《Tree Spirit》 Prologue A shallow breeze fluttered gently through the strenuous misty mountain paths, bringing along the first whisper of spring. Atop one of the many mountains came excited whispers and barely hushed chatter bought a new bout of cheer as little ones squirmed in their spots whilst waiting for the shriveled old man to begin. The elder sat crossed-legged comfortably atop a smooth granite stone lodged snugly beneath a budding tree. With a polite wave of his sleeves, he quieted the small group of children and told tales of flying swords, magic, bravery, heroism and immortality. ¡°Hey! Hey! Grandpa Shu! Grandpa Shu! Do you think that we can ever ascend to immortality?¡± One of the tiny ones perked up and inquired with cute wide eyes. ¡°Hmm¡­.¡± Grandpa Shu stroked his long white beard softly in an act of thought. ¡°What may seem impossible can only be attempted till a path if found. A lost path may be preceded by innovation and many paths may result in the same destination or lead one astray to somewhere distant and obscure¡­¡± ¡°Grandpa Shu!! You¡¯re trying to trick us again!¡± One of the little ones accused. ¡°Yeah, yeah! You always go into long-winded speeches when you don¡¯t want to answer us...!¡± Another one stood in childish anger. The group chorused in unanimous agreement. Some more verbally than others. Their pouting faces were adorable and even more so as their expressions were that of harmless fury. So, how could Grandpa Shu resist teasing them? ¡°Haha..¡± He chuckled. ¡°How about this? I¡¯ll tell you lot another tale, and maybe you can find the answer yourselves?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ but Grandpa Shu! How can we know if the tales are true? Will you make this one up as well?¡± ¡°Heh~ You won¡¯t know anyway, so why not take a chance?¡± He smiled with an evil teasing glint in his eyes. ¡°Aww¡­¡± They whined. ¡°Alright, hush now. Did you know that this thousands-of-years-old tree was planted by an immortal?¡± Grandpa Shu gestured above them to a winding tree that shaded them from the morning sun. Their expressions instantly lit up quizzingly as they gaze to the aged branches and weird funny spirals that clothed them. ¡°Once, in an age long forgotten, an immortal was taking a leisure stroll right by these very plains. He was unrivaled by many and looked up upon by many other strong and powerful immortals. But, he was bored attending to the affairs of the immortal realm and came to relax. He traveled around this very mountain and admired the blissful scenery of rolling clouds and serene chirps of the birds. It was quiet and peaceful. So, he laid down and ate a snack. A mystical fruit that has magical and wonderous properties and was rumored to be able to save one from the brink of death! So, he ate it and threw the pit over the smooth rock he had slept on for the afternoon. Despite not being buried in the ground and cared for, the little pit grew up sturdy and strong for thousands of years and remained till this day¡­ The End.¡± ¡°Ehhh!! That¡¯s it?¡± The children began complaining again. Where was the bloodshed? The trials and tribulations of being an immortal? Don¡¯t immortals usually get chased around by their enemies who want to steal their treasures? Where''re the heaven-shaking battles? ¡°Complaining are you? Next time I won¡¯t tell you lot any more stories!¡± Grandpa Shu threatened. ¡°B-but! There weren¡¯t any fights! Why did he just eat a wonderous medicinal fruit like that! It could¡¯ve saved him from being killed!¡± The other kids chorused in agreement.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°Well, must there be fights for a tale? The fruit was his, and he was strong so why should he worry about being harmed?¡± Grandpa Shu retorted playfully. He knew they would be agitated. ¡°B-but!! That was so bland!¡± ¡°Heh heh~ Well, aren¡¯t you interested in the tree anymore?¡± ¡°Right! The tree! Does that mean if we eat the fruits of the tree we can become immortal?¡± ¡°Hmm~ Aside from healing properties, the fruit is a miracle pill for ease of cultivation of one¡¯s internal force¡­¡± ¡°T-then!!¡± ¡°But!¡± Grandpa Shu paused for emphasis as he enjoyed the tortured expressions on the little ones. ¡°This tree¡¯s a male! How could it bear fruit!?¡± ¡°Whaaaaaaat!???¡± They were defeated. Utterly defeated. Their tiny fragile hearts broke at being played by this old man time and time again¡­ How hateful! Then came a period of mourning and respective consolation. They even patted each other¡¯s backs and licked their emotional wounds¡­ ¡°B-but.. it has flowers¡­.¡± One tried to reason in diminished hope. ¡°Well, you have nipples.¡± Grandpa Shu commented. The children stared at him in confusion¡­ but everyone ¡­ has nipples? What does that have to do with anything? ¡°Similarly, all trees can have flowers. But there are male and female flowers. You need both to bear fruit, just like how your parents have kids.¡± ¡°But, some plants can have a fruit on its own!¡± ¡°Well, ¡®some plants¡¯ are hermaphroditic, they have both female and male parts. You still can¡¯t change the tree¡¯s gender!¡± Grandpa Shu finished them off with half-mocking laughter. Some kids glared at both the elder and the tree in despair. If they could, the would forcibly turn the miracle tree into a hermaphrodite!! Oh, if only they could! ¡°H-how about the flowers then...? Or the leaves? Would it be okay if we eat them?¡± A shyer child asked. ¡°Hmm¡­ Good question, but the flowers and leaves have some poison in them. Not deadly, but it will give you kids a tummy ache!¡± The little ones groaned in sadness¡­ What a hateful Grandpa Shu! What a hateful tree! How hateful!!! ¡°Alright, alright! Enough now.¡± An elder voice bellowed. It was a big brother from their clan ushering them to leave for training. ¡°Big brother!¡± The kids greeted him together as they clamored to where he was to complain about the evil Grandpa Shu. ¡°Were you telling them about the tree? Don¡¯t distract them from their studies.¡± He said righteously, trying to exude a serious aura whilst a few children climbed onto him. ¡°Hehe¡­ Weren¡¯t you also excited at their age? Hmm¡­ who was it again that chewed on the tree¡¯s petals secretly when I was still storytelling and got a tummy ache?¡± Grandpa Shu stroke his beard whilst tilling his head at an angle in thought. Big brother¡¯s face flushed in anger and embarrassment. He was speechless. This old man was too much of a tease! Even after growing up, no one can escape the clutches of Grandpa Shu! Some children shuddered at this thought. ¡°Haha...! Big brother¡¯s face is red!¡± The child that climbed into big brothers¡¯ arms exclaimed while lightly patting the elder¡¯s cheeks with his open palms. ¡°Enough!¡± He shouted. But the little ones laughed. Grandpa Shu¡¯s personality was rubbing off on them. ¡°You lot better get to the training grounds before I give you lot special training!¡± He threatened. ¡°Gyaa!!¡± They ran. Even the ones on him jumped down. Big brother may act serious and righteous and all, but he was really scary when he gives ¡®special training¡¯! He wouldn¡¯t relent! Most importantly, he wouldn¡¯t give them dinner if they did badly! Bad big brother! ¡° Haha¡­ you¡¯re still the same. How¡¯s your cultivation level?¡± Elder Shu asked. ¡°Reporting to Elder Shu.¡± He bowed with his hands in a respectful gesture. ¡°I¡¯ve reached a bottleneck recently, but may breakthrough within the next 3 months.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Good. Review the material and refer to the books in the study pavilion, there may be hints for ease of progress.