Chapter 27: On the Confiscation of Private Property

A middle-aged regimental-level officer in the Beicheng Military Region has been accused by name of engaging in feudal superstition during his tenure!

When Huan Ni gloated and asked Shi Yuan to guess who this middle-aged regimental-level cadre was, Shi Yuan was stunned.

"No, how do you know what happened in Beicheng?" Shi Yuan grabbed Huan Ni and started stroking her. "Tell me, were you looking for someone in Beicheng behind my back?"

Huan Ni struggled to free her distorted head from Shi Yuan's clutches: "Who are you looking for? I have inside information!"

She said smugly, "The information is absolutely genuine!"

"Wu Guanhai got set up?"

"How did you know it was Wu Guanhai?"

Shi Yuan rolled her eyes at Huan Ni: "If it weren't for him, would you be this happy?"

"Hey, you know me!" Huan Ni was still excited and chattered about the news she had just received, "I heard that Wu Xingzhou was summoned to the Wu family's old house to come up with a solution as soon as he got off the train."

Shi Yuan frowned. Wu Guanhai's identity was no secret. It was precisely because they knew Wu Guanhai's identity and knew that he had real skills that no one would deliberately cause trouble for such a feng shui and fortune-telling master unless they had a grudge against him.

"Do you know who ordered this?" Are you that stubborn?

Huan Ni shook her head: "I don't know about that."

"Whoever it is, I'm willing to call him a great person!" Huan Ni flapped her wings and circled in the sky. "Maybe the Wu family will fall without you even lifting a finger!"

"I'm going to play with Gu Linfeng, I won't be back for dinner!" Huan Ni said, and before Shi Yuan could reply, she flapped her wings and flew away.

Shi Yuan chuckled and shook her head. After returning from the valley, Huan Ni and Gu Linfeng started playing together, and he would come back every now and then to bring her some news from the outside world.

She knew that Gu Linyuan had told her this through Gu Linfeng, and that it was, in a way, employee benefits?

While thinking about Wu Guanhai, Shi Yuan watered the potted plants on the windowsill and unknowingly overwatered them.

Just as Shi Yuan was about to remedy the situation after discovering the problem, there was a knock on the door; it was Shi Ling.

She put down the kettle and said, "Do it yourself," before opening the door.

Shi Ling looked a little anxious: "Shi Yuan, I don't know if I'm overthinking it, but I feel like Shi Ming is acting a little strange."

Shi Yuan pulled Shi Ling to sit down and said softly, "Don't rush, tell me slowly."

"Well, didn't it rain a few days ago?"

Shi Yuan nodded, signaling Shi Ling to continue.

The heavy rain continued intermittently for a long time. When the rain stopped, Li Mingfen called Shi Ling to go up the mountain to pick mushrooms, saying that she remembered Shi Ling loved mushroom soup the most.

Shi Ming, who had just finished cleaning the well, said that it was not safe to go up the mountain because it had been raining for so long, and told Shi Ling not to go.

“It’s easy for Auntie to want mushroom soup,” he said with a simple smile. “I’ll just make a trip up the mountain.” With that, he grabbed a burlap sack and headed out the door.

Shi Ling didn't even have time to call the person to stop.

Fortunately, Shi Ming returned before dinner.

"Shi Ming looks the same as usual, but I feel he's much more gloomy than before." Shi Ling didn't think of anything else, but asked worriedly, "Do you think something might have happened to the child?"

"It's alright, I'll go check on him right away," Shi Yuan reassured with a smile. "If anything happens to him, I'll help him resolve it."

Before and after Shi Ming recognized his relatives, he always did his best for Shi Ling. If Shi Ming were in trouble, Shi Yuan would definitely not stand idly by.

"Wait for me at home, I'll be back soon." As she said this, Shi Yuan glanced at the potted plant on the windowsill. Seeing the plant swaying its leaves in the wind, she felt relieved and went out the door.

When Shi Yuan arrived at the educated youth settlement, she happened to run into Shi Ming as he was leaving. As soon as Shi Ming saw her, he ran up the mountain as if he had seen a ghost.

Shi Yuan sneered, "Isn't this just like seeing a ghost?"

However, it wasn't Shi Ming who saw a ghost; it was her who saw a ghost.

