Several Close Friends

The four of them took the written confession to confront the Emperor of the Silver Clementine Kingdom, demanding to know what was really going on and why he had hidden the truth from them.

The Silver Clementine King, Ethan Fang, was only in his thirties, but years of relentless worry had turned his hair completely white.

He was on the verge of a complete breakdown.

At first, he refused to talk.

Lucia Lu and her friends threatened him: if he didn’t tell the truth, they’d leave him to his fate.

Only then did he finally speak.

It turned out Ethan Fang had loved traveling since he was young.

Especially in his teens and twenties, back when he was still a prince, he was hardly ever home.

During his journeys, he met several close friends.

They were bold, generous, and loyal, and got along with Ethan perfectly.

These friends were named Baxa, Bifang, and Lana He.

When Lucia Lu heard the names 'Baxa' and 'Lana', she glanced at Sean Shaw.

Sean’s eyes sharpened, listening intently.

Other than their names, Ethan Fang and his friends knew nothing of each other’s backgrounds.

But after traveling together across the South Wilds, they built a deep bond and became sworn siblings.

Baxa was the eldest, Bifang the second brother, Lana He the third sister, and Ethan the youngest—they all called him Little Fourth.

Later, Bifang and Lana He fell in love, and in a moment of passion, Lana became pregnant.

So, they decided it was time to end their travels.

Lana said she hadn’t been home in years and wanted to go back, to introduce Bifang to her family.

"She also invited me and Baxa along," Ethan said wistfully. "She said her homeland was incredibly beautiful, and we’d love it for sure."

"Did you go with them?" Lucia Lu asked.

"I did. It was only then that I realized all three of my siblings weren’t human at all—they were spirits! They could literally ride the clouds!"

Ethan Fang chuckled, "They must’ve known all along, but I was just a clueless mortal tagging along. But honestly, I wasn’t scared at all! They were all genuinely wonderful! Sometimes I think they understood feelings better than any human."

Just then, Snow Yuan muttered, "I swear... that name Baxa sounds so familiar—"

"Let him finish," Sean Shaw cut her off.

Snow Yuan obediently replied, "Oh," and sat down beside him, looking for all the world like a little wife.

Lost in his memories, the emperor didn’t notice their reactions and continued, "Lana He brought the three of us back to her homeland. It was honestly the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen—flowers everywhere, spiritual energy overflowing, birds singing, fragrance everywhere. It was a true paradise. That place is called Hundred Blossoms Paradise."

Lucia Lu was now certain—the Lana He Ethan spoke of was the very same Lana He who had already died.

"Amidst the sea of flowers, Lana proudly told us she was a Peony Flower Fairy," Ethan continued.

"Peonies are the king of all flowers, and her family was the royal house among all the Flower Fairies of Hundred Blossoms Paradise.

And she was the next Flower Lord of Hundred Blossoms Paradise.

Then she took us to her home.

But when we arrived, we found her parents and many Peony Flower Fairies—men and women alike—all murdered!

Seeing the ground littered with broken branches and dead leaves, Lana was devastated. Because she was so weakened by pregnancy, she fainted outright!

Baxa and Bifang sensed something was terribly wrong. They found a hidden spot for me to care for Lana, while they went out to investigate.

When they returned, they took us away from Hundred Blossoms Paradise.

Later, I heard that Hundred Blossoms Paradise had been seized by a gang of bandits."