Honghong

Lin Zhiyue slept for a day and a night before finally waking up.

When she opened her eyes, it was already dusk of the following day. The orange-red sunlight filtered through the gaps in the window lattices, casting a long, warm band of light across the floor.

She lay there for a dozen breaths to check her condition—most of the soreness and numbness had faded, and while the skin beneath the cracks in her chestplate was still a bit itchy, it no longer hurt. Inside her dantian, the pool of spiritual spring water rotated quietly, her spiritual energy dense and abundant.

She climbed out of bed, changed into clean undergarments, and detached the damaged pieces of her Dragon-Riding Dreamscape set, folding them neatly to take to the Spiritual Artifact Pavilion later. Then, she sat cross-legged in front of her desk, took a deep breath, and summoned the system screen.

The quest banner from before her seclusion, “Break Through to Foundation Establishment within One Month,” now glowed with a glittering golden “Completed” status. Her rewards lay quietly in the interface: Premium Draw Ticket ×10, and the limited-time card pool “Forest Spirit's Verses” was unlocked.

Lin Zhiyue rubbed her hands together. Instead of rushing to click the ten-draw button, she first opened the preview interface for “Forest Spirit's Verses.”

A set of light, ethereal light-green garments materialized in the center of the screen. The primary color of the dress was the pale jade-green of freshly unfurled leaves in a late-spring forest. The hem was embroidered with delicate vine patterns that seemed as if they would sway gently with the wind.

The headpiece was a crown of interwoven flower branches, with slender green vines adorned with buds resembling shattered jade. Wearing it in one's hair would make it look like a fresh branch newly plucked from some ancient tree.

The wings were the most eye-catching part—two semi-transparent, pale-green wings. Their veins were as clear as a cicada's, and their edges shimmered with a faint golden halo, looking like they were woven from the first light of dawn passing through forest dew.

The bow and arrow were the core components of the set. The bow was entirely pale jade-green, with a fresh vine wrapped around each end of the limbs. The bowstring was thin yet resilient, and looking closely, one could see a faint thread of green spiritual energy flowing through it.

The quiver hung at the waist. Each arrow shaft was carved from a dark green twig, with three soft, tender leaves serving as fletching.

The shoes were soft, light-green boots. The uppers were embroidered with dense patterns of vines and leaves, while the soles were embedded with a faint layer of spiritual runes.

The socks rose just below the knee and were also pale green, with a border of embroidered leaf fragments. The bracelet was an emerald-green vine ring; looking closely, the vine bore tiny golden buds that seemed ready to bloom at any moment. The necklace was a delicate silver chain holding a jade-green pendant shaped like a tender leaf, with faint vein patterns etched on its back.

The woven gauze coat was an extremely thin, light outer cape. Made of a semi-transparent light-green material with gold threads lining the edges, draping it over the shoulders allowed the colors of the dress underneath to show through, resembling a thin layer of morning mist blanketing a spring forest.

In the bottom-right corner of the preview image was a line of small text:

【Hidden Piece: Seven-Colored Deer (Mount). Collecting all regular pieces automatically unlocks the hidden piece draw with a one hundred percent success rate. The Seven-Colored Deer is a rideable spirit beast mount. It possesses flight capability, with a movement speed roughly three times faster than a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator's sword-riding flight, and can also fight alongside you as a spirit beast.】

Lin Zhiyue's gaze lingered on the words “Seven-Colored Deer” for a long time.

A mount. She had never seen a mount in this world. The disciples of Tiance Palace traveled by riding swords or spirit boats, and while a few elders kept spirit beasts for transportation, they were a rare minority. In her previous life, she had ridden shared bikes and subways, but never a deer. And this one was rainbow-colored.

She slowly let out a breath, her finger hovering over the “Draw Ten” button.

“Let's go,” she muttered, pressing it down.

The light screen exploded into an emerald-green vortex, and ten spheres of light fell one after another. She flipped through them one by one.

First item: Forest Spirit's Verses - Woven Gauze Coat. The layer of light-green gauze felt almost weightless in her palm. Its edges were lined with fine gold thread, and when unfolded, it looked like a gathered mist from a spring morning in the forest.

Second item: Forest Spirit's Verses - Bracelet. The emerald-green vine wrapped around her wrist. The moment it touched her skin, the golden buds on the vine glowed faintly, as if coming alive for a split second before settling down.