Shi Ming is possessed by that male ghost who cries and begs to be reincarnated every day!

That's incredibly audacious! They dare to mess with the people she protects!

Shi Yuan lifted her foot and chased after him.

"Sister, please stop chasing me. I just... I just don't want to be human in my next life. I just want to eat some hot food and bask in the sun. I'll return this body to its right now!" The male ghost said, and then tried to get off Shi Ming's body.

Shi Yuan's attitude was quite good, and there was no murderous intent in her voice: "Shi Ming has a lot of murderous aura. Tell me, how did you possess him?"

The male ghost stammered, "I don't know either." He had tried many times without success. "That day, I saw him picking mushrooms, and I tried pouncing on him as usual." And it worked!

"The day we picked mushrooms." Shi Yuan pondered, pushing the timeline back a few days to before the rain, when she brought the Reincarnation Platform and the Three-Life Flower out of the valley.

So, that's when ghosts started being able to harass people?

"Are there many other lonely ghosts like you on this mountain?" Shi Yuan asked.

If this thing keeps to itself and doesn't interfere with people, then it's fine. But the problem is that it might be like a male ghost, always thinking about pouncing on people. She has already accepted the letter of appointment and is an official member of the Seventh Division.

Well, even though I'm a demon hunter, I still have to step in and deal with anything unusual when it happens. I sometimes feel guilty about getting paid for nothing.

She remembered that when Sheng Yunhua sent Zhu Xiangyun to be reincarnated, he told her that ghosts had to earn points at the Seventh Division to be reincarnated.

Perfect timing! She can cleanse the ghosts of Qinglin Bay, get some results for the Seventh Division, and save these ghosts from disturbing Shi Ling.

The male ghost became bolder when he saw Shi Yuan's kind attitude. He rolled his eyes, but Shi Yuan turned her head away.

It's not that I find it offensive, but Shi Ming is a bit of a green tea bitch. He loves to act, but when he acts, it's so smooth that he would never let someone see him rolling his eyes like that.

This makes him seem a bit cunning, but not very smart.

If Shi Ming were like that, he might not have survived the underground boxing market.

The male ghost smiled ingratiatingly and made a request: "Sister, if I tell you where the other ghosts on this mountain are, will you send me to be reincarnated?"

"If you're so eager to be reincarnated, why didn't you properly enter the gates of hell during the Ghost Festival?"

The male ghost remained silent. Shi Yuan didn't force him to answer, but instead said, "If you're not willing to cooperate, I can take you in."

Actually, she doesn't know how to exorcise ghosts; like I said, she hasn't learned it.

But the Seventh Division has members who specialize in managing ghosts. She issues a summoning talisman, and someone else takes over. So she said this without any guilt.

The male ghost took a step back, a look of fear on his face: "Sister, I didn't mean to harm anyone, and I've never harmed anyone."

Shi Yuan looked at him expressionlessly. He was only hurting Shi Ming by possessing him!

If Shi Ling doesn't notice Shi Ming's abnormality, over time, Shi Ming's lifespan will be affected.

Shi Ming swayed, and a phantom floated out of his body before he fell straight to the ground.

Shi Yuan reached out to support the man and said to the male ghost, "Come with me to the Seventh Division to explain your situation, then go earn points and wait to be reincarnated."

"Sister, please let me reincarnate! I beg you!"

Shi Ming slowly woke up, somewhat disoriented: "Shi Yuan? What are you doing here?"

He said with a smile, "I picked a lot of mushrooms for my aunt. Let's go down the mountain together."

“Okay,” Shi Yuan replied. “The sun is strong over there, so go wait for me there. We’ll go down the mountain in a bit.”

Upon hearing Shi Yuan's words, Shi Ming also felt a damp sensation on his body, and without saying anything, he went to sunbathe.

“I can’t let you reincarnate,” Shi Yuan said.

"Sister, you have a way!" The male ghost's eyes were full of longing. "Sister, I don't want to be human in my next life. Please arrange for me to be a plant."

Shi Yuan: ...?

Are there people who don't want to be human anymore?

"It's not easy to arrange this." Shi Yuan said honestly, "You have to wait for a number, let alone the Reincarnation Platform is still 'dead'."

