Without watering, fertilizing, or cultivating the soil, from that tiny red peach pit, in just a few breaths of time, sprouted a jade-like peach sapling.
The sapling grew as it faced the wind.
Fine roots competed to burrow into the cracks of the floor, with branches rapidly shooting up inch by inch.
Leaves grew and then fell, fell and then grew again.
In the blink of an eye, it seemed this peach tree had gone through many springs and autumns.
Because it grew so rapidly, the bandits could even hear the rustling sounds of the buds sprouting at high speed.
They watched unblinkingly at this miraculous scene, witnessing the peach tree grow to the thickness of an adult's thigh within the mere time it took to drink a cup of tea.
Then, one after another, pink peach blossoms quickly bloomed and just as swiftly withered away.
But the green peaches that followed swelled up rapidly, and in a short time, they weighed down the branches heavily.
The mature peaches, green with hints of white, blushed with red, and through the translucent flesh, one could vaguely see the red veins like delicate blood vessels.
For a moment, the entire room was filled with an intoxicating fruit fragrance, making the bandits unconsciously swallow their saliva.
"Quick, look at the top of the tree, there's a bud that hasn't borne fruit yet."
I don't know who with sharp eyes suddenly shouted, immediately drawing everyone's attention.
They saw an exceptionally delicate pink bud there, still not flowering or bearing fruit.
In the time it took for everyone to turn their heads, it grew from the size of a bowl to the size of a washbasin, then from washbasin-sized to the size of a bamboo basket.
By that time, through the flickering candlelight shadows, the bandits could vaguely make out the figure of a graceful person curled up inside the bud!
"Is that…"
Pfft!
A few of the more impatient ones were about to step forward for a closer look when that huge bud suddenly bloomed on its own.
A fragrance sweeter than honey by countless times gushed out instantly.
Even though Wang Yuan was standing not too close to the peach tree, he merely took a light sniff and immediately felt as if his body was floating, intoxicated and mesmerized.
Fortunately, he was after all someone who had attained some enlightenment in cultivation skill, and a warm current nestled in his Dantian took only a slight turn to bring him immediately back to his senses.
"There's something wrong with the fragrance!"
Looking up, however, he found that aside from Wang Yunhu, "Strategist Bei" Lang Qi, the Ma Brothers, and "Pangolin" Fan Zhang, the other five individuals, everyone else had a look of intoxication.
His heart chilled for a moment.
Although the fragrance possessed only a slight enchanting ability, from the order in which everyone regained consciousness, it was clear how the strengths of those in the hall stacked up and who possessed magic cultivation—it was all too evident.
As expected, a sect with a long heritage like "Peach God Tao" really had its own methods.
However, Wang Yuan wasn't concerned about being seen through—the "Thief Cat" naturally kept his trump cards well hidden within reason.
He casually nodded to Lang Qi and Wang Yunhu, who looked at him with astonishment.
They thought they had fully understood this renowned "Thief Cat," but now they couldn't help but regard him even more highly, with his unknown magic instilling even greater wariness.
Just a few breaths later, the remaining big thieves and giant bandits gradually regained their senses, yet they didn't even realize there was something off about the fragrance.
Their status and even... fate had already been silently determined.
Suddenly, everyone in the hall had their attention captured by the figure emerging from within the bud.
The sound of sharp intakes of breath was incessant.
This was because the person kneeling in the heart of the huge peach blossom turned out to be an enchantingly beautiful woman.
Clad in a white half-sleeve fairy dress that revealed her shoulders, partially covering them with radiant, jade-like skin, a vague red peach blossom tattoo could be seen on her left shoulder.
Her exquisite figure was partially obscured by light gauze, tempting and bewitching.
With willowy eyebrows and captivating peach blossom eyes, her lips faintly tinged with light rouge, moist and seemingly on the verge of speaking—her beauty made the human-faced peach bloom in comparison.
The bandits were utterly transfixed, the beauty's lethality surpassing even the previous fragrance.
In someone's eyes, she was like the tender petals of a flower, still wet with the morning dew, evoking nothing but the desire to cherish her;
In someone's eyes, she was like an unripe green fruit, still covered in white fuzz, innocent and adorable;
And in the eyes of others, she was a juicy, ripe red peach, bursting with sweet juice at every bite...
Different strokes for different folks; it seemed everyone could find the hue they cherished the most in her.
Looking again at the female sorcerer who had sat behind the table, there was only a dark cloak slowly drifting to the ground.
Not a single person noticed when she had slipped into the bud.
Faced with such an extraordinary beauty, the bandits could scarcely avert their eyes, while Wang Yuan subtly lowered his gaze, daring not to look more.
He suspected that this unnaturally beautiful Lady Peach Fairy might fundamentally be some kind of spirit or demoness.
Considering Master Ge and the others' usual methods, since they had already sorted the people in the hall into different ranks, the next step would probably be to manipulate the bandits.
His hands beneath the table slowly formed the "Ghost King Altar Seal," prepared to summon the Ghost King Altar protector at the slightest hint of trouble.
Facing the scalding gazes that could burn a person, the beauty from within the bud rose and courteously curtsied, cooingly and softly speaking:
"Little sister wishes to present a dance to entertain the esteemed older brothers."
And then.
From beneath the branches and leaves of the peach tree, a group of thumb-sized transparent creatures emerged, each holding various musical instruments, and began to play. Instantly, the flower hall was filled with ethereal celestial music.