¡± Elder Shu responded as he stood from beneath the tree. ¡°Thank you, Elder Shu, for your guidance.¡± ¡°Still so serious¡­¡± Elder Shu muttered. ¡°How¡¯s the wind blowing?¡± He asked whilst gazing at the budding flowers. ¡° The gates have been touched, by the wind from the south.¡± The teen walked towards the tree and stood next to the pondering Elder. ¡°Hm... Great. Remember to shut the doors and strengthen the roofs. How is the preparation progressing?¡± ¡°Just completed. We are prepared for departure.¡± ¡°Great. Haha¡­ Look.¡± Elder Shu smiled amiably, ¡°They¡¯re blooming.¡± The buds on the strangely shaped branches expanded and bloomed merrily into arrays of velvety red. ¡°Beautiful.¡± The teen commented as a smile tugged on his lips. ¡°Hmm¡­ perfect for tea!¡± Elder Shu said as he plucked a few, along with the light pastel pink leaves from various branches. Big brother was confused. Weren¡¯t they poisonous? Noting his gaze, Elder Shu just said, ¡°The poisons in the leaves and petals are counteractive, great for health. Plus, they¡¯re sweet!¡± ¡°¡­¡± How hateful. The teen unconsciously rubbed his tummy. Birth ¡°-----and then ----bzztjhfjh---tdjgbzzt---- hahaha¡­..------don¡¯t tease!hjhjhjh----bzzzzzzzzt¡­----khgkgolip[pompompiugjimmortals------defeated---¡± Vague words strung themselves on a tattered thread as they weaved together into a blanket of confusion and uncertainty. ¡°Sha..sha..sha¡­¡± The vibrations of a spin wheel echoed. ¡®W-what¡¯s that ¡­?¡¯ A tiny soft-spoken voice resounded in uncertainty, it was faint and barely recognizable¡­It soon drowned by waves and waves of indecipherable threads. ¡°---the demon-----he swung----piercedddddd bctxxxx----bzzzzt---- rwoufgdahj---- duiefagjsdkilledtheclanandwentonarampageusydfvcbiaufgiafba-----¡± ¡°Sha¡­sha¡­sha¡­sha¡­creak!¡± ¡®Urg¡­ hurts¡­¡¯ hurts¡­what is hurt? ¡­.w-what..?What hwathathawhatwhatwhat..whattt¡­whhhasttt An Impulse. ¡­. ¡®It¡­hurts¡­.¡¯ ¡­ .. Throbbing. ¡­ ¡°---riiiistusriuiguhriofgfvhiu----righteousness----g-r-gr-g-rg-eefgseiugh0sg0sgh0s-g-rgh-gs-rg-¡° ¡­ Numbing. ¡­¡­¡­ ¡­.. ¡­ . . . A soft, calming breeze fluttered by¡­ carrying with it the gentle kisses of spring. It was warm¡­ Comfortable. Flowing¡­ It lit the world up in an instant. Tiny minuscule specks of life fluttered about and ran. They ran far and wide as if playing a casual game of catch, free of worry from the harshness of reality. Youth. Innocence. They soon touched the sinews of others and came sprinting back, afraid. What was this? It was soft, supple and full of vigour¡­. It seemed ¡­young? How about this? It was rougher, and coursed with age¡­A frail surface yet it did not hide the strength within¡­ and this? Hard, cold yet chilling. How startling. ¡­How startling. As they ran and ran¡­ back and forth, gaining more and more confidence ¡­.their tiny voices blended smoothly into a mirage of serenity¡­A beautiful painting. A bundle of small creatures gathered joyfully, even bouncing occasionally in their respective spots. Their little bums were placed snugly atop dewy grass¡­ Their eyes were sparkling in awe, gazing at a slightly bigger and older creature in admiration as it spoke. Then it stopped. A faint smile threaded itself across its lips¡­ It lifted its head upwards, and¡­ looked at me? How startling!!Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Very Very Startling! I tried to run, tried to sprint away from those scary eyes¡­letting my view darken¡­ ¡­yet I can¡¯t!! Why can¡¯t I move? I tried to hide, tried to flee but I could only move back into a single spot!... My shell, my tiny barrier¡­ A soft chuckle sounded out. I-it laughed! How cruel! It must want to eat me!!!!! QAQ *Cries* ¡°Grandpa Shu! Grandpa Shu! Why are you suddenly laughing?¡± A pitched voice called out. ¡°Yeah!! Grandpa Shu is soo weird!!¡± Another small bundle exclaimed and laughed. ¡°Hmm¡­ cheeky little ones! Grandpa had just thought of something amusing.¡± He redirected his gaze to the small naughty group. ¡°A-muh-zing? Is it funny? Hey! Hey Grandpa!! What did you think of!?¡± ¡°Yeah..! Tell us! Tell us!¡± The others chirped. ¡°Alright, alright. Hmm¡­ There is a strange animal that lives in the southern plains. It¡¯s a tall, big bird¡­¡± He trailed off. ¡°Oh!! It must be big and strong, isn¡¯t it! It must be because of how easily it can defeat its enemies that you found it funny! ¡± ¡°Ohh! That makes sense!¡± Another piped in. ¡°Ow!!¡±/¡±Ouch!¡± They were hit on the forehead by a pebble. ¡°Naughty kids, don¡¯t interrupt others when they''re are speaking!" ¡°Sowwy¡­.¡± They held their slightly redden heads with tears in their eyes. So adorable¡­ ¡°Ahem!¡± He coughed for attention. ¡±But unlike other birds of its kind¡­that fight or flee when facing enemies stronger than it.... it freezes up and closes its eyes when he¡¯s scared!¡± ¡°Ehhh!!! But he would be eaten!!!!¡± ¡°Yeah! If you can¡¯t see, you¡¯ll die!!! The enemy would still be there! What a dummy!¡± A kid stood up in exasperation. ¡°Hmm~ So, the moral of the story is that you should always be brave and face your fears!¡± Grandpa Shu smiled. ¡­ ¡®!!!¡¯ Is he making fun of me!!!?? Even if I''m backed to a corner like this...I can still hear you!!! QAQ! Humans are mean! I hate them!!! ¡°B-but! How about our scary Martial arts Uncle? He¡¯s blind, but he can still tell where we are!!¡± Another child questioned. He would always get caught by this scary uncle. How infuriating! ¡°Ahh¡­ that¡¯s because he uses his spiritual awareness.¡± ¡°Oh-ohhh!! It¡¯s the thing that immortals use to tell where their enemies are hiding? Uncle can do that?¡± ¡°Haha¡­ you¡¯ll also be able to if you train hard enough!¡± The old man baited, amused. This is one of the reasons why his daily storytelling still exists. ¡°Ohh!!! I¡¯ll go train now!! That¡¯s so cool!¡± ¡°Me too!! I¡¯ll ask Uncle to teach us!!¡± In a fit of excitement, the little ones left to bother the scary uncle to teach them¡­whether they had succeeded¡­. Just say they went through multiple levels of hell from their greed¡­ With the kids gone, the rowdiness from before dissipated into a more serene atmosphere. Grandpa Shu slowly stood from the Stone he sat on and gazed longingly to the tree. ¡°7000 years¡­¡± he muttered. Has it already been 7000 years? Time sure flies¡­ Even the sapling that was left behind had gained spiritual awareness, so¡­why hasn¡¯t he returned? The old man frowned and stood silently under the tree. Watching...waiting...All for a familiar silhouette... ''...It was creepy that the human was staring so sadly at me... w-why? D-does this mean that he won''t eat me!? H-he won''t... right? ... The human just looked so sad...'' Feeling a familiar warmth flow through my meridians... Instinctively, I guided them around... From the roots and to the tips of my leaves¡­ It was comfy¡­ I liked it. ¡°Good little sapling¡­¡± The old man murmured, patting the trunk. ¡°As long as you take in spiritual energy regularly and course them around, maybe... you¡¯ll gain a mobile form in another 1000 years¡­¡± The advice took me by surprise. So much so that I stopped regulating my spiritual energy. H-he knows that... I just ''woke'' up? What a scary human! Sensing a sudden disruption in spiritual flow, the old man laughed. "Don''t worry... No one will hurt you as long as we''re here. You are our precious shade from the sun!" ''!!!'' I''m being exploited! QAQ Mean human! Bad human! Another year passed¡­ the tree blossomed and saturated the air with the sweet fragrance of