"Yes, I know you have a treasure, sister." The male ghost looked at Shi Yuan with anticipation. "Sister, please, let me be a powerful plant in my next life."

"Why don't you want to be human anymore?" The question came from Huan Ni, who had finished playing with Gu Linfeng and was now returning to her nest like a weary beast. "Being a plant is so boring!"

The male ghost shook his head with a wry smile: "Being a human is meaningless."

Huan Ni immediately flew forward and chased after the male ghost, asking him why. Wherever the male ghost turned his head to avoid her, Huan Ni flew there, as if she wouldn't give up until she found out something.

In the end, Huan Ni coaxed the male ghost, saying that she would plead with Shi Yuan to let him be a tree in his next life, and that if they were destined to meet again, she would water, fertilize, and loosen the soil for him.

The male ghost was moved and spoke.

However, his opening remarks were quite astounding.

“The person who gave birth to me was Japanese,” the male ghost said. “She was a special agent who stayed behind in the Flower Kingdom during the Great Evacuation to carry out a special mission.”

As soon as he said that, Shi Yuan and Huan Ni fell silent.

For a fleeting moment, Shi Yuan considered turning around and leaving. She had a gut feeling that knowing about the male ghost would cause a lot of trouble.

However, Shi Yuan's vigilance towards R herself was ingrained in her bones, and her legs just wouldn't obey her commands!

"You, continue." Her voice was calm, her expression gentle, and her gaze towards the male ghost no longer showed disgust, as if she had been conquered by his sincerity.

The male ghost looked at Shi Yuan with a sincere expression and said, "Sister, please don't hate me. My father was from the Flower Kingdom."

"This is a skewer!" Huan Ni whispered in Shi Yuan's ear.

"Unfortunately, none of them love me." The male ghost sounded somewhat resigned. "She only followed him and pretended to be a slut to extract information, and she even had me with him."

"At first, he treated her coldly, but later, when he realized that there was something wrong with her identity, he began to be polite and courteous to her."

"Later, she finally deciphered the coded message left by the Blue Army and discovered clues to what the Blue Army had left behind. He then pursued her relentlessly."

"In the end, she died on her way to find something important to the Blue Army, while he only wanted to find out where the Blue Army left behind was."

Neither of them thought about me.

“I died a long time ago, and I’ve been following them all along.”

Shi Yuan: ...I don't know if I can say this, but with so many "he"s, she's a little confused about who's who.

But the male ghost was in a low mood, so she didn't press him for details and decided to leave it at that.

Anyway, that's the gist of it.

As the male ghost spoke, a smug look appeared on his face: "But they never imagined that in the end, I would find out where these things are."

"Yes, what is it?" Shi Yuan asked.

“My sister sent me to be reborn as a tree, so I told my sister.”

"To be honest, it will take a little more time," Shi Yuan said with a forced smile. "But I hope you can tell me where those things are."

The male ghost's lips curled up higher and higher, half of his face was covered by his mouth, and he finally looked somewhat ferocious: "I knew it, nobody cares about me, all you care about are those things."

"I'm not telling you!" After saying that, his figure blurred for a moment, as if he was about to escape.

In her haste, Shi Yuan couldn't wait to draw the talisman to summon the soul, and grabbed the male ghost's arm.

The male ghost failed to escape and reappeared, his face filled with shock. "No, he's a ghost! How could Shi Yuan catch him!"

Shi Yuan didn't know either; she just reached out and grabbed it!

But that's not important. What's important is: "I won't tell you. I'll let you reincarnate right now, and I'll let you be a human again in your next life, and I'll let you be a human in every life!"

Huan Ni's lips twitched: ...This threat is quite terrifying!

The male ghost struggled violently: "You are all bad people! I don't want to be human! I don't want to be human! Let me go!"

"If you confess properly, I'll let you go, and I'll even let you be a tree for every lifetime, just as you wish."

Huan Ni couldn't help but ask, "What if he regrets it and doesn't want to be a tree anymore?"

"I won't regret it!" the male ghost roared at Huan Ni. "I'm going to become a tree, occupy a good mountain, cultivate into a tree demon, become incomparably powerful, and be the only one who reigns supreme!" As he said this, his eyes turned red, and his hair stood on end.

Shi Yuan patted the back of the male ghost's head: "Stop acting crazy, quickly tell me the whereabouts of those things."

