Controlling the Five Thunders and the Two Worlds

Chapter 84 Orchid Demon

"Wow! So beautiful!"

"This is where?"

"This is Aunt Wang's garden." The little girl led them to a secluded courtyard in the corner of the city. "Aunt Wang lives alone and has planted many flowers in the yard. She often gives us some so we can sell them for money."

The little girl was also the daughter of a poor family. She lived not far away. She helped her parents on weekdays, and during festivals and market days, she would pick some wild flowers and sell them on the street.

According to the little girl, Aunt Wang is a widow with no children. She has lived alone since her husband died more than ten years ago and makes a living by washing and mending clothes.

She was good at growing flowers and plants, and her yard was full of them. In addition to carefully nurturing them, she allowed several children around her yard to pick flowers and sell them for money, but she never sold them herself.

Seeing that Gu Zhao was generous, the girl also wanted to help Aunt Wang make some money, so she led a few people to Aunt Wang's courtyard.

"Aunt Wang!" the little girl pushed open the door. "A customer wants to buy flowers from you. He says the flowers you grow are so beautiful!"

The next moment, a figure opened the door curtain and walked out. "Deng Nan'er is back, why did you bring guests with you?"

The visitor looked up at the group, wiped her hands on her dress calmly, and said with a gentle smile, "I just plant some flowers and plants for fun when I have nothing better to do. If you like any of them, please feel free to pick them."

Gu Zhao looked at the person who came. Although her face looked a little tired and there were wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, one could still see the beauty of her youth. Although she was a bit older now, she still had a slim figure and charm.

She was wearing a simple dress, which was not patched but looked a little old. Her hair was simply tied up with a hairpin, with some scattered bangs hanging down at her temples.

His eyes were calm and his expression was gentle. He looked at the little girl with tenderness, and when he turned to Gu Zhao and the others, there was a hint of vigilance in his eyes, showing kindness.

Gu Zhao and Taoist Yansong looked at each other.

Gu Zhao nodded, and Taoist Yansong stepped forward and said with a smile, "My family is planning to build a new yard and plant some flowers. Seeing this little girl still selling flowers in the summer and autumn, I knew there was a master living in seclusion, so I came to ask for advice and buy some flowers."

"You're too kind. It's just shelter from the wind and watering. There's nothing special about it." Aunt Wang rubbed her hands and looked away. "Maybe it's because I'm in a corner of the city, sheltered from the wind, so there are more wild flowers. In fact, there are many flowers and plants growing in the surrounding courtyards too."

The little girl nodded beside him, "Yes, yes, but they're not growing as well as those in Aunt Wang's yard!"

Gu Zhao nodded, took two steps in the yard, leaned over, picked up a handful of soil, and rubbed it on his fingers. "I thought the fertilizer applied by Aunt Wang was better."

Aunt Wang's eyes flashed and she couldn't help swallowing.

Gu Zhao glanced around. Aunt Wang's courtyard was not big. It only had a master bedroom and an ear room, and there was also a side room next to it that was used as a kitchen and for storing miscellaneous items.

He couldn't see what was going on inside the house, but the small yard was full of flowers and plants, some planted in the soil, some in pots, some blooming around wooden frames, and some growing against the walls.

Then Gu Zhao saw an inconspicuous little orchid rooted in the cracks of the stone bricks under the eaves of the master bedroom window.

"Deng Nan'er, it's getting late. Your parents should be home to cook. You should go back first." Aunt Wang suddenly said, "I'll talk to this young man about buying flowers."

"Yeah!" The little girl nodded, then said as she walked out, "You don't have to cook dinner today. Mom said we're having boiled fish tonight. I'll bring you a bowl later!"

Without waiting for Aunt Wang to reply, the little girl left with a giggle.

After watching the little girl leave, Aunt Wang took a deep breath and regained her composure. "What flowers would you like to buy?"

Gu Zhao smiled slightly and pointed at the small orchid. "Is that one okay?"

The orchid swayed slightly, and a scent suddenly filled the courtyard. Then Aunt Wang's expression changed drastically, and she subconsciously took a step back. She clenched her fists, raised them to her chest, and said in a trembling voice, "I... the people I killed weren't good people... If you want to arrest someone, just arrest me. It has nothing to do with her!"

The orchid's leaves swayed, then suddenly drooped a little, and then the fragrance dissipated a lot.

Gu Zhao, “…”

I haven't asked anything yet, why did you tell me everything?
Seeing the expressions of Aunt Wang and Gu Zhao, Zhuo Qingyan probably knew that the Aunt Wang in front of her was not a bad person.

"Don't be afraid. We're not here to arrest you. We just smelled some blood on the flowers that the little girl picked from your house, so we came to check."

Gu Zhao and Taoist Master Yansong were men, so they were inevitably nervous. The embroiderer was also relatively young, so Zhuo Qingyan took a step forward and comforted her, saying, "If you killed a bad guy, you don't have to be afraid."

"They're bad guys! They're bad guys!" Aunt Wang nodded repeatedly, breathing a sigh of relief. She glanced at Zhuo Qingyan and Gu Zhao a little embarrassedly, but to prove her innocence, she explained, "They...they're all hooligans in the city, and they all want to take advantage of me..."

"Ah?" Several people were stunned.
The thugs in the city are targeting a mage. Are they trying to kill themselves?

Gu Zhao looked at the ground under his feet and was really ready to die.

……

After Aunt Wang's recounting, they knew the whole story.

Aunt Wang's real name is Wang Yue. Her parents passed away, she had no children for many years, her husband died early, and her parents' family did not accept her, so she moved back to her own courtyard to live alone. She usually liked to plant flowers and plants. One spring, she went into the mountains to see if there were any fresh flowers to decorate her courtyard, and then she met Xiaolan.

Xiaolan is the orchid under the eaves of the master bedroom.

According to Xiaolan, he and her souls were in harmony, and they were most suitable for practicing together. So the ignorant Wang Yue transplanted Xiaolan to his own yard, and then began his own practice.

However, Wang Yue is honest and hardworking. She never shows off her skills. She even makes a living by washing, sewing and mending clothes. However, she has to go out more or less, so she will inevitably meet strangers.

A widow living alone, her charm still remains...

She doesn't care about some rumors, and the neighbors will help drive away the ruffians who come to make trouble during the day, but there are still some bold ones who dare to come to her house at night.

These people then became fertilizer for her garden.

Zhuo Qingyan asked softly, "You didn't try to scare them away?"

Wang Yue felt a little aggrieved. "I didn't intend to kill anyone at first, but they said I was a demon and that I was the one who secretly killed my husband. They wanted to sue the authorities and arrest me. I was scared..."

Everyone was speechless.

Gu Zhao thought to himself that it was no wonder that the fragrance of the flowers in the courtyard was filled with the smell of blood, but there was no evil spirit on Wang Yue. Since he did not actively do evil, he naturally would not have any evil spirit with him.

Taoist Master Yansong shook his head. "How dare they threaten a mage? What on earth are they thinking?"

Zhuo Qingyan looked at Wang Yue and took her hand. It was easy to understand, "Because Aunt Wang is usually too kind, they have lost their sense of awe."

Taoist Master Yansong could naturally understand this, so he could only sigh, "Good words cannot persuade a damned ghost."

(End of this chapter)