Watching Xiaotu cry, Yuye felt a pang in his heart and wanted to comfort her, but he noticed that the two trees and Xiaotu were surrounded by a circle of pink light, an extremely powerful barrier that allowed outsiders to see in but not approach. He was anxious and tried every spell he knew to break the barrier, but all were repelled. The pink beam of light shot up into the sky, and tens of thousands of citizens of Tingyue Kingdom, seeing the pink light from the palace’s garden, knelt down in reverence, believing it to be a divine descent. Officials, the emperor, and palace staff of all ranks hurried to the “Hundred Flowers Garden” to witness the spectacle. Suddenly, Xiaotu felt a rush of hot blood within her, and the two previously withered cherry blossom trees began to sprout branches, with buds forming. Her headband disappeared, her long, blue-black hair cascaded down, reaching her knees, and her pink dress fluttered. With her eyes closed, her whole body glowed with a pink aura, and in that moment, they seemed to behold a celestial being. Everyone watched in awe as the cherry blossom trees, which hadn’t bloomed in centuries, were about to flower, too excited to even breathe.
Xia Yuye and the crowd watched the stunning woman within the barrier, captivated. Suddenly, I felt a burning pain on my forehead, and a strong scent of cherry blossoms filled the air, transporting me to a realm of cherry blossoms. The barrier’s color deepened, and the scene inside became invisible to onlookers. Here, cherry blossoms bloomed everywhere, petals falling gently with the breeze. The cherry blossom trees, each unique, seemed like living beings, with the falling petals like beautiful teardrops. A miracle happened; the most beautiful cherry blossom trees in the center transformed into four elegant women in pink robes and four distinctively handsome men in dark green robes. The appearance of any one of these eight would ensure stardom in the modern world.
“Why are you crying? Is it because there are no cakes here? Don’t cry, I’ll ask the cook to make lots of delicious pastries for you tomorrow, okay?” Xiaotu, seeing the four beauties crying like pear blossoms in the rain, felt like crying herself. Her big eyes filled with tears, ready to join them. The crowd couldn’t help but laugh, thinking how adorable the goddess was, like a child, but they were certain she was the “Lingying Goddess”; otherwise, how could she summon them? One of the pink-robed women, with tears in her beautiful eyes, said excitedly, “My master, I have finally waited for you. We four are the highest-ranking ‘Cherry Blossom Fairies’ in the ‘Cherry Blossom Realm,’ here to serve you.” A man in a dark green robe, lowering his head, softly said, “We four are the most beautiful and highest-ranked ‘Cherry Blossom Messengers’, here to follow our master.” Although he tried to remain calm, his excitement was still palpable in his tone. “Um… But, I’m not your master, because my name is Ai Xiaotu, a new star human from the 21st century.” Her sweet voice sounded like the flow of clear stream water. “Does the master despise us? Is it because our status is too humble? You are our master, the ‘Spirit Cherry Goddess’.” Upon hearing the master deny her identity, the eight of them hurriedly knelt down in unison. “Please stand up, I’ll tell you, everyone is an angel to their parents, everyone has their own dignity, you must not belittle yourselves, understand?” Xiaotu said angrily, surprising everyone that she could also get mad, yet she still looked… cute, or perhaps even cuter. “Yes, but please allow us to follow you, master.” Their hearts were filled with emotion, grateful to have met such a master. “Alright, you can follow me, but don’t call me master, or else, or else, I’ll cry for you to see.” Xiaotu said earnestly, her expression as adorable as could be. As the barrier disappeared, the two withered cherry trees instantly blossomed with pink cherry flowers, which possessed divine power and could bless the “Listening Moon Kingdom”. Xiaotu walked over slowly, followed by eight strikingly beautiful men and women. The crowd was astounded to see a pink cherry blossom mark on the forehead of the leading beauty. “Doll, you’ve worried me to death, do you know that?” Xia Yu Ye, disregarding everything, ran over and hugged her tightly. “Do not be disrespectful to the goddess.” The eight messengers quickly intervened. Yu Ye was baffled by the situation. “He’s Brother Ye, he’s the best to me, you mustn’t be mean to him.” She nestled into the familiar embrace, her eyes growing sleepy. “Yes, please forgive us, sir.” The eight respectfully bowed to him. “May I ask who you are?” He picked up his beloved doll, only to find she had already fallen asleep. “Who we are is not important; what’s important is that Miss Xiaotu needs rest now. Please take her to rest.” Their tone was gentle, unlike their earlier firmness, because he was someone Xiaotu cared about. “Pay respects to the goddess, may the goddess be blessed.” Everyone knelt and kowtowed in reverence, including the emperor, filled with joy and adoration.
Chapter Four: The Scent of Rabbit
Nestled in her warm hammock, Xiaotu and the eight “cherry tree” transformed into handsome men and beautiful women stared at each other. “Brothers, sisters, what are your names? I’m Ai Xiaotu, you can call me Xiaotu.” Xiaotu was savoring the plum cakes made by Yu Ye, her words muffled. “Miss Xiaotu, we don’t have names yet, please bestow us names.” A boy, cute beyond words, said timidly with a flushed face. This boy was half a head taller than Xiaotu, with fair cheeks tinged with red from embarrassment, and eyes as clear as pure lake water. His light green hair reached his waist, and his small red mouth looked like a delectable cherry. He was super kawaii. Xiaotu stared unblinkingly at this boy who seemed to have stepped out of a comic, almost drooling, her eyes like a big bad wolf eyeing a little rabbit, making others think she wanted to do something more than just look. The boy’s head lowered more and more, his face turning as red as a monkey’s bottom. “Please bestow names.” The other four men, jealous and annoyed, interrupted Xiaotu’s “fan girl” behavior. They were envious because, apart from helping the “Spirit Cherry Goddess” return to the divine realm, if the goddess was willing, they could serve as her male attendants. Why did the goddess only notice him? The four “cherry fairies” exchanged knowing smiles; it was understandable, given the goddess’s stunning yet sweet beauty, her kindness, and intelligence. Which man wouldn’t be smitten by such a woman? “Oh, hehe… I mean…” Embarrassed, Xiaotu withdrew her gaze, sticking out her tongue mischievously, her cute appearance momentarily stunning everyone.
“The first sister will be called, Timisoara.” “The second sister, Strawberry Mousse.” “The third sister, Milk Pudding.” “The fourth sister, Peach Tart.”
The four stunning beauties couldn’t help but laugh at the names, which were actually dessert names, something they were unaware of since they had always lived in the “Cherry Blossom Country.”
“And the first handsome brother will be called, Crystal.” “The cold brother, Mint.” “The grumpy cool brother, Cocoa.” “The cute brother, Peach.”
