Hope and Disappointment
Inside the tree hollow was the root area, and after that exclamation, Ren Xiangxiang could clearly feel the entire root trembling slightly.
Ren Xiangxiang smiled and followed the sound to the upper right corner. "Here?"
"Aaaaaah! Help!"
The protruding root, like a pupa, immediately fled from her palm.
"I'm not here to kill you, I just want to talk to you."
Ren Xiangxiang hurriedly explained.
The voice paused noticeably, "What's there to say! Hmm? Then what are you doing here?"
The child's voice came from near and far, left and right. Ren Xiangxiang looked around and said, "Aren't you tired? If I really wanted to do something, would I need to come in and find you? Wouldn't it be simpler to just have that demon outside split this tree in half?"
"You dare!" The voice jumped in fright, screamed, and then burst into tears, "You're bullying the tree! You're bullying the tree so much! First it was that damned snow doll! And now it's you! Waaaaah... Do you know how hard it's been for me to grow up? Waaaaah..."
Seeing the crying getting louder and louder, Ren Xiangxiang's head was throbbing from the noise. "Stop crying! I'll really get angry if you keep crying!"
As soon as the words were spoken, the crying stopped abruptly, leaving only a faint, almost inaudible sob of grievance.
Ren Xiangxiang pressed her temples, trying to appear amiable. "I mean... is the snow doll you're talking about the Thunder God? Do you know where he went?"
"You don't know?" The child's voice hesitated for a moment before cautiously saying, "He went back to the Earth's core after he lost the Earth's core fire!"
Ren Xiangxiang blinked, a glimmer of hope flickering in her heart, "Is...is he still alive?"
"Why would you ask that?" the child asked, puzzled. "He was born from the fire seed at the earth's core. When the fire seed was gone, he naturally went back! He'll probably come back when a new fire seed is generated, that's what I think. He also took that piece of broken iron that I gave him with my pill. That piece of iron is still buried next to me, sleeping! It's so annoying! I can't beat him, and I can't run away! Why is my life so miserable!"
The tree spirit kept rambling on and on, and as he spoke, he became aggrieved again and started crying. However, from his words, Ren Xiangxiang finally felt that the pent-up frustration in her chest dissipate a little.
"So that means he didn't disappear, he's still alive... Do you know when the Earth's core fire will reignite?" Ren Xiangxiang asked eagerly, her heart pounding.
The child's crying paused for a moment, then resumed, growing louder, "Waaah...you're all bad people, you still want him to come back quickly..."
He was crying so loudly that Ren Xiangxiang couldn't get any answers no matter how long she asked. She didn't know what Lei Gong had done to him back then to make him feel so wronged.
Ren Xiangxiang had completely forgotten that they had taken away the tree spirit's pill not long ago, causing him to regress to a child and have to start cultivating again.
Just as Mo You was losing patience waiting up there, Ren Xiangxiang finally climbed out of the tree hole with a bright smile.
"Mo You, Lei Gong has not disappeared."
Snowflakes began to fall heavily on Snowy Mountain again, covering it in a layer of silver. One side of the drafty treehouse collapsed, but Ren Xiangxiang and Mo You worked together to repair it and restore the interior to its original state.
"He will definitely come back," Ren Xiangxiang murmured to herself, taking Mo You's hand and walking quickly down the mountain.
"Mo You, I'm so happy that you're always by my side."
"You're talking nonsense again."
Mo You smiled and let her pull him along, striding forward.
The two left the far north, intending to return to Fox Mountain. Previously, Mo You was injured, and Mo Rong and Cui Xi from Fox Mountain came to visit. However, as Mo You's injuries improved, Cui Xi couldn't stand the Yang Palace full of demon masters, so she dragged Mo Rong back to Fox Mountain.
Going back now would probably delay things for a while, so it's better to go to the Other Demon Valley first.
After Ren Xiangxiang left last time, Bieyao Valley closed its entrance until news of the death of the Gu King came from Qiling Mountain, at which point it reopened.
Fire Scorpion Queen probably didn't want to see them, but Qiongming led them to the entrance of the Yin-Yang Pass in the Underworld.