The male ghost shut his mouth.

Shi Ming broke out in a cold sweat, and timidly raised his hand to ask, "Shi Yuan, what's going on?"

"Next time you go to see Zhu Zhishan, ask him for some ox tears."

Shi Ming understood immediately, after all, he had been involved in Zhu Xiangyun's reincarnation: "There's... there's something fishy going on?"

Shi Yuan nodded: "If you're scared, go home first."

Of course he was afraid. He wasn't Ah Da anymore, but Shi Ming. He hadn't had a proper good life for long, and he couldn't bear to give it up.

But, "Where are the mushrooms I picked?"

"I washed and dried everything for you, and even made mushroom soup for your aunt," the male ghost said eerily. "Your aunt said it was delicious. Thank you."

Shi Ming: ...Thank you too!

He roughly knew what had happened and why Shi Yuan had let him sunbathe.

He quickly touched himself; thankfully, his body was still intact, it was still his body.

He had just heard Shi Yuan say something about being a person or a tree, and this male ghost looked like a madman. He hoped that the ghost wouldn't do anything unspeakable to his body!

No, he needs to go back and check it carefully right away.

"Well, if there's nothing else for me, I'll head down the mountain first."

Shi Yuan hummed in agreement, then grabbed the male ghost and said, "You won't talk, huh? I'll send you to be reincarnated right now." With that, she slightly raised her right index and middle fingers, tapped her forehead, and drew out a ray of moonlight to throw at the male ghost.

Of course, she was just bluffing; she had no idea how to send a ghost to be reincarnated.

But the male ghost believed it. Why was he so determined to become a plant? Because he had witnessed firsthand the power of the demonic plant.

He wanted to become strong so that no one could bully him or abandon him!

Being a person is no good, it's too tiring and too bitter!

"I'll talk, I'll talk!" the male ghost shouted hurriedly.

Shi Yuan felt a sense of relief. If the male ghost persisted a little longer, she really wouldn't be able to keep up the act anymore.

Where is it?

"It's in that valley."

Could it be? "Shi Meili's private collection?" Shi Yuan and Huan Ni exchanged a glance, their faces filled with disbelief.

No way!

That was Shi Meili's lifeline. She agreed to the contract on the condition that Shi would not touch her private belongings!

Oh no! How embarrassing!

"What private property?" the male ghost asked, puzzled. "Things left behind by the Blue Army are buried there, things they're looking for." His tone became low again.

Shi Yuan couldn't feel the male ghost's sorrow. She was thinking about how to tell Shi Meili about this. To be honest, she was afraid that Shi Meili would go crazy.

Disaster!

We can only try to appease Shi Meili when the time comes; after all, this is a big deal and cannot be taken lightly.

Shi Yuan dragged the male ghost to the town, where Feng Cheng happened to be there. He opened Gu Linyuan's third eye, and Shi Yuan made the male ghost tell the story again.

The male ghost was naturally unwilling to have his wounds reopened, but Gu Linyuan said that there was a haunted house in the seventh location with many ghosts in similar situations to him. Once the Blue Army matter was settled, he could go there to work and earn points.

Once he has enough points, send him to be reincarnated as a tree, and let him specify where he will take root.

Shi Yuan: ...The Reincarnation Platform isn't a wishing well, you know!

The male ghost then recounted the whole story again, and said to Shi Yuan, "Sister, there are no other ghosts in Qinglin Bay. I am the last one." After saying that, he quietly waited for Gu Linyuan to take him to the haunted house.

“Let’s go to the valley and check it out first. If it’s true, I’ll report it to the military.” Gu Linyuan said.

This matter is not under the jurisdiction of the Seventh Division, but because the male ghost who provided the information has a special identity, it is troublesome to report it directly. However, if it is confirmed that there are indeed things left by the Blue Army in the valley, then things will be simple.

Wu Family of Beicheng

Thanks to the Wu family's skillful management, Wu Guanhai was forced to take leave, but his military rank and other responsibilities were not affected.

But his temper has become very bad these past few days, and even Xie Minyin, who claims to be his true love, is about to lose her temper.

After Wu Guanhai swept the tonic soup she had brought onto the floor again, she finally couldn't hold back any longer: "Wu Guanhai, that's enough!"

