Chapter 48 The Old Camphor Tree

After leaving the study, Jiang Rong saw the two little ones watching cartoons. Jiang Xiaoheng turned around and saw his father. He happily moved aside and waved to Jiang Rong, "Dad, come quick! Let's watch Team Meowth together!"

Jiang Hao also made way for Lele, putting his arm around her neck and tilting his head expectantly to look at Jiang Rong, "Ah~"

Seeing this, Jiang Rong's eyes filled with guilt. Since deciding to set up the base, he had spent very little time with his children. Forget watching cartoons with them, he had even reduced the time they spent eating together.

When he came back this morning, he clearly promised Xiao Heng that he would sleep with them tonight, but now he has to go out to do a mission.

Jiang Rong sat down guiltily between the two children, putting his arms around each of them as he looked at the TV screen. The Meow Team cartoon had already aired over 300 episodes; he remembered the last time he watched it with his son, they had only reached episode 150-something.

Jiang Xiaoheng excitedly introduced the plot of the Meow Team: "Dad, a little tiger named DouDou has joined the Meow Team. DouDou is so cute, my brother and I love it! You'll see it in a little while!"

Just then, an adorable little tiger popped up on the screen. Jiang Xiaoheng suddenly grabbed Jiang Rong's sleeve: "Dad, look! That's DouDou! Captain White Cat said that little tigers are also felines, so they can join the Meow Meow Team too."

Looking at the "king" character on the little tiger's forehead, Jiang Rong replied perfunctorily, "Yes, Captain White Cat is right." The children were so enthusiastic; how could he possibly tell them he was going out on a mission?

Just as Jiang Rong was struggling with her decision, Jiang Xiaoheng looked up at her with bright, sparkling eyes: "Dad, you've already seen Dou Dou!"

Jiang Rong smiled and patted the two children's heads: "Yes, I saw them, they're very cute."

Jiang Xiaoheng smiled, revealing her tiny white teeth: "So Dad can go do his own thing now, and my brother and I can watch cartoons by ourselves~ Just remember to be careful when you go out, Dad. My brother, Lele, and I will be waiting for you at home."

Jiang Rong looked at Jiang Xiaoheng with guilt, seeing the trust and care in his son's clear eyes. The more considerate the children were, the more uneasy he felt. Jiang Rong hugged and kissed both children repeatedly, "I'm sorry, Xiaoheng and Xiaohao, Dad broke his promise."

He promised to watch cartoons with the kids, but he didn't; he promised to tell them stories and put them to bed at night, but he didn't. He's such a bad father…

Jiang Xiaoheng nestled against Jiang Rong's arm and said softly, "Daddy kept his promise. Daddy has already seen Dou Dou. Daddy, go out early and remember to come back early."

The two children nestled on either side of Jiang Rong, and Jiang Rong's heart softened: "Ah, Daddy will definitely come back soon."

After a pause, Jiang Rong suggested, "How about Dad takes you to Grandpa Chu's house later? We'll pick you up tomorrow morning." During this period, when she was on missions, Jiang Rong would either leave the children with Grandpa Chu or have Grandpa Chu's parents come to take care of them. The children were too young, one three years old and the other five, and Jiang Rong didn't feel comfortable leaving them at home.

However, Jiang Xiaoheng and Jiang Hao exchanged a glance and shook their heads. "Dad, can we stay at home today?"

Jiang Rong replied, "Okay, then I'll send a message to Grandpa Chu and the others, asking them to come and take care of you tonight."

However, Jiang Xiaoheng and Jiang Hao hurriedly grabbed Jiang Rong's hands: "Dad! No!"

Jiang Rong was puzzled: "What's wrong?"

Jiang Xiaoheng's bright eyes darted around a couple of times, then he rolled up his sleeves, revealing his fair little arms: "Dad, I'm a little man now, I need to learn to be independent!"

Jiang Rong looked at his son suspiciously, "Really?" Why did he feel that his son was acting strangely?

Faced with his father's questioning gaze, Jiang Xiaoheng nodded hastily, "Yes! Dad, don't you always tell me that our family are all upright men, and real men don't need their grandparents to sleep with them!"

Hearing her son's resolute words, Jiang Rong was both amused and exasperated: "Who was that little friend who wanted me to read stories to them at night before?"

