novel bin Chapter 47 Tree Spirit
Chapter 47 Tree Spirit
About thirteen miles west of Niujia Town, there stands a giant tree.
Even if thirty people were gathered together, it would still be difficult to find enough space; its branches and leaves remain evergreen, unchanged year after year. The abundance of its green shade is enough to block out the sky and the sun.
Under the giant tree
A village is surrounded
The houses in the village are arranged in a seemingly chaotic yet orderly fashion, crisscrossing each other. From a distance, they resemble giant trees transforming into dragons, standing side by side; up close, they look like inverted hibiscus basins, gathering the land's wealth.
Even a master of feng shui who is present here must acknowledge his skill.
Alas, times change, and fortunes reverse. This once auspicious place, brimming with treasure and vital energy, has been destroyed by inexplicable means.
Half of the evergreen branches and leaves were waxy, and the other half were withered and yellow; eight or nine out of ten branches and trunks were dead. It seemed that in a few more days, the miraculous giant tree would die completely.
If that's the case, then so be it.
The village of Shenmu, which has enjoyed countless blessings, must now repay them tenfold by giving back to the giant tree.
This is the fundamental reason why the giant tree still has a glimmer of hope.
far away
There was a rustling sound in the jungle, and figures were moving about.
Three figures could be vaguely seen approaching Shenmu Village, their cautious manner suggesting they were afraid of disturbing the peace of the place.
The three who arrived were Fang Hongxuan, Jian Shiqing, and Chen Qinghe.
"This place is so quiet; it must be littered with zombies, with no living souls left."
"He's right. Right now, I feel like I have a fishbone stuck in my throat, and the hairs on my body stand on end. It's as if countless eyes are watching me from the shadows."
Chen Qinghe, unusually, agreed with Jian Shiqing's conjecture, but at the same time, a vague sense of retreat arose in his heart.
Fang Hongxuan remained silent, only observing his surroundings.
"Hey, you three young men... why are you acting so suspiciously? Are you perhaps planning to sneak into Shenmu Village to commit theft?!"
Behind the three, an old herb gatherer appeared, carrying a bamboo basket and holding a sickle. He wiped the fine sweat from his forehead with a towel around his neck, muttering incantations.
Chen Qinghe instinctively wanted to activate his innate ability, but was stopped by Fang Hongxuan.
As for Jian Shiqing beside him, he quietly gripped the long spear on his back, while his eyes swept towards Fang Hongxuan. If Fang Hongxuan showed the slightest sign of drawing his sword, he would pounce on the old man.
Fang Hongxuan felt a slight unease in his heart, but his expression remained impassive.
"This person is no different from me. Both of us have a state of being neither alive nor dead..."
He bowed respectfully before clearing his throat and asking his question.
"Old man, my two fellow disciples and I have been traveling around here. We were afraid of disturbing the peace of this place, so we have acted discreetly. Please forgive us."
"Was he among those thieves...?"
Jian Shiqing lowered his voice as much as possible, making it almost inaudible.
Chen Qinghe first examined the face carefully, then compared it with the face he remembered. After a moment, he slowly shook his head.
"Those men, their faces covered in tattoos, didn't seem to be faking it. They were either death row inmates or notorious criminals on the wanted list..."
His fierce and ruthless appearance was far beyond what this seemingly kind old herb gatherer could match. Even so, this old man was no ordinary person either.
Compared to the mound of corpses, the old man was slightly inferior, but he was far more powerful than the lone drowned ghost. Therefore, Chen Qinghe believed this place was eerie and not suitable for lingering.
...
"I find you quite pleasing to the eye, young man."
The old man smiled and nodded at Fang Hongxuan, completely ignoring the other two.
"If you don't mind, you may stay at my humble abode for a while. These days, with war raging, the nights are not very peaceful."
"Then I'll have to trouble you, sir."
Fang Hongxuan pondered for a moment and then readily agreed.
Although the two harbored many doubts, neither dared to voice their dissent. After all, the three of them were in the same boat.
The usually taciturn Fang Hongxuan suddenly showed some respect for the elderly and care for the young, not only helping the old man carry his bamboo basket but also lifting his wood-chopping knife.
"Old man, there seems to be a giant tree standing here. It is said that the giant tree has a spirit and brings blessings to Shenmu Village. I don't know if it's true or not."
The old man laughed heartily and then patiently explained the problem to Fang Hongxuan.
The old man gathering herbs was named Xu Guisheng, and he was the village chief of Shenmu Village. He was now very old, eighty-nine years old.
If it were any other centenarian, they would already be at home enjoying their twilight years, spending time with their children and grandchildren.
But now, with the chaos caused by soldiers and bandits, not only have his entire family perished, but he himself has also fallen seriously ill.
Fortunately, the old man was still able to identify some herbs, and having become somewhat knowledgeable about medicine through long illness, he came up with the idea of going up the mountain to collect herbs every day.
As for the giant tree bringing blessings to this village, that is certainly true.
Children born here will at least live to be a hundred years old, and at most to be a hundred years old.
And because the giant tree possessed a spirit, it protected the area.
Within a radius of dozens of miles around Shenmu Village, there are no demons, monsters, or evil spirits that dare to invade!
"Logically speaking, this place should be a rare paradise. How could the old man have encountered soldiers and bandits and ended up with his family destroyed?"
Fang Hongxuan was puzzled and spoke out word by word.
Chen Qinghe, standing to the side, stared wide-eyed, his eyes filled with disbelief and incomprehension.
All three knew that this old man who had appeared out of nowhere had a serious problem.
Only Fang Hongxuan remained unfazed and directly revealed the secret.
"No, buddy...you're going to go all out right up close..."
To everyone's surprise, the old man was not angry; his face remained kind, though his eyes held a hint of admiration.
"A common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime; this is the essence of the saying."
The old man smiled and stroked his beard as he took out a crumpled black talisman from his waist and handed it to Fang Hongxuan.
"Remember, just as the sun and moon are divided into yin and yang, so too must all things be reversed when the universe is turned upside down. Bandits are dangerous and should not be confronted rashly."
"This is... an exorcism talisman..."
Before Fang Hongxuan could ask, Jian Shiqing could see the effect of the talisman.
"No...this is an order..."
Jian Shiqing looked shocked and didn't know what to say.
This is the biggest difference between Fang Hongxuan and Jian Shiqing. Although both are demon-slaying captains, Fang Hongxuan has not accumulated enough merits.
Therefore, these secrets remain unknown. This is not because the colleagues in Mixian County are unwilling to reveal them, but simply because that is the rule.
If a monk were here, he would surely recognize this talisman as the one he used to control Niu Yixuan's corpse...
"Old man, what does this mean?"
Fang Hongxuan was about to turn back when he discovered that there was no longer any old man gathering herbs ahead.
Even the bamboo basket on his back and the sickle in his hand were nowhere to be seen.
"Could this person be the mountain god?"
Chen Qinghe exclaimed in surprise, as this was the first time he had ever encountered something like this, and he was naturally very puzzled.
"No...whether it's the City God, the Earth God, or the Mountain God."
"Whenever someone performs a sacrifice, incense will surround them..."
"Although this person carries the scent of incense, it is different from the former; rather, it is more like..."
"It's more like a living being receiving offerings..."
"It is said that all things have a spirit, and when one cultivates to a certain level, one can manifest in the world."
"It seems he is the spirit of that divine tree."
Fang Hongxuan picked up the conversation, his tone extremely confident.
"If that's the case, then this talisman becomes extremely important. I wonder where the tree spirit obtained this decree from."
"Hmph, it's most likely the work of those thieves!" Chen Qinghe said bitterly.
...