Chapter 99

"Something about this thing seems extraordinary." Qi Xiang observed for a moment and suddenly had this feeling.

The withered little tree, from root to tip, was not very tall, about twenty to thirty centimeters. The tree had an umbrella-like shape, with a coiled root branching out into three stems. Each stem extended into clearly defined forks.

Upon closer inspection, Qi Xiang suddenly found that this little tree gave him a very balanced aura.

Indeed, it was balanced. Whether it was the roots, branches, or forks, they were evenly distributed, orderly, without any sign of disorder.

Qi Xiang noticed this characteristic and even began to doubt whether the tree was artificially crafted, which is why it was so regular.

While Qi Xiang was examining it, the person in the room was also watching him.

To be precise, they were watching the tea flower in his hand.

After a glance, the person's turbid yellow eyes suddenly brightened slightly, and they said, "Fellow Daoist, would you like to sit down and chat?"

The person did not hide their voice, which was somewhat low and沧桑 (沧桑 means weathered or aged, but in this context, it can be translated as "weathered"), indicating they were an elderly person.

"Sure..."

Qi Xiang's heart stirred, and he slowly walked over and sat opposite the person. Then, without being overly polite, he directly asked, "This tree... seems to be dead?"

"It is withered, but not dead."

This was a fact that could be seen with the naked eye, and the person did not hide it, admitting it straightforwardly. However, they added, "But it has not completely withered yet; there is still a glimmer of life."

"Hmm?" Qi Xiang was taken aback and focused his gaze again, finding some agreement.

Although the tree appeared to be withered and black, with no moisture left, if it were truly dead, the umbrella-like branches and forks would not be so intact; they would surely be broken or damaged.

Most importantly, Qi Xiang also noticed that the bark on the tree roots, though cracked like dried riverbed mud, had not rotted, indicating that the tree indeed still had a glimmer of life.

"Can it be saved?" Qi Xiang asked out of curiosity.

"Alas, it's as difficult as climbing to the heavens, unless there is a miraculous method." The person was very honest, sighing bitterly, "I spent ten years traveling the world, consulting many people, and trying hundreds of methods, but I still couldn't stop its life force from gradually fading and leading to its decline."

"Then you..." Qi Xiang blinked, "So you plan to sell it?"

Qi Xiang muttered to himself, thinking the person was too straightforward. Who would be foolish enough to take over a tree that was almost dead?

"Not selling..." The person shook his head and said calmly, "I am waiting for an opportunity here."

"Waiting for an opportunity?" Qi Xiang was puzzled, "What do you mean?"

"I didn't understand it either at first," the person explained, "But a while ago, I met a high-level person at an old friend's house. After hearing about my problem, he was inspired to read my fortune and told me that the opportunity was here..."

"So I came here and waited for the opportunity."

The person's calm tone suddenly became a bit agitated, "Now that I see you, I understand the meaning of the opportunity."

"Me?" Qi Xiang was taken aback, then looked down at the tea flower in his hand and smiled, "It's because of this pot of flowers, right?"

"Exactly..." The person nodded, his tone somewhat sad, "Do you know what this is?"

"No, I don't." Qi Xiang was very honest.

"It's also a tea tree," the person sighed, "A few hundred years old, at the end of its life, about to wither and die. But this tea tree has accompanied me all my life, and I can't bear to part with it."

Qi Xiang nodded, showing understanding. Nowadays, people keep cats, dogs, birds, plant flowers, and trees, and over time, they develop feelings. Once the pets or plants die, they are surely very sad and distressed.

"But someone told me a folk remedy."

At this moment, the person's eyes lit up with hope, "He told me that as long as I find a similar spiritual plant and use the grafting technique, I might be able to revive the tea tree..."

"Grafting?" Qi Xiang was surprised, "How do you do it?"

"It involves crushing the entire spiritual plant and applying it to the nearly dead tree, allowing it to fully absorb the nutrients and regain vitality." The person explained and then eagerly asked, "Fellow Daoist, could you transfer this spiritual plant to me?"

"I can offer... ten million!"

The person's tone was firm and decisive, and the price was high, showing great sincerity.

"Ten million..."

Qi Xiang thought for a moment and changed the subject, "Will this folk remedy work? It sounds a bit... like a fairy tale to me."

"Of course... it's uncertain whether it will work." The person paused, his voice low and dejected, "But as long as there is a glimmer of hope, I won't give up."

