Chapter 94: The Ancient Tree’s Secret

Meng Yingxing stood by the roadside, gazing into the distance at He Xueluo.

He didn’t know when He Xueluo had arrived, but not long after he started watching her, He Xueluo joyfully stood up from the ground and left from the other side of this barren land.

Xiu Qingcheng didn’t even need to ask Meng Yingxing if he wanted to go and see the ancient tree. After He Xueluo completely disappeared from Meng Yingxing’s sight, Meng Yingxing sprinted towards the ancient tree, taking two steps at a time.

The ancient tree was so vast that even without a single leaf, its bare branches could obscure the sky when Meng Yingxing looked up.

Meng Yingxing saw the distant sunset sinking amidst the intricate ancient branches, as if cut into pieces by the withered branches.

“Ugh, this place is truly sinister!”

Xiu Qingcheng suddenly shivered.

“Master, what’s wrong?”

Meng Yingxing thought Xiu Qingcheng had discovered something, but the next second, Xiu Qingcheng said she merely felt cold all over.

“Perhaps it’s just a trick of the mind.”

Meng Yingxing said, circling the ancient tree a few times, but found nothing special.

Although this ancient tree had an exaggerated appearance, and the barren ground around it was quite peculiar, Meng Yingxing saw nothing amiss.

Even with a spiritual energy scan, he couldn’t find anything unusual.

“This tree is so large; it must require immense resources to survive. Perhaps this barrenness is because it has absorbed all the nutrients from the surrounding soil.”

Meng Yingxing’s hand rested on the ancient tree’s rough bark, offering a reasonable guess.

“Hey, Disciple, go to the other side and take another look,” Xiu Qingcheng suddenly said.

Meng Yingxing followed her instruction. On the other side, where Xiu Qingcheng wanted him to look, a tree tumor-like growth appeared on the ancient tree’s bark.

The growth, like an extra root sprouting from the ancient tree, extended downwards along the trunk, deeply embedding itself into the ground.

“Follow this vein and investigate,” Xiu Qingcheng continued to direct Meng Yingxing.

Although the growth was rooted in the ground, a section of it would occasionally emerge from the surface.

He didn’t know if it was because the underlying root system was too complex, preventing this growth from fully submerging underground.

Meng Yingxing followed the intricate pattern of this growth, noting how it intertwined and spread like a net. A flash of inspiration suddenly struck his mind.

“Master, this growth pattern extending from the trunk…”

“Mm, it’s a grand array,” Xiu Qingcheng’s voice was deep. “The array’s scope isn’t very large, confined solely to the area around this tree.”

“But I am not proficient in array formations and cannot discern the purpose of this array.”

Meng Yingxing gazed at the inconspicuous protruding patterns on the ground and gasped.

If it weren’t for his Master, who was knowledgeable, intelligent, and sharp-witted…

Who else would have noticed that these protruding patterns actually formed a grand array?

‘But this grand array… did this ancient tree form it itself, or was it intentionally created by someone?’

Meng Yingxing stood on this barren ground, surrounded only by intertwined roots.

The evening wind brushed against his cheek, icy and biting.

He couldn’t imagine how such a grand array came to exist here, or how many years it had been tempered by time.

“If this tree has truly existed for as long as we’ve gathered, then the formation of this array might be beyond our investigation,” Xiu Qingcheng said.

“No one has discovered it for so long, perhaps because of the tree’s ill omens, which kept people from approaching.”

Meng Yingxing took out paper and a brush from his Qiankun Bag and drew the shape of the grand array according to the patterns on the ground.

“I’ll send the array formation to Senior Brother Lin later. He’s knowledgeable and well-connected; perhaps he can help.”

“Don’t you think I’m very useful, Master?”

The moment Meng Yingxing began to sketch the array, Xiu Qingcheng’s faint voice entered his ears, causing Meng Yingxing’s back to instantly stiffen.

“Of course not! Master is the most useful to me!”

Meng Yingxing spoke these words honestly, without a shred of guilt.

Xiu Qingcheng, who had transformed into human form at some point, reached out and stroked Meng Yingxing’s hair, nodding with satisfaction.

“I also think I’m very useful.”

She was most skilled at self-praise.

While Meng Yingxing was busy sketching the array, Xiu Qingcheng also wandered around the ancient tree herself.

“But this array shouldn’t have anything to do with what you’re investigating, right?” Xiu Qingcheng mumbled.

“I’ll sketch it down first; perhaps it will come in handy later,” Meng Yingxing said.

Xiu Qingcheng nodded, then with a flash, appeared on the tree branch closest to the ground.

She gazed at the sun, which had fully dipped below the horizon, and instinctively reached out to caress the nearby tree trunk—

The moment her hand touched it, a completely different sensation came from it, feeling like withered straw.

“What in the world.”

Xiu Qingcheng withdrew her hand, squinting with a hint of disgust, looking at the spot she had just touched.

It was fur, matted onto the tree trunk after being dried by blood.

