The Human-Faced Tree That Had Worked in Education

When she asked that question, the livestream was muted again.

[...]

[Again! What exactly aren't we allowed to hear?]

Qingming fell silent for two minutes, then his lips parted slightly. Xin Jiu waited expectantly for his answer, only to hear, "You ask so many questions. Listening to them makes my head hurt."

Then Xin Jiu's vision went black. When she opened her eyes again, she and Bubu were already in the forest.

At her feet lay several medicinal herbs she had examined over and over yesterday but ultimately hadn't picked. Bubu hurriedly gathered them up and hugged them to his chest.

His eyes red, he said aggrievedly, "Brother Qingming kicked us out."

"...Yeah."

Xin Jiu walked through the forest holding Bubu's hand. He only came up to her waist. Although he was adorable, she kept feeling like a nanny taking care of a child, so she asked him, "Can you turn back into a little dragon?"

"Didn't you say I looked pretty like this?" Bubu looked aggrieved. "You've looked at me for less than an hour, and you're already bored?"

Xin Jiu thought, What a high-maintenance little dragon.

"It'll be easier to take you along if you turn back into a little dragon."

"Really?"

"Truer than pure gold."

Bubu gave a haughty snort and reluctantly turned back into a little purple dragon, then sprawled lazily on Xin Jiu's head and refused to move.

The human and dragon wound their way through the forest. After passing through a patch of grass taller than a person, they suddenly emerged into an open space.

A tree over three meters tall grew in the middle of the clearing.

Its trunk was so thick that it would take three or four people holding hands to encircle it, and its crown was enormous. But its most eye-catching feature was the face on its trunk, complete with a nose and eyes.

This was the Human-Faced Tree Qingming had mentioned.

Honestly, a human face growing on a tree trunk really was rather creepy.

A group of little animals sat in the clearing in front of the Human-Faced Tree: rabbits, squirrels, fawns, hedgehogs, puppies, and the like. They sat in neat rows, each with a stone slate in front of them.

Xin Jiu noticed that some of the animals were nodding off, while others were scratching their heads in frustration.

"...?"

What were they doing?

The Human-Faced Tree suddenly extended a branch, pointed at a fluffy little rabbit, and asked, "You answer this. How many hearts does an octopus have?"

The little rabbit's ears twitched, then it shook its head, its red eyes filled with misery.

Xin Jiu was speechless.

A tree asking a little rabbit how many hearts an octopus had-wasn't that making things difficult for the rabbit?

[Seriously, rabbits live on land. How would they know how many hearts a sea creature has?]

[It probably doesn't even know what an octopus is.]

[Poor bunny.]

The Human-Faced Tree's expression turned cold. "You don't know? Then your punishment is another seven days of studying."

The little rabbit looked ready to cry.

The other animals trembled, terrified that the Human-Faced Tree would call on them next, their gazes evasive. Xin Jiu asked Bubu, "Is it forcing the animals to study?"

Bubu thought for a moment, then explained:

"Brother Qingming mentioned this species before. He said it has a habit of playing teacher and grabs anyone it sees to give them lessons. These animals were probably caught as they passed by. Look, they all have vines around their feet."

Xin Jiu took a look. Sure enough, thin vines were wrapped around all their left feet.

This was the first time she had encountered someone forcing others to study in a game.

She stepped out from behind the grass.

Hearing the rustling, all the animals looked over. When they saw a human, their first instinct was to run, but the Human-Faced Tree had trapped them, leaving them unable to move.

The Human-Faced Tree noticed her too and narrowed its eyes as it sized her up. "A player?"

"What are you doing?"

"Teaching them."

"But they don't want to learn."

The animals nodded furiously, especially the little rabbit sentenced to another seven days of lessons, which nodded hardest of all.

The Human-Faced Tree snorted.

"They have to learn whether they want to or not. Even NPCs need to cultivate their literary refinement. Knowledge is power, you know!"

The NPCs on this floor did nothing but eat, drink, and play all day, with no desire to improve.

How could they ever make progress like that?

Now that it was here, it had to make them all join the rat race. With steady effort over time, the NPCs on the second floor would surely become the most knowledgeable and cultured NPCs in the tower!

Xin Jiu: "..."

Apparently, this tree had worked in education.

Either that, or an education system had gained sentience.

"What are you doing here?" Only then did the Human-Faced Tree remember to ask her. "Has word of my reputation spread? Have you come to study under me after hearing of my fame?"

What a narcissistic tree spirit.

"I'm here to get fruit from you."

A look of understanding appeared on the Human-Faced Tree's face. "So you've come to challenge me?"

"That's right."

The Human-Faced Tree burst into laughter, making its leaves rustle loudly. "A player came to challenge me a week ago too. But do you know where he is now?"

Xin Jiu raised an eyebrow. "Where?"

"He became my fertilizer! Hahahahaha..." It rocked back and forth with laughter.

It could have spared that player, but he had stubbornly refused to stay and study, so he could only die.

The Human-Faced Tree's laughter sounded awful, like nails scraping across a blackboard, making everyone squirm with discomfort. Xin Jiu and the animals covered their ears. Once it had finished laughing, Xin Jiu drew her bayonet.

"W-what are you doing?!" the Human-Faced Tree said in alarm.

"Challenging you."

"Hey, you rude human! Who said a challenge had to mean a fight?"

"..." Xin Jiu was speechless. "What do you want, then?"

"It's simple." The Human-Faced Tree cleared its throat. "Answer three of my questions correctly, and I'll give you the fruit. If you get them wrong, you'll have to stay here and study. That little dragon has to stay too. I've never taught a dragon before."

This player looked smarter than the last one. She would surely make rapid progress in her studies!

As for the little dragon, he looked a little dim, but with its guidance, he would surely become the smartest little dragon in this labyrinth.

Three questions?

Xin Jiu and Bubu exchanged a glance, seeing the same thought in each other's eyes. Why did this sound so much like Yin Lingzi?

"Do you know Yin Lingzi?"

At the mention of Yin Lingzi, the Human-Faced Tree's eyes widened. "How do you know my master?"

Xin Jiu and Bubu: "..."

[Like master, like subordinate!]

[Yin Lingzi: Leave me out of this.]

The Human-Faced Tree seemed impatient to take Xin Jiu as its student. It stopped dwelling on the matter of Yin Lingzi and went straight to the questions.

"Let's begin, then."

"All right."

The animals all pricked up their ears nervously. Bubu was also curious about what it would ask.

"First question: how many years have nautiluses existed on Earth?"

The very first question stumped all the animals, and Bubu too. He knew what a parrot was, but what was a nautilus?

"Five hundred million years."

The Human-Faced Tree froze.

"Next question," Xin Jiu urged.

"Wait!" the Human-Faced Tree said hastily. "I haven't said you got it right yet."

Xin Jiu's lips curved into a smile. "You're so nervous you're sweating. Doesn't that prove my answer was right?"

"That's not sweat! It's my gum! I easily ooze gum when the weather gets hot!"

The Human-Faced Tree argued, but its tone was noticeably less confident.

Xin Jiu waved a hand impatiently. "Got it. Hurry up and ask the next question."