Zanxing (Retranslated)

Extra 18 - Flower Seeds (2) — Bu Jiang x Gui Diaotang

Gui Diaotang ignored Bu Jiang and continued to scatter the flower seeds meticulously, as if he was certain that these seeds would eventually bloom.

Bu Jiang thought to herself, no wonder the Succubus called him a fool. Even if he scattered flower seeds here for a lifetime, he wouldn’t achieve his wish.

She knew it was like chasing a dream to expect human flowers to grow on Heishi Mountain, but perhaps due to the steadfastness of his flower planting or a hidden curiosity and hope, Bu Jiang came to Heishi Mountain at the same time every day to watch Gui Diaotang plant flowers.

Day after day, month after month, the seeds did not bloom, and Heishi Mountain remained barren.

Bu Jiang sat in a tree, watching Gui Diaotang scatter seeds beneath it, and said casually, “Why be so stubborn? You can see for yourself that flowers can’t grow on Heishi Mountain.”

Not only did Gui Diaotang scatter the seeds, but he also poured demonic essence onto them, attempting to nurture and protect these fragile seeds. To Bu Jiang, this seemed quite foolish.

Gui Diaotang ignored her teasing and continued walking forward. Bu Jiang jumped down from the tree and said, “Flowers won’t grow here. I’ve tried, and it doesn’t work.”

Gui Diaotang paused, turned around, and for the first time, truly regarded Bu Jiang.

Bu Jiang said, “I used to plant flowers here as well.”

He looked at her silently for a long while and then asked, “What was the result?”

Bu Jiang shrugged, “Not a single one bloomed.”

When Bu Jiang first left the Demon Realm to go to the capital, she fell in love with a man. He was an ordinary mortal, not a cultivator, and didn’t have any skills. He was a young master from a wealthy family, refined and gentle. Whenever Bu Jiang approached him to speak, he would blush.

This young master’s family had a large medicinal herb garden, and in the southeastern corner of the garden, they had set aside a special area for growing flowers. It was filled with peonies, chrysanthemums, poppies, and roses—an expanse of vibrant colors that Bu Jiang loved.

She spent a pleasant time there.

However, demons were inherently passionate and flirtatious, and the differences between humans and demons meant that their relationship could not last. In the end, Bu Jiang had to leave the capital to return to the Demon Realm, while that shy young master’s family was preparing for his upcoming marriage to a more suitable bride.

The young master didn’t know Bu Jiang’s true identity as a demon. He only thought that this cold-hearted woman was abandoning him for the sake of power and influence. At the foot of the mountain’s long steps, he breathlessly caught up with her and handed her a handful of flower seeds.

With reddened eyes and pursed lips, he avoided looking at Bu Jiang’s face and mumbled, “You like flowers, don’t you? Take these seeds with you. Maybe when you’re back home, you can plant them in your garden and occasionally remember this place.”

Bu Jiang remained silent for a long time before finally accepting the seeds.

She brought the seeds back to Heishi City, planted them on Heishi Mountain, and used a lot of demonic essence to nurture them, tending to them every day. But the seeds never bloomed. Eventually, she couldn’t hold back any longer, dug up the soil, and found that most of the seeds had rotted or were eaten by insects.

She sat in front of the seeds all day, lost in thought. The Succubus came to find her and, seeing her in this state, scoffed, “Have you lost your mind? Planting flowers here? Don’t you know that flowers from the human realm can’t grow in the Demon Realm?”

Some things were destined to be impossible to force.

Bu Jiang later returned to that place, only to find that the young master’s family had fallen into decline. They lived in poverty, and the herb garden had been sold off. The new owners had turned the garden into an orchard. The once-vibrant flowers were no longer there. The refined young master had become a hunchbacked old man with white hair. When he passed by her, unable to recognize her due to his age, he asked in confusion, “Miss, who are you looking for?”

Bu Jiang calmly stood for a moment and said, “I’m looking for the wrong person.” She then turned and left.