adolescence. Yet the one that should¡¯ve returned, did not¡­ XXXX Years passed, clouds settled and left¡­ The tree spirit had gradually become a bit more confident. He no longer retracts his spiritual sight when the old man visited. The children had also grown up and left, every so often being replaced by smaller, younger ones. ¡­Cheekier ones too.. One even ate his flowers!!! QAQ At least they¡¯re better than the old man¡­ he even took his leaves too! How terrible! The tree spirit scowled in distaste as he gazed at his body parts being soaked in a pot. It was weird. It¡¯s like someone boiling a human¡¯s hair to drink¡­ shudders* At least he doesn''t beg me to become a hermaphrodite unlike the little ones... shudders violently* The years after he had gained consciousness was both scary and joyful. After observing the creatures coming and going, he soon found them a comfortable companion. They made funny faces and seemed to enjoy conversing to each other. It was peaceful¡­ The daily story-telling was the most enjoyable¡­ He learned many things about the world from them. The existence of immortals, spiritual techniques¡­ They were all amusing and seemed fun¡­but he was but a tree, even if he could understand them¡­he couldn¡¯t talk to them¡­ the most he could do was make more flowers. He liked how happy they were when they looked at them, sometimes they would even gift them to other humans¡­ It was weird¡­ but their smiles cheered him up. He liked how things were. He¡­.loved it. But, one day...that all changed. They left. And never came back. Injured child A little more than a hundred years have passed since then¡­ The world soon forgot the little enclosure and its unique pink tree. Silently, the tree spirit glanced around, expanding its view. He could ¡®see¡¯ a bit further today. Over to the West was a steep drop down to an abyss, and to the North was charred granite, that hinted at the misfortunes that had fallen that night. The tree spirit was worried, they never returned. Were they okay? How were the small naughty ones that tried to climb on his back? How was the sadistic old man that boiled his organs for tea? There were so many of them¡­ and they just... disappeared. They left. For the first time in a hundred years, the tree spirit lost hope. Because maybe¡­ just maybe¡­ they won¡¯t come back. Saddened by this, the tree ¡­ ¡®wept¡¯. Its luscious pink leaves turned an ugly dull colour and seemed to quiver in sadness. Yet, the tree wasn¡¯t allowed to dwell in self-pity for long. A small battered and wounded child fell. The small thing stumbled down boulders from an unused and obscure entrance. The child¡¯s body shivered in pain and tried its best to get up. The tree spirit looked on curiously, was this one of the children from back then? The small figure looked unfamiliar though and he wasn¡¯t wearing the signature robes that they¡¯d worn. The child did get up after much pains as if aided by fear, but stopped abruptly when his line of sight landed on the pink tree. Seemingly in shock. The child paused for a while before hesitatingly approaching the tree. Every so often he would look backward at the spot he¡¯d fallen from as if terrified that a predator would eat him and crawled faster towards the tree. Finally, at the bottom of the tree, he carefully touched the weird looking tree. He climbed it. It was a bit of a shock to the tree spirit. How many years has it been since anyone had been so bold? He didn¡¯t really like the small scuttering paws on his torso, but it bought with it a wave of nostalgia. So, he¡¯d let it be. *plop* Small droplets of blood splattered on the bark. The small child collapsed on a steady platform on his body. His faint breaths were short and uneven. He was injured! Blood kept dripping profusely. The tree spirit panicked. If the child was injured why didn¡¯t he find help? Why was he here? There wasn¡¯t anyone nearby! The nearest village was down the mountain! Was he going to die on him???? What if the sect came back and think that he was a man-eating spirit tree??? They might cut him down! QAQ The stories the old man told did have mysterious trees that ate cultivators. What did he say again? Oh right, ¡°Kill on sight.¡± QAQ I¡¯m not at fault!!!! I can explain!! The tree spirit continued to panic which made the surrounding spiritual energy fluctuate aggressively. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Don¡¯t die little human!!!! The tree spirit screamed internally, but what could he do? He was just a bloody tree. Literally now. Trees don¡¯t do much. Wait. Correction. He¡¯s a spirit tree. They do a little bit. Uhh! But what? It¡¯s not like he could brew his organs and make tea for the boy! He didn¡¯t really fancy the idea of burning his limbs or making a pot¡­where was he going to get fire??? Or water???? He couldn¡¯t move anything anyways¡­ besides, he hadn¡¯t made any flowers yet!!Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡° When injured, circulating internal energy may allow the physical body to heal better¡­¡± Mysteriously, the tree spirit remembered the old man¡¯s words in one of his tales. But would a tree¡¯s spiritual energy work on a human child? He was going to find out¡­ Unsurely, the tree spirit enveloped the tiny human in his spiritual energy and tried to course them through the boy¡¯s wounds. Slowly the bleeding stopped and the boy¡¯s breaths even out to a steady rhythm. It wasn¡¯t perfect. The tree spirit did accidentally course them through the wrong meridians a few times¡­ He¡¯s trying his best, okay? Time passed and eventually, the boy woke up. It was nightfall by then, but the tree gave a surprising soft glow. The pain the child felt before was gone, his wounds were closed and his frame was still enveloped in a comfortable embrace. The boy¡¯s eyes widen as he saw the unfamiliar scenery and hurriedly surveyed his surroundings. His eyes darted to every corner that his small yet wide eyes could see despite the lack of light. When he found that he was alone, his frame seemed to collapse in relief. This was all weird to the tree spirit. What was the boy scared of? But by the state on his lithe body, littered in injuries¡­ What cruel creature did this to him? A demon beast? Some did seem like claw marks¡­ but others were external like rope burns? *sniffle* The tree spirit was still lost in thought when the boy started crying. His small figure was curled in a ball as hot tears dripped onto his soiled clothes. The small incoherent wails soon grew louder but still hushed in fear of alerting any wild beasts. ¡°Mom¡­.Dad¡­.