CHAPTER 45
— Seizing the Spirit Fruit —
The silence lasted only a few moments before the clamor resumed.
Seeing an unremarkable young girl perched on a branch, brandishing a beautiful sword with a fierce expression, her delicate face still radiating an innocent, harmless aura despite her serious demeanor, the crowd quickly relaxed. They returned to their squabbling and bickering, paying her no mind.
"..." What was going on?
Tong Tong watched in frustration as the people below unanimously ignored her. Gripping Biling tighter, her brow twitched—her pride severely wounded. "I said—hand it over!"
This shout, mustering all her strength, finally recaptured some of their attention. Seizing the moment, Tong Tong lowered her voice and roared, "This garden is mine, this tree I planted! If you want this fruit... come back another day!"
"Well now, little girl, don't be so full of yourself! Our Nanhai [Southern Sea] Sect isn't to be trifled with! Better step aside, you hear?" A thin, mustached man with a gaunt frame piped up in a shrill voice, his southern accent twisting his words amusingly.
"That's right! Little brat, don't bring trouble on yourself. If you offend your Grandpa here, I'll make sure you get more than you bargained for!" A burly, bare-chested man with a broad back bellowed gruffly.
"Dear sister, if you'd come down and have a proper chat with me, that would be splendid. If we happen to obtain this treasure and share it, it would be a true blessing... But if you refuse kindness and insist on rudeness, breaking the rules, then don't blame me for being ruthless..." A delicate, willow-like woman said with a gentle smile.
While Tong Tong was still processing the first two remarks, she suddenly heard this familiar, flowery speech and reflexively snapped, "Speak like a human!"
The woman was taken aback but quickly complied, shedding her gentle facade. Planting her hands on her hips and pointing a finger, she transformed into a shrew, shouting sharply at Tong Tong, "Where did this brat come from, daring to snatch things from me? Get down here now and face your death!"
"Hmph, so crude and uncultured." Having understood the last line, Tong Tong mentally simulated how Su Yan might handle such a situation and immediately switched into a cold, elegant, and noble mode—though it felt a bit forced, more form than substance, she felt quite pleased with herself and instantly grew more confident. "This young lady is—the specially appointed envoy designated by the Buddha, the Jade Emperor, and Guanyin to retrieve the Siam Honey Fruit, the beautiful fairy of the Water Curtain Cave on Flower-Fruit Mountain, the celestial child Mu Yan... so stunning it's dazzling!"
After delivering her lines in one breath and taking pride in the alias she had improvised on the spot, Tong Tong flicked her sword, slicing off a few leaves, and struck a pretentious pose. She rated herself in her mind: appearance 9.8, lines 9.7, aura 9.9—total score 29.4—perfect!
Her Biling Sword also cooperated splendidly, flashing repeatedly like a neon light to bolster its master's presence—white robes fluttering, emerald light shimmering, exuding an aura of a cultivator—provided one ignored her self-satisfied, silly grin.
The response to Tong Tong was a barrage of arts—red, blue, yellow, green, fire, water, wood, earth—almost every imaginable type was represented.
Though none of them were particularly powerful arts, their combined effect was not to be underestimated. Fortunately, she had been prepared and dodged the attacks in time, or the outcome would have been something to behold...
Patting her chest in relief, she stared at the spot where she had stood moments before—now reduced to shattered ruins—and mourned the tree for three seconds. Angrily, she shouted at the crowd below who had launched the attack, "Attacking without warning is against the rules, folks! Bad review! All bad reviews!"
After her outburst, her expression shifted, and she leaned lazily against the branch behind her, her tone turning infuriatingly smug, "Go ahead, keep attacking if you dare! This time, I absolutely will not dodge!"
The reason for her bravado was simple—before the attack had even landed, she had already moved to another pre-selected target—the very spot where she now stood.
The branch behind her was laden with bright red little fruits, the very Siam Honey Fruit tree they sought. If the crowd below truly lost their senses and attacked her recklessly, these coveted treasures would inevitably be destroyed along with her.
An outcome no one wanted to see.
"That little girl is too clever for her own good!" the man with the mustache sneered shrilly.
"This kid is wicked, downright sneaky!" grumbled the hot-tempered brute.
"Little sister is so mischievous... what a vile, cunning person!" the young woman who had suddenly changed her tune.
Unfazed by the angry or insulting remarks from below, Tong Tong grinned from ear to ear, her Biling Sword flashing in sync as if laughing along with its master at the miscalculations of the crowd below.
—It should be about time. Cookie should have taken care of things by now, right?
As she thought this, she indeed saw her beloved pet flicking its long tail, eyeing the chest of a beautiful female cultivator with predatory intent—why do people these days always stash food in their chests?
What's the point of having a storage pouch, girl?
A certain young lady, nervously looking up at Tong Tong, was unaware of the resentment emanating from both a person and a beast. She was merely thinking to herself: the half-eaten malt candy in her chest pocket had begun to melt from the warmth, so she should finish it quickly later—little did she know that she might never get the chance again... because that pack of malt candy had already caught the attention of a certain someone!
"Ahem!" Tong Tong cleared her throat, covering her mouth as a signal—finally, a pair of golden eyes reluctantly glanced over, and a tail lazily curled up, sending a secret sign.
With a faint smile, Tong Tong raised her sword, Biling, and began leisurely cutting the branch laden with fruit. This action immediately drew everyone's attention.
"Hey, what are you doing!"
