The fourth day of the Martial Exam.
"Whoa! White Spirit Fruits!"
Ji Ruo picked a fragrant white fruit, looking delighted.
White Spirit Fruits were even more precious than Blood Rice!
Eating one could clear the mind and sharpen the eyes. There were no special restrictions on who could eat them, and they greatly benefited one's Martial Dao cultivation.
Not only that, when Martial Apprentices ate them, the fruit could also boost their vitality and blood, and even refine their bodies to a certain extent. To be fair, Martial Apprentices were weak, but whatever Spirit Herbs or Spirit Fruits they ate came with additional special effects.
As Ji Ruo understood it, it was a bit like playing an online game such as Tanwan Blue Moon: when your level was far below the world's maximum, you gained a certain amount of bonus experience from killing monsters.
Since White Spirit Fruits weren't particularly precious, their effects on the mind and eyes or on refining the body were real, but weak.
Even so, Ji Ruo was happy.
After all, the fruit was free for the taking.
"Ji Ruo. Keep your voice down," Liang Shixian said in a low, anxious voice.
"We can't expose ourselves right now!"
"Expose what?"
Ji Ruo asked in surprise. "We're Tree Demons right now. What are you afraid of?"
Liang Shixian: "..."
You've got to be kidding. You really think you're a Tree Demon?
Thinking back to what had happened yesterday, Liang Shixian was still a little dazed.
Yesterday, Ji Ruo had led him to dig two holes, and they had each climbed in and covered themselves with dirt, planning to spend the remaining four days of the Martial Exam that way.
They hadn't been discovered by any Monster Beasts, just as planned. What they hadn't expected was that every tree in that forest was a Tree Demon!
During the day, they stayed where they were, basking in the sun and carrying out photosynthesis.
But at night, they uprooted themselves and migrated.
Liang Shixian himself was fine, but Ji Ruo—whether from bad luck or something else—had suddenly been yanked out of the ground by a Tree Demon.
At the time, Liang Shixian wasn't the only one stunned. The Tree Demon itself seemed dumbfounded too.
Then the Tree Demon attacked Ji Ruo.
A dense mass of branches came thrusting toward him, blotting out the sky.
Liang Shixian remembered it clearly. Ji Ruo calmly rested his Miao Saber at his waist and lowered his stance. Then came a shing!—the blade flashed brilliantly in the darkness, as if fine white lightning followed in its wake.
Ji Ruo had moved so fast that even Liang Shixian could barely follow him. And they were the same rank!
All Liang Shixian could see was a blinding flash of lightning. The Tree Demon's branches were sliced apart, and Ji Ruo charged straight up to its trunk, wrapped his arms around it, and rubbed his fiery-red palms together at high speed.
He'd literally rubbed that Tree Demon into flames!
Ordinarily, Tree Demons were nothing special beyond their long lifespans. They weren't individually very strong, and they were extremely afraid of fire.
The other Tree Demons had wanted to attack Ji Ruo too, but the moment they saw the flames, they ran away. Ji Ruo had even clicked his tongue in amazement, saying it was his first time seeing trees create their own firebreak.
While the Tree Demon was burning and shrieking, Ji Ruo took the chance to flee with Liang Shixian.
And then things got even more ridiculous.
Liang Shixian never would have expected that after Ji Ruo led him into an ordinary forest, he would tear off a huge bunch of leaves, crush them, and smear their juice over himself. Then he broke off several leafy branches and stuck them into his clothes. Ignoring Liang Shixian's desperate protests, he announced that he was taking him back to have a good meal.
Next, the two of them were surrounded by the Tree Demons, then let go. Ji Ruo suddenly said he wanted to join the Tree Demons' big family—and then he actually did.
He even put out the fire on the Tree Demon whose leaves had nearly all been burned away. Though half its trunk was charred, the Tree Demon's branches trembled wildly, as if it were grateful to Ji Ruo...
The Tree Demons hadn't suspected their identities at all. It was absurd!
"It's still better to be careful. We're not really Tree Demons, after all," Liang Shixian urged earnestly. "Could you stop picking Spirit Fruits off the Tree Demons all day? You're being way too brazen!"
Ordinary Tree Demons had no eyes, noses, or mouths. They were relatively docile creatures, and not particularly dangerous.
But even if they weren't very dangerous, they were still dangerous!
Liang Shixian figured the Tree Demons had accepted them because they had no features and couldn't see them or hear them talking. But what kind of tree climbed onto other trees to pick fruit?
Ji Ruo thought about it, climbed back up the tree, and picked another fruit. "Here, Class Monitor. Have one."
"...Thanks."
