Red Dust Fruit

Chen Hao reached out again and pressed his hand against the door.

The stone door rumbled heavily beneath his palm, like a great beast slowly stirring after a thousand years of sleep.

What greeted them was not the stench of mold and decay, but a cool, sweet breeze.

The breeze seemed alive. It gently brushed their cheeks and slipped beneath their collars, opening every pore it touched like welcome rain after a long drought.

Chen Siyao, Cai Jingwen, and the other women instinctively closed their eyes and breathed deeply.

By the time they opened their eyes again, they had already stepped inside without realizing it.

The sky overhead was impossibly blue. Across the lofty dome, golden light drifted like flowing clouds, resembling living veins or ancient runes. Its glow was gentle rather than dazzling, gathering in the air into visible spiritual mist with a pearly sheen, sometimes forming lotuses, sometimes dispersing into gauzy veils.

Beneath their feet lay warm white jade, yet it felt too soft to be stone. With every step, faint halos rippled out from under their soles. Unknown spiritual herbs grew between the jade slabs, dewdrops hanging from their leaf tips, each drop holding a tiny rainbow.

In the distance, a stream tinkled like the first notes of a guqin being tuned. Its water was so clear it was almost invisible, with pebbles of five colors lining the bed. Little fish an inch or so long swam past, their tail fins trailing flecks of light like crushed diamonds dissolving in the water.

Exotic flowers and trees lined the stream. A small tree, shorter than a person, bore several vermilion fruits. Golden patterns flickered across their skins, as though ancient script were whispering. Beneath the tree grew a few unfamiliar flowers with petals as thin as cicada wings. When the breeze stirred them, they gave off the faintest chime of silver bells.

A snow-white rabbit strolled out of the mist at an unhurried pace. As it passed the group, it even turned its head to glance at them. There was neither fear nor curiosity in its eyes, as though it had long grown accustomed to such immortal splendor.

Even the seasons here seemed different from those outside.

The clamor, restlessness, and treachery of the outside world felt as distant as a dream from a previous life.

Chen Siyao and the other women walked on in a daze. No one spoke, afraid of disturbing this timeless stillness.

Just as they were marveling at the hidden realm's beauty, a streak of three-colored light hurtled down from the clouds and mist with a sharp, clear birdcall, moving so fast that all they could see was an afterimage!

"W-what was that thing?" Yang Wanqing screamed in fright. The livestream camera jolted three times as she stared fixedly at the streak of light.

The three-colored streak flew straight toward a distant cave and vanished in an instant.

Yang Wanqing and Chen Siyao instinctively moved closer to Chen Hao, while Li Li and Cai Jingwen no longer dared to move about.

"Brother, is this place... really real?" Chen Siyao asked in a hushed voice.

Chen Hao did not answer. He merely pointed to the little tree beside the stream.

The vermilion fruits hung from its branches, their golden patterns flickering like a silent invitation.

"Try one."

His sister's eyes widened. "Can we just eat them? What if they're poisonous..."

Before she could finish, Chen Hao had already picked one, casually wiped it with his sleeve, and held it to her lips. "Trust me."

She hesitated for a moment, but finally took it and bit into it gently.

Her eyes widened instantly.

The skin was as thin as morning mist, melting on her tongue at the slightest touch. The juice did not gush out, but slowly seeped through, like a drop of melted amber spreading across her tongue. It was neither too warm nor too cold, but just the right temperature, as though the fruit had been waiting for this very moment.

Was it sweet? No.

Was it sour? Not that, either.

It was a sensation beyond taste—

Like her mother's hand on her forehead when she had a fever as a child, like the first ray of sunshine after a whole night in the rain, like waking from a long nightmare to find herself tucked safely beneath her blankets, with her brother sitting beside the bed and watching her quietly.

It was security regained after being lost, the purest tenderness she had ever known.

She closed her eyes involuntarily, tears seeping from their corners.

"Brother..." She opened her eyes, her voice catching. "I think... I just tasted the purest thing in my life."

