Chapter 62
The memory implanted in her mind was completely labeled as false, and the recurring thoughts were crushed by her.
She remembered the pain and firmly believed that what she saw was the reality.
Su Cheng's eyes became firm and clear as she focused on wielding her knife to cut the branches, racking her brains to figure out how to deal with the locust tree spirit.
Mu Ling's use of skills depletes all the energy she has gathered. However, this locust tree, which has absorbed too much energy from many people, shows no signs of weakening yet.
It is consuming them. Even if the illusion cannot make Su Cheng lose her will, it will feed on them when they are exhausted.
Su Cheng knew she couldn't keep dragging this on.
Her first thought was to use fire. Wood is afraid of fire, but in the current situation, if she set the mountain on fire, she wouldn't have enough time or distance to escape, and she might burn to death herself.
Su Cheng mentally inquired of Mu Ling, "Does it have any weaknesses?"
After several seconds, Mu Ling finally managed to answer, "I can only sense that its fatal point is underground!"
underground?
Are they tree roots?
She quickly glanced at the ground under the tree and could see roots rising from the surface.
This locust tree spirit has at least a hundred roots, and the main root is likely to serve as its heart!
However, the main root is usually vertically downwards and buried the deepest.
But it seems that it won't last long; Mu Ling's energy will eventually run out, and then the locust tree spirit's plan will be realized.
Su Cheng gritted her teeth, "Could you give me a way to get closer to its roots?"
Mu Ling knew the situation was not optimistic; the flying branches were too annoying and there were too many of them, so she had to deal with it as soon as possible!
Her eyes flashed with a hint of ruthlessness. "Yes, but it won't last long, or you might be riddled with holes."
Su Cheng pulled out an entrenching tool. "Never mind that, let's clear a path!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Mu Ling's hair grew wildly, becoming even finer than tree branches, frantically entwining and strangling!
To pave a path for Su Cheng's progress.
Su Cheng ran quickly through the crowd, her eyes fixed on the patch of land directly beneath the locust tree.
Black hair and branches intertwined above her head, but Su Cheng didn't look up, trusting that Mu Ling could shield her from them.
When a person is fully focused on doing something, time seems to slow down. She arrived at the land where the gaze was fixed on her in just two seconds.
The entrenching tool slammed down hard, but the ground was exceptionally hard, like a protective shield.
Sweat beaded on Su Cheng's forehead as she pried open the protective shield with force, the recoil making her metacarpal bones numb.
It looked like she was using too much force, and her metacarpal bone was about to shatter.
Finally, she scooped a hole in the ground!
This was like a flaw, and she immediately stuffed the only small bullet into the dent she had painstakingly dug out.
Just as she crouched down and covered her head,
"Bang!!!"
Dirt flew everywhere, heat and flames burned her arms and torso, and the smell of burning filled the air.
A deep hole was blasted into the ground.
Ignoring the intensely hot soil, Su Cheng crawled into the hole, her skin melting from the heat. Holding a long boning knife, she aimed precisely at the central red root!
A dozen or so glossy white rhizomes, wrapped around the red taproot, formed a protective barrier and passed through her wrist.
The blood was drained in an instant, and her hands became bones covered in dry skin.
But the moment her hand was absorbed, the tip of her knife had already pierced the red root.
A wisp of crimson resentment emanated from the boning knife, rapidly seeping into the main root from the inside out, as if devouring its life force.
The main root was swaying slightly, the whole ground was trembling, and the soil was burying half of Su Cheng's body in the tremors.
It vented its anger, but could not prevent its fate of being "eaten".
The gleaming white root inserted into Su Cheng's wrist withered instantly, then withdrew completely and fell to the ground.
The Red Resentment on the boning knife grew heavier and heavier, as if it had been starving for a long time and was finally able to have a feast, and began to eat frantically!
Even as the red stems dried up and shriveled, the boning knife was still not satisfied.
A wisp of red resentment coiled around Su Cheng's wrist, but upon touching the faint light of the jade pendant, it suddenly retreated and disappeared back into the blade.
[Ding~]
[The basic quest "The Secret of Lin Family Village" has been completed, earning 1000 points. The points will be awarded upon exiting the instance.]
From the moment Su Cheng planted its main root to the moment the boning knife devoured it, only ten seconds had passed.
Those ten seconds felt incredibly long to her.
Su Cheng's skin-and-bones hands underwent self-repair, with flesh and blood regenerating. After the nerves were repaired, she regained control over her hands.
Su Cheng moved her fingers. The boning knife in her hand hadn't changed in appearance, but it felt lighter in her hand.
She put the boning knife into her Smart Bag.
The information about the boning knife has changed:
[Soul-Devouring Boning Knife: Paranormal Weapon Class.]
Detailed Explanation: This substance is tainted by resentment and karma, and can absorb any supernatural creatures tainted by resentment. Weight: 0.1kg.
Warning: If the wielder is unable to suppress it, they will be corrupted by the resentment within the blade!
The detailed explanation made Su Cheng's eyes light up, but she calmed down after seeing the warning.
