Dongfang Hong, Dongfang Zhan, and Shen Yingxue walked further and further away until they disappeared from sight. Shen Lixue looked at Prince An and asked, "Dongfang Heng, does Xiangguo Temple have a wishing well?"
"A wishing well?" Dongfang Heng frowned and looked at Shen Lixue: "No, but there is a wishing tree. Do you want to make a wish?"
"Yes!" Shen Lixue nodded: "Where is the tree?"
"Outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony!" Dongfang Heng's answer was simple and concise.
"Which direction is the Hall of Supreme Harmony in? How do I get there?" Shen Lixue continued to ask.
Dongfang Heng: "..."
Dongfang Heng's sharp, cold gaze fell upon her, and Shen Lixue explained softly, "This is my first time at Xiangguo Temple! It's normal not to know where the Hall of Supreme Harmony is."
Su Yuting stepped forward gracefully, her smile radiant: "Prince An is very busy. I know where the wishing tree is. If you don't mind, I'd like to accompany you there, sister!"
"I have business to attend to and am heading to the vicinity of the Hall of Supreme Harmony!" Dongfang Heng said calmly, turned around, and strode forward without looking back.
"Thank you for your kindness, Miss Su. Prince An is going the same way, so there's no need to trouble you, Sister Su!" Shen Lixue's bright smile was like spring flowers in bloom, mesmerizing.
"Take care, Sister Shen!" As Su Yuting watched Shen Lixue and Prince An leave the courtyard, her polite smile vanished instantly, replaced by a cold gloom in her eyes.
Noble young men and women came to seek divination and fortune telling. The monks mostly entertained them in the main hall. The road was quiet, and there was not a single person in sight. Dongfang Heng and Shen Lixue walked side by side. Dongfang Heng's white dress contrasted with Shen Lixue's light blue dress, and they looked surprisingly well-matched.
"You hate Su Yuting!" Dongfang Heng suddenly spoke, not as a question, but as a statement.
"It's not that I hate her, it's just that I don't like her!" Shen Lixue thought about her several meetings with Su Yuting. The number one talented woman, with exceptional talent, could extract the information she wanted with just a few words, and could also sow discord among others. In front of others, she always maintained a polite and proper smile, hiding her true emotions in her heart. She was not simple.
"Are you really going to the wishing well?" Dongfang Heng stopped and looked at Shen Lixue with an unfathomable gaze.
“Of course!” Shen Lixue nodded. This was not an excuse to get rid of Su Yuting. “If you have something to do, go ahead and do it. Just tell me the general direction!” There are many monks at Xiangguo Temple. She can find the place by asking anyone.
“You didn’t see the Hall of Supreme Harmony after you went up the mountain. Even if I told you the location, you still wouldn’t be able to find it!” Dongfang Heng glanced at Shen Lixue, a dark glint flashing in his dark eyes.
"What do you mean?" Shen Lixue asked, puzzled. Was there a connection between the mountain path and the Taihe Hall?
"You'll know when you get to the Hall of Supreme Harmony!" Dongfang Heng replied calmly, a faint smile playing on his lips.
The Hall of Supreme Harmony is located on a mountain peak, in a relatively remote area. It is only a hundred meters away after climbing the mountain and following the path. The path is extremely rugged, and with the flowers and plants covering it, it is almost invisible. Could it be that Shen Lixue cannot see it?
At the very front of the mountain, near the edge of the cliff, grows a large tree with many branches and leaves, all adorned with red ribbons, one end of which is tied with a copper coin.
"This is the wishing tree!" Shen Lixue looked at the tree and examined it carefully. It was similar to the wishing trees of modern times.
"What do you wish for?" Dongfang Heng walked up to Shen Lixue, his sharp eyes clear as a spring, without a trace of impurity.
Shen Lixue was startled, then came to her senses. She never expected that the Prince An, who had made great military achievements and was deep in thought, would have such a naive moment. For a moment, she thought she saw the man in black. His eyes were as pure as a child's, without any impurities. Qianlong, he must have found his lost friend.
"What are you thinking about?" Dongfang Heng couldn't help but ask again after not hearing Shen Lixue's answer for a long time.
"Wishes can't be spoken, or they won't come true!" Shen Lixue took off the pink pouch she wore at her waist, took out a few copper coins, and then looked through it, but couldn't find a single red thread. Suddenly she remembered that the red thread was in the basket, which Qiu He had taken away.
"Dongfang Heng, do you have a red string or silk thread?" The so-called wish-making involves holding a copper coin, silently reciting a wish while facing a big tree, tying the coin to a red string, and throwing it onto the tree. The higher it is thrown, the easier it is for the wish to come true.
Shen Lixue is skilled in martial arts and can throw copper coins directly onto the tree, but the red thread is a bridge that is essential to fulfilling a wish. If you only throw copper coins without a bridge, your wish will not come true at all.
