“Aren’t you a brave person? I’ve heard it’s nice to live in a tree instead of coming down.” Quan looked up at him.
"I was just kidding! Ah! Don't move!"
A soft, rustling sound came from above.
"Don't touch my foot! Ah—"
A branch snapped at her head, and Quan looked up to see Lie hanging upside down in front of her, his face turning purple.
What is that?
The little snow maiden pointed at it and asked.
A transparent woman appeared before them. She was tall and slender, with a body the color of tender buds. Her hair was tied into two braids, and small red flowers bloomed on the whip.
Quan covered her lips and chuckled, "She is a wood spirit, also known as a wood elf, which mostly lives in the forest. It refers to a tree that has a soul."
"oh."
Little Snow Woman nodded.
“However…” Izumi’s fingers gently traced the tree behind the Wood Spirit, “If someone pushes down or injures the tree that is the Wood Spirit’s true form, that person will suffer a great disaster.”
"I see. It seems the hunter has done something unforgivable." After figuring it out, the little snow maiden plucked a green branch from the wood spirit's tree.
spring:"……"
What are you doing?
The sound of a hunter could be heard overhead.
Looking into the eyes of the Wood Spirit, the Snow Maiden calmly said, "I am not human, I am a demon, so you cannot take revenge on me."
"Um."
Wood Spirit nodded.
This wood spirit is surprisingly easy to talk to and understands people.
"Ouch, I didn't mean to hurt you, can you let me go?" Hunter said, baring his teeth.
"cannot."
Wood Spirit shook its head.
"What did he do to deserve this retribution?" Quan asked.
Wood Spirit darted aside and walked ahead first, with Spring following behind her. They arrived at a thick, ancient tree.
here……
Looking up, Quan saw several engravings on the brown trunk of the towering tree.
“He carved this with stones; he tore my clothes,” said the Wood Spirit.
The hunter actually scribbled and drew on things! How could he do something so immoral!
Quan didn't know what to say, so he could only apologize and beg for her forgiveness.
"I'm sorry, I apologize on his behalf, and I hope you can understand him."
Quan bent down and said.
The wood spirit stared at her for a long time before saying, "I can forgive him, but before I forgive him, I need him to catch all the insects off the tree."
"insect?"
“A kind of insect with a black shell and white eyes. They bothered me a lot, and this is his punishment.” Wood Spirit casually stretched out her hand to the tree, and an insect the size of half a palm appeared in her hand.
"Aaaaaah—!!!"
Quan suddenly stepped back, and these giant insects almost jumped onto her!
"Well……"
Mu Mei's expression was complicated.
"Sorry! It wasn't directed at you, I'm just really afraid of insects."
He explained by the spring, then retreated.
"There are many more of these insects here. If you're scared, you should leave as soon as possible. I won't hurt him," the Wood Spirit kindly advised.
Yes! I believe you!
After saying that, Izumi took the little snow woman and ran away as if fleeing.
Quan ran out of the forest with graceful movements, panting heavily.
When the green, withered leaves beneath her feet were replaced by pebbles, the vines disappeared, the scent of leaves faded from her nose, and the spring stopped flowing.
"call……"
You run so fast!
A splash of blue followed.
Quan slowly turned around, and sure enough, the dense forest from before was gone.
Little Snow Woman turned and followed her gaze, and was shocked to see the barren, empty mountain. "Where's the forest? And the hunters!"
"Don't worry," Quan smiled. "That's just a trick by the Wood Spirit (system)."
"real?"
Xiaoxue was half-believing and half-doubting.
They had only taken a few steps out of the forest, how could they all have disappeared?
"Yes."
Quan said with certainty.
In her heart, she silently bid farewell to the hunter.
"Is this what it means to erase all abnormal patterns?" Izumi smiled helplessly.
She wanted to make more friends along the way, but that actually hindered the main storyline. Well, if she were traveling with someone as capable as him, she probably wouldn't have much to do on the road.
"let's go."
Izumi pulled the book basket that had fallen onto the bridge from the ground and carried it on her back. Little Snow Woman was surprised to find that her foot was fine.
"The Wood Spirit is truly a wonderful demon."
She was sincerely grateful to her.
"hehe."
Quan smiled calmly, took her hand, and walked away into the distance.
-
"Your bowl of noodles and a serving of tea have arrived! Please enjoy!"
The hot noodles and delicate tea snacks were placed on a carved wooden table by a beautiful girl.
"Thanks."
The maid left, and the little snow woman crawled out of the book basket and sat down next to the spring.
"Have a snack."
Quan placed a snack onto the plate in front of her.
Little Snow Woman didn't know how to use chopsticks, so she picked up a snack with her hands and took a bite.
"Ah! Ah! The tea and snacks on the plate have disappeared by themselves!" Someone nearby happened to witness this and shouted.
"Please don't panic."
Quan smiled gracefully.
"Eh? You are... an Onmyoji?"
“Yes.” Quan nodded.
That person then calmed down.
"This is the first time I've ever seen such a strange sight!" he exclaimed in amazement.
"There's nothing strange about it. Chinese Taoism has the concept of 'things becoming spirits over time.' It's not uncommon for bowls, chopsticks, teacups, oil lamps, paper umbrellas, and other objects to be possessed by spirits and become monsters."
Quan Dandao.
Behind them was a screen. Izumi pointed to the screen and said, "There is a monster there. Even though there is no zither, we can hear beautiful music. Isn't that common?"
"What?"
The man walked around the screen and, sure enough, saw that there was no one behind it, only a guzheng lying quietly on the table, its strings swaying.
"That's really strange!"
He shook his head for a while.
“I understand what you’re saying, but this is the first time I’ve seen a monster that I can’t see before! I’ve seen a monster before; it was a god who was banished to the mortal realm. Its appearance has changed a lot. It seems that being demoted from a god to a monster is not an easy thing!”
A glint flashed in the depths of Quan's eyes, and he asked calmly, "Who are you talking about?"
"Ichimokuren!"
The man sighed for a long time, and Izumi continued to ask, "Where is Ichimokuren?"
“Go through this mountain, then cross two more mountains, one barren and one rocky, then go down the mountain and cross a river. You will find him there.”
So far?!
Quan smiled bitterly to himself.
Thank you.
She needs to eat more; there are still two mountains and a river waiting for her to cross.
After finishing their meal and paying the bill, she asked the man for directions and then she and Xiaoxue Nu headed towards the mountain.
Before even reaching the foot of the mountain, on a short, desolate stretch of road between the town and the foot of the mountain, Quan encountered countless ghosts, ethereal and drifting with the wind.
They roamed around everywhere, and none of them looked good; some had broken arms or legs, some were missing heads, and some were missing an eye.
The ghost will appear in the world in the same way it did in life, without bothering anyone, just sitting there staring at her with wide eyes.
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