Xiao Xi.
Gu Qingshan heard the name and fell silent for a long while.
Xiao Xi...
So she had been born here.
He raised his head and looked up at the aged giant.
"I'm willing to mediate for you. Can you take me there?" he asked.
The giant was delighted. "The war has already begun, so we need to hurry. Come, stand on my shoulder."
Gu Qingshan leaped lightly and steadied himself on the giant's shoulder.
"Hold on. I'm about to run."
"Okay."
The giant set off at a sprint, charging deep into the forest.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Every step left a shallow crater in the ground. His form blurred like a fading shadow as he covered immense distances.
Gu Qingshan stood on his shoulder, feeling the wind rush against him.
"How can we save that tree?" Gu Qingshan asked.
The giant rumbled, "I'm not sure, but the elves know many advanced spells, and we have a deep understanding of the laws of the earth. Maybe if we work together, we can revive the tree."
Gu Qingshan's thoughts churned, but for a while he said nothing.
The giant ran on, and the sounds of battle gradually reached them from ahead.
Spells crashing, weapons clashing, roars, screams, all layered together.
—The war was growing ever more savage!
"We're almost there!" the giant rumbled.
He carried Gu Qingshan up a slope and over the ridge.
The scene before them unfolded at once.
An ancient, towering tree stood in an open meadow. Its crown forked in two. The side facing the sun had withered completely; the other side had nearly withered as well, with only a scant handful of green leaves remaining around a small figure.
It was a girl of six or seven. Her eyes were closed as she leaned quietly