The red flowers on the phoenix tree fell from the branches like rain, blanketing the sky. The scattered petals were caught by the wind, enveloping Yun Manman in their midst.
Surrounded by the whirlwind of petals, Yun Manman felt a bit bewildered but not uncomfortable.
She hesitantly spoke, "What are you giving me?"
But the voice she had heard earlier seemed like an illusion, never to be heard again.
Soon, the petals surrounding her dispersed, but the red blossoms continued to fall endlessly from the phoenix tree, like a gift from the heavens, landing on houses, trees, and passing pedestrians.
This was the scene Lu Qi encountered when he arrived.
The cat-eared girl in a white dress had her light brown hair half braided and half draped over her shoulders. The fiery red phoenix flowers accentuated her delicate, fair complexion.
Petals rained down on her, and the gentle breeze lifted her skirt in an elegant arc.
The soft sunlight reflected in her emerald eyes, becoming the most brilliant stars.
Lu Qi stopped in his tracks, his deep phoenix eyes fixed solely on the petite figure amidst the flowers.
Yun Manman quickly noticed Lu Qi standing at the edge and lifted her skirt to run to him: "Qi Qi! Why are you here?"
Then she leaned in closer, asking mischievously, "I only touched the sacred tree once. I didn't break it, did I?"
"The elves won't make me pay for it, will they?"
Lu Qi: ...
Seeing that Lu Qi didn't answer, Yun Manman thought he was in a daze and waved her hand in front of his face. "Qi Qi? Earth to Qi Qi!"
"Tch." Lu Qi grabbed the delicate hand blocking his view.
"I came here to find someone."
"What if they do make you pay?"
Before Yun Manman could reply, they heard passing elves exclaim:
"Ah, the sacred tree is bestowing its blessing!"
"This rain of flowers is so beautiful!"
"Is this the third time the sacred tree has given its blessing? Who's the lucky one?"
"Quick, gather the petals before they're all taken!"
Yun Manman pulled her hand from Lu Qi's grasp and sighed in relief. "Phew, so it's just the sacred tree giving its blessing. You scared me."
Lu Qi looked down at her twitching cat ears and felt his hand itch.
A few minutes later, Yun Manman and Lu Qi were seated in the Principal's office at the Spiritual Guidance Academy.
Yun Manman secretly observed the Principal of the academy.
The Principal's hair had turned completely white, and his long white beard was intricately braided with several butterfly knots. His wrinkled face bore a kind and gentle smile, and the elf wings on his back emitted a faint glow. His entire being exuded a pure and serene aura.
The elf Principal's gaze swept over Yun Manman before settling on Lu Qi. "Your spiritual power seems very stable now."
Lu Qi replied lazily, "Thanks to you, I'm certainly not going crazy at random anymore."
The Principal asked, "I heard your spiritual power was violently unstable before. Why didn't you come to me?"
Lu Qi had no desire to recall that painful guidance experience. "You know I couldn't have endured it."
He had always been extremely repulsed by others' spiritual power, and each spiritual guidance session was torture for both him and the guide.
Especially when the Principal, Lanqi Country's most skilled spiritual guide, performed the guidance – Lu Qi didn't want to remember that process at all.
The elf Principal could understand.
He turned his gaze to Yun Manman. "This young spiritual guide who helped you is quite talented, and even received the sacred tree's blessing."
Yun Manman was slow to react, her cat eyes confused. "Huh? Me?"
"I received a blessing?"
The elf Principal nodded affirmatively. "In history, the sacred tree has only given its blessing three times. Once was 200 years ago to the Elf King at the time, and once was 50 years ago when I received it."
"And now, it's you."
He asked expectantly, "Do you feel anything special?"
Yun Manman carefully assessed herself. "I don't feel anything..."
She shifted uncomfortably in her seat and removed the flower pinned in her hair. "Should I give the blessing back? Is it not right for an outsider like me to have it?"
After all, it was the elves' sacred tree.
The elf Principal burst into laughter. "How could you give it back! You're quite an amusing little one."
"It's alright. The sacred tree belongs to nature, and its blessing to you is the will of nature itself."
He placed a hand on his chest, his posture reverent. "Elves respect nature's choices."
Hearing this, Yun Manman's unease finally dissipated. "But I really don't feel anything. Will there be any physical changes?"
The elf Principal winked. "Who knows?"
Yun Manman: ?
"For me, it wasn't until much later that I discovered my spiritual power purity had increased to 95%. As for the blessing 200 years ago, the former king didn't experience any noticeable changes in his spiritual or physical condition, but during his reign, Lanqi Country developed rapidly, experiencing unprecedented national prosperity."
The Principal reassured her, "So don't worry too much about the sacred tree's blessing. It might be protecting you in ways you don't even notice."
Well, it seemed a bit mystical.
Since it was mystical, there was no need to dwell on it, as she couldn't control mystical things anyway.
The elf Principal looked at the flower petals drifting outside the window and sighed. "We're quite grateful to you. At least it shows that the sacred tree is still watching over us. This blessing is enough to keep us happy for a long time."
As if remembering something, his narrowed eyes suddenly widened, looking at Yun Manman with a sparkle:
"Is your spiritual power purity very high? Since you could help General Lu with spiritual guidance, it shows you're quite exceptional."
"Would you consider coming to the Spiritual Guidance Academy for advanced studies?"
Yun Manman thought: Should I mention that my spiritual power is only C-rank?
The Principal grew more excited as he spoke, seeming to have planned out Yun Manman's future:
"Staying in Lanqi Country to develop your career would be great too. Look at our beautiful natural environment, and we have many wonderful young elf men..."
Yun Manman nodded in agreement.
There were no unattractive elves. The men were handsome, the women were beautiful, and even the Principal was a dashing old man.
Beside her, Lu Qi's mouth was pursed so tightly he could have hung a bottle of vinegar from it.
He said darkly, "We have more handsome men in Kashida."
Like himself, for instance.
This shameless old elf was trying to poach people from Kashida!
But this was Yun Manman's life, and she was free to choose where she wanted to develop her career.
Singing Snake had already decided that wherever Yun Manman went, he would follow, and he absolutely wouldn't let these shameless elves succeed.
The gentle and obedient cat-girl blinked softly. "I think I'll stay in Kashida."
"The food in Kashida suits my taste better."