Lush Peach and Plum

[Dao Fruit]...

Jiang Yang turned the term over in his mind several times. This was his first time hearing it, and none of the few scriptures he had encountered mentioned it. Judging by the name alone, though, it was indeed something precious beyond words.

But in his previous life, he had been an utterly ordinary person—just a high school student, in fact. He had never bought antiques or possessed any family heirlooms. There was absolutely nothing that could connect him to this peach blossom [Dao Fruit].

He racked his brains but could find no connection, so he simply put the matter aside. After all, this Dao Fruit had been with him for so many years without showing the slightest unusual movement, and now it seemed to offer benefits. Of course, if it wanted to harm him, there was nothing Jiang Yang could do to stop it.

This [Dao Fruit] is right before my eyes. How do I pluck it? Jiang Yang knew so little about it that he had no idea where to begin.

The Peach Branch drifted within his Sea of Consciousness, settled enough that he need not worry about it flying away. Yet it gave Jiang Yang no response whatsoever. Clearly, this was a case of [Fruit Unworthy of Its Position], leaving him unable to command its many wondrous powers.

Anxiety stirred in Jiang Yang's heart despite himself. After years of waiting and hoping, the feeling of carrying a mountain of treasure only to return empty-handed was not something everyone could endure.

As though it had heard Jiang Yang's inward call, the Peach Branch suddenly blazed with light. In the blink of an eye, a tiny Flower Bud emerged at the tip of a twig, with alternating leaves and five petals joined together, lovely and bashful.

Jiang Yang gazed at the peach blossom in his Sea of Consciousness, and understanding welled up within him.

"Luxuriant is the peach tree, radiant are its flowers. Flowers bloom and fall; the branch becomes a Peach Immortal."

So that's how it works. Jiang Yang instantly understood the condition for taking command of the Dao Fruit.

He only needed to fill every twig on this Peach Branch with blossoms, then make each of them bloom. It would then attain perfect fruition and become a Peach Immortal for Jiang Yang to consume, granting him full command of the Dao Fruit.

It sounded simple enough, but as Jiang Yang looked at the many twigs covering the Peach Branch, the relief that had just risen within him scattered beyond the nine heavens.

The Peach Branch was not long, but it had at least three to five twigs. Even if each bore only two or three blossoms, the total was still no small number.

After a little thought, Jiang Yang regained his composure. His ignorance made him fearless, and he felt no dread of the difficulty. As he saw it, if a [Dao Fruit] could be mastered so easily, it would hardly be worthy of its exalted standing.

This peach blossom has already put out a bud, but what exactly caused it...?

And what conditions would make it bloom?

Jiang Yang continued letting his thoughts roam as he speculated. The most likely possibility was naturally that it had something to do with him, but he did not know whether he needed to supply it with "sustenance" or whether it would bloom as his cultivation advanced.

Most of his guesses followed the shallow experience he had gained from reading novels in his previous life. Whether any of it was reliable, he could not say.

Another question arose in Jiang Yang's mind. Surely he was not supposed to tug at it? He felt it could not be that simple. If it were so easy, it probably would not deserve to be called a Dao Fruit imperishable through ten thousand tribulations.

Skeptical though he was, Jiang Yang decided to try anyway, carefully bringing his Spirit Sense into contact with the tightly closed Flower Bud at the tip of the branch.

Humm...

As though caressed by Jiang Yang's Spirit Sense, the peach blossom bashfully curled into a ball. Yet it stubbornly remained upright on the branch, showing no intention of opening into bloom.

Jiang Yang felt rather dizzy. Although no petals had fallen, he had not come away entirely empty-handed.

"Nourishing rain slants softly; I hear only a clear note rise. The whispering rain subsides—is a jade-like beauty drawing near?"

The flower sent back this line, which seemed utterly without context to Jiang Yang. He read it over twice but could find no special meaning.

That's it?

Jiang Yang puzzled over the words without finding an answer. They were neither quite a sentence nor quite a poem, neither the guiding outline of a cultivation method nor a lantern riddle or sacred verse.

Unwilling to give up, Jiang Yang once again stirred his Spirit Sense and linked it to the Peach Branch, hoping to resolve his confusion.

Unexpectedly, the Peach Branch shook. Bright, clear light surged like ocean waves, setting Jiang Yang's Sea of Consciousness heaving.

A rich, fresh fragrance spread, followed by a powerful longing that rose within Jiang Yang's heart. Before he could understand why, a ribbon of golden light burst before his eyes.

Golden characters gathered and scattered like tadpoles before solidifying. Their strokes resembled flecks of gold lacquer, radiating an enchanting glow that could intoxicate anyone with a single glance.

"Lush Peach and Plum."

The four large characters slowly unfolded. As his Spirit Sense sank into them, Jiang Yang instantly understood their mysteries.

