Chapter 4: The Immortal Tree of Wisdom Sees the Immortal "Dig you back and make a firewood stick..."

Wen Yu still remembers that when she grew up in the Wutong Ancestral Temple, which was dedicated to the God of Spring on earth - it was a Wutong tree in the center of the courtyard.

Somehow it gained intelligence. Although it was still a tree, without a human form and unable to speak, it finally had some thoughts.

It has two favorite activities. One is to watch the bustling tourists coming and going and listen to them tell the God of Spring about their love, hate, anger, ignorance and wishes. The other is to sneak a peek at the statue of the Goddess of Spring in the temple. The Goddess of Spring is extremely beautiful. If one day she could transform into a human form, she would definitely look like the Goddess of Spring!

That day, she spent her days basking in the sun as usual, looking around.

With a "clang", a gold-painted high-legged tribute fruit plate fell from the edge of the table, making a crisp tinkling sound as it hit the ground. The fruits in the plate scattered all over the ground and rolled out of the hall. The fruit in the front hit the threshold, bounced back a few steps, and finally stopped slowly and remained motionless.

A little boy was sitting on the table, holding a thin willow branch in his arms. The tips of the willow leaves were sprouting. He raised one leg to support his elbow, his right hand supporting his chin, and in his left hand he was holding a half-bitten fruit, which looked exactly like the fruit that had rolled to the ground.

The palace door was wide open, and this scene fell directly into the eyes of the sycamore tree in the middle of the courtyard.

This little boy actually stole the offerings from the Goddess of Spring!

How outrageous!

The phoenix tree shook its trunk, and its branches and leaves swayed, making a rustling sound, to express its indignation.

The child tilted his head, threw the half-eaten fruit in his hand aside, put a thin willow branch on his waist, patted the fruit stains on his hands, and jumped down from the table with light steps, landing silently.

He strode towards the courtyard, and the moment he stepped over the threshold, his figure flashed. Where was the child? The man emerging from the main hall was clearly a grown man in a blue shirt, embroidered with dark blue patterns that swayed as he walked.

Wutong watched from afar. The man's black hair was tied up, with amber ribbons flying in it, looking very free and unrestrained. When he got closer, his face was even more beautiful.

He stood still under the sycamore tree, remained silent for a moment, then walked around the tree with his arms folded, muttering to himself, "Interesting! Really interesting!"

Seeing this scene, Wutong really didn't dare to act rashly. He could only hold his breath and pretend to be dead! There was no other way!

"Since you can see me, why don't you speak?" No one answered, only the sound of branches rubbing against each other could be heard.

The man chuckled, extended two fingers, and flicked them in the air. A beam of green light shot straight into the trunk of the tree, encircling it with a radiant light. The ribbons on which pilgrims had placed their wishes trembled slightly. After a moment, the ribbons gently unwound, rippling like water.

"You can already speak, why not give it a try?"

"How...bold! Who...are you! How dare you cheat! How disrespectful...to the Goddess of Spring!" The mellow female voice became lower and lower, almost inaudible. Wutong opened his mouth tentatively, and it took him a long time to utter a complete sentence.

This man had a gentle face and beautiful looks, and didn't look like a wicked person, but what he had just seen was really... a little frightening.

"Yes, yes, yes! Not only did I steal your food, I also wanted to dig you up and use you as a firewood stick!"

The branches and leaves rustled even more...

"You are such a blockhead! You have been rooted in my Wutong Ancestral Temple for thousands of years and have enjoyed the incense. How come you don't even recognize me when you're looking at me?" The man shook his head and looked regretful.

Who is the wooden head!

When Wutong heard that he wanted to dig it up and make firewood, he became even more worried. What should he do?

It had only gained consciousness two days ago. It had seen a lot of excitement, but hadn't practiced much, or even none at all...

Is this life only two short days long? Must I throw myself into the stove, light a fire, cook, emit heat for a while, and then turn into ash?

