I sell demon meat in the city

Chapter 303 Extra 5: The One Who Escaped the Net - The Tree Spirit
"How divine is the sacred tree?"

After dealing with the vampire rose, Xiao Qi and Lu Xingyun continued driving southwest for over a hundred kilometers.

Decades ago, there was the saying "deep in the mountains and forests," but now that society has developed to this point, if you still talk about deep in the mountains and forests, it's not a warning, it's a temptation.

Some wealthy people like to go to these kinds of places, hoping to encounter rare animals that others don't. If they can catch and eat them, they'll be even more excited.

"Three years ago, a developer took a fancy to this forest and wanted to turn it into a resort. Before the road was even built, they started cutting down trees. As a result, the trees that were cut down and taken back returned to the forest that very night, and the roots sprouted overnight, and it looked like new trees were about to grow. Our old village chief told them that this forest must not be touched, because there are sacred trees protecting it."

But the boss wouldn't believe it and insisted the workers keep chopping. And guess what happened this time?

Seeing the villagers' mysterious yet smug looks, Xiao Qi asked, quite encouragingly, "What's wrong?"

"The first one of them only chopped once, and blood started flowing from where the bark split open! And let me tell you, it wasn't that red sap, it was real blood, you could smell it. Why am I so sure it was human blood? Because while they were chopping down the tree, their boss suddenly got a deep wound on his leg, down to the bone, and blood was gushing out."

Xiao Qi raised an eyebrow. "So the blood flowing from the tree was that boss's?"

"Nine times out of ten."

The villagers live in a village near the old forest and have great reverence for the sacred tree there.

"What then?"

"Later, the boss was hospitalized, the money for the forest was refunded, and our village's new village chief was also dismissed. Originally, the old village chief told him from the beginning that he couldn't sell, but he wouldn't listen. Now, things have calmed down."

Xiaoqi just wants to say that there are pros and cons. Without developers investing, the forest loses its value, and the development of nearby villages and towns will be very slow.

However, given the severe deforestation in recent years, it's a good thing that a forest has been preserved.

"Thank you, Uncle. If we keep walking straight south from here, we'll see that sacred tree, right?"

"Yes, just follow this dirt road. Everyone goes into the woods to pray to the sacred tree when they have something to do, so the road has been tamped down and is easy to walk on."

Xiao Qi asked curiously, "Will praying to someone work?"

“It works! Of course it works! The Divine Tree God is kind-hearted. If anyone has a minor illness or ailment, they can pray to him and it will disappear.”

"So divine?"

When Xiaoqi raised her doubts, the villagers immediately became unhappy. "Girl, you two young people have come all this way to our place just to pray to the sacred tree and have your wishes fulfilled, right? If that's the case, why don't you believe it? If you don't believe it, why did you come here?"

This tree is really well-protected by the villagers; they won't let anyone say a bad word about it.

"It can grant any wish? Even marriage?"

Lu Xingyun, who had been listening silently without saying a word, suddenly interrupted and asked a question.

Xiao Qi's eyelids twitched, and she turned her face away without looking at him.

But the more she acted this way, the more it seemed that the two of them had come for this purpose, which the villager uncle saw as shyness.

"Hey, I bet you two came here for this."

The villager smiled knowingly and said to Lu Xingyun, "When it comes to marriage, if you believe in it, the tree god will definitely bless you. But if you have doubts, then it's better not to pray at all."

Lu Xingyun:
What you said is as good as saying nothing at all.

“Young man, don’t think I’m trying to fool you or that the tree spirit is ineffective. No, I’m just telling you the truth so you can go there with a sincere heart. To be honest, there used to be a mute couple in our village, and their child was also mute. You can imagine how desperate the parents must have been. The old village chief gave the couple a suggestion: to pray to the tree spirit.”

And then guess what? Hey, the child could talk! Not only that, she was also very smart, always ranking first in her class. So whenever she had free time on weekends, she would definitely go into the old forest to worship the sacred tree.

I saw her go by half an hour ago. If you go now, you might run into her.

So the two said goodbye and walked along the path the villagers pointed out.

"This tree spirit can make a mute person speak and even heal people; is it doing this to accumulate merit?"

In the mystical arts, there is a method of accumulating merit to achieve one's own enlightenment. Demons can accumulate merit over many years and naturally achieve their own path to enlightenment.

Moreover, it protected an old forest, which in itself is a meritorious deed.

"The sapling is growing well. Will it be able to resist the tree spirit when it sees it later?"

Lu Xingyun held Xiao Qi's hand and explored her dantian. He saw that the small tree inside was taller than before. He remembered that when he stole the Demon King's house, the piece of wood in her dantian had actively absorbed the peach demon.

