Chapter 147

Chapter 147

“Hey, little tree bro, can you hear me?”

Shen Yi heard another derisive snort. He pinched Xi Ye’s fingers, a mischievous sparkle flashing in his eyes. Xi Ye squeezed his hand back, raised an eyebrow as he scanned the giant tree in the valley, then turned to him and asked, “Found something?”

Shen Yi nodded slightly. “Wait a moment.”

As he spoke, he pulled Xi Ye to sit cross-legged, sending a strand of spiritual energy into Xi Ye’s Spirit Sea to coax his spiritual consciousness, forcibly dragging him into a shared consciousness.

Clearly having found a new amusement, he planned to thoroughly study it.

Shen Yi’s spiritual energy playfully danced around the giant tree, sending out lively and playful calls: “Little tree brother~ Little tree brother~”

The voice finally lost its composure and snapped irritably, “You’re the little brother!”

The flustered tone made Shen Yi imagine a puffed-up little blowfish.

Hearing this, Xi Ye exchanged a surprised glance with Shen Yi but remained silent, waiting for Shen Yi’s next move.

Upon hearing the response from the Spirit Mist Giant Tree, Shen Yi’s thoughts ran wild in that fleeting moment, reflecting on why he had instinctively called it “brother” instead of “sister.”

The Spirit Mist Giant Tree itself, of course, had no gender. Like Little Stone and the Life Crystal, it was revered as a “mother” for nurturing life—a title representing authority and natural law, not merely gender.

Just as the World Consciousness is honored as the Mother of All Things.

Stereotypes are pointless. Shen Yi chuckled. “Then should I call you little tree sister?”

“I’m not little!”

“You were born just over ten days ago, still a sapling. How are you not little?”

“I…” The voice faltered, seemingly at a loss for a rebuttal, before stiffly insisting, “I’m not a sapling, and I wasn’t born just ten days ago. I’ve lived for a very, very long time.”

“Not quite,” Shen Yi said deadpan. “Those aren’t your memories; they’re the memories of the Ancient Colossal Beast, the Frenzied Giant Tree. You only inherited what it left behind. Do you know what a legacy is?”

This was the benefit of having lived an extra lifetime and being well-read. Shen Yi borrowed and adapted concepts from the fantasy novels he’d read in his previous life, crafting a worldview that fit seamlessly into this world—guaranteed to hold water and be flawless. Who wouldn’t be bewildered hearing it?

Shen Yi didn’t beat around the bush and continued his “explanation”:

“Legend says that when ancient beasts or powerful spirits die, they can pass on their accumulated power, knowledge, bloodline, and more to a fated individual through specific means. You were originally the purest spirit mist in this valley, transformed by cosmic fortune. It was only after absorbing the Frenzied Giant Tree’s crystal core that you gained those foreign memories. Do you remember?”

Shen Yi spoke with such conviction that even Xi Ye half-believed him, silently mulling over privately where Shen Yi had learned all this. If the Frenzied Giant Tree could leave behind a legacy, what about the other ancient beasts? Could the recent emergence of life everywhere be related to these legacies?

“…I remember,” the Spirit Mist Giant Tree mused, following Shen Yi’s line of thought. “I am spirit mist, originally without form. It was you who came to the valley, killed the beast…”

“Yes! Exactly!” Shen Yi seized the opportunity, speaking righteously. “That day, we finally defeated the forest-destroying Frenzied Giant Tree. Its crystal core was rightfully our spoils of war, but at the final moment, you snatched it away…”

“But I’ve already absorbed it. The legacy chose me; I didn’t mean to steal it.”

It seemed the Spirit Mist Giant Tree had bought his legacy theory.

Ahem. Shen Yi cleared his throat gently and said amiably, “You misunderstand. I’m not here to settle scores. I just wanted to check if you’re having trouble processing the legacy in the crystal core and see if there’s any way I can help. The Spirit Mist Forest is vast and boundless, yet only your Spirit Mist spirits occupy a small corner—it must be lonely. We happened by chance to come here and would like to settle down, perhaps keep your little spirit mist spirits company. Consider that crystal core our greeting gift. What do you think?”

Xi Ye turned his head, looking at Shen Yi as if he’d seen a ghost. That whole legacy story was probably just this fat bee spouting nonsense to trick the sapling.

