Chapter 327: "The Peach Feast"

Chapter 327: "The Peach Feast"

As the final stroke was drawn, the old man, now akin to a withered tree, sitting by the seaside in his thin cloth robe, slowly closed the notebook in his hands. He didn't write an ending, as the story continued, unfinished.

Although in the story to come, his identity would be that of an observer.

Even as an observer, he still possessed enough enjoyment and adhered to the ethics of his profession.

On the cover of the notebook, several words were engraved in red paint.

"The Autobiography of Liu Changqing."

In the lower right corner of the cover, there were a few smaller words.

"The First Patriarch of the Mock Heaven Sect."

He didn't know when this autobiography would have an ending, when he would be able to put a period at the end, or even if this autobiography would ever see the light of day. But none of that mattered anymore; time would bear witness to it all.

After completing this,

The old man, who resembled a rotten log, finally lifted his head and gazed into the distance with his cloudy eyes, looking out towards the horizon. By his side, on the beach, were the elderly Cao roasting food and Xian Yi, the former "King of the Unending," who had entered the Land of Eternity to avoid the battle for the One True King.

"Well, how is it? Is my cooking getting better? I wonder if it's because of that boy's barbecue grill; it feels like the meat tastes better when cooked on it."

"Haha, no matter how good it is, you can't eat it every day. Why don't you try something else?"

"I don't know how to make anything else. Besides, don't you think it's romantic to eat barbecue facing the sea breeze?"

"I don't feel that way."

Suddenly, the sea breeze changed direction, causing the clear conversation between the two to gradually become muffled.

There were clearly three people on the beach.

But from beginning to end, these two people didn't glance in the old man's direction, as if they were completely unaware of the third person's presence.

The entire scene was eerie yet harmoniously strange.

Over a decade had passed, and many changes had occurred in the Great Xia Kingdom.

The most significant change was the development of the Boundless Desert.

The Great Xia Kingdom had solved the problem of the flames beneath the Boundless Desert, transforming it from a lifeless wasteland into a lush oasis, with constant high temperatures. Countless civilians relocated to the newly developed desert.

Due to the extreme cold of the Boundless Icy Plain, many civilians from the southern states chose to migrate north, settling in the lands north of Jingzhou.

The Great Xia Kingdom then initiated a massive project, starting from Jingzhou, digging an enormous pit in the kingdom's central region, and diverting the flames beneath the Boundless Desert into this pit to counter the advancing extreme cold. It was an incredibly complex undertaking.

But after the project's completion, it provided a livable environment for all the citizens of the Great Xia Kingdom, earning it the title of the most valuable national project since the kingdom's founding.

Chen Qiu's name was no longer mentioned as frequently as before.

After all, Chen Qiu had been gone for a long time.

When some newborns heard stories about Chen Qiu, they would curiously return home to their parents' embrace, wondering if Chen Qiu was truly that powerful. Every time this happened, their parents would smile helplessly.

Those who hadn't lived through that era found it hard to grasp the true extent of Chen Qiu's abilities.

Since Chen Qiu's departure,

Numerous Celestial Prodigies emerged, but none possessed the same dominating presence as Chen Qiu, who had suppressed all the Celestial Prodigies in the Great Xia Kingdom, making them unable to even dare look him in the eye, let alone compare themselves to him.

In a daze, these fathers would often reminisce about that charismatic era.

Back then, the south was not yet in the grip of extreme cold.

"Huff"

In a small town near Fufeng City, originally close to the Boundless Desert, an old man lay at the entrance of his courtyard, gazing at the constant flow of people passing by. He rubbed his full belly, lazily soaking up the sun in a rocking chair.

He was the head of the Yuncheng Wang Family, who had once done a favor for Chen Qiu.

In return, he had received a considerable amount of wealth.

With this wealth, he had done only two things.

He bought shops, houses, and courtyards in Yuncheng, and hoarded a large amount of Malevolent Wood.

He could have gone to a larger city, but he preferred his hometown, Yuncheng. It had once been a remote town, as no one wanted to live near the Boundless Desert.