After the grass dolls disappeared, Si Xie, who had a bird's head and a human body, went into seclusion due to excessive grief and refused to see anyone. Only Ming Tu, who had a human head and a bird's body, saw them.
Ren Xiangxiang took out the Gu-Slaying Needle and handed it to the other party, "The Gu King is dead. Can the Shadow Child—no, I mean the Grass Child—come back?"
Looking at the gleaming Gu-Slaying Needle in Ren Xiangxiang's hand, Ming Tu gave a bitter smile. He picked it up and examined it carefully for a moment before silently shaking his head. "It has already been refined, so how can it be separated? Even if it could be separated, it would just be an inanimate object."
Upon hearing this, Ren Xiangxiang's heart sank, and she felt a tightness in her chest.
"Then...is there really no other way? I..."
Regret and remorse surged over her like a tidal wave, weighing her down and making it hard to breathe. Memories of the past welled up in her heart, creating ripples in her mind.
Ren Xiangxiang choked up, unable to speak, tears uncontrollably falling drop by drop onto the back of her hand.
"He considered me his best friend... but I..."
“We showed you how the grass baby was born, so you should know that the shadow was truly born in this cave.” Ming Tu sighed, looking at the grief-stricken Ren Xiangxiang, but swallowed his words.
"Go back. Time is long, and he may really come back one day."
Ren Xiangxiang's eyes lit up noticeably.
Ming Tu's figure faded before the two of them. In a daze, he seemed to hear Cao Wa's happy laughter. That little guy, every time he came back, would chatter on and on about what was happening outside, and he mentioned this girl the most. Since he liked her so much, why...
Tears streamed down her face. The empty cave was so desolate it was suffocating. She didn't know how long it would take. Ha! Even if Ying Zhongzhen was reborn, what difference would it make? He would no longer be a grass child!
A unique and irreplaceable grass doll.
But he never said those words aloud. He couldn't bring himself to say them, and he also deceived himself by telling himself that maybe he could come back.
Time flies, and three years have passed in the blink of an eye.
For three years, Ren Xiangxiang spent most of her time at Qiling Mountain researching the Gu-Extermination Needle. Occasionally, she would go to Liuwu Forest to talk to the mad Shui Buyun, but it was just her talking to herself, and Shui Buyun ignored her completely.
Mo You returned to Fox Mountain, seemingly discussing something important. One after another, demons from Fox Mountain came to Qiling Mountain, but they mostly stayed outside the Yang Palace.
The summer sun was scorching, and the evening breeze carried a hint of restlessness, making people irritable. After wandering around the courtyard, Ren Xiangxiang ran out of Yangdian again.
The barrier outside the Liuwu Forest had suddenly disappeared, which startled Ren Xiangxiang. Thinking something had happened, she rushed inside.
The yard was overgrown with weeds and in a mess; it was a mystery how Shui Buyun managed to live there.
Just as Ren Xiangxiang was frowning, unsure of where to step, a burst of wild laughter suddenly came from the backyard.
Shui Buyong rushed out, disheveled and covered in dirt, carrying a flowerpot. Two tender buds sprouted from the center of the flowerpot, carrying an extremely faint demonic aura.
Ren Xiangxiang's eyes widened in disbelief. "This was grown from that seed?"
"Look at Xiangxiang, she's still alive! I told you she's still alive!" Shui Buyun was overjoyed, hugging the flowerpot tightly as she murmured to herself, "I killed demons for her. She's been eating demon pills for so many years and controlling the demon gu within her. She's no ordinary person. She must have known this would happen. She must have left herself a way out. That's who she is, that's who she is!"
Shui Buyun was so excited that he laughed and shouted, his words incoherent and rambling. Seeing that Ren Xiangxiang was still standing there in a daze, he suddenly changed his expression and said, "Why are you still here? I can't concentrate on protecting her with you here. Get out!"
Ren Xiangxiang stumbled, her vision blurred, and she was mercilessly kicked out by Shui Buyen. It took her a while to regain her senses.
Is Master still alive?
