A Leader, of All Things

Just two days ago, Liusu told Qin Yi that the Wood Heart of Xunmu would help it restore its formless state.

The so-called Wood Heart of this giant tree stretching for thousands of miles is definitely not something you can just dig out anywhere; it clearly refers to a very specific part.

The problem now is that this tree seems to be the nest of the Winged Human Race and many birds.

The Winged Human Race are not birds, nor do they live in trees. Judging from this situation, they most likely live in treehouses.

This giant tree stretching for thousands of miles could very well be a colossal wooden city.

In other words, the Wood Heart had already been dug up and probably used up... Even if it wasn't used, it must have been a very precious item in their tribe, perhaps even a sacred relic...

Qin Yi and Liusu looked at each other, their initial excitement fading, and they didn't say anything, since their expectations for this weren't high to begin with.

The person in front, Yu Shang, had already descended to the ground. "Flying any further will only invite an attack. Come down and walk."

This straightforward person doesn't lie.

To avoid trouble, Liusu crawled back into the Wolf Tooth Club, and Qin Yi followed Yu Shang down to the ground.

It looked close from a distance, but it was actually quite a long walk. Yu Shang quietly led the way, with Qin Yi following half a step behind her.

Her hands were still bound behind her back by invisible prayer beads, as if Qin Yi were escorting her. Yet, despite her disheveled state, her demeanor grew increasingly aloof, the earlier frightened Rabbit- like appearance completely gone.

Qin Yi secretly took note of this, probably because he felt more confident now that he was on his own turf, and this confidence was reflected in his behavior.

To be honest, going into her territory like this is indeed somewhat dangerous. Qin Yi's plan is to use her as a hostage to go in, find the leader of the Winged Human Race who can make decisions, and try to verify the origin of the dragon blood—this is not difficult, whether the dragon blood was obtained through slaughter or was officially bestowed, the malevolent energy and resentment contained in the blood can be distinguished.

Then everyone can be happy.

The plan is good, but since we're going to someone else's territory, we still need to be extremely careful. If things go wrong, we won't even be able to escape.

The road stretched across a vast plain, relatively barren, as if Spiritual Qi had been concentrated in Xunmu's direction. The plain was bare, with hardly any wild grass. The two walked slowly, one in front of the other. As dusk approached, the setting sun cast a melancholic glow on the horizon.

Yu Shang looked up at the setting sun and whispered, "You are not from the Great Wilderness. Can you tell me who you are?"

Qin Yi sighed, "You're only asking this now?"

"Perhaps you think you haven't hidden it from us, that we must have guessed it at a glance..." Yu Shang said calmly, "But in reality, we have lived here for generations and have almost never seen people from the other side. I don't know why Wu Heartless God guessed you were from the other side the moment he saw you. In my eyes, you are no different from the people from the Gentleman Country and the Zhi Jia Country. Maybe I'm just stupid."

Qin Yi thought to himself that it wasn't that she was stupid; it would be strange if Heartless God knew that he came from the other side.

"Heartless God know I come from the other side?"

"Yes, I was right next to him at the time, and I heard him say it himself: 'Why are there so many people from the other side coming here lately?'"

Qin Yi thought about it and was puzzled. Even if he had met his Senior Sister and the others, there was no reason why he could tell at a glance that he and his Senior Sister came from the same place.

Yu Shang said, "Now that I think about it, Heartless God must have seen the myriad phenomena of the Myriad Images of the Universe, and he felt that your aura was somewhat similar to that of that place..."

Qin Yi thought to himself that if it was the Myriad Images of the Universe, then the Heartless God had seen must have been Qing Ying, because he and Qing Ying had some similarities in their auras due to their dual cultivation. The auras of the other people in the Myriad Images of the Universe were completely different from his.

Yu Shang indeed asked, "Are you... one of the Myriad Images of the Universe?"

"Although we have a connection, I'm not one of their people."

Yu Shang sighed in relief, "So... you also came from the Netherworld?"

Qin Yi vaguely knew what she wanted to ask, so he said, "No."

"No?" Yu Shang suddenly stopped.

Qin Yi nearly bumped into her and slammed on the brakes. "Don't be so nervous. Apart from the fact that the Netherworld Plane is connected, no one else can bypass the sea. Mine is a bit special, so just consider it an exception."