When the Spirit Mist Giant Tree remained silent, Shen Yi pressed on, striking while the iron was hot: “You’ve seen my people. Our nature is peaceful; we love getting along with beautiful little spirits like you.”

The sounds of scuffling and laughter outside the valley continued to echo. Xi Ye finally couldn’t help but twitch the corner of his mouth. “Peaceful by nature?”

“Look, they’ve been fighting for so long without any serious injuries. Clearly, it’s a friendly spar. Besides…” Shen Yi glanced with implied meaning toward the valley entrance. “I bet this fight—ahem, this spar—wasn’t started by my people. Little tree sister, you’re close by; you must have seen everything, right?”

The Spirit Mist Giant Tree snorted, its tone lukewarm. “Your clan may be peaceful by nature, but my Spirit Mist clan naturally dislikes yours. It’s uncontrollable. If you don’t want to get beaten, keep your people away from here.”

This newly born mother tree was stubborn. After all that talking, it seemed his efforts were wasted. “That’s the Frenzied Giant Tree’s will. You’re not it; don’t let it influence you and make you forget who you are.”

“Since I inherited its legacy, I also inherited its will. I can’t control it. Disliking you is my instinct.”

Xi Ye snorted coldly and retorted sarcastically, “If it weren’t for us, would you have gotten this legacy? You benefited from us, stole an opportunity, and became a ruler here. Instead of being grateful, you’re thinking of repaying kindness with hostility?”

The Spirit Mist Giant Tree seemed speechless. Its towering trunk suddenly trembled, and in an instant, its branches shook, dislodging the mature little clouds nurtured on its boughs.

Xi Ye let out another derisive laugh. “What? Throwing a tantrum now?”

The Spirit Mist Giant Tree couldn’t leave the valley. Even if they couldn’t defeat it, they had no reason to fear it.

Xi Ye’s spiritual sense brushed over A Fu’s forehead as he pulled Shen Yi to his feet, adopting a defensive stance. The Spirit Mist Giant Tree waved its branches, the atmosphere tense, a battle imminent.

“Hold on,” Shen Yi pulled Xi Ye, whispering in his ear, “I don’t think it means us harm. It might just dislike us, find us annoying, get an itch to fight when it sees us…”

“Whether it likes or dislikes us, we’ll settle it with a fight first.”

“You have a point.” Truth lies with the side with the bigger fists, but Shen Yi hesitated. “What if we can’t beat it? We’d be humiliated…”

In all honesty, he had only intended a peaceful, friendly meeting, not a fight.

“Did you forget? Your spiritual energy can suppress the Spirit Mist spirits. Most likely, it can suppress the tree too.”

Shen Yi wiggled his antennae, his eyes lighting up. In an instant, vast spiritual energy spread out from around him, flowing toward the valley.

The spiritual energy formed a thin barrier, enveloping the entire giant tree, then dispersed into several nets, catching the continuously falling Spirit Mist spirits.

The Spirit Mist spirits chirped and shouted in the nets, “Let me go, let me go!”

Shen Yi, with several nets full of little ones, smiled gently and amiably. “Please believe me, we truly mean no harm.”

The Spirit Mist Giant Tree: “…”

It didn’t speak, but through his spiritual energy, Shen Yi sensed its exasperation.

The waving branches began to emit a dazzling, multicolored halo. The light trailed along the moving branches before settling motionless at the treetop.

Under the scrutinizing gazes of Shen Yi and Xi Ye, that branch suddenly broke off on its own, falling from the tree and transforming into a green halo. An invisible force lifted it and brought it before Shen Yi.

“Returning your gift. Do not enter my territory again. When I see you, I can’t control my temper.”

The Spirit Mist Giant Tree’s tone was flat, stating a fact rather than threatening or provoking.

It had inherited part of the Frenzied Giant Tree’s will. The Frenzied Giant Tree had been tortured to death by Shen Yi and the bee colony, its resentment lingering. That the Spirit Mist Giant Tree only felt disgust rather than launching a fight to the death upon seeing them was a sign that it had digested the crystal core well.

After all that communication, the Spirit Mist clan’s terrible initial favorability still hadn’t improved. Shen Yi was a little disappointed, but not overly so. At least he’d gained a greeting gift. This trip wasn’t in vain.