"Stop, you witch!"
Amidst the shouts of protest, the tip of her sword suddenly flicked a single Siam Honey-Fruit into the crowd. As expected, everyone immediately scrambled for it. In the chaos, they failed to notice a gentle white light slowly rising in a circle around them.
An arc quietly traced the outer edge of the area, closing into a circular formation.
By the time everyone realized something was wrong, the formation had already activated.
Cookie nimbly leaped up, its tiny paws swiftly swatting at the coveted crispy breast. As the female cultivator let out a delicate cry, it snatched a small paper packet that fell with its mouth. With a sudden burst of speed, it leaped out of the white circular formation, its golden eyes narrowed and its long tail swaying rhythmically. A flash of white light erupted, and the figures within the formation gradually vanished...
Moments later, not a soul remained by the Siam Honey-Fruit tree. Only Tong Tong stood there, holding a branch laden with plump, freshly harvested fruits, laughing heartily at the sky: "Hahaha... You foolish humans..."
—Ahem, did some weird dialogue crawl in there?
Tong Tong glanced around. Only Cookie was there, licking its paws, its golden eyes slanting toward her. It reminded her of another creature with similarly golden pupils—indeed, beings with this eye color were all equally un-adorable! Hmph!
"Let's go!" After storing the branch of Siam Honey Fruits, she shot Cookie a warning look, instructing it not to covet these spiritual fruits any further. With a light tap of her toes, she swiftly dashed back along the path she had come from.
Not long after she disappeared, a branch in the forest rustled softly a few times before falling silent once more.
......
As Tong Tong hurried back anxiously, she couldn't stop muttering to herself: Senior Brother should be fine, right? With Jiya around, Junior Sister Lu wouldn't dare lay a hand on him... right? Right? Ahhh, this is so nerve-wracking! A man and a woman alone together—it's impossible not to overthink!
Even someone as disciplined as me couldn't resist reaching out with sinful claws... What if Junior Sister Lu has long harbored feelings for Senior Brother?
Just thinking about it makes my heart itch like a hundred claws scratching! Ahhh...
—As it turned out, the only ones who overthink things are certain oddballs with peculiar thought processes.
When she finally found the resting tree again, Lu Xianrou remained seated in the same meditative posture as when she had left, seemingly unmoved. This eased Tong Tong's anxious heart slightly.
But upon closer inspection, Su Yan was still lying quietly unconscious nearby, his pale face now flushed with an unnatural redness. Even from this distance, Tong Tong could tell something was wrong.
Her heart raced with worry as she rushed forward, cradling Su Yan's head in her arms and pressing her forehead against his... Huh? Not only was he not feverish, but he was ice-cold, sending shivers down her spine!
So, it wasn't a fever?
That left only one possibility—the poison had taken effect!
With a thought, a lush green herb and a handful of vibrant fruits appeared before her—the two ingredients needed for the antidote. But at this moment, Tong Tong suddenly found herself at a loss—The Wheel-Turning King had said these needed to be refined into a pill. The problem was, she didn't know how to refine pills!
Suddenly realizing this critical issue, Tong Tong silently facepalmed: How could I forget that...
—Ding-dong! It seems like Obasan knows how to refine pills!
Ah, but... Obasan never taught her that!
—Ding-dong! Last time at the Chaohua Market's pill shop, she got a book of pill recipes that seemed to teach how to refine pills!
Ah, but... she didn't have a pill furnace, the essential equipment for refining!
Riding an emotional rollercoaster between hope and disappointment, Tong Tong's face shifted between gloom and brightness, a spectacle a hundred times more dramatic than Sichuan opera's face-changing performances!
As Lu Xianrou finished her meditation and opened her eyes, she saw her little senior sister's vividly expressive face, which clearly reflected her tangled inner turmoil. Lu Xianrou's usually cold and impassive expression faltered, and a faint, gentle curve appeared at the corner of her lips—what an interesting person.
Exhaling a turbid breath, she thought for a moment before speaking softly, "Senior Sister Tong, is there anything I can help with?"
"Hmm?" Startled by her voice, Tong Tong glanced over. Seeing that Lu Xianrou had finished her meditation, her anxious heart eased, and a troubled expression appeared on her face. "I'm worried about where to find an alchemist..."
"I see..." Lu Xianrou nodded calmly. "If you don't mind, I know a little about alchemy."
"Oh, really... Wh-what? You do?" Tong Tong absentmindedly responded before widening her eyes in surprise. "That's wonderful! Junior Sister Lu, you're truly my savior! Mwah!"
Seeing her so excited, her joyful expression seemingly infectious, Lu Xianrou gave a slight nod, uncomfortably averting her gaze as her cheeks flushed slightly.
Taking out her usual alchemy furnace and tools from her Qiankun pouch, Lu Xianrou discreetly observed Tong Tong, who was leaning against a tree, humming a tune while carefully arranging the harvested Siam Honey Fruits one by one. She watched as Tong Tong playfully shooed Cookie and Jiya away to prevent them from sneaking bites of the spirit fruits, occasionally glancing back at Su Yan's sleeping face. Her simple smile carried an unconscious tenderness that was unexpectedly captivating.
Forcing herself to look away, Lu Xianrou frowned and shook her head almost imperceptibly, yet a flicker of amusement passed through her eyes. She couldn't help but sigh inwardly: 'This Senior Sister Tong really is indeed a bit foolish, just as Master said... but she's foolish in a rather adorable way!'
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