¡± He cried out. His tiny shoulders shook pitifully. The tree spirit watched on at a loss. He wants to comfort the small child but didn¡¯t know how. All he could do was continue to envelop the child in his spiritual energy. Hoping that it would at least ease the child¡¯s body and protect him from the cold. Soft wails continued till the depths of the cold spring night¡­ One child and one tree were together atop a lonely mountain peak, somehow comforting each other as the cold wind blew by. XXX Dawn came and the night faded, yet the small child remained peacefully asleep. The tree spirit that watched over the small child seemed to sigh in relief. When the child wakes up, he could travel to a village nearby and maybe the other humans would care for him. Then he would be fine. When the child woke up, it was late morning. His face and clothes were in a terrible state, but what shocked the tree spirit were the ruthlessness hidden in his eyes. The child returned to being eerily calm as he scanned his surroundings once again. He stood and gazed at the pink tree that housed him for the night. ¡°Thank you¡­¡± He whispered before he climbed down and disappeared into the woods. What an odd child, the tree spirit pondered. At least he¡¯s well-mannered¡­ Hmm? Did he talk to me? Does he know that I¡¯m conscious? The child didn¡¯t leave immediately. He built a makeshift hut and lived close by for a period of time. Every day, he would gather berries and vegetation to eat, every so often there would be small wild animals that he¡¯d caught. Maybe he hasn¡¯t found the village nearby? The tree spirit reasoned. Seeing the child live so unusually bothered him a bit. The days passed peacefully for a while. Every morning and evening, the child would practice some martial arts by the tree. He would do it vigorously at times as if agitated and exhaust himself. When this happens the tree spirit would be generous and nourish the child with some spiritual energy. He was fond of the little human. Although he definitely wasn¡¯t a child of the sect he remembered, since the martial arts they practiced differed, he was a ¡­good company. He would talk sometimes. He didn¡¯t leave even after he found the village. Although he did start trading herbs and some vegetables he grew with the villagers. Afterward, he made weird looking potions with some herbs¡­and his flowers and leaves! The child was polite when he picked them¡­ but it¡¯s still weird. The little human¡¯s relationship with the villagers was lukewarm at best. He didn¡¯t seem to be making many friends. The tree spirit was worried for a while. It seems that he would get into fights with other village children once in a while. No, it wasn¡¯t that he¡¯d return tattered. The tree spirit¡¯s spiritual scanning ability just got better. He¡¯d observe the child as he goes down the mountain and meets with small bullying gangs. His little human would win of course. So, he¡¯d stopped worrying. Other ¡®wild¡¯ humans are not welcome to bully the human under his care! But when winter came after a tough famine, the child had little source of food. He ran out of stuff to trade in the village, and the villagers themselves had a food shortage. He would starve for days before being successful at hunting some wildlife. The tree spirit thought hard and long on how to help the little child when he thought maybe he¡¯d give some of his leaves and flowers for him to eat. The tree spirit was very reluctant, but he did remember that they were nourishing in some ways. So, when flowers bloomed in dead winter, the child was more than surprised. The tree spirit then tried luring the child to them by attempting to ¡®pull¡¯ the little human towards them with spiritual force! He got that skill recently, he could move pebbles now! The child was reluctant at first but ate them eventually. The tree spirit also tried his best to make the leaves ¡®plumper¡¯ by directing more starch and water there. It was a really weird sight. Plump round leaves and flowers hanging on a tree as fluttering white snow fell in a winter plain. Eventually, the child grew and left. The tree spirit watched as the little human packed up what little he had, longingly. The young human said that he was going to be enrolled in a recruiting sect faraway and will come back when he has the chance to¡­after he¡¯d avenge those close to him. It has been about two hundred years since the little human left. I-I have hands! With nothing else to do, the tree spirit entertained himself by leisurely strolling around the forest. His spiritual sense improved again! Although he could now expand his view across to the outskirts of the nearest village, his spiritual force didn¡¯t have the same range. So, he couldn¡¯t move much of anything. The village did appear to be bustling with vendors and visitors traveling in and out of the village. Some were speaking in a strange and foreign dialect as well and wore strange robes. Apparently, there was a rumoured treasure nearby! Some were conversing that an immortal must have left a treasure trove when he had lived here ages ago. The tree spirit thought about it and went to scout the mountain range as well. Was there really a treasure trove that he had missed? There hadn¡¯t been anyone that lived on these mountains for a couple of hundred years already. Oh! It can¡¯t be¡­ could they be talking about that sect that raised him? If that¡¯s the case, there was absolutely nothing left. He checked the area countless times, and the only thing he¡¯d come across was a small broken jade pendant, which he had carefully hidden. ¡­It¡¯s been so long since they¡¯d left. The sadistic old man, cheeky kids¡­ even that one injured child left. Sometimes¡­ even he¡¯d want to leave and go search for them. See them, talk to them, travel with them¡­ Just¡­ he¡¯s a tree. The most he can do is observe the people and beasts nearby. Watching them go about their own matters and occasionally ward off dangerous beasts from the mountain. Some just¡­ ate too much. He had to protect the ecosystem. As the tree spirit waddled in mild sorrow, he noticed two cultivators arguing. They were flying above the mountain range and brandished their swords while spitting insults at each other. He curiously watched them with his ¡®eyes¡¯ sparkling with interest! Cultivators hardly come by these rural mountains, and those stories the old man said just stuck with him. ¡°You !@#$%!!! I won¡¯t let you off today!!! You !@#$ #$%^& %^&!!! This is the last 3$%^@#$ straw! I¡¯ll cut you down and stick your @#$%^ head on a #$%& pile of shit! @#$%!¡± ¡°Haha. Says the one whose mouth is more vulgar than feces. I don¡¯t even know why such a lovely lady would even consider you. Try me.¡± ¡°@#$%^ You @#$^& $&%^&% %&^&%& womanizer!¡± Ah¡­ He stole the poor dude¡¯s wife. That¡¯s understandable. The tree spirit watched amused, he hadn¡¯t seen cultivators fighting so seriously before. The most he¡¯d seen were just brawls between the normal humans and some junior cultivator¡¯s training regime and even those felt like eons ago. Ohh! The vulgar human sliced his sword through the air, causing spiritual energy to condense and ripple out in sharp waves that cut through the air. The other dodged gracefully to the side and seemed to vanish before reappearing above and struck his sword down. The vulgar human blocked it with the blade of his sword but his defense was short-lived before the graceful human¡¯s sword emitted sparks and blasted a round of lightning. The vulgar human was prepared and slid to the side before chanting some weird spell. The ground shook and trembled as they fought, showcasing how much of a disturbance their fight caused. Just as the fight drew on, the vulgar human managed to land a kick on the immoral human and caused the latter to slam into the ground. Creating a crater where he landed. Going with the momentum, the former landed a more intense wind blade attack that¡­ split the mountain...? The little tree spirit was shocked. The once luscious green mountain now had a very deep cavern down the middle. Even at such an intense attack, the immoral human was not dead and instead struck lightning arrows to the vulgar human. The rebounding impact caused the cavern to shake and the neighbouring ground started to cave inwards.