Jiang Xiaoheng blinked his innocent big eyes and said in an exaggerated and surprised tone, "Yes, who is it? It's definitely not Xiaoheng!"

Actually, it's much safer for Jiang Xiaoheng and the others to stay at home than at Chu Qiang's house. If an emergency really happens, at least Little Fairy will be guarding the outside of the yard. Thinking that her son will have to be independent sooner or later, Jiang Rong nodded: "Okay, then you demonstrate to Dad how to close the door and windows first."

The two children were small but not stupid. Jiang Rong knew how to close the doors and windows every day, and they had long since learned how to quickly escape back to the yard and close the doors and windows. After they had done this, Jiang Rong couldn't help but praise them, "That's great. Daddy will give you a bath first, then you can go to bed early after you finish watching cartoons."

However, Jiang Xiaoheng was unusually sensible today. He said seriously, "Dad, I'm three years old now! I can take a bath by myself, and my older brother and I can rub each other's backs."

Jiang Rong: ? ? ?

Jiang Xiaoheng used to love it when I bathed him, and he would play with his toy duck for a long time during bath time. Why is he acting like this today?

However, upon further reflection, he realized he hadn't spent much time with his children in a long time. Perhaps during this period, the children had seen his struggles and wanted to grow up quickly. Although he had some doubts about Jiang Xiaoheng and Jiang Rong's ability to bathe independently, Jiang Rong nodded: "Okay, Dad believes in you. But you have to promise Dad that you can only shower, not take a bath."

His bathtub is a bit big; it would be terrible if the two children accidentally choked on the water.

Jiang Xiaoheng nodded repeatedly, like a chicken pecking at rice: "Okay."

A car horn sounded outside, and Chu Qiang's booming voice could be faintly heard: "Xiao Jiang, I'm ready. Shall we go?"

Jiang Rong looked at the two children and reminded them again, "Don't play with fire, don't take baths, and don't watch cartoons all night. Do you understand?"

The two children nodded repeatedly, and Jiang Xiaoheng thoughtfully urged, "Dad, you go out first. My brother and I will be good. Come back soon, and be careful!"

Jiang Xiaozhang opened his mouth and made intermittent "ah ah" sounds, it seemed that he wanted to say the same thing as Jiang Xiaoheng.

The car slowly started moving. Jiang Rong saw two children waving at him from outside the gate in the rearview mirror. His brows furrowed slightly, his expression complex. Chu Qiang smiled and asked, "What's wrong? Why that expression?"

Jiang Rong pondered, "I have a feeling that these two kids are hiding something from me. They were especially considerate today, urging me to go out and wanting to stay home to sleep, and they wouldn't let me help them take a bath."

Chu Qiang chuckled: "Isn't it obvious? They definitely want to stay up all night watching cartoons. It's like the saying 'when the cat's away, the mice will play.' Think about how we all grew up, didn't we?"

Jiang Rong thought for a moment. When he and Chu Qiang were kids, they ran all over the mountains and fields, raiding beehives and picking wild fruits, living a carefree life and getting beaten by their parents countless times. In comparison, Xiao Heng and Xiao Hao were well-behaved children, not even a tenth as naughty as them.

Chu Qiang skillfully steered the wheel: "Boys always have their own secret hideouts. As long as their lives aren't in danger, let them do whatever they want. Childhood only lasts a few years, and with things so chaotic outside these days, children don't have much time left to enjoy themselves."

Jiang Rong seemed to be thinking: "Hmm..."

Chu Qiang laughed and said, "Actually, Xiao Jiang, I've always felt that you've raised Xiao Heng to be too well-behaved. I'm just worried that his personality will make him vulnerable to being bullied in the future. It's better for him to be a little more mischievous. Don't overreact. What kind of tricks can they possibly pull at home?"

Jiang Rong thought about it carefully. The stove in his house had a safety device that would cut off the power if it sensed something was wrong. When he left, he closed the door to the bathroom with the bathtub, leaving only the shower room open. This way, the danger that the two children could directly encounter was almost zero.

Could it be that he's overthinking things, and the two children just want to have their own space?

Seeing that Jiang Rong was still hesitant, Chu Qiang suggested, "If it doesn't work out, let my parents come and take a look at the situation later."

