Chapter 48 Sever

After the Qinglinze envoy was swiftly and decisively "sent away" by Chili, the palace returned to its former tranquility.

But Chi Li's vigilance had risen to the highest level.

She subtly increased patrols within the palace, especially in the areas where Tang Lu frequently frequented, where she laid down several layers of concealed monitoring barriers.

However, some things cannot be completely isolated by physical barriers.

Tang Lu was completely unaware of all these undercurrents.

She still happily strolled through the garden, the lakeside, and the small woodland she regarded as her "secret base" every day.

The arrival and departure of the Qinglinze envoy were less important to her than a newly arrived squirrel cub with a particularly bushy tail.

Until one afternoon.

Tang Lu was squatting in her small garden, carefully infusing a newly discovered clump of "rainbow grass" whose leaves changed color with the light with the presence of wood spirit energy.

This is her recent new hobby: observing how these spiritual plants become more vibrant and beautiful under her care.

Just as she was completely focused, an extremely faint yet exceptionally intimate wave gently rippled at the edge of her consciousness.

That feeling... was amazing.

Unlike the warm and powerful protection that Chi Li gave her, and unlike the scattered vitality emanating from ordinary flowers and plants.

It was a call from a deeper, more primal source, a gentle, resonant voice with an indescribable allure.

Tang Lu stopped moving.

She looked up, her amber eyes filled with confusion, and instinctively looked in the direction from which the fluctuations were coming.

That was the relatively remote southeast corner of the palace, near the edge of the barrier.

What's there?

She put down the rainbow grass in her hand, stood up, and involuntarily took a step in that direction.

The gentle ripples seemed to sense her response, becoming clearer, like a silent guidance.

Just as she was about to continue exploring following that feeling—

"Tanglu".

Chi Li's voice came from behind her, calm and undisturbed.

Tang Lu snapped back to her senses, turned around, and saw that Chi Li was already standing at the entrance of the forest garden. The sunlight outlined her tall figure, and her expression was as usual, but her crimson-gold eyes seemed even deeper than usual.

"Lili!" Tang Lu immediately put the strange feeling she had just had out of her mind.

She pounced on him like a happy little bird, instinctively hugging Chi Li's leg, and tilting her little face up to share her discovery of the day:

"Look at the grass over there! It changes color! The dew makes it even brighter!"

Chi Li bent down and picked her up, her fingertips seemingly unintentionally brushing her forehead. A wisp of extremely pure and gentle divine power quietly swept across her mind, gently erasing the trace of foreign homologous fluctuations that had just been tainted by her.

"Hmm, very beautiful." Chi Li's gaze swept over the clump of rainbow grass, her tone gentle, and she turned and walked towards the bedroom with Tang Lu in her arms. "Have you had enough fun? It's time to go back and have some snacks."

"There's still something left to do..." Tang Lu muttered softly, turning back to look at the clump of grass with some reluctance, then looking towards the southeast, feeling as if she had forgotten something.

“Come again tomorrow.” Chi Li’s tone left no room for argument.

Back in the bedroom, exquisite spiritual fruits and snacks were already prepared.

Tang Lu was quickly drawn to the delicious food and completely forgot about the little incident that had just happened.

As for Chi Li, watching her carefree eating, her eyes were like a frozen lake.

They arrived as expected.

The people of Qinglinze were actually able to bypass the many barriers she had set up and directly attempt to establish a spiritual connection with Tanglu.

If she hadn't been extremely perceptive to Tang Lu's changes in aura, she would have almost been caught off guard by this silent and stealthy tactic.

What do they want to do?

How can this shared resonance subtly influence Tanglu?

Awaken some kind of "instinct" belonging to the Wood Spirit race?

Or... is he trying to "summon" her over there?

Either way, they touched Chi Li’s absolute sore spot!

She walked to the window, her gaze sharp as a hawk's, and looked toward the southeast corner of the palace, an area that seemed peaceful but was actually sealed off by her divine sense like an iron barrel.

There, near the Yingbin Garden where the Qinglinze envoy previously resided, a seemingly inconspicuous "Listening Wind Ancient Tree," said to be a thousand years old, was emitting extremely subtle residual energy, the same as that of the Qinglinze envoy.

That's it!

Using this ancient tree as a conduit and amplification, the fluctuation carrying a specific intention was transmitted to Tang Lu, who was completely unprepared for the same source of energy.

What a brilliant tactic! Truly a brilliant tactic!

A fierce glint surged in Chi Li's eyes.

She raised her finger, and a tiny, almost invisible spark of crimson gold shot out, instantly disappearing into the thick trunk of the ancient Wind-Listening Tree.

There was no sound, no unusual phenomenon.

But in the next instant, all the spirituality and energy channels within that ancient tree were completely and cleanly annihilated by that domineering phoenix flame.

From now on, it will be just an ordinary tree that will no longer transmit any "noise".

After doing all this, Chi Li's violent temper subsided slightly.

She turned around and looked at Tang Lu, who was holding a piece of honey cake and eating it with her cheeks bulging.

The little guy felt her gaze, looked up, and gave her a smile covered in pastry crumbs.

Chi Li walked over, picked up a soft handkerchief, and gently wiped away the crumbs from the corner of her mouth with a tender gesture.

Her tree spirit will not hesitate to cut down any hand that tries to reach out to her, whether it is a spear in the open or an arrow in the dark!

It seems that we need to prepare a more "grand" return gift for Qing Linze.

In His Majesty the Demon King's heart, a storm was already brewing against the distant marshland.

Meanwhile, at the eye of the storm, the golden sapling bathed in sunlight remained oblivious, instinctively drawing ever closer to the warm barrier that shielded it from all the wind and rain.