Meeting Mu Xi's suspicious gaze, Ouyang Zixin hurriedly answered, "Nothing like that."
"I was just curious. Curious about exactly how harsh the conditions are for it to bloom?"
Mu Xi stood to the side with her arms folded and spoke unhurriedly.
"This imitation Lovesick Heartbreak Soul-Guided Flower looks like nothing more than an exquisite ornament, but making it is even more torturous than cultivating the real flower."
"The rules for its blooming are extremely rigid. It only recognizes pure, devoted, deep obsession."
"To make it bloom, the holder must hold the flower lantern close in their hands for a full hour every day. During the entire process, their mind must be free of distractions, with only one person's figure remaining in their thoughts, conveying the purest and most devoted affection."
"This process must be maintained for a full half month, without missing a single day."
"And during these fifteen days, the state of mind is an absolute, unyielding rule. If they harbor even the slightest thought for someone else, the slightest tenderness, the slightest lingering ambiguity, the Soul-Guided Flower will instantly dim and crack. All their effort will be wasted, it will be completely ruined on the spot, and the cultivation can never be restarted."
As soon as those words came out, Ouyang Zixin was visibly moved.
"So harsh. That means within half a month, one must have only a single person in their heart and eyes, without the slightest distraction."
"No wonder they say it's harder than the real flower. Ordinary people could never keep it up. The human heart is the greediest and softest thing there is. Who could keep their heart wholly devoted for half a month without a single stray thought?"
Mu Xi curled the corner of her lips, her gaze seeming to drift toward the