Jiang Rong nodded: "Okay, I guess they'll be watching cartoons right now. I'll ask Uncle and Aunt to come and check on them around eight o'clock."

*

As the car's taillights disappeared down the mountain road, Jiang Xiaoheng and Jiang Hao exchanged a smile and clapped their hands lightly, shouting, "Yay!"

The two men skillfully turned into the courtyard, and soon after, they left the gate with their small trailer, heading east.

The little fairy frantically shook the thorns on her body: "There's a problem, there's a problem~"

Xiao Heng raised his right index finger to his lips and made a loud "shh" sound. "Little fairy, don't tell Daddy, or I won't let you watch cartoons later."

The fairy twisted her body awkwardly, "There's a problem..."

A large bag of dog food was on the small trailer, and Lele followed behind it with her head down, looking aggrieved. The two children worked together to pull the trailer to the front of the kudzu path. Then they put the trailer down and dragged the dog food off it.

To the northwest of the vine-covered path lies a gentle hillside, the very place where Jiang Rong and his group hunted the mutated wolves. They had carved out a path on the hillside to set up their traps.

Jiang Xiaoheng cut open the dog food bag, and the two children struggled to push it over, spilling the fragrant dog food all over the ground. Lele was about to step forward when Jiang Xiaoheng stopped her: "Lele, this is for DouDou."

Lele whimpered a few times in grievance before lying down. After Jiang Xiaoheng and Jiang Hao finished pouring out the dog food, they secretly put the empty bag away. They called softly towards the mountains, "Dou Dou, Dou Dou, dinner's ready!"

After shouting, the two children dragged the small cart toward the gate. As they approached Jiang Rong's vegetable patch, where only one chili pepper grew, they heard a commotion on the path.

A giant tiger, nearly three meters long, walked steadily down the hillside. Its head was larger than half of Jiang Xiaoheng's body, and every hair on its body shone brightly in the sunlight.

It cautiously walked to the dog food, raised its head and looked in Jiang Xiaoheng's direction. The next moment, it lowered its head and began to lick the dog food on the ground, its thick, long tail wagging rhythmically.

Jiang Xiaoheng and Jiang Hao stood at the gate watching the giant tiger eat dog food. The tiger devoured the entire bag of dog food in less than twenty minutes. After finishing, the tiger looked up again in Jiang Xiaoheng's direction. The two men and the tiger watched quietly, while Lele, with its tail between its legs and its fur standing on end, didn't dare move.

The tiger wagged its tail, turned around, and walked back up the mountain along the same path it had come from. The only sound it made was swallowing dog food.

Soon the tiger's figure disappeared completely into the forest. Jiang Xiaoheng asked softly, "Big brother, do you think DouDou is full?"

Jiang Hao made two "ah ah" sounds. They fed him twice as much dog food as yesterday. He should be full by now, right?

Jiang Xiaoheng was still worried: "Brother, if DouDou isn't full, where will it find food?"

Jiang Hao gazed at the mountains to the northwest. Such a large forest must be teeming with rats. Perhaps Dou Dou could catch a ton of them?

*

At 8:20 p.m., Chu Qiang received a message from his parents. After turning off the radio, he laughed out loud: "See? I told you so! They were watching cartoons."

Jiang Rong sighed with a headache: "These two kids are too addicted to animation."

Chu Qiang chuckled and said, "Your family has more than just two kids who are addicted to animation?" Little Fairy and Little Darling have become loyal animation fans. Just as they were talking, Little Darling was humming the Meow Meow Team theme song in the back of the truck.

Jiang Rong sighed, "Once this busy period is over, I'll have to find some teachers to give them lessons. They can't get addicted to cartoons; it'll ruin their lives." Once the base is built, people from all walks of life will definitely come to join us. He needs to carefully select some teachers to establish Xinghuo Kindergarten, Primary School, and Middle School.

Chu Qiang's lips twitched: "Come on, you weren't even as good as your son when you were three. Look at how pathetic you were as a child. I still remember you had a bib hanging around your neck when you were little, and on it..."

Jiang Rong turned and glanced at Chu Qiang, who said knowingly, "Alright, I understand. I'll shut up, okay?"

