Master of Nine Stars

Chapter 585: Chapter 354: Gong Xi Fa Cai (Part 2)

“Hee hee~” A melodious, girlish laugh rang out. A delicate cypress branch gently stirred the glowing light, passing through the middle of the White Lantern Paper Cage and tracing an exquisitely beautiful arc of white fluorescence.

Rong Taotao hurriedly turned to look.

“Mm.” On the modest cypress tree behind him, a young girl’s face silently disappeared, and the tree returned to its ordinary appearance.

However, the cypress branch she had extended to tease the White Lantern Paper Cage was still lingering above Rong Taotao’s head. She seemed to have forgotten to retract it… uh…

“Hah…” In front of him, the large female facial outline on the cypress bark closed its eyes. For a tree, she seemed to possess lungs, as if she could breathe.

She took a deep breath and murmured softly, “The aura of the Lotus… the Frost Snow Incarnation…”

“Child, it is difficult for me not to feel an affinity for you. Tell me, what is it that you need?”

“I, uh…” Rong Taotao looked up. The cypress branch above him had come alive again, playfully prodding the specks of light drifting over his head.

Rong Taotao ignored the mischievous one behind him and said, “I’m from the Snow Burning Army. As you can see, the blizzard is intensifying, and night has fallen. I’ve been ordered to come to Bai Shu Village to escort you back to Huaxia, back inside the Three Walls·Wan’an Pass, to take shelter from the storm.”

“Yes, take shelter from the storm.” The Bailing Tree Maiden chuckled. A branch slowly extended from the giant tree, reaching toward something nearby.

Rong Taotao watched, wide-eyed, as the branch wrapped around a small, pure-white Snow Rabbit and gently “cradled” it toward them.

To Rong Taotao, this scene was simply incredible.

The Snow Rabbit species has virtually no offensive capabilities and is at the very bottom of the Snow Realm’s food chain. Fortunately, though weak, the heavens blessed them with decent speed and Agility Attributes, allowing them to flee from danger.

And yet, this scene before him…

A Snow Rabbit, a creature so easily startled and quick to flee, had remained in place, calmly accepting the branch’s embrace and allowing the Bailing Tree Maiden to bring it right before a human!

What an incredible level of trust!

It was simply unbelievable…

The giant cypress extended a slender twig, like a nimble finger, and gently stroked the Snow Rabbit’s fur. She spoke slowly, “If we leave, what will become of them?”

Rong Taotao: ???

‘What does she mean? They don’t want to leave?’

‘In truth, Rong Taotao had always assumed that once he arrived at Bai Shu Village, he’d just say a quick hello, and given the threat of the blizzard, everyone would happily follow the Snow Burning Army home. But this…’

For a moment, Rong Taotao was at a loss. He looked around, only to discover a startling situation!

Cheng Jiangjie, Xu Yiyu, Fu Tiance, Gao Lingwei… all four of them had failed to ‘knock open the door’ of any cypress tree. Only Rong Taotao was actually communicating with a Bailing Tree Maiden.

Right now, the other four were all staring at him expectantly.

Seeing Rong Taotao’s pleading gaze, Fu Tiance suddenly raised a hand, made a fist, and gave him a “you can do it” gesture.

Rong Taotao: ???

‘You’re the captain! We’re on a mission, a team member is asking for help, and you’re fucking cheering me on?’

Xu Yiyu crossed her arms, leaning back against a cypress tree and watching Rong Taotao with great interest, as if she was looking forward to seeing how he’d perform.

Likewise, Gao Lingwei and Cheng Jiangjie were silently watching him, apparently awaiting the outcome.

Just as Rong Taotao was struggling with what to do, a phantom-like figure drifted out from his side.

Rong Yang said, “During the Soul Beast Army invasion a year and a half ago, the Snow Burning Army came to evacuate the Bailing Tree Maidens. They refused to listen and suffered heavy losses. That’s your opening.”

As if grasping at straws, Rong Taotao hurriedly communicated with his brother in his mind. ‘Quick, Yangyang, you take over!’

Since they were on a mission, Rong Yang ignored how Rong Taotao addressed him. His phantasmal figure entered Rong Taotao’s body, and in the next moment, Rong Taotao’s body was taken over…

Rong Taotao (Rong Yang) looked up at the Bailing Tree Maiden’s enormous face and said softly, “I have always believed that one must first protect themselves to better protect others.”

“Hmm?” The Bailing Tree Maiden lifted her enormous eyelids, her gaze shifting from the Snow Rabbit in her embrace to Rong Taotao’s face.

