Chapter 1076: A Race Abandoned by Fate
“No, we Wood Spirits always repay kindness, especially such a great kindness.”
Qingye Grandma was the eldest here and seemed to have the highest authority. She said sincerely, “Young man, whatever request you have, feel free to make it. We will do our utmost to repay you.”
“No need.” Yun Che shook his head. “I saved him not out of my own will, because my original goal was to obtain a Wood Spirit Orb.”
“Wha… what?” Yun Che’s words made all the Wood Spirits raise their heads sharply, their faces changing slightly.
“I spared He Lin only because he is a child and I couldn’t bear it. If it had been any other Wood Spirit, I would have already taken his life and Wood Spirit Orb by force. So, there’s no need for you to thank me.”
Seeing the drastic change in their expressions, he turned around and walked resolutely toward the exit.
“Wait.” An old voice stopped him.
Yun Che paused but didn’t turn back, saying indifferently, “Rest assured, I won’t tell anyone about this place.”
“No,” Qingye Grandma approached him with her back slightly hunched. “You saved Lin’er. You are a great benefactor to our entire clan. How could we not trust you? You said earlier that you need a Wood Spirit Orb, correct?”
Yun Che was startled and turned around.
Qingye Grandma smiled gently and turned her slightly clouded gaze toward the middle-aged Wood Spirit beside He Lin: “Qingmu, let Qiuling’s Wood Spirit Orb be given to our benefactor. What do you think?”
The middle-aged Wood Spirit called “Qingmu” had a complex fluctuation in his eyes, but he didn’t hesitate or show reluctance, nodding lightly: “Of course.”
“That’s wonderful.” Qingye Grandma laughed. “Young man, we happen to have a Wood Spirit Orb in our clan. It was left behind by Qingmu’s wife when she was fatally injured and couldn’t be saved. Although many years have passed, because it was sealed in a natural profound formation, its spiritual energy has not diminished at all. It should be able to help you.”
A Wood Spirit Orb voluntarily left behind, with spiritual energy undiminished… That meant it was a perfect Wood Spirit Orb with full spiritual power—something humans could never obtain through forceful means!!
Yun Che’s heart stirred with excitement: “Really… you’re willing to give it to me?”
“Hehe,” Qingmu laughed. “I would rather die than let a scoundrel take the Wood Spirit Orb left by my late wife. But if it can repay the great kindness of saving our young patriarch, Qiuling’s spirit in heaven will certainly gladly agree.”
“However, to prevent it from falling into the hands of evildoers, I sealed it extremely tightly. Unsealing the natural profound formation that locks it will take at least one or two hours. During that time, I’ll have to trouble our benefactor to wait here.”
Yun Che had paid a huge price and ultimately refrained from forcefully taking He Lin’s Wood Spirit Orb… Yet here, he was being gifted a perfect Wood Spirit Orb.
Although it could not compare to He Lin’s royal Wood Spirit Orb, full spiritual power far exceeded his need for a seventy-percent spiritual power Wood Spirit Orb.
The last trace of frustration in Yun Che’s heart vanished, replaced by deep joy and gratitude: “Then… thank you so much. I genuinely need a Wood Spirit Orb for an important reason.”
“No need to thank us. No matter how we repay your great kindness, it is never too much,” Qingye Grandma said. “Qingmu, go ahead. Once you retrieve it, hand it directly to our benefactor.”
Qingmu acknowledged and swiftly departed.
“Great! I really didn’t want to say goodbye to big brother!” He Lin cheered, hopping over to Yun Che and tugging at his sleeve. “Big brother, let me show you our home! Although it’s very small here, you’ll definitely like it.”
He Lin pulled him, officially entering this small world that belonged only to the Wood Spirits.
Green trees served as houses, flowers and grass as cushions. This was a world of unbelievable purity, where even the air carried no trace of filth.
A race naturally blessed by nature, yet because of human greed, they had fallen into a state more tragic and sparse than any other race. They should have borne a deep hatred for humanity. But when He Lin led him before one Wood Spirit after another, happily introducing him, each showed deep gratitude and heartfelt welcome. Perhaps there was a hint of wariness, but from beginning to end, he sensed not even a shred of hatred.
The Wood Spirits possessed the purest power in the world—and the purest hearts. Yun Che deeply felt this now, his heart violently stirred.
