Chapter 74: Care

“ They told me,” Little Dot replied.

“They?” Su Tang looked around suspiciously.

Within Su Tang’s sight, the green grass, bushes, and thick and thin branches all moved without wind, swaying slightly as if they were greeting the little creature.

“You can hear… what they are saying?” Su Tang was very surprised.

“I can,” Little Dot seemed even more puzzled. “Mom, you can’t hear them?”

Su Tang shook his head. He understood now; Little Dot could exchange some kind of information with the nearby vegetation. This was a great thing. Little Dot would become an excellent scout. As long as there was any movement around them, it would issue a warning immediately, which would ensure his safety.

Under Little Dot’s lead, Su Tang walked forward with his head down. One or two hours were nothing, and he could overcome three or four hours, but after walking for nearly six or seven hours, he still saw no sign of the treasure. Su Tang could hardly hold back anymore.

“Little Dot, didn’t you say it wasn’t far? Why haven’t we arrived after walking for so long?”

“I remember we have to cross a very, very wide river. Once we cross the river, we’ll be there.”

“A wide river?”

“Yes, when I was little, I drifted for a long time before I flew across that river,” Little Dot said.

“When you were little…” Su Tang noticed something was wrong. “How long ago are you talking about?”

Little Dot landed on a branch and thought blankly for a while, then shook its head. “I don’t remember clearly…”

Su Tang gave a bitter smile. Little Dot was probably talking about its experiences when it was in the seed state, right? That was too ridiculous. The growth of the Tree of Destiny was extremely slow. Little Dot had once grown over ten meters tall, which likely took thousands of years. If it were just a few decades, that would be one thing, but the landscape changes over thousands of years are enormous; even oceans can turn into mulberry fields, let alone a wide river. Moreover, according to Little Dot’s description, the width of the river was at least several hundred meters. If that wide river still existed, Fang Yizhe would have definitely mentioned it when introducing the environment of Yunshui Marsh to him.

“Forget it, let’s find a place to rest first.” Su Tang sighed softly. From now on, he could no longer blindly trust the words of this ‘little daughter.’ “Little Dot, is there a safe place around here?”

Little Dot thought for a moment, spread its wings, and flew off in a diagonal direction. Su Tang stepped after it. After walking for about ten minutes, Little Dot stopped. “Mom, it’s very quiet here.”

It was indeed quiet, but Su Tang had an eerie feeling. It was already the middle of the night, and it was so dark that he could not see his own fingers. As a result, he had been walking unevenly. He scanned the surroundings but could see nothing clearly.

“Are you sure it’s safe here?” Su Tang asked again.

“They will protect us,” Little Dot said.

Su Tang misunderstood. He thought Little Dot meant that if any outsider approached, the surrounding vegetation would immediately warn them. He threw the several Flying Swords on his back onto the ground, took off the bundle from his shoulders, felt around for a relatively dry spot, and lay down.

Little Dot flew around Su Tang a few times, landed on Su Tang’s collar, and then crawled inside, leaving only a small head exposed. Whether it was imitating him or influenced by some indescribable bond, when Su Tang yawned, Little Dot also yawned. When Su Tang smacked his lips, Little Dot also smacked its lips. Once Su Tang’s breathing gradually became steady, Little Dot also closed its eyes happily.

Su Tang was quite tired and soon fell into a dream. Many times, being clueless was truly a blessing. If Su Tang had known that they had passed through the territories of several terrifying monsters that night, and that even Grandmaster-level experts did not dare provoke them, he absolutely would not have been able to sleep.

When he woke up, the sky was already bright. Su Tang opened his sleepy eyes, sat up, and observed the surroundings. Suddenly, his hair stood on end.

The area was filled with strange-looking vegetation, and in the middle was a pitch-black hole. Vines extended from the mouth of the hole, spreading in all directions along the ground. This vegetation looked a lot like an octopus, but it had far more tentacles. The thickest vines were thicker than his thigh and covered hundreds of square meters of ground.

Around those plants, the skeletons of various beasts were scattered, some of which had piled up into a small mountain of bones.

Man-eating vines! Fang Yizhe had given him a simple description of them back then and had explained how to deal with them.

Su Tang held his breath and slowed his movements as much as possible. First, he picked up the several Flying Swords from the ground and hung them on his back, then grabbed his bundle, slowly drew the Sword of Taisho, and stepped backward one by one.

Just then, Little Dot crawled out of his collar and called out happily, “Mom, you’re awake!”

It’s over… Su Tang gasped. Man-eating vines hunted mainly by sound. Although Little Dot’s voice wasn’t loud, the surrounding area was silent, which was enough to alert all the man-eating vines.

Su Tang held up the Sword of Taisho and prepared for battle. To his surprise, the man-eating vines had no reaction at all, as if they hadn’t heard Little Dot’s voice.

“Mom, they won’t hurt us.” Little Dot sensed Su Tang’s nervousness.