Rong Taotao’s (Rong Yang’s) voice was gentle as he continued, “Your people are kind by nature, and your actions throughout the years in these storms are truly admirable.”

“However, you must also protect yourselves. You know better than I the sheer ferocity and brutality of the Soul Beast Army. They care for no one and have no concept of neutrality.”

“They slaughter whatever they see and devour whatever they find. From what I know, your people lost countless members during the last Soul Beast invasion…”

The Bailing Tree Maiden stared silently at Rong Taotao’s face, then suddenly said, “You are not him. Have him return.”

Rong Yang: “…”

Rong Taotao: ???

‘Holy crap, as expected of a Spiritual System species! This Bailing Tree Maiden is incredible!’

Rong Taotao reclaimed control of his body, looked up, and stared dumbly at the Bailing Tree Maiden. “How did you find out?” he asked.

Seeing Rong Taotao’s puzzled expression, the Bailing Tree Maiden suddenly laughed. The small twig that had been stroking the Snow Rabbit now gently tapped him on the forehead. “The aura of the Lotus does not come from the body, but from the soul.”

“The physical body is merely a vessel for the Lotus Petal. But the true Frost Snow Incarnation…”

As she spoke, the slender twig moved down to Rong Taotao’s heart and tapped it gently.

The implication was clear.

Rong Taotao stared at the Tree Maiden in a daze. After hesitating for a moment, he asked, “So, are you willing to return to the Three Walls with the Frost Snow Incarnation?”

The Bailing Tree Maiden simply smiled at Rong Taotao, saying nothing.

Rong Taotao pressed on, “My brother was right. You have to protect yourselves to better protect others. I can tell that your people suffered greatly in the last invasion because you stayed behind to shelter the weaker creatures.”

“The Snow Realm Vortex isn’t going anywhere; it will be here for a very long time. If you all perish now, then once this stormy night is over, for years, decades, even centuries to come, there will be no one left to help or shelter those weaker creatures.”

The Bailing Tree Maiden watched Rong Taotao quietly and said slowly, “That is very persuasive.”

As she spoke, the snow-laden branches at the very top of the towering cypress tree began to slowly unfurl.

Immediately after, the entire forest lit up!

The White Lantern Paper Cage floating above Rong Taotao’s head glowed white, but here in this cypress grove, the drifting motes of light were a fluorescent green.

Suddenly, everyone’s vision expanded, and Rong Taotao was filled with awe!

His vision had been obstructed before, so he could only see a few dozen giant trees nearby. But as more and more green lights flickered on, Rong Taotao gazed into the distance and found he couldn’t see the edge of the immense forest!

‘She… Just how many kin does she have?’

‘This entire, vast cypress forest… is all the Bailing Tree Maiden clan?’

The branches of one towering tree after another continued to extend and intertwine. After ten-odd seconds, a dense canopy of branches had formed a roof high above their heads.

The sight was absolutely spectacular!

‘What are they doing? Didn’t she already agree? Why are they building this huge Tree Castle?’

‘Or… is this their clan’s unique way of communicating?’

As he pondered, several branches twisted and coiled together, forming a tray. It slowly descended from dozens of meters in the air and was presented before him.

And on that tray of branches was a huge pile… of Soul Pearls!

‘Holy shit! The glare almost blinded me!’

“What’s this?”

The giant cypress suddenly began to shift.

The massive tree’s trunk and branches gradually formed a head, a torso, arms, and legs, along with long, flowing hair made of frost-covered branches…

Rong Taotao craned his neck as far back as it would go and saw a gigantic Bailing Tree Maiden, nearly ten meters tall—the height of a three or four-story building.

She slowly knelt, looking down at the tiny Rong Taotao, and said softly, “Most of these are the Soul Pearls of our kin, with a few from other species. They all belonged to poor creatures who died of old age or by accident.”

“Should the Soul Beast Corps truly invade, these Soul Pearls will be of help to you.”

“Child, thank you for building a village for us, and for inviting us time and again to your walls. We have spent our lives sheltering others, and in turn, the Snow Burning Army has sheltered us.”

‘Holy crap! I’m rich! I’ve struck it big!!!’

“Ah, this… this is too much, I couldn’t possibly.” Although Rong Taotao said this, his actions were anything but hesitant. He reached out toward the pile of Soul Pearls and gave one a little squeeze.

The others: “…”

…

_Happy New Year~ Haha~ It’s a shame my hometown doesn’t have a fireworks celebration like the one in Songbai Town. I really wish I could see it…_