This was a seed bestowed upon him by the Peach Blossom Dao Fruit, containing an innate endowment. When invested in him, it became Lush Peach and Plum.

Although he had acquired this endowment after birth, the Dao Fruit had bestowed it on Heaven's behalf, so it could be called a talent.

The abilities of this talent were: enhance appearance, nurture and transform the body, alter aptitude, and benefit Dao companions.

Though the description was brief, Jiang Yang understood its specific effects in an instant. Simply put, it would continually and subtly improve his looks, outward bearing, and aptitude for cultivation.

After reading it, Jiang Yang opened his eyes and could not resist clenching his fists and punching the air twice, his heart soaring with excitement.

What an extraordinary Talent Seed this was! Its wondrous ability to alter aptitude alone could defy Heaven and rewrite his fate.

Even as a Lower Court disciple of limited experience, he knew how difficult it was to improve a person's aptitude from nothing. Otherwise, there would be no need to sort disciples into so many ranks.

In the cultivation world, strength had always reigned supreme. Though the first two changes this talent offered delighted Jiang Yang, he did not truly place much weight on them. What genuinely thrilled him was the third ability: improving his aptitude.

Jiang Yang's middling aptitude sounded decent enough, but that was merely the person testing his spiritual potential choosing pleasant words. He was an orphan with neither elders nor a Lineage to rely on, and every resource he needed for cultivation came from the sect. Without some tremendous stroke of fortune, what hope did he have of reaching foundation establishment?

The importance of aptitude was plain to see. Had his aptitude been outstanding back then, he would not have needed to squander his years in this branch Courtyard. Perhaps some senior master would even have taken a liking to him and admitted him directly into the inner sect.

Still, it isn't too late. Improving gradually will also keep others from noticing anything amiss.

Despite his immense joy, Jiang Yang kept his outlook grounded. The Peach Blossom Dao Fruit's origins were mysterious, and keeping a low profile was hardly a bad thing.

This world was no gentle place. Though sect rules and prohibitions existed, entrusting his life to a sheet of written commandments would undoubtedly be foolish.

But... At that thought, a peculiar expression appeared on Jiang Yang's face. The last ability in the description was to benefit Dao companions.

This talent did not solely benefit him. It actually possessed the wondrous power to benefit her as well.

Any partner whom Jiang Yang sincerely acknowledged in his heart could enjoy its blessing. Whether cultivating in meditation, refining pills or artifacts, drawing talismans, or breaking through barriers and realms, she would receive considerable unseen assistance.

What kind of wife-blessing constitution is this...? Jiang Yang muttered his complaint, though he was not particularly surprised. The Peach Blossom Dao Fruit itself possessed authority over marital bonds, so including this in its gift was not out of place.

A thousand thoughts had passed through his mind, yet outside, only the snap of a finger had elapsed. Rising to stretch his limbs, Jiang Yang suddenly caught a delicate, fresh fragrance, but when he sniffed more closely, it was nowhere to be found.

A guess quietly formed in Jiang Yang's mind. He drew one hand from his sleeve and formed a spell gesture. Falling Rain Peak was rich in moisture, and a sphere of clear water soon condensed before him.

He used the smooth surface of the water mirror to inspect himself, and a face both familiar and unfamiliar appeared upon it.

Jiang Yang considered his original looks quite good, even exceptionally handsome. He was merely on the thin side and looked somewhat frail, while his youthful features had yet to fully mature.

Now, the person in the mirror clearly had not changed much, yet his features somehow looked far more pleasing. At first glance, his whole presence seemed to flow as naturally as a clear spring in a mountain ravine.

His face was plainly still the same face, but his bearing had already become entirely different.

Simply facing the water mirror and meeting his own gaze filled him with involuntary pleasure. That familiar yet intimate feeling struck Jiang Yang as strange.

Previously, Jiang Yang had not paid much attention to the ability to alter his looks and bearing. Now that he had actually seen its effects, he could not help drawing in a sharp breath. Inwardly, he thought that it truly deserved to be called a Heaven-bestowed endowment; such transformative power was not to be underestimated.

His years of hard work had now received the finest possible reward. Tugging at the gray cloth robe that marked him as a Lower Court disciple, Jiang Yang steadied his emotions.

The robe was drab gray and hardly magnificent, yet it bore two small formations: one called Still Garment, the other Dust Repelling. Sturdy and durable, it remained untouched by even a speck of dust. Its fabric was dense and smooth, far beyond anything mortal silk or brocade garments could match.

Of the several hundred disciples who had entered this branch Courtyard alongside him, probably fewer than one or two in ten had ultimately earned the right to wear this gray robe. Most had failed to cross the threshold for too long and could only be sent down the mountain to lead mediocre lives, immortals and mortals forever separated from then on.

When he first arrived in this world, he had been only an eleven- or twelve-year-old child. Heaven have pity—his greatest wish back then had merely been to eat his fill...