Maple Leaf Village (Part 1)
You Youju leisurely led Zhu Xun into the village.
As expected, Maple Leaf Village was bustling with activity, with people performing arts, hawking their wares, hurrying about, and enjoying themselves immensely...
Zhu Xun moved closer to You Youju, scrutinizing Maple Leaf Village, which looked even more prosperous and bustling than Jiaozhou: "Uncle, they don't seem to have been corrupted by evil spirits."
You Ju tilted her head, her face relaxed, truly resembling a traveler.
"Calm your mind and focus your spiritual energy between your brows, then disperse it into your eyes. Pay close attention to what your uncle taught you!"
Zhu Xun nodded, trying his best to appear nonchalant.
At first glance, there's no difference.
At first glance, the surrounding maple leaves changed color, from fiery orange-red to blood red and even deepening to ochre.
Zhu Xun was startled for a moment and subconsciously leaned closer to You Youju.
You Youju placed her hand on his shoulder, and another surge of spiritual energy merged with him, unfolding a new scene: the people on the street had all turned into walking corpses with eyes like black holes and expressions of dejection. Wisps of black energy swirled in the air, filling the entire Maple Leaf Village. Maple Leaf Village was shrouded in a semi-transparent pink barrier, and they were like food on a plate.
You Youju looked around and finally sat down at a restaurant called "Phoenix Tower".
Seeing his skillful approach, Zhu Xun couldn't help but ask, "Has Uncle been here before?"
You Youju took a sip of tea: "Guess."
Zhu Xun smiled silently; he was pleased to see You Youju like this.
As expected, the NPC was triggered as soon as I sat down at the quest point. A waiter placed the food on the table and casually asked, "You two gentlemen are from out of town, aren't you?"
You Youju was secretly pleased, but nodded without showing any emotion.
The waiter said, "Gentlemen, you've come to the right place! Our place is beautiful, with fiery red maple leaves all year round!"
You Youju followed up, saying, "Your place has absolutely stunning scenery; it's truly breathtaking. Do you have any recommendations, young waiter?"
The waiter was delighted to see You Youju, his mouth practically stretched to his ears, which gave Zhu Xun goosebumps.
He pointed to the highest point of the maple forest: "That's it. The maple tree on the mountaintop has remained unchanged for a thousand years and has become an immortal. We all rely on the protection of the maple tree immortal. Anyone who goes up the mountain to pray will succeed."
You Youju swirled her teacup, then looked up at the half-dead puppet before her: "Then I must go and offer incense to the gods. I wonder if there are any local customs or practices?"
The shopkeeper said, "Hey, the immortals in our village are compassionate to the people. We don't need to offer them anything. Offering fruit and incense is all voluntary. But if outsiders want to go to that mountain, they might get lost. But if you carry the maple leaf lanterns sold at the foot of the mountain when you go up, the immortals will know your sincerity and will open the way for you."
You Youju nodded, her demeanor gentle and refined: "Thank you, Brother Er."
After the waiter left, Zhu Xun seemed to understand but not quite: "Uncle was just trying to get information out of the puppet, to find a way to get up the mountain?"
You Youju grinned and said, "Yes."
You Youju knew the method, but every word and action was seen by the tree demon, all to make the operation easier.
The two walked one after the other through the jungle, lanterns in hand. A rustling sound came from the bushes ahead, and You Youju stopped, pulling Zhu Xun behind her. The bushes rustled softly from left to right, like some creature crawling.
Zhu Xun kept a close eye on the commotion, stepped on a pebble, and kicked it hard, sending the pebble flying into the grass.
"Ouch!" A cry of pain came from the bushes.
You Youju and Zhu Xun went up to take a look and found that it was a little beggar about the same age as Zhu Xun, with his butt sticking up and his head down, covering his head and not daring to look up.
For some reason, You Youju felt a sense of closeness and familiarity with this dirty little beggar as soon as she saw him, even though she couldn't even see the child's face clearly.
Zhu Xun noticed You Youju staring intently at the beggar. Her eyes turned cold, and she stepped forward, putting on a smile: "Who are you? What are you doing here?"
Perhaps the little beggar heard the boy's voice, and boldly raised his head to look at the person in front of him. As if Zhu Xun's smile had magic power, the little beggar was no longer afraid and answered, "I, I am A-Yi."
You Youju stood there watching silently, her hands behind her back, her face and eyes revealing a kind expression.
His mind was pounding with excitement: "Oh my god!!! The future Demon Emperor is actually speaking softly and smiling to a stranger!!! Who is this kind child?! He's my nephew!! Who taught him?! It was me! Haha ...