Wait, he just said that this is his Wutong Ancestral Temple. According to what he has seen and heard in the past two days, the statue enshrined in the Wutong Ancestral Temple is the Goddess of Spring. Could it be...

"The Goddess of Spring you are talking about is none other than me."

But... Wutong glanced at him strangely, and its branches and leaves stretched into the hall. Isn't the Goddess of Spring a woman?

Ju Mang raised his hand, and the prayer ribbon on the book wrapped around him. On the ribbon was the wish of a mortal. Ju Mang took a quick look and lightly tapped his fingertips. The scarlet ribbon turned into a ray of light and went down the mountain to somewhere.

"Who says the God of Spring can't be a man?" As if he could see through Wutong's thoughts, he gave the answer without hesitation.

"The God of Spring is me. The shepherd boy you saw is me, and the one facing you now is still me. God has no form, and I am myself." These theories, with Wutong's wooden head, are not worth understanding!

"You are...the God of Spring..." Wutong was stunned, even the tips of her branches became dull. The God of Spring, whose beauty she coveted day and night - was actually a man!

"Wood and stone have no heart, which is the most difficult to practice. Now that you have awakened your spiritual wisdom, why don't I help you become an immortal?" Ju Mang said slowly.

Wutong was still immersed in the fact that the God of Spring was a man. When he heard the God of Spring mention the word "becoming an immortal", he blurted out, "Maybe becoming an immortal will make you more beautiful than you?"

Ju Mang choked, as if he didn't expect Wutong to ask this. He raised his head to look at the trembling treetops, a smile on his lips.

"I guarantee that no one in the four seas or the five elements can surpass you!"

"My name is Ju Mang. What's yours? Do you have a name?"

Wutong was secretly happy, but appeared a little embarrassed on the surface, and shyly reported the maiden name she had racked her brains to come up with.

"I...my name is Xiaoshu..."

He wouldn't think my name is too rustic, would he? Wutong felt even more shy. He had heard people say that starting a name with a nickname sounded more intimate...

After hearing this, Ju Mang thought for a moment, straightened his robe, and sat down leaning against the trunk of the paulownia tree.

"Little Tree is fine, too. It's just not a very suitable name."

"Think about it, when you become an Immortal Lord in the future, won't the other Immortals call you—Little Tree Immortal Lord?"

"Hmm..." If Wutong had a human form at this moment, its little mouth would probably be pouting to the sky. It was so embarrassing. When it thought about becoming the "Little Tree Fairy", it might as well be a Wutong tree with no five senses!

"Wenyu, is this a good name? Your original name is Biwu, and these two characters suit you very well."

Wutong, now it's time to call her Wenyu. Wenyu flutters her leaves, and the silk ribbons of prayer float with them. The very tips of her branches express her satisfaction with this name.

Ju Mang leaned against the tree, looked up at his little disciple tenderly, and couldn't help but stretch out his hand to pat its ancient branches. Although the little disciple had not yet transformed, he could see a bit of cuteness in his look.

"Wen Yujun, from now on you will be a disciple of Ju Mang of the Spring Temple, no longer some unknown demon."

Wen Yu was reminiscing about the past, but her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of water. She looked in the direction of the sound.

At this moment, a sleek and strong yellow cow was lying on its back with its four legs facing the sky in the pool, with a pair of small pointed horns exposed on the water surface. Its ears were flapping rhythmically, and the silver ring on the tip of its nose was drawing ripples on the water surface as its head swayed.

"I've ridden a cow far past the village ahead, and I can hear the sound of a flute across the ridge." He kept muttering:

"What a wonderful poem! This mortal has quite the pen! He has portrayed the official duties of my Lord and the Divine Sovereign on earth so vividly and interestingly!"

Wen Yu had been rushing back in a hurry, but when she heard him recite the poem in a serious manner, even making a few comments, she couldn't help but laugh, and her previous anxiety dissipated a little. Intentionally teasing the yellow ox, she raised her hand to summon a few pieces of gravel, channeled her spiritual power, and threw them into the pond, saying:

"rhubarb--"

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