Yu Shang fell silent.

Qin Yi tentatively asked, "You're asking these questions because... you don't want to be my enemy?"

From behind, Yu Shang's neck was faintly red, and she forced herself to say, "I just want to find out about your background."

Qin Yi said, "My relationship with Myriad Images of the Universe is indeed very close, but it's just a personal one, we're not on the same side. Youming is an official matter, I won't get involved easily... If she asks me for help in the future, it's hard to say what I'll do, but at least for now, I have nothing to do with this matter."

Yu Shang turned to look at him. "Actually, you didn't have to say the second half of the sentence."

Qin Yi said frankly, "I have never lied to you about anything, it's just that you don't believe me. I came to the Winged Human Race this time to sincerely ask for help, not to deceive them."

He paused for a moment, then said in a slightly strange tone, "To be honest, I feel guilty even if I lie to someone like you."

Yu Shang blurted out, "Don't you feel guilty for humiliating me?"

Qin Yi: "..."

Yu Shang's neck turned even redder.

Qin Yi sighed and said helplessly, "Little girl, get this straight, you're the one who wants to kill me. I came here seeking a favor and have no intention of offending the Winged Human Race. Meeting you has only made things more complicated..."

Yu Shang remained silent for a long while before finally asking, "Why did you go to the center of the sea? Was it for the Jianmu tree?"

Qin Yi countered, "Is it taboo?"

"No," Yu Shang said calmly, "But if it's for this reason, you can't go, because even I can't get close to Jianmu."

This was something Qin Yi had anticipated, so he said, "Just take me in."

Yu Shang fell silent.

Qin Yi was quite curious. "Your attitude seems to have become very assertive."

Yu Shang looked at the setting sun and said softly, "Seeing you drinking and singing with that woman, I don't think you can be a bad person. And thinking about it, your first appearance was also to save the lovebirds... I just hope... you weren't just putting on an act from beginning to end."

Speaking of this, Qin Yi was still confused. "Logically, you have a close relationship with birds, so why didn't you react when the lovebirds were captured?"

Yu Shang sighed, "At first, I didn't know they were catching lovebirds. By the time I found out, you had already saved me. You might laugh at me for suppressing my anger and continuing to discuss cooperation with Heartless God, thinking it's hypocritical..."

"No, it's normal for someone to be a representative of the tribe in negotiations; official business comes first. But Heartless God didn't even think about Wuxin plotting against you right in front of you... Girl, you need to be more careful. There's a lot of malice in this world, and not everyone is as easy to talk to as me."

"So you handcuffed me and confiscated my forehead ornament to guard against my malice."

"Certainly."

"Been taught a lesson."

Qin Yi suddenly realized that this girl wasn't really that stubborn; her behavior was more likely due to the fact that she hadn't experienced much malice and had lived in an ivory tower for too long.

After being beaten up by society, I feel like I've grown up a bit and I learn quite quickly.

As they talked along the way, much of the initial hostility and estrangement between them dissipated. People need communication; many unfortunate situations arise from a lack of communication. For example, this particular incident was caused by Yu Shang not giving the other person a chance to communicate...

Now that things have come to this, who knows what other troubles might follow this tangled mess.

Ahead lay the Seeking Tree. Upon closer inspection, a large opening could be seen in the giant tree, with some winged beings flying in and out.

Yu Shang stopped in her tracks.

Qin Yi was considering how to begin his approach after bringing prisoners to her country when a sudden warning flashed through his mind.

The Buddhist beads binding Yu Shang suddenly malfunctioned and fell to the ground. Yu Shang drifted far away and turned to look at him.

Qin Yi's heart skipped a beat. Sure enough, she had a trump card when she returned to her own territory... It seemed that he had miscalculated this time; he hadn't expected it to happen this way.

Fortunately, she was straightforward; if she had pretended to remain tied up and then suddenly attacked at a crucial moment, it would have been a tragedy. Qin Yi immediately recalled his prayer beads, his hand already instinctively reaching for the Wolf Tooth Club.

Then many winged people surrounded her, bowing Yu Shang greeting her. "Greetings, Saintess."

"???" Qin Yi was dumbfounded, and almost dropped the stick.

Someone like you, and you're still a leader!