Something was off.
A sudden flash of inspiration struck Yuan Heng's mind. This location, this occasion, this crowd, this treasure...
So this was the scene of the Innate Gourd Vine, one of the ten great spiritual roots of Mount Buzhou. Well, she was destined to be a mere bystander here.
If she remembered correctly, those gourds all had predetermined masters. It wasn't so much people competing for them as the gourds choosing their owners.
Just look at how that red gourd would actively snuggle into Hongyun's embrace later on.
Sigh... What was the point of having a sudden premonition? It wasn't as if she stood a chance of getting any of them. Why did her senses have to trigger?
With this in mind, Yuan Heng decided not to compete. She would just watch the fun from the periphery.
Before long, the seven treasure gourds began to ripen. Layers of light in seven colors—gold, red, yellow, green, white, blue, and purple—cascaded over one another, completely illuminating the mountainside.
Yuan Heng raised her silk ribbon slightly to shield her eyes, silently resolving that she would make herself a pair of sunglasses sooner or later.
With the spiritual treasures fully ripe, the atmosphere in the area gradually became tense and explosive.
Aside from Yuan Heng, all the other immortals at the periphery slowly closed in.
Yuan Heng clicked her tongue in amazement. It was obvious how badly everyone wanted them.
A barrier naturally formed around the Three Pure Ones, separating them from anyone attempting to force their way through. Tongtian looked at the crowd with a provocative gaze, the small sword in his hand tapping lazily against his palm.
Yuanshi said nothing. Enclosed in his own domain, his banner moved with his will. He carried himself with solemn and dignified poise, yet no one dared to look down on him.
Taiqing didn't even lift his eyelids, yet everyone knew that he was the most formidable of them all.
The crowd: “...”
Fine. Bypass the Three Pure Ones. Next.
But the next ones, Nuwa and Fuxi, weren't easy to deal with either. Especially Nuwa. She could establish her Dao arena on Mount Buzhou as a neighbor to ten hot-tempered brutes who looked down on everyone and would pick a fight at the slightest provocation—how could she possibly be a pushover?
Then, the next ones.
Seeing this, Dijun and Taiyi raised their eyebrows. The Hetu Luoshu and the Eastern Emperor Bell emerged together, and Taiyi immediately showed his boldness, asking, “Which fellow daoist wishes to step forward and try my bell?”
Ah? Try it and meet their demise? Still not someone to be trifled with.
...
At some point, Hongyun and Zhenyuanzi had quietly gathered next to Yuan Heng.
Watching Taiyi use his bell to knock out those who refused to believe the hype, then seeing the elegant posture of Fellow Daoist Nuwa as she whipped people, and finally glancing at the calmly poised Three Pure Ones...
“Tsk tsk, that looks painful. Fellow Daoist Taiyi sure is skilled at bashing people with that bell.”
Hongyun whispered gossip to Yuan Heng. As for Yuan Heng herself, well, although playing card games wasn't her strong suit, chatting about other things was perfectly fine!
“Fellow Daoist Nuwa is as elegant as ever. I can't hold a candle to her.”
Yuan Heng and Hongyun exchanged a look, confirming they were of the same mind.
Yuan Heng's eyes darted around, and she cast a glance at the two Ancestral Witches next to her, who were also watching the spectacle.
Aha! The chance to turn the tables had arrived!
Her card-playing genes were tingling!
“Fellow Daoist Hongyun, up for a game?”
Hongyun's eyes lit up. “Sure!”
As for Zhenyuanzi, he could be ignored. Since Hongyun agreed, it meant Zhenyuanzi was on board too.
Yuan Heng looked up at the two Ancestral Witches, wearing a sly, fox-like grin. “Fellow Daoists, would you like to play a little game?”
Houtu and Jumang: “Huh??”
Was she not going to vie for the spiritual treasures?
Yes, the two rather simple-minded Ancestral Witches had thought Yuan Heng was planning her moves carefully and waiting for the right moment.
Little did they know, she had already checked out of the battle entirely.
Yuan Heng casually pulled out two decks of cards, briefly explained the rules to Houtu and Jumang, and got them started. Just like that, the five of them gathered to play.
The five of them no longer paid much attention to the situation on the treasure-snatching front.
As the competition in the treasure zone entered its final stage beyond all doubt, Yuan Heng's card game also fell into a deadlock.
In this round, Yuan Heng and Jumang were the Devil Kings, but Jumang—despite looking like a smart cookie—turned out to be an utter blockhead at the game.
Yuan Heng felt like she couldn't carry this teammate. Look at Fellow Daoist Houtu—she was incredibly sharp. Knowing her brother's personality, she bluff-tricked him so hard he didn't know what hit him.
It was simply heartbreaking.
“Fellow Daoist Jumang, we are on the same team! Stop playing over my cards!”
Jumang scratched his head, letting out a goofy laugh that completely contrasted with his gentle face. “Ah, but I want to play my cards. My hand is really good!”
Yuan Heng: “...”
You had better pray your cards are better than mine and can lead us to victory!
Hongyun and Zhenyuanzi exchanged a glance, both wearing amused expressions. Houtu just smiled without saying a word. No one knew her brother better than she did.
