Chapter 653: Your Disappearing Fragrance (2/2)

Back in that time, its progenitor was only an ordinary girl. Li Qiye let her stay by his side and led her down the path of the grand dao while teaching her supreme arts.

Due to various restraints, Li Qiye didn’t train her as a potential Immortal Emperor. Nevertheless, she stayed by his side as his maid and took care of his daily needs. Li Qiye, at the same time, gave his all and taught her the best techniques.

Although she couldn’t become an Immortal Emperor, her life and skill were extremely frightening and completely heaven-defying.

Li Qiye gently went through all of the scrolls on the shelf once before putting them back.

By the window, a guqin could be found. The sight of it caused Li Qiye to gently sigh. He sat before it and took a deep breath to calm his emotions before lifting his hands to play a melodious song that carried a free and relaxed temperament. [1. A guqin is a seven-string Chinese musical instrument that belongs to the zither family. This type of instrument has traditionally been favored by scholars and literati as an instrument of great subtlety and refinement.]

The melody was enchanting, and the tune seemed to be taking Li Qiye back to the past. Back then, Yan’er’s musical skill was also taught by him. Whenever he had something on his mind, Yan’er would play a tune for him. Now, when he played that old song again, he couldn’t help but think about the unforgettable past more and more.

Some time pa.s.sed and the song finally ended. At this time, Li Qiye paused and was lost in his nostalgia. The scenery remained the same, but the people were gone...

***

Outside the Bamboo Garden, Madam Zi Yan summoned all eighteen Demon Monarchs. The moment they received the urgent order, they immediately came running.

At the same time, she ordered that besides her and the monarchs, no one else could enter the alchemy garden. It could be said that at this time, the entire garden was barricaded completely.

“That… that can’t be real!” After hearing the madam’s words, the Eagle Demon Monarch couldn’t help but take a deep breath and display a shocked expression.

In fact, all the other monarchs were aghast as well. To them, this was an impossible matter.

“How can this be? For millions of years, the legends stated that besides the progenitor, no one else has been able to enter the Bamboo Garden.” Ancient Pine emotionally stated.

Although they knew that Madam Zi Yan was absolutely not lying, they still found such a matter hard to believe and couldn’t accept it in a short period of time.

For many generations, even invincible Virtuous Paragons from the Giant Bamboo Country had tried to enter the Bamboo Garden, but they couldn’t successfully do so. And yet, an outsider like Li Qiye, a nameless junior, was able to enter as easily as flipping one’s palm.

If such words didn’t come from Madam Zi Yan, then the monarchs would have never believed it.

“He didn’t forcefully enter and instead went through a portal — this means that our deity has accepted him.” Madam Zi Yan said in a solemn tone.

The monarchs glanced at each other in astonishment. One of them said: “This is incredible… Our country has produced many wise rulers and geniuses, but none were accepted by our bamboo deity. Yet now, an outsider was able to enter. I just can’t believe it!”

“Your Majesty, what should we do now?” Another monarch had to ask.

At this point, all the monarchs looked at Madam Zi Yan and awaited her orders. They felt a bit helpless when an outsider had been recognized by their bamboo deity.

Madam Zi Yan looked at the monarchs in a serious manner and said: “Do fellow monarchs have any opinions? Go ahead voice them.”

Ancient Pine pondered for a bit before speaking: “Your Majesty, in my opinion, this is a good thing and is killing two birds with one stone. Young n.o.ble Li’s dao of alchemy is peerless, so it is extremely hard for us to keep him. But now, with the acceptance of the deity, maybe we can keep him here.”

“Your Majesty, I feel Brother Ancient Pine’s opinion is right.” The alchemist monarch added: “Since no one from our country was able to obtain the deity’s acceptance for so long while Young n.o.ble Li was able to, this means that he has fateful ties with our Giant Bamboo Country. Perhaps this is the will of the heavens, perhaps our progenitor in the heavens is answering our call so that we can have a chance to stand proudly on top of all the races…

“... Imagine Young n.o.ble Li’s alchemy skill on top of being recognized by our deity! Maybe this means that our country will be led by Young n.o.ble Li to a new glorious peak. Your Majesty, in my opinion, this is an extremely good omen and a reason for our country to rejoice.”