Tree Demon - Part 13

In the moment before I lost consciousness, a figure appeared before me, domineeringly yet tenderly embracing me…

In the end, I still returned to Mount Fulong, and on the day when the Colorless flower bloomed, I still returned to my real body atop the mountain.

Of course, none of this was of my own volition.

It was that guy who took matters into his own hands when I was powerless to resist and made the choice between life and death for me.

The next day, I woke up in the arms of the evil dragon, with all the scars on my body, both new and old, disappearing without a trace in yet another rebirth.

A revitalized tree demon, except for a broken heart.

After I regained my strength, not distinguishing between right and wrong, I slapped him hard across the face once again.

I hit him because he forced me to live, and the consequence of living was having to face myself at every moment, inhabiting a body born out of longing to comfort another, turning from cherished to hated vessel.

If I could choose again, I would continue my solitary and peaceful life without hesitation, whether I could walk or run.

You can imagine his fury at my outburst of a slap. But surprisingly, he didn't retaliate.

"Do you hate him?" he asked abruptly.

Hate? Do I hate him? Has our relationship deteriorated to the point where it's held together by just one word: hate?

I wanted to hate him. Just the thought of his tender gaze, always searching for someone else's shadow in me, almost ignited hatred within me; yet, I couldn't bring myself to hate him...

The silent turmoil within me led him to misunderstand that I was acquiescing.

"If you want him to be doomed eternally, I can help you," he looked up at the scorching sun, "Those above probably don't know about his folly yet, as long as what he did is..."

"No!" I interrupted him nervously and firmly, knowing exactly what this guy was thinking.

"You won't get back at him for hurting you so much?" His code of conduct probably includes "an eye for an eye" as its first rule.

Has he ever hurt me? From his standpoint, or from the standpoint of any third party, he has never wronged me, not once. Honestly speaking, I can't even find a decent accusation against him. From beginning to end, in the eyes of outsiders, this whole affair should only be the petulant antics of an insatiable tree demon. What fault does he bear?

Only I understand the pain I feel.

"I have nothing to do with him anymore," I gritted my teeth, cutting ties completely.

He cocked an eyebrow, guessing what I was thinking.

"Please..." For the first time, I actually used the word "please" to him, "please don't bother him again."

"If you give up the idea of seeking death, I will let him off." He made a deal with me.

Life or death had stopped meaning anything to me from the moment he abandoned me.

The so-called "life" was just a joke.

I nodded slightly.

He smiled with satisfaction.

The blazing midsummer sun baked every inch of land, and even the rivers and streams in Fulong Mountain were showing signs of drying up.

Originally, I wanted to leave, but where else could I go besides Fulong Mountain?

Life returned to how it was before. I spent my days sitting by the cliff, watching the sunrise and sunset, feeling the breeze come and go.

I never again stepped even half a foot in the cave where I had lived with another person for many years. I only took a small sharp stone to thoroughly erase the thirty scratches at the entrance of the cave. From then on, the passage of time meant nothing to me.

The evil dragon always stayed by my side. Even if he left, he would definitely return before sunset.

Our hostile relationship had subsided unconsciously, but our conversations remained few and far between. Many times, as I stared blankly at the crescent moon in the sky in a daze, he would be nearby, boredly counting pebbles and occasionally casting discontented glances my way.

He is a dragon, accustomed to soaring in the clouds and driving the mist arrogantly. Perhaps this guy himself never thought that one day, he would be blocked by an insignificant Fulong Mountain.

After many days, the scorching heat gradually faded away, replaced by the cool mountain breeze carrying the scent of autumn.

However, the dried-up rivers and streams on Fulong Mountain not only showed no signs of recovery but also turned into cracked dry soil overnight. The various plants, which should have been lush and bearing fruit, also showed signs of withering, drooping weakly and struggling to survive amidst the flying yellow dust.

Since the day I was born, there had never been such a scene in Fulong Mountain.

A bad premonition spread in my heart.

When that guy returned from outside the mountain, he said that there was a severe drought across the land, with all water bodies drying up overnight, and that within a few days, the human world would surely become hell.

I was greatly alarmed. He was such a competent Water God, how could he let such a disaster happen?

Something must have happened. Something must have happened to him.

"Take me to him!" I grabbed him, my voice trembling, "Something happened to him, it must have!"

The calm facade I tried so hard to build crumbled at this moment.

He stood still, looking at the desolate scene at the foot of the mountain, and said only three words: "Wrath of Heaven."

"To hell with wrath of heaven! Just take me to him!" I was going crazy with anxiety.

"Have you ever heard the saying—when gods fight, mortals suffer?" He simply ignored my anxiety and said to himself, "When gods make mistakes, mortals suffer the same fate."

"You..." Suddenly, I grasped something from his words, "Could it be... Could it be that the heavenly realm found out about Zimiao's affair?!"

"Relations between an immortal and a mortal? The ones above naturally won't let them go, and they will drag the entire mortal world into suffering along with them. That's how serious the so-called wrath of heaven is." He looked relaxed and detached from the matter.

"Why..." I grabbed him suddenly, roaring with anger, "Was it you? Did you tell them? You promised not to bother him!"

"What nonsense are you talking about!" He gripped my wrist, flames burning in his purple eyes, "I hate breaking promises the most. Since I promised you, I naturally won't take action against that guy again! This has nothing to do with me!"

Nothing to do with him? Then who was it related to?

I was at a loss for what to do.

