Ghost Willow

Leaving behind the waterfall and pool from before, Xu Yuan walked alone through the mist-shrouded forest steeped in ghostly chill. Looking around at the forest environment shimmering with a seductive, sinister red glow, he was inexplicably reminded of an experience in his past life during college, when he had accompanied an ex-girlfriend through a massive haunted house. Because she had been timid, he had pulled her along, and everything that followed had fallen into place naturally. Thinking of this, Xu Yuan glanced back in the direction he had come from and shook his head faintly. What a shame. The women in this world were each bolder than the last. He had actually harbored hopes that the washboard Saintess might throw herself into his arms and whimper in fright. With a quiet chuckle, Xu Yuan snuffed out the impractical notion. In the supernatural horror novels of his past life, the scariest moments were always when one was completely defenseless. Now, however, they could casually twist off the head of a yin ghost, so fear was naturally out of the question. Letting his mind wander along these random thoughts, Xu Yuan suddenly realized that he had unwittingly walked beneath a colossal willow tree. Instinctively looking up, a streak of crimson flashed through the pitch-black pupils of his narrow eyes. Before him, the ancient willow towered into the sky. At a rough glance, its trunk was over five zhang thick, rising a full sixty or seventy zhang into the air—towering head and shoulders over the surrounding forest. Amidst the hazy mist, countless corpses hung suspended from its branches. There were both humans and beasts, and among them were even some living creatures, likely kept as reserve rations. A Thousand-Thorns Ghost Willow. It possessed the supernatural ability to subtly bewitch the minds of others, luring them under its canopy without their realizing it. There, it would entrap them with thorn-covered willow branches, ultimately draining them of blood essence until they died. Even as the thought crossed Xu Yuan's mind, a sudden upheaval shattered the silence of the woods. Without the slightest warning, countless vines burst forth from the surrounding earth, shooting straight toward him! Xu Yuan did not panic in the slightest. Lightly lifting a finger, the boundless Source Qi within his meridians instantly surged into rapid circulation. A wisp of breeze began swirling around his feet, and in less than a breath, it expanded into a violent, blood-red gale of protective astral wind revolving around his entire body! This was a neat trick Xu Yuan had developed over the past seven years. A defensive technique born from fusing the Jinghe Pure Yang Art with the Blood Yuan Heart Calamity Art. It consumed minimal energy yet offered exceptional protection, especially against physical attacks like the one before him. *Swish, swish, swish!* The instant the tough willow vines made contact with the astral wind, they were ground into fine powder. In this world, sheer size did not equal supreme strength. Pressing forward against the palm-thick vines, Xu Yuan walked at a leisurely pace toward the base of the willow tree. The reason he had traveled this far was precisely to gather building materials suitable for putting together a cozy little shelter, and this ghost willow before him was clearly up to standard. By the time he arrived right beneath it, a mere dozen breaths had passed, and half of the colossal ghost willow's branches had already been stripped away. Yet what puzzled Xu Yuan was that the ghost willow continued relentlessly hurling its vines at the blood-red astral wind around him. Was it because it sensed his intent to chop it down and build a house? At this thought, an instinctive flicker of doubt surfaced in Xu Yuan's eyes. He recalled Tianyan mentioning before that the Thousand-Thorns Ghost Willow was a type of spiritual essence spirit, possessing a degree of sentience, and would never casually attack anything it perceived as a threat. After all, animals could run away if outmatched, but a tree like a ghost willow could hardly uproot itself and flee, could it? And yet, it had dared to actively lure him over when his mind was wandering... Why? Pondering this, Xu Yuan retrieved a three-foot bladed sword from his Sumeru ring and casually swung it down at the tree. *Thud!