951 Reject? Or Agree? (1/2)
Miao Xiao Miao continued. ”I only know that after that event, my father's fate suddenly changed in a heaven shaking and earth shattering manner. From a piece of trash that everybody disdained to look at to someone that everybody fought over to curry favor with. His physique had also changed greatly, and he got married with Mother after that. Even until now, Father is still extremely grateful to the Holy Tree. He feels exceedingly strongly that without the tree, our family would not exist!”
Miao Xiao Miao smiled lighty and said in a soft voice. ”Naturally, there would also not be… me.”
”Your father is truly blessed by the heavens.” Jun Mo Xie already had a rough guess in his heart. From the looks of it, this Rainbow Holy Tree has slowly developed a consciousness after the accumulation of many long years. But this kind of young spirit's temper was still incomparably pure, with clear likes and dislikes. Someone who looked like a good person was a good person, while a villainous looking person will be a bad person. In addition, without anyone to guide it, it was willful and slowly developed extreme personalities…
As for Miao Xiao Miao's father, Jun Mo Xie could guess that it had simply taken pity on the weak.
”Now that the Spiritual Herbal Gardens are open, our Misty Illusory Manor has once again obtained the opportunity to pick the herbs inside. But because of the 1,400 years gap, no one dares to approach the tree. Naturally, we do not dare to bring more candidates into the garden! Thus, the idea of bringing two people into the garden at the same time is not possible!” Miao Xiao Miao said with a sigh.
”There's no need to put it so hopelessly. Afterall, there are no absolutes in the world. I feel that the Holy Tree might not necessarily reject the presence of one more person. The reason the garden was sealed previously was most likely because the tree didn't like some of the people that approached it in the past. We can perhaps try letting a few more people into the garden this time, and then approach the tree one person at a time to try to obtain the acknowledgement of the tree? If the tree dislikes that person, we can just send in the next one. That way, wouldn't we have many more opportunities!” Jun Mo Xie said.
”That sounds feasible…” Miao Xiao Miao pondered for a moment and nodded. ”However, this matter still needs to be approved by the elders of the Misty Illusory Manor first! Based on my guess, the elders might not be willing to take such a risk!”
”That will be a problem for the Zhan Family to worry about!” Jun Mo Xie said confidently. ”And my purpose in accepting the challenge this time is to obtain this opportunity!”
Looking at Miao Xiao Miao, he said with a slight smile. ”If I rejected the challenge, it would ultimately be seen as a sign of weakness. Since they've spent such great efforts to arrange difficulties for me, why shouldn't I take the chance to pose some difficult questions for them as well? They wish to humiliate me and test me? I can give them a chance to do so! But at the same time, they will have to promise me some conditions before I will be willing to compete with them. Opportunities go both ways; how can I let them down like this!
”If I win, you can strut into the Spiritual Herbal Gardens without any dissent. As for my slot, the Zhan Family will naturally obtain it for me. With the Zhan Family's status as the number one aristocrat family in the Misty Illusory Manor, it should be possible for them to obtain this extra slot!”
Jun Mo Xie smiled sinisterly. ”That way, wouldn't it be a great joy?”
”How could you only think on the bright side? What if you lose?” Miao Xiao Miao rolled her eyes and stared at him. There was an unspeakably cute charm on her face as she said that, causing Jun Mo Xie's heart to skip, and he suddenly remembered Dugu Xiao Yi in his heart. This lass is actually so cute when she rolls her eyes, like my little Xiao Yi.
”If I lose… I will naturally be humiliated by them a little. Also, according to our previous arrangements, if I lose, that means you lose as well. The both of us will lose the chance to enter the Spiritual Herbal Gardens!” Jun Mo Xie cackled. ”If it really ended like that, I guess you can count it as me dragging you down this once.”
His face turned unusually serious as he asked. ”Miss Miao, would you… be willing to let me drag you down this one time? Or… will you trust me?”
Miao Xiao Miao's face instantly reddened and she turned her head away uncomfortably. ”You underestimate the importance of this matter with your words. If you win, everything will naturally be nice and dandy! But if you lose… my qualifications will be lost as well… That is the equivalent of my happiness and future being wrecked! This bet you're taking is equivalent to betting the rest of my life… However, you won't suffer much of a loss…”
”Betting your life? How could it be betting the rest of your life away? Your words are surely a little too heavy!” Jun Mo Xie said hesitantly.
”For the two of us to meet is also a kind of fate. There are some things that you would know sooner or later, so I will tell it to you briefly in advance. Our Miao Family is in a state of decline right now, and there hasn't been an outstanding junior in our family for many generations now! Although there are still quite a number of strong seniors in our Miao Family, their ages are great… Most likely, the next generation's Manor Lord will no longer belong to our Miao Family. Truthfully, if not for my father gaining the acknowledgement of the Holy Tree over a hundred years ago, becoming the lord of the Spiritual Herbal Garden, our Miao Family would most likely have become relegated long ago!”
Miao Xiao Miao sighed lightly as her eyelashes fluttered sadly. ”If the position of Manor Lord was really taken away by the other families, then in order to maintain the balance of the Misty Illusory Manor, and retain the position of the family, the elders in the family will definitely marry me to the most talented successor of the new leading family! That way, we can maintain our position while slowly bidding our time and awaiting the opportunity for our Miao Family to rise up again.
”Although I seem to be doted on and loved by all right now, if things came to that point… I will still only be turned into a sacrificial offering for the family.
”In order to avoid this worst case scenario, the only way left is for me to take over my father's position and become the next lord of the Spiritual Herbal Garden. Only by relying on this special position can I escape this fate, obtaining an independent status. Although I still cannot marry, I can do whatever I want. At least, that is still better than spending a life of sadness with someone that I don't like!”