Chen Hao said nothing, only gently ruffling her hair.

She could not bear to swallow, letting the flesh slowly melt in her mouth. The juice slid down her throat, and wherever it passed, a warm light seemed to travel through her body, filling every limb with indescribable comfort. It was not fullness, but cleansing—like a spring rain washing away the grime accumulated over many years.

"Brother, it really is delicious. It's a hundred times better than any fruit in the world."

Seeing how contentedly Chen Siyao ate, Yang Wanqing, Cai Jingwen, and the others each picked a fruit to try.

"Wow, it's so sweet! So sweet! I've never had fruit this sweet, and it isn't cloying at all. The more I eat, the more I want!" Yang Wanqing exclaimed.

Cai Jingwen, however, tasted something different.

It was sweet, but not the sweetness of sugar. It was a sweetness that made her inexplicably want to smile.

Yet that sweetness lingered for only a moment before a faint hint of sourness slowly emerged. It was not intense, but spread in delicate threads like lemon juice dropped into clear water.

She and Chen Siyao exchanged puzzled looks—did this fruit taste different to everyone?

They instinctively turned toward Li Li, only to find tears already rolling silently down her face.

Cai Jingwen went over and took her hand. "Lili, what's wrong?"

"I tasted sweetness, sourness, bitterness, and heat... It was very sweet at first, then sour, bitter, and spicy. In the end...

"All that remained was a clear, empty stillness."

Understanding dawned on Chen Siyao. "So this fruit feels different to everyone who eats it, as though it reflects each person's life."

Chen Hao explained calmly, "This is the Red Dust Fruit. It has no fixed taste. A thousand people will taste a thousand flavors, and even the same person will taste something different each time."

He smiled. "Don't get greedy. We can pick some more on our way out. Let's go."

The livestream chat was already scrolling wildly:

[Chancheng Ye Family: Sent Carnival ×100. Yaoyao, please make sure you pick some to sell to the Ye Family. We'll pay a high price.]

[Wuyi Mountain Qin Family: Sent Carnival ×100. Our Qin Family offers one hundred million for just a single fruit.]

[Luocheng Wu Family: Sent Carnival ×100! Our Wu Family offers one hundred million too!]

[This World Isn't Worth It: I'm crazy. I must be crazy. A single fruit is worth a hundred million?]

[Dump Your Lover Once You Make It: Is this the wealth of the three great martial arts families?]

Unfortunately, the women were all immersed in the hidden realm's beauty and had no attention to spare for the livestream.

They continued onward, stepping across soft grass and around shrubs blooming with little silver-bell flowers. Spiritual mist slowly billowed around them, making every step feel as though they were walking on clouds.

After an unknown stretch of time, the mist gradually thinned.

Ahead of them, an enormous blue-gray rock face suddenly appeared.

It was too smooth to seem natural. Faint patterns marked its surface, resembling ancient runes or traces left by a thousand years of flowing water. Though only thirty or forty feet high, it exuded an indescribable majesty amid the clouds and mist.

At the foot of the rock face was a cave entrance.

The entrance was small, just wide enough for two people to walk abreast. Its edges bore the marks of time, and a few vines hung from above, dewdrops clinging to their leaf tips. Darkness filled the cave beyond, concealing its depth, but a breeze cooler and more ancient than the air outside drifted slowly out.

As that breeze brushed his cheeks, Chen Hao suddenly had a strange feeling—

Something was waiting for them in the darkness.

Chen Siyao unconsciously edged closer to Chen Hao and asked softly, "Brother, are we going in?"

He gazed into the deep, dark entrance and fell silent for a moment.

Then he took her hand and approached, step by step.

Beyond the entrance lay an enormous stone chamber with a ceiling dozens of meters high. Luminous pearls embedded in the surrounding walls cast a soft glow, lighting the chamber as brightly as day.

At the center of the chamber stood a stone platform, upon which rested an enormous bronze cauldron. Green corrosion covered its body, yet its exquisite ornamentation remained clearly visible.