Chongzhou, Lijia Village.
As darkness fell, twilight enveloped the desolate fields.
On a withered tree at the village entrance, several crows were cawing hoarsely, their voices harsh and unpleasant.
Several villagers sat around an old locust tree in the center of the village, their faces pale and their eyes filled with fear.
“It’s happening again…that thing is moving again…” Old Man Li pointed to the distant fields, his voice trembling.
Everyone looked in that direction, and their pupils were all wide open in shock.
Under the moonlight, a huge demonic tree stood between the ridges of the field, its trunk as thick as a millstone, its surface covered with dark red cracks, like dried scabs.
Its roots are exposed, like countless twisted snakes, slowly wriggling. With each root take-off, you can hear the "sizzling" sound of the soil being drained.
“It…it’s moved towards the village again…” A woman hugged her child tightly, her voice trembling.
The demonic tree was indeed moving. Its roots were pulled from the soil, bringing with them large clumps of dry, cracked earth, before sinking deep into the ground in front of it.
Wherever it passed, the ground cracked rapidly, the once moist soil became dry as sand in the blink of an eye, and even the wild grass withered instantly.
"The well water... the well water level has dropped again!" A young man stumbled over, his face pale. "I could draw up half a bucket a moment ago, but now... now it's just mud!"
The villagers looked at the demonic tree in despair.
It doesn't eat people or harm them, but every time it takes root, it drains the soil of moisture, causing crops to wither and wells to dry up.
If this continues, the entire village will turn into a desert!
"What the hell is this thing?!" someone cried out in despair. "Weren't the seeds from the barren mountains supposed to save us? How could such a monster grow?!"
"The government said this is a mutation of the mountain god's seed..." an old man murmured, his eyes filled with fear. "The imperial court has ordered that all seeds from the barren mountains be destroyed..."
"But we haven't planted those seeds yet!" Old Man Li roared. "We've secretly hidden all the seeds!"
No one answered him; everyone was filled with fear.
The night wind howled, and the branches of the demon tree swayed slightly in the wind, making a low "rustling" sound, as if mocking these insignificant humans.
The villagers huddled together, trembling. They didn't know where the monster came from, nor how to deal with it. All they knew was that if things continued like this, everyone would die of thirst and starvation.
"How about... we run away..." someone suggested in a low voice.
Where could they escape to? These demonic trees had appeared in over a dozen villages throughout Chongzhou. The government was helpless, and the people could only await their deaths.
Under the moonlight, the demon tree slowly moved, its roots digging deep into the soil, greedily sucking up the last of the moisture.
Looking around, countless fields are cracked like tortoise shells, with crisscrossing cracks everywhere, as if the earth has been torn apart by invisible claws.
Wherever the demon tree once stood, a light step would turn it into dust, raising a choking cloud of grime in the wind.
A few withered crops stood forlornly in the cracks, their shriveled stalks as brittle as paper, crumbling into powder at the slightest touch.
A gust of hot wind blew by, stirring up fine particles of soil from the ground.
"This demonic tree, this demonic tree has turned our fertile fields into dead land!" The old farmer squatted at the edge of his field, his withered fingers digging into the cracks, and couldn't help but wail.
The surrounding people couldn't help but cry. This snow disaster had finally passed, and everyone was hoping for a bumper harvest this year to feed their families.
However, all their hopes were dashed when the mysteriously appearing demonic tree destroyed all their expectations!
Everyone was in great pain, but there was nothing they could do. It was a threat. How could ordinary people like them fight against evil spirits?
The government officials were determined to collect all the seeds, but upon seeing these demonic trees, they were all terrified and fled in all directions, not even daring to enter the village.
Old Man Li stood at the village entrance, gazing at the cracked earth in the distance, a resolute glint flashing in his cloudy eyes.
He turned to the villagers behind him and said, "Go and invite Mr. Gu! Since he can use magical cement to build houses and repair roads for us, he might also have a way to deal with this demonic tree!"
Upon hearing this, hope ignited in the villagers' eyes.
Mr. Gu is a strange man who suddenly appeared near the village a year ago. He wears an odd short shirt and speaks in a language that is incomprehensible.
But he knew how to mix dusty powder with sand and gravel, and build a wall as solid as stone overnight.
The roads he taught the villagers to build were so well-preserved that they couldn't be washed away by torrential rain or broken by horses' hooves, and even the county magistrate was amazed when he saw them.
However, Mr. Gu almost had his leg broken because he offended the county officials.
The people risked their lives to protect him and managed to save Mr. Gu.
This gentleman became utterly disillusioned with those officials and from then on lived at the foot of the mountain, unwilling to concern himself with worldly affairs. Only when the villagers invited him would Mr. Gu come out to take a look.
After a winter, the heavy snow sealed off the entire village, and the villagers hadn't had much interaction with Mr. Gu. This was the first time they had invited him out.
Before long, a young man dressed in a coarse cloth robe was pushed over.
The seat under the young man had two large wheels, allowing it to move freely on the concrete road.
Only when they arrived at the fields did the strange chair gradually slow down, as it was pushed over with difficulty.
"Mr. Gu, what do you think we should do about this demonic tree? Can we use that magical cement to seal it inside?" Old Man Li asked eagerly, his cloudy eyes shining.
Mr. Gu was the last hope of their village, and the old man was extremely anxious.
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