* The trunk, measuring several zhang in diameter, crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. *** By the time Xu Yuan hauled the colossal log back to the lake, Tianyan was sitting there in utter boredom, dangling her delicate, pale feet in the water and swinging them back and forth, sending ripples spreading across the surface. Hearing the commotion behind her, Tianyan masked the delight in her eyes, glanced over her shoulder, and asked flatly as she looked at the timber, "Is that a Thousand-Thorns Ghost Willow?" "Yeah." Xu Yuan nodded, using sword qi to dress the massive trunk—which was large enough to serve as the keel of an ocean-going ship. "This thing contains ghost qi, so it's quite good for masking one's aura." Tianyan let out a soft huff. "Was it really necessary to go so far just to build a log cabin? Weren't you afraid something might happen to you?" "Oho? Are you worried about me?" "If you die, won't I die too?" "Haha, same difference. You're just worried about me." "You really have thick skin." Tianyan stood up barefoot, stepped over, and hovered in the air beside him. "Hey, need any help?" By now, Xu Yuan had already used sword qi to shave the ghost willow trunk into a smooth rectangular block. Hearing Tianyan's offer, he hesitated for a brief moment. When it came to building a wooden cabin—or rather, a shelter—Xu Yuan truly did know a thing or two. During his past college life, he had gone on wilderness survival trips and learned from some survival experts; aside from that, he had picked up plenty from a certain block-building sandbox game. Although what he remembered today was limited, it was already more than enough. After all, there had been no such thing as Source Qi in his past life. If he really failed at building the house, he could simply use overwhelming brute force to mold this ghost willow into whatever shape he desired. With these thoughts in mind, Xu Yuan guided the wood with Source Qi while casually recounting what had just happened. Tianyan crossed her arms over her flat chest, watching his movements closely. After listening attentively, she furrowed her brow slightly. "You mean this ghost willow was desperate to absorb your blood essence, completely disregarding its own survival?" Xu Yuan hadn't expected Tianyan to put it that way. "Yeah... I suppose so." Tianyan looked Xu Yuan up and down, then murmured softly, "Perhaps it's because of your Pure Yang Physique." "Pure Yang Physique?" Xu Yuan was somewhat surprised. He chuckled with slight hesitation. "It couldn't be that my constitution's yang energy is too dense, attracting yin ghosts, could it? Now that you mention it, we really have run into quite a few yin entities over the past half-month." Although the Pure Yang Physique fell short of his Innate Dao Body, it was still quite handy. When fire-attribute arts were channeled through the Pure Yang Physique, their power was several times greater than that of an ordinary cultivator. Tianyan shook her head and whispered, "Perhaps. I'm not entirely sure either. At any rate, try to stay inside as much as possible from now on, and leave everything to me." Xu Yuan paused, startled, then turned his gaze with a smile toward the young girl floating at eye level with him. "Aren't you being a little overprotective?" The corners of Tianyan's lips curled upward as well, and she tilted her chin. "What else can I do, since I'm the big sister? Didn't I promise to protect my little brother?~" With that, she raised a hand and patted Xu Yuan gently on the head. Xu Yuan didn't reply. He first glanced down at her flat chest, and then— "Pfft." "What are you laughing at?" Tianyan clenched her fists. Xu Yuan blinked and let out a sigh. "Nothing, I just suddenly felt that my child might go hungry in the future." Tianyan was caught off guard, her brow knitting slightly. "I was asking why you laughed just now! What does that have to do with... with... with..." Halfway through her sentence, the young girl's crisp, melodious voice suddenly stammered to a halt. Her face flushed bright red, and she shut her mouth, instantly swinging a hand to slap Xu Yuan across the face. "You scoundrel, just go die!" The slap came as fast as lightning, whistling with the thunderous roar of broken air. *Smack.* Xu Yuan raised a hand and caught Tianyan's slender, delicate hand firmly in his palm. While he certainly couldn't beat her in a real fight, he had already circulated his cultivation technique while she hadn't. An attack of this level was something he could easily block. Lightly caressing the smooth tenderness of her fingertips, Xu Yuan beamed with amusement. "Tianyan, I said *my* child might starve. What does that have to do with you?" A deep blush suffused Tianyan's fair complexion, and her rosy lips parted slightly. "You... I... Didn't you just..." She wanted to speak, but found herself at a loss for words. Her breathing grew hurried, her chest heaving rapidly, utterly choked with embarrassed fury. Xu Yuan had no intention of letting her off the hook. Tilting his head, he mimicked her tone. "I... you... what did I just do?" "..." Meeting the pressing amusement in his eyes, a flicker of fluster spread uncontrollably in her heart. After staring at each other for several breaths, Tianyan bit her lower lip hard, attempting to wrench her hand free and turn away in a huff. To her surprise, Xu Yuan pulled her straight back. Xu Yuan inherited Jinghe's cultivation in real time; purely in terms of physical constitution and Source Qi reserves, he was actually a sliver superior to her. "Alright, alright," Xu Yuan dropped the teasing tone and smiled gently. "I'll stop joking." Tianyan kept her face cold, refusing to look at him. Xu Yuan leaned in close to her face and asked in a low voice, "You keep saying you're the big sister. Just how old are you, really?"