This stunningly beautiful woman, resembling a fairy, leaped out from within the flower bud.
Tied around her crystal-clear, pale bare feet was a long red silk ribbon, as if she were floating down on a red cloud.
With the tips of her toes touching the ground, she danced to the beat of the drum. Her jewelry spun like the stars, and the flowers and vines shook violently like dragons and snakes.
Like a deer in the forest, a startled swan upon the water, with the elegance of a phoenix in flight, her beauty was incomparable!
For a moment, the air in the flower hall seemed to turn pink, and dozens of pairs of eyes were firmly glued to her, unable to be shifted away.
Lady Peach Fairy gracefully danced while flitting around the hall like a butterfly through flowers.
She gracefully held up enticing Immortal Peaches with her pale, jade-like hands or used her pink-rouged slender toes to lift wine jugs, pouring drinks for the heroes.
Every movement she made seemed to have the enchanting allure of a fairy descending to the mortal realm, a flowing and charming beauty that was too splendid to take in at once.
Jianghu people, whether they pretended to be gentlemen or were truly deceitful, all had lecherous and soul-tormented looks on their faces, displaying shameful behavior as they fought to devour the Immortal Peaches imbued with the fragrance of a beautiful woman and to drink the fine wine from their cups.
Many of them subconsciously followed her dance moves, swinging their bodies in the exact same rhythm and extent without the slightest deviation.
Nobody realized that after eating the Immortal Peaches, their foreheads gradually began to show a pink hue akin to peach blossoms.
Heaven sends "Decaying Peach Blossoms," each and every one a path to consumption of life.
Without explicit intent, Lady Peach Fairy made sure to attend to everyone, yet she purposefully neglected Wang Yuan, Lang Qi, and a few others who possessed Abnormal Skills, refraining from rashly arousing their attention.
As one of the few guests who managed to stay sober, Wang Yuan watched the chaotic dance before him, his heart clear:
'Demoness! What a cunning move!'
This Peach Fairy, from the mysterious entrance cloaked in a cape to a sequence of strange, appetizing sounds and colors...
She played with the emotions of the guests one by one, leading them deeper into the gentleness she intentionally created until they were overwhelmed and unable to extricate themselves.
Now, even if these people do not become the obedient dogs under the Peach Fairy's skirt, the likelihood of them opposing her with swords or even harboring discontent had become almost completely impossible.
A band of disorderly bandits are but mere stragglers, but a group of loyal dogs putting Lady Peach Fairy's interests above all else are not easy to provoke.
As a group of "Integrated Force" realm cannon fodder of high quality, they were ready to be used.
After a while, the dance ended, and Lady Peach Fairy returned to her seat.
However, the crowd had long been drowned in the performance, finding it hard to snap out of it.
"Li Erhei, what are you still standing there for?"
As some people gradually came to their senses, they noticed that the burly, black-haired Han who had initially intended to tease the Peach Fairy was still standing motionlessly in his place, and reached out to lightly pat his shoulder.
Bang!
The burly figure of the Han disintegrated in an instant into a pile of dust.
The onlooker staggered backward in shock.
Could such a frenzied madman have died so silently and Weird?
Upon closer inspection, the roots of the peach tree had penetrated through the soles of his feet, consuming his internal organs via his veins and arteries long ago.
Not only had his external appearance been hollowed out, but even the marrow had been completely drained.
This vibrantly alive Immortal Peach Tree had grown so lush and rapidly because it had eaten a person alive!
Looking back at the Immortal Peaches still hanging on the tree, one could faintly see Li Erhei's features on them.
Yet, the brow-pinkened bandits, after a moment of shock, not only failed to show any grief but instead clapped and cheered:
"Li Erhei, that scoundrel, dared to defile the fairy, he got what he deserved."
"How could the likes of you, mired in mud, dare to covet someone like Peach Fairy?"
"Death was too easy for him; he got off lightly."
"..."
Every one of them, irrespective of their closeness, sat askew, placing their hearts upon the Demoness.
Putting on a shameless face in their struggle for favor, not hoping for a single caress but contending that even a smile from the fairy was worth it!
But Wang Yuan knew that this man was not killed for the others to see.
In the middle of the event, the "Strategist Bei" Lang Qi and "Pangolin" Fan Zhang, who had witnessed such evil Cultivation Skills, could not help but look grave.
Even the Ma Brothers, who seemed utterly impervious to the bewitching beauty of Peach Fairy, set down their wine cups.
With mutual glances, they reached a consensus.
'This Demoness must already be a recipient of a Receiving Talisman and have attained Enlightenment, becoming a Red Seal Mage, and does not need to chant mantras or hold ceremonies to practice. She wields Divine Skills effortlessly.
Although it seems that the Daoist Skills she cultivates do not favor slaughter, she is as venomous as a viper and cunningly skilled. It's best not to provoke her if not necessary.
The matter of the alliance can be orchestrated as she plans. As long as our benefits are unharmed, who cares if those ordinary bandits die?'
Instantly.
Wang Yuan also secretly rejoiced that the Deceit Object "Human Face Painting," originating from the Peach God Tao, had already been converted by the "Small Book of Life and Death."
Otherwise, in front of this Red Seal Mage, he might have already been exposed at this moment.
The Demoness would only need a glance, and he would fear being torn to pieces by these lust-driven fools.