Chapter 1041: Unbroken Past Ten

“Heaven has intervened! The Sage of Literature has revealed himself!”

“Everyone, come quickly to see the flowers!” “They’ve bloomed! They’ve bloomed, over here too!”

People attending the temple fair were the first to notice the unusual behavior of the plants and flowers, which then slowly spread throughout the entire county. Many people who were at home, some even already asleep, also got up.

At the county magistrate’s residence in Ning’an County, the magistrate, who had gone to bed early, was awakened by a series of urgent knocks on the door.

“Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock! Master, please wake up and see! Master!”

“What is it?”

The magistrate asked, somewhat reluctant to throw off his covers, while his wife, lying closer to the wall, was slightly annoyed.

“It’s the middle of the night during the New Year, and there’s no peace. You should go take a look.”

Soon after, they heard more commotion.

“Though it’s New Year’s, why is it so noisy outside?”

“Master, Master, please wake up and see! Everyone is up, and the flowers in the courtyard have bloomed!”

The magistrate was slightly startled, his drowsiness half-gone. He threw off his covers, put on his coat, and walked towards the door. The moment he opened it, a gust of cold wind accompanied by a burst of floral fragrance swept in. He looked into the courtyard, where under the lamplight, azaleas, peonies, and crabapple flowers had all blossomed.

At this, the magistrate’s drowsiness completely vanished. His wife, now also wearing a coat, stood behind him, staring blankly at the scene in the courtyard.

“Have they really all bloomed?”

“Could it be that Heaven, touched by my hard work, has made the flowers in my courtyard bloom on a winter’s night?”

The magistrate was both astonished and delighted, and said this playfully, but his servant immediately spoke up.

“Master, it’s not just here; it’s everywhere else too. Plants and trees all over the county have sprouted new branches and turned green, and flowers everywhere have bloomed. It just happened a moment ago, and now everyone is out looking at the flowers!”

“Is that true?”

The magistrate asked excitedly.

“Master, you’ll know if you go outside and see for yourself.”

“All right, all right. Let me get dressed, and we’ll go out!”

Not long after, the magistrate, accompanied by his wife, children, and a retinue from his household, exited the official residence. Outside, it was as lively as daytime; everyone in Ning’an County was awake, and people were rushing everywhere to see the flowers.

Such a spectacle of blooming flowers is rarely seen even in spring or summer, let alone in the dead of winter.

The magistrate traveled in casual clothes, observing many places. Everywhere was adorned with red flowers and green leaves, and everywhere was filled with the pervasive scent of blossoms. He couldn’t help but exclaim to the heavens.

“A hundred flowers blooming, a hundred flowers blooming! This is an auspicious sign!”

“Master, why not submit a memorial to the Emperor to please His Majesty?”

“Hahahahaha, naturally!”

Aside from the excited residents of Ning’an County, the local deities and spirits were equally astonished. At that moment, spirits were roaming everywhere in the county, but all they saw were blooming flowers, with no lingering traces of spiritual energy or magic.

At the Underworld Bureau of Ning’an County, the City God, the great gods of various departments, and even the local Earth God and folk deities worshipped in Ning’an County had all gathered.

“This isn’t caused by profound magic, nor is it any kind of illusion!”

“I’ve heard that there’s a Flower Goddess in the Celestial Realm; could this be her doing?”

“No, celestial gods record the celestial cycles and observe heaven and earth. Although they are close to the yin and yang of heaven and earth, they cannot arbitrarily interfere with the operation of all things. Moreover, there are no traces of magic power in this event. The Flower Goddess might be able to cast spells to make a few flowers and plants bloom, but she doesn’t have the power to command all flowers and plants to bloom on their own.”

“Lord City God, it seems that the plants and flowers have sensed the spiritual energy of spring in heaven and earth, and under this stimulation, they have blossomed at this moment!”

“This is an unknown mystery between heaven and earth!”

Generally, the local earth spirits and deities do not have a direct hierarchical relationship with the Celestial Realm. Even within the City God’s Underworld Bureau, a considerable portion are not theoretically considered subordinates of the Underworld and Earthly Abode. Most matters still adhere to ancient customs, maintaining independence, though their connections are closer, signifying a greater acknowledgment of the Yellow Springs' origin and the Underworld Emperor.

Of course, theory is one thing, but the system of "Upper Yang, Lower Yin" has become established law, providing another path for various divine traditions to cultivate. Many spirits and deities achieve spiritual perfection and ascend, thus creating a relatively benign and subtle relationship.