But times change.

The Boundless Desert had been transformed into an oasis, becoming the most comfortable region in the Great Xia Kingdom. Countless people migrated there from the south, and the Beast Tribe also surrendered to the Great Xia Kingdom.

As a result, the once-deserted Yuncheng suddenly became extremely popular, attracting many newcomers. Consequently, his real estate properties multiplied in value.

His assets had increased significantly without any apparent reason.

He wasn't overly surprised by this; instead, he felt a sense of wonder. In the past, when he needed spirit stones, earning them was a struggle. Now, he no longer craved spirit stones, but they seemed to flow into his pockets uncontrollably, unstoppable.

The Malevolent Wood was still piled up in his courtyard.

He was waiting for the day when he could leave the Great Xia Kingdom, as this wood would be a significant asset.

However, he was well aware of his limitations; leaving was impossible for him.

But...

He had a child, a son who had been clever since childhood. Perhaps one day, this son of his could take the Malevolent Wood and leave the Great Xia Kingdom to explore the new world.

He wondered how Liu Zide was doing.

Perhaps it was because of the cold weather, but his Deceptive Buddha statue had been silent for a long time, even gathering dust. He couldn't make any more deals with it, which was a pity, as it had once been a treasured possession. It seemed that even Buddhas couldn't withstand the cold of the mortal world.

And at that very moment—

Just as the Wang family patriarch was lost in thought, he heard a shout from not too far away. He looked up and saw a monster holding a red flag leading the way, followed by a group of people. The monster was introducing each one of them, and he couldn't help but laugh.

He knew this monster.

This monster was once the Celestial Prodigy of the Beast Tribe, and it was said to be the strongest among them. It had even challenged Chen Qiu, but no one knew if the challenge had ever taken place. One day, the monster suddenly stopped talking about it.

When the Great Xia Kingdom was subduing the Beast Tribe, they had expected a tough battle. But to their surprise, this monster had immediately led its tribe to surrender, claiming that the entire Great Xia Kingdom was struggling to survive in the extreme cold coming from the south. If they didn't quickly transform the Boundless Desert into an oasis and divert the fire beneath it towards the capital, the kingdom would perish in the cold.

The Beast Tribe would not fare well if the Great Xia Kingdom fell, as the saying goes, 'When the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold.'

It made perfect sense.

Since then, both sides had gotten along well, and there were no more stories of monsters eating humans. After all, in the desolate Boundless Desert, if a fat and plump human suddenly appeared, it would be hard for hungry monsters not to develop a desire to eat them.

But now, the Boundless Desert had become an oasis, and who would eat people at this time?

This monster, however, had become a tour guide, determined to show the human race the cultural traces of the Beast Tribe. It wanted to prove that the Beast Tribe had its own culture and was not like the mindless Sea Tribe by the coast.

That was good.

He wondered how Chen Qiu, his senior, was doing.

If he could contact his senior, he would say this:

The Great Xia Kingdom had gone through a lot in recent years. Overall, everything was good, but everyone wanted to know what stories Chen Qiu had encountered during his time away. They wanted to continue listening to his legends, new legends, and legends without endings.

And at that moment—

In the Ascension Assembly, the waiting time had passed, and the second day's event, the Peach Feast, was about to begin!

This time, after the waiting period ended, the Greenstone Square began to spin rapidly again. The two connected squares rotated together, looking like two dog eggs spinning rapidly.

After a few breaths, they maintained their high speed and shot off into the distance.

Soon, they left the area filled with peach blossoms and sped towards an unknown location in the void.

The peach blossoms behind them became smaller and smaller until they disappeared from sight.

After a hundred breaths, Chen Qiu lost contact with the Cao Tian Palace, indicating that he was gradually moving away from it.

About an incense stick's worth of time later, the Greenstone Square slowed down. Everyone looked ahead, and in the glaring light, they saw tens of thousands of peach trees, each growing strangely without roots, floating alone in the void.

It looked as if they were just pasted onto the void, extremely fake, without a hint of reality.

