On The Self-Cultivation Of A Favored Concubine - Chapter 74

Ten thousand years ago, Kua Fu chased the sun. When he passed away, he discarded his staff, which transformed into a vast peach blossom forest, as recorded in the Classic of Mountains and Seas.

The very first peach blossom to bloom on those branches encountered a stroke of destiny, she ascended to godhood, becoming the deity in charge of the World’s Marriage Register.

The Peach Blossom Goddess was like her original form in the prime of her youth, brilliant and blooming, with a refined beauty that was famous across the four seas.

By nature, the Peach Blossom Goddess preferred solitude. A single tear mole at the corner of her eye lent her an air of gentle melancholy. She lived year-round deep within a dense forest by a great marsh.

Deep in this forest, the lush foliage of towering trees filtered the perpetual sunlight. Speckled shadows scattered across the earth, which was covered in withered branches and fallen leaves. Amidst the low shrubs, emerald-green vines climbed sturdy branches, trailing down supple stems laden with pink flowers. In this desolate forest, where neither humans nor birds ventured, transparent little peach blossoms bloomed everywhere. Their cycle from budding to withering to rebirth was incredibly swift, throughout the four seasons, the air was filled with the faint, lingering scent of peach blossoms.

Above the verdant canopy, the faint sound of fluttering wings drifted down. Short cries cut through the air like meteors streaking across the night sky. The Peach Blossom Goddess, who was bending over to pluck flowers, slowly straightened her back. A transparent flower bud fell from her palm.

She tilted her face upward. A ray of sunlight, having struggled through the gaps in the green leaves, reflected in her clear eyes. The forest deity seemed to be drawn by a mysterious force, she reached out, her slender fingers catching a stray strand of black hair from an unknown source.

The strand was black, shiny, and smooth, tied with a demon thread, clearly originating from the Demon Realm.

The Demon Realm was not under the jurisdiction of the gods, and the two realms had always minded their own business. Now that a demon had intruded upon her territory, the Peach Blossom Goddess tucked the hair away, remaining calm and composed without any particular reaction.

In her eyes, whether it was a god, a demon, or a spirit, all were living beings of heaven and earth; there was no fundamental difference.

Carrying a small flower basket and a sleeve full of blossoms, the Peach Blossom Goddess headed home.

Vast marshes seemed to stretch to the end of the world, with green plants blanketing the wetlands and giant, colorful mushrooms growing on decaying wood. Standing by the marsh, the distant colors looked like rosy clouds fallen to earth, shrouded in misty vapor.

In the center of the marsh, set against a backdrop of dark green, sturdy wooden stilts formed a large base supporting a bamboo house. Dark blue door curtains fluttered in the strong wind, sending countless peach blossoms dancing into the air.

The Peach Blossom Goddess emerged from the deep forest barefoot. Along the edge of the marsh, she left a trail of footprints, imprinted clearly and cleanly in the soil freshly dampened by rain. She drew a soft whip from her sleeve, a translucent blue weapon emitting a faint chill. With a flick of her wrist, one end of the whip hooked onto the roof of the bamboo house. The lithe woman leapt up, swinging through the air to land gracefully on the house’s corridor.

Although she could have easily used her divine powers to fly to the bamboo house, the Peach Blossom Goddess preferred to swing across for the sake of a little fun. This was one of the few joys in her otherwise monotonous and dull life.

Sensing its master’s divine energy, the narrow wooden railings quickly sprouted green vines, and transparent peach blossoms instantly bloomed all over the corridor.

The Peach Blossom Goddess walked barefoot, her feet as white as fresh snow across the flower-strewn corridor. Her gossamer-thin long skirt fluttered like wings. As she walked, she followed her usual habit, casually unfastening her cloak and removing her outer robe. Stepping over the fallen skirt, dressed only in a camisole and soft white silk trousers, she stepped into her bedroom.

This place was isolated and cold; visitors were rare, which was why she was so uninhibited.

A provocative whistle suddenly drifted from behind the gauze curtains, followed by a low laugh filled with both teasing and appreciation: “Your figure is excellent.”

Perhaps due to her nature as a peach blossom, she possessed an innate air of romantic charm. This was especially true of her “peach blossom eyes,” where the shimmering tear mole made her appear full of emotion even before she spoke.

Just like now, the Peach Blossom Goddess stood still and looked toward the sound. Her expression remained calm and gentle, as if she hadn’t been startled at all.

She lifted her feet, and with every step, pale pink petals danced around her ankles, forming a gentle arc that fluttered between her calves.

The person behind the curtains held their breath, completely mesmerized.

Slender, fair fingers lifted the gauze curtain, and then, that compassionate and gentle face emerged. Jiang Shu would never forget this first look, it felt as if a wound in her heart had been ripped open and expanded. She could feel her blood suddenly boiling and flowing out, soaking her clothes until the other person reached out and pressed against her wound. Jiang Shu felt a surge of energy rush through her internal organs and limbs, leaving her utterly enthralled.

The Peach Blossom Goddess leaned down slightly, gazing earnestly at Jiang Shu’s flushed cheeks. Her fingers remained pressed against the wound over Jiang Shu’s heart as she asked, “Did you take an Aphrodisiac Pill?”

The Young Master of the Demon Realm, who had been smitten at first sight, felt quite embarrassed. At the same time, she was astonished that this seemingly cold and melancholy goddess spoke so bluntly.

