Jiang Wan's counterattack was also a test of their bottom line.
Sure enough, no matter how unwilling the indigenous female chieftain was, she had no choice but to obediently give the order: "Take them there."
Jiang Wan and Cheng Zhen exchanged a glance, their expressions unchanged, but they both breathed a sigh of relief.
In order to save the sacred tree as quickly as possible and to prevent them from escaping, we did not go very far, but just wandered around the area near the sacred tree.
The woman leading the group was the one who ordered their arrest yesterday. She asked humbly and respectfully, "May I ask, Holy Maiden, what plant samples do you require?"
Jiang Wan glanced past her, then looked around and confirmed a reality.
On this island, women are in charge.
At least, women's status is much higher than men's.
"Aren't you worried that we're bad guys who came to the island to steal your resources?"
Cheng Zhen stood between Jiang Wan and her, arms crossed, creating distance between them, and asked with a half-smile.
The woman had actually been secretly observing them the whole time. Jiang Wan's question had made her suspicious, and Cheng Zhen's direct question made her think that her thoughts had been read. So she immediately lowered her head and humbly apologized.
"I'm sorry, please forgive me, Holy Maiden."
"That's the attitude you should have when you apologize!" Cheng Zhen kicked her in the back of the knee, sending her crashing to her knees.
For Cheng Zhen, there's no such thing as a good man not fighting with a woman. If he had to follow these ridiculous rules, he wouldn't be able to survive in this apocalypse!
Jiang Wan stood there, looking down at her: "What's your name?"
"Enya".
"Since you're so sincere, I'll grant your wish and let you kneel for a while longer."
After saying that, she walked around her and went straight to the side, where there was a Socotra Island desert rose that was as tall as a person. She looked around carefully and finally found a smaller one.
Although it's small, it's still over a meter tall, making it a bit difficult to dig. Plus, there are already few plants here, and the surrounding area is all bare soil. If one of them were to suddenly disappear, it would definitely stand out.
Almost as soon as she approached, the local tribesmen who had come with her all turned to look at her.
"Ouch!" Enya suddenly cried out in pain.
Cheng Zhen kicked her again, drawing everyone's attention back to her.
Immediately, everyone's eyes showed fear, and they quickly and consciously lowered their heads.
Jiang Wan quietly exhaled, winked at Cheng Zhen, then squatted down, took out a small shovel, and quickly started digging. After loosening the soil, she immediately put it into the tree hole space.
Cheng Zhen observed her every move and smiled slightly.
Perhaps she herself didn't realize how playful and lively she was with that wink, a stark contrast to her usual aloof and indifferent image, and she actually looked... kind of cute!
Seeing that she had finished digging, he helped her search around to see if there were any other unusual plants.
The soil on Socotra Island is so barren and unique that the plants are quite unusual, but you need to observe them carefully to discover them.
Jiang Wan was astonished by the value of the Socotra Desert Rose; a single plant was worth 5,000 gold coins!
Just this one tree paid off all my debts!
Not only did I lose it, but I also have 50 gold coins left over!
She was thrilled, so this little world was actually just about winning over people's hearts?
As long as the natives don't object, she can dig up plants, complete the task, and even raise more gold coins!
When she excitedly withdrew her consciousness from the tree hole space, she saw Cheng Zhen waving at her.
"There is a small plant here, but it is not a desert rose."
Jiang Wan leaned closer to take a look and said uncertainly, "Maybe it's a Socotra cucumber tree?"
As she said this, she quickly squatted down and began digging with lightning speed. Upon examining the tree hole, she confirmed that it was indeed a Socotra cucumber tree, worth 4800 gold coins!
Oh my god!
Jiang Wan was so excited that she couldn't help but want to laugh.
"Is it very valuable?"
Cheng Zhen asked softly. He could see that she wanted to laugh but was trying her best to hold it in, and he couldn't help but feel happy too. As long as the mission could be completed, that was all that mattered!
"Hmm!" Jiang Wan wanted to be more specific, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw the indigenous female leader walking towards them.
As she passed by Enya, her brows furrowed involuntarily, and she naturally noticed that two plants were missing along the way.
Plants are so scarce on Socotra Island that almost every plant holds a special place in the hearts of the indigenous people, and they can immediately tell if any of them are missing.
"Holy Maiden, is it alright now?"
Their attitude remained as devout as ever.
Jiang Wan wanted to dig up more plants, but for some reason, there were very few plants in this area. However, she also understood that if she didn't do something to save the Dragon Blood Tree, the female leader probably wouldn't let her go.
So they asked, "What happened to your sacred tree?"
Why do you think my blood can save it?
The female leader breathed a slight sigh of relief, and her gaze towards her became more sincere:
"Holy Maiden, please follow me."
They arrived at the base of the dragon blood tree once again, and the female leader gestured to her men to cut a piece of the tree trunk.
Cheng Zhen immediately stood nervously in front of Jiang Wan, watching them warily.
Jiang Wan patted his shoulder, indicating that he didn't need to worry: "When a dragon blood tree is injured, it will ooze a dark red, blood-like sap, also known as blood sap. It's a very useful traditional Chinese medicine that can treat many..."
Before she could finish speaking, she couldn't help but widen her eyes and stop.
Because this tree, after being cut down, did not shed a single drop of dragon blood.
He is really dead.
Jiang Wan looked at the female leader in disbelief: "So you're going to use my blood to nourish this tree? You think this method will work?"
"Of course! The Divine Tree grew from the earth when the ancient dragon was wounded and bled during a battle between a giant dragon and an elephant! The Holy Maiden is a descendant of the dragon, so your blood will naturally be useful to the Divine Tree!"
The female leader acted as if it were the proper thing to do and firmly believed in this legend!
Jiang Wan couldn't help but twitch her lips. Of course she had heard this legend, but it was complete nonsense!
They actually still believe she is a descendant of the dragon?
"Why do you think I'm a saint?" This was what puzzled her the most.
The female leader looked at her and said, "Because of your arrival, the divine tree has finally stopped withering."
To prove she was right, she had two ladders brought over, then led Jiang Wan to the highest point and pointed it out to her:
“Our sacred tree has finally come back to life because of your arrival.”
Jiang Wan also saw it; the originally withered tree crown, at its very center and top, had finally sprouted a few specks of green.
Amidst the barren landscape, tiny specks of green emerge, standing out vividly.
Jiang Wan still felt it was just a coincidence, but she was willing to try to save this ancient, precious, and rare Socotra Dragon Blood Tree.
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