Chapter 313
"Keep your tail close, be careful not to be discovered!"
"The hoof! The hoof is showing!"
"Lower your head! Lower your head quickly!"
In a dense bush, there was a rustling sound mixed with a few low voices. If you looked carefully, you could see a little red, white, or brown in the gaps between the branches and leaves of the bushes.
Ten days had passed since Shoumu's proposal. The three cubs never expected that their gentle and reliable husband would actually listen to Shoumu's suggestion and keep them at home!
The three cubs were so shocked by the sudden move that they couldn't recover from the shock and were so angry that they decided to follow quietly without thinking twice, which led to the current situation.
"Don't look back——" Shoumu suddenly put his arm on Yuchuan's shoulder and whispered, "Are you afraid that your three little brats can't find you?"
"They are following us. I am afraid they are in danger." Yuchuan controlled himself not to look back. "They are still young."
Shoumu: “…”
"They were smaller before you picked them up. It was fine then, let alone now." He said quietly, "Why don't I go dig two young plants for you."
How can we have so many worries day by day?
"Don't worry, just go forward—" Shoumu pressed down on Yuchuan's shoulders with his arm, his voice gritting with teeth, "We are still leading the way ahead, how can these three be in any danger!"
With such a close distance and such poor tracking... Shouki was simply forcing himself to ignore it.
The three cubs followed them less than a hundred meters behind them, unaware of anything, and were smug about their own superb skills.
"Hehe, I'm not noticed even when I'm so close. I'm worthy of being me!"
"So what if Shoumu kidnapped you? We'll just follow him quietly~"
"Don't get carried away. Be careful! Be careful!"
Their voices were very low, but no matter how high or low, they were no different from the loud conspiracies of the two trees that cleared the way ahead.
Shoumu had his back to them with a distorted expression on his face. He was feeling a little regretful now. If he had known that he would face such a "miserable situation", he would have said it directly at that time!
"This concealment technique is too poorly learned." Shoumu muttered, "Luckily it was us who were following us, if it was any other alien plant, they would have been hung up and made into dried meat strips."
Yuchuan sighed: "Should I go and call them out?"
"Stop!" Shoumu stopped him, and half-forced Yuchuan to straighten his head, "The cub needs to exercise, don't spoil him too much!"
"Yuchuan!" After walking for a while, Shoumu paused and said sadly, "Don't look back quietly, I've caught you seven times!"
…
"Wow!" The phoenix flapped its palm-sized wings, raised its almost nonexistent neck, and exclaimed in amazement, "It's so big - what a huge tree!"
Below it, Qilin stood up and asked curiously: "Did you see Jianmu?"
The existence of Jianmu is in their inherited memories, but Jianmu is just a concept in their memories, and they don't know what it looks like specifically.
"It must be Jianmu!" The little phoenix was at a loss for words because of the shock in front of her, "What a huge tree!"
Xiao Shirazawa, whose vision was blocked by grass that was five times taller than himself, was a little envious of the little phoenix's wings that could fly.
"Just walk a little further east and you'll be out in a while." The little phoenix flapped its wings to indicate the direction, its tone a little anxious, "Sir, they're walking so fast, if we don't work harder, we'll lose them!"
When Qilin and Bai Ze came out from the tall grass, they also saw the "huge tree" that the little phoenix mentioned - there was no exaggeration in it, and the description was even a bit too conservative. At first glance, it was impossible to see the whole picture of the tree, and there was only shock and awe that covered the sky.
As the new inheritors, they have not been born in this world for a long time, and their inherited memories have recorded many great things, but no matter what they are, they cannot compare with the tree before them.
The sun and the moon hang in its crown, and the vast earth lies at its feet. Its existence cannot be defined by the concept of "plants and trees" at all, or in other words, it cannot be defined.
In such shock and awe, the three cubs were unusually hesitant. Shoumu said this was a gathering of plants and trees, and as uninvited beasts, was it really okay for them to just go there?
