It Says, Hello

"You're not a monster." Zhao Yijiu subconsciously raised his hand to shield Yu Xing's eyes as he looked at him, clearly stating the answer to each question. "Humans only have two arms, and you look perfectly normal."

He then realized that an answer was enough; the action itself was meaningless.

He just didn't want to see that sad look in Yu Xing's eyes.

"That's good." Yu Xing seemed relieved, her lower half of her face, no longer obscured, revealing her usual smile. "My mind was a mess, but having you here makes things much easier. What should we do now?"

Zhao Yijiu withdrew her hand.

He took off his down jacket and draped it over Yu Xing, who was "almost frozen to death," then turned and squatted down, tilting his head to say, "Get on, this time I'll carry you."

The sun had just risen behind the highest snow-capped peak, and a beam of golden light shone directly on Zhao Yijiu's fluffy hair, making the black hair even more dazzling.

Yu Xing squinted, wanting to eat something again.

He didn't feel hungry; he just wanted to taste something, to let his tongue experience the flavors and textures, and the person in front of him...

Never mind, Brother Jiu can't eat it.

Then it suddenly occurred to him that he had legs, many, many legs, buried deep in the ground, extending far and wide like countless roots. Why should Brother Jiu carry him?

"I can walk by myself," he said.

Zhao Yijiu didn't move, insisting, "Come on up."

"Why?"

"To tell you that I truly exist."

The person squatting lowered their head, obscuring their expression. Seeing that Yu Xing remained silent, they added in a low voice, "If I didn't exist, let's see if you'd still fall."

There has still been no response.

Zhao Yijiu couldn't help but want to turn around and look, but as soon as he moved, an adult's weight climbed onto his back. Yu Xing patted his head. "Yeah, it's true."

"..." Zhao Yijiu cursed herself inwardly, then stood up without a word and walked towards the hotel.

Yu Xing was carried away, dragging her countless legs. Zhao Yijiu carried her steadily, her back muscles as hard as iron plates.

Those "roots" stopped moving and slumped into silence.

The power of visual distortion remained, and the two walked back slowly without disturbing the tourists, enjoying a long-lost feeling of leisurely strolling.

With the person right on her back, their presence clearly felt, Zhao Yijiu's thoughts gradually became clearer. She roughly guessed that—with Yu Xing's abilities, she wouldn't have been affected like this by the evil god in the abandoned house. Therefore, something else must have been affecting Yu Xing's thinking.

There is no way for this thing to appear, the only exception being the system.

He then remembered Yu Xing telling him that the system had reconnected to him and promised some compensation and rewards... Perhaps, it was related to this?

Experience allowed Zhao Yijiu to quickly approach the correct answer. Since it was related to what the system had given her, this strange state wouldn't last long on Yu Xing.

Yu Xing would never allow herself to have her perception distorted for an extended period of time if she had a choice.

So it's okay, this state should disappear soon.

Zhao Yijiu felt relieved.

However, after walking for only a few minutes, he suddenly heard Yu Xing laugh and say, "I look like a tree."

"...?"

"I have many legs, drawing nourishment from them," Yu Xing said lightly, completely unaware of the frightening things she was saying. "Unfortunately, what I need most right now is the nourishment of blood."

Zhao Yijiu's heart skipped a beat, and she immediately corrected Yu Xing's understanding. "But you are a person, not a tree. People don't have many legs."

"Then it can't be legs, it can be tongues." Yu Xing's head was close to Zhao Yijiu's neck. He stuck out his tongue to indicate, and said indistinctly, "Look, I have many tongues longer than this one. They seem to have their own thoughts... but I can control them. Ah, so tree branches are their tongues, how strange."

Zhao Yijiu froze, speechless.

You're stranger than a tree!

It really was a problem with my tongue, but...

He started to break down again.

He even began to wonder if Zhao Mou felt the same way he did now every time the vengeful spirit appeared, completely unsure of what to do with it.

"You... you can think about it, what's the difference between you and a tree?" Zhao Yijiu stammered, which was uncharacteristically. "Don't fall into misconceptions... or something really bad will happen."

Yu Xing said confidently, "I'm more handsome than the tree."

Two seconds later, he started to sound a little uncertain, "Am I more handsome than the tree?"

Zhao Yijiu: "... Yes."

He had indeed never seen a handsome tree.

But was this the effect of the Ghost Tree? It made Yu Xing's thoughts lean in that direction... At that moment, he lost interest in taking a leisurely stroll, so he simply found a shady spot to blend into and quickly moved Yu Xing to the hotel room.

Only after putting Yu Xing down did Zhao Yijiu breathe a heavy sigh of relief, feeling even more exhausted than if she had been in a fight.

He needs to call Zhao Mou; only Zhao Mou would know what to do!

"Are you thinking about your brother?" Yu Xing asked abruptly, sitting on the unmade bed.

Zhao Yijiu's pupils contracted, unsure whether it was a coincidence or mind reading.

Yu Xing glanced at the bed, picked up the pillow, and said, "I think I called him yesterday, but I can't quite remember what I said..."

"Oh right, I told him I was going to sleep for a few days, and then he asked me where I was. I said, 'Aren't you good at fortune telling? Go find me yourself if you're so capable!'"

He seemed to be in a hurry, so I told him not to rush.

Zhao Yijiu was greatly shocked.

He asked with difficulty, "And then?"

"Then your brother told me to wait, his tone was really fierce, like he wanted to beat me up," Yu Xing said nonchalantly. "If he tries to solve this with violence, I'll beat him up and let him know who's more—"

Unable to bear it any longer, Zhao Yijiu covered Yu Xing's mouth, while also feeling worried for her own brother.

Strangely, Yu Xing, whose mouth was covered, suddenly quieted down, and her eyes cleared for a moment.

"Yu Xing?"

"... Hmm." Yu Xing blinked, took out a brand-new cell phone from her pocket, typed a few words in the notes app, and then put it into Zhao Yijiu's other hand.

[Don't worry, I fused with a core offering; this is a side effect and won't last more than a few days. My perception has been altered quite a bit, but it's only temporary. Also, don't listen to my nonsense these next few days. If you have a bad feeling, remember to shut me up immediately before I finish speaking.]

[Contact Zhao Mou on your phone and ask him to teach you what to do. The chances of me being sober increase when he doesn't let me speak, like now.]

After reading it, Zhao Yijiu looked down at him and said, "Can I tape your mouth shut?"

Yu Xing's eyes crinkled, as if she were laughing at him.

That's true. Even if you tie his hands and feet, let alone stick his mouth shut, who can really restrain Yu Xing when he doesn't want to cooperate?

Zhao Yijiu let go, deciding to keep a close eye on Yu Xing for the next few days to prevent him from doing anything out of line while he was not in his right mind.

The next second, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a withered branch out of the corner of his eye. The branch stretched out from the wall and silently came behind him.

"My branches want to get some fresh air." Yu Xing was clearly acting strangely again. He made a listening gesture, then announced, "It says, hello."

Zhao Yijiu: "..." He hesitated, not actually greeting the branch that exuded a strong, eerie aura.

He remembered Zhao Mou's phone number, dialed it immediately, and the call connected.

The moment Zhao Mou answered the phone, Zhao Yijiu was lashed by a tree branch, clearly annoyed at being ignored. He took a breath and pleaded urgently, "Zhao Mou, locate me! Come quickly and bring Yu Xing back!"

.