Chapter 49: Rot Root Maze and Straight Man Vine Binding
Rot root maze and straight man vine bondage
The Moon Dew Spring's cleansing effect was immediate. The dark red threads wriggling beneath Li Jiuyou's skin completely quieted, leaving only a few faint, burn-like scorch marks. The chilling, tingling sensation brought on by the evil thoughts vanished, and the restless demonic fire within him became as docile as a house cat. But this "house cat" was now even more irritable than if it had been bitten by the Soul-Sinking Mist.
"Fuck!" Li Jiuyou grabbed the tattered fur coat soaked by the spring water on the shore and wrapped it around himself. The movement was so large that the water droplets almost splashed onto the face of Jiang Xuelan, who was slowly tidying up her white lining next to him.
Jiang Xuelan dodged to the side, his icy blue eyes scanning the burn marks on his back before quickly moving away. The spring-water-soaked lining clung to his slender waist, outlining his smooth curves. Drops of water slid down his slightly damp black hair and onto his neck. With a slight movement of his fingertips, a thin layer of ice crystals instantly coated his clothes. The steaming water froze into tiny particles that fell gently. In an instant, his clothes were dry and neat, without even a wrinkle.
Li Jiuyou's eyes twitched. "Pretending!" He tried to imitate the demonic fire and dry himself, but the crimson-gold flames puffed, singeing only a few hairs on the edge of his fur coat. The damp fabric still clung to his body, emitting a watery smell and... a faint hint of Jiang Xuelan's chilly cedar scent. This lingering scent made him feel uneasy, as if the strange feeling of forced heartbeat synchronization had returned.
"Big Flame, here are your clothes!" Qingluo ran over with several neatly folded pieces of clothing in her arms, smiling brightly, "My mother-in-law asked me to give them to you! They are woven with the fibers of moonlight vine and emerald silk, so comfortable!" The clothes she handed over were one red-gold color like a burning flame, and the other was an ice-blue color as deep as a cold pond. The styles were simple and neat, with the natural patterns unique to the tree spirits.
Li Jiuyou lifted the scarlet-gold vine robe with disdain, "What a gimmick! I have a fur coat!" His words were tough, but his body was honest. The soaked, tattered fur coat was indeed uncomfortable against his skin. With a sullen face, he walked behind a large emerald coral and roughly changed into his new clothes. The scarlet-gold vine robe fitted him surprisingly well, flexible and breathable, perfectly framing his broad shoulders, narrow waist, and muscular torso. Its wildness radiated a primal vitality. But the color… He scratched his still-damp red hair in annoyance, feeling like a walking torch.
Jiang Xuelan accepted the ice-blue rattan robe with equanimity. The change of clothes was as swift as a mirage. The ice-blue rattan robe accentuated his upright figure, like a pine tree, and his aura, as cool and clear as the moon, blending strangely with the surroundings of the emerald forest.
"Tsk tsk, clothes make the man!" Xuanjia's green eyes gleamed, and he stroked his nonexistent beard with his tortoise claws. "The Immortal Lord looks even more sage-like, and Li the brat... well, he looks like a peacock with its tail just spread out, so energetic!" Man Gu nodded naively at the side: "Looks great!"
Li Jiuyou's forehead veins bulged: "You old turtle, are you looking for death?!"
"Alright, alright!" Qingluo quickly tried to smooth things over, pointing to the giant vine dome suspended above the Emerald Dream Lake deep in the forest. "Grandma said the remains of Jianmu are inside the 'Emerald Heart'! But..." Her face rarely turned serious. "The Emerald Heart is surrounded by polluted roots, like a maze. It also hides 'nightmare vines' infected by evil thoughts. It's very dangerous!"
Granny Green Ivy handed Jiang Xuelan a key-shaped, charred, yet faintly alive Jianmu leaf. "This leaf can sense the core of the wreckage. Follow its guidance and avoid the most intense aura of doom deep within the rotten roots. The symbiotic vines within you are your only hope for traversing the maze of rotten roots. Only when ice and fire complement each other, and minds connect, can there be hope." Her deep gaze shifted between Jiang Xuelan and Li Jiuyou, finally landing on Ache. "The little one's pure wood spirit may be able to soothe the restless roots, but remember, do not stray more than three feet from them."
Ah Che clenched his fists nervously and nodded vigorously: "I...I will help!"
The entrance to the Emerald Heart is a massive archway formed by the natural twists of countless thick, ancient vines. Within the archway, the scene is completely different from the dreamy Emerald Forest outside!
The light suddenly dimmed. The air was thick with the sweet, cloying aroma of rotting mud and blood. The ground was no longer covered in luminous moss, but instead a slippery, sticky, dark green fungal carpet. Countless thick, twisted tree roots dangled from the dome or coiled around the ground, like a giant python's lair. Most of these roots were a sickly gray-black, covered in disgusting pustules and cracks that oozed dark red mucus—the very same rotten roots tainted by the evil god's breath of depravity!
Even more eerie was the fact that countless dark red, almost black, vines entwined among those seemingly dead, rotten roots. These vines slowly wriggled like living creatures, their bodies covered in dense, dark red spots that resembled eyes, emitting a frightening sense of malice and voyeurism—nightmare vines!
"This place... is even more disgusting than the Zhe Clan's underground water dungeon!" Li Jiuyou frowned in disgust. The red-gold demonic fire danced in his palm, dispelling the sticky mycelium that tried to entangle him. The fungal carpet under his feet made a sticky "puffing" sound, giving him goosebumps.
Jiang Xuelan's icy blue eyes swept around, his fingertips hovering over the charred Jianmu leaf. The leaf, emitting a faint emerald green glow, pointed deeper into the maze. A chill permeated his body, and the fungal carpet beneath his feet instantly froze and shattered. "Follow closely," his voice was cold, remarkably clear in the oppressive atmosphere.
Ah Che followed closely beside Man Gu, his face pale. A pure wood spirit energy enveloped him and Man Gu like a veil, causing the approaching rotten root fungus to retreat slightly. Xuan Jia huddled on Man Gu's other broad shoulder, his green eyes warily scanning the wriggling nightmare vines around him, muttering to himself, "Damn it, this damn place has terrible feng shui. It's not a good place to stay for long!"
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