"I'm already exhausted from work every day, and I still have to take care of your meals and drinks. There's a ton of stuff to do around the house. Can you please stop giving me extra work?"

"I have a temper too!"

"Then get out! We're getting a divorce!" Wu Guanhai showed Xie Minyin no respect whatsoever. "I told you to get out! Did you hear me!"

"Guanhai, I was wrong. I won't make a fuss anymore. Let's live a good life together." Xie Minyin immediately lost her temper and said all sorts of nice things before Wu Guanhai stopped mentioning divorce.

"I'll bring you another bowl of nourishing soup. You haven't been eating properly for days; you'll ruin your health." Without waiting for Wu Guanhai's reply, she cleaned up the broken pieces of the soup bowl and left the study.

Xie Minyin went to the kitchen, threw away the broken pieces, took out a small bowl, ladled out some nourishing soup, and carried the tray upstairs.

As she approached the study door, just as she was about to knock, she heard Wu Guanhai's voice: "We already have clues, finding those things would be a great achievement, so who is trying to frame me?"

The voice on the other end of the phone was a bit muffled, and Xie Minyin couldn't hear it clearly. Wu Guanhai then said, "Go and investigate the informant's connections. You must find the person behind him."

Otherwise, if we report him again when it really matters, he might not even be able to stay in the military, let alone get promoted.

After hearing what was said on the other end of the phone, Wu Guanhai hummed in response and said "as soon as possible" before hanging up.

Xie Minyin silently counted to ten before knocking and entering. She coaxed Wu Guanhai to drink the nourishing soup and then coaxed him to rest before tiptoeing back to the study.

She wanted to know what Wu Guanhai was looking for. If she could help him find it, their relationship could definitely be restored to what it was before.

Although Wu Guanhai has been very irritable and difficult to please lately, he still manages to drink the nourishing soup every time.

Xie Minyin touched her belly, revealing an expectant look. She quickly composed herself and quietly began searching the study.

After searching for a while without finding anything, she was worried that Wu Guanhai might wake up and was about to leave when he accidentally kicked the wastebasket. She immediately squatted down to straighten it and found some scraps of paper inside, which she picked out.

The shredded paper was torn into tiny pieces. Xie Minyin spent a long time piecing it together, only managing to vaguely piece together a few words: "Blue, treasure." Xie Minyin frowned. "What does that mean?"

She dared not take the shredded paper with her and left the study with a sense of unease.

After Wu Guanhai woke up, she took her bag, told him a few words to take care of himself, and then said she was going to work.

After leaving the house, she went straight to her parents' home.

"Blue, a treasure?" Xie Minyin's brother's eyes flashed with a sharp light upon hearing this. "Where did you get this information from?"

"Brother, don't worry about it, just tell me if you know what this means?" Xie Minyin asked anxiously.

“There’s something interesting about this.” Xie Minyin’s brother actually knew. “It is said that when the Blue Army retreated, they looted a lot of gold and silver jewelry, but they were well-equipped and could not take everything with them.”

They were all valuable items, and no one wanted to destroy them, so they sent people to hide them away.

Many people know the truth of this matter, but they all keep their mouths shut and no one dares to spread it.

"Recently, someone from the local area has provided some clues that prove the Blue Army really left behind a huge treasure."

"Several parties are looking for this Blue Army treasure."

"Little sister, has your brother-in-law mentioned any clues about the treasure to you?"

"No, I only found it by searching through the trash can." She recounted the conversation she overheard on the phone and asked, "Brother, do you think that Guan Hai being reported by name this time is because someone doesn't want him to get credit for his work?"

Xie Minzhi's eyes flickered upon hearing this, and he said, "I don't know about that. You'd have to ask him if he's offended anyone."

"Brother, are you guys also looking for this Blue Army treasure?" Xie Minyin asked.

Xie Minzhi nodded. He worked in an administrative position in the government and occasionally came into contact with some confidential documents. Of course, the documents were all sealed and he was not authorized to look at them.

But he was popular and could always chat with the secret technique that delivered the documents.

You say a few words, he says a few words, and you can get a glimpse of some information.

Just like he knew that the meeting of officers above the regimental level in the military camp a while ago was because of the information about the Blue Army's treasure that was submitted from the local area.