Although the road to D University is only about 50 kilometers long, the traffic was so bad that everyone had to use forklifts and bulldozers to clear the way as they walked. What should have been a journey of less than an hour took a full five or six hours. It wasn't until midnight that the main gate of D University finally appeared before them.

The main gate and the surrounding walls were sealed off completely by an unknown material. Judging from the height and thickness of the seal, there must be people with superpowers on campus.

The solar streetlights at the school gate flickered intermittently due to poor contact, making the surroundings even more gloomy. From the darkness came the low growls of wild beasts, and pairs of blood-red eyes converged from all directions.

Chu Qiang couldn't help but rub his arms: "Ugh~ Xiao Jiang, why do I feel a chill in this place?"

Jiang Rong felt the same way. He opened the window of the heavy truck and snapped his fingers: "Little darling."

The red, bloodthirsty vines, nearly two meters in diameter, behind the heavy truck responded, "Listen to me!" As soon as the words left its mouth, the red ball rolled off the truck, and the red vines quickly spread out, bypassing the abandoned vehicle and heading straight for those pairs of eyes.

All anyone saw was Little Darling roll something up and throw it to the ground. After a terrifying howl, silence fell. A moment later, Little Darling rolled back and rubbed a vine against Jiang Rong's face.

Whenever Little Darling performs this action, it means it has completed Jiang Rong's command. Jiang Rong infused Little Darling with some supernatural power: "Thank you for your hard work."

After Xiao Guaiguai eliminated the potential dangers outside the school, it was Chu Qiang's turn. He pressed a button on the truck, and the modified headlights on the truck's roof suddenly turned on, illuminating an area of ​​several dozen meters. A loud broadcast blared from the truck's roof speaker: "We are members of the Starfire Base, here to take the survivors home."

A deafening loudspeaker blared through the night, its rousing words echoing across the D University campus. However, five minutes later, the campus remained silent; no one responded to Jiang Rong and her group.

Pan Pan jogged up from behind and knocked on Jiang Rong's car window: "Brother Jiang, how about I open the school gate first? I took a look, and the school gate is blocked by mud and steel. It shouldn't be difficult to break through."

Jiang Rong nodded slightly: "Okay, but be careful."

Fearing that Pan Pan might encounter some danger when opening the passage, Xiao Guaiguai climbed over the wall beforehand to eliminate any potential hazards. However, it had barely climbed over the wall when it rushed back in a panic, crying, "Big, big!"

Jiang Rong was stunned. Could there be something on the D University campus that even the Bloodthirsty Vine found terrifying?

He focused his attention on the little boy and, following the vines that stretched into the school grounds, saw a camphor tree that blocked out the sky. This tree was planted in front of the library, about a hundred meters away, and its branches spread out to shade the path from the library to the school gate.

The darkness provided excellent camouflage, preventing them from spotting the mutated camphor tree immediately.

The superhumans were stumped. They gathered together to discuss how to deal with the mutated camphor tree. Mutated plants often possess some special abilities; for example, the Fairy Tree can emit sharp thorns, and the Little Darling Tree can suck the blood and flesh of mutated plants and animals.

Before the major crisis, camphor trees were widely planted in D City as ornamental trees. It's unknown what kind of special abilities this camphor tree on the D University campus possesses. If it can kill with its leaves like a fairy, then this group of people would be easy prey.

Moreover, judging from Xiao Guaiguai's reaction, this camphor tree was something it feared, which made Jiang Rong even more hesitant. Jiang Rong opened his computer and brought up a map of D University. As a comprehensive university, D University's campus was very large, with five main gates alone.

Jiang Rong stared at the computer for a while and then pointed to the other gates: "The East Gate is closer to the student dormitories, so why don't we go to the East Gate and turn on the loudspeaker to spread the word? If the people inside hear our message, they should be able to respond. If there's no response from the East Gate, we'll try other gates. In short, we shouldn't rashly enter the camphor tree area."

Just as everyone was preparing to leave according to Jiang Rong's instructions, a strange commotion suddenly came from in front of the main gate. The mud and iron stones blocking the gate fell down, revealing a wide road leading directly to the campus.

As everyone looked intently, they saw the motion-sensor streetlights on both sides of the road lighting up one after another, and an elderly man in a blue robe with white hair was walking slowly under the streetlights.

