Chapter 91 [VIP]

The Harvest Festival is the grandest and most joyous celebration of the year in this little world. Every dumpling returns to this forest, lives in the castle, and waits for the appointed time to worship and pray under the two precious trees.

The number of the black balls in the forest is increasing day by day, forming a natural cover. Even if they lock onto the black balls, it's useless. They can't find any flaws in any of them, and it's possible that the other party is hiding.

Three days before the festival, the forest began to enter a festive state. The leaves were painted with auspicious patterns by the dumplings using different colored nectar and juice they had collected; the mushrooms were moved to the best positions to form a dazzling band of light; even the moss was carefully tended and sprinkled with shimmering icing.

On the day of the festival, the sunlight appeared exceptionally bright and soft. From the two precious trees at the center, several elaborately decorated, seven-colored paths radiated out, each leading to several important and resource-rich areas within the forest.

Unlike before, some of the early arrivals looked curious, not understanding what this meant.

Xu Xing and Jiang Zhuochen were invited to participate in the entire event as distinguished guests.

The Heavenly Father specifically reminded them: "The festival is the happiest time in the forest, but there are rules. You must not disturb or hinder everyone's worship, nor should you fight over the gifts. And..."

He lowered his voice, “If you feel any ‘discomfort,’ please leave quietly and don’t disturb everyone’s joy.”

The two nodded in acknowledgment.

The day before the harvest festival, the Heavenly Father informed the two that all the dumplings had returned. Guards had been increased at various locations to ensure no dumpling was missed. This meant that the two ghost cultivators would definitely be here as well.

At noon, the festival officially began.

Tens of thousands of glutinous rice balls gathered densely under the two precious trees, quietly bathing in the warm golden light and sweet fragrance emanating from the ancient trees.

They hummed in unison an ancient, gentle tune, their unique song expressing gratitude and joy.

Large, translucent, and alluring golden honey slowly seeps from the thick trunk of the ancient tree. The elderly jujubes catch it with specially made leaves and then sprinkle it evenly downwards.

Golden honey rained down, carrying an indescribable rich and sweet fragrance. The dumplings rolled around joyfully, catching this sweet dew. Each dumpling touched by the golden honey became even more translucent, radiating a blissful glow.

Jiang Zhuochen and Xu Xing's positions had also shifted slightly. He curiously reached out and took the honey, then put it in his mouth. The golden honey melted instantly in his mouth, transforming into pure and gentle energy that nourished his soul, even dissolving some of his heavy thoughts.

There were so many dumplings, and their emotions were so high that all of them emitted a faint halo, the gathered light obscuring everything around them.

Jiang Zhuochen leaned against Xu Xing, watching with great interest.

After the thanksgiving ceremony ended, with the Father's long "Quiet," the children stood in a row, their beady eyes fixed on the Father above them.

The Heavenly Father coughed, his eyes sweeping over the densely packed glutinous rice balls below, and said with a calm and earnest tone: "I'm sure you can all see the path beneath your feet."

The children bowed their heads, then responded sparsely, patiently listening to their Heavenly Father's answer.

“Recently, while browsing through ancient texts, I suddenly remembered something. According to ancient customs, every two hundred years, after the thanksgiving ceremony of the festival, there is an event to enjoy the harvest and gifts. And this year marks exactly two hundred years.”

The Heavenly Father spreads his hands, pointing into the distance. "So now, all of you need to choose a path and go to the area you like. Enjoy and freely receive the gifts of nature."

As soon as he finished speaking, a cacophony of noise erupted from below. The faces of the children, all sorts of them, lit up with excitement, and their discussions resounded throughout the room.

"Let's go swimming in Honey Dew Spring!"

"Jump Jump Valley! We're going to bounce the highest today!"

"Let's roll around in the frosting field! Let's see who gets wrapped up the most!"

"A jam pool! I'm going to make strawberry flavored jam this year!"

This is a completely spontaneous process. The children will form groups of all sizes and go to different places based on their own preferences, invitations from their companions, or even on a whim.

This means that for a long time after the thanksgiving ceremony, the huge group of dumplings will be naturally dispersed and scattered throughout the forest.

The dumplings spontaneously formed groups of all sizes and eagerly headed in different directions.

Xu Xing and Jiang Zhuochen mingled among the dumplings, seemingly casually, but in reality, their divine sense and spiritual perception had already spread out like a large net, covering the area, paying particular attention to those dumplings that flowed towards less popular paths or seemed slightly hesitant.

Each group of children who went out was assigned a guard, ostensibly to remind them not to fall behind, but in reality to monitor their every move.

To lower the guard of the two ghost cultivators, Jiang Zhuochen and Xu Xing did not follow, but stayed where they were, whispering to each other as the Heavenly Father beckoned.

Jiang Zhuochen initially thought that with too many dumplings lingering around, they wouldn't be able to find any clues immediately. But not long after, his hand was gently patted by the person beside him.

He looked in the direction indicated and saw that there were fewer dumplings on a certain red path than on the others. They were walking towards the entrance in groups, and one group clearly had two of the same color.

A while ago, a brown-faced person mentioned that, in order to be easy to distinguish, a small group of them usually only has one color.

These two little dumplings were completely red, no longer the familiar black. They were no different from the ones around them, hopping and skipping, happily talking to the dumplings next to them.

