Chapter 311: The Man in the Tree (Third Update!)
“That Qin bastard can’t be trusted with a single word!”
Banggong Cuo was furious. He flung open a random door and charged through, shouting, “Where’s the talk about being in the same boat and working together? Where’s the promise of being friends on the ship and only killing each other after disembarking? No integrity! The moment there’s a benefit, he scurries off alone like a dog, even closing the door to hog it all! Choke to death, you bastard!”
He had been following Qin Mu closely and saw clearly: after Qin Mu entered that mysterious room, he casually closed the door behind him!
It wasn’t the door closing automatically—Qin Mu had deliberately shut it, using the spatial alignment technique of the ship to block him out!
That kid clearly intended to keep everything for himself!
Soon, Banggong Cuo calmed down and began to meticulously calculate the spatial alignment method for the second layer of the treasure ship. He said coldly, “Since I already know there’s a second layer of space, I can figure out where that long corridor is. You won’t be able to hog all the benefits!”
As he calculated, he opened one room after another, searching for his subordinates. The ship had an enormous number of rooms, and his men had long since gotten lost, wandering in circles within various chambers, trying to find a way out but sinking deeper into confusion.
Banggong Cuo had already cracked the spatial alignment method for the ship’s outer layer, but it still took him considerable time to find these people. Along the way, he also encountered two white bats and the Dragon Qilin. That Dragon Qilin was also calculating how to break the spatial alignment and had nearly found the location of the bridge.
The two sides fought a fierce battle. Banggong Cuo and his men were thoroughly routed, barely escaping when a Witch King burst into the room and rescued them.
By the time he found the other Witch Kings, he still hadn’t managed to calculate the corridor’s location, and a deep sense of failure welled up in his heart.
“It doesn’t matter if I can’t find that place. That brat surnamed Qin will definitely show up. When he does, I’ll capture him, force him to hand over the silver helmet, and make him spill all his secrets!”
In the room at the end of the corridor, Qin Mu blinked. Locking Banggong Cuo out had been his deliberate act. Throughout the journey, the old man in the painting had been guiding him to uncover the ship’s secrets. Since he was about to find them, there was no need for Banggong Cuo to be tagging along and getting in the way.
His original purpose in agreeing to ally with Banggong Cuo was to push him forward as a shield when danger arose. Now that there was no danger, it was only natural to kick him out.
“Great Lord, I imagine you had the same idea, right? But I was still one step ahead.”
He turned around and surveyed the area. This was an incredibly vast room, somewhat similar to the Qu Mountain Temple he had seen at the bottom of the sea. It was absurdly spacious, nearly ten miles in length and width, like a small world hidden within the ship, though a bit smaller than the Qu Mountain Temple.
But this room was many times larger than the treasure ship itself. Hiding such a massive space inside the ship was truly mind-boggling.
Qin Mu looked up. The ceiling of the room was constructed from long wooden beams, whereas the Qu Mountain Temple was built from the bones of a Taotie divine beast. The two were different.
The Taotie divine beast naturally contained vast space within its body; one only needed to build a temple around its bones, and the interior would be spacious.
This room, however, was created by twisting space with immense magical power and divine abilities, making it far more difficult to construct.
In the center of this grand and magnificent room, a colossal wooden pillar descended from the ceiling, connecting to the ground. At the base, tree roots coiled like writhing dragons, exuding an ancient aura.
Light constantly flowed across the surface of the massive tree trunk, moving from the roots up to the ceiling, illuminating the empty room without pause.
Within those streams of light, runic imprints seemed to flow, traveling along the ceiling beams to the room’s edges and infusing the ship’s hull.
After a while, a heartbeat echoed from within the tree—a booming sound, deafening and powerful.
Qin Mu examined it with a puzzled expression. The ship seemed to have been built around an incredibly ancient tree of unimaginable size. The ceiling beams were likely the branches of this ancient tree.
Moreover, judging by the flowing light and the heartbeat, the ancient tree was still alive and had become the core of the treasure ship, perhaps even its power source!
But how many years would it take for such a massive tree to grow?
Why did this ancient tree possess such immense power, enough to drive the treasure ship on its long voyages?
“As expected, the ship’s wheel and silver helmet in the bridge aren’t what control this ship. This is the real place.”
Qin Mu’s gaze fell to the ground before him. The floor here was as smooth as a mirror. The old man in the painting was lying flat on it, waving at him, then running forward.
Qin Mu quickly followed him, curiosity burning within him: “Is this old man in the painting really painted? This painting technique seems even more advanced than Grandpa Deaf’s. Grandpa Deaf’s paintings can infuse a spark of life into the soul, but if a painted figure comes to life, it doesn’t last long before turning back into ink. But this old man in the painting truly seems like a living being. Apart from only being able to move on the ground or walls, he’s no different from a normal lifeform. Could there really be someone in this world whose painting skills surpass Grandpa Deaf’s… Impossible!”
He suddenly realized the key point. The person who painted this old man might not have surpassed Grandpa Deaf in painting technique, but rather in the art of creation and transformation.
This person had painted the old man, used the Dao of Creation to grant him life, and made him come alive as a guardian and guide of secrets!
Grandpa Deaf’s paintings relied not on cultivation, but on his own mastery of the painting Dao!
