“Tribute?”

He Xiuyuan was also somewhat surprised to hear this.

His gaze fell upon the Peach Tree in front of him, a hint of disbelief in his eyes.

The trunk of the Peach Tree before him now looked withered, as if it had little vitality left.

Moreover, over the years, it seemed that this Peach Tree had never bloomed or borne fruit.

Why was that?

Thinking of this, He Xiuyuan looked at the diners beside him and asked curiously, “This Peach Tree doesn’t seem to have bloomed or borne fruit. Could it be a dead tree?”

“Alas…”

Hearing this, the surrounding diners shook their heads and sighed.

“That’s what we’re going to talk about next.”

“Many years ago, this Peach Tree was truly extraordinary. When it bloomed, the fragrance of its peach blossoms could fill the entire Peach Blossom Town, which is why this place is named Peach Blossom Town.”

“And the fruits that grew on this Peach Tree, they were even sweeter. After being offered as tribute to the Emperor by the county magistrate of Peach Blossom Town back then, they were designated as imperial tributes.”

“From then on, every peach that grew on this Peach Tree would be recorded, and once the fruits ripened, they would be sent to Chang’an.”

“However, one night, divine lightning suddenly struck this Peach Tree, causing a great fire. After everyone managed to extinguish the fire with great difficulty, the trunk of the Peach Tree was already burnt down.”

“Since then, this Peach Tree has been unable to bloom or bear fruit.”

Speaking of this, the diners around sighed, “It’s been many years since we’ve smelled the fragrance of those peach blossoms.”

He Xiuyuan listened to this, looking at the Peach Tree beside him with a hint of curiosity.

This Peach Tree was actually an imperial tribute?

He wondered what it tasted like.

It was a pity that this Peach Tree could no longer bear fruit; otherwise, he could have tasted what the peaches were like.

Moreover, according to the local residents, the peach blossoms were also very fragrant.

For the fragrance of the flowers from just one Peach Tree to cover the entire Peach Blossom Town was truly remarkable.

“To tell you the truth, it’s such a pity that this Peach Tree no longer bears fruit. Otherwise, we would be able to smell the fragrance of its flowers every year.”

Although he couldn't eat the peaches, it would still be nice to be able to smell the fragrance of the flowers.

He Xiuyuan’s heart stirred slightly as he listened, and he subconsciously looked towards the Peach Tree.

He wondered if his Spiritual Qi could save this old tree?

If it could be saved, then perhaps he might even get to eat the peaches?

Thinking of this, He Xiuyuan decided to try it when no one was around.

A moment later, He Xiuyuan finished his steamed bun and then sat down by the Peach Tree.

There were many people coming and going, but few paid attention to He Xiuyuan.

Seeing that no one was paying attention to him, He Xiuyuan thought for a moment, then immediately condensed a wisp of Spiritual Qi and slowly transferred it to the old tree.

As this wisp of Spiritual Qi entered the root of the old tree, He Xiuyuan didn’t feel any change in the old tree, perhaps because the Spiritual Qi was too scarce.

Seeing this, He Xiuyuan frowned, “It’s not working? Is it beyond saving, or is this Spiritual Qi too scarce?”

He Xiuyuan was Cultivating for the first time and didn't know if Spiritual Qi could have such an effect.

So, at this moment, He Xiuyuan was also somewhat puzzled by the current situation, unsure if the wisp of Spiritual Qi he had just transferred had any effect.

And as for the current situation, He Xiuyuan himself didn’t have much Spiritual Qi on him.

This one wisp was all the Spiritual Qi he had in his entire body.

Seeing that the old tree seemed to have no change, He Xiuyuan shook his head, stood up, and then walked towards the courtyard.

While there was still time, he planned to return to the courtyard to continue Cultivating.

If he worked harder at Cultivating, he would be able to accumulate more Spiritual Qi on his body.

Otherwise, with only this tiny bit of Spiritual Qi in his entire body, if he were to learn any Spell later, he might not even be able to activate it.

It was a pity that the City God seemed to only have this Cultivation Technique and no powerful Spells or anything like that.

If there were any, he could have learned them too.

After He Xiuyuan returned to the courtyard, he closed the door and began to Cultivate.

As wisps of clear Qi continuously appeared around him, and were slowly absorbed into his body by He Xiuyuan, He Xiuyuan also felt his senses becoming increasingly acute.

However, while He Xiuyuan was Cultivating, the Peach Tree, not far away on the other side of a wall, was also desperately absorbing the Spiritual Qi from nearby.

Each absorption by the old tree caused the originally withered parts of its trunk to become slightly greener.

He Xiuyuan, being in closed-eye Cultivation, naturally did not notice this situation.

........

Outside Qixia Creek.

Wu Yun was hidden in the water, feeling the biting cold in his body. Even after staying in this water for many years, he still found it unbearable.

The pain before drowning constantly washed over his senses, causing resentment to continuously grow in his heart, which he then forcefully suppressed.

He didn't know how much longer he would have to live like this.

Thinking of this, Wu Yun sighed inwardly.

But after thinking for a moment, he suppressed that thought as well.

After all, wasn't there still the method He Xiuyuan mentioned earlier? Perhaps, using He Xiuyuan’s method could also help him escape his predicament.

Thinking of this, Wu Yun shook his head and spat out the river water that had reached his mouth.

“Oh no, help!”

Just as Wu Yun was feeling the biting cold, a faint voice came from the river not far away.

Hearing this shout, Wu Yun was startled for a moment, then immediately swam in the direction of the person who had fallen into the water.

In just a moment, Wu Yun saw a small child struggling desperately in the water. With continuous struggling, the little boy had already swallowed several mouthfuls of river water.

Seeing this, Wu Yun quickly went forward, intending to help the child out of the water.

At this moment, another movement came from not far away.

Ding Maoqin, unexpectedly, had also arrived.

Looking at the drowning child in front of him, Ding Maoqin looked at Wu Yun with a strange smile.

“What, can’t stand it anymore? Are you looking for a replacement now?”

Ding Maoqin stared at Wu Yun, thinking that the other party must also be unable to endure such pain and was preparing to find a replacement.

Wu Yun glanced at Ding Maoqin but said nothing, simply lifting the child to the bank.

Only after confirming that the little boy was fine did he return to the river water.

Ding Maoqin was stunned by this sight, then looked at Wu Yun with an expression of disbelief.

Was this guy crazy!