Zhao Xiaojun completely forgot about his sprained ankle.
Even after being taken home, he maintained a foolish, silly grin on his face.
His parents initially thought he had bumped his head and knocked himself dumb.
Zhao Xiaojun's mother opened her phone, glanced at the family group chat, and instantly flared with rage. She stepped forward and slapped him. "You useless boy!"
"What did you hit me for?!"
Baffled, Zhao Xiaojun ducked into his bedroom, unable to wait to share his romantic encounter of the day with his roommates.
To his surprise, his college dorm group chat was already blowing up with messages.
Scrolling through the chat history, Zhao Xiaojun was instantly dumbfounded.
As it turned out, the entire sequence of him staring at a beauty, losing his footing, falling into the water, and getting injured had been filmed and uploaded online.
Opening a short-video app, his vision went dark with shock.
Live videos shot from every angle, straight out of the default camera with zero filters, rendered Zhao Xiaojun—who had considered himself decently handsome—into an infatuated bystander.
Of course, Fairy Sister's beauty remained impossibly flawless.
After scrolling for a long time, Zhao Xiaojun felt a true social death.
The comment section contained people suspecting a scripted promotional stunt, as well as others criticizing modern men for releasing repressed desire.
However, with so many bystander videos as proof, almost no one doubted Fairy Sister's looks. Instead, quite a few recognized her as the divine doctor in ancient attire who had gone to the countryside to treat old miners a year ago, showering her with praise for being as kindhearted as she was beautiful.
Of course, her hater trolls from a year ago also sprang into action, causing a chaotic war in the comment section.
The more Zhao Xiaojun scrolled, the more annoyed he grew. Steeling his resolve, he simply changed his display name to "Young Master Zhao (Fell into Lake Staring at Fairy Version)" and began striking back fiercely, posting videos to firmly support his goddess!
...
When Duanmu Ren heard that someone had fallen into the water, he was startled.
Once the incident was handled, he simply ordered an ambulance and two resident doctors to be stationed on site, just in case.
Sure enough, after Zhao Xiaojun, more people suffered sprains and falls.
It was hard to tell whether they were genuinely careless or using it as an excuse to get up close and personal with the ancient-style beauty.
Unfortunately for them, Duanmu Ren had arranged doctors in advance.
That trick no longer worked.
The internet grew even livelier.
The hype strategy and budget Duanmu Ren had prepared were saved entirely.
Hua Chunning paid no mind to mortal noise, continuing to appear routinely at various spots throughout the villa every day.
In the morning, she meditated facing the rising sun and feeling the east wind.
This was also the time best suited for photo shoots.
Many online photographers would scramble for prime spots to snap pictures, as a single divine shot could net hundreds of thousands of likes, making it an ultimate tool for gaining followers.
Many influencers from the ancient-style scene also traveled from thousands of miles away for photo shoots.
Their photos turned out well.
Unfortunately, their looks, aura, and even the texture of their clothing paled in comparison to Hua Chunning's.
At noon, Hua Chunning would loosen the soil and plant flowers in the nursery.
That focused, earnest manner of digging soil made her even more beloved than her cold fairy persona.
Whenever she dug up small insects newly awakened from hibernation, she would carefully bury them back in the dirt, prompting comment sections filled with "She's as kind as she is gorgeous," and "My heart has completely melted!"
By evening, Hua Chunning would head to the lakeside to watch the fish.
If she saw small fish accidentally leap onto the ice, she would rescue them.
Once, Hua Chunning went to the water's edge to wash her hands.
As the setting sun shone sideways, her slender hands stirred ripples, and a few small fish happened to swim over to nibble at her fingertips, bringing a bright smile to her face.
The photographer who captured this moment posted the image online to extraordinary effect, even declaring, "Having taken this photo, my photography career is complete; I can die with no regrets."
Three days later.
Duanmu Ren solemnly announced that Taixuan Villa was ending free admission, transitioning to a ticket reservation system with limited open hours!
...
Spring breezes brought transforming rain, and vegetation began to sprout.
Faint traces of green had spread across Taixuan Villa.
In particular, the apricot blossoms, plum blossoms, and early-blooming magnolias were entering their flowering season, adding vibrant colors to the scenery.
Rain Water was 【Clear Water】.
In the heavens, it was rain and mist; on the ground, it was springs and ponds.
