clump of soil around the roots to help it retain moisture, otherwise the flowers may wither and die."
The girls sat on the flowerbed, like flower branches, swaying with Yueyao's movements, their eyes watching intently.
Liu Shinian leaned against a side, holding his sword, listening with confidence.
Afterward, Yueyao dug out the most fertile soil from the garden and filled the pot, then poured a little water. The first step was considered successful.
She clapped the dirt off her hands and said confidently.
"This should do it. You can tend to them again in a few days. You can try it yourselves too."
She then let them start on their own. Liu Shinian was no exception. Yueyao picked out a relatively easy-to-care-for flower for him and guided him carefully from the side.
"Be careful, don't damage the roots. Just remove the soil from the sides."
Although Liu Shinian watched carefully, he was a bit clumsy when he started. Sometimes he poured too much water, or he dug into the flower's roots.
Yueyao watched anxiously and suddenly reached out, placing her hand on Liu Shinian's.
The moment their hands touched, it was as if an invisible current flowed into her hand. She suddenly froze and quickly let go.
Liu Shinian also felt a bit awkward. His affectionate eyes silently looked at her.
Yueyao's face flushed, her heart pounding. She then flailed her arms and stammered.
"You, you, you try planting first. I need a break."
Then she ran away as if fleeing. Watching Yueyao's retreating figure, Liu Shinian couldn't help but laugh.
Yueyao stopped running only when she was far away, pressing her hand against her wildly beating heart and patting her cheeks. She murmured in confusion.
"What, what was that just now? Such a strange feeling, why do I feel shy?"
Yueyao had never met outsiders before, nor had she experienced romantic feelings. Just touching hands made her blush.
She covered her face and squatted on the ground, pondering.
"What's going on? Is it not allowed to touch his hand? Father said that men and women should not touch each other, and he never allowed men to serve me.
I think that's probably the reason. Well, I just won't touch his hand."
Once she understood, she felt relieved, gave herself a pep talk, and happily walked back.
Liu Shinian sat to the side, idly swinging his legs. The people beside him were diligently learning to plant flowers.
Seeing Yueyao return, Liu Shinian smiled slightly and stood up. Before he could speak, Yueyao said.
"Brother Liu, let's continue."
Liu Shinian looked at her with a slight tilt of his head, a little surprised, but didn't think much of it, only saying.
"Okay."
He then followed her to continue learning.
This time, Liu Shinian learned with extreme care. After watering the flowers, he joined the girls in placing them under the shade of the trees along the wall.
At this point, a girl named Fuyue raised a question.
"With so many seedlings, how will we know which one is mine?"
Everyone thought her point was valid and pondered for a moment. Liu Shinian suggested.
"How about we find some ropes to tie them up?
We can tie them anywhere, and that way, we'll know whose flower is whose."
Everyone thought this was a good idea.
Yueyao said.
"I have some colored ropes. Follow me to get them."
So, everyone followed Yueyao to her small courtyard and waited outside the door. She went inside and rummaged through her wardrobe, finding various colorful thin ropes.
Coming back outside, she let them choose their own. Everyone picked their favorites, except for Liu Shinian, who remained unmoved.
Yueyao curiously asked him.
"Brother Liu, don't you like them?"
Liu Shinian smiled faintly and casually picked up a green thin rope. Everyone happily returned to the garden to tie the ropes onto their flower plants.
Yueyao reminded them.
"Don't tie them to the branches or the stems, as it will affect their growth. You can tie them to the pots, the leaves, or the stones."
The girls tied them diligently, but Liu Shinian tied them in a creative way. He tied the colored ropes to three small stones, stacked them, and placed them in the flowerbed.
Everyone found this novel and began to imitate his technique, arranging stones into hearts in their own flower pots.
They also created circles or rows of small stones, each with a unique shape and style.
Yueyao's pot was particularly special. She placed stones under the pot and tied several butterfly shapes around the sides, making it very beautiful.
The girls cast envious glances, their admiration almost overflowing.
After a day of fussing, the basic flower planting was done. Everyone was tired and sore, and they all returned to their rooms.
Only Liu Shinian remained, sitting to the side, seemingly lost in thought.
Seeing that he hadn't moved, Yueyao walked over curiously and asked him.
"Brother Liu, why aren't you going back to rest?"
Liu Shinian remained silent, a hint of melancholy on his face. Yueyao, not understanding, slowly approached.
"Brother Liu, what's wrong?"
Liu Shinian came back to his senses, smiled faintly, and said.
"It's nothing. I was just thinking that when I leave, I won't be able to see this beautiful place again, and I feel a bit regretful. Yueyao, can you accompany me for a walk?"
