Chapter 24: The Trap of the Qinggu Flower

“There’s a whole bunch of them—what’s there to be surprised about?”

Mo Xiao pouted, retorting as her small body squirmed, trying to break free from her master’s embrace.

“Let’s go already. Or does my useless master want me to carry you?”

Failing to break free, she puffed her cheeks helplessly and reached back to give Bai Yuan’s backside a light smack.

“Mm… just wait a little longer~”

Her face instantly flushed bright red, burning hot.

How could she possibly let go now? If Mo Xiao saw her like this, she’d definitely mock her to no end.

“Useless~ useless~”

Mo Xiao stopped struggling, standing quietly behind the tree while still teasing arrogantly.

“Mo Xiao, you’re so annoying…”

Bai Yuan felt like she was doing it on purpose. The bit of affection she had just built up almost vanished again.

Mo Xiao said nothing. Even though she was shy inside, her mouth refused to soften.

The forest remained quiet, occasionally pierced by the roars of wild beasts. After quite some time, Bai Yuan finally released the young dragon’s small body.

“Hurry up, or the Qinggu Flowers will all be taken.”

Mo Xiao finally got the chance to urge her forward—they had already wasted too much time.

“Okay, okay, we’re going.”

As Bai Yuan started walking in a direction—

She suddenly felt a strong pull on her arm and was yanked backward.

“Where are you going, useless master? The direction we need is this way—you went the complete opposite.”

Mo Xiao followed faint traces on the ground while tightly holding onto her absent-minded master.

Qinggu Flowers grew on bones. The name sounded elegant, but the plant itself was rather cruel.

Its seeds attached themselves to animals, lying dormant until the host died—then taking root and feeding on flesh.

Once bloomed, they attracted beasts, said to enhance their physical strength.

So Qinggu Flowers weren’t just for writing settings—they could also directly nurture Book Spirits.

Mo Xiao tracked chaotic beast footprints along the ground. Where multiple trails intersected, there would likely be Qinggu Flowers.

Of course, the tracks had to be fresh. Old ones were just animal paths—not worth following.

“Mo Xiao, we’ve checked so many places already… are there really Qinggu Flowers here?”

After running around for quite a while, Bai Yuan had seen plenty of bones—but no flowers.

“There definitely are. Qinggu Flowers aren’t rare.”

Mo Xiao remained confident.

Even though she hadn’t searched for them in her previous life, she trusted the method—it had been proven by others.

If it worked for them, there was no reason it wouldn’t work for her.

“Ah! Isn’t that one over there a Qinggu Flower?”

Bai Yuan excitedly grabbed Mo Xiao’s dress, pointing at a flower growing from a skeleton ahead.

“Hm? It really is… but this position is a bit strange.”

Not far ahead was a cliff—and strangely, very few beasts seemed to come here.

Mo Xiao quickly pulled Bai Yuan behind a tree.

Though beasts were scarce, a tiger and a black panther were lurking nearby.

“Be careful. That’s probably a trap.”

The flower’s position was too odd. It was rare for bones to appear near cliffs—let alone grow Qinggu Flowers.

More importantly, there were subtle traces beneath the skeleton.

“A trap? Who would use a Qinggu Flower as bait?”

Bai Yuan looked carefully but couldn’t notice much.

The green stem swayed gently in the mountain wind, the white flower releasing a faint fragrance—

Like a stimulant, it triggered the beasts.

The tiger and panther suddenly lunged out, clashing violently.

Roar—!

The forest shook as leaves rustled violently.

Blood splattered across the cliff. In moments, both beasts were covered in wounds, flesh tearing.

“Ugh… that’s brutal. Are we just watching?”

Bai Yuan stared, stunned. It was her first time seeing something so bloody.

Even in frontline towns, she had never witnessed something this savage. Life at school had always been safe.

“No rush. The situation will change soon.”

The tiger clearly had the upper hand. The panther staggered—

Then the tiger pounced, clamping down on its neck.

Though the panther clawed desperately, it soon stopped moving.

“Are we still not going? The tiger’s about to eat the flower! Why would a carnivore eat flowers anyway?”

Bai Yuan grew anxious, almost stomping her foot.

“It won’t get the chance. There’s another hunter.”

Mo Xiao’s golden eyes fixed on the cliff.

Behind the swaying white flower—

A massive serpent shot upward from below.

Its huge jaws clamped over the tiger’s head and neck, long fangs sinking deep.

“Oh… that tiger’s done for. That snake is highly venomous.”

Mo Xiao smirked slightly.

“Master, wait here. I’ll be right back.”

She knew this was the perfect moment.

“Eh!? You’re going now? Be careful!”

Bai Yuan snapped out of it—only to see the small figure already dash out.

That snake was enormous—even more terrifying than the bear before.

Mo Xiao didn’t draw a weapon.

Using a sword might kill the snake too easily.

Her small body turned into a streak of black light. As she neared the cliff, she kicked off the ground—

Her body shot upward, black mist gathering around her foot.

Like a bullet, she struck—

A direct kick to the snake’s vital spot.

Hiss!!

The serpent cried out as its massive body—and the tiger—were blasted into the air, sent flying off the cliff.

“Are you kidding me… she’s that strong!? That was so dangerous—if she missed, she would’ve flown off herself!”

Bai Yuan stood frozen, watching Mo Xiao descend gracefully.

“Hmph… at least she remembered she’s wearing a skirt and covered herself.”

She muttered, a little regretful.

That kick had flipped Mo Xiao’s skirt—but she had quickly covered it.

Mo Xiao landed calmly, ignoring the falling serpent. It wouldn’t die from that alone.

She walked to the Qinggu Flower, running her fingers along the stem—

Only picking the white blossom.

The stem wasn’t needed.

Catching the falling flower, she quickly returned to Bai Yuan and stored it in a box.

Once picked, it had to be preserved immediately—or it would wither.

“That’s it? It’s already collected?”

Bai Yuan felt a bit unreal.

She had done basically nothing.

Aside from scraping some materials earlier, everything had been handled by Mo Xiao.

“Yeah, it’s done. What more do you want, useless master? Stay here and enjoy the scenery while bonding with your cute little dragon?”

Mo Xiao rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed.

This material-gathering trip had been nothing but trouble.

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