Zhu Xun helped A-Yi up and turned around to see You Youju looking at him with satisfaction.
Perhaps for just a glance or a word of praise from him, even going through fire and water would be nothing more than smoke.
With a muffled thud, Zhu Xun and You Youju looked over simultaneously. They saw A-Yi prostrate himself before You Youju, exclaiming excitedly, "Immortal! Immortal!"
Yu Youju's face froze, the embarrassment making his handsome face look somewhat stiff. Zhu Xun's face darkened, and he squatted down in front of A Yi, his voice still as light as before: "Little brother, get up quickly, this is my uncle."
Ah Yi looked up sullenly, the words he was about to utter stuck in his throat. The young man who had been smiling just moments before now had a gloomy look in his eyes and a resentful expression on his face.
Ah Yi felt a chill run through his body and shivered.
You Youju rubbed her temples and walked over.
Ah Yi, as if grasping at a straw, huffed and puffed as he crawled toward You Youju.
Zhu Xun was quicker and stepped in front of You Youju: "Ayi, let me help you up."
Don't get your uncle's clothes dirty.
With that, he grabbed A-Yi's arm and lifted him up. A-Yi recoiled in pain.
You Youju asked, "Young friend, are you also coming up the mountain? Are you a villager here?" You Youju did not see any black aura on him; he was a normal person.
Ah Yi's face was dark red, his eyes fixed on the ground, and he stammered, "No, no. I, I'm a beggar."
He lowered his head and his voice became much softer: "There are monsters here, and no one in the village goes out at night."
You Youju thought about it carefully and realized that there didn't seem to be any description of a little beggar named "A-Yi" in the original text. She guessed that he was an NPC who accidentally stumbled upon the scene when she arrived earlier.
You Youju picked up the lantern and pointed down the mountain: "We need to go up the mountain. If you walk along the edge of the village, you can get out."
Ah Yi suddenly stood up: "We can't go! We can't go! There are monsters on the mountain! No one who went there ever came down again!"
You Youju turned around, intrigued: "How do you know there are monsters on the mountain?"
Ah Yi and You Youju exchanged glances, and Ah Yi stammered, "Ah Er and Uncle went up there and never came back! I've been waiting for them at the foot of the mountain."
You Youju tossed a crystal to A-Yi, then, without lingering, pulled Zhu Xun up the mountain: "They probably won't be coming back. This spirit stone can make you invisible three times, so be careful. You should hurry!"
Ah Yi gripped the spirit stone tightly, and saw You Youju's long hair flowing and Zhu Xun's thorny smile slowly disappear into the forest.
As the moon rose above the treetops, the view ahead became increasingly obscured. In the darkness, only two orange lamps slowly advanced, illuminating the small area.
The maple trees along the way seemed to have become menacing monsters, howling wildly with the whistling wind. You Youju and Zhu Xun's clothes fluttered, and Zhu Xun was so blown by the wind that he almost couldn't open his eyes. He shielded his eyes from the wind with his arm and looked down at the ground with his eyes half-closed.
Suddenly, he felt the wind on his face lessen. He slowly opened his eyes and found You Youju standing in front of him, blocking the oncoming wind. You Youju had tied her hair up to prevent the wind from blowing it onto Zhu Xun's face.
Fourteen-year-old Zhu Xun was just tall enough to reach You Youju's chin. He stared blankly at You Youju's hair, which was tied up like a fairy's, and his arms, which were as strong as mountains. A warm feeling welled up in his heart and spread like water through the fields.
"We've arrived," You Youju said softly.
Zhu Xun peeked out from behind. The tree canopy was like a canopy, and the blooming maple leaves were a bewitching red. The branches were strangely long, stretching for hundreds of meters. The trunk was as thick as a small temple, with an incense burner and offering table in the center.
The incense was burning brightly, and the smoke filled the air, emitting a pungent and overpowering fragrance that made people dizzy. Even the magic light inside the magic bag was emitting a soft, mournful sound.
"Zhu Xun, hold your breath."
Youyouju reminded him via voice transmission.
With a wave of his hand, the radiance within the bag fell silent. He hoped the tree demon hadn't detected the subtle fluctuation of spiritual energy just now.
"So you are two exceptionally beautiful women. What brings you here?" The flippant voice was completely unlike that of an "immortal," sounding more like that of a scoundrel from the Chu Feng Pavilion.
You Youju stepped forward, bowed, threw the lantern in his hand into the brazier, picked up the three incense sticks next to the incense burner, lit them with the flame of the lantern, and inserted them into the incense burner. Zhu Xun followed suit and completed the procedure.
Next, he will make three requests.
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