The rain continued to fall softly. As she looked at the young man in the green robe before her, she suddenly felt a connection with her younger self who had planted flowers here years ago.

She smiled and said, “Are you planting flowers here for a woman?”

The way he looked at the seeds was gentle and filled with nostalgia, making this demon appear like an ordinary mortal.

A fragile mortal who would be saddened by the blooming and withering of a flower.

Bu Jiang walked over to Gui Diaotang and opened her palm. From her palm, a handful of vibrant seeds began to float up. These seeds were beautiful, colorful, and glowing. She casually threw them into the soil.

Gui Diaotang glanced at her lightly.

“Human flower seeds can’t grow here, except for these demonic flowers,” Bu Jiang said with a smile. “The Guishou Flower and the Love Flower can grow on Heishi Mountain. They look beautiful too, even more dazzling than human flowers, but with one drawback.” She chuckled lightly, “They’re poisonous.”

She looked at Gui Diaotang, her lips curling into a smile. “If you want to plant flowers here, it’s best to plant these demonic flowers. They’re not as fragile as human flowers. You don’t need to water them; just scatter them, and they’ll grow.”

Gui Diaotang stood up, his voice calm: “I don’t like them.”

“Why not?” Bu Jiang asked with interest. “You are of the demon race, so you should like things related to demons. Could it be that in your heart, the demon realm is inferior to the human realm?”

He said nothing and left, holding his paper umbrella.

Bu Jiang did not care about the flower seeds she had scattered. She had no doubt that even if the seeds of the demon flowers were sown in the most barren land on Heishi Mountain, they would take root and sprout. Some beauties in this world needed careful nurturing, while others did not require it at all.

She had not gone to Heishi Mountain to see Gui Diaotang planting flowers for a long time.

Winter soon arrived, and heavy snow fell over Heishi City.

The snowflakes were large and thick, layering the entire city, painting the dark mountain wilderness with a coat of silver, giving the daylight in Heishi City a second hue.

For some reason, Bu Jiang suddenly thought of those flowers and the demon who planted them.

She had heard that Gui Diaotang’s cultivation was advancing rapidly, and the spiritual veins of the demon realm had started flowing again under his celestial demon power. He would become the tenth Demon King of Heishi City. A demon who had been tainted by power and risen to a high position would surely no longer remember those flowers.

The forest was piled with snow like jade, and she saw Gui Diaotang in the woods.

He wore a snow-white cloak over his green robe, and he looked pale and handsome, like one of those weak and sentimental young men from the human realm. The blue-black demon king’s power he had gathered formed a small barrier that protected a cluster of flowers under the trees, keeping them safe from the wind and snow.

“What is this…” Bu Jiang’s gaze froze.

The flowers were blooming vividly, each one alluring and eye-catching, demonic flowers in full bloom.

The seeds of human flowers Gui Diaotang had scattered could not grow here, but what he protected with his demon king’s power were demonic flowers that would not be damaged by ordinary wind and snow.

Bu Jiang stared at everything before her, and after a long while, she softly spoke: “Don’t you know? Demoicn flowers are not as fragile as human flowers. These winds and snows cannot harm them.”

Gui Diaotang looked calmly at the blooming flowers under the trees, as if what he was doing was the most ordinary thing. He said, “Aren’t they still flowers?”

Bu Jiang was stunned.

His voice was also calm: “Besides, they are beautiful too.”

Countless silver-white snowflakes fell from the dim sky, drifting down onto the green-robed man, covering his cloak with a layer of fluffy snow. Snowflakes also clung to his eyelashes, making him a unique ink wash painting in the world and the dark stone mountain.

For the first time, Bu Jiang felt that the cold and dull Heishi Mountain had become elegant and charming.

After a long time, she smiled and looked at the man before her: “It seems that we share similar thoughts. I like people who know how to appreciate beauty.”

“Gui Diaotang.” She walked towards him, looked into his eyes, and said, “My name is Bu Jiang.”