The Extreme Alchemist of the Mighty Cauldron

Chapter 1545: Chapter 1643: Lovesick Person under the Lovesick Tree

Lovesick Tree, this is a peculiarly unique tree found only in the Heavenly Fragrance Valley.

Legend has it that if a couple earnestly prays under the Lovesick Tree, they will have the chance to see the future outcome of their relationship.

Of course, rumors are just rumors, and the Lovesick Tree is an important object of Heavenly Fragrance Valley; very few couples have actually seen this tree.

However, the Lovesick Tree does have some significance.

A thousand years ago, the founder of Heavenly Fragrance Valley, Qin Bailu, and her husband came upon this place in Wild Goose Valley, were captivated by its stunning scenery, and decided to settle here.

They drove away a band of thieves, built bamboo houses, planted seas of flowers, and assumed residence as hermits in this valley.

The couple lived in close companionship, and at the age of thirty, they planted a tree seed amid the sea of flowers, which burgeoned into growth after fifty years.

But Qin Bailu was congenitally ill and unable to bear children, which was a lingering sorrow for both her and her husband.

One day, Qin Bailu found an abandoned infant floating down the mountain stream, whom she brought back to the valley and adopted as her daughter, naming her Gu Wanjing.

Eighteen years later, the once abandoned infant had grown up. Qin Bailu and her husband imparted all their knowledge to her, making their adopted daughter Gu Wanjing an exceptional master in Xuan Country.

Gu Wanjing became famous throughout Xuan Country, and soon harbored the thought of founding her own sect, but her mother Qin Bailu did not permit it, and so the idea was dropped.

Fifty years later, Qin Bailu’s husband passed away from illness. Qin Bailu buried him under the Lovesick Tree and spent her days sitting beside it, keeping company with her late husband.

Before long, Qin Bailu also succumbed to a lovesick illness and died. Her daughter Gu Wanjing buried her parents together and officially established the Heavenly Fragrance Valley sect, venerating Qin Bailu as the founding master.

This is the origin of Heavenly Fragrance Valley and the story behind the name of the Lovesick Tree. In Xuan Country, it has always been a tale that many aspire to.

Somehow, the Lovesick Tree became even more mystical as time went on, but to the inhabitants of Heavenly Fragrance Valley themselves, this tree was nothing peculiar, only a place where the founder Qin Bailu lodged her yearning.

Fang Lin and Dugu Nian, having left Liang Zhiyin, came together to this Lovesick Tree. Looking up, they saw the tree adorned with splendid pink blossoms.

On a branch of the tree hung two ancient bronze-colored wooden plaques, each carved with a name, one of which was Qin Bailu’s.

Since Qin Bailu and her husband were buried under the Lovesick Tree without a tombstone, only two wooden plaques were carved and hung on the tree, symbolizing the eternal companionship of the couple and the witness of the tree to each pair of lovers who came to pray beneath it.

Fang Lin and Dugu Nian glanced at each other, then respectfully bowed to the two wooden plaques on the tree.

Some female Disciples of Heavenly Fragrance Valley watched the two of them from a distance, especially noting the respectful bow, which endeared Fang Lin and Dugu Nian even more to the Disciples.

Under the tree, only Fang Lin and Dugu Nian stood together.

Dugu Nian quietly closed her eyes, evidently lost in thought or perhaps praying to the Lovesick Tree, hoping to see her future with Fang Lin.

Fang Lin smiled faintly; he didn’t really believe in such mysterious claims—that praying to a tree would let one see the future was a bit too fantastical.

The breeze blew, bringing with it the fragrance of the floral sea, causing the blossoms on the tree to sway. The two wooden plaques intertwined and occasionally emitted a clear clashing sound.

Dugu Nian muttered to herself for a while, then opened her eyes with a hint of frustration.

“How did it go? Did you see anything?” Fang Lin asked with a smile.

Dugu Nian, with a look of disappointment, replied: “I saw nothing, it’s all just a deception.”

Fang Lin shook his head: “That’s not necessarily true. The rumor did say it’s possible to see it. Perhaps your luck isn’t enough, or maybe you’re not sincere enough.”

Dugu Nian glared at Fang Lin: “Clearly, it’s you who are not sincere enough. If you prayed with me, maybe you would be able to see it.”

“Alright, alright, together then,” Fang Lin quickly conceded and closed his eyes just like Dugu Nian had done before.

Dugu Nian’s smile bloomed beautifully as she closed her eyes again.

Both of them stood under the tree with their eyes closed, neither speaking. Their hearts were exceptionally calm, as if all the noise and suffering they had previously experienced had been carried away by the breeze blowing through the sea of flowers.

Fang Lin truly prayed with sincerity, but still, there was no response.

Just as he was about to open his eyes, he felt a wave of dizziness, and then fragmented images abruptly appeared before him.

Fang Lin saw a man and a woman arriving under the tree, but he did not recognize them. The man had an ordinary appearance, but his eyes were very bright, and he had a gentle smile on his face.

The woman was quite beautiful, even though she was only a girl, she could already be considered breathtakingly lovely.

Although Fang Lin did not recognize the man, he felt that the girl’s appearance bore some resemblance to Dugu Nian, but it wasn’t exactly the same; there were slight differences.

The two stood underneath the tree, snuggling up to each other, just like Dugu Nian and Fang Lin were doing at the moment.

“Let’s make our wishes quickly, or else my parents will scold me again for running out with you,” the girl said to the boy with a giggly smile.

“Alright,” the boy seemed simple and honest, nodding his head before kneeling on the ground and respectfully kowtowing to the Lovesick Tree several times.

The girl did the same, both closing their eyes and beginning to make a wish to the Lovesick Tree.

Fang Lin looked at the girl with a very tender gaze, feeling an odd sense of kinship.

But the scene before his eyes suddenly vanished, to be replaced by another scenario.

It was still under the Lovesick Tree, but the tree had withered, and the surrounding sea of flowers had turned into scorched earth.

The once stunning Heavenly Fragrance Valley lay ravaged, filled with deathly stillness and decay.

And under that Lovesick Tree, there was a solitary grave, with an elder sitting in front of it.

This elder was disheveled, had only one arm left, and was blind in one eye. He sat hunched over in front of the solitary grave, his face full of sorrow.

When Fang Lin saw the elder’s face, a shock ran through him because the elder’s features bore some resemblance to his own.

And he had a strange intuition that this one-armed, one-eyed elder was himself.

“How is this possible?” Fang Lin was startled. Could this be himself in the future? So destitute? Like an old man waiting to die?

As his gaze shifted to the solitary grave, Fang Lin’s head buzzed, and he felt as if the world was spinning around him.

On the solitary grave was a broken tombstone, on which was written with blood a line of characters:

The grave of my late wife, Dugu Nian!

PS: Here’s the fourth update. I got up early today, so I was able to finish the updates earlier and have my meal. Remember to cast your votes, everyone. Also, to reiterate the reason for the four updates: I began suffering from cervical spondylosis in November and am undergoing continuous treatment each week. It can’t be cured completely, only prevented from flaring up. After sitting for a long time, not only does my head get dizzy, but my shoulders feel as though they are weighed down by lead balls. Hope for your understanding.