Qing Xuan was slightly taken aback and instinctively looked at Qing Yi.
Qing Yi was looking at him with a faintly teasing smile.
"Ahem, what nonsense are you talking about? Go pick your pinecone yourself." Qing Xuan tapped Kong Xuan on the forehead and headed over first.
The girl blinked and looked at Qing Yi. "Master's wife, Master seems to be blushing."
Qing Yi said nothing and merely raised a hand to rub the girl's head.
Qing Xuan stopped beneath the tree and pointed at a mature pinecone on the eastern side of the canopy.
"Take only that one. Do not damage the surrounding branches and leaves, and do not disturb the other fruits."
Kong Xuan had initially thought the task could not be simpler.
Her Five-Colored Divine Light could even sweep away Innate Spirit Treasures, much less a mere pinecone on a tree.
Five-colored radiant light unfurled behind her and gently swept toward the spot Qing Xuan had indicated.
Yet before the pinecone could leave its branch, the Dao rhythms of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, all linked together, were stirred by the divine light at once.
The entire branch bent downward with them, while three other pinecones nearby gently swayed under the pull of the Five Elements energy.
Kong Xuan reacted swiftly, withdrawing her Five-Colored Divine Light in an instant and avoiding any real damage to the Five-Needle Pine.
She looked up at the branch, now still once more, and the ease on her face had diminished somewhat.
"Their Five Elements energy is connected."
Qing Xuan did not tell her what to do. He merely said, "Try again."
This time, Kong Xuan did not act rashly.
She circled halfway around the Five-Needle Pine, her gaze following the Five Elements Dao rhythms slowly flowing around that pinecone.
Qing