Ji Ruo took a bite of the White Spirit Fruit and said happily, "Don't worry, we won't be exposed. Tree Demons sleep during the day and only wake up to move around at night. Besides, they can't see or hear us. We won't be exposed, so relax~"
Seeing Ji Ruo act like that, Liang Shixian sighed helplessly. "Ji Ruo, when are you going to start using your head?"
"Using my head? For what?"
"..."
Ji Ruo wasn't actually someone who didn't know his place. The truth was, Liang Shixian hadn't been there in the thick of things, so he hadn't understood the situation very well.
Ji Ruo hadn't been yanked out by the Tree Demon. He had climbed out on his own, and the Tree Demon really had been stunned.
Ji Ruo hadn't wanted to come out either, but the problem was that the Tree Demon had stepped on him!
Its sturdy roots, used for moving around, had rolled over Ji Ruo. Through the ventilation hole he'd left near his head, Ji Ruo saw a large group of Tree Demons migrating, and his thoughts raced.
Their teachers at school had taught them that Tree Demons were generally mild-tempered. And if they lived in groups, it was surely because they couldn't survive on their own and had chosen to stay together.
So Ji Ruo had made his move—the Tree Demon was too heavy and moved too slowly, and it seemed to think something felt off underfoot. It kept grinding around on Ji Ruo, refusing to move.
The reason he'd acted was simple: he couldn't stand being stepped on any longer.
As for why he'd come back afterward, it was mainly because after escaping, he'd remembered an important point from class.
Tree Demons living in groups like these usually formed a very peculiar symbiotic relationship with the other creatures in the forest.
During the day, Tree Demons needed to sleep—or, more accurately, carry out photosynthesis to store up the energy they needed to move at night. Before reaching a certain level, they couldn't move at all during the day.
So they grew ordinary Spirit Fruits on their branches. The fruits were harmless and attracted other creatures in the forest to come and eat them.
Since the Spirit Fruits were ordinary, they wouldn't attract any particularly powerful Demonic Beasts or Monster Beasts. That kept the Tree Demons from suffering the crime of carrying a treasure.
And the creatures that came to eat the fruit weren't strong. Herbivorous monsters also tended to be more docile, so in theory, they wouldn't be the sort to eat their fill and then attack the cook.
That way, the Tree Demons remained relatively safe even though they couldn't move during the day.
Not only that, but after some of the weaker creatures ate their fill, they sometimes felt the urge to relieve themselves right there.
The creatures were satisfied, and the Tree Demons got some fertilizer in return. That was how ordinary groups of Tree Demons survived: mutual benefit and cooperative symbiosis.
Ji Ruo had remembered this, which was why he'd come back with Liang Shixian after making a few adjustments to his appearance.
At first, though, he'd only wanted to pick some Spirit Fruits, eat his fill, then find a nice patch of land and bury himself in it until the Martial Exam ended.
But things never went as planned. The migrating Tree Demons spotted Ji Ruo and Liang Shixian when they returned, and immediately gathered around them.
At the time, the two of them reeked of soil and plant sap, and the [Camouflage] skill was bolstering their disguise.
Tree Demons weren't very perceptive, but they could still sense certain movements.
Ji Ruo had already prepared to fight when one of the thicker trees touched the branch tucked into his clothes with one of its own branches. The leaves rustled softly, as if to say, Don't fall behind.
Then the Tree Demons continued their migration. Ji Ruo hadn't even picked any fruit yet, but suddenly, he didn't feel like leaving anymore.
Because the moment the Tree Demons accepted Ji Ruo, he suddenly unlocked an achievement—
[Congratulations, young host, on unlocking a feature achievement: Let's Play House Together!] [Skill acquired: Immersion Sense!] [Immersion Sense: When role-playing, if the identity being played is within a "reasonable range," gain a 40% identity bonus, causing targets nearby to experience a certain degree of immersion.] [Note: Today I'm Dad, tomorrow I'm Grandpa. I'm the whole family, from young to old. Hee hee~]
"Ji Ruo, we've had about enough to eat, right? Let's hurry and get out of here before those Tree Demons wake up," Liang Shixian whispered.
As class monitor, Liang Shixian had always excelled both academically and in conduct.
As far as theoretical knowledge went, Liang Shixian wasn't much worse than Ji Ruo.
If Ji Ruo could remember an important point, how could Liang Shixian not?
He knew that in ordinary circumstances, a group of symbiotic Tree Demons wouldn't attack the creatures around them.
But knowing that didn't stop him from being scared!
Ji Ruo said solemnly, "Why leave? We've got something important to do!"
Liang Shixian paused. "What important thing?"
"Let's play house together, of course!"
Liang Shixian: "???"
Before you continue