At the fork in the road ahead, when many children chose the other path without hesitation, they followed the enthusiastic group down the other road without even looking.

"A pool of tart jam," Jiang Zhuochen said softly.

The Heavenly Father immediately contacted the guards, who quietly surrounded the tartare pool and kept a close eye on the two targets.

Xu Xing and Jiang Zhuochen exchanged a glance. They weren't in a hurry. They waited until the little dumpling had almost left before transforming into two little dumplings, one blue and one pink, and slowly followed.

The path leading to the tart jam pool was paved with deep purple dried blueberries, and the air was filled with the sweet and sour aroma of jam.

The number of dumplings by the roadside dwindled, and when they arrived at the jam pool area, they discovered that it was a series of pools of varying sizes formed by natural stone mortars, filled with thick jam and wisps of steam.

Dozens of little dumplings eager to try the sour taste were already peeking around the pool. Some tentatively touched the water with their feet, while others shakily dug out a little bit, only to be mocked by the other dumplings who giggled at them.

Jiang Zhuochen pulled Xu Xing along and they blended in. Based on their observations over the past period, they imitated their every move while searching for a target.

In a shady spot furthest from all the pools, near a thicket of bushes, Jiang Zhuochen caught a glimpse of two shadowy figures.

As if they were away from the surveillance and the crowds of children, they were able to catch their breath, stop pretending, and quietly observe everything from the sidelines.

This behavior itself seems out of place in a harvest festival full of participation, and it's impossible for a lively girl like Dango to do something like this.

Jiang Zhuochen and Xu Xing did not approach immediately. They pretended to be curious and looked around, stopping by the pool to admire the colorful tart jam.

However, their peripheral vision remained fixed on the two targets in the shadows.

Once they avoided the gazes cast in their direction by the two children, Jiang Zhuochen and Xu Xing split up into two groups.

Jiang Zhuochen, disguised as a pink dumpling, mingled with the other dumplings around him. In the midst of the shoving, he accidentally fell halfway into the yogurt pool.

The children immediately screamed in alarm. Jiang Zhuochen jumped up with a howl, reached behind him and wiped his face. He smelled the strong sour smell and ran around in fright.

He rolled past the shadows with his eyes closed, a few drops of tart jam dripping from his back accidentally splashing onto the two solitary red buns.

"Oh dear! I'm so sorry!" Jiang Zhuochen quickly apologized, rolling over and trying to wipe it off with red eyes.

Just as he was about to touch the other person with both hands, one of the red balls instinctively shrank back stiffly, seemingly very uncomfortable with such close contact.

With that slight contraction, the area near his heart, which had been cleverly concealed by shadow, was briefly exposed in the dappled light filtering through the bushes.

Although he quickly adjusted his posture to cover himself again, that one moment was enough for Jiang Zhuochen, who had been paying close attention, to see clearly.

On its rosy body, at the chest, there was an extremely fine, dark-colored vertical scar, about half an inch long, the same one he had noticed when the two black balls' disguise was broken during the last fight.

That must have been left by Xu Xing's severe injury in the Ghost Realm. The glutinous rice dumplings in this small world are designed so that their bodies cannot bear any wounds.

"Waaaaah, I'm so sorry..." Jiang Zhuochen withdrew her hand, sobbing as she turned to the other one. "Then let me wipe it for you..."

The other little red-faced boy flinched slightly at his sudden action, casually patted himself, and said in a calm tone, "No need, we're tired from playing and just want to rest for a while. You can go back if you're free."

Jiang Zhuochen looked down. During the slight patting motion, he caught a glimpse of the dark color that had flashed across the skin of the other person's right hand, which corresponded to the severed right limb of another ghost cultivator.

He sniffed and said softly, "Okay, then I won't bother you anymore."

The two little red buns unconsciously followed Jiang Zhuochen's departing figure for a moment, and just as they were about to look away, they suddenly realized that the area seemed to have become much quieter.

They looked up suddenly, but there was no sign of Tuanzi anywhere.

The two little red dumplings felt their hearts sink heavily, and they jumped up, ready to rush over and grab Jiang Zhuochen.

Hearing the commotion behind him, Jiang Zhuochen suddenly stopped. Just as they were about to grab him, a flash of light appeared in the air, and then the two little balls were sent flying.

A tall figure appeared outside the bushes, crouched down, and stretched out his hand.

Jiang Zhuochen tilted his head back, chuckled a few times, and jumped into the other person's palm. As the other person lifted him up in front of them, he grabbed their clothes and slowly climbed onto their shoulder, pressing his face against their warm neck.

The surrounding area had been quickly cleared by Xu Xing, leaving it empty like a flat surface, completely still.

Jiang Zhuochen swung his legs and said leisurely, "I've finally found you."

The two red dumplings suddenly stiffened, their tiny green bean eyes fixed on the two approaching figures, their panic and despair no longer concealed.

The sun overhead was still shining brightly, and the overly bright environment made it easy to overlook some subtle changes. The Heavenly Father waited anxiously, and only after the guards had finished counting all the dumplings that had come out and confirmed that there were no mistakes did his tense mood ease.

Then, he felt the light from the direction of the tart sauce pool become dazzling for a moment. He couldn't help but close his eyes, and when he opened them again, everything returned to normal, as if it were all his imagination.