Encounter in the Peach Grove
Lucia Lu was just about to say she wouldn’t go, but before she could speak, her usually quiet sister Luna Lian suddenly tugged her sleeve and whispered, “Sis, I want to go…”
Lucia opened her mouth and said, “Alright, let’s go! I’ve been wanting to get out and travel anyway.”
When Ryan Lu heard Lucia was going, he stopped objecting and asked, "So when are we leaving, big brother?"
Ethan Lu replied, “We’ll register now and enter the camp in one month.”
“Hahaha! Awesome!” Adrian Drake cheered. “My Divine Father’s making me enlist too! I didn’t want to go at first, but now that you guys are coming, I’m much happier, hahaha!”
Even Damian Black, usually so reserved, allowed a rare smile and quietly poured Adrian a drink.
Qilin Divine Lord Soren Lann just frowned slightly.
......
Lucia still felt a little guilty about wrecking the Spirit-Gathering Life Array.
If she hadn’t talked big and provoked the two of them, things wouldn’t have gotten so out of hand.
If it couldn’t be fixed, new saplings would take a thousand years to grow big enough to form a new Spirit-Gathering Life Array.
Which meant that for the next thousand years, this peach grove wouldn’t bear fruit.
That would be such a shame.
Adrian Drake said yesterday that the array could only be restarted when the first rays of sunlight appeared today.
She was worried Adrian would sleep through it and miss the sunrise, so she went to wake him up before dawn.
But when she got there, neither Adrian nor Damian Black were in their rooms.
So she flew straight toward the peach grove.
At first, she didn’t see either of them.
But as the morning light broke and the sky brightened, she finally spotted Damian Black alone in the air, flying this way.
He landed beside a ravine, inspecting something over there.
Then, he found a peach tree whose crown had been sliced off by a blade, and sent a stream of soft red spiritual energy into it, as if infusing the tree with power.
The peach tree, which had been drooping and wilted, gradually perked up and looked lively again.
“What are you doing?” Lucia appeared and asked.
Damian Black seemed surprised anyone had come, suddenly turning to look at her.
“Damian?” Lucia tilted her head and called out. “What are you doing?”
Damian Black coldly averted his gaze and walked a few steps away from her. After a long moment, he finally replied, “Missing an array node.”
“Missing an array node? So, if you revive this tree, the array will be complete?”
"Yes. The formation is restored." His voice was cold, but undeniably beautiful.
A voice like that, even if used to curse someone, could make people swoon.
Lucia smiled, "That’s great! Damian, you’re the one who taught Adrian how to fix the formation, right?"
Damian didn’t answer.
I know exactly what Adrian’s capable of! Back then, when the Azure Dragon Lord wanted him to learn military formations, he ran off to the Spirit Alliance instead! Even my big brother couldn’t handle an array this complicated. If Adrian really fixed it, I’d be shocked!
Damian still didn’t reply, but it was obvious he agreed.
At that moment, several thick peach branches separated him and Lucia.
She could only make out his vague side profile, unable to see his face.
She wasn’t used to talking to people like this, so she walked a few steps closer, leaned against the trunk, and studied him. “Are you a Rune Master?”
Damian, clearly on guard, radiated a “stay away from me” vibe, and stepped back slightly. “No.”
Lucia couldn’t help but laugh. “You don’t have to act like I’m a venomous beast! I’m not going to eat you!”
He really didn’t like talking, and coldly refused to answer again.
But in the Spirit Alliance, all kinds of personalities existed among the junior disciples.
Lucia was used to being the eldest senior sister, used to handling every situation, so there was never any awkward silence. She continued, “You can repair barriers and set arrays—if you’re not a Rune Master, what are you?”