The three cubs got stuck in a tangle, and suddenly the ground shook beneath their feet. The little phoenix was not affected at all, but Qilin and Bai Ze fell to the ground with a cry.
The little Qilin felt dazed as its four hooves flew into the air, and something grabbed its fate by the scruff of the neck. It was thrown helplessly onto a broad back.
As a cub with relatively weak strength, the little Qilin's four hooves were firmly fixed on the smooth fur on the back, and it looked around timidly and fearfully - it seemed to be on the back of a musk deer.
Little Phoenix and Little Bai Ze were nowhere to be seen, and Little Qilin was a little panicked: "Where are you taking me? What are you going to do with my friends?"
"Don't be so scared of me." The musk deer's voice was rough and powerful. "You are just enough to fill the gaps between your teeth. I am too lazy to eat."
It said it lightly, but Qilin was frightened and trembled, with tears in its round eyes.
"If you shed tears on my back, I will throw you off." The musk deer's voice was filled with a hint of laughter. "If I throw you off, you won't be able to go to the grass and tree gathering."
Little Qilin: “…Ah?”
While asking this question, it wisely held back its tears.
The musk deer carried it on its back and walked forward slowly. Golden spots of light floated over from the direction of Jianmu and surrounded them. The golden spots turned into thin threads, interweaving to form the ground beneath their feet.
The musk deer walked onto the golden ground. The unicorn opened its eyes wide and took a startled glance through the gaps between the golden threads. It seemed to see many beautiful black flowers.
"Go get the other two cubs." The musk deer's voice sounded vague at this time, "...gather you together to make soup."
Taking advantage of the fact that it was on the back of the musk deer, the Qilin quietly rolled its eyes. It now knew that the alien beasts and plants that came to participate in the plant and tree gathering all liked to tease! Play! With! The cubs!
Kirin was not afraid at all now. He lay down directly on the back of the musk deer and even discussed with the musk deer with some interest: "My scales are very thick. They are not good for stewing. They are more suitable for frying or grilling~"
The musk deer almost laughed at the cub on its back.
"Since you are so enthusiastic," it said, "it's not impossible to try something else."
So all the way into the Plant Gathering, the two of them were discussing the crazy topic of "How to cook Qilin to make it delicious?"
When the ground made of golden lines came to an end, Qilin felt his eyes brighten. He saw an endless purple wooden platform. All the objects on the platform were entangled with green vines, with black flowers blooming one after another, and rare yellow fruits could be vaguely seen among the flowers.
"Wow!" It made the same ignorant sound as the little phoenix.
"We're here, get off my back." The musk deer couldn't help laughing. "Your friends are all here, but whether you can find them or not depends on your ability."
Qilin jumped off the musk deer's back, thanked it, and walked around curiously. Before it had taken a few steps, it found itself free again, so it picked it up with both hands.
Qilin: “……?”
It hung its little tail, and the whole Qilin seemed a little nervous, until it saw the face of the person holding it - it was Shou Mu.
Qilin: “!!!”
Its four little hooves turned into hot wheels: "Ahhhhhhhh Shoumu, you've already figured out we were following you, right? Hand the gentleman over to me!!!"
…
"Don't worry about the cubs that come in after you and Shoumu." The beautiful woman with long golden hair handed Yuchuan a glass of fruit wine. Her fingertips brushed over the black flowers beside her, and the flowers spit out several scenes. "Look, everything is fine."
The Qilin was trying to kick the giggling Shoumu with its hoof, the little phoenix was dazzled by the elegant Sanzhu tree and the warm and jade-like Langshu tree, and only the little Bai Ze was still alert and ran up and down the huge Jianmu, but unfortunately he still got lost, with a look of confusion on his face.
"This is the safest place in the world." Seeing Yuchuan's worried expression, the androgynous beauty stuffed the wine into his hands. "Don't stare at them so closely. If you're still worried and want to bring them to your side, just talk to Jianmu directly."
Fuso thought she had explained it very clearly, but for some reason, the transformed plant next to her still had a slight confusion in its eyes, as if it didn't understand.