“How disgusting.”

A look of disgust involuntarily appeared on Xiu Qingcheng’s lips.

Xiu Qingcheng looked upward, surprised, then reached out and tore this clump of fur from the bark.

After returning to the ground, Meng Yingxing had also completed his sketch of the array. Xiu Qingcheng raised her hand and tossed the clump of matted fur into Meng Yingxing’s hand.

Meng Yingxing took it and carefully examined the item his master had thrown to him, but it was not something to be played with casually.

“Is this… the fur of some animal?”

He turned it over several times but couldn’t make anything of it yet.

“Could it be from a demon?” Xiu Qingcheng added a possibility for Meng Yingxing.

It was already late, so Meng Yingxing had no choice but to put away the paper with the array sketch and the suspicious clump of fur.

Before returning to the Xu family, Meng Yingxing took one last look at the ancient tree.

It stood shrouded in the last vestiges of blood-red twilight and night, radiating an unknown mystery, becoming even more eerie.

Just like the ominous legends surrounding it.

Just as Meng Yingxing was leaving, he and Xiu Qingcheng both thought that He Xueluo had long departed, but she silently appeared by the roadside.

He Xueluo stood quietly, observing Meng Yingxing and Xiu Qingcheng, who was in human form, as they left.

Night had completely enveloped them. Looking up at the night sky, there was not a single star in this barren expanse.

“Withered wood sprouts new buds, leaves grow lush and heavy.”

“A beauty hangs from the branch, a hundred years thus.”

“A beauty hangs from the branch, all illnesses wear away.”

“A beauty hangs from the branch, her beloved… returns.”

He Xueluo stood alone in the night, suddenly softly reciting a nonsensical little poem.

After Meng Yingxing returned to the Xu family, the two elders of the Xu family actually arranged a welcome banquet specifically for him.

However, there were not many people at the banquet. On the vast table, only the two Xu family elders and Meng Yingxing sat.

But in reality, including the missing Young Miss Xu, the Xu family only consisted of three people.

As a family with a legacy, Meng Yingxing felt that the Xu family had too few people.

“Young Hero Meng, you’ll have to work hard these next few days. Don’t be shy, eat more!”

Xu Jie enthusiastically entertained Meng Yingxing, placing dish after dish of rare delicacies on the table.

Even if Meng Yingxing took just one bite from each dish, he wouldn’t be able to finish them all even when full.

“Wow! Buddha Jumps Over the Wall! Roasted suckling pig! Myriad Spirit Fruit Platter!”

At this very moment, Xiu Qingcheng was probably the most excited, because of the Xu…

She looked at the dishes on the table, rattling off their names as if they were treasures.

Meng Yingxing could already feel his Master salivating.

“Disciple.”

Xiu Qingcheng’s aura suddenly became serious. “You tell me, if I reveal my true form now, will I still have time to eat this table of dishes?”

“…There’s no need for that, Master.”

Meng Yingxing was speechless at Xiu Qingcheng’s gluttonous nature.

A master who wanted to expose her existence just to eat… that was simply too lame!

“I want to eat! I want to eat! I want to eat!”

No one would have expected a sword spirit, who had ostensibly existed for a very long time and was now a master, to be throwing a tantrum in Meng Yingxing’s head over this table of delicacies.

“I’ll secretly take some for Master, alright.”

Meng Yingxing’s words were like a special attack on Xiu Qingcheng; she immediately stopped fussing.

“I knew you were filial to your Master.”

Xiu Qingcheng sat up straight, her face full of joy.

So, Meng Yingxing began to pretend to eat diligently, while secretly using extremely fast hand movements to ‘accidentally’ drop dishes into his Qiankun Bag.

Of course, he had also prepared containers for the dishes beforehand.

“If Young Hero Meng still wants to eat anything, I’ll have the kitchen prepare it again!”

Xu Jie was generous, not at all stingy when it came to treating guests.

“I want this, this, this, and that!”

Xiu Qingcheng unilaterally ordered dishes in Meng Yingxing’s head.

“There’s no need to trouble yourselves,” Meng Yingxing refused as usual.

“Then, would you like some wine, Young Hero Meng? I have several bottles of excellent fine wine here; why don’t you try some?” Xu Jie asked again.

Meng Yingxing still refused.

“No! I want to drink! Bad disciple!!!”

Xiu Qingcheng let out an even sharper wail in Meng Yingxing’s mind, but this time, no matter how much she threw a tantrum, Meng Yingxing was absolutely resolute.

“Master, you cannot drink.”

“I can drink!”

“You cannot!”

“I can, I can!”

“You brat, are your wings hardened, are you rebelling?! I said I want to drink, so I will drink!”

“You cannot drink.”

“You!”

The two argued fiercely in their private communication channel, but Xu Jie put down his chopsticks at this moment, rubbed his hands, and asked Meng Yingxing:

“Young Hero Meng, may I ask if you made any discoveries today?”