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Then the tree spirit realized something wrong. He felt sharp pains from his roots. He was being uprooted! He quickly summoned all of his spiritual energy to encase them but found that his body was gradually caving in. He tried his best to remain rooted and gripped the surrounding soil as best as he could- SNAP. His bark splintered and broke as a flying rogue boulder from the fight crashed onto him. With it, He fell. And was quickly buried in the aftermath. He didn¡¯t know whether the two cultivators still continued their fight. He felt weak as intense pain scattered and pierce his body. The ground trembled again before intense lighting shot through it, dismembering one of his thickest branches. He wanted to scream, the pain was intense. Numbing. Scorching. Soft red sap began to trickle down his frame, and for the first time in centuries, he fell unconscious. Somehow¡­ this was such an unsatisfying way to go. He- he at least wanted to travel and see more of the world before he¡¯d go¡­ Xxxx Cold. Ah. It was freezing. Sharp pulses of a chilling liquid crawled and slapped his lithe frame. It startled the tree spirit awake. How long has it been? ¡°Ahh¡­¡± A soft voice gasped. What was that? ¡°Grrnah..¡± There it was again. What is that? It¡­ so dark. I can¡¯t see¡­ The tree spirit opened his eyes¡­and noticed that he was half submerged in a shallow glowing pool of liquid. Wait, eyes? By reflex, he touched them. ¡°Ouch,¡± That stung a little. He..he had hands! Startled he let out another scream. Shocked, he realized that the sound was his! He gained a human form! But how..? He thought he was dead. Heck, he felt like he was going to die from the pain alone. Then he realized that his body was absorbing the strange liquid. It was comforting and quickly replenished any fatigue he had. He felt rejuvenated. As if on instincts, he quickly absorbed as much as he could. There was spiritual energy in the water! More importantly, it was dense! The tree spirit¡¯s eyes widen slightly before he focused on coursing and refining the energy throughout his meridians. At his spirit core, the energy was quickly sucked into it and condensed into a bring yellow colour before a burst of light blasted the excess impurities from the core and reformed it into a smaller blue sphere. The tree spirit let out a breath in relief. Then his frame appears to glow from excitement! He¡¯d improve his foundation and broke through a grade! Putting the matter of absorbing spiritual energy aside, he¡¯d quickly scanned the surroundings with his new and improved spiritual force. He¡­ was buried below the mountain!! A few kilometers below too! And... there were some weird structures above? There seems to be a huge giant village! With tons of humans!! When did they multiply so much? As he was scanning the soil around him, he found a small and dull jade piece relatively near him. It was the one from the old sect¡­ Feeling emotional, he used the red string around the small jade to carefully tie it around his wrist, even after so many years, it was still surprisingly durable¡­ After he¡¯d gotten through his shock, he calmed down and began thinking of how to get out from there¡­ He sat cross-legged in the gap formed between a few large boulders. At least there was a silver lining in this¡­ the boulder that almost killed him shielded the mass above, and prevented him from being¡­ crushed to death. The tree spirit then continued to cultivate there, until he¡¯d sucked up all the spiritual energy around him. With the source gone, he felt that he¡¯d broken through twice more! He wasn¡¯t sure which level was he¡­ nor which leveling system, but he certainly did feel stronger. The tree spirit then stood up and covered his frame in a protective layer of spiritual force to withstand the weight of the ground above him. Then¡­ he dug. And dug, and dug and dug¡­. It seemed like forever. And he felt exhausted at times. But he just has to keep on digging. After what seemed like forever, he carefully dug out from a patch of softer ground near the outskirts of the huge and gigantic village. ¡°Pui!¡± He spat some soil out. They accidentally got in his mouth when he got too excited. He was finally out. Ah¡­ look, there was the light blue sky, warm yellow sun¡­ oh, how he¡¯d missed them. His dearest friends. A tear almost fell from the touching sight. ¡°Hey!! Who¡¯s there!¡± A low voice sounded followed by the clinking sound of metal. Eh? Humans? Should he greet them? He now looks human anyways. ¡°Hewrrroh¡± Hello. Hmm? That sounded strange? ¡°Intruder!!!!¡± A bunch of metal-wearing humans exclaimed and surrounded him, each brandishing swords. Ah? First Fight Ah? The tree spirit was surprised! What''s happening? They seemed so hostile! ¡°Eh? Isn¡¯t this just a brat!? Heh. He looks pretty cute too.¡± One of them eased his stance and taunted lecherously. ¡°Hah! He¡¯s not even wearing anything! He probably escaped the group they caught today!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t blame him, he looks so weak maybe the boys were too rough on him!¡± ¡° Arhh..!!¡± The tree spirit was confused and couldn¡¯t understand what they were saying, ¡®escaped¡¯, ¡®rough¡¯? He tried to speak, but he found that he was not used to pronouncing the language. ¡°What¡¯s going on! What are you lazy bunch gathering there for!?¡± A burly man shouted from a short distance, angered that his subordinates were slacking off again. ¡°Boss! We¡¯ve found an escapee!¡± One of the men exclaimed. ¡°Hah? Then what are you dallying around for? Lock him up with the others!¡± The buffy boss ordered then left. He was in the middle of a talk with someone and was irritated that they were disturbed. ¡°Yes, boss!¡± The bunch of unruly men exclaimed then smiled with their penetrating gaze full of lust. They were lucky that the boss didn¡¯t notice the boy¡¯s looks. They could have their fun after they brought him back¡­ At the same time, the tree spirit was uncomfortable under their gaze. Why were they looking at him like that? He felt a strong feeling of disgust. Moreover. What did they mean by locking him up! He didn¡¯t even do anything wrong! AH! It can¡¯t be because he didn¡¯t have any clothes!? He knew humans were picky about that kind of stuff, but he couldn¡¯t do anything about that! He literally came from the ground! Where was he suppose to get clothes!!!!! He tried flailing about in gestures trying to explain that it wasn¡¯t his fault that he didn¡¯t have any clothes, and that they shouldn¡¯t lock him up because of his unlucky nudity! The bandits thought he was just being anxious and was terrified to go back. They laughed and one grabbed him forcefully by the arm. ¡°Heh heh. Don¡¯t flail about! We are bringing you back to have some fun.¡± One of them said tauntingly. The men broke out in laughter. He didn¡¯t like the way they dragged him and resisted at first, but they did say ¡®fun¡¯ that¡¯s a positive word, right? Maybe they are just a bunch of eccentric humans? But the way they said it was¡­ really weird. He didn¡¯t like it. They dragged him towards a shack where some wagons were parked by. The tree spirit glanced inside with his spiritual sense. And was shocked. There were humans m-mating! Why were they bringing him there! In the shack, the strong musky and pungent odor wafted across the room. There were injured and malnourished naked humans mating with some burly men! The humans being done seemed to be in severe pain and some even struggled. Just as he was shocked stiff. They pushed him in harshly and shut the door behind them. The tree spirit fell and landed on the ground from the force. He scuttered to stand up! These humans were so rude!! He wanted to run out of this place! He didn¡¯t want to mate with these weird humans!!!! Is this what humans do? They are so disgusting and vulgar! Urg... The smell! He hadn''t smell much since he''d gotten a nose, but this was awful! He unconsciously covered his nose. Just as he tried to leave, the men that brought him there took out some unsightly organ that resembled a reddish root. ¡°Suck.