Stone Fairy!

The next day,

As the sun rises, a faint golden-red hue appears on the horizon, and the thin mist, not yet dissipated, flows slowly along the mountainside.

Xie Ning woke up early and was squatting by the campfire from the previous night, fiddling with the embers. When he saw Dao Zhen open his eyes, he stood up, slung his spear over his shoulder, and said, "Let's go, let's get going as soon as possible."

The two continued along the mountain path.

As the morning light gradually dispelled the chill of the night, birdsong rose and fell in the woods, one after another, from near and far.

Xie Ning walked ahead, his pace much faster than yesterday, but every now and then he would stop and wait for Dao Zhen, look back at him, and make sure he was keeping up before continuing.

Daozhen followed at a leisurely pace, his gaze occasionally sweeping over the grass, trees, and rocks along the roadside.

At noon, when the sun was high in the sky, the two finally crossed the last mountain ridge.

"arrive."

Xie Ning stopped, raised her hand to shield her eyes from the sunlight, and looked ahead.

At the foot of the mountain not far away, there was a village.

The village was small, with only a few dozen households. The walls were made of rammed earth, the roofs were thatched, and there were a few tiled houses with gray tiles that gleamed with a dark blue light in the sunlight.

There is a dirt road at the entrance of the village, winding its way into the village. On both sides of the road are cultivated fields, with wild grass growing on the ridges, half green and half yellow.

In the center of the village, a large elm tree stands prominently.

The tree was about six or seven zhang tall, with a dense, almost overbearing canopy. Its branches stretched out in all directions, twisting and turning, some touching the eaves of the houses next to it, and others extending over the courtyard walls, hanging down strings of tender green elm seeds.

It was late spring, and the elm seeds were hanging all over the branches, densely packed, looking like layers of pale green clouds from a distance.

When the wind blows, tiny elm seeds drift down, swirling in the sunlight and carpeting the ground.

The tree looked vibrant under the midday sun, with fine dappled sunlight filtering through its branches and leaves, like it was gilded with gold.

"Let's observe for a while." Xie Ning stopped in his tracks, his gaze lingering on the large elm tree for a moment before moving around.

She frowned slightly.

This tree looks lush and vibrant; it doesn't seem like a demonic tree at all.

However, she also knew that many things cannot be judged by appearances alone. Demons are best at concealing their aura, and the more harmless they seem, the more dangerous they often are.

There was one thing Xie Ning was certain of: this large elm tree had indeed developed sentience.

Daozhen also looked at the tree without saying a word.

The village was bustling with activity at that moment.

A large group of people, men, women, and children, had gathered in the open space at the entrance of the village, and they seemed to be busy.

Several women squatted on the ground picking vegetables, with several large baskets of green vegetables and radishes piled up beside them; several men were setting up a frame, using thick wooden sticks to prop up a simple shed; and others were moving tables, setting up incense burners, and laying out straw mats.

A middle-aged man in a worn blue cloth shirt stood in the middle of the crowd, holding a wooden sign and directing the crowd. His voice came through intermittently, and the content was not very clear, but there was a hint of urgency in his tone.

Xie Ning observed for a while, then turned to look at the surrounding terrain, and said to Dao Zhen, "Wait for me here, I'll be right back."

Before she finished speaking, she had already darted away.

The woman in red flashed among the shadows of the trees and disappeared into the woods outside the village with a few swift movements.

Xie Ning lightly touched the rocks and tree roots with her toes, using the momentum to leap far away, her clothes stirring up a slight gust of wind.

Daozhen found a shady spot under a tree and sat down, gazing at the village in the distance.

The villagers were still busy. The shed was mostly set up. Some people had set up several offering tables under the shed, with several bronze incense burners on the tables. Incense sticks were already inserted into the burners, and thin smoke rose up and was blown away by the wind.

The large elm tree stood in the center of the village, quietly overlooking everything. Elm seeds fell softly from its branches, like a never-ending pale green rain.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Xie Ning returned.

She emerged from the woods and walked a few steps to Daozhen's side. Fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, but her breathing was still relatively steady.

"I've figured out the terrain here." Xie Ning squatted down, picked up a dry twig, and roughly drew a few lines on the ground.

"The village is backed by a low mountain, with a stream to the east and a forest to the west. The only way in and out is through this dirt road to the south."

"The big elm tree is in the very center of the village, surrounded by an open space with no obstructions."

Xie Ning tossed the withered branch aside, stood up, and patted the dirt off his hands.

"Let's not disturb the villagers for now, and quietly go into the village tonight to take a look."

Xie Ning looked at Dao Zhenyan and added, "If that big elm tree really has demonic nature, there are many people around during the day, and if it is disturbed, it could harm innocent people, which would be troublesome."

"The villagers have all gone to bed for the night. Let's sneak in and see what's going on with that tree before we make any plans."

Daozhen nodded.

The two then lay in wait on the mountainside until it got dark.

As the sun gradually moved westward, the light and shadow slowly lengthened on the hillside.

The busy activity in the village continued until evening. The sheds were set up, the offering tables were arranged, and the incense in the incense burners were replaced time and time again.

The middle-aged man in the blue cloth shirt said something else, and the crowd gradually dispersed and went home.

Smoke rose from the rooftops of each house, curling up in wisps and dissipating into a pale blue mist in the twilight.

As the last wisp of smoke dissipated, dusk gradually crept up from the foot of the mountain.

The moon had not yet risen, and the world was shrouded in deep darkness.

A few lights flickered on in the village, then gradually went out, leaving only a few scattered yellow lights.

In the distance, there was the chirping of insects, intermittent and sometimes absent.

The large elm tree became a huge black shadow in the night, its branches stretching towards the sky like countless outstretched hands.

The night wind blew, rustling the leaves, the sound much lower than during the day, carrying an indescribable meaning.

Xie Ning waited quietly in the darkness for a long time, until the last light in the village went out, before he stood up.

She glanced at Daozhen, then at the dark forest, hesitated for a moment, and finally said, "There might be danger at the big elm tree. Be careful here alone."

"I'll be right back, you... don't wander off."

Daozhen sat there, the moonlight not yet rising, his face hidden in the shadows, his expression unreadable.

"I actually know a little bit of Taoist magic." Daozhen pondered for a moment, "Maybe it can be of help."

Xie Ning turned his head and glanced at Dao Zhen with some surprise.

She thought about it and realized that many of the Taoist disciples she had met before looked weak and frail, but they did have some real skills.

Although I couldn't sense any cultivation level from the white-robed Taoist in front of me, his demeanor and bearing were certainly not those of an ordinary person.

"Okay." Xie Ning nodded. "Then you stay with me, but don't stray too far."

"If anything happens, just run, don't worry about me."