At this moment, a fierce storm of yellow sand swept towards the mountaintop, picking up rocks of all sizes along the way, powerful and dangerous.

He dragged me and swiftly dodged into the cave behind us.

The howling wind came in from the cave entrance, echoing eerily in the huge space.

"Let go of me, I'm going to find Zimiao!"

I broke free from his grasp and recklessly rushed outside.

"No, you can't!" he shouted angrily, lifting me up by the waist and holding me firmly, letting me kick around in the air, "In weather like this, even I dare not set foot in it easily, let alone a little demon like you who can't do any damn magic. If you want to find him, you'll have to wait until this storm passes!"

I stopped struggling and looked back at him, "Once the storm stops... will you take me to him?"

Although his face was full of reluctance, he still nodded.

Three days; the storm lasted for a full three days. When the battering sound of rain came from outside the cave, I couldn't wait any longer and rushed out.

It was raining, such heavy rain!

The cool raindrops fell onto my hot face, streaming down with a strange sensation, like the touch of familiar hands gently caressing me.

Passing through the rain curtain, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the drought-ravaged Fulong Mountain had miraculously returned to its former appearance. Every plant showed signs of rejuvenation in this timely rain, the lotus pond in the mountains shimmered with long-lost ripples, and I even heard the long-lost gurgling sound of flowing water.

Was he nearby?! I looked around nervously in the rain.

Sure enough, a tall figure stood in front of a large piece of bluestone behind me.

"Shaluo..." The person called out my name, my old name.

But it wasn't his voice.

Turning around, I wiped away the raindrops clinging to my eyelashes, and a dazzling lake blue came into view.

It was Jiu Jue!

I stared blankly at the man I hadn't seen for days. Why did he suddenly appear in Fulong Mountain at this time?

"Long time no see, little tree demon."

He walked towards me, his tone still playful, but there was an unmistakable tiredness on his face.

"Who are you?" Before I could say anything, the guy who had followed me out like a tail, was already dragging me behind him.

"Hehe, you must be that evil dragon that makes mischief everywhere." He stopped and looked at this unfriendly fellow with a smile, "Don't worry, I'm not here to cause trouble for you."

I pushed him aside and ran to Jiu Jue, urgently asking, "Where's Zimiao? Isn't he with you?"

Jiu Jue shook his head, rainwater soaking his lake blue hair, and his cyan robe stained with large and small mud spots. The always impeccably dressed him was surprisingly a bit untidy.

"Then where is he?" My tiny glimmer of hope was shattered in an instant, and I grabbed his sleeve, demanding answers.

He had never looked at me with such solemnity before, but today was an exception.

"Zimiao... isn't he right in front of you?"

"Jiu Jue, you..." I was so angry that I felt uncomfortable, wishing I could throw him off Fulong Mountain.

"I'm serious." He understood why I was angry, smiled bitterly, and extended his hand, watching the tiny raindrops splash in his palm, "This rain is Zimiao's true essence."

My mind went blank.

Even that guy stood there dumbfounded.

"The heavenly realm came to know of Zimiao's affair. The Emperor of Heaven was furious and decreed a five-year drought upon the mortal realm as punishment for the Water God and mortals. Zimiao couldn't bear the innocent people to suffer this disaster, so he sacrificed his primordial spirit and turned it into rain that nourishes the world, protecting the human world from drought for a hundred years, which can also be regarded as his explanation to the heavens."

I don't know how much pain of losing his close friend forever Jiu Jue hid beneath his calm tone when he said these words. I only know that until I heard those words, I didn't know what pain was.

"Before Zimiao left, he entrusted me to find you and deliver a few words on his behalf." Jiu Jue finally revealed his true purpose for coming to Fulong Mountain.

I told myself not to collapse, not to collapse no matter what, even if I died, I had to listen to what he wanted to tell me first.

I swore to have "nothing to do" with him, but it turns out that my own vow was so fragile. I couldn't deceive myself anymore. I was so desperate to hear the words he had to say to me, even if it was just one word.

"There are only two people I can't let go of the most, one is her, and the other... is you." Jiu Jue quoted directly, slowly repeating Zimiao's words, "Shaluo, you're not the person I love the most, but you're indeed the person I'm closest to. Maybe it was a mistake to put her likeness on you. But believe me, at least, on that early autumn day, the person I was holding was you, not her... It's good that someone can finally take care of you in my place. With him by your side, I feel completely at ease..."

Jiu Jue's voice gradually faded, and Jiu Jue's face suddenly transformed into his likeness...

The rain continued to fall. I could no longer hold myself up and fell to my knees on the muddy ground.

The evil dragon rushed over and helped me up.

I turned my head and asked softly, "The person he was talking about... is you?"

"Colorless had bloomed, and I needed to use external force to send you back to your real body on the mountain peak. He taught me how to do it," the evil dragon said, "As long as I promise to take care of you for the rest of your life, he will make an exception and act like an incompetent god, writing off my previous mistakes."

Tears streamed down my face.

I had always thought that demons didn't cry, or if they did, it was only in their hearts.

Tears, rainwater, the overwhelming sadness of heartbreak, his leaving without saying goodbye, all intertwined under the gray sky.

Zimiao, tree demon, Fulong Mountain — should the thirty years of memories come to an end today?!

I followed Jiu Jue's example and stretched out my trembling hands to catch the incessant falling raindrops.

The rainwater pooled in my palm, quickly overflowing through my fingers forming a tiny stream.

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