Xiāng Jìxīn raised a hand and pointed to a towering tree not far away, which stood almost completely withered. Once an ancient banyan tree that had weathered a thousand years, it now possessed only sparse, brittle branches, the vast majority of its leaves dried and yellowed. Its trunk was abnormally parched, the bark peeling away at the slightest touch, resisting any amount of watering that might reverse its doomed decline.
"This tree is the spiritual tree of our Xiāng family, and the very foundation of our clan's prosperity," Xiāng Jìxīn explained. "It is precisely through the energy released by this tree that countless surrounding flowers are nourished, imbuing them with special properties. Some of these flowers are sold in exchange for wealth, while others are reserved for our own use. Because of this tree, the Xiāng family has been able to become the premier clan in the city."
He continued, "It is no exaggeration to say that this tree is the source of our very lives. Once it suffers destruction, the entire Xiāng family will likewise plunge into ruin. Therefore, we have always strictly protected this tree, allowing no outsiders to approach it. Yet even so, it has fallen ill, and it seems incapable of recovering on its own."
Chapter 559