As the Greenstone Square beneath them entered the center of the peach forest, a Greenstone Square indeed floated in the center, and the two squares beneath them collided head-on.

By now, there were three Greenstone Squares.

Just like the last time, everyone rushed to the new Greenstone Square, repeating the same words: "Running fast may not bring any benefits, but it certainly won't cause any harm."

As everyone stepped onto the new Greenstone Square, a hoarse, emotionless voice echoed in their ears:

"The rules for the second day's event, the Peach Feast, are as follows:

"There are 1024 peach trees on the square, and each tree has 10 peaches. The peaches are divided into three types: green, purple, and rainbow.

"Picking a green peach has a 50% chance of obtaining a low-grade opportunity, a 40% chance of gaining nothing, and a 10% chance of obtaining adversity.

"Picking a purple peach has a 30% chance of obtaining a medium-grade opportunity, a 30% chance of gaining nothing, and a 40% chance of obtaining adversity.

"Picking a rainbow peach has a 10% chance of obtaining a high-grade opportunity, a 20% chance of gaining nothing, and a 70% chance of obtaining adversity.

"Each cultivator has three chances to pick peaches.

"Additionally, there are three black peaches.

"Picking a black peach has a 0.1% chance of obtaining a supreme opportunity, a 0.9% chance of gaining nothing, and a 99% chance of obtaining adversity."

The rules were simple.

If one ignored the probabilities, it could be summed up in one sentence: 'Opportunities are on the peach trees, and picking peaches can bring opportunities or adversity.'

As the voice fell, the new Greenstone Square trembled, and numerous peach trees sprouted from the ground. Each tree had exactly ten peaches, with six green, three purple, and one rainbow peach.

In the center, a tree had only three peaches, all of them black.

Looking up, one could see countless massive peach trees outside the Greenstone Square, growing in the void. They seemed normal from a distance, but as one drew closer and ventured deeper into the peach forest, they realized these trees were enormous.

Each tree stood hundreds of zhang tall, rivaling the size of the Maan Clan.

Chen Qiu had never seen such gigantic peach trees before.

Most of the trees in the void bore no fruit, and only two had a few large, intimidating peaches.

Although I don't know what kind of peach this is, it's definitely something extraordinary.

After all, nothing ordinary can grow in the void, and these peach trees that just sprouted on Greenstone Square are identical to the ones in the void, except for their size, which is several times smaller, making them like miniature versions.

"This is a bit of a test of luck, but I wonder what would happen if I used a wisp of Celestial Luck?"

Standing next to Chen Qiu, Badan spoke thoughtfully. This activity was obviously all about luck.

Or, to be more precise, it was about making choices.

If one wanted to play it safe, the green peaches would be the best choice. There was only a 10% chance of getting adversity, but a 50% chance of gaining an opportunity. Unless one was extremely unlucky, it was a sure win situation. Although it was only a lower-grade opportunity, it was still an opportunity nonetheless.

If one was a little greedy...

The purple peaches would be the best choice.

And if one believed their luck was strong enough...

The rainbow peaches would be the optimal choice.

However, there was a 70% chance of randomly encountering adversity and only a 10% chance of randomly obtaining an opportunity, which was like gambling with one's life.

As for the black peaches...

They were clearly prepared for those who sought death, with a 99% chance of encountering adversity. What was the difference between that and a 100% chance?

As Badan finished speaking, a burst of laughter came from not too far away. A young man stepped forward, "I was fortunate enough to obtain a wisp of Earthly Luck at the Masked Banquet, so I won't be shy about it now."

Without hesitation, the young man headed straight for a rainbow peach.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, he plucked the fruit, but his body suddenly froze in place. He didn't die immediately, but after a moment, he looked around with despair in his eyes, his voice trembling, "I... I have Immortal Cancer!"

It was evident that the young man's luck wasn't very good. The luck provided by Earthly Luck didn't seem to have much effect.

Upon hearing the words 'Immortal Cancer', those around him instinctively distanced themselves from the young man.