Third item: Forest Spirit's Verses - Socks. The soft, light-green socks reached just below her knees, their embroidered leaf patterns so exquisite they looked like actual leaves clinging to the fabric.

Fourth item: Forest Spirit's Verses - Shoes. The moment she slipped into the soft boots, the spiritual runes on the soles pulsed gently.

Fifth item: Duplicate Mist-shrouded Verdure Earrings, converted into points.

Sixth item: Forest Spirit's Verses - Headpiece. The crown of interwoven flower branches rested atop her head, green vines and jade-like buds winding through her hair. It was incredibly light, feeling as if fresh twigs had naturally sprouted from her head.

Seventh item: Forest Spirit's Verses - Wings. The two semi-transparent, light-green wings automatically attached themselves to her shoulder blades. Though thin as a cicada's wings, they were incredibly resilient, stirring a gentle breeze with a slight flutter.

Eighth item: Duplicate Ode to the Frozen Frost Bracelet, converted into points.

Ninth item: Forest Spirit's Verses - Necklace.

Tenth item—Lin Zhiyue's breath caught.

Forest Spirit's Verses - Bow and Arrow. The moment the pale-green bow landed in her left hand, she felt a lively vibration of spiritual energy at her fingertips, as if something alive were trapped inside the limbs, gently nudging her fingers.

The bowstring was thin and tough. She gave it a gentle pluck with her right hand, and it produced a crisp, clear sound like a bird singing in the woods. The three twig arrows in the quiver were perfectly carved, their leafy fletching curving slightly, exuding a vibrant aura of life.

Nine regular pieces acquired. Only the dress and the hidden piece remained.

Lin Zhiyue took out her single draw ticket and tapped it. Once the emerald-green vortex dispersed, a pale-green vine-patterned dress fell onto her lap. The hem was embroidered with layered vine patterns, and it felt as soft as holding a handful of freshly sprouted spring willow branches.

【All regular pieces of Forest Spirit's Verses collected. Hidden piece unlock condition met! Congratulations on obtaining “Forest Spirit's Verses - Seven-Colored Deer” (Mount). Quality: Purple. Movement speed: Three times faster than sword-riding at the Foundation Establishment Stage. Flight capability: Yes. Summoning method: Can be summoned with a single thought; lasts up to four hours daily.】

The final sphere of light on the screen slowly condensed into the shape of a small fawn. Its hooves stepped on a rainbow halo as it leapt out of the screen, landing softly on the empty ground before her.

The deer was much smaller than Lin Zhiyue had imagined—only about the size of an adult Golden Retriever. It was snow-white all over, its fur as smooth as silk.

Most striking were the seven-colored patterns stretching from its neck down to its hooves. Red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple—the seven colors gradiently spread from the center of its spine down its sides, looking as if a rainbow had settled on the white deer's back. Atop its head grew a pair of tiny antlers, their tips shimmering with a faint golden light. It tilted its head to look at Lin Zhiyue, its round, dark-brown eyes blinking once as it snorted a small puff of warm, grassy air.

Lin Zhiyue sat at her desk, staring back at it for a long while.

“...Hello?” she offered tentatively, reaching out her hand.

The Seven-Colored Deer lowered its head and pressed its forehead against her palm. The faint golden light on its antlers flickered through her fingers for a brief moment. A warm sensation spread across her hand; its fur was as soft as the fuzz on late-spring grass.

Lin Zhiyue let out a soft laugh.

She stood up and began putting on the pieces of the Forest Spirit's Verses set one by one.

She draped the woven gauze coat over her shoulders, the emerald gauze layering over her light-green vine-patterned dress. The bracelet clicked onto her wrist, the necklace rested against her collarbone, the crown sat perfectly in her hair, and the wings aligned with her shoulder blades, gently folding inward.

She hung the bow and arrow in an easily accessible position at her waist, her boots making light, steady sounds against the bluestone floor.

Finally, she looked down at the Seven-Colored Deer, which had squatted by her feet and was looking up at her. She leaned over to stroke its ears.

“Let's give you a name,” she said. “How about... Honghong?”

The Seven-Colored Deer flicked its tail and tilted its head, looking not entirely satisfied, but not objecting either.

Laughing, Lin Zhiyue patted its back and vaulted onto its spine.