"Uncle Shui! Let me in quickly, let me see the flowers in your arms, Uncle Shui!!!"
No matter how much Ren Xiangxiang called out, Shui Buyun ignored her. Holding the flowerpot like a precious treasure, she gazed tenderly at the two petals and softly called out, "Axin, is that you, Axin... You're back, aren't you? You're back..."
Oh!
A soft female voice seemed to drift from the void, filled with weariness, just like the first time Shu Huixin held Shui Buyun, who was still a daffodil that afternoon. The woman smiled and spoke gently.
"Little Narcissus?"
...
Inside Fox Mountain, all the members of the Ink Fox Clan gathered together, discussing who should go to Qiling Mountain to propose marriage.
Logically, this matter should have been put on the agenda long ago, but unfortunately there are too few people who can propose marriage and offer betrothal gifts. Moreover, even if Ren Xiangxiang, as a demon master, is easy to get along with, it doesn't mean that her family members are easy to get along with. After all, they are demon masters!
All eyes turned to Master Mo. Back in Fox Mountain, wasn't he the one who loved playing matchmaker? He almost called himself the number one matchmaker in Fox Mountain.
But Mo Shi couldn't laugh at this moment. He sat quietly with the others, pretending to sip his tea and clear his throat.
"...Actually... well... I already went there two days ago..."
When he said this, Mo You sighed and wanted to stop him from acting impulsively.
"You've been there?" Fox Spirit blinked and took a sip of tea.
"And then?" Mo Rong seemed very excited.
Master Mo paused, then slammed his teacup down, seemingly resigned to his fate, "Do you know who Xiao Xiangxiang's mother is? I mustered all my courage to step into the Yang Palace..."
Mo You sighed, realizing he had been forcibly dragged inside.
"...And then there were demon masters everywhere! Demon tamers were one thing, but there were also demon slayers. The axes and swords they wielded were forged from demon bones; just getting close to them was terrifying..."
On the way, I ran into the two fellow disciples, Lan Qizheng and Lan Xun. I heard that they were going to Banshanju to test Xu Caiyou's newly made demon tendons. Demon tendons are very popular among demon slayers these days. I greeted them as well.
"I never expected this! Xiao Xiangxiang's mother is a demon slayer, and the most ferocious one at that. The bow she carries makes my legs go weak even from ten feet away. How am I supposed to propose to her? I'd have to kneel down!"
Mo You shook his head. Master Mo had indeed run away from a distance of ten feet, and no one could stop him. He refused to go in no matter what they said.
Hu Ling pondered for a moment, then exchanged a glance with Mo Rong. Mo Shi looked like he was about to cry but had no tears, appearing quite aggrieved.
“But…someone has to go and propose!” Fox Spirit looked helplessly at Master Mo.
"Don't look at me, I'm not going. You don't know how terrifying those demon slayers are until you go. It's like a lamb entering a tiger's den—there's no going back. Anyway—"
At this point, Master Mo's eyes darted around, and he suddenly stood up. "Isn't there one more person?"
"Who else...?" Fox Spirit was a little confused.
Mo You suddenly realized and blurted out, "Koma-kun is back?"
"Oh right! He came back two days ago, and that ghost demon is still on the cliff."
In the middle of the cliff outside Fox Mountain, there is a small courtyard, which is where Mo You used to live. It is called Suspended Cliff.
Since Yanxiong and Guiyayue left, only Yaozhu has been left in the house. Guli and Moyou occasionally come back to visit, but the two don't get along and basically never meet.
The once deserted cliffs have become lively again.
The grapevines in the yard were lush and verdant, climbing up the bamboo poles in circles to create a cool, shady spot in the corner of the yard.
Gu Li was cooking in the kitchen, while Yao Zhu happily hummed a little tune as she busied herself with the tasks.
Of the seven children Yanxiong adopted, only Yaozhu remains by his side.
"Hmm?" Seeing a soft light emanating from outside the courtyard gate, Yao Zhu subconsciously stopped what she was doing. After a moment, her eyes gradually brightened.
She cheered and ran quickly into the house, "Koma-kun, guess who's back?"
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