Qin Mu followed the old man in the painting as he ran toward the ancient tree at the room’s center. As he neared the tree, he frowned. On the smooth ground ahead, there were patches of green slime, like trails left by something crawling.
The closer they got to the ancient tree, the more of this green slime there was.
The old man in the painting also became cautious, skirting around the slime as he approached the tree.
Qin Mu warily scanned his surroundings. The area was vast and open; a single glance revealed everything, and there was nothing particularly frightening. But these slime trails gave him an ominous feeling. He had seen this kind of slime on the ship’s deck, where they had encountered demonic energy surging toward them, hiding a terrifying presence.
Also, the room they had entered through the long corridor was covered in this slime.
And now, it was here too. Judging by the distribution, the slime surrounded the ancient tree, suggesting the tree was extremely important to the slime’s owner.
Qin Mu looked elsewhere, his unease growing. The more he looked, the more this place felt like a nest—the nest of the slime’s owner!
Finally, Qin Mu arrived at the base of the tree with the old man in the painting. Just then, he paused, startled, as he saw the white-clad man from his vision.
More precisely, he only saw the white-clad man’s face.
The owner of this treasure ship, that man surnamed Qin from Wuyou Township, had now merged into this ancient tree, becoming one with it. Only his face remained exposed, and even that wasn’t fully visible.
His face was almost completely integrated into the tree. His eyes had lost their luster. The tree’s heartbeat was likely the sound of his heart beating, very slowly.
Qin Mu was stunned. This white-clad man must have used a unique technique to prolong his life, connecting himself to the tree and linking his life force with it. But this method had severe drawbacks: it would cause him to become part of the tree, unable to move, and gradually turn into wood!
His injuries must have been extremely severe, to the point where he could no longer sustain himself!
He had been chased by enemies, fighting all the way here, ultimately killing his opponents, but he had to resort to this forbidden technique to merge with the tree and extend his life!
Qin Mu looked at him. The eyes of the man in the tree moved stiffly, like two wooden carved eyeballs, barely able to see some images, but indistinctly.
“Did you send this old man in the painting to guide me here?”
Qin Mu felt an inexplicable familiarity with this man, as if there was a strange connection between them, stirring his heart. He asked, “Is your name Qin Fengqing? Are you from Wuyou Township?”
The man in the tree seemed to gradually focus on his face. He grew agitated, struggling to open his mouth. His tongue had turned to wood, unable to produce sound.
Qin Mu was stunned. The backlash of this forbidden technique was too strong. Although the white-clad man’s life had been extended, his senses and bodily functions had essentially disappeared.
“Do you recognize this jade pendant?”
Qin Mu quickly took off the jade pendant from his neck and brought it before him, suppressing his excitement. “Do you recognize it? It was in my swaddling clothes. I’ve worn it all along. Is this ‘Qin’ character the Qin of Wuyou Township?”
Suddenly, the man in the tree became intensely agitated. The ancient tree trembled slightly, as if he was struggling desperately to break free from the tree’s grasp and snatch the pendant!
Streams of light flowed across the tree’s surface, suppressing his struggle.
He opened his mouth, as if he had a thousand words to say to Qin Mu, but couldn’t utter a single one.
Qin Mu’s face darkened. He spoke as if to the man in the tree, or perhaps to himself, murmuring, “I heard from Granny that a woman’s corpse carried a basket and delivered me to the Village of the Crippled in the Great Ruins at night. I never saw her. Later, I saw her beneath the river, but I could never make out her face. I only have this jade pendant. I’ve worn it since I was a child, always hoping to find where I came from, and whether there are still relatives there waiting for me…”
He sat down beneath the tree, hugging his knees, the pendant dangling from his fingertips, swaying back and forth.
“I feel like my parents might still be alive, still waiting for me to come back and see them. I’ve never met them…”
“Later, a little girl who became the Sun Guardian told me I might be from Wuyou Township. I desperately wanted to return there. I searched for news of Wuyou Township, looked for the way back, but failed time and again, even nearly getting the Village Chief and the others killed for my sake…”
“This time, I didn’t tell them before coming here. I was afraid of dragging them into trouble again. Qin Fengqing, your name is Qin Fengqing, right? I found you, but I never expected you couldn’t tell me anything. Is it really this hard to go home and learn about my own origins…”
He buried his face in his arms and fell silent.
Plop.
A tear fell. Qin Mu looked up, wiping his own tears, and saw tears rolling down from the eyes of the man in the tree.
Suddenly, something on the tree began to writhe, slithering down the trunk like a giant serpent, emitting a strange, hoarse voice: “Qin Hanzhen, you’ve already seen Qin Fengqing. Your wish should be fulfilled now, shouldn’t it?”
—The third update is here. It’s still past eleven. Zhuzhu deeply apologizes!
Notification: Two chapters will be updated together tonight.
Notification: Two chapters will be updated together tonight.
I worked too late last night and got worn out; didn’t rest well. I’ve been running around outside for over ten days. After coming back, I thought I could handle it. I tried for three updates yesterday, but when I got up today, I felt like my head was about to explode. The morning chapter won’t make it—I can’t get into the zone. I’ll update two chapters together tonight.