Transformation (II)
"Have you forgotten? Didn't it do the same thing last time? It slipped down the mountain without a sound while we weren't paying attention, ran to Grandma Zhou's house at the foot of the mountain, and forced itself to eat a whole meal of braised fish. It ate until its belly was bulging and it was staggering before it was willing to come back?"
Qingshan's voice was steady, with a calming power that gently pulled Heshu out of his chaotic thoughts.
"This time, maybe the little guy followed the aroma from somewhere and got a little bolder, running to Grandpa Liu's house which is a little further away, thinking about the bacon hanging in his yard."
As he spoke, he naturally took He Shu's somewhat cold hand, and the warmth from his palm was firm and warm:
"Since you've searched all over Luzhu Mountain and haven't found any trace of it, let's go to a few familiar houses at the foot of the mountain and ask around. We'll eventually find a clue, so don't worry too much."
"Yes, yes, you are right!"
He Shu was awakened by his words and suddenly came back to his senses from his headless state. The light of hope rekindled in his eyes.
"Just now, I was really scared to death by that Five Poisons Pouch. I was so anxious that I was wandering around the mountains and forgot that Jin Wu had this 'criminal record'! Let's go ask him now!"
He grabbed Qingshan's wrist tightly with his backhand and couldn't wait to pull him down the mountain.
Just at this moment, a warm mountain breeze suddenly blew over the treetops, rolling up countless pink and white delicate petals, which swirled in the air, fluttering and falling down like a sudden and quiet flower rain.
The sweet and fragrant aroma of peach blossoms instantly hits you in the face, wrapping you gently.
He Shu subconsciously turned his head and looked at the peach tree with flowers as colorful as snow.
The few strands of hair that Qingshan had just carefully smoothed out were blown away by the sudden breeze, and the strands brushed against his face, which was slightly hot due to his anxiety.
The lush flower tree swayed gently in the wind, its colorful flowers falling endlessly.
Qingshan naturally took a step forward and used its broad shoulders to shield Heshu from the sudden mountain wind and the blurry falling flowers.
He then raised his hand, as if wanting to tidy up the other person's messy hair again, his movements gentle.
However, just when his fingertips were about to touch the inky hair—
Without any warning, an extremely clear moan came from the depths of the blossoming peach tree!
Both of them were stunned and their bodies froze instantly.
They all turned their heads at the same time, staring in the direction where the crying came from with looks of complete surprise and suspicion.
The peach tree in the yard seemed to be suddenly infused with life and spirituality, and began to sway visibly.
Those moss-covered twisted branches slowly drooped to the ground, like awakened snakes.
He Shu subconsciously took a step back and looked at everything happening in front of him in disbelief.
Layer upon layer of peach branches spontaneously intertwined and entwined in mid-air. The flexible new shoots carefully held a snowball wrapped in countless petals and slowly handed it to the two of them.
It turned out to be a child who looked about two or three years old. His body was white and tender, as delicate as jade. He was curled up in a ball and sleeping soundly. His little mouth was sucking his thumb unconsciously. There were a few spots of golden peach pollen on the tip of his small nose, which made him look even more naive.
The branches of the peach tree were like a mother's most gentle arms, gently closing and handing the child, wrapped in the sweet fragrance of peach blossoms, steadily to them.
He Shu's eyes widened, his mind went blank. He had not yet reacted to this incredible scene. Qingshan beside him took a deep breath, suppressed the turmoil in his heart, and reached out his hand very carefully to take the child in the petals and gently held him in his arms.
At the moment when the child fell into the embrace of the green mountains, the slenderest branch of the peach tree quietly stretched out, deftly picked up the Five Poison Bag that fell beside the tree roots, and gently tied it to the child's naked body.
The surroundings suddenly became quiet, with only a few long bird calls crossing the sky in the distance.
The swaying golden light spots shine through the dense gaps between the flowers, casting a warm halo on the peaceful profile of the sleeping child.
He Shu lowered his head in a daze, his eyes falling on the face of the little ball held firmly in Qingshan's arms. His fingers unconsciously raised, and his index finger gently touched the chubby and pink cheek.
The touch from the fingertips is as delicate and smooth as silk warmed by the sun, with the softness of fresh life and slightly sunken.
This real temperature made his heart tighten, and he suddenly retracted his hand, his heart beating like a drum.
Perhaps the child in Qingshan's arms was disturbed from his sweet dream by the gentle touch, smacking his lips and wrinkling his nose.
Soon, the long and thick eyelashes began to tremble violently like the wings of a frightened butterfly, and a pair of round green pupils suddenly opened, instantly filled with clear watery light. The little mouth pouted, as if it had suffered a great injustice.