Shen Yi used his spiritual energy to accept the gift from the Spirit Mist Giant Tree. As the halo landed in his hand, the glow gradually receded, revealing a cluster of green, thread-like substance.

Clumped together, it somewhat resembled the clouds they had collected in the valley earlier.

Shen Yi poked it a few times; it felt soft. “ATong, do you know what this is?”

“It’s a type of symbiotic material from the Spirit Mist Giant Tree. This cluster is Wood Element. Xi Ye might use it to forge his life-bound artifact.”

Shen Yi’s fingers, which were fiddling with the silky fibers, paused as he couldn’t help but mutter, “Do you think it deliberately chose to give such a welcome gift?” Did it know they could use this?

Shen Yi handed the ball of silky fibers to Xi Ye and brought up the idea of crafting a bow and arrow again. “Do you have any inspiration now?” he asked.

He had previously asked the system to collect many fantasy images of fairy bows and arrows online for Xi Ye to look at for inspiration.

“No rush.” Xi Ye took the silk floss, played with it in his hands a few times, then put it away. “Players have discovered several Flower Fairies in the Spirit Mist Forest these past few days. Do you want to go see them?”

“More Flower Fairies that wandered out of the Flower Fairy Valley?” Shen Yi clapped his hands, his eyes sparkling. “Definitely gotta see this.”

Xi Ye opened the forum and showed him a few posts. “We’ll let A Fu fly slowly over. The closest one is a Sound-Mimicking Flower Fairy…”

As he spoke, Xi Ye suddenly revealed a mischievous, teasing smile. “Several others have been talked into moving by players to their alliance’s main city.”

Although Shen Yi had the system restrict players from actively attacking or harming spiritual creatures, he never said they couldn’t defend themselves passively, nor did he forbid them from actively “inviting” creatures to their territory to make friends. Finding and exploiting loopholes is players’ specialty.

According to Hong Rui, the fairies who left the Flower Fairy Valley with her were all low-level Flower Fairies. These inexperienced, simple-minded Flower Fairies probably wouldn’t even need to be fought—players could just sweet-talk them into leaving.

In the half-month that Shen Yi and Xi Ye were in closed-door cultivation, players had already “adopted” over a dozen Flower Fairies, pot and all, into their alliances.

Shen Yi skimmed through the posts and said in surprise, “There are this many Flower Fairies that wandered into the Spirit Mist Forest?”

“The Spirit Mist Forest has dense spiritual energy. Magical Torreya seeds instinctively seek out places rich in Wood Spiritual Energy to teleport to, so it’s not strange for them to end up here.”

Shen Yi teased, “Then how did you end up in the Firefly Forest back then?”

“It was to meet you.” Xi Ye, now a mature fairy who had watched countless movies to study and improve, could effortlessly spout smooth talk without hesitation.

In contrast, Shen Yi was so flustered that he flinched. He blinked and glanced at Xi Ye, grumbling as he brought up old grievances. “I wonder who it was that, upon first meeting—”

“My fault.” Xi Ye quickly covered Shen Yi’s mouth, smoothly shifting from sitting cross-legged to kneeling. He looked up at Shen Yi and tapped his own neck.

Shen Yi watched as a Thousand-Strand Vine tendril sprouted from Xi Ye’s fingertip, winding around his pale, slender neck to form a collar. The vine continued to grow, pulling out a long leash attached to the collar.

Kneeling, Xi Ye held one end of the Thousand-Strand Vine and offered it to Shen Yi, his gaze fixed on him—clear and pure, like a washed soul—with careful solemnity, as if presenting everything to him without reservation.

The one making the offering parted his lips and slowly uttered, word by word, “Don’t be angry anymore.”

Shen Yi seemed entranced. Staring into those eyes reflecting his own image, he even softened his breath, afraid to disturb that clarity.

Shen Yi swallowed and reached out to take the Thousand-Strand Vine, holding it in his hand, still dazed. “You… where did you learn all this?” He’s like a captivating fox spirit.

Xi Ye tilted his head. “Do you like it?”

Shen Yi quickly touched his nose—thankfully, no nosebleed.

Xi Ye seemed to be undergoing evolution in some strange direction.