Rain Water also had three pentads.
The first pentad was 【Otters Sacrifice Fish】.
Spring rain fell like precious oil, silently moistening all things, serving as the crucial catalyst for all growth.
This was also the time to conduct the Spring Sacrifice.
The second pentad was 【Wild Geese Return】.
Migrating wild geese began flying back north from the south, serving as a key image marking spring's arrival.
The third pentad was 【Vegetation Sprouts】.
Nourished by the rain, seeds buried in the ground began to germinate and break through the soil.
This was the imagery of 【Yimu Wood】 with which Hua Chunning was most familiar.
The seasonal timing had shifted.
Hua Chunning naturally had to adjust her method for accumulating imagery, no longer standing in the wind, digging soil, or stirring water to watch fish.
Every morning, Hua Chunning faced the east, set up an incense table, lit three sticks of spiritual incense, and reverently performed sacrificial rites.
First, she prayed for the protection of the Taixuan Patriarch.
Second, she prayed for the favor of the Yimu Wood Fruit Status.
Third, she prayed for the illumination of Shaoyang Heavenly Splendor.
Spring aligns with Wood Virtue, which protects life and forbids killing.
Thus, Hua Chunning used no living creatures, instead offering wooden fish, stone geese, and paper flowers as sacrifices.
After the Spring Sacrifice, she would begin waiting for the wild geese to return north.
Hua Chunning would look up at the sky and carefully count each wild goose.
With every goose counted, her personal imagery faintly grew a fraction.
If the Spring Sacrifice was complete and no wild geese appeared, Hua Chunning would go inspect the germination of flower seeds and sprouts in the nurseries.
Every day, tourists at Taixuan Villa would witness a peculiar sight.
A gorgeous beauty in ancient attire truly acted like a scenic spot NPC, meticulously lighting incense for sacrificial rites, looking up to softly count wild geese in the sky, and finally walking about to check the seedbeds.
Even drizzling spring rain could not stop her steps.
Hua Chunning did not even hold an umbrella, insisting on completing her daily routine amidst the gentle, fine rain.
If anyone tried to chat, she ignored them.
If anyone offered an umbrella, she politely declined.
Had she not spoken earlier while treating the ankle sprain of the college student who fell into the lake, many would have suspected Hua Chunning was mute and deaf by birth.
Even more wondrous was that in this modern era of ubiquitous online doxxing, where everyone's info was exposed, no one had managed to uncover Hua Chunning's origins despite her viral fame.
Not to mention her family, friends, education, work history, or social media accounts—no one even knew her real name, only the moniker "Flower Fairy" leaked by a villa staff member.
This inevitably sparked even greater curiosity and discussion, driving Taixuan Villa's popularity to even higher peaks.
...
Duanmu Ren stood in the distance, quietly watching Hua Chunning perform her sacrifice toward the east.
A simple incense table, three slender sticks of incense, alongside wooden fish, stone geese, and paper flowers.
It almost looked like child's play.
It had sparked fierce debates online as well.
Some claimed it was performance art.
Others cited classics, arguing it was profoundly deep.
There were even bored individuals reporting Hua Chunning for practicing cult sacrifices.
Yet Duanmu Ren could distinctly feel that every single movement of Hua Chunning's exuded earnestness and reverence.
In fact, after every completed sacrifice, something seemed to subtly build within her.
Hua Chunning looked up at the sky, saw no sign of wild geese, and nodded slightly in greeting to Duanmu Ren.
Duanmu Ren was quite pleased.
What had originally been a subsidy-scam project forced upon him had now clearly turned into a stellar political achievement, driving even his opposing political rivals into silence to avoid his momentum.
Of course, it might also be that rumors of Duanmu Ren connecting with high-level background figures had already spread far and wide.
No one was foolish enough to stand in the way of a moving carriage.
"Fairy Hua."
Duanmu Ren naturally had a reason for coming today. "There is a matter that still requires your decision."
"Among the pneumoconiosis miners you treated last year, several have completely recovered, while the rest have had their pain significantly relieved."
"Now that you are extremely popular online, these matters have been brought up again."
"I can still suppress the local ones."
"However, upon hearing the news, some patients from other regions are demanding that you treat them as well."
"Some have even taken their complaints to the provincial level. I can no longer hold them off."
Rate on N.U.
