High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 1073: Chapter 135 Return Soul Poplar

The outskirts of the Silent Forest, due to wind erosion and water damage, had trees that were all somewhat stunted. There were not many dead branches and fallen leaves scattered around these trees. Furthermore, as it was now the season of reproduction, the trees were not content to be left behind and true to the ancient saying, ”old trees bloom in spring,” the wood suitable for firewood had become even scarcer.

Zheng Qing, at the edge of the forest, finally picked up the first piece of wood suitable for firewood.

This was a dead branch that had fallen from a Return Soul Poplar, and it still had a few fancily described ’caterpillars’ wriggling on it. Zheng Qing pinched the root of the dead branch, shaking those crawling ’caterpillars’ onto the ground. The caterpillars landed, flipped over, and disappeared into the crevices of the dead branches and leaves in an instant.

These ’caterpillars’ were actually the seeds of the Return Soul Poplar.

The Return Soul Poplar is a kind of magical magical plant.

It is a dioecious plant, with the female plant indistinguishable from ordinary trees—tall crown, white branches, leaves like fine daggers, with air roots deeply burrowing into the soil, its bark covered in moss and variegated black bumps, here and there were one or two dark hollows as if a woodpecker had just visited. From afar, it looked no different from ordinary verdant trees.

Meanwhile, the male plants of the Return Soul Poplar lived not far from here, on the shallow seabed. Unlike the female plant, the male Return Soul Poplar was an animated plant more resembling a sea anemone.

Every early spring, when the dormant female plant revealed its first tender bud, the male plants crawling on the shallow seabed would receive this signal of reproduction through mysterious channels. They would then start moving their short and complicated tentacles, propelled by the sea waves and fair winds, leaving the shallow seabed, crossing reefs, climbing over mudflats, to reach the feet of the female plants where they would plant their short and tender roots.

The difficult journey, the drastic changes in living environments, along with the covetous gazes along the way, cost these male plants dearly. Often, out of ten male plants, only one could successfully survive at the feet of a female plant.

By mid-spring, the flowers of the female plant would begin to bloom.

By this time, those successful male plants would slowly lift their now-hardened tentacles, climbing up the female plant’s trunk, reaching near the branches where flowers bloomed, their tentacle tips splitting open upon sensing the wind, and emitting wisps of smoke-like white fluff.

These light fluffs twirled and intertwined among the canopy of the female plant, much like swarms of bees seeking their nests, eventually gently adhering to the open flower pistils and vanishing from sight.

The flowers of the female plant needed to absorb many of these light fluffs to be satisfied.

Once they were satisfied, they would curl up their petals, shrinking the flowers into little green balls. Under the influence of the sea breeze and spring rain, these balls gradually hardened and tightened, eventually slowly seeping into the branches of the female plant, transforming into unattractive tree tumors.

These tree tumors then nurtured the offspring of the Return Soul Poplar.

After a long gestation, these offspring in the tree tumors would awaken during a spring rain the following year, breaking through the thin tree shells, tumbling down from their mothers’ bodies, devouring the branches and leaves below—perhaps including the remains of their fathers—then dragging their fuzzy bodies towards distant lands, seeking their own soil to root in.

For wizards, the Return Soul Poplar is a very versatile magical economic plant.

Its bark can be made into Talisman paper, smaller branches can be carved into amulets, with effects not inferior to those of peach and locust wood. Its heartwood can be used to refine Magic Artifacts, engrave magic disks, and its leaves and ’caterpillar’ seeds can be used to feed Spiritual Beasts. According to Zheng Qing, the school’s Pet Garden menu includes these ’caterpillars’.

Additionally, its air roots ground into powder are a very common neutralizing agent in standard Calming Potion formulas. Its offspring can serve as temporary ’sacrifices’ in many magic rituals.

Because of its widespread use, the school extensively planted this type of plant around the perimeter of the Silent Forest.

But for Zheng Qing, right now, these Return Soul Poplars had only one purpose, and that was to provide fuel for the picnic bonfire.

The Silent Forest was unusually quiet, except for the rustling sounds of branches and leaves colliding, the occasional chirping of birds, and the distant sound of water flowing as if from the horizon.

Zheng Qing bent down to pick up the seventh piece of firewood, and as he straightened up, he caught a glimpse of something white out of the corner of his eye. He focused his gaze, and saw it was a mushroom that had been partially picked. Perhaps the picker thought the remaining part of the mushroom was too small and didn’t completely take it, leaving behind some remnants.

Zheng Qing’s eyes lit up.

He had originally followed a Gypsy witch who was picking mushrooms, but the witch had disappeared into the woods in the blink of an eye. Although there was this slight trace, it would be very difficult to find a person in the depths of this dense forest without using magic.

Zheng Qing hesitated for a few seconds, then reached into his grey cloth bag and felt a Transformation Potion.

If he transformed into a cat, he could definitely follow the scent to find her, but thinking about the Veteran’s warning earlier made Zheng Qing a bit uneasy—as for Wizards, such taboos are always better safe than sorry.

A harsh, unpleasant croak from the crows came from deep within the woods.

Zheng Qing steeled his heart, threw the firewood on the ground, pulled out the Transformation Potion, and drank it down.

Compared to the unease in his heart, he was more curious about Elena’s whereabouts. Moreover, a gut feeling told him that if he didn’t look for her now, he would definitely regret it.

Drinking the high concentration of the standard dose of Transformation Potion caused a fierce burning sensation. With no one around, Zheng Qing endured the discomfort, packed his clothes properly into the grey cloth bag, pasted several talisman papers for protection and warmth on his body, and hid deep in the bushes.

Soon, a black cat with a grey cloth bag hanging around its neck emerged from the bushes, sniffed the remnants of the mushroom, and then, following the trailing scent, disappeared deep into the bushes.

As it ran, the black cat was puzzled in its heart.

It had indeed smelled Elena’s scent by the mushrooms, a rich fragrance as always, but there was also a faint scent that seemed familiar, yet it couldn’t recall what it was.

Didn’t she enter the forest alone? The black cat wondered as it ran lightly, its ears twitching as it pondered who the owner of the other scent might be.

Compared to humans, feline creatures thrived in the forest, experiencing almost no constraints when running.

Soon, the black cat had caught up to Elena. She had stopped walking and was standing between several large trees, with a small bamboo basket on her arm, loosely filled with a few wild vegetables and some white mushrooms.

The black cat glanced around, then using the patchy bark of a Return Soul Poplar, it sprang onto the tree canopy and hid in a small cluster of branches and tender leaves, quietly beginning to track her.