To Raise A Soul Chapter 26 Part1

Upon leaving the kitchen, Xu Wu suddenly appeared and dashed towards the flower pot. It circled the flower pot as it waited for Yu Zhen to arrive.  It periodically lifted its head towards Yu Zhen and meowed softly to urge him, seemingly eager to show him something.

“What's the matter?”

Yu Zhen reached the pot and casually peered into it. He did not expect the sight that awaited him and his jaw dropped in shock.

They had only been away for a few hours but the seedlings had grown into mature lotus plants. They had lush stems and leaves, and little flower buds appeared between the leaves. 

With the abundance of leaves crowded together, the ceramic pots the seeds were originally planted in no longer seemed large enough. The crowded bundles of leaves were full of the lush greenness of life and vibrancy of spring. 

“Meow~,” Xu Wu called out again, jumping into the Heaven and Earth Flower Pot and sitting down before the ceramic pots inside. Then, with closed eyes and a sincere, prayer-like appearance, it reached a paw out of the Heaven and Earth Flower Pot and tapped on its rim, beckoning at Yu Zhen.

"You want me to, um, pray for the flowers?" Yu Zhen guessed at the kitten's charade.

Xu Wu opened its eyes, stood up and anxiously paced in a circle twice. Abruptly, it ran back to Yu Zhen's side, climbed up his trousers and lightly b.u.mped its head against Yu Zhen's hand.

My hand? I need to close my eyes and touch the pot? 

Yu Zhen gathered up the kitten into the crook of his arm as he finally understood its meaning. "You want me to feed some merits to them?"

"Meow, meow, meow." Xu Wu's tail swished and it nuzzled its head against his chest.

After acting like a kitten in front of Bu Lian, it had become more kitten-like.

Yu Zhen couldn't help laughing and he lightly pinched a chubby cheek as he basked in the comforting warmth from its body. Entering the Heaven and Earth Flower Pot, he said, "Alright, let's feed it a little. Do you want some? I've just received a huge amount of merits. I can spare a little."

For all spiritual items, receiving merits is undoubtedly a good thing, but Xu Wu quieted down. Raising its head, it looked at Yu Zhen's smiling face, then wriggled and jumped out of his hold. It was a silent refusal. 

"You don't want some?"

Xu Wu flicked its tail and answered, "Meow."

Yu Zhen looked at its little round b.u.t.t and couldn't help but lean down to give the cute derriere a light pat.

Considering his experience with transferring merits, Yu Zhen confidently walked up to the ceramic pots and squatted next to them.

Golden light gathered on his outstretched hand and condensed on his fingertips. As if it sensed something delicious, the closest flower bud swayed on its stem and leaned closer.

It was a novel sight for Yu Zhen. Without thinking, he lightly touched a glowing fingertip to the flower bud. 

The golden light spilled out and the flower bud shook gently within the light. The petals slowly grew larger and unfurled, releasing the scent of lotus into the air. In what seemed like the blink of an eye, a lotus flower with white petals and golden stamen bloomed under his hands.

Yu Zhen was dumbstruck. His fingers were rigidly fixed to its place. 

What – what is this?

His finger still frozen in place, the golden light continued to spill out and the flower continued to grow and flourish before his very eyes. A small lotus seed pod grew larger and the petals opened further before they withered and fell from the flower. The pod continued to grow fuller. 

Swoosh.

The kitten that had been sitting quietly next to him leaped up suddenly and rushed to the lotus flower. With its mouth, it plucked the lotus seed pod.

Yu Zhen returned to his senses and the golden light disappeared back into him. He hurriedly looked down and saw Xu Wu claw open a part of the lotus seed pod. It pushed a harvested lotus seed towards him and swished its tail happily. "Meow~"

The lotus seed presented by Xu Wu appeared a little different from the common lotus seed. It was especially round and plump. With a pastel green color, the outer skin was lighter than normal. 

Still dazed, Yu Zhen picked up the lotus seed and lightly turned it with his two fingers. Glancing at Xu Wu, he carefully peeled off a small part of the seed's skin.

At first, only a light beige color could be seen, but quickly an eye catching, golden liquid seeped out. A slightly bitter lotus scent a.s.sailed Yu Zhen's sense of smell, but the scent was accompanied by a soothing qi.

