The Princess's Smile (15)
She struggled, but the more she struggled, the tighter the net became, so Jian Tanxi could only remain still for the time being.
After a while, a door suddenly appeared in the tree, and an old woman came out of it.
It seems she actually lives in a tree.
She looked at Jian Tanxi and said with satisfaction, "Great, she's a powerful ability user... This net of mine is specifically for catching ability users. By drinking the blood of ability users, I can live for a few more years."
As she spoke, she took out a butcher's knife, as if she wanted to bleed Jian Tanxi.
She had even prepared the bucket of blood, right below Jian Tanxi's neck.
Jian Tanxi looked at the knife, which reeked of blood and exuded a chilling aura, and goosebumps rose on her skin.
She tried to communicate with the old woman: "Old lady, we have no grudge against each other, why did you kill me? Put me down, let's be friends, and everything can be discussed."
The old woman said, "Who wants to be friends with you? You people with superpowers are no different from fat pigs in my eyes."
"Even the blood of a superhuman can't prolong life, so killing me won't do you any good."
"You don't understand. I also have superpowers. My superpower is that I can increase my lifespan by drinking the blood of any superpowered person."
Jian Tanxi: "..."
It seems that a peaceful resolution is not possible.
Jian Tanxi has an interstellar triangular pyramid, which should be able to cut through this net.
Just as she was about to make her move, she suddenly noticed that the old woman wasn't looking up at Jian Tanxi while she was speaking; instead, she was staring at the ground.
Moreover, the old woman remained in the shade of the tree the entire time, without receiving a single ray of sunlight.
Jian Tanxi thought that the old lady might be afraid of bright light, so she didn't look up at Jian Tanxi, because the sunlight would shine into her eyes.
No wonder the old lady lives inside the trunk of the big tree, because there is no sun inside.
So, Jian Tanxi secretly prepared two props: an interstellar triangular pyramid and the Eye of the Full Moon.
The Eye of the Full Moon is a lighting tool that emits a relatively strong light.
She secretly used a triangular awl to cut the fishing net, fell to the ground, and quickly got up again.
The old lady was surprised, but quickly realized what was happening and attacked Jian Tanxi with a butcher knife.
Jian Tanxi had originally planned to use a triangular awl to poke at her butcher knife, thinking it would surely break it.
However, the old woman's fighting skills were so agile that Jian Tanxi couldn't touch her or her weapon and could only dodge repeatedly.
Jian Tanxi unleashed her second trump card: the Eye of the Full Moon.
The full moon's eye emitted a rather strong light, shining into the old woman's eyes.
The old lady was indeed so blinded by the bright light that she could not open her eyes and had to cover them with her hands.
Taking this opportunity, Jian Tanxi stepped forward, broke the old woman's butcher knife with a triangular awl, and then placed the awl against her neck, saying, "Now, isn't it my turn to bleed you?"
The old woman quickly begged for mercy: "Spare me... As long as you don't kill me, we can discuss the terms."
“I can spare your life, but I will hand you over to the king.”
“If you hand me over to the king, I will die too. You just destroyed my net, and I will no longer be able to hunt down superhumans. Please spare me. I can buy my life with gold and silver.”
Jian Tanxi had a sudden thought: "I don't want ordinary gold and silver treasures, I want the Heart of the Sun and the Dream of the Stars."
“This…the legendary gem, I don’t have it either…I only know the whereabouts of the Heart of the Sun, but I’ve never been to that place.”
Where is the heart of the sun?
“Go southwest for eight hundred miles from here, and you'll find Diamond Mountain. But not everyone can see Diamond Mountain; only those with a special destiny can find it. On Diamond Mountain, there lives a mechanical bird that comes every year. It knows where the heart of the sun is.”
"So, you don't know where the Heart of the Sun is either, and I have to go ask the mechanical bird on Diamond Mountain myself?"
"At least... at least I know I need to go to Diamond Hill to find the mechanical bird, that's some useful information, right? Please, let me go."
“What I want, you don’t have. Therefore, the deal is off, and I will hand you over to the nearest king so that he can punish you.”
Then, Jian Tanxi tied up the old woman, put her on a handcart, and pushed her around.
She didn't know where the nearest kingdom was and needed to ask passersby.
After walking for half an hour, she encountered a hunter.
The hunter was very surprised to see the old woman and said, "Hey, isn't that the bloodthirsty old woman? Several kings have issued bounties for her capture. Anyone who can capture her and bring her to the king will receive a reward."
"Young lady, could you let me have her? I see you're a young girl, and traveling must be difficult. It would be easier for you to get rid of this old lady sooner rather than later."
Jian Tanxi was more than happy to oblige, and said, "I was just about to hand her over to the nearby king, but I don't know which king is closest to me, nor do I know which way to go. Since you want to take her to claim the reward, I will hand her over to you. In return, you can give me one or two items, preferably the kind that can increase movement speed. I have urgent business to attend to within a month."