If Wu Guanhai hadn't been reported, he would probably be heading south to search for treasure by now.

After all, he understands feng shui and fortune telling, making him the best candidate to lead the treasure hunt.

For now, this matter will likely have to be put on hold until the military re-selects a candidate.

"Little sister, I'm going south on a business trip. Please take good care of your husband."

"Okay, bro, I'm off to work now."

After Xie Minyin left, Xie Minzhi packed his luggage and went to the train station.

The military is known for its efficiency, and the team leader should be decided soon, leaving him with little time.

It's a pity that I didn't have a suitable opportunity to leave Beicheng in the past two days.

The seventh site in Qingzhen

After Gu Linyuan had the male ghost settled, he went to Qinglin Bay with Shi Yuan Fengcheng.

"Why haven't I seen Aunt Yun?" Shi Yuan rolled down the car window, feeling the cool breeze of early autumn, her tone gentle.

This wind feels so nice, unlike in the apocalypse where you might suddenly encounter a mutated wind that hits you in the head with a huge bulge.

“She’s researching ancient texts,” Feng Cheng said without hiding anything. “Some of these ancient texts contain records of the Reincarnation Platform.”

"We all hope the Reincarnation Platform can be put into use soon." Feng Cheng's voice was filled with worry.

Just as the flower demon Sang Rou needed to draw demon blood to sustain Ma Rong's life, Fengcheng also needed to continuously supply her with yin energy to sustain Sheng Yunhua's life.

Unlike the flower fairies, they never considered taking shortcuts or achieving their goals by harming people.

They even joined the Seventh Division to help maintain the balance between humans, demons, ghosts, and monsters, accepting the constraints of the Seventh Division's various rules and regulations, and voluntarily adding shackles to themselves.

So many years have passed, and despite Fengcheng's arrogant appearance, it is actually at its last gasp.

Although he survived the catastrophe, he was severely injured. In addition, he was unwilling to harm people or ghosts, so the yin energy in his body was only going out and not coming in. He wouldn't last many more years.

"Aunt Yun, thank you for your trouble." The words were a bit dry. Shi Yuan wasn't embarrassed because the Reincarnation Platform couldn't be used immediately; that wasn't a problem that could be solved by her embarrassment.

She was somewhat moved, noting that some people go to great lengths to be reborn as a human in their next life, while others are the exact opposite, determined never to be human again.

The ways of the world are truly unpredictable.

While lost in thought, Shi Yuan didn't notice that the car had become completely quiet, nor did she notice that the Three-Life Flower mark on her forehead had suddenly appeared and was slightly darker than before.

Gu Linyuan drove without looking to the side, but his eyes met Feng Cheng's in the back seat when he glanced at the rearview mirror. Both of them had expectant looks in their eyes.

Shi Yuan was stunned when she realized she had fallen asleep in the car. She had no idea that her trust in Gu Linyuan and Feng Cheng had reached this level!

We can't let Huan Ni know this, or she'll definitely make a scene!

Shi Yuan looked at the high valley with some embarrassment. She looked towards Fengcheng. Neither she nor Gu Linyuan could fly, so they could only rely on her Ghost King uncle.

Feng Cheng smiled, grasped her shoulders, and without needing any assistance, carried Shi Yuan into the sky.

Unlike the feeling of flying with an eagle last time, Shi Yuan felt a chill on her feet, and her main thought was: No wonder so many people like to show off, it feels really great.

Then she saw Gu Linyuan, surrounded by peach leaves and following behind them.

This guy's showing off is off the charts!

etc!

Gu Linyuan can fly!

That day, she and her fellow sufferers dragged the eagle's claws into the valley.

Gu Linyuan seemed to know what Shi Yuan was thinking and explained with a smile, "It was very windy that day, and I was worried that something might happen to you."

Haha! You're actually a pretty nice person! Shi Yuan rolled her eyes with her eyes closed. So, she's the only one who can't fly!

Soon Shi Yuan became more grounded.

Shi Yuan recounted Shi Meili's secret collection: "I previously thought that Shi Meili's collection consisted of branches or roots that she gathered from different places."

"Now that I think about it, is it possible that her secret stash was something left behind by the Blue Team?"

Gu Linyuan nodded: "Very likely."