¡± The tree spirit was appalled!! What the F***. He instinctively evaded that disgusting human. He refuse!!! NO thank you! Just then, another human tried to grab him. But he was so done with this group of humans and dodged to the side. The bandits were not angered by this, they liked feisty ones that they can enjoy breaking. They just laughed and tried to force the boy down and show him his place!Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. The tree spirit just dodged their advances and calmly walked towards the exit. Weird humans! Dirty humans! Disgusting humans! He cussed in his mind. What an unscrupulous bunch! No matter how much the bandits tried to grab him, the boy just seems to vanish before they could touch him and reappear at the side. What an annoying brat! They tried to surround him and took out their weapons. ¡°Hah! You¡¯re going nowhere! Brat!¡± Coldly glancing at the humans who still have their dirty thing out, the tree spirit just raised his foot and kicked them. The bandits that were kicked flew and smashed through the front door, they then slammed against the traveling wagons outside and caused the cloth that covered the entrance to tear. The humans inside screamed at the sudden impact. They were all locked in metal cages and appeared ragged, and malnourished. Their eyes were wide in shock as they suddenly saw a small boy beating up their captors! The tree spirit was beyond annoyed and just beat up whichever human that came too close. His movements were simple but were infused with strong spiritual force. The bandits that were hit could feel their bones shatter after each impact. ¡° **** ! He knows how to use spiritual energy!¡± One of the bandits realized the cause of the boy¡¯s abnormal strength. ¡°Quick! Call the boss!¡± Only the boss and a few other division leaders were cultivators, the rest were normal martial artists. They took pride in their leaders¡¯ skill, they were one of the best in the vicinity which is why they could reign havoc in the nearby towns!! The tree spirit decided that these were bad humans, he just remembered that the old man from the sect did say those unlawful bandits that kidnap humans were bad and immoral and should be taught a lesson. ¡°P-please! Help us!¡± One of the injured humans called out from within the cage. The tree spirit just finished trashing the bandits that were still there and looked over at the weaker humans. He broke the lock by smashing it within his hands and they hurriedly scatter out. Some just ran away, some went to help the humans inside the shack. But alas this was their base, after all, reinforcements quickly gathered and surrounded the escapees and the shack. A division leader nearby soon arrived. Pathetic. The low-level subordinates were too weak! He thought that the kidnapped adults broke out and started retaliating, but it was just a child! A small boy that looked no older than 13!! He was in charge of keeping the kidnapped in-line if the boss knew about this, he¡¯s screwed! The division leader took a step forward and suddenly appeared in front of the boy. He grabbed him by the neck and lifted the boy in the air. He wanted to take a closer look at the troublemaker. The tree spirit was stunned, this human moved too fast! A cultivator!? He quickly tried to kick the man in the chest and smashed his fist against the arm that held him up. The force of the impact forced the man to loosen his grip, he coughed a few times. He didn¡¯t expect the boy to be so strong. He miscalculated. ¡°****.¡± The man brandished his sword and infused it with spiritual force of his own. The tree spirit noticed his actions and worriedly took a sword from an unconscious bandit. Before he could mimic the stronger bandit, the man sped towards his side and stabbed in his direction. The tree spirit barely evaded, and the sword sliced through the top layer of his flesh. He hissed in pain, and quickly covered his frame in a layer of protective spiritual energy. The stronger bandit continued his attacked and the boy got better at dodging them, the occasional graze just slid off his skin due to the protective layer. Each time the tree spirit tried to attack, they were easily countered. His rough and simple moves were too predictable and na?ve. All he had was strength but neither skill nor experience in combat. The tree spirit was getting worried until he¡¯d thought of an idea. Dodging another attack, the division leader managed to land a kick that sent the boy crashing into some barrels and equipment. ¡°Hah. Not bad for a small kid.¡± The man said as he got closer. ¡°Get some restrictive shackles!¡± He commanded the spectating bandits that had finished rounding up the escapees. He went and tried to pick the boy up, thinking that he was injured by the crash. Just as he did, the sword in the boy¡¯s hand flew and stabbed towards him. He reacted quickly and the sword had only grazed his shoulders. ¡°Still have some tricks up your sleeves? But that isn¡¯t enough-¡° Another sword flew towards him, aiming for his vitals, and another and another¡­ Even the swords from the other bandits flew from their grips and attacked the man. The boy stood up and commanded them simultaneously. He had a thousand years of practice at levitating objects and he was going to show it. Just as sword stabbed through the back of his thigh, another sword glare appeared and blocked another sword aiming for the man¡¯s vitals. ¡°B-boss!¡± The burly man from before appeared and commanded the other bandits to relocate. He was going to deal with the troublemaker. ¡°Scram.¡± He growled out. An injured man is a burden. Noting the new threat, the tree spirit swiftly aimed the swords at the burly human and attacked. The burly human released a strong and oppressing spiritual force and wielded his machete to cut down the swords. Each sword shattered in mid-air from the impact, but the tree spirit could still control the individual shards and propelled them towards the man. But they just bounced off his skin!!! With an advantage, the burly man closed in on the boy and punched his abdomen. He was too quick for the boy to dodge. The tree spirit coughed from the impact and was disorientated. Before he could clear his head, he was restrained with some spiritual shackles. They were special and could prevent the shackled from using any spiritual force. It was a grade 10 shackle with grade 12 being the highest. The burly man landed a few more kicks on the boy to vent his anger. He¡¯d never thought to use such high-grade shackles on a mere child, but his spiritual energy was ridiculous! If he could somehow make use of him¡­Of course, if he couldn¡¯t, he¡¯d just kill the little guy. ¡°Take him to the guest room! ¡­And give him some clothes!