Because the peach tree demon's cultivation was comparable to that of a Nascent Soul cultivator, Xiao Qi was able to jump several levels to the Nascent Soul stage. She even had to undergo a tribulation in the demon realm for this, and the wood turned into a sapling.

"That time I didn't restrain it properly; if I didn't want it to, it definitely wouldn't have been able to come out."

Xiao Qi let her fifth senior brother hold her hand, and even squeezed it a little before their fingers intertwined.

The two strolled hand in hand through the woods, looking just like any other couple. Forty minutes later, before they even reached the legendary sacred tree, they smelled a fragrance from afar—the scent of burning incense.

Didn't we say we don't need to offer incense to the sacred tree?
Those who come to pray for blessings and seek help only need to sincerely kowtow a few times in front of you; the exact number is entirely up to your own will.

So burning incense is also a matter of personal choice?

The two approached quickly, and there was hardly anyone around, probably because it was so early.

At that moment, in front of the sacred tree, which wasn't very tall but was quite thick, a little girl, about ten years old, was sweeping the fallen leaves around her with a large broom.

This is a sycamore tree, and next to it, a cypress tree is covered with red ribbons, each one densely covered with writing. When a breeze blows, the ribbons flutter, creating a spectacular sight.

Those who don't know the story would definitely mistake this cypress tree for a sacred tree.

The villager told them that the tree spirit doesn't like people tying things to it, but people who come to make wishes always feel that it's not right if they don't tie something to it. Of course, the main reason is that they are afraid that if too many people make wishes, the tree spirit won't be able to remember them all.

So in the end, they came up with a solution: they tied the red ribbon to the tree next to it.

This way, it won't make the animal uncomfortable, and it can also see what they are wishing for—a win-win situation.

Xiao Qi almost burst out laughing when she heard it, and now that she sees it, she finds it even funnier.

When the sapling in the dantian sensed the presence of the phoenix tree demon, it indeed began to stir.

Xiao Qi controlled it to prevent it from coming out, but she didn't completely suppress its aura.

The once quiet sycamore tree suddenly began to shake, and its emerald green leaves tinged with red fell in a flurry, instantly covering the ground that had just been swept clean.

The girl holding the broom froze. She turned to look at the sycamore tree and saw it swaying violently. She quickly dropped the broom, ran over, and stretched out her arms to hug it.

But as Xiao Qi approached, the sycamore tree shook even more violently, and soon a thick layer of leaves covered the ground beneath it.

The little girl holding it looked on with a puzzled expression.

But the next second she suddenly turned her head to look at Xiao Qi, then turned around, leaned against the sycamore tree, and shouted at Xiao Qi, "Who are you? What do you want?"

The child was able to sense the tree spirit's fear.

Xiao Qi crossed her arms and looked at the little girl with great interest, then looked at the tree spirit and asked, "Did you really heal her?"

Just then, two branches drooped down from the sycamore tree, grabbed the little girl's arm, and pulled her aside.

Then the ancient tree spoke, “She is young and doesn’t know how to speak well. Please be magnanimous and don’t take it to heart.”

After saying that, he scolded the little girl in a low voice, "Yu'er, this is none of your business. Go home quickly."

The little girl stood stubbornly still, looking at Xiao Qi, not understanding why Grandpa Tree was afraid of her.

She looks very young and ordinary.

"who are you?"

"Yu'er, I'll say it again, go home."

This time, instead of letting her walk on her own, it used the thick, soft branch in the middle to entangle the girl named Yu'er and flung her out of the old forest.

Several leaves supported her feet as she landed, allowing her to stand steadily on the ground.

That's very thoughtful.

Xiao Qi raised an eyebrow at the tree demon, then stretched out her hand, and a small, lush green tree appeared in her palm, surrounded by shimmering water light, suppressing the immense power surrounding the tree.

The tree demon trembled even more violently.

However, it could also tell that the girl actually meant it no harm.

With her profound cultivation and powerful strength, she could easily subdue it without even needing to use her wood spirit root.

Sure enough, the next moment a string of shimmering water droplets flew from the small tree in the woman's hand. The bright, transparent water droplets, imbued with immense spiritual energy, seeped into its branches and roots, making it shiver with pleasure, and the entire tree became crystal clear.

"Keep your original intention. If one day you can't stay in this forest anymore, come to Sanqing Mountain to find me."

The woman and the young man were no longer in sight, but her voice echoed from afar, reverberating throughout the forest.

The tree spirit gratefully shook its branches and bent its trunk in the direction the two had left, as if bowing.

"Thanks."

Do you remember that purple fox?
We're almost there.