Fusang blinked, her long golden hair flowing down from her shoulders like the brightest sunlight in midsummer. "Yuchuan, you don't... know how to communicate with Jianmu, do you?"
When she asked this incredible question, she herself found it a little funny. Even if it was a new tree species born between heaven and earth, it would know how to communicate with Jianmu. Communicating with Jianmu is just like a foreign plant taking root in the land. It is something that happens naturally and something that it naturally understands.
But what she never expected was that the young man next to her nodded hesitantly.
Fuso: "......?"
Fuso's head is full of question marks.
The friendly and gentle expression on her face froze, replaced by obvious worry - this situation was absolutely abnormal, and she was very worried that the plant in front of her had some rare disease.
Fusang could no longer sit still. She gathered spiritual power in her palms and poured it into her naturally formed purple wooden wall. The green vines climbing on the wall trembled, and the black flowers closed one by one.
Such unusual movements rarely occurred on Jianmu. Several plants near Fusang sensed it and hurried here, just in time to see the flowers that had closed half of the wall. They would only communicate with Jianmu in this way if they were sure that it was an emergency that they could not handle on their own.
"What happened, Fuso?" The first dragon blood tree to arrive was holding two stone basins in his arms. "Are you feeling unwell?"
The hibiscus tree is already a mature tree, but it still has nearly a thousand years to go before it enters its dormant period. Theoretically, now is the time when it is at its strongest.
"It's not me." Fuso shook her head, "It's Tamagawa."
Shoumu lived up to his reputation of having many friends. When he first stepped into Jianmu's sensing range, he asked a few friends to pick up the three cubs who were following them. He brought Yuchuan to their current location and asked the steady and reliable Fuso to introduce Yuchuan to the situation of the grass and tree gathering. Although Shoumu attended every gathering, he did not understand the gathering as well as Fuso.
Among the same kind of plants, only one will develop intelligence and become an alien plant, while the others are just ordinary plants. The appearance of new plants makes the other alien plants curious, but Shoumu has already told them privately that his new friend is shy and asked them not to rush up and scare the tree. Only then do they restrain themselves and disperse - plants have a long life, and through repeated gatherings, everyone will become familiar with each other sooner or later.
"Is Yuchuan feeling unwell?" Dragon Blood Tree frowned, looking a little fierce, "When you felt unwell, didn't you communicate with Jianmu?"
The young man he was staring at shook his head: "I'm not feeling unwell, I just don't know how to communicate with Jianmu."
"This worries me more than the discomfort I hear." Dragon Blood Tree pinched his brows. "How long have you been in the transformation period?"
Dragon Blood Tree saw Yuchuan was silent for a moment, then replied softly: "My memory seems to be missing, I don't remember."
Fusang and Dragon Blood Tree looked at each other and saw solemnity in each other's eyes—the problem was bigger than they had imagined!
"Help me look after these two seedlings for a while!" The dragon blood tree stuffed the stone basin into Yuchuan's arms, "I'll go find other trees!"
His figure disappeared from the small platform in a flash. Because he ran so fast, Fusang behind him couldn't help but pat his forehead. The Dragon Blood Tree was so anxious that it even forgot that as long as they were within the range of Jianmu, they could communicate with each other regardless of distance.
Fuso used the vines on the other side of the wall to communicate with other alien plants within the range of Jianmu, and took a stone basin from Yuchuan to lighten his burden.
Realizing that their actions made the seemingly very young tree somewhat uneasy, Fuso took the pot away and changed the subject: "How about guessing what seedlings are planted in the two pots in the dragon blood tree's arms?"
The two pots that were three times larger than the head were filled with fertile soil. In the middle of the two pots of soil, there was a hint of green as thin as a hair. There was indeed some sensitivity between the plants, but these were obviously just sprouted and in the early stages of life, so it was not easy to recognize them.
Yuchuan stared at the greenery in the stone basin in his arms, and carefully extended his consciousness to form a connection. In his blank memory, an inexplicable sense of familiarity surged up, and he blurted out subconsciously—
"Emperor Xiushu?"