The Peach Blossom Goddess sat beside her, skillfully healing her wound, and said calmly: “I’ve seen many young people like you full of vigor, getting incredibly excited at the sight of beauty. You are just a bit strange, you get excited even seeing a woman. You must usually have no way to vent your ‘fire’.”

Jiang Shu, who had watched her undress while walking down the corridor and had whistled to tease this seemingly abstinent goddess, had expected an interesting reaction. She never imagined she would be completely and utterly “counter killed” by the other party.

For some reason, Jiang Shu felt a bit annoyed. “Do all you gods in heaven act so… improper?”

“Improper?” The Peach Blossom Goddess tilted her head, her charming eyes narrowing slightly. “How is the matter of love and passion ‘improper’? Without love and passion, how could so many cute babies be born? I’m afraid even you wouldn’t exist. This is a natural and vital matter, the prosperity of species and the continuation of nations depend entirely on it.”

Gemini said

The dignified Young Master of the Demon Realm was left speechless by this speech. Her logic was so sound that I actually had no retort.

Seeing her stunned by these words, the Peach Blossom Goddess offered a slight smile. “It’s just that I see the aphrodisiac’s influence on you is quite deep, and you still have injuries. For now, you’ll just have to endure it.”

Jiang Shu still felt that this was a rather… improper goddess.

Only later did she learn that this was the legendary Peach Blossom Goddess who managed the Marriage Register. No wonder she was so defensive of the affairs of love and passion.

Jiang Shu thought to herself: She must be incredibly familiar with the arts of romance. Compared to her calm, serious way of talking about “carnal matters,” my attempt at a flirtatious whistle wasn’t even in the same league.

Despite having an uninvited guest in her bamboo house, the Peach Blossom Goddess remained perfectly composed, going about her daily business as usual.

Every time she returned from gathering flowers and finishing her daily task of knitting destinies, the first thing she did upon reaching the corridor was still to undress, shedding the cumbersome, complicated divine robes to move about more freely.

Whenever the peach blossoms began to dance and scatter across the bed, Jiang Shu knew the master of the bamboo house had returned.

She would then turn on her side, propping her head up with one hand, and watch with great interest as that elegant, beautiful figure approached.

The Peach Blossom Goddess was entirely unbothered, she didn’t feel that being watched was an issue. She would walk to the bedside and, as a matter of routine, check the other’s injuries first.

That gaping hole in the chest was still there.

“Where did you lose your heart?” The Peach Blossom Goddess finally couldn’t help but ask.

Beneath that wound, it was empty, a heart was missing.

Jiang Shu gave a faint smile. “Aren’t you curious about my identity?”

“I know you are a demoness, but what does that matter? In my eyes, all things with life are sentient beings, there is no distinction between friend and foe,” the Peach Blossom Goddess said indifferently, handing her a decoction brewed from divine herbs.

Though Jiang Shu had lost her heart, her brain was still there. The emotions triggered by her mind still stimulated her flesh and blood, making her entire body clamor with a sensation that was both comfortable and agonizing.

It was a strange feeling, like countless ants crawling through her bone marrow. As she looked at the cool, melancholy goddess before her, Jiang Shu’s eyes looked as though they were filled with blood.

The Peach Blossom Goddess remained calm and collected. “Did you secretly take that kind of pill again?”

Jiang Shu stared at the faint red tear mole at the corner of the goddess’s eye and subconsciously licked her dry lips. Her voice was hoarse. “Yeah. Can you cure it?”

The Peach Blossom Goddess gazed at the little demoness before her, the one who was clearly heavily injured yet stubbornly acted as if nothing were wrong, even finding the leisure to tease her. Her gaze was focused and serious, and she remained silent for a long time, as if she could look at her until the end of time.

“I think it would be better for you to heal your injuries first, and then go find your lost heart,” the goddess said, her face still cool, showing no trace of being moved.

Jiang Shu felt her lips grow even drier, her whole body was screaming. After several days of recuperation, she wasn’t as weak as she had been at the start. So, under the puzzled gaze of the beautiful goddess, she insisted on sitting up. She leaned forward, closing the distance to that refined face.

A sweet, gentle scent of peach blossoms washed over her.

The goddess was not only beautiful but also fragrant and soft.

The Peach Blossom Goddess, however, felt an overbearing and arrogant aura from the Demon Realm. It wasn’t pure at all on the contrary, it was chaotic and complex.

It was just like… the descriptions in mortal storybooks. This person seemed to be someone with heavy desires, her “needs” in that department felt a bit terrifying.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t stare at her every day with eyes as red as if she’d swallowed a “Soul Consuming Pill.”

Fortunately, this little demoness could exercise restraint.

Jiang Shu pressed closer, staring into those large, charming eyes. Catching the glimmer of that faint red tear mole out of the corner of her eye, she whispered: “Goddess, do you know? In our Demon Realm, the demand for that is very high.”

I really didn’t guess wrong. The Peach Blossom Goddess looked at her as expected and asked composedly: “Then how do you usually solve it?”

The little demoness, who had been “counter killed” yet again, realized her level was indeed too low. “Guess.”

“Endurance.”

“What?”

“Your method of solving it: one word, ‘endurance’.” After saying this, the Peach Blossom Goddess reached out and gently patted her head. “Alright, young lady, you should just focus on healing your injuries.”