The moment Jiang Rong saw the old man, she felt an indescribable aura emanating from him. The old man seemed like an ancient figure who had stepped out of a painting; he wore a simple, ancient robe, his long white hair was tied up with a withered branch, and his white beard hung neatly on his chest.

Pan Pan's face turned pale: "Is it a person or a ghost? This is too creepy, especially at night."

The old man continued forward until he stopped inside the school gate. His gaze swept over the faces of the crowd, finally settling on Jiang Rong. The white-haired old man's eyes lit up, and he clasped his hands in a fist salute towards Jiang Rong, saying, "Young friend, I am deeply grateful for your late-night assistance. Please forgive my lack of hospitality."

Chu Qiang muttered under his breath, "What did he say?"

Jiang Rong pursed her lips and said softly, "Just some polite words."

Although it was just a polite remark, Jiang Rong still had to be courteous to the person in front of him. He cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, just like the old man, and said, "I am Jiang Rong, an ability user from the Spark Base. I heard the distress call from the students of D University, so I brought my teammates to rescue them."

The old man's smile deepened: "Very good, very good. I will now show you the way, young friend. Please follow me."

Jiang Rong had only taken two steps forward when Chu Qiang grabbed his arm: "Are you crazy? We don't even know if this person is human or a ghost, and you dare to follow them?"

Jiang Rong remained calm: "Otherwise what?" He didn't sense any killing intent from the other party, and he wouldn't be afraid if things really came to a head.

Little Guai Guai followed closely behind Jiang Rong, afraid of being left behind by its master. However, just as it rolled to the vicinity of the school gate, the old man stopped. He bowed to Jiang Rong and said, "Young friend, could you leave your spiritual plant outside the courtyard? It is a fierce creature and might frighten the students."

Jiang Rong nodded slightly: "Little darling, stay here."

The little darling shook the vines and huddled near the gate, looking pitiful as it turned into a ball.

Seeing Jiang Rong follow the old man into the campus, Ruan Hanyu's eyes reddened with anxiety: "Brother Pan, what should we do? Should we follow them?"

Chu Qiang gritted his teeth: "You guys wait outside, I'll go in with Xiao Jiang. If we haven't come out in half an hour, you take your men and leave immediately." If Xiao Jiang hadn't told him not to act rashly, he would have shot this old guy a few times first.

As soon as Jiang Rong entered the campus, he smelled a refreshing scent of camphor trees. He had rarely smelled such a pleasant aroma since the Black Rain incident. In Jiang Rong's imagination, the D University campus should be no different from the outside world. However, upon entering, he found the campus exceptionally clean; not a single leaf could be seen on the ground.

The elderly man walked steadily ahead, his demeanor calm and composed, like a learned professor. Jiang Rong tentatively asked, "May I ask your name, sir? And which subject do you teach?"

D University is a renowned comprehensive university in China, and its graduates have been employed in various fields in recent years. It's not surprising that a university capable of producing so many talented individuals would have a few unconventional professors. Judging from the old man's demeanor and speech, he must be a professor with extensive knowledge of ancient history and literature.

Upon hearing this, the old man stopped in his tracks, stroked his white beard, and laughed heartily: "Young friend, you flatter me. I have no name, nor have I been able to impart knowledge or teach anyone. I am but a tree."

As he spoke, the old man stretched out his withered hand and pointed upwards: "This old man is referring to this camphor tree, which is over 1,800 years old."

Jiang Rong stood there stunned, while Chu Qiang was so shocked that he couldn't speak for a long time.

The old man raised his head and looked at the gnarled branches of the camphor tree, his eyes filled with nostalgia and relief: "I have stood between heaven and earth for over a thousand years, witnessing the vicissitudes of life. Young friend, do not be afraid, I am nearing the end of my life. Fortunately, you have come, and I can finally lay down my burden and entrust the inheritance of our culture to you."

Chu Qiang finally snapped out of his daze: "Is this guy still half asleep? What nonsense is he talking about?"

Author's Note:

Jiang Xiaoheng: Dad, my older brother and I have adopted a little bean outside. Can we bring it back?

Jiang Rong: What did you raise?

Jiang Xiaoheng: I raised a bean.

Jiang Rong: What?!

Xiao Heng: ...Bean... Waaah, Daddy, I was wrong.