Unexpected Windfall

After subduing the Ghost Lantern Vine, Lu Zeming did not leave right away. He picked up a severed branch and held it to his nose.

Beneath its bitterness was a faint sweetness, and a subtle fragrance lingered.

Lu Zeming had no peculiar fondness for sniffing vines. He only did it because his Inner Landscape had reacted to the Ghost Lantern Vine.

Last time it had been Spirit Wheat. This time it was the Ghost Lantern Vine. How could he not be excited?

Small words appeared in his Inner Landscape.

Ghost Lantern Vine: a Mutant Black Rock Vine. It can be used as medicine. Consuming it greatly increases mental strength and resistance to Genjutsu.

Lu Zeming was delighted. He had never expected a windfall like this.

He had not just gained a fighter. He had gained a mobile field of medicinal herbs!

The Ghost Lantern Vine was already trembling with fear. Now Lu Zeming kept picking up severed vines to sniff, then grinning at him.

Go ahead and smile, but why are your eyes gleaming like you want to eat me?

Lu Zeming nearly scared the Ghost Lantern Vine to death. He really was a devil!

The Ghost Lantern Vine tilted his humanlike face forty-five degrees toward the sky.

How am I supposed to live like this?

While the Ghost Lantern Vine was still wallowing in self-pity, Lu Zeming gathered all the branches severed during their fight into one place.

Scattered around, the severed vines had not looked like much. Piled together, they resembled a hill of coal.

"Little Lantern, bring your severed branches and come home with me!"

What kind of person does that? Capturing me wasn't enough—he's making me pack up my own severed branches. And I'm the victim here!

The Ghost Lantern Vine felt wronged, but he dared not complain.

The Ghost Lantern Vine had formidable defenses, decent offensive power, and Genjutsu abilities. Combined with his power to absorb an enemy's Chakra, his overall strength approached Kage Level.

Only because Lu Zeming had unusual abilities and had awakened his Divine Sense had he barely managed to subdue the Ghost Lantern Vine.

Any other Jonin would have died eight times over.

On the way back, Lu Zeming sat atop the Ghost Lantern Vine's main trunk the entire time. Directly beneath him was that enormous eight-sided lantern.

Blue flames danced below him, but Lu Zeming felt no heat at all.

He guessed they were the Ghost Lantern Vine's soul fire.

He had little choice but to sit there. The soul brand had consumed so much Divine Sense that he was still dizzy and nauseated. The Ghost Lantern Vine needed every other part of his body to travel, so Lu Zeming could not sit anywhere else.

The way the Ghost Lantern Vine traveled was comical. Several branches propped up his trunk as he scuttled sideways like a crab on the beach.

He was a little faster than a horse, and that was his top speed.

At that pace, using the Ghost Lantern Vine as a mount was probably out of the question.

Lu Zeming had flown there in an hour. Riding the Ghost Lantern Vine back took more than three.

By the time they neared the village, it was almost dark.

From a watchtower on the village outskirts, a guard spotted a huge dark shape approaching in the distance and immediately struck the warning gong.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

"Enemy attack! A monster from the forest is coming!"

Word spread quickly through the village. Some villagers screamed and fled in panic. Others rushed home to gather their valuables before escaping. Still others grabbed hoes and ran toward the village entrance.

"This is our home! We can't let a monster destroy it, even if we have to fight to the death!"

"The village chief won't let a monster into the village. Have faith in him!"

"The village chief is the strongest! Come on, let's go help him!"

As soon as Kumi Uzumaki and the others heard the news, they hurried to the wall.

It was unfinished, with wide gaps still open, and stood only seven or eight meters high.

Even so, it was currently the highest point in the village.

Kumi Uzumaki led the others up onto the wall. There, they saw a monster like a black spider moving above the dense forest.

Each of its legs had to be more than ten meters long.

The sight of it from afar was enough to chill Kumi Uzumaki and the others.

What on earth is that thing?

No one knew, and Lu Zeming was not in the village.

What were they to do? Everyone looked to Kumi Uzumaki.

She clenched her teeth and thought. What would he do?

Scenes of her time with Lu Zeming flashed through her mind, and she soon made her decision.

Kumi Uzumaki turned to the others, resolve in her eyes.

"The Lord once said that if we hold the land but lose the people, we lose both. If we save the people but lose the land, we can regain both. Listening Yulong, organize the evacuation. Ikeda Masato, Hayato, Yuki Kamimai—you three come with me. We'll hold off that monster and give the villagers time to escape!"

Kumi Uzumaki was about to set off when Listening Yulong grabbed her.

"You're pregnant. How can you put yourself in danger? Take the villagers to safety. I'll hold the monster off."

Kumi Uzumaki glanced at Listening Yulong's bandaged arm.

"You're hardly in better shape than I am. Besides, the Lord entrusted the village to me. I can't let him down!"

Yuka, Rofu, and Haruki pushed through the crowd.

"We'll help too!"

More young ninjas surged forward behind them. "We can help too!"

Kumi Uzumaki was moved, but she kept a stern face as she scolded them. "Don't make things harder! As long as any of us adults are still standing, we won't send children in our place!"

Kumi Uzumaki and the others set out, prepared to sacrifice themselves.

Listening Yulong watched them go, then looked at the children beside him. Emotion surged through him.

He had never seen a village like this. A village like this deserved to flourish!

Listening Yulong and the others did everything they could to fulfill their duties, but the panicked villagers made the evacuation painfully slow.

"Where's my child? Has anyone seen my child?"

"Let go of me! I left half a sack of potatoes in the house. I have to go back for it."

"My door's unlocked! Who'll take responsibility if my things get stolen? Stop rushing me. I'll leave after I lock it. The monster isn't here yet!"

Even Listening Yulong, patient as he was, grew furious.

Meanwhile, Kumi Uzumaki and the others headed straight toward the monster.

Before they got close, they spotted someone sitting atop its head.

The figure looked familiar. Wait—the person was waving at them.

Kumi Uzumaki rubbed her eyes hard.

"It's the Lord!"

The weight on Kumi Uzumaki's heart vanished, replaced by astonishment.

Where did he catch that monster? Why does it look so strange? It's part plant, part animal, and blue fire is coming out of its head!

As soon as they drew near, Lu Zeming joked, "Oh? You knew I was coming back, so you came out to welcome me?"

Kumi Uzumaki awkwardly tucked her hair behind her ear.

"Would you believe me if I said there's been a misunderstanding?"

Lu Zeming looked down at the Ghost Lantern Vine beneath him and gave him a smack.

"This is all because you're so ugly. If you were a little cuter, none of this would've happened."

The Ghost Lantern Vine nearly wept. I used to rule my corner of the Mist Forest. Now I'm being humiliated by some little brat.

How miserable!

Lu Zeming told the Ghost Lantern Vine to stay put, then hurried back to the village with Kumi Uzumaki to calm everyone down.

Once the villagers learned that their chief had returned, their fear and tension vanished.

After the commotion subsided, Lu Zeming learned exactly what had happened.

The fault lay mainly with him: he had not explained things clearly before leaving. The village's lack of emergency preparedness had also contributed to the misunderstanding.

Looks like it's time to run a few emergency drills!