"Meow!" Xu Wu jumped onto Yu Zhen once again and nudged his hand with his whole body.

Yu Zhen quickly reached out a hand to steady the tiny kitten. Suppressing his surprise, he asked, "You want me to eat it?"

Xu Wu nodded and prodded his hand again.

The lotus seed was extremely fragrant. Being round, plump, and moist looking, it seemed tasty, but Yu Zhen made no move to eat it. He put away the lotus seed and picked up the lotus seed pod and fallen petals from the ground. He then straightened back up and left the s.p.a.ce of the Heaven and Earth Flower Pot.

"Yin Yan, the lotus bloomed! It even grew a lotus seed pod! Look!" Yu Zhen trotted into the kitchen, eyes br.i.m.m.i.n.g with excitement.

Yin Yan glanced at the lotus seed pod and the small lotus seed in Yu Zhen's hand. He picked up the lotus seed, nimbly peeled the green skin off, and dropped the seed into the soup he was cooking.

Yu Zhen stared dumbly at his hand that was so abruptly deprived of the tiny seed, then moved his stunned look to the bubbling pot in front of Yin Yan. Belatedly reacting, he cried out, "My lotus seed!"

"En. Your lotus seed." Yin Yan nodded. With his ever-calm expression, he sprinkled some salt into the soup and said, "Good timing. Golden bodhi lotus seeds which are ripened by merits add a nice flavor."

Yu Zhen stared at him. My temper is too good. In the end, I can't get angry. Briskly patting himself down, Yu Zhen found some milk candies in his pocket from earlier when he'd grabbed a handful as they settled the bill at the roast duck restaurant. He fished them out and unwrapped them. Stepping closer, he tossed a few into the pot and said, "Okay, I'll also add some flavor!"

Once he finished his words, he turned around and walked away. He also dropped the wrappers on the ground instead of throwing them into the trash can.

Yin Yan looked at the wrappers on the ground and then looked at the soup. With a downcast gaze, he was silent for a few seconds. Suddenly, the corners of his lips lifted slightly, showing a satisfied smile. 

He knows how to get angry now. That's good.

Played by Yin Yan, Yu Zhen's excitement levels plummeted. So, he returned inside the Heaven and Earth Flower Pot and began to move the lotus plants into different pots, adding more water.

"It would be good if I could dig a pond here," Yu Zhen muttered. He was a bit sorry for the lotus flowers that were crammed together in ceramic pots.

These aren't the small varieties meant just for viewing. They can grow large flowers, seeds, and also edible roots [1]. It wouldn't matter how big this ceramic pot is, it is still considered a very limited s.p.a.ce. Once the edible roots start growing, it will quickly outgrow this ceramic pot.

"Maybe I should buy a few large flower basins?"[2] Yu Zhen started letting his imagination run. He rested his chin on a hand and, without realizing it, rubbed some mud on to his chin. 

Hearing those words, Xu Wu stopped its milling around Yu Zhen and glanced up at him. He then dashed off to a corner of the Heaven and Earth Flower Pot and began to dig diligently and vigorously.

Hearing the noise, Yu Zhen looked over curiously at Xu Wu's actions. Then, the lightbulb in his head lit up along with his eyes and he picked up his shovel to join in on the digging.

One man and one kitten bustled away. When Yin Yan brought out the prepared dishes, there was a newly created pond in that corner of the Heaven and Earth Flower Pot. The small pond was filled with diluted boundless water, and the pond surface was covered with lotus leaves as well as a few lotus buds. The sight was very pleasing. 

"It's done!"

Yu Zhen put down the water bucket and surveyed the pond in satisfaction. Smelling the fragrant lotus scent in the air, his bad mood from being teased was completely erased.

Xu Wu climbed up to Yu Zhen's shoulder and laid down on its stomach. It also looked happy and showed it by meowing and swishing its tail.  

"It's dinner time." Yin Yan appeared right on time as he knocked on the wall of the Heaven and Earth Flower Pot.

Yu Zhen and Xu Wu turned to look towards Yin Yan. Both of them had dirtied faces and blank expressions.

Yin Yan was silent for a few seconds, then he stepped back and walked back to the table. He casually picked up the lotus seed pod left on the table and then skillfully plucked a lotus seed out and into his mouth.

“…”