"There was a cry from inside just now. The old lady shouldn't be able to make it, right?"
"Doctor, tell the truth. How long can the old lady last?"
"I'll be honest. The chance that the old lady can last until morning is zero. Her passing is only a matter of moments."
"Hey, it's really heartbreaking that the legendary life of Old Shen has ended like this."
"The old lady belongs to the ages."
Outside the bedroom door, the children and friends of the Shen family murmured in hushed voices.
Everyone felt heartache and sorrow for Shen Man's presumed death.
Crunch—
Suddenly, the bedroom door creaked open.
Everyone froze and looked up instinctively.
They braced themselves, expecting to hear the worst.
But then, with the support of Shen Lian, Shen Man slowly walked out of the bedroom.
Her face was still a little pale, her steps slightly unsteady, but she radiated no hint of death.
"Old Lady Shen?"
In an instant, all eyes widened in disbelief, mouths agape.
She wasn't dead?
What's going on?
Hadn't the doctor just said she would pass away at any moment?
"How is this possible?"
The doctor in the white coat stood frozen, his eyes bulging as if they might fall out.
When he last checked, the old lady's internal organs were completely aged and weakened. She was only alive due to adrenaline and high-tech life support equipment. Without them, she would've been gone hours ago.
And yet now, though she staggered slightly, her aura was composed and firm. She did not resemble someone on the brink of death at all.
Everything about this defied medical logic.
It overturned the doctor's understanding of life and death.
A true miracle in medical history.
Shen Lian and Shen Man paid no attention to the shocked faces surrounding them.
They simply walked out of the hilltop villa, step by step, to the peak's edge.
It was drizzling lightly. Someone hurried forward to hold an umbrella for them, only to discover with astonishment that the rain parted in midair around the pair. Not a drop could touch them.
Shen Man and Shen Lian stood silently at the mountaintop, gazing out into the distance.
Usually from here, the entire city of Qingshui could be seen.
But today, the sky was heavy with rain clouds and fog, blanketing the city below in thick gray.
Only darkness filled their view.
Behind them, Shen family relatives and friends lined up in two rows, solemn and silent, like a long, black dragon.
"Xiao Man, when I returned this time, I brought a few gifts for you."
Shen Lian smiled gently.
"The first gift: a thousand miles of peach blossoms to make up for your regrets."
As soon as his words fell—
All the disciples of the Shen family froze.
Thousands of peach blossoms?
It was late autumn. Where would peach blossoms come from?
And who was this person, anyway?
Who had the right to stand beside Old Lady Shen as an equal?
Amid their confusion—
"Open," Shen Lian said calmly.
Boom!
Suddenly, it was as if the god of spring had issued a decree.
Thunder cracked loudly in the sky.
And then, the world transformed.
The dreary rain ceased.
The thick haze and heavy clouds dissipated completely.
A golden beam of sunlight broke through.
Then more rays followed, brighter and more intense.
Puff—
The sun surged from the horizon, its light scattering across the land.
Within moments, the sky cleared entirely.
"This... this is...!"
"He changed the heavens! It's the change of heaven again!"
"My God, what's happening?!"
Under the stunned gazes of the Shen family members, an unforgettable scene unfolded.
The earth cracked open.
A peach seed sprouted, taking root, breaking the surface.
Time seemed to fast-forward. The seedling soared, growing into a towering peach tree.
Buds bloomed instantly, unleashing a rich floral fragrance.
In a blink, the entire hilltop villa became a sea of peach blossoms, their fragrance drifting on the wind as if spring had arrived in full force.
And that was only the beginning.
The peach blossoms extended far beyond, spreading outward across the land until they vanished into the horizon.
In Qingshui City, tens of thousands of peach trees bloomed simultaneously.
A photographer shooting panoramic views of the landscape looked up and froze.
Before his eyes, on a peach tree that had long since been charred by lightning, new branches grew. Peach blossoms burst into bloom.
"Peach... Peach blossoms? The dead tree bloomed?"
He raised his camera to record the miracle.
But then he turned, stunned.
All across the hills and plains, peach blossoms had bloomed.
---
Qingshui City, within a quiet courtyard
A retired old man trimmed the branches of his withered peach trees.
He had always loved peach blossoms. Even now, in late autumn, he patiently tended to the barren branches.
Then—
The dry limbs turned green again.
The closed buds began to swell.
Within seconds, the entire courtyard was overflowing with vibrant blossoms.
"This...?"
The old man stared, speechless.
---
Similar scenes repeated across the land.
From the Shen family's hilltop mansion, peach blossoms spread in every direction for thousands of miles, painting the sky and earth pink.
It was as if the entire Dragon Kingdom could smell the fragrance.
People across cities opened their doors, parted their curtains.
Bathed in the warm golden light of the sun, they gazed silently at the endless bloom of peach trees. Shocked, reverent.
This day was later hailed as a millennium marvel.
A miracle not seen in a thousand years across the Dragon Kingdom.