榆神泪 第二章

'Crash—'

Heavy rain poured down. After a long drought, the refreshing rain finally arrived.

All the villagers raised their heads, letting the rain wash over their dust-covered faces, and cheered happily.

'It's raining! It's really raining!'

'This Taoist master is truly divine! As soon as the tree demon died, the heavens opened their eyes!'

'Thank you, Taoist master, for saving our lives!'

Amidst the cheers, no one bothered to look again at the old tree lying in the mud, still bleeding from its broken trunk.

The old Taoist sheathed his sword, resumed his transcendent demeanor, and said indifferently to the commander, 'The evil has been eliminated, I am leaving now.'

After speaking, he didn't even want to spare a glance at these mortals. His body flickered, turning into a shadow and vanishing into the vast curtain of rain.

The soldiers left, and the villagers went home to celebrate.

After the bustle dispersed, only the suffocating sound of rain remained between heaven and earth.

Li Xian was soaked through. Step by step, he inched towards the massive tree stump.

The muddy water mixed with the blood on the stump, a blinding red color.

'Mother...'

Li Xian knelt beside the stump, his trembling fingers stroking the rough bark.

When he was seven, his father accidentally fell off a cliff while gathering herbs. His mother fell ill from overwork. Before she died, she touched his face and said, 'Xian'er, don't be afraid. Mom will become the big elm tree at the village entrance and guard you forever.'

Those were words to comfort a child, but Li Xian believed them.

For these three years, he slept under the tree, read under the tree, ate elm seeds when hungry, and drank dew from the leaves when thirsty. The big elm shielded him from wind and rain and drove away wild beasts for him.

But today, he could only watch helplessly as it was chopped down and executed amidst cheers.

'They ate your elm seeds, stripped your bark... How could they be so cruel...'

The boy curled up on the blood-stained stump, crying his heart out in this cold, rainy night.

After an unknown amount of time, the cold and grief made his consciousness gradually blur.

In a trance, the sound of rain around him stopped. A speck of warm green light lit up in the darkness.

Li Xian struggled to open his eyes, only to see a translucent figure slowly emerging from the stump. That face was so gentle it made him want to weep.

'Mother?!' Li Xian wanted to jump up, but found he couldn't move.

The woman's figure was very illusory, as if it would dissipate at any moment. Her eyes curved like crescent moons as she looked at Li Xian, whispering:

'Xiao Xian, don't move, listen to Mom.'

'I was supposed to take human form today, but I was plotted against, ruining ten years of bitter cultivation. Now my body is destroyed, and my primordial spirit is about to scatter. That old Taoist took my demon core, but I still have one breath left.'

The woman reached out, her illusory palm gently covering the top of Li Xian's head.

'Rather than dissipating into heaven and earth, I'd better fulfill my child.'

'Mom has left a scroll of cultivation techniques and a life-saving jade pendant three feet deep under the tree roots for you. Remember to dig them out after you wake up.'

Speaking of this, the woman's originally gentle eyes suddenly became stern, even carrying a trace of resolute hatred:

'Xiao Xian, you must remember.'

'You have grown up. From now on, you must face the storms of this world alone.'

'Do not trust anyone! There are no good people in the cultivation world. Even those who have received your help will not hesitate to hurt you when faced with profit!'

'Never turn your back on others, and never reveal your trump cards!'

'Live on... take Mom's share, and live on strongly!'

As soon as her voice faded, the woman's figure suddenly disintegrated into countless spots of light, like moths flying into a flame, frantically drilling into Li Xian's chest.

'Ah—!'

Intense pain swept through his whole body instantly, as if countless tree roots were frantically piercing into his meridians and bones.

In the heavy rain, the boy curled up on the blood-red tree stump, letting out a painful and low roar.

Inside his body, a root bone that was originally ordinary was being reforged inch by inch amidst this desperate vitality.