Even if facing an enemy a hundred times stronger than himself, his gaze would never waver. But these Wood Spirits’ clear, dustless emerald eyes made him unable to look directly at them time and again…
Such a race should have received the utmost protection from nature. Why were they burdened with such a cruel and unjust fate?
Because of humanity’s sin and greed…
And also because of their weakness.
The bodies of the Dragon God Clan were also full of treasures, yet who in this world dared to bully the true Dragon Clan of the Dragon God Realm?
“Sister Qinghe!”
He Lin pulled Yun Che all the way to the edge of the small world. Here was a large flower garden. As far as the eye could see, hundreds of flowers bloomed in a riot of colors. A girl in colorful clothes was collecting morning dew from the petals, her lithe figure flitting among the myriad blossoms like a colorful butterfly—a sight pleasing to the eye and intoxicating to the soul.
At He Lin’s loud call, the girl turned from the garden, gazing at them softly. He Lin’s cheeks flushed as he introduced her to Yun Che, “This is Sister Qinghe. Her father is Uncle Qingmu. Sister Qinghe, this is the big brother who saved me. Although he’s a big brother, he’s super strong.”
The girl in colorful clothes looked only fifteen or sixteen. Her fair face carried a girl’s youthful shyness and the unique pure beauty of the Wood Spirits. She gave Yun Che a slight bow: “Thank you, big brother, for saving our young patriarch.”
Having said that, she dared not look into Yun Che’s eyes again. She lowered her head, a faint blush quietly spreading across her cheeks.
“Hey? Young patriarch, so you brought benefactor brother here! No wonder we couldn’t find you anywhere!”
Behind them came a girl’s voice, clear and lively like a mountain spring. A girl of about the same age as Qinghe floated over lightly, followed by a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old Wood Spirit youth, tall and slender, with flawless handsome features.
“Sister Feiyan! Brother Qingzhu!” He Lin called out their names crisply.
The two arrived, their eyes shining as they looked at Yun Che for a long moment. The Wood Spirit youth named Qingzhu bowed deeply to Yun Che: “Benefactor brother, you saved our young patriarch… We don’t even know how to repay you.”
“Thank you, benefactor brother.” The Wood Spirit girl Feiyan gave a graceful bow, her clear, beautiful eyes repeatedly sizing up Yun Che with curiosity: “So there really are good people among humans.”
“Of course,” He Lin said with some bravado. “When my parents were alive, they often told me that. The moment I saw big brother, I believed he must be a very good person.”
“Hmph! Young patriarch, you still have the nerve to say that!” Feiyan raised her hand and gave He Lin a firm rap on the forehead, pouting angrily. “Do you know you scared us half to death! Qingye Grandma cried several times! If you ever dare do that again, none of us will talk to you anymore!”
He Lin covered his forehead in pain, not daring to argue, and said weakly and pitifully, “Sister Feiyan, I already know I was wrong. I won’t dare do it again. I just… I just wanted to see the outside world so badly. I didn’t expect to be so unlucky… Wuwu, I really won’t do it again.”
“Feiyan, don’t be so hard on the young patriarch. He’ll behave from now on,” Qinghe said softly in defense. As she spoke, she stealthily glanced at Yun Che, then quickly lowered her head again.
“Hmph! Anyway, I’m going to keep a close eye on the young patriarch from now on!” Feiyan puffed out her cheeks.
But Qingzhu, unable to suppress his curiosity, asked eagerly, “Young patriarch, after you sneaked out that day, what exactly happened? And what is the outside world really like? Is it as amazing as Qingye Grandma and Uncle Qingmu say? Tell us quickly!”
“Well, well…” He Lin said nervously, “I got caught not long after I ran out. After that… I was scared the whole time. I didn’t have the heart to pay attention to anything else. Ah! That’s right!”
He Lin’s eyes suddenly lit up as he turned to Yun Che: “Big brother, can you tell us about the outside world?”
He Lin’s words reminded them. Qinghe, Feiyan, and Qingzhu all fixed their expectant gazes on Yun Che—the first outsider human ever to enter their small world. “Benefactor brother, you must know so many things about the outside world. We want to hear about them. We really want to!”