So confident, so certain... stubborn as mules, the lot of them.
Fellow Daoist Yuan Heng was going to lose~
Hongyun casually played a pair to beat Jumang. “Fellow Daoist, struggle no more.”
Yet in the next second, a red gourd whooshed right into Hongyun's arms.
Taiyi, who had just reached out only to find the gourd gone: “...”
He was about to charge forward with his bell to demand its return, but Zhenyuanzi didn't even care about his cards anymore. He grabbed the Book of the Earth and tightly shielded their little card-playing squad.
“Fellow Daoist, this is the will of heaven.”
Taiyi: “...”
Can you please take those paper slips off your face before you speak? You're so covered up, can you even see where I am?!
“Humph...”
Taiyi snorted coldly at everyone, then left with Dijun.
Houtu and Jumang: “?!!”
Stupid birds. What was the meaning of this? If they didn't want to cause more trouble for Fellow Daoist Yuan Heng, and if their other ten brothers and sisters weren't absent, did they really think they could just take treasures from Father Pangu's Mount Buzhou?!
Ungrateful fools! Humph, the Wu tribe would remember this grudge!
Once Dijun and Taiyi had left, Tongtian approached and very politely tapped on Zhenyuanzi's barrier. “Fellow Daoist, would you mind letting me in?”
Zhenyuanzi raised his eyebrows at this, figuring Tongtian wasn't there to snatch the gourds, so he granted entry.
As soon as Tongtian entered, he squeezed right next to Yuan Heng. “Fellow Daoist Yuan Heng, what are you playing? It looks so fun.”
Oh?
Perfect. Here was her substitute.
“Would Fellow Daoist Tongtian like to play a round?”
Yuan Heng patted the space next to her, gesturing for Tongtian to sit. She then briefly explained the rules and very willingly handed her cards over to him.
After just two rounds, Tongtian was playing like a pro, clearing the field. Yuan Heng secretly clicked her tongue. She hadn't expected that Fellow Daoist Tongtian, who looked so straightforward and uncrafty with his thick eyebrows and large eyes, would be so good at playing cards.
Most importantly, despite having Jumang—the 'Mr. Confident' teammate who wanted to trump everything—Tongtian still managed to play so smoothly.
Yuan Heng sat beside Tongtian, clapping and cheering, while secretly wondering if they were even playing the same hand.
Weren't the cards just average?
Taiqing and Yuanshi, watching their youngest brother already playing: “...”
Their younger brother was truly... Oh well, let him be.
Soon, it came to the ownership of the final gourd. Unfortunately, the Heavenly Dao did not give anyone the chance to pluck it.
With a roar of rolling purple lightning, the last purple gourd withered away along with its mother vine.
Seeing this, Nuwa swiftly put away the gourd vine and even scooped up a portion of the surrounding soil.
Yuan Heng's gaze fell on a tiny seed that the purple gourd had shriveled into. It was completely lifeless, devoid of any vitality.
It looked limp and withered, clearly at the end of its line.
With a flash, Yuan Heng teleported right in front of the tiny seed. She slowly squatted down and picked it up.
Tongtian was just about to turn and say something to her, but in the next second, she had vanished from beside him.
Tongtian: “???”
And Yuan Heng looked around at the fellow daoists and smiled. “Fellow Daoists, what do you say we leave this seed to me so I can grant it a sliver of life?”
The corner of Taiqing's mouth curved up slightly. “Very well.”
Yuanshi nodded. “Suit yourself, Fellow Daoist.”
Nuwa and Fuxi had no objections either.
Meanwhile, the five over there had finished their card game at some point and gathered around. Tongtian was the first to reach her side. “Fellow Daoist Yuan Heng, how are you going to save it? Are you going to summon your spirit butterflies?”
“Huh???”
Yuan Heng was completely dazed. What she didn't know was that Tongtian had once seen her spirit butterflies bring vitality to a withered seed in Taiqing's herb garden, so he assumed she would do the same here.
She smiled softly. “Just watch, Fellow Daoist Tongtian.”
Then, with a gentle movement of Yuan Heng's fingertips, wisps of pink-and-white Dao rhyme drifted down, fully seeping into the tiny seed.
“Heaven values all life, and the earth is broad enough to sustain all things. Though it snatched the natural creations of heaven and earth and was thus rejected by the Primordial World...”
“...the heavens and earth do not take slaughter as their Dao. Heavy though the heavenly lightning was, it still left behind a continuation of life for it.”
Yuan Heng's eyes sparkled as if filled with stars, or perhaps they were even brighter than the stars. “Look, Fellow Daoist Tongtian, it sprouted.”
Tongtian's heart trembled violently. Meeting Yuan Heng's eyes, which were filled with pure joy, his heart rate suddenly accelerated.
“Ah...”
“Fellow Daoist Yuan Heng, you are truly amazing.”
How strange. Why was his heart beating so fast? Could he have fallen ill?!
Ah... Could a Quasi-Saint fall ill?
He would go ask his eldest brother to take a look when he returned.
Rate on N.U.
