"Found them? That quickly?" Liang Qu pressed his palm down and closed the book.
"Of course it had to be quick, and it had to be done quickly! Brother Liang has cultivated for only eleven or twelve years; how could I dare slack off in something so important? Half a year ought to have produced results. Hurry, hurry, what are you all waiting for outside? Bring the things in at once and let King of Huai feast his eyes!"
Datong Prefecture lay far to the north, and Hanging Temple stood at high elevation. With the two combined, the weather at the end of November, nearing December, was bitterly cold. The courtyard lay under a layer of snow deep enough to bury one's ankles.
Lu Jia brushed the snow dust from his sleeves, breathing out clouds of white vapor as he raised a hand in summons. Behind him, guards came in pairs, stepping over the threshold and gently placing enormous seeds and saplings one after another onto the plum-blossom scroll-end table. Dense, vigorous life force swirled around them, clearly extraordinary.
"Wow, why are there so many treasure trees at home? And they're all different." Long Li emerged from the side room with wide eyes. "Elder, have you started living the life of growing flowers and grass ahead of time?"
"This is premature senility." Long Yao spoke with absolute conviction.
"You two have been a little too lively lately. If you have nothing to do, go air out and wash the bedding in the rooms."
"Alright, Master~"
Ignoring Long Yao's tone, Liang Qu looked around and walked over to an emerald-green seed with a blue-green skin.
Pat, pat.
The seed gave a muffled thud like a watermelon.
"Brother Liang has a keen eye, choosing the best one at a glance. This seed