Chapter 49: If I Can't Pick It, It's My Fault (Bonus)

The Red Heart of Yearning.

A symbol of undying love.

As the information from Ye Qiu entered her mind, Xiao Wu felt her eyes glisten with emotion. A tragic love story unfolded in her mind.

The legend went as such:

An immortal from the upper world fell in love with a young boy who tended to the trees. She secretly left the immortal realm to descend to the mortal world and be with him, enjoying their love. But sadly, good times don't last forever. Ultimately, the separation between immortals and mortals took its toll. The immortal was forced to return to the upper world, and the boy fell into despair from yearning for her.

Later, a wise man gave him advice. His wife's true form was a peony flower. If the flower's essence were destroyed, she would lose her immortality, fall into the mortal realm, and reunite with him.

The boy loved his wife dearly, but he could not bring himself to destroy the peony. So, he continued to care for her and cried for her day and night, heartbroken and in pain.

Ultimately, he passed away from his deep yearning. Before he died, he shed blood onto the petals of the peony, which turned them crimson. This became the red heart of yearning.

After receiving the information Ye Qiu shared, Xiao Wu felt a bit dizzy.

In her heart, this immortal herb symbolized not just a gift, but Ye Qiu's acknowledgment of her.

He believed she could pick it, which meant he truly liked her and didn't want to leave her.

"Ye Qiu, are you really going to give it to me?" Xiao Wu looked at him blankly, touched by how much she liked the flower.

"Do you think my feelings are lying?" Ye Qiu smiled slightly. Of course, he was sincere about gifting the flower to this little rabbit. This way, even if he ran off with her to other places, her identity would remain hidden.

But deep down, Ye Qiu also had some worries.

He was concerned whether Xiao Wu could truly pick the flower. Or maybe she could, but after learning about his relationship with Du Gu Yan, her heart might be too hurt, preventing her from picking it.

"I... I can definitely do it!" Xiao Wu sensed Ye Qiu's concerns. Her eyes, shimmering with water, locked onto him as she made her declaration. She gripped his hand tightly, her gaze unwavering.

"Ye Qiu...?" Xiao Wu softly called his name, puzzled, as Ye Qiu withdrew his hand.

In that brief moment, a flash of purple light crossed Ye Qiu's eyes. The world around him became sharp and clear. He could clearly see Xiao Wu's true form—her tender, pink, growing bunny-like essence.

Xiao Wu's face flushed red, and she quickly covered her chest. Ye Qiu's gaze seemed to pierce through her.

Seeing Xiao Wu's strange look, Ye Qiu scanned the area and then closed his eyes to feel the surroundings.

In the Sunset Forest, Ye Qiu had gained another ability—active perception, learned over a month by absorbing the essence of the thousand-year-old snake-like soul beast. It was akin to infrared vision.

He'd also enhanced this ability after absorbing the Water-of-Looking-Through Essence from the Ice and Fire Eyes. Now, his perception had merged with a spider-sense-like ability, allowing him to detect any powerful presence nearby.

After carefully scanning, Ye Qiu relaxed, a small smile tugging at his lips. It seemed that Tang Hao, that old man, wasn't nearby, probably off drinking somewhere.

"Xiao Wu, come with me."

Ye Qiu stood up, happily telling Xiao Wu as he walked out of the Seventh Dormitory.

"Ye Qiu, wait for me!" Xiao Wu hurriedly chased after him, grabbing his hand. She kept her head down, blushing, as she followed closely behind.

The two left under the curious gazes of those in the Seventh Dormitory.

On the main street of Notting Academy, people came and went. The sun was high in the sky. Exhausted students and teachers were either packing or resting in their rooms.

Xiao Wu stuck close to Ye Qiu, feeling that even under the hot sun, standing next to him felt oddly cool. This was the effect of the two immortal herbs—Eight-Angle Ice Grass and Fierce Fire Apricot Blossom—that Ye Qiu carried, making his body and the surrounding air pleasantly warm in winter and cool in summer.

Soon, Ye Qiu led Xiao Wu to a secluded corner of a teaching building.

At this time, no one would come by, but just to be sure, Ye Qiu carefully scanned the surroundings and, once confirmed, let go of Xiao Wu.

"Alright, this is the place."

As his words fell, and under Xiao Wu's expectant, curious gaze, Ye Qiu patted his waist pouch, the Ru Yi Treasure Bag.

A red light shot out from the bag, appearing in Ye Qiu's hand.

It was a blood-red flower, resembling a peony.

At the base was a strange stone, with a thin branch rooted in it. At the top of the branch were several long leaves forming a calyx, which held the delicate petals of the flower, stained with traces of crimson blood.

Xiao Wu's heart trembled as she looked at the flower. Her pink eyes sparkled with excitement, reflecting the strange red of the flower. She reached out and gently touched the slender petals, marveling at its beauty.

"It's beautiful."

"Indeed, it is." Ye Qiu smiled gently as he presented the red heart of yearning to Xiao Wu.

"Try it. If you can't pick it, don't force yourself. It's not your fault. I have other gifts I can give you."

"No, I can definitely pick it!" Xiao Wu pouted, glancing at Ye Qiu, then pressed her lips together. With a flick of her tongue, she spat a mouthful of blood onto the flower's petals.

A mystical herb, it chose its master.

To pick the red heart of yearning, one's thoughts must be focused on the person they love. If there is any hesitation, even if one sheds blood, they would never be able to pluck it.

The stone where the flower's roots were embedded was called Wujue. If the flower was forcibly picked, the herb would lose its potency.

But if it was picked naturally and kept close to its master, it would never wither.

As Xiao Wu's blood touched the petals, Ye Qiu felt a bit anxious.

Inside Xiao Wu's mind, she recalled all the times Ye Qiu had bullied her, patted her bottom, played with her, and trained together. She didn't want to leave Ye Qiu.

Her blood swirled on the petals for a moment.

To Ye Qiu's surprise, the flower finally fell into Xiao Wu's hand.

Xiao Wu's face broke into a genuine smile, like a child who had just aced a test, beaming with pride. She said happily, "Ye Qiu! I did it! I picked it!"

"I saw." Ye Qiu gently pulled Xiao Wu into his arms as she jumped toward him, clutching the red heart of yearning—just as beautiful and stunning as she was.

Ye Qiu ruffled her hair, and Xiao Wu lightly shook her head, enjoying the affection.

"Now that you've picked it, let's eat it."