The ancient tree above Medusa and Xiao Xue's heads was already completely dead wood.
And at this moment, all its other branches were still in a state of death.
Only the single branch above Xiao Xue's head had blossomed with vibrant peach blossoms.
—Dead wood meeting spring!
Death and vitality formed an extremely sharp contrast.
As the peach blossoms bloomed, a faint, delicate fragrance wafted out.
This scent was refreshing and gladdening; just smelling it made one's whole body feel comfortable, as a warm current surged through their limbs and bones.
Compared to the hundred-meter-tall ancient tree, this sprig of peach blossoms appeared exceptionally tiny, yet it was unusually eye-catching.
They emitted a pinkish glimmer.
Two peach blossoms fell from the branch and drifted down into the palms of Xiao Xue and Medusa.
The moment they touched their palms, they instantly melted and merged into their hands.
A small peach blossom mark appeared on the left hands of both Xiao Xue and Medusa.
Well, it had a bit of a "couple's tattoo" vibe.
But it wasn't like a real tattoo; it looked more like it had been drawn on with a brush.
It was similar to the effect when some women draw flowers between their eyebrows when applying makeup.
As the peach blossom merged, Xiao Xue clearly felt an energy full of vitality flowing through her body.
Some internal injuries that hadn't fully healed after the clash with the Netherworld Poison Flame were quickly and completely cured.
"This thing... it couldn't possibly increase my luck with the opposite sex too, right?"
Staring at the peach blossom in her palm, Xiao Xue began to worry for a moment.
[Charm 10], Appearance dictates the Law.
Heavenly Fox Bloodline, peach blossom mark... if this continued, her physical shell would practically align with the Heavenly Dao.
It would be quite a hassle if she caused a heap of trouble everywhere she went just because of her looks.
Whether in her past life or this one, Xiao Xue had many crazy pursuers.
These guys made her feel endlessly annoyed.
Now, it was only because her talent and strength were too great that those people had quieted down somewhat.
Back in Wutan City, there were quite a few outsiders who climbed the Xiao Family's walls every day.
Even some of the younger generation of the Xiao Family had various thoughts about her.
It wasn't until her talent "returned" and she began to crush the younger generation that this situation eased up.
—The troubles of being too beautiful, you common mortals wouldn't understand.
Many people pray to gods and Buddhas just hoping for a perfect marriage and abundant romantic luck.
Xiao Xue was different; she wished her romantic luck could be cut short by several segments.
Maybe in the future, if someone comes to hit on me, I'll just say I already have a child?
As for those cannon-fodder villains who wanted to get handsy at the slightest disagreement, Xiao Xue had encountered many over the years.
There was nothing to say to such people; she would just kill them directly.
Besides, someone with that kind of style was just a minor cannon fodder.
True major villains were experts who had been famous for years; they didn't really care much about such things.
They wouldn't be like those minor cannon fodders, thinking about visiting brothels all day long.
Only the improvement of strength was their pursuit.
—Giving a shout-out to Hun Tiandi.
After three breaths, this tiny peach blossom mark disappeared from Xiao Xue and Medusa's palms, invisible to the naked eye.
But both Medusa and Xiao Xue knew very well that it still existed.
The two of them even sensed a faint, indistinct connection within it.
With this layer of connection, when one party encountered danger;
The other party could sense the other's physical condition and location through this peach blossom mark.
To put it simply, this thing was a [Safety Charm] and [Location Sharing] combined.
Normally, this thing was just an ordinary peach blossom mark;
But once one party's [HP] fell below a certain threshold, its [Location Sharing] function would activate.
For example, if Qing Lin, Xiao Yi Xian, and Xiao Xue had a [Master-Disciple] relationship.
This relationship was recognized by the System, which was equivalent to official recognition.
So, if they were in danger, the System would immediately issue a [Warning] to Xiao Xue, along with accurate coordinate positioning.
And although Xiao Xue and Medusa already had the reality of being husband and wife... wait, no.
Everything that should be done had been done, and everything that shouldn't be done had also been done.
But at the System level, Medusa and Xiao Xue had not yet established an [Intimate Relationship].
—Who knows how deep one has to go to be considered intimate.
Therefore, if Medusa were in danger, there was a high probability the System would not give Xiao Xue a warning.
And this peach blossom mark would have its uses at certain times.
Especially when Xiao Xue was in danger, the System would not issue warnings to Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin.
But with this peach blossom, once Xiao Xue was in danger, Medusa could know Xiao Xue's location immediately.
The atmosphere between Medusa and Xiao Xue became somewhat different after the peach blossoms appeared.
With this extra layer of connection, there was instead an added sense of vague, hazy ambiguity.
Seeing the peach blossom mark fade until it was hidden in her palm, Xiao Xue breathed a sigh of relief.
"When I go back, if Xun'er finds out a peach blossom has inexplicably appeared on my left hand, she might overthink things."
"Wait, why am I thinking like this..."
Medusa, however, had different thoughts; compared to humans, her thoughts were quite simple.
She thought this palm peach blossom was quite beautiful, and now that it had suddenly disappeared, she felt a bit of a loss.
The leaves of the ancient tree rustled, seeming to murmur, or perhaps expressing gratitude.
Because it had been burned by the Netherworld Poison Flame for too long, it couldn't manage to sprout new buds or bloom across the entire tree.
However, it was using its own way to express thanks to the two people who helped it escape the sea of fire.
"This Junior thanks Senior."
Xiao Xue said, cupping her fists toward the ancient tree.
Then, she realized she had thanked it too early.
To this ancient tree that had lived for an unknown number of years, one or two peach blossoms weren't even a drop in the bucket.
That peach blossom mark was just an appetizer; the real main course was still to come.
After Xiao Xue cupped her fists to the ancient tree, its branches shook again, as if to say it was no trouble.
Then, a mysterious ripple spread out through the air.
"What power is this!?"
Beside her, Medusa's beautiful eyes widened, her face full of disbelief.
She clearly felt a very mysterious aura around them.
As long as she was within the range of this mysterious aura, her Dou Qi cultivation speed and Comprehension Ability could be strengthened to a certain extent!
"Thirty percent, it can probably strengthen my level by thirty percent!"
Medusa did a rough calculation, her mind greatly shaken.
Xiao Xue, to the side, was similarly in a daze.
[Ding! Buff detected: [Comprehension Boost], obtained a significant increase in Comprehension Ability]
This buff increased Medusa's Comprehension Ability and cultivation speed by thirty percent.
But for Xiao Xue, who only had the strength of a Dou Wang, her [Comprehension Ability] almost doubled under this buff!
This level of improvement was simply... terrifyingly powerful!
(Regarding this buff, there will be an explanation in the next chapter; it won't break the power scaling, please rest assured)
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