They had already thoroughly searched the valley last time and were absolutely certain that the mountain walls were solid, with no caves, secret rooms, or passages, and there was nowhere to hide anything on the surface of the valley.

Besides the enormous Shi Meili, there was also an ancient tree in the valley that had lived for an unknown amount of time. Shi Yuan was standing in front of the tree, staring at it intently.

Shi Yuan's eyes held a knowing look and an interest. A gentle breeze blew by, and the branches and leaves of the large tree trembled in the wind.

Since the Reincarnation Platform and the Three-Life Flower entered her brow, she has achieved the skill of catching ghosts with her bare hands. A smile flashed in Shi Yuan's eyes. It seems that her skill has been upgraded by another level.

What appears to be an ordinary tree is actually a tree demon.

"Is there something wrong with this tree?" Gu Linyuan walked over to Shi Yuan and looked at the tree with her.

Before he could answer, he suddenly smiled faintly: "Now I understand what it means to be blind to what's right under your nose."

After their battle with Shi Meili, the entire valley was in ruins, with almost all the flowers, trees, and plants destroyed. Only this big tree looked like it was covered with the corpses of flowers, trees, and plants, and it looked like it had been ravaged and trampled.

But in fact, this guy protected himself very well; there wasn't even a scratch on the tree bark.

very good!

If they're smart, communication won't be a problem.

Shi Yuan touched the tree trunk with both hands and asked it if it knew where the treasure was hidden in the valley.

The big tree indicated that it knew this, and that it and Shi Meili had divided the treasures in a 30/70 split, with the tree receiving 30% and Shi Meili receiving 70%.

Shi Yuan then asked him, "Where is the baby now?"

The tree said it could hand over the treasures, but since it had kept them for so many years, it had to choose two to keep as souvenirs, and also give it the valley.

Shi Yuan: ...If it weren't for the tree in front of her, she would have thought she was negotiating with someone!

Shi Yuan repeated Da Shu's words to Gu Linyuan and Feng Cheng, and the two of them also showed expressions that were hard to describe.

"Also, he said that although he knew where Shi Meili hid the treasure, he could not betray Shi Meili; he was only responsible for handing over his own share."

Big Tree was adamant about this. Shi Meili had taken in a foolish eagle who had offended humans, and it was fine if he didn't help. Demons had their own survival rules, and Shi Meili wouldn't punish him for that.

But if he reveals the location of Shi Meili's treasure to anyone, then his old man will have to come out and bask in the sun.

He can't do it!

Anyway, he has never committed any crimes, not even killed a mosquito, so the people in the Seventh Division can't do anything to him!

Gu Linyuan chuckled: "When you're in trouble, you should tell him that it's okay to act expediently in an emergency. The treasures and the valley belong to the public; we don't have the right to dispose of them, and neither does he."

"His refusal to hand over the treasure was a last-ditch effort. The Seventh Division could take emergency measures and deal with him."

"I heard you!" Shi Yuan shrugged, looking helpless. "If you get your roots dug up, it has nothing to do with me!"

This is outrageous!

However, he was slightly weaker than Shi Meili and didn't dare to confront them head-on. So he came up with a brilliant idea: "Then I demand the same treatment as Shi Meili!"

He looked at Shi Yuan and said, "I want to form a contract with you!"

"Then, however much money Shi Meili pays, I'll pay the same amount!"

"We demand fairness!"

"Also, I want my surname to be Shi, and I want to be called Shi Qingtian!"

Shi Yuan: ...Whatever makes you happy!

If this were in the apocalypse, Shi Yuan would be overjoyed to be begged to make a contract with a mutated plant, and would agree without hesitation.

Mutant plants are like weapons with unlimited growth potential!

However, Shi Yuan felt that having too many demon plant contracts might not be a good thing.

But she's willing to sign with Big Tree.

Aside from Huan Ni, no one knew that on the very night Shi Meili made a contract with her, she had searched the entire area within a ten-mile radius and found several pieces of gold for her. Shi Meili said that these were a tribute to her and asked her to take good care of her.

Now you're on the right track!

This has even made Huan Ni want to contract with a "Shi Meili"!

Birds of a feather flock together, right? This big tree has been with Shi Meili for who knows how many years, so their habits are probably similar. She's waiting for this guy's tribute.