¡± The burly man commanded before leaving. Evil Human The guest room was lavish to the tree spirit. An array of cloths adorned the bed, the table and across the walls. They seem to be covering the openings in the room. He hadn¡¯t seen these weird items before, there was also a strange big box in the center filled with some sort of white plant fiber, coupled with smaller colourful pouches? What was that? So weird¡­ The people that he¡¯d known slept in beds weaved from bamboo or trees, there were hardly any bedding and they would rest their heads on porcelain or wooden blocks. Helaid on the softbox in a daze. After the burly human went away, he was suddenly dragged by some other humans into this room and they had started to rub his body in water and then dry it with more cloth before making him wear a special robe that could be worn without removing the shackles. Some even touched him in weird places!!! Not that he wasn¡¯t immune to humans touching wherever they wished¡­ but that one human had a weird sickening grin!!!!! He just laid on the bed, almost limp. He couldn¡¯t move. Or rather he didn¡¯t know how to. He had used spiritual energy to move his limbs like a puppet. He used to play with puppets at one point, to see how the humans would react to them. He had so much fun teasing them. Sometimes they would get close and starts conversations, but the funniest is when they realised that the puppets weren¡¯t human. They usually ran startled. Some even jumped shockingly high, it even startled the tree spirit at times, which made him drop the puppet. His hard work¡­ He did get bored eventually¡­ so the rumours of ghosts haunting the mountain dwindled as well¡­ If only he could have use spiritual energy to speak... it was hard like playing an unfamiliar instrument... Maybe then these disgusting humans wouldn''t have caught him? Sighing, the tree spirit tried to make another effort. Plop. He fell off the bed. ¡­ This was hard¡­ ¡­ Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!! He hates these humans!!! Who did they think they were!!! How dare they catch me! How dare they try to make me mate with them!!!! And what¡¯s with these shackles!! It prevented him from exerting any spiritual energy at all!!!! It must be some weird treasure!!! He wants to break them!!! He wants to kill them!!! Okay, okay calm down. The old man from the sect did say that humans tend to hate non-humans that killed those from their species¡­ But!! These are ¡®bad¡¯ humans right! Yea, they are definitely ¡®bad¡¯ humans. So, it should be okay to kill them. Yea, he¡¯ll kill them!! Hmmpf! The tree spirit rolled around in anger. At least now, he knew how to roll¡­ Just wait! The tree spirit thought. When he masters how to move and speak, he¡¯ll cuss them off and teach them a lesson!! He¡¯ll cut them into tiny pieces and stuff the remains into their friends! And repeat!! Maybe he¡¯ll even remove the top layer of flesh and stuff it down their own throats!! Oh, oh and he¡¯ll destroy all their little red roots!!! As he was complaining inside, the burly human came in. ¡°Stop fooling around!¡± He kicked the little tree spirit. Poor little tree spirit felt the wind smacked out of him as he rolled and slammed against the wall. Arggg¡­. Stupid human. That hurts!! ¡°Listen, brat, you better start speaking before I cripple a couple limbs. Don¡¯t worry, if you¡¯re good, I will snap them cleanly instead.¡± The tree spirit glared at him. ¡°Speak. Who sent you? What¡¯s your purpose here?¡± The burly man ground his foot on the boy¡¯s skull. He found it weird. The boy wasn¡¯t originally a captive. The other captives didn¡¯t recognise him either. The tree spirit just kept glaring at him and said nothing. ¡°Trying to act tough? Don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you.¡± The burly man nimbly lifted his foot and crushed one of the boy¡¯s ankles. ¡°Argggg!!!!!!¡± He screamed involuntarily. The pain was intense and foreign. Sharp bolts of pain numbed his mind. ¡°Speak.¡± ¡°Argg!! Ah..ha..¡± The boy was gasping in pain. It hurts. It really hurts. Why does it hurt so much¡­? Tears hanged by the wells in his reddened eyes. ¡°Speak.¡± The burly man rocked the soles of his feet on the boy¡¯s crushed bones, sending waves after waves of pain. This time, the man gave out an earth-crushing spiritual force. It overwhelmed the boy, he felt crushed. Every sinew on his frame felt as if they were going to burst under the pressure. It was terrifying. He¡­ he was going to die. ¡°Argg!!! AH!!! AHHHHHH!!!¡± The boy panicked. His frame spasmed in fear, trying to get away from that burly human. He kept trying to let out his spiritual force, but the shackles seemed to cut the flow in his meridians. ¡°I¡¯ll say this once more.¡± The burly man growled out in a low threatening voice, but his eyes gave out a hint of amusement. He gentle sat his foot against the surface of the boy¡¯s other ankle. Almost teasingly rubbing it. The tree spirit unconsciously shudders in fear when the man¡¯s lips seemed to curl slowly and spat out the words. ¡°Speak. Who. Sent. You?¡± ¡°Argg!! Ha... Nrow..Nrow owne!! Nwrow ownee!!¡± The boy struggled to make out the words. Fear enveloped him tightly, a strange yet terrifying coldness attacked his lungs, crushing him from within. His hands shook, his head felt a crushing well of emotions running rampant. He was unfamiliar with this. He¡¯d never felt this much uncertainty for ages and never at this intensity. He was afraid. What¡¯s happening. He was scared. ¡°Who? Speak clearly.¡± The man crushed his other ankle, and snapped his leg. The white bone jittered out in an unsightly manner. Bright red liquid sputtered out. ¡°Nrow owneee¡­ Nwro oone¡­nro one¡± The boy was practically sobbing. He felt unsightly, but the fear he felt was overwhelming. He kept forcing out the words. He didn¡¯t like this. He didn¡¯t want to die. He didn¡¯t want to feel pain.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Nro One?...¡± The burly man pondered. ¡°No one? Was that what you said?¡± Hearing the man ask for confirmation, the tree spirit nodded his head hastily. Feeling that the man had removed his foot. He curled his body inwards into a bloody ball. ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me.¡± The burly man stomped on his wrist this time, gradually putting some weight on it. ¡°Nwrot !!! Nwort Liee ying!!! ¡° The boy''s voice was hoarse from screaming, his speech was hardly recognisable. ¡°Not lying? Then why did you come here? And make a mess? Where did you get your guts from?¡± The burly man spat. The security outside the parameters wasn¡¯t just for show. To get in, there were multitudes of arrays outside of the ground. No one could easily get in, nor out. ¡°Why don¡¯t I kill off the people that arrived today? And feed and bath you in their mangled flesh?¡± Instead of intense fear or anger, the burly man noticed an expression of confused disgust instead laced with the fear the boy already had of him. He didn¡¯t care for those captured people. Strange. ¡° Respond. Why did you come here?¡± The burly man kicked his abdomen. ¡°Twoor..troww grett owwt..grwett houtt..¡± The boy shirks inwards in fear. ¡°Get out? From where?¡± The burly man was getting the hang of his speech. ¡°Grrrwed..grownnee..gronnnee.. Drownnn ¡° He kept repeating and changing the way he spoke in fear that the burly man couldn¡¯t understand him. ¡°Ground? From the ground?¡± The burly man thought in confusion. Did the boy just imply that he dug his way in from the ground? ¡°Hah. Do you take me a fool?¡± The burly man half-laughed in contempt. The boy still has some guts! ¡°Nwort liieee gying!!!! Nwort Lye eying!!!! Norrtt Lyrrring!!!!¡± The boy screamed in fear, pulling his limbs closer to himself. Strangled sobs gushed out every so often. From his actions, the boy did seem like he was being honest¡­ He¡¯ll get someone to investigate this further. ¡°And this?