The hunter was delighted: "Great! I happen to have a magic carpet that allows people to fly at a speed comparable to an airplane. If you need it, I'll give you the magic carpet."
"Thanks."
Jian Tanxi and the hunter thus made a deal.
Jian Tanxi handed the old woman over to the hunter, who in turn gave her a golden magic carpet embroidered with intricate patterns.
Jian Tanxi sat on the magic carpet and headed southwest.
Before long, she arrived at the location of Diamond Hill.
However, this was a plain shrouded in white fog; there were no mountains or diamonds in sight.
The old lady said that Diamond Hill is not something everyone can see.
Jian Tanxi didn't know if she was the one destined for him.
Suddenly, two lines of text appeared in the mist: "The greedy cannot be seen; the honest should proceed straight."
Jian Tanxi was a little confused, but she felt that this sentence might be a hint, and she just needed to keep going straight.
She walked forward, and what was originally a grassy area suddenly turned into a glass walkway.
Below the glass walkway, there were many venomous snakes, their tongues flicking at Jian Tanxi.
Jian Tanxi was a little scared, so she controlled herself to look forward and not look down.
After walking for a while, the road ahead was shrouded in fog, and we couldn't see anything at all, or even whether there was a road ahead at all.
Another sentence appeared in the mist: "The selfish have nowhere to go, turn back and do not linger. The compassionate have a wide road ahead, forge ahead without worry."
This statement seems to mean that if someone is overly selfish, there is no way forward, and they need to turn back immediately. If someone is kind-hearted, they can continue forward without worry.
However, Jian Tanxi didn't know which category she belonged to.
She objectively assessed herself and felt that she was not selfish and that her character was acceptable.
So she mustered her courage and walked straight ahead.
The fog ahead grew thicker, but Jian Tanxi made sure that every step she took was firmly on the glass walkway without slipping.
It seems there is a path ahead for her.
After walking for about half an hour, the fog dissipated, and a huge diamond mountain appeared before her.
This mountain soars into the clouds, its body composed of diamonds of different kinds and colors, without a single impurity, and without any flowers, grass, or trees.
Its brilliance, splendor, and awe are beyond description.
In many people's dreams, there has been a similar place: only treasure, nothing else.
And now, Jian Tanxi has come here in person.
She wondered if she was dreaming, but she clearly remembered how she got there; this was reality.
She looked back at the path she had come from, only to find it shrouded in white mist, and she could no longer discern where the glass walkway was.
Since she was already there, she decided to make the best of it and find the mechanical bird first.
But Diamond Hill is so big, where can we find the mechanical bird?
Just then, an old man with a cane appeared in front of them.
Jian Tanxi couldn't see how he appeared, so it seemed he wasn't an ordinary person either.
Jian Tanxi stepped forward and asked, "Grandpa, do you have any mechanical birds here?"
The old man said, "Yes, that mechanical bird flies here once a year and takes away a diamond. You've come at the wrong time; it just came here last month and won't come again until next year."
Jian Tanxi knew she couldn't wait until next year, so she asked, "Is there any way to attract that mechanical bird over?"
"If you can make the same sound as it, it will think there is another one of its kind here and may come over to take a look."
What does the mechanical bird sound like?
"The mechanical bird is made up of clocks of various sizes, and its call is the sound of the hands moving."
Jian Tanxi took a voice-changing pill and made herself make the sound of a pointer moving.
Before long, a huge wooden bird flew over and landed in front of Jian Tanxi.
This wooden bird looks magnificent, its body inlaid with various gemstones. Upon closer inspection, you'll find that its body is entirely composed of wooden clocks of different sizes. The minute and second hands of these clocks are constantly moving, making a "tick-tock" sound, creating a resonance that looks quite peculiar.
It looked at Jian Tanxi and asked, "Why can you make the same sound as me?"
Jian Tanxi: "I took a voice-changing pill to attract you here. I hope you don't mind. I have something I'd like to ask you for help with."
"I'm not interested in other people's business."
"I just want to know where the heart of the sun is."
The mechanical bird said, "I know, but I can't tell you. Because I plan to one day obtain the Heart of the Sun myself and then embed it within myself."
"This is truly a magnificent plan. But you haven't succeeded yet, have you? If that's the case, it means you can't obtain the Heart of the Sun on your own. Why don't we cooperate?"
"We cannot cooperate because there is only one Heart of the Sun, and it cannot be divided."
"Besides the Heart of the Sun, what else do you want? If we cooperate to obtain the Heart of the Sun, I can help you get other things."
“Alright, if you’re willing to help me, I do have something I want. I want the diamonds from this diamond mountain.”
Jian Tanxi asked in confusion, "Diamonds? Don't you come and take one every year?"
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