Chapter 45 Emerald Dream and Straight Man Ivy in Bed
Emerald Dream and Straight Ivy in Bed
Li Jiuyou's hand-rubbing motion froze in mid-air, his sardonic eyes ablaze with the embarrassment of being watched drenched. He glared fiercely at the girl on the branch, "What are you looking at? Have you ever seen a handsome man drown?" Before he could finish his words, the blood-covenant vine seal on his wrist suddenly burned, and a shuddering sensation, like a spring of ice pouring down his arm, shot up to his crown—a warning from Jiang Xuelan.
"Shut up." Jiang Xuelan's voice was colder than the emerald lake water. He calmly put the handkerchief he had used to wipe his hands back into his storage ring (the remaining red marks on his knuckles were perfectly concealed). His icy blue eyes swept across the crystal feather necklace on the girl's ankle, finally fixing on the small, shimmering flower in her hair—that scent was surprisingly the same as that of the Jianmu seedling! He nodded slightly, his cold voice echoing across the lake: "Excuse me. Where is this place?"
The young girl, Qingluo, her amber eyes curved into crescents. She gracefully leaped from the branch, her bare feet tapping the lake's surface, sending soft emerald ripples across it. "This is the Emerald Dream!" She circled curiously around the drenched people, her leafy skirt skimming the water without getting wet. "I'm Qingluo, granddaughter of the forest ranger, Grandma Qingteng! You falling into Dream Lake from 'outside' made a louder noise than a Gulu Beast diving!" She pointed to the glowing little beast peeking out from the distant vine bridge.
"Forest Ranger?" Black Armor Green Bean's eyes flashed, and he paddled closer. "Little girl, do your elders know about 'Jianmu'?" Turtle Claw gestured excitedly, "It's that sacred tree that stands tall, lush and green, and can give birth to a world!"
Qingluo tilted her head, the small flowers in her hair swaying gently: "Jianmu... Mother-in-law seemed to have mentioned it." She suddenly pointed at Li Jiuyou, "Ah! There are dirty bugs on you!"
Everyone was shocked. They saw that although the Soul Mist wound on Li Jiuyou's back had healed on the altar, there were still faint dark red threads wriggling under his skin - the evil god's remnant had not been completely eliminated!
Li Jiuyou's face suddenly changed, and the red-gold demonic fire instinctively rose, causing the red silk to twist excitedly like a living thing! The severe pain made him groan, and cold sweat oozed from his forehead.
"Don't move!" Jiang Xuelan took a step closer, and his icy blue immortal power instantly extended, accurately piercing the gathering red threads! The coldness invaded, and Li Jiuyou's muscles tensed, and he cursed in a hoarse voice: "Gentle! You want to freeze me to death?!"
"If you want to die, continue to activate the demonic fire." Jiang Xuelan's voice was cold and hard, but the chill of his fingertips carefully wrapped around the restless red threads. The blood covenant vine seal burned hot, and the cold and vicious evil thoughts spread along the vine, causing the icy plains in his sea of consciousness to buzz. He frowned slightly, and a fragment of memory flashed through his mind three hundred years ago, when the God-killing Gu attacked and thousands of ants devoured his heart.
Qingluo squatted by the water, her small hand on her chin, her amber eyes sparkling. "Grandma said that if you're bitten by the 'nightmare bug', you should go to the Moon Dew Spring to take a bath!" She suddenly clapped her hands, "I'll take you there! But..." She blinked cunningly, her eyes shifting to the figures of Jiang Xuelan and Li Jiuyou pressed together (Jiang Xuelan had to stay close to Hongsi), "You two have to go tied up!"
"What the hell?!" Li Jiuyou almost jumped up.
"The Blood Pact Vine Seal!" Qingluo pointed at their glowing wrists. "Grandmother-in-law said that anyone bound by the Symbiotic Vine will trigger the Symbiotic Breath barrier in the Emerald Dream! That way, the nightmare bugs won't dare run around!"
As if to confirm her words, the red veins on Li Jiuyou's back reluctantly remained dormant under the dual pressure of Jiang Xuelan's continuous infusion of icy immortal energy and the faint glow of the blood pact. Li Jiuyou clearly felt the pain in his tarsal bones ease, and his raging demonic fire subsided slightly. He twisted his neck awkwardly, but said stubbornly, "...Mind your own business!"
Jiang Xuelan withdrew his hand, the lingering touch of the other's skin and the chill of his evil thoughts lingering on his fingertips. He silently stepped back half a step, tacitly agreeing with Qingluo's statement. For now, suppressing his evil thoughts and exploring the Jianmu clues, this strange "same breath" state was indeed the best solution.
The interior of the Emerald Forest resembled a vast labyrinth of life. Glowing vines entwined giant trees resembling emerald coral, forming suspended bridges and platforms. The air was filled with the sweet fragrance of flowers and fruits, the scent of moist earth, and countless firefly-like pinpricks of light drifted leisurely through the air. Qingluo, barefoot, hopped lightly on the vines, her long dark green hair flowing behind her, like a forest spirit.
"Look! It's the 'big fireworks' and 'little ice cubes' Qingluo picked up!" A young tree spirit, riding on the back of a giant, glowing dragonfly, whistled with a smile. Many heads popped out of the windows of tree houses along the way, curiously observing these "aliens." The tree spirits wore clothes woven from colorful leaves and vines, their hair adorned with crystals or flowers, their eyes pure and kind.
"Fireworks, you bastard!" Li Jiuyou growled, his face dark, his still-wet fur coat steaming like a mobile sauna. Jiang Xuelan, on the other hand, exuded a chill that kept strangers away. Wherever he passed, tiny ice crystals formed on the vines, prompting the tree spirit children to reach out and poke at them in surprise.
"Don't worry, they're just curious!" Qingluo grinned, stopping before a treehouse entwined with giant moonlight vines. The vinehouse, suspended between several giant emerald trees, was naturally woven from thick vines, emitting a tranquil, soft glow. "Grandma's gone to collect moon dew and will be back later. You stay here for now!" She pointed to the vinehouse's sole inner chamber—which contained a single large bunk bed, woven naturally from countless soft vines!
Li Jiuyou's face instantly turned green: "Let me sleep in the same bed with him?!"
Jiang Xuelan's icy face cracked a little: "...find another place."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