Neither Gu Linyuan nor Fengcheng wanted to fight a major war without bloodshed, so Shi Yuan made a pact with the big tree and took it home to discuss things with Shi Meili.

Gu Linyuan and Feng Cheng waited for news on the mountain.

The days of contracting with Shi Yuan were much more pleasant than Shi Meili had imagined. Apart from occasionally asking her to watch the house, Shi Yuan basically ignored her.

Of course, absorbing the essence of the moon is her own cultivation method, and she is even more enthusiastic about it than Shi Yuan.

As for Shi Yuan treating her as a transit point, she could accept it, because Shi Yuan promised her that when the Reincarnation Platform and the Three-Life Flower nourished her with the pure essence of the moon, he would share some with her. At that time, she kept a calm face, but she was actually overjoyed!

That stuff was an absolute must-have for a plant like her!

She also liked Huan Ni very much. Although that guy always looked down on her, he would occasionally give her some pointers on cultivation methods, and he would also carry her away to play with the talkative and restless peach blossom branch.

She no longer thinks about eating peach blossom branches to increase her cultivation level; they are all colleagues, and they should get along harmoniously.

Overall, she still quite liked life after the contract was signed.

The key point is that Shi was willing to allow her to keep a secret stash of money!

Hehe, last time I gave Shi Yuan some gifts to make life a little easier, which made her very happy, but she didn't know that she secretly kept some for herself.

Shi Meili stretched her branches and leaves in the breeze. Don't be fooled by her ordinary flowerpot; there's a big piece of gold buried in the soil!

When Shi Qingtian followed Shi Yuan inside, he saw Shi Meili lazily basking in the sun, even sticking out a branch to tease a few butterflies.

His heart immediately calmed down, and he knew that choosing to make a contract with Shi Yuan was the right thing to do.

"Shi Meili, your friend has come to see you." Shi Yuan walked to the window and gently poked Shi Meili.

"Who? I don't have any friends." Shi Meili turned her head and met Shi Qingtian's ingratiating smile. "What are you doing here?"

"Holy crap! Shi Yuan, you made a contract with him!" Shi Meili yanked herself out of the ground with a "whoosh." "You actually have another demonic plant!"

"He's a tree that won't even bloom a flower or bear fruit. Why would you make a contract with him?"

"He's such a coward! We've torn down his house, and he hasn't dared to utter a single word!"

It took Shi Meili a long time to remember that Shi Yuan wasn't actually someone who liked to make contracts with demonic plants everywhere, and her Zhi Xin immediately had a bad feeling.

"Why did you form a contract with him?" A contract with an ordinary tree spirit? What's the point?

Shi Yuan briefly explained the situation, feeling quite embarrassed because she had promised Shi Meili that she could keep some money for herself.

But she had no idea that this private collection had such a significant background!

As expected, Shi Meili broke down and unleashed a barrage of attacks on Shi Yuan.

What could Shi Yuan do? She could only try to appease him.

"Didn't you say last time that you envied Huan Ni for being able to spit out talismans? Here, I'll draw them for you too, lots of talismans."

"I have nowhere to put it, don't want it!"

Huan Ni returned at this moment. Seeing Shi Meili jumping up and down at Shi Yuan, she slapped Shi Meili without asking any questions: "Look how capable you are. I've never even spoken to Shi Yuan like that."

She then looked at Shi Yuan: "Weren't you pretty domineering with me?"

"Throw talismans at her, or if that doesn't work, tear off a branch from her tree and whip her!"

Of course, she knew in her heart that Shi Yuan treated her differently; their relationship was not like a contractual one, but more like that of friends.

Therefore, she would not allow Shi Meili to take advantage of her kindness!

"Boss Huan Ni, you don't know, Shi Yuan is going to confiscate my private funds!" Shi Meili complained tearfully.

Upon hearing this, Huan Ni silently retracted the wings she was about to flap: "Oh, I see. Well, the weather's pretty nice today! Haha!"

Beicheng Railway Station

Xie Minzhi switched the suitcase to his other hand, glanced around discreetly to make sure there were no tails around, and then boarded the train.

After receiving a phone call, Wu Guanhai sat in the shadows with a somber expression, remaining motionless for a long time.