Shen Yi, as if scalded, tossed the Thousand-Strand Vine aside and turned away, muttering, “Stop watching such weird stuff. I don’t have those kinds of preferences. Learning everything will only harm you…”

Xi Ye took his hand and placed the Thousand-Strand Vine back in his palm. “Let you pay me back.”

When they first met, Xi Ye had beaten Shen Yi up, nearly strangled him, and even used the Thousand-Strand Vine to tie him around the waist, leading him around like a dog for days. Shen Yi would always indignantly complain about how cold and ruthless Xi Ye was back then.

Now that they had formed a companion contract, where one bears half the injury of the other, Xi Ye couldn’t let Shen Yi hit back. So, he put on the collar and handed the Thousand-Strand Vine to Shen Yi, letting him have his fun to vent his frustration.

Shen Yi looked at the collar around Xi Ye’s neck and blinked. “Then… I won’t hold back?”

As he spoke, he suddenly pulled the Thousand-Strand Vine tight. Dragged forward, Xi Ye lifted his chin, spouting flirtatious words without pause: “Don’t hold back. Play to your heart’s content, master.”

Shen Yi shuddered.

Incredible.

It was so thrilling it gave him goosebumps.

Back then, Xi Ye had demanded Shen Yi call him master. Now, Xi Ye was calling him “master” repeatedly, leaning close to Shen Yi’s ear to whisper slowly, like a demon’s whisper: “Let you have your fun this time. After this, no more bringing it up.”

According to romance guides, bringing up past grievances harms couples’ relationships and must be avoided.

Shen Yi tied the end of the Thousand-Strand Vine around his wrist, occasionally glancing at the collar around Xi Ye’s neck that he was pulling, then bursting into delighted laughter. A Fu carried them along, floating, and he laughed the whole way.

Xi Ye watched him laugh so foolishly and felt quite happy too.

The Spirit Mist Forest was vast. The valley where the Spirit Mist Giant Tree resided was just an inconspicuous corner of the forest, no bigger than a sesame seed on the map.

Most areas of the forest currently explored and lit up by players were near where the Frenzied Giant Tree had moved. The Destiny Flowers of the few Flower Fairies mentioned in the forum posts that hadn’t been “conquered” by players were not far from here. Shen Yi first checked out videos and photos of these Flower Fairies on the forum.

As expected of nature’s carefully crafted darlings, these Flower Fairies were every single one exquisitely beautiful, with varying hair and eye colors—each shade perfectly suited, stunningly so. Their Destiny Flowers also came in countless variations, each with its unique charm.

The Sound-Mimicking Flower Xi Ye mentioned was a vine plant growing in a low valley. Dense vines covered the valley, with flowers shaped like trumpets, in a purplish-red hue. The vines twisted around trees, and purplish-red blossoms filled the view.

The entire valley buzzed with a droning insect buzz, grating on the nerves.

Shen Yi frowned, curious. “This is a Flower Fairy’s Destiny Flower? Do you know it?”

“Yeah, not very familiar with it, though.”

Shen Yi had only met two Flower Fairies—Xi Ye and Hong Rui—and could barely count the fleeting fairy illusion he’d seen in the dungeon.

Without exception, these Flower Fairies’ Destiny Flowers were elegantly refined, blooming only a few blossoms, emphasizing quality over quantity, and they would only make them bloom when needed.

He hadn’t expected a Flower Fairy whose vines sprawled wildly across the entire valley.

“Hear that annoying sound?” Xi Ye frowned, his tone tinged with irritation. “That’s its Talent. The flowers mimic any sound it perceives, and the sounds mimicked by its flowers disrupt the mental clarity of those who hear them, making them irritable and easily angered. The more flowers there are, the greater the advantage.”

“No wonder the posts say players who come here often end up fighting.”

Inviting such a Flower Fairy with a built-in rage effect to their territory would be asking for internal strife. So, after discovering this Sound-Mimicking Flower Fairy, players tried a few rounds of “conquest” before giving up.

The Sound-Mimicking Flower Fairy wasn’t suitable for domestication. Leaving it in the wild to occasionally build friendship points and exchange some flowers for monster hunting was a better idea.

Xi Ye released his spiritual energy, sweeping it through the valley. Soon, a Flower Fairy with purplish-red hair emerged excitedly from the flowers, but the joy on its face froze upon seeing Xi Ye.

“Little bearer of misfortune? Why is it you?”