Chapter 1331: The tree with many faces

Yang Qing moved to settle Bolin right next to the green flame tree, then paused briefly to decide where to place the nest of the dream ambrosia bees. The most ideal spot would have been within the green flame tree itself, and if he had asked, the tree, genial and warm as it was, would have certainly agreed. But he decided against it.

Even before he arrived, from the moment Queen Lihua accepted his request and he began considering locations for the hive, he had already eliminated the green flame tree from the list. And the reason for that was the nest above it.

He might not have liked the creature that created that nest, but in his own way—though he would never admit it—he respected its identity as a mythical race. For that reason, he had resolved not to let any other creature make a home in the tree its nest was at.

Beyond respect, there was another issue. Even if he allowed other creatures to build their habitats on the green flame tree and the celestial nesting weaver had no objection, would those creatures agree? With the bloodline suppression of spirit beasts, he doubted it.

So, the green flame tree was out. So was the tree of duality, for obvious reasons, since all other creatures consciously avoided it. As for the purple lightning bamboo, he did not consider that either. As accommodating as it was, with its ability to freely manipulate its form to suit the needs of its users, the spiritual plant was particularly picky about those it opened up to. And while it would allow Yang Qing to place the hive there if he asked, he would rather not force it.

If someday the embryonic dream ambrosia bee gained its approval, only then would he move it there. Until that day came…

“You will have to do,” said Yang Qing as he appeared before a tree covered in blossoms of different colors, like drapings from some celestial palace. Almost every color was represented in its flowers.

Celestial Linden Tree… that was the name of the tree he stood before, and the place he had chosen as the new home for the hive.

The tree may not match the green flame tree or the tree of duality in terms of presence, but in aesthetics, few spiritual plants in his abode came close. If he were to rank them, he would place it in second position, just behind the falling stars wisteria tree, whose cascading clusters of blossoms looked like falling stars. Its sight was breathtaking, especially on a clear night.

The things that gave Yang Qing the gall to dub his abode a banished immortal’s garden were the three special trees, the Celestial Linden Tree and the Falling Stars Wisteria Tree, especially the latter two, which gave the abode that immortal look and charm with their dazzling displays.

And while the Celestial Linden Tree came second to the Falling Stars Wisteria Tree in aesthetics, in terms of practicality and what it could offer, the former surpassed the latter by quite a stretch.

There was a reason Yang Qing chose it as the home of the dream ambrosia bees, and it was not its beauty. If it were just for aesthetics, he could have gone to the Falling Stars Wisteria Tree. After all, it was the most beautiful thing here, apart from himself of course, and it was also not as crowded as the Celestial Linden Tree, which was currently swarmed by all manner of insects whose presence and color accentuated its unique feature with the differently colored flowers.

There was a reason it was swarmed, and that underlying reason was why Yang Qing chose to settle the dream ambrosia bees there, and that reason lay in its flowers. In a certain aspect, where the properties of its flowers were concerned, this linden tree was quite similar to how the purple lightning bamboo worked.

Its flowers did not just differ in color. Every flower on the tree was unique and distinct in every measurable way, as if each one had been born from a different plant when in fact they all came from the same source. The smell was different. The shape of the flower was different. Even the way certain parts were positioned varied. Some blossomed at night, others at midday, others at dawn or dusk, and some remained in bloom perpetually. The aura around them was also different, as were some of the elemental fluctuations they gave off.

Not one flower was similar to another, not even in a single aspect. It was as if every blossom competed to be uniquely different on every possible measure, to the point that seeing each one was no different from seeing a separate spiritual plant altogether. This particular aspect was why the Celestial Linden Tree was nicknamed the single tree that houses many faces.

It was this aspect that made Yang Qing choose it as the perfect home for the dream ambrosia bees. For creatures whose strength was rooted in the flowers around them, there was no better place than this tree, which offered both variety and quality. Everything they needed to develop was right here, whether it was pollen for their broods or nectar, and the best part was the diversity.

Yang Qing was determined to use every means at his disposal to ensure his new hive thrived. The future of his honey-braised meat dishes and certain wines depended on it, but beyond that, he wanted to indulge his researcher’s curiosity and see if variants might emerge from the hive. With variants, perhaps the odds of the fabled prince being born would rise, along with the overall quality of the hive.

That was why he unhesitatingly used the sap of the two spiritual plants, despite how immensely precious and scarce they were, and why he added the Celestial Linden Tree into the mix.

He had to get his honey and unique bees, which in turn fed into the cycle of even more unique honey from them. That honey would then give rise to more unique broods, which in turn would produce even more special-grade honey. The cycle would keep going, and who knew, by the end of it he might even end up with purple grade honey that could make even the ascetic monks who had long given up drink and food tremble with desire.

A maniacal laugh matching his crazed look escaped Yang Qing as he carefully placed the hive on one of the branches. He then moved on to gently warn the other birds and insects not to bully the dream ambrosia bees. After all, his dreams of saint grade honey were tied to their well-being, and it would not do for the quality of their honey to suffer from being harassed.

As a seasoned epicure, he knew how stress affected the flavor of food, and he had no doubt it would likely affect honey production as well. The dream ambrosia bees might already be accustomed to being bullied, thanks to their past experiences and their innate racial trait that allowed them to maintain tranquility in all situations, but still, Yang Qing would be a fool to believe honey would taste the same or be of the same quality when produced in a nurturing environment compared to a harsh one.

Take him for example, and his present situation. Without Lei Weiyuan’s ghastly shadow hovering behind him with threats, he was going above and beyond in his task, even going against his nature and better judgment of self-preservation by exposing himself to the countless risks outside instead of hiding cozily within the reassuring walls of the Order. He even spent his own spirit stones toward that end. Well, technically, it was the discretionary funds he spent, but they were his to use as he wished, and it was commendable that he did not cleverly use them for official duties like dining in renowned restaurants to gather information.

The diligence he had shown was far more than what he displayed under threat, which was all the proof he needed that the right environment bred the best results. If the Order allowed him more freedom to slack and generously funded his many hobbies with no strings attached, maybe he would end up working even harder. Hopefully, they would soon realize that was the best way to get the most out of this ‘worker bee’ of theirs. If they wanted more honey, they needed to feed him and treat him in the same manner and care that he was employing with his new dream ambrosia bee compatriots.