Lu Xueqi smiled.
She walked to Li Xiaoyu's side and straightened his rumpled collar.
"You're out of seclusion."
Her voice was soft and gentle.
"Mm."
Li Xiaoyu smiled and pulled her into his arms.
The two lingered together for a while.
"Xueqi, want some peaches?"
"Hmm?"
Li Xiaoyu smiled and walked into the small courtyard, his gaze falling on a withered peach tree in the corner.
He had planted this peach tree himself when he was young. Having neglected it due to years of seclusion, it had long since lost all life.
A gentle smile appeared on Li Xiaoyu's face.
With a thought, he drew a wisp of emerald-green energy from the Immortal-Slaying Gourd.
The energy was no thicker than a strand of hair, yet it contained immense vitality.
He extended a finger and lightly tapped the withered peach tree.
That wisp of emerald-green energy silently merged into the dry trunk.
The next moment, the peach tree that should have been dead began to rapidly come back to life.
New buds sprouted from the withered trunk.
The buds swiftly grew into lush green branches and leaves.
Within just a few breaths, the bare branches had become thick with foliage.
But that was not the end.
Amid the verdant leaves, pink flower buds began to bloom one after another.
In the blink of an eye, the entire peach tree was covered in blossoms.
A rich floral fragrance filled the small courtyard.
Yet this still was not the end.
The blooming peach flowers swiftly withered after opening.
One unripe fruit after another formed upon the branches.
The fruits rapidly ripened, becoming plump and round, releasing an enticing sweetness.
From withering to rebirth, from sprouting to flowering, from bearing fruit to ripening.
A process that should have taken the cycle of four seasons