¡± He nudged the small jade pendant tied to the boy¡¯s wrist. ¡°Frrr¡­Frrrowned eet¡­ frroown eet¡± Despite the pain, he shakily tried to cover the pendant from the man¡¯s view. It was important to him. It was the only thing left from that group of humans. Tears trickled down his reddened cheeks, why did he still care anyways. They left. They all left. And never came back. Why was he so unlucky? He should¡¯ve just left, the moment he got out from the ground. Why did he try to talk to these humans? Why did they treat him like this? Humans are terrible¡­ even to their own kind. ¡°Huh. From the ground too?¡± The burly man joked out loud, his thunderous laughter was piercing. He casually confiscated the pendant. It must be precious if the boy is so guarded. Surprisingly, the boy didn¡¯t give a response. He had fainted from blood loss. The burly human glanced coldly at the boy and pocketed the pendant. ¡°Get a doctor for the boy. I want his limbs repaired.¡± The burly man said as he left the room. ... ... ... When the tree spirit had woken up from his muddled state, he was back on the bed. Looking around, he realised he hadn¡¯t died. He tried to move his limbs, but couldn¡¯t. They were wrapped tightly in white cloth. The smell of herbs penetrated his senses, they were nauseating. He felt bad. In a while, a human dressed in dark blue came by and fed him round pills and occasionally smeared some ointment on his wounds. They quickly healed. They seemed miraculous. In less than a day, he could move his feet again. The tree spirit should¡¯ve been happy, but whenever he saw humans, humans with spiritual power he would shudder. He was weak, too weak. He could be killed easily by them. He hated this. He hated them. The humans he met now were ruthless, disgusting, and took a liking to torture. Nothing like the humans he had known, who were hardworking and gentle. What he hated the most was his weak body. He¡¯d admired the strong, and now that he was weak, he was disgusted with himself. Embarrassed that he¡¯d screamed and cried like a child. He felt uncomfortable, he had a strange body, and couldn¡¯t speak properly, couldn¡¯t move freely. Without his spiritual force, he felt strangely handicapped. Even more so than when he was a tree. He was happy when he had a physical mobile form. It meant that he could go out and go on those adventures that the old man spoke of. See the world. Ascend into an immortal. Maybe¡­ even meet them again¡­ and they may welcome him with open arms¡­ Now, he was trapped. Bounded. Useless. What a joke. He was a joke. ¡°Boy.¡± The door slid open and the burly man went in. The boy shrunk back into the corner. ¡°We¡¯re not done, yet are we?¡± Over the last few days, he¡¯d return to interrogate him. Whenever he found an unsatisfactory answer, he¡¯d use crueler and crueler methods on him. He¡¯d switched from physical to mental and internal tortures. Penetrating his consciousness, blocking his meridians, intensifying sensory pain¡­ The tree spirit now had post-traumatic reflexes against the burly man. ¡°Look. Do you know what this is?¡± The burly man twirled a small box with his fingers, and opened the lid, within it was a disfigured lump of flesh. It wriggled around disgustingly and even made tiny gnawing sounds. ¡°This is nicknamed the devil¡¯s friend. It spreads itself out in the host''s body, and allows the user to control the host at will, pain, actions even the truth would be quickly spat out¡­¡± He trailed off watching the boy tremble. Each word was laced with malice. The burly man walked closer to the child-like human, each step seemed to echo loudly in the tree spirit¡¯s ears. He shrunk backward. ¡°Swallow.¡± He threw the box toward the child. ¡°Swallow it or we could continue...¡± He watched the small child coldly. What choice did he have? He didn¡¯t want to be that human¡¯s slave, but he didn¡¯t want to go through that mind-numbing pain. The tree spirit held the box with trembling hands. Neither opening it nor moving it away. ¡°Stubborn.¡± The burly man began abruptly. ¡°But a coward through and through.¡± When the tree spirit heard that he¡¯d immediately glared at the human. He didn¡¯t like to be a coward. As if in an epiphany, he threw the box at the human and sprinted. He didn¡¯t know what he was doing. Neither did he think things through. He just couldn¡¯t bear that insult. The old man did say that the worst sort of cultivators were cowards. If he was one¡­ Of course, he was quickly recaptured. And beaten. But, this time no matter how harsh the torture was. He suppressed his screams. He wanted to be strong, he was not a coward. He will not be humiliated again. He was a proud tree spirit. The mangled flesh was forced down his throat. It lived in his stomach for a few days, growing at an unprecedented rate. Spreading its tiny limbs throughout the tree spirit¡¯s sinews. Penetrating and invading. But, by the third day, something strange happened. The child retched and vomited a strange marble-like crystal. It was unusually clear and gave out a soft pink glow. The burly man was there when it happened. Calmly observing at the side. As if he had known that this would happen. He gave a cruel smile. ¡°Heh. You really are a tree spirit.¡± He stated, amused. He¡¯d lucked out. A living panacea and distillery, the gains aren¡¯t to be trifled with. The burly man had his doubts from what he¡¯d seen in the boy¡¯s memories with his special skill, and tested him repeatedly. The time needed for a full physical recovery even with poisonous herbs, his origins, the effects of the boy¡¯s flesh and blood on cultivation¡­ were extraordinary. This was a strange tree spirit, it didn¡¯t consume other cultivators, nor did it use vines to capture prey. This meant that it must¡¯ve been a sort of docile healing tree spirit. Those were practically unheard of. The potential was endless. It could even remove the poison from the ¡®Devil¡¯s Friend¡¯¡­ and refined its core. That move was reckless, it might¡¯ve killed the boy instead, but it had confirmed the burly man¡¯s suspicion. This was a priceless treasure indeed. However, this was the world of the strong. Unique treasures and skills in the open would garner unwanted attention. Now, all he needed was to hide the boy¡¯s true worth. ¡°Congratz, boy. You¡¯ve passed. A gift.¡± The burly man took out a weird black collar made of some sort of spirit stones and strange engravings. ¡°You¡¯re worthy to be kept as a pet.¡± He placed the collar onto the child¡¯s neck and it snapped in place, and slowly seared itself into the tree spirit¡¯s flesh. The child mouthed in a silent scream, he clawed at his neck to no avail. When the sizzling ended, the marks on the collar flashed brightly across his skin once, before fading into nothingness. The burly human unlocked the shackles that the boy had worn for the past month. ¡°Good boy. Stand.¡± As if guided by some unknown force. The tree spirit stood at the man¡¯s command. The burly man smiled. It was difficult getting the grade 12 slave collar. He had his ways, but they paid off. Even the most treacherous of beasts wouldn¡¯t be able to escape its bindings. He wasn¡¯t a top-tier demonic sect master for show. Human trafficking was just a small side business of his. When the tree spirit noticed what was going on, he¡¯d exerted the full extent of his spiritual force and attacked the burly man. But his attack was quickly dispelled when it got close to the burly human, and rebounded, causing a wave of internal injuries. ¡°PAH!¡± The boy spat from the rebound. He felt like some of his meridians had burst. He shivered and curled on the floor, holding his abdomen. ¡°Naughty child. Attacking your master has dreary consequences.¡± The burly human gave a sly smile.