"Why bother?" Qi Xiang shook his head, "If it doesn't work, won't your money be wasted, and a precious spiritual plant be wasted? It seems too unprofitable."

The person was speechless, silent for a while, and then said dejectedly, "You're right, I'm too stubborn. But I can't help feeling frustrated..."

"I understand," Qi Xiang smiled slightly and suddenly said, "If I'm not mistaken, this old tea tree was also a spiritual plant, right?"

"Uh..." The person was surprised and then nodded, "You're right."

"No wonder it can't be saved," Qi Xiang said softly, "Any spiritual plant, if it lacks sufficient spiritual energy, will wither and die just like humans. There's no need to be too upset."

"You don't understand..." The person was very disheartened.

"I do," Qi Xiang interrupted, "This spiritual plant is not of ordinary grade. It's probably more than a few hundred years old, perhaps even a thousand years."

"Ah!" The person was both surprised and doubtful, "How do you know..."

"Because... I happen to have some knowledge about spiritual plants." Qi Xiang smiled slightly and suddenly extended a finger to touch a blooming tea flower.

In that instant, the blooming flower trembled, and then, miraculously, it contracted, forming a bud about to bloom.

"Ah?"

The person beside him was startled and lost composure.

At the same time, the bud, in the next second, bloomed like a night-blooming cereus, unfolding petal by petal right before the person's eyes, eventually forming a tea flower the size of a bowl.

The tea flower bloomed and closed in just a few seconds.

But in this short process, the tea flower seemed to undergo a tremendous transformation, as if reborn, completely different from before.

The person was deeply moved. Just by comparing this tea flower with the others, it was clear.

Under Qi Xiang's guidance, the tea flower was noticeably rounder, more alluring, more delicate, and larger, with petals that seemed to have just been sprinkled with dew, exuding a thick spiritual energy, a fragrant aroma, and a refreshing feeling.

"Wow..."

The person drew in a breath, then trembled and hurriedly stood up, bowing, "Master, please, save my tea tree..."

"I can't save it," Qi Xiang sat steadily, subtly wiping away the traces of moon dew. Even a tiny bit of the imperial fluid contained in the moon dew was enough to elevate the tea flower to a higher grade.

Today, Qi Xiang, thinking about the floral tea party mentioned on the invitation, had a hunch and brought a moon dew bead. As expected, it came in handy.

Moreover, the effect was obvious, leaving the person stunned.

"Even if this tree still has a glimmer of life, the life force is too weak. As you said, unless there is a miraculous method, it's impossible to revive it."

Qi Xiang sighed, "But I don't have such abilities..."

Hearing this, the person immediately became dejected. Although Qi Xiang couldn't see the person's expression, he understood their feelings. After all, a thousand-year-old tea tree, even if it were an ordinary tea tree, would be very valuable, let alone a spiritual plant.

What does a thousand-year-old spiritual plant mean?

Qi Xiang couldn't imagine it. In his view, if such a thing were as vibrant as a tea flower, with lush branches and leaves, it wouldn't be just ten million; even a hundred million would attract many people.

Of course, now that it's almost dead, it has lost its value.

Qi Xiang wore a mask, so the person couldn't see his face. Nevertheless, his voice was very sincere, and he advised, "I understand your feelings and your thoughts. The problem is that times have changed, and many things are different now."

"If this tea tree were a few hundred years ago, there would be many ways to save it."

Qi Xiang said sincerely, "But now, it's definitely beyond saving."

"Alas, I knew it would be like this..." The person's tone was very sad, "I just had a glimmer of hope."

"But..." Qi Xiang suddenly turned the conversation.

The person was initially confused, then rekindled hope and asked urgently, "But what?"

"Nothing, I just want to ask, are you willing to sell this tea tree?" Qi Xiang inquired, "Or, are you willing to sell the tree roots?"

"Ah?" The person was stunned, not reacting.

Qi Xiang naturally explained, "This tree still has a glimmer of life, and the life force is in the roots. Although the tree can't be saved, the roots with life force are still valuable. At least to me, they can be useful, so I want to buy them, but I need to ask your opinion."

"Buy my tree roots?" The person shook his head without hesitation, "No..."

"Don't rush to refuse," Qi Xiang pointed, "What do you think of this pot of tea flowers?"

"You..." The person was stunned, "What do you mean by that?"

"Let's exchange," Qi Xiang's words left the person speechless, then filled with surprise.

"Exchange..."

Surprised, the person also had doubts...

At this point, there's no need to say more. Please support by collecting and recommending.

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