"Of course."
As Liu Shinian was about to move, his stomach rumbled uncontrollably. He suddenly felt embarrassed and covered his stomach with one hand.
Yueyao looked at him curiously, staring at his stomach for a moment before understanding.
"Brother Liu, you must be hungry."
Liu Shinian touched his stomach and smiled sheepishly.
"I am a little."
"Wait here, I'll get you something delicious."
"Ah."
Liu Shinian tried to stop her, wanting to say it wasn't necessary, but she had already hurried away. He narrowed his eyes and sighed in resignation.
A moment later, Yueyao returned with a basket, a smile on her face. When she reached him, she opened the basket and took out a piece of pastry, offering it to him.
"Brother Liu, this is the best peach blossom pastry we have here. Please try it."
Liu Shinian took the pastry and took a bite. It was indeed fragrant, crisp, and refreshing. He smiled and replied.
"It's delicious, fragrant and crisp."
Hearing his praise, Yueyao couldn't help but smile too.
Then, a gentle breeze lightly lifted a corner of Liu Shinian's hair. He looked into the distance as if in a daze and said softly.
"I'd like to go for a walk on that small hill. Can you accompany me?"
"No problem."
So, Yueyao led him to their secret spot.
Walking on the path covered in green grass, a refreshing sea breeze met them. Liu Shinian slightly turned his head and saw her hair being blown by the wind.
He instinctively raised his hand and tucked away Yueyao's stray hair.
Yueyao was slightly startled, watching his hand moving in her vision, feeling an inexplicable sense of peace.
"Yueyao is truly beautiful, like peaches in March and flying blossoms in June."
Hearing him praise her, Yueyao's face immediately turned red, and her heart fluttered inexplicably.
Suddenly, a cough came from ahead, interrupting their moment of intimacy.
Liu Shinian looked curiously and saw a figure leaning against a large tree not far away.
Yueyao recognized him first.
"Great Protector, why are you here?"
The person emerged from the shadows, looking at the approaching pair.
Liu Shinian found the person somewhat familiar and recalled that he had met the Heavenly Dragon Protector before.
Tianlong seemed to be waiting there intentionally. Upon seeing them, he asked.
"Princess, where are you two going?"
Yueyao replied.
"We're just going for a walk."
He smiled slightly, walked slowly to Yueyao's side, lowered his head, and whispered to her.
"Princess, I have something I'd like to discuss with young master Liu privately. You should go back first."
Yueyao looked worried, her eyes showing a hint of unease.
Tianlong comforted her.
"Don't worry, I won't harm him."
Liu Shinian also said.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine."
Only then did Yueyao feel reassured. She turned and left.
After Yueyao departed, only Tianlong and Liu Shinian remained. Liu Shinian clasped his sword, guessing his intentions.
"You want to ask me about the Ghost King, don't you?"
Tianlong did not hide anything and stated directly.
"You guessed correctly. Ever since you came here that day, I wanted to find an opportunity to ask you.
But I never had the free time. Only today have I become available."
"What do you want to know?"
"I just want to know if this Myriad Ghost King is the same Myriad Ghost King from a thousand years ago."
Liu Shinian was taken aback. He surmised that the merfolk tribe lived in isolation and naturally wouldn't know the situation outside.
However, he had a mission and absolutely could not lie. So he said.
"You could say yes, and you could say no."
Liu Shinian's answer was somewhat ambiguous, but Tianlong seemed to have guessed the general idea. He sighed with emotion.
"The Myriad Ghost King from a thousand years ago died long ago in the Myriad Ghost Mountain. The Myriad Ghost appearing now must not be the same Myriad Ghost King.
Indeed, times have changed. There can be no more miracles."
Having received the answer he wanted, he turned to leave.
However, Liu Shinian also had many questions. Recalling that day when he viewed the Myriad Ghost King as a hero, he felt curious.
He also wanted to know what kind of person the Myriad Ghost King from a thousand years ago was.
"Wait."
He quickly called out to Tianlong.
"I want to know what kind of person the Myriad Ghost King from a thousand years ago was. Why do you call him a hero?"
Tianlong turned back, smiled faintly, and then turned his head to gaze at the sky, appearing as if he knew everything.
He slowly began to tell him about that legendary past.
"Judging by your appearance, you seem like a righteous person, so it's unlikely you would have fallen into demonic ways.
However, I am also very surprised why you ultimately chose this path. But it doesn't matter anymore.
I think, like many righteous people, you have a great misunderstanding of the Myriad Ghost King.
Why don't you listen to my story, and then you'll understand why I say this."
Listening to his words, Liu Shinian became even more confused.