The fortune telling was so accurate that I accidentally accumulated a huge amount of merit!

Chapter 976: Old and cunning
But the thought had barely formed when the water curtain slowly disappeared, clearly indicating that the talisman's effect had ended.

The little paper doll noticed that Yun Ran's expression wasn't too good and looked at her with some concern: "Master, what's wrong? Are you worried about them?"

Yun Ran shook her head, not at all worried about Long Ling and the others.

She felt that many small details she hadn't noticed since she entered the world of this book might not have been coincidences at all.

Otherwise, how could she have stumbled upon the plans of those men in black so coincidentally every time?

At first, Yunran thought she had some special constitution that caused trouble wherever she went.

Now it seems as if many things are being driven by a powerful force behind the scenes, just like a plot device.

Everyone else, including Yunran herself who transmigrated into the world of the book, seemed to be following certain predetermined paths.

But this was just a feeling Yunran had, and there was no evidence to support this suspicion.

Yunran could only temporarily put aside her doubts and looked at the little paper figure.

"In such a remote border town, there is not only a divine cauldron, but also such a strange jar. There must be someone in the shadows guarding the area."

Go and investigate the area for any unusual activity. If you find anything, return immediately and report back!

This is a requirement that no one else could possibly fulfill.

After all, even a border town cannot be thoroughly investigated by just one or two people in a short period of time.

But this requirement is nothing when it comes to the little paper doll.

When the little paper doll investigated before, there was no unusual activity in the jar or the divine cauldron, and no problems were found, which was normal.

But things are different now. With such unusual activity, those hiding in the shadows will definitely take action.

"Don't worry, Master, I'll go right away!"

After the little paper doll left, Yunran's drowsiness disappeared. She sat back in her wheelchair and went to the courtyard.

The tree spirit, which was stretching its branches and leaves, immediately became obedient the moment it saw Yunran.

The branches and leaves that had been swaying suddenly stopped moving, as if they had never moved at all.

Yunran sized up the tree spirit, then let out a soft laugh.

As the saying goes, the worst thing is when a big shot suddenly smiles; it means someone is about to be in trouble.

"I used to think you were an honest person, but now it seems you are really old, but that has nothing to do with honesty!"

Yunran's words made the tree spirit tense up, even its roots, as if it were about to suffer bad luck.

"Tell me, why are all those other flowers, grasses, trees, and the like captured by those mystical masters as soon as they gained sentience?"

And you, why are you still able to stay here so peacefully? Don't tell me it's because you're good at pretending. Those who become Xuan Masters aren't fools!

Becoming a Xuan Master has its own set of requirements. Not only do you need talent, but you also need a certain level of intelligence. Otherwise, you simply cannot master those Xuan arts.

The tree spirit feigned death, pretending that it hadn't heard anything, neither answering Yunran's question nor swaying its branches.

It's as if it really was just an innocent, centuries-old giant tree from beginning to end.

Yun Ran almost laughed out of anger when she saw this tree spirit. She had never seen such a stubborn and fearless person before.

"If you don't tell me, don't blame me for revealing your pretense!"

"At that time, I won't even need to lift a finger; I can have you completely eradicated by the other Xuan Masters!"

It's unclear whether it was a particular word, or if the words truly threatened the tree spirit, but it finally became somewhat afraid.

He immediately adopted a fawning tone: "I was wrong~"

Originally, Yun Ran didn't need to bother with a tree, but well, this guy was just being dishonest. The word "cunning and treacherous" is quite accurate when applied to this tree spirit.

This also served as a reminder to Yunran that she should never be deceived by the appearances of some intelligent beings.

Don't think that just because you are human or a representative of primates, you can look down on other intelligent beings.

Although most of them have very low intelligence, they look almost like a small child.

But among them are some clever ones, and even some who completely outwit humanity.

"Tell me, isn't this border town a territory that someone has already claimed long ago? From the very beginning, the humans here have been sacrifices!"

If it weren't for the divine cauldron that Long Ling discovered, and the monster made from the vengeful spirits of various creatures that had died tragically inside that jar...

Perhaps Yunran never thought of offering a sacrifice.

Upon hearing the word "sacrifice," the tree spirit's branches and leaves suddenly twitched.

I don't know if they were frightened or if the truth was guessed, which is why they were shocked.

Yun Ran's voice suddenly rose significantly, carrying an undeniable pressure: "Speak!"

The tree spirit initially wanted to continue pretending not to know, but Yun Ran's voice, with its imposing aura, truly intimidated it.

Yunran witnessed the tree spirit's trunk tremble slightly.

When the tree spirit saw a token suddenly hanging in front of it, crackling with lightning, it truly felt that its life was threatened.

After a long while, the tree spirit finally stopped resisting.

A crack appeared in the ground, and several tree roots, carrying a small, glowing white ball, presented it to Yunran.

"puff!"

Without warning, Yun Ran coughed up a mouthful of blood.

The tree spirit never expected that something that allowed it to escape execution and was even beneficial to it would cause Yunran to vomit blood.

The tree roots immediately moved the small white ball away.

Are you alright?!

Yun Ran raised her hand and gently wiped away the blood from the corner of her mouth, her eyes becoming serious.

"The power of the time rules..."

If Yun Ran hadn't possessed the Daoist lineage of Qingfeng Temple and many unknown magical artifacts, and hadn't suddenly come into contact with the power of the time rules, she would have truly been in grave danger.

The tree spirit was stunned for a moment.

The woman recognized what it was at a glance, and the tree spirit's voice even became somewhat louder.

You actually know what this thing is!

Yunran took out a pair of very light and breathable gloves from her bag and put them on.

He waved towards the tree roots.

The tree spirit didn't understand what Yunran was trying to do, but it clearly understood what this action meant.

The tree roots very thoughtfully delivered the surrounding white ball to Yunran.

Yunran reached out and grabbed the small ball, but this time, she didn't vomit blood again.

(End of this chapter)