“Wow—”
The crying sounded like an overturned honey pot, suddenly exploding in the silent yard, loud and penetrating.
Crystal clear and round tears rolled down the soft hairs on the cheeks, scattering the peach petals stuck on them.
A pair of white and tender little feet began to kick Qingshan's strong arms randomly, expressing their dissatisfaction with being disturbed.
He Shu was completely frozen in place, with the culprit "hand" still hanging awkwardly in the air, unable to move forward or backward.
"I-I didn't mean it! Seriously!"
He shook his head in panic, took a half step back, and tried to explain incoherently to Qingshan and the crying little girl, his face full of innocence and regret.
Qingshan couldn't help laughing at his flustered look like a child who had done something wrong, and a low chuckle escaped from his throat.
He slowly and unskillfully swung his arms, lowered his head, and used an extremely gentle voice to soothe the crying little person in his arms:
"Alright, alright, stop crying... It's our fault. Did we bother you? Stop crying..."
With his patient comfort, the earth-shaking crying gradually subsided and turned into soft sobs.
Seeing this, He Shu felt relieved a little, but he couldn't help but take a step forward out of curiosity and get closer to take a closer look.
When his eyes met those familiar vertical pupils still shimmering with tears, a name almost came out of his mouth:
"Jin Wu!"
Before he finished speaking, he was shocked by this guess. He suddenly leaned down, almost laying his entire upper body on Qingshan's arms, his eyes wide open, carefully looking at the child who had gradually calmed down.
Perhaps startled by his sudden rise in volume, the little girl's big green eyes were instantly filled with tears, her brows were tightly furrowed, and it seemed that the second wave of "flood" was about to break out.
He Shu was so scared that he quickly pursed his lips, even breathing lightly, opened his eyes wide with the word "innocent" written all over them, and looked at Qingshan pitifully.
"This child...could it be Jin Wu?"
He deliberately lowered his voice to an extremely low level, almost in a whisper. As he spoke softly, he tentatively reached out his hand and patted the little girl's chubby arm. His movements were gentle and soothing.
"Look at those eyes, and the location where they appeared... nine times out of ten, it's probably him."
Qingshan looked at the heartwarming yet somewhat funny scene in front of him, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but rise a little.
The arm supporting the child's neck exerted a little force to straighten his small body so that he could sit more comfortably, while the other hand gently patted his back.
As he adjusted his posture, a furry orange cat tail appeared from the edge of the five-poison bag wrapped around the child, swaying left and right.
The tip of the tail swept across the back of He Shu's hand, which he had not yet fully retracted, bringing a tingling sensation.
"Hey, look at this little tail!"
He Shu's eyes lit up, and his fingertips quickly pinched the swaying furry tail, his tone full of confirmed surprise.
"Qingshan, this is really Jin Wu! Come on, let me hug you too!"
He took the warm, soft ball from Qingshan's hand. The weight of it made his arm feel slightly heavy, and he couldn't help but marvel at the feeling... it was indeed very solid.
He Shu pulled the corner of his mouth, and laboriously lifted the chubby baby in his arms, trying to find a more labor-saving way to hold him. In the end, he could only sigh helplessly and muttered softly:
"I told you to eat less on a regular basis. Look, you've really become a little fat boy!"
Although he was complaining, his tone was full of intimacy. He couldn't help but lower his head and nuzzle Jin Wu, who for some reason started to laugh foolishly in his arms.
I tried hard to hold him and bounced around for a few times, but ultimately succumbed to the heavy feeling. I lazily stuffed this "sweet burden" back into Qingshan's obviously stronger arms.
"You should just hold me..."
He Shu shook his sore arms and inadvertently caught a glimpse of the peach tree beside him out of the corner of his eye.
It had returned to its former state of standing quietly, its branches and leaves swaying gently in the breeze, as if the strange visions just now were just an illusion to them.
His mind moved, and a thought that he had temporarily ignored suddenly emerged clearly like bamboo shoots after rain.
He took a few steps forward and solemnly touched the rough and cold tree trunk with his fingertips.
"Finally...are you alive?"
He Shu's voice unconsciously lowered, with a bit of indescribable complex emotions, as if he was confirming, or talking to himself.
"No wonder... No wonder it bloomed so late this spring... And the flowering period was abnormally long..."
He closed his eyes, held his breath, and concentrated his mind, calmly circulating a trace of pure spiritual power, which turned into tiny tentacles and slowly explored into the inside of the tree trunk.
The next moment, a warm and gentle fluctuation of spiritual power, like the breath of a spring flower awakening, came clearly.
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