Chapter 45

Stepping out of the garden, a person stood gracefully. Shen Lian recognized her; it was Shen Ruoxi.

Although Shen Lian rarely returned to the Shen residence, every time he did, his presence grew more imposing. Even Shen Qingshi and Shen Qingshan treated him with increasing respect.

It wasn't that Shen Lian was harsh, but as his status and influence rose, others naturally viewed him differently.

Shen Ruoxi, who initially had a bias against Shen Lian, later privately learned more about him and the world, which led to a complex and indescribable admiration.

She didn't know that it was Shen Lian who had saved her from a dream that year. After all, much time had passed, and even if she had some vague memories at the time, they had since become completely blurred.

Moreover, she knew neither the beginning nor the end of the matter.

"Ruoxi, were you waiting for me?" Shen Lian took the initiative to greet her. Shen Ruoxi was nearly sixteen, the most beautiful age, standing tall and graceful like a lotus in full bloom.

"I was just about to go in, but Grandfather dismissed everyone, so I had to wait for you outside." Shen Ruoxi bit her lower lip slightly, and the fresh scent of a young girl quietly wafted between them.

In Shen Lian's eyes, even though Shen Ruoxi's skin was so tender it seemed to hold water, he could still see many flaws, far from the perfection of Xin Shisiniang. However, she was more genuine.

Moreover, Shen Lian had no sister in his previous life, and he was an only child. He truly yearned for a sibling.

In this life, with the unbreakable blood ties, Shen Lian gradually began to treat her as a sister, unlike when he first returned to the Shen family.

"What's the matter?" Shen Lian didn't beat around the bush. He was about to seek the Daoist homeland and might not have another chance to return. If Shen Ruoxi had any requests, he would try his best to help her.

"I want to host a plum blossom poetry gathering." Shen Ruoxi stood on tiptoe. As she grew older, she had developed a more ladylike demeanor, becoming much more gentle.

"Go ahead and do it. Besides, Uncle wouldn't stop you from hosting a poetry gathering, right?" Shen Lian smiled.

"You know my studies have never been as good as yours since childhood. Could you help me write a poem?" Shen Ruoxi tugged at the corner of Shen Lian's robe.

"I'm afraid I won't do well and make you look bad." Shen Lian shook his head.

"How could that be? If you put your mind to it, you can surely outshine everyone." Shen Ruoxi almost hugged Shen Lian's arm and shook it.

She had recently been reading many stories about chivalry, and phrases like "outshine everyone" came easily to her.

"I can't write a poem myself, but I can help you copy someone else's. I guarantee no one will notice." Shen Lian said casually.

"Really?" Shen Ruoxi looked doubtful, as if to say, "I don't read much, so don't trick me."

"Fake it, believe it or not." Shen Lian lifted his foot to leave.

"I believe you, okay? You have a photographic memory, I know. Find a lesser-known poem, and it will fool them." Shen Ruoxi had once witnessed Shen Lian's memory. Last year, when she was studying at home, Shen Lian happened to return. The teacher gave her a question she couldn't answer, so he told her to find the answer in a book she had studied and copy it a hundred times.

Shen Lian used a secret sound transmission technique to tell her the exact book, volume, page, and line.

The teacher's question was random, and Shen Lian couldn't have known it in advance.

This also demonstrated how extraordinary Shen Lian's memory was.

The Shen family wasn't a family of scholars, but the entire Qingzhou Prefecture had no richer collection of books than the Shen family.

Shen Ruoxi knew that Shen Lian sometimes went to the family's library. It wasn't strange that he might see some obscure poems and remember them.

Of course, Shen Ruoxi couldn't know that Shen Lian had spent little time memorizing the books and had also learned many unknown stories and legends.

"Listen carefully, I'll only say it once." Shen Lian patted Shen Ruoxi's head.

"Don't make it too long, or I won't remember."

"It's very short."

"Then say it quickly."

Shen Lian had a vast knowledge of books. Even in this world, no matter how obscure the poem, someone would know it.

The poem he intended to give Shen Ruoxi was from Earth.

The cultural backgrounds of the two worlds were similar, and the poetic rules were the same.

Shen Lian selected a poem about plum blossoms that he had read before and recited it:

"In the icy forest, I stand,

Unlike the peach and plum, I blend not with the dust;

Suddenly, one night, my fragrance spreads,

Scattering spring across the world."

Shen Lian's inner energy was abundant, and even though he recited it softly, it had the clarity of a young phoenix's cry.

The poem's words were not particularly elegant, but its theme was lofty, and its imagery was exquisite, resonating with Shen Lian's own character.

When he finished, Shen Lian felt a sense of unity with the poem, and a long-dormant barrier in his cultivation began to loosen.

"This poem won't do." Shen Ruoxi murmured.

"Why not?"

"Such a good poem, others must already know it. If I present it, I'll only embarrass myself." Shen Ruoxi was truly troubled and worried. If the poem was of average quality, it would be fine, but this poem was simple yet profound, likely well-known, and easily exposed.

"Trust me, and present it. If you don't trust me, think of something yourself."

"Fine, I'll say you wrote it. If it's exposed, you'll be the one to look bad." Shen Ruoxi huffed.

"I actually hope someone can expose it." Shen Lian thought to himself. Shen Ruoxi's comment reminded him of the five-character poem by Wang Chongyang that Ling Chongxiao recited in his story, which was not from this world.

He wondered what secrets it held.

Time passed quickly, and today was the 15th, but the weather was not good. After two days of clear skies, a cold front arrived.

The sky was starless and moonless, and only the lights on the ground provided illumination.

The lights in Jialan Temple were very bright, as clear as daylight.

Shen Lian met Xin Shisiniang for the second time in Jialan Temple on Jialan Mountain.

The lights were like flowing water, spilling out from the door, mixing with the snow and ice, as clear as a pool of water.

A plum blossom with sparse branches, and a bright and beautiful young girl.

Pale yellow flowers, deep red robes.

"Seeing you here, I'm not sure whether to look at the flower or at you." Shen Lian smiled, standing calmly in the ancient temple in the mountains, under a starless and moonless sky.

"First, I am not human, and second, the flower isn't as beautiful as I am. Mr. Shen, you don't know how to speak." Xin Shisiniang smiled.

"Plum blossoms with their proud bones, and a beauty in the snow, both are worthy of admiration and affection. I can't distinguish which is more beautiful."

"Before, when I saw Ye Liuyun, I thought he was inferior to you, but now I think you are inferior to him." Xin Shisiniang plucked a plum blossom, and the branches swayed, casting a clear shadow.

"Oh, why is that?" Shen Lian asked appropriately.

"He, at least, isn't blind."

Shen Lian laughed heartily and said, "In my life, you are the most interesting person I've met."

"But you are boring, like an old man. What about the gift you promised?" Xin Shisiniang held out her hands, as if demanding a toll to pass.

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Thank you to Quxiao Xiao Xiao for the 588 reward, Meiyin Youming Jian for the 588 reward, and Qingchen Li Xiaoshu, Xiu Jiang Longwang, Wen Nixin Fei, Shuyou 151122220328724, Qingyi, Shunying Mohen, Yese Xia de Chuwu, Hanhan Han, Jian Ming Jiu Xiao for their rewards.