"You guessed right. It looks like the amnesia is not serious." Fuso was surprised and relieved at the same time. "Then what about the basin in my hand?"
The same familiar feeling came to mind: "Teiwushu?"
"Yes, it took a long time for the dragon blood tree to sprout." Fusang seemed to have thought of something and teased with a smile, "You and the dragon blood tree, one raising the seedling and the other raising the cub, you must have a lot in common."
Yuchuan looked at the almost invisible green and adjusted the way he held the pot: "When will they reach the transformation stage?"
"It's hard to say. There have been too many changes in the meantime." Fusang smiled, "But everyone has worked hard to raise these two seedlings. Maybe when we become seedlings again, they will raise us."
The dragon blood tree had not returned yet, but Ruomu came first, and with it came the golden crow on his shoulder. This was because the golden crow was an alien beast raised by Fuso and Ruomu. When Fuso showed negative emotions, the golden crow would sense it, and it would almost pull Ruomu's long hair and flap its wings desperately to fly over.
Fuso held the Golden Crow in his arms to comfort it. Wakamu, who had snatched his hair from the Golden Crow's beak, was rubbing his head with a grimace, obviously in great pain.
Looking down from the platform, you can see that many plants are rushing in this direction, but unfortunately they are a step too late. The black flowers that were previously closed on the Jianmu tree bloomed at the same moment, and golden spots of light entangled this small platform. They stretched into threads and woven into a web, forming a space that could not be noticed.
When Fuso used her spiritual power, she communicated with Jianmu and told him about Yuchuan's situation. Now that the special space has been formed, she finally feels relieved.
Yuchuan stared at this special space, and a vague sense of familiarity came to his mind again. The golden net—he seemed to have seen it somewhere before.
...Is this an illusion?
His blank mind began to ache, with a pain that almost pierced through his head. In the pain, he felt something caressing his cheek, softly and gently, like caressing a priceless treasure.
[Don’t think about it, don’t delve into it.]
The pain gradually subsided and then disappeared.
"Are you Jianmu?" he asked.
Yuchuan heard Jianmu's answer and said "yes".
Compared to his reservedness, Fuso and Ruomu were much more natural. In the special space created by Jianmu, they naturally showed an attitude of trust. Fuso expressed her concerns in a very organized and fast manner.
[Tamagawa is a new tree species, the tea tree.]
A gentle force touched the top of Yuchuan's head, bringing with it a gentle breath, and his shattered consciousness healed a lot in an instant.
[His special talent is why he suffers from memory loss.]
"Based on Yuchuan's aura, it shouldn't have taken him more than ten years to transform." Ruomu rubbed his hair and said worriedly, "His talent awakened too early."
Generally speaking, plants and trees will show signs of awakening their talents only after their transformation and formation have stabilized, and this period of stability lasts about a hundred years.
[Yuchuan is special. His talent is closely related to his future.] Ruomu seemed to be patted on the head by an invisible force, [Don't worry, I'm here.]
The invisible force also grabbed Fuso's golden hair and lifted the nearly strangled Jinwu in her arms onto her shoulders: "Yuchuan Shu is less than a hundred years old, please take care of him at the gathering."
Less than a hundred years.
These four words were embedded in Fusang's mind, and her first reaction was what a tender little tree.
The net formed by the golden threads grew larger, emitting brilliant light. Fuso and Wakagi disappeared in the light. Yuchuan looked around and asked, "Do you have anything to tell me alone?"
[Let things take their own course and don’t worry about them.]
An invisible force pinched his cheeks, as if a gentle and tolerant elder suddenly developed a childlike heart. A small ball of light floated to Yuchuan's brow and merged into his consciousness.
Yuchuan raised his hand, and soft green vines appeared on his palm, the same color as the vines entwined on the branches and leaves of Jianmu. If the green vines he summoned before only had simple functions, now the green vines were as easy to control as his own body.
[It is connected to your talents.]
So now, past, future, it exists forever.
The bright golden color around Yuchuan slowly faded away, and the figures of Fuso and Wakagi appeared vaguely.