If there is a risk of backlash, then the boning knife cannot be used casually; in short, the boning knife cannot be more powerful than her.
No matter how good something is, it needs to be under your control.
Su Cheng climbed out of the hot pit. The locust tree had already fallen, and Su Xiaoxiao and the other three lay on the ground, their fates unknown.
Meanwhile, Mu Ling was squatting on the ground, eating the twigs scattered all over the ground.
Upon seeing Su Cheng emerge, Mu Ling couldn't stop talking to her, squatting and floating while picking up twigs with both hands and stuffing them into her mouth.
There were branches all over the ground, and two hands weren't enough. Her black hair spontaneously picked up a branch and brought it to her mouth.
Hair, hands, mouth... each is busy with its own things.
Her eyes crinkled into crescents, radiating an indescribable contentment.
"..."
No wonder Mu Ling stopped calling her after she took root in the main root; she was eating the locust tree branches...
Su Cheng decided to ignore her for now, drank another vial of nutrient solution, and then walked towards Su Xiaoxiao and the others.
Su Xiaoxiao was in the best condition among them; the branch only reached her waist, and she was tightly gripping a triangular amulet with both hands.
The four were lucky; although their injuries varied in severity, they all survived.
Su Cheng used a knife to cut the branches off the people's bodies, then pinched their philtrum and gently patted and called out to them.
Su Xiaoxiao was the first to open her eyes. She gasped for breath the moment her consciousness returned, looked at Su Cheng, and then looked around in confusion. "I... I'm still alive?"
Seeing her dry lips, Su Cheng took out a bottle of water and handed it to her, "Drink some water and calm down."
Then he took out iodine and had her disinfect the wounds on her body caused by the thorns from the branches.
Su Xiaoxiao's eyes reddened; the relief of surviving the ordeal made it difficult for her to calm down, and her voice trembled with tears, "Thank you."
The second to wake up were Su Zhou, followed by Keke. Their complexions were far worse than Su Xiaoxiao's; they looked like people with severe anemia, their lips pale and their eyes lifeless.
Su Cheng gave them electrolyte water, chocolate, and candy, so they could eat something and rest.
Zhou Yang, despite having vital signs, could not be woken up; his breathing was sometimes normal and sometimes rapid.
"He gave me the chance to live." Su Xiaoxiao tore off the triangular amulet and placed it on Zhou Yang's chest, sobbing uncontrollably. "This is the amulet his Third Aunt gave him to wear since he was a child... He gave it to me..."
Su Cheng instantly understood why Su Xiaoxiao was wrapped in tree branches more slowly among them; it was because of this protective amulet...
She remembered Zhou Yang saying that her Third Aunt could sense his life and death, and maybe it was true.
The reason why Zhou Yang has not woken up yet is very likely related to the fact that the protective amulet was separated from him.
Su Cheng had no way to solve this problem, so she could only go down the mountain as soon as possible and contact Zhou Yang's Third Aunt.
"Didn't Zhou Yang mention before that he has a Third Aunt? What if his Third Aunt finds out about this situation?"
"I'll take you down the mountain first, and then, when the villagers aren't looking, we'll steal a car and leave the village..."
Su Cheng vaguely remembered that a family had a van parked in their backyard and forgot to remove the keys at night.
Mu Ling glimpsed this by chance while exploring the villagers' houses.
Small, unintentional details may prove useful someday.
Su Xiaoxiao and Keke supported each other, while Su Zhou carried Zhou Yang on his back, ready to follow Su Cheng down the mountain.
"Wait a minute."
Su Cheng took out a bucket of oil and poured it onto the shrunken, withered trees and the ground around her.
Looking at Mu Ling was still leaning against the tree trunk and rubbing her stomach, "Finished eating?"
Mu Ling let out a burp, "I've eaten most of it. The yin energy in this tree is really strong! I'm getting a little sleepy..."
Su Cheng handed her the lighter, "Same as last time."
"Hiccup~ Okay."
Su Xiaoxiao and the others stared in disbelief as Su Cheng conjured something out of thin air.
While having soup at the hotel, they had already sensed that Su Cheng wasn't as "naive" as she seemed, but they never imagined she was no ordinary person...
"It's over. It was just a little magic trick."
Su Cheng helped the two girls up.
The three exchanged glances. Was it really magic...?
When the group reached the foot of the mountain, there was no one guarding the entrance, presumably because they thought that outsiders who entered the mountain could not possibly come out alive.
However, to make it easier to collect timber from the mountain, there must be villagers living nearby.
Su Cheng led the group to hide in a corner.
In the darkness, a small spark spread with lightning speed.
When Mu Ling floated back to the bracelet, thick smoke billowed out, indicating that it had become a volcano.
Fire!
"Fire has broken out in the mountains—get up and put it out!"
"What? The mountain has been burned down!"
"Quick, the water pipe, water! The wood is all inside!"
A scream startled the sleeping village into chaos.
The villagers quickly connected water pipes to the nearest well, and the entire village ran out of their homes to fight the fire...
Su Cheng took advantage of the fact that everyone in the village had run to the mountain pass to bring a few people back to the village.