Immortal Cancer wasn't contagious.

But this heavenly illness was infamous in the Immortal World. No one dared to underestimate its fearsome reputation. Just like Badan's former leader from the Maan Clan, who had almost perished after contracting Immortal Cancer. If it weren't for the mysterious savior who appeared at the last moment, Badan wouldn't have become the leader of the Maan Clan. He would have long turned into a dead man, with his grave overgrown with grass.

At that moment, everyone understood that the so-called adversity was Immortal Cancer.

After witnessing this scene, Badan's excitement faded from his face. It was clear that if even Earthly Luck didn't work, his Celestial Luck wouldn't be much better. He had been considering trying the rainbow peach, but now he wasn't even keen on the green ones.

Even with the green peaches, there was still a 10% chance of drawing adversity.

He didn't want to experience Immortal Cancer again.

He was genuinely terrified.

Chen Qiu, on the other hand, looked at the peaches before him with a complex expression. Just as the voice reading the rules fell silent, a peach leaf slowly drifted from a branch and landed in his palm.

Holding the leaf, he discovered the true nature of these peaches.

The peaches hanging on the trees were constantly shifting between 'Adversity', 'Opportunity', and 'Nothing Happens' at a fixed rate, and the frequency of these shifts depended on the probabilities.

For instance, the green peaches had a 50% chance of granting a lower-grade opportunity, a 40% chance of nothing happening, and a 10% chance of adversity.

On the surface of the peach, there were ten words constantly shifting at a fixed rate: five 'Opportunity', four 'Nothing Happens', and one 'Adversity'. When the peach was plucked, the event corresponding to the word it stopped on would be triggered.

When the young man plucked the rainbow peach, he saw that the word on its surface had shifted to 'Adversity', which was the last of seven consecutive adversity words. The next word would have been 'Opportunity'.

If the young man had spoken two more words or waited a moment longer to pluck the peach, the event triggered would have been an opportunity instead of adversity.

Unfortunately, it was just a moment too early.

This was why Earthly Luck had no effect; these peach events weren't entirely random but were predetermined. In such a situation, even the best luck wouldn't make a difference.

If the event was determined the instant the peach was plucked, then improving one's luck might have helped.

But if the event was already determined the moment the peach was picked, luck wouldn't have much influence at that point.

It was like having good luck to avoid stepping on dog poop when leaving the house, but it couldn't turn the poop into spirit stones.

What was destined to happen couldn't be changed.

He had tried; only by holding this particular peach leaf could he clearly see the changing 'words' on the peaches. Other leaves didn't have this effect. It was obvious that the Secret Realm's Spirit had given him another advantage.

This...

made him feel a little embarrassed.

He had received another advantage.

He really wanted to rely on his own intelligence, courage, and strength to gain enough opportunities in this trial, without resorting to such advantages.

But wasn't there a saying, 'If it's open, why close it again?'

It would be a waste not to use it, right?

There were 1024 peach trees, each with ten peaches, totaling over ten thousand peaches. This was just enough for everyone present to have one, but not enough for three each. Each person had three chances to pluck a peach.

It was a case of too many wolves and too little meat.

After witnessing the tragic fate of the first person, many had already given up on this opportunity.

No matter how great an opportunity, it was still based on the premise of staying alive. If one was dead, what use would these opportunities be?

In an instant, many chose to give up, and even those with only a 10% chance of triggering adversity with the green peach were unwilling to take the risk. This included Badan.

However...

"Ahem."

As Chen Qiu clenched his fist and coughed lightly, the hesitant Fat Dragon and his group beside him suddenly lit up. Even Badan quickly realized and cautiously approached, lowering his voice, "Senior, is there a spell?"

"Go for the rainbow peach in three breaths."

Chen Qiu glanced at the closest peach to them.

"No problem!"

Badan tried to keep his face as calm as possible, casually glancing around. Seeing that he hadn't drawn too much attention, he couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth slightly. Although the rainbow peach had a 70% chance of bringing adversity, since it was the senior's instruction, there wouldn't be any issues.