"No!" Dongfang Heng came to Xiangguo Temple to see someone, not to make a wish, so of course he didn't bring a red thread.
Shen Lixue frowned: She was wearing a light blue dress, while Dongfang Heng was dressed in white. She couldn't find any red threads to pull. Was she going to have to return empty-handed today?
As she sighed, a smooth touch came from her fingertips. Shen Lixue looked down and saw a scarlet silk handkerchief lying quietly at the bottom of her purse. Her eyes lit up and she pulled the handkerchief out.
The handkerchief was woven from scarlet silk thread and embroidered with flower petals—white petals, yellow stamens, and green leaves—against the scarlet background, making it extremely beautiful.
"Let's use this silk handkerchief!" Shen Lixue grabbed the two corners of the handkerchief and tore it forcefully. Although the crimson thread wasn't bright red, it was still red.
The silk thread was extremely tough, and Shen Lixue couldn't tear it even after trying for a long time. She looked at the indifferent and cold Dongfang Heng and gently handed him the silk handkerchief.
Dongfang Heng followed the silk handkerchief to look at Shen Lixue, his brows furrowed slightly, his dark eyes unfathomable, as if asking, "What are you doing?"
"The silk handkerchief is too strong, I can't tear it, please help me!" Shen Lixue said calmly. Asking the Azure Flame War God to tear the silk handkerchief was indeed a waste of his talent, but she didn't have scissors and couldn't cut the handkerchief, so she had to ask him for help.
Dongfang Heng frowned, took the silk handkerchief, quickly ran his right index finger across the middle of the handkerchief, and casually tossed it to Shen Lixue. The series of movements was as swift as lightning and flowed smoothly. Shen Lixue only felt the handkerchief leave in an instant and then return in an instant, and then it was split in two.
Shen Lixue looked down and saw that the cut on the silk handkerchief was perfect, even neater than that cut with scissors. She couldn't help but secretly admire the unfathomable inner strength of the ancients!
"Dongfang Heng, Qingyan is going through a turbulent time. Why don't you make a wish?" Shen Lixue only wanted to make one wish, which only required half a silk handkerchief. Not wanting to waste the other half, she casually handed it to Dongfang Heng.
"This king..." Dongfang Heng looked at the half silk handkerchief, his words of refusal trailing off abruptly. He then looked at Chen Lixue, his eyes revealing a hint of inexplicable emotion.
"What's wrong?" Is there something wrong with this half of the handkerchief? Shen Lixue withdrew her arm and looked at the handkerchief. On one corner of the scarlet handkerchief, there was a beautiful embroidered character "snow". Looking at the center of the handkerchief, there were several lines of text: "In heaven, we wish to be birds flying wing to wing; on earth, we wish to be trees with intertwined branches!"
Qiu He! Shen Lixue's beautiful eyes blazed with anger, wishing she could grab Qiu He immediately and teach her a lesson. After Chunhua and Qiuyue died, Qiu He was essentially the head maid of the bamboo garden. Qiu He arranged all her food and clothing, and even embroidered the silk handkerchiefs. Embroidering flowers is fine, but why embroider names? Embroidering names is one thing, but why embroider love poems?
When Dongfang Heng split the silk handkerchief, one half contained flowers, and the other half contained words. Both the flowers and the love poem were perfectly preserved. Coincidentally, she handed Dongfang Heng the half with the poem. Many misunderstandings in the world are caused by such special coincidences...
"I took the wrong one, this half is for you!" Shen Lixue took back the silk handkerchief with the poem on it, took out the other half and handed it over. She had just glanced at it and it wasn't embroidered with mimosa flowers, but... lilies!
In ancient times, lilies symbolized a long and happy marriage.
Shen Lixue was startled and tried to take it back, but it was too late. Dongfang Heng took the handkerchief from her hand, examined it repeatedly, and smiled slightly: "The pattern is acceptable, barely passable. Did you embroider it?"
"No, it was embroidered by my maid!" Shen Lixue answered without hesitation. She didn't know whether Dongfang Heng's words were a compliment or a criticism. Even if she had embroidered it, she wouldn't admit it. Besides, she was used to a life of fighting. After coming to ancient times, she faced wave after wave of conspiracies and schemes. Although she had the original owner's memories, she had no interest in needlework.
"The most beautiful embroidery on that half of the silk handkerchief just now was your name!" Dongfang Heng suddenly spoke. Snow, pure and flawless, crystal clear, untouched by any dust.
"Let's make a wish!" Not wanting to talk about the awkwardness from earlier, Shen Lixue quickly changed the subject. She threaded a copper coin through the half of a silk handkerchief she was writing on, tied it tightly, and quickly threw it toward the wishing tree.
The copper coin, trailing a scarlet ribbon, rose rapidly into the air and then fell. Instead of landing on the tree branch, it flew over it and plummeted straight down.