At the same time, several people approached the valley where the Tree of Destiny had originally been. Xi Xiaoru was among them, but her face was pale and her expression was withered. She was even swaying while walking. Zhou Qian and Lu Feixia wanted to support her, but she pushed them away.

In the enclosed valley, besides the old servant, there were a dozen other figures. They were all somewhat old; the youngest looked to be forty or fifty years old.

“Grandfather, did you find Little San?” Xi Xiaoru asked slowly.

“When we arrived, there was no one here.” A thin-faced old man looked at Xi Xiaoru with a loving gaze. “Xiaoru, if you were feeling unwell, you should have stayed home to rest. Why did you insist on coming along!”

“Yes, yes,” several other old men added in succession.

“I was worried,” Xi Xiaoru said.

“Silly child, what is there to be worried about when your grandfather is doing something?” the thin-faced old man said with a bitter smile. He was the current head of the Xi Family, Xi Yuran, and also Xi Xiaoru’s biological grandfather.

“Grandfather, it took us several days to get here when we first came, but you arrived in just half a day, hee hee… so fast!” Xi Xiaoru smiled. “Second Grandfather, Third Grandfather, Fourth Grandfather, I used to be mischievous, but I really didn’t expect that you all cared for me so much…”

The old men could no longer smile. They looked at each other, and the old servant’s expression also became very unnatural.

Xi Xiaoru’s words were pointed. They indeed arrived too quickly, and the entire elite force of the clan had come out.

Fang Yizhe had fled with Zhou Qian and Lu Feixia, and on the way, they encountered the old servant who had been tracking them. When the old servant learned that the Tree of Destiny was in the valley and that Xi Xiaoru had already drawn her blade to duel with a Grandmaster-level expert, the old servant did not believe it at first. After Fang Yizhe and the others described the characteristics of the Tree of Destiny and the scene they had seen, the old servant’s expression changed drastically, and he then made a choice.

He did not go to the valley to save Xi Xiaoru, but instead rushed back to Red Leaf City.

The old servant rushed back with all his might. After Xi Yuran, the head of the Xi Family, received the news, he led the clan’s elite and rushed back with all their might. This was how they were able to stand in the valley at this time. They had done their best, especially the old servant, whose face was pale. In just half a day, he had traveled nearly several hundred miles back and forth. Even though he possessed profound strength, he was truly exhausted.

The unconscious Xi Xiaoru, who had fainted from exhaustion, was found by Fang Yizhe. The Xi Family’s elite had come straight to the valley. Therefore, Xi Xiaoru specifically thanked her elders for their care.

In fact, Xi Xiaoru also understood that the significance of the Tree of Destiny was too great. As the eldest daughter of the Xi Family, she could not be compared to the Tree of Destiny.

However, understanding was one thing, and accepting it was another.

Xi Yuran sighed softly. As long as he could obtain the Tree of Destiny, he was willing to pay any price, even his own life. Unfortunately, the Tree of Destiny was not found, and Xi Xiaoru’s heart had been hurt.

“This is indeed the Tree of Destiny.” An old man who had been crouching on the ground observing fallen leaves stood up. He was still clutching a thick leaf stalk, unwilling to let go. “But… why did the Tree of Destiny wither? What on earth happened here?!”

“At that time, Little San was severely injured, and it was the Tree of Destiny that saved him. Having lost the Source of Life, it naturally withered,” Xi Xiaoru said indifferently. She still remembered everything that had happened.

“Xiaoru, are you sure you didn’t see it wrong?” the old man asked seriously, turning around.

“I was right here at the time, how could I have seen it wrong?”

“That person… what was his relationship with the Tree of Destiny? Why would it… rather sacrifice itself to save him?” the old man murmured.

“The result is the same anyway…” Xi Xiaoru smiled again. “Either give the Source of Life to Little San, or give the Source of Life to you. To the Tree of Destiny, what is the difference?”

The difference is huge for us! The old men looked at each other, but none of them spoke.

“Oh no, he took the Sword of Taisho away!” the old servant suddenly remembered.

“The Sword of Taisho belonged to him in the first place,” Xi Xiaoru said.

“Miss, this is not something to joke about,” the old servant said with a bitter smile.

“I’m not joking. Even if you can find him, you won’t be able to get the Sword of Taisho back.”

“Why?” the old servant was stunned.

“Because the Sword of Taisho has already recognized its master.”

“What?” Xi Yuran was shocked, and the other old men were also stunned. They didn’t know what to say.

“Since the Sword of Taisho has recognized its master, we must find him even more!” the old servant said. “He tidied this place up so neatly and piled the Spirit Tools together. It seems he hasn’t gone far. We…”

“He… where was he going… I remember he told me…” Xi Xiaoru suddenly covered her forehead with her hand.

“Miss, where is he going?!” the old servant asked nervously. The gaze of the old men, including Xi Yuran, all concentrated on Xi Xiaoru.

“Ah… I remember now. He said he was going to Lieche Canyon!” Xi Xiaoru struggled to turn around. Her body was unstable, so she had to grab Fang Yizhe’s arm. “Quick, let’s go to Lieche Canyon to find him immediately!”