[Greetings, I hope you like it.]
The golden silk net retracted into spots of light, scattering and circling among the branches and leaves. Jianmu separated them, as if both parties had explained something to each other privately. Neither Fuso nor Ruomu asked any questions, but Fuso stepped forward and quickly took away the fruit wine that he had forced on Yuchuan before.
"You're too young to drink this." Fusang's long golden hair brushed against the back of his hand, and she stuffed a fruit into his hand. "This is delicious, too."
No one knew what Jianmu had said. The way they looked at Yuchuan was not much different from the way they looked at a young seedling.
The space created by Jianmu dissipated, and other plants and trees began to cluster up. The plants and trees gathered the essence of heaven and earth, and no one looked ordinary. Each one had its own beauty and charm.
Sanzhushu was holding the little phoenix in his arms, which had changed a lot. The feathers of the little phoenix were dotted with pearls and gems, and it looked elegant and noble. Langshu was beside him, constantly feeding it delicious fruits of various colors. The little Qilin was held under Shoumu's arm, with a look of despair on his face. Bai Ze squatted on Mengmu's shoulder and whispered... This small platform was suddenly bustling with activity.
"The problem has been solved!" Fuso blocked it, "Don't scare Tamagawa."
She briefly explained it to the other plants through telepathy. Once Jianmu made a move, the other plants felt relieved.
"The tea tree is indeed a new tree species that I have never heard of." Dragon Blood Tree brought back two stone basins and protected them in front of him like treasures. "Now in the gathering of plants and trees, Yuchuan is the youngest one."
After he finished speaking, he quickly added: "The two seedlings in my arms don't count."
Because of their long life, most of the plants and trees have a mild temperament and are good at taking care of other people's emotions. Even if they chat about this and that, they will not make the new plants and trees feel uncomfortable. While chatting with them, Yuchuan, who was still a little nervous, did not even realize that he smiled. His heart, which had been restless, finally calmed down at this moment.
Leisurely time always passes quickly, and when the sunset appeared on the horizon, the three cubs had already hung on him again. After playing enough with the new alien elders, they still preferred to stick to their husband.
"Is the meeting about to end?" Yuchuan asked with a smile. The bright sunset was reflected in his eyes, casting a layer of soft orange and gold.
"Finally you're happy." Shouki put his arm carelessly on Yuchuan's shoulders. "When I saw you before, I always felt that there was a heavy emotion in your eyes."
Brushing away that gentle and light smile, Shoumu vaguely saw a kind of vague pain that he had nowhere to vent to. The illusory thing weighed heavily on his soul, tormenting it inch by inch.
"No." Yuchuan frowned, "It's not as exaggerated as you say."
The trees, which seemed to be separated from the rest of the world by a layer of space, finally had a real sense of the world. This change was so subtle that it was difficult to ignore. Other plants and trees stood beside them, basking in the sunset, and everyone was smiling, with a tacit understanding.
Jianmu blocks out the sun, a tree as big as a city, black flowers bloom in the sunset, bringing a rich and intoxicating fragrance, golden spots of light circling upward from the bottom of Jianmu, bringing crisp echoes, bright golden spots of light passing through the branches and leaves, like a grand performance, some monsters participating in this gathering jump lightly onto the particularly large black flowers, humming ancient ballads on the petals and dancing casually.
The sun sets and the moon rises, the years are peaceful.
The wind carried golden spots of light around Yuchuan. An invisible but perceptible force protected him. In the shadows between the branches and leaves of Jianmu, a cub covered with green scales looked up blankly. In its claws, it held a green grass, which was given to it by the branches and leaves of the trees passing by during the day.
Eat the grass and forget your worries.
It took a light bite and felt inexplicably happy, yet still felt a lingering sadness.
It raised its head and glanced at the noisy Jianmu branch again. Two or three sparse golden spots were pouring down and circling around it. It put down the reed it had taken a bite of, jumped a few times, and disappeared on the Jianmu.
It's lively and nice there, but it has nothing to do with it.
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