Peony

Early that morning, Kukulu hurried over and knocked on Sen Lijiu's door.

"Jiujiu? Are you awake?"

Sen Lijiu's slightly muffled voice came from behind the door, trailing off softly.

"Not yet. I'll get up in a minute."

Standing outside, Kukulu couldn't help smiling when he heard Sen Lijiu's voice.

Before coming over, he had heard from his older brother that Sen Lijiu liked to sleep in, so he deliberately called out, "Then I'm coming in!" With that, he gently pushed the door open and stepped into the room.

Sen Lijiu was curled up under the covers, with only his head showing.

When he saw Kukulu come in, he gave him a resigned glare.

"The sun's already shining on your backside, Jiujiu!" Kukulu walked over to the bed and reached for Sen Lijiu's blanket.

Sen Lijiu clutched the blanket tightly, refusing to let go. "Just let me sleep a little longer..." he mumbled.

Kukulu chuckled and gave it a hard tug, pulling the blanket off.

"Time to get up! My brother said we've got lots to do today!"

Sen Lijiu shivered in the cold air, rubbed his eyes, and sat up.

"All right..." As he got dressed, he asked, "What are we doing today?"

Kukulu gave him a mysterious smile. "You'll find out in a bit!"

After washing up, Sen Lijiu followed Kukulu to the living room.

Jun Yi was already waiting there.

"Good morning, Jiujiu," Jun Yi greeted him with a smile.

"Morning..." Sen Lijiu replied groggily, still half asleep.

"We're going to meet someone special today."

As Jun Yi spoke, he looked at Sen Lijiu, a barely perceptible flicker of anticipation in his eyes.

"Peony Ruyi's older sister."

"Oh..." Sen Lijiu nodded, then suddenly seemed to snap awake. "That flower?"

Jun Yi nodded, his eyes smiling.

The three of them went out together and headed for the garden.

Hearing them talk about peonies, Kukulu excitedly described how beautiful and captivating Peony Ruyi's older sister was.

Once Sen Lijiu finished breakfast and was ready to leave, Kukulu tried to follow, only to be stopped.

"You're not taking me?!" Kukulu's face was full of shock.

Under his incredulous gaze, Jun Yi nodded.

"You-you'd actually treat me like this! I am His Highness, the noble Prince Kukulu! I'm telling Mother!"

Jun Yi smiled at him, a dangerous look in his eyes. "How about I send you back right now?"

Kukulu instantly deflated like a punctured balloon and obediently sat back down at the table.

He knew how rare this chance to visit his brother's castle was. If he was sent back, there was no telling when he would get to come again.

Jun Yi took Sen Lijiu to the garden they had visited yesterday. With a light tap before the formation, he revealed the entrance.

Sen Lijiu looked at him in confusion. "How can you get inside?"

Jun Yi answered softly, "Because of my power, and my ancient spirit fairy clan royal bloodline."

"This is their resting place. We mustn't disturb them too much."

"Can we still go in, then?"

"Of course. I'm here."

"Let's go see her. Didn't you want to take a look yesterday?"

Amid a dazzling sea of colorful flowers, an enormous, magnificent peony came into view.

"That's Ruyi's older sister," Jun Yi said, pointing ahead.

Sen Lijiu approached the peony and studied her closely.

She truly was beautiful. Her petals were as soft and smooth as silk, giving off an enchanting fragrance, as though she were nature's most precious gift.

Her beauty carried the stately elegance of a peony, yet she was also breathtakingly vivid, making it impossible not to be captivated by her.

Her enchanting fragrance lingered in the air like a flowing melody, poetic and picturesque, dreamlike and ethereal.