Therefore, unlike the Ning’an County magistrate who sought to please his superiors and the emperor, spirits and deities are not obligated to report everything. They can act based on their own judgment. However, an event like this one can be reported to share information and incidentally inquire if any powerful deity knows the reason.

On this joyous night for the people of Ning’an County, streaks of light darted in various directions, destined to disturb the peace of some people during this New Year.

The small character flew in various directions, arriving at different times due to varying distances. Their destinations were mostly Ji Yuan's few friends who were temperamental or even haughty, such as the Old Dragon, the Xiezhi, and the Old Beggar. This was to inform them of a future visit and also to convey that he was safe.

Although Ji Yuan did not intend to widely announce his return to the world – preferring the quietude of being known by only a few – those who valued their reputation, like the Old Dragon and the Old Beggar, would most likely throw a tantrum if not informed first. Places like Yunshan Temple, however, did not need urgent notification.

Outside the Tongtian River Dragon Palace, two yakshas stood guard, holding their steel tridents with full vigor. Suddenly, a faint streak of light flashed and disappeared.

“Hmm? What just passed by?”

“Huh? Did something pass?”

The two yakshas looked back towards the Dragon Palace, as if they had merely imagined something.

This ink-colored streak of light darted through the Dragon Palace, circling several times without finding the person it sought. It flew back and forth within the great hall it remembered, and then, hearing some commotion, immediately settled silently onto a jade table in the hall.

“What dares trespass into the Dragon Palace?”

“How audacious!”

At this moment, teams of yakshas in the Dragon Palace began searching both inside and outside.

The small character hid by the jade table, not daring to make a sound. It remembered that "the Great Master" could come and go freely here and thought it could too. Now, seeing the yakshas seemingly trying to catch it, and not finding the Old Dragon, nor any dragon children, nor even any familiar yakshas, it became a little scared. "Has this Dragon Palace changed owners?" it wondered.

“What’s all this noise about?”

The Dragon Mother slowly emerged, accompanied by two fish maidens. Immediately, a yaksha commander came forward to report.

“Reporting to Your Majesty, an unidentified spiritual light previously entered the Dragon Palace. We are currently conducting a search.”

“You may leave. There is no evil energy here.”

“Your Majesty, the Dragon Lord is absent. If anything were to happen to you, we...”

“You may leave. That fleeing light has already departed. If there were truly something, and I couldn’t detect it, how could you possibly find it?”

The small character, hiding on the jade table in the great hall, suddenly perked up. "This one I know!"

A streak of ink-colored light swiftly flew out and stopped before the Dragon Mother. The surrounding yakshas were on high alert, swords drawn, but the Dragon Mother gestured for them to stop.

In everyone's sight, the true form within the ink light became visible: it was the simple character "小" (xiǎo), meaning "small."

‘This is!’

The Dragon Mother's heart trembled slightly, but since she wasn't the Old Dragon or her own two children, she wasn't entirely sure at this moment.

“Greetings, Dragon Mother!”

The small character emitted a clear, crisp sound, making the surrounding yakshas wonder what kind of demon this was, while the Dragon Mother was already half-certain.

“The Great Master asked me to tell the Dragon Lord that he will visit in a while. I’m done. Can I go now?”

Seeing the ink light reappear around the small character, the Dragon Mother quickly called out to stop it.

“Wait! The Great Master you speak of, could it be, could it be Mr. Ji?”

“That’s right. The Great Master just returned home. Dragon Mother, may I leave now?”

“My husband is currently attending a banquet in the Celestial Realm. I will inform him myself. Little messenger, you are free to go!”

“Farewell!”

With a flash of ink light, the small character instantly vanished from sight, and the surrounding yakshas didn't even have time to react.

The Dragon Mother's face lit up, visibly excited.

“Go tell my husband that Mr. Ji is home!”

“Yes!”

“Wait! Go to the Glazed Palace and tell Ruoli to go quickly and return without delay!”

“At once!”

The yaksha responsible for delivering the message quickly set off. As the other yakshas dispersed, some were full of doubt, while others, who understood, were equally shaken.

Half a quarter of an hour later, the Dragon Mother remembered her son and also ordered someone to go inform him.

Inside Ju’an Small Pavilion, Zao Niang realized that she had caused the flowers and plants in Ning’an County to bloom out of season. However, this was not intentional and harmed no one, so there was nothing to blame her for. Instead, Ji Yuan took everyone to admire the flowers.

Only Hu Yun, who had left the noodle stall, was unaware of Ji Yuan's return, still chasing She Ji.