His trust in the senior was absolute.

After all, without the senior, he would have died long ago, and the events along the way had only strengthened his confidence.

The only thing he didn't understand was why it was specified to wait for three breaths. Was there some secret to it?

As he pondered, he kept track of the time.

As soon as the three breaths were up...

Badan quickly leaped into the air, his heart racing as he plucked the rainbow peach. Although he absolutely trusted the senior, he still felt tense at this life-or-death moment. But as the peach fell into his hand, he froze for a moment, and then his eyes lit up with joy. After landing, he respectfully bowed to Chen Qiu.

Fortunately, no one noticed this scene.

With so many people around, everyone was busy. Some were cautiously risking their lives, some were boldly taking chances, and others had given up and were watching the spectacle. Not many people paid attention to their group.

Chen Qiu quickly stopped Badan's actions, and Badan quickly realized what was happening. He lowered his voice and said with a bitter expression, "I understand, Senior. Keep quiet and make a fortune."

Next...

Fat Dragon and Badan's group, with Chen Qiu's help, began to discreetly seize the opportunities presented by the rainbow peaches.

In no time, they were reaping great rewards.

As Chen Qiu guided the group, he also kept an eye on the three black peaches.

Unlike the other three types of peaches, these black peaches displayed a thousand words that constantly changed. After 900 consecutive changes, one would encounter adversity, and only then would there be a chance for an opportunity.

Moreover, the word 'opportunity' appeared only once every thousand times, which was the work of a single breath. If one missed this chance, they would have to wait another thousand times.

Whether it was too early or too late, adversity would be the only outcome.

Although he had a chance of obtaining the Yin Emperor's Fortune, he wasn't going to waste it. However, unless something unexpected happened, he shouldn't contract Immortal Cancer, as it was a means for the Heavenly Dao to control mortals, and he was not under the control of the Heavenly Dao.

But he didn't plan to try it; there was no need to waste a chance at the Yin Emperor's Fortune.

At this moment, none of the three black peaches had turned into an opportunity. If someone were to pick one now, it would only bring adversity. It was almost certain death.

Whether they lived or died didn't concern him; he was only worried about wasting a black peach.

Just then...

An old man had already walked under the tree bearing the black peaches, ready to take a gamble. The old man exuded a decaying aura, indicating his time was near.

Clearly, the old man knew his life was almost over, and even without Immortal Cancer, he wouldn't live much longer.

But if he drew an excellent Immortal Opportunity, he could live another life.

Upon noticing the old man...

Chen Qiu's eyebrows furrowed slightly, and he prepared to stop him. But by then, the old man had already leaped into the air. Just as Chen Qiu thought a black peach would fall into the old man's hand, the peach tree suddenly grew several zhang taller.

The old man, unsure of what was happening, flew towards the higher branches.

But the tree continued to grow, its crown reaching higher and higher, eventually surpassing the old man and even breaking through the membrane to enter the void. The old man was completely defeated.

When the old man gave up and left...

The peach tree returned to its original state.

The old man, who had only taken a few steps, suddenly turned around and rushed back towards the three black peaches with lightning speed. However, the peach tree reacted even faster, instantly growing into the void again.

"..."

Chen Qiu looked on with a strange expression. Good, now he wasn't worried about someone fearless enough to touch the three black peaches. These three black peaches were basically reserved for him.

It was well done, and it felt a bit over-the-top. It wasn't a big problem, but it was a bit too blatant.

At this moment...

Someone finally noticed their group's actions. Their target had always been the rainbow peaches, which made them stand out in the crowd. Although they pretended to be in pain as if suffering from Immortal Cancer, they still attracted attention.

---

PS: My heart is a little shattered.

I had already finished writing this chapter, and when I was about to copy and paste it for uploading, I accidentally deleted it. I could have used the undo function, but for some reason, it wasn't working. After searching for a solution for a long time without success, I had to rewrite the entire chapter.

The pain is indescribable.

I need some comfort, woe is me.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end