Four pairs of emerald-green eyes shone with the same hope and longing. That look made Yun Che’s heart suddenly tighten, as if pricked by needles. They had spent their whole lives fleeing, in fear and caution, only finding peace in their small world. Outside, every place might be an abyss of death.
How strong their longing and desire… the crueler the fate they endured.
Yun Che took a deep breath and began slowly, “Actually, my home isn’t in the God Realm, but in a very distant and remote lower realm… The first place I arrived at in the God Realm was a world of endless white. Land, rivers, mountains—all covered in eternal ice and snow. Even the sky was so white it seemed blanketed by snow… The halls there are dozens of miles long, and the biggest one is several hundred miles…”
Without mentioning specific names, Yun Che described his home world, the white world of Yin Xue Realm and the magical Minghan Heavenly Lake, the boundless sea of fire in Yan Shen Realm… and the two terrifying, cunning ancient Flood Dragons within the flames…
The four young Wood Spirits listened, entranced, gasping again and again.
Just listening and then imagining in their minds—they could not truly understand what those scenes and situations were like. But even so, for them, forever “imprisoned” in their small world, it was an unprecedented emotional upheaval.
“Thousands of miles… tens of thousands of miles… all white.” Feiyan raised her head, her gaze misty, then said disappointedly, “I’ve grown up but never seen snow.”
“Me too,” Qingzhu nodded in agreement, completely captivated.
Yun Che smiled faintly, then suddenly leaped into the air. With a faint blue light in his hand, a large flurry of snowflakes fell from the sky like goose feathers, accompanied by a cool, refreshing breeze.
“Wow!”
Exclamations of excitement overlapped. They cupped their hands, bathed in the falling snow, feeling unprecedented coldness, as if suddenly transported to a completely different world.
At first, the snow fell gently, then quickly turned into a blizzard. Yun Che’s fingers moved slightly, and a dozen ice crystal lotuses bloomed one after another in the snow. The smallest could be held in the palm, and the biggest was so large that the two Wood Spirit girls vied to sit inside it, to personally feel the lotus blossom.
Whoosh!
Beyond the falling snow, pale golden flames ignited, quickly condensing into a huge image of a Golden Crow blazing with fire, emitting a loud, majestic cry.
“What a beautiful fire bird!” He Lin exclaimed.
“This is a Golden Crow. In ancient times, it was one of the strongest fire divine beasts.”
Yun Che shifted his intent slightly, and the flame-formed image rapidly changed into that of the ancient Flood Dragon from the Burial God Fire Prison.
“This is the fire Flood Dragon I told you about just now. Its whole body is fire, its tail longer than its body. Well, its size is about like this.” Yun Che introduced it, then added with a sigh, “I almost died under its claws back then.”
“It looks so scary. I can tell it’s a really, really bad profound beast.” Feiyan puffed her cheeks a little, as if venting her displeasure at it for almost killing Yun Che.
After snow, ice, and fire, Yun Che also demonstrated lightning and arcane power, playing with them for a long time before withdrawing his hands, letting all the wind, snow, thunder, and fire dissipate.
Everything was like a fleeting bubble.
Beneath unprecedented excitement, the cheeks of the four young Wood Spirits were all rosy. Looking at Yun Che, it seemed as if brilliant stars were shining in their eyes. A moment ago, they felt gratitude and curiosity toward him. Now, it had suddenly intensified into overwhelming admiration.
“I really… really want to go see the places benefactor brother talked about,” Qingzhu said, looking up, speaking as if in a dream.
“That day will surely come,” Yun Che said.
“Benefactor brother… Um… can we…” Feiyan looked eager but nervous: “Can we know your name?”
He Lin, Qinghe, and Qingzhu also looked at him.
Yun Che smiled slightly, without any hesitation: “My name is Yun Che.”
“Yun Che…” They all murmured the name.
“Brother Yun Che!” Qingzhu shouted excitedly.
“You, you, you… Big dummy, you beat me to it again! I want to call you too… Brother Yun Che!” Feiyan shouted, her eyes curving into thin crescent moons. Then she tugged at Qinghe beside her: “Sister Qinghe, you’ve been so quiet today. Come on, call him Brother Yun Che.”
Qinghe stepped forward a little but kept her head down, nervously twisting her colorful sash, and said softly and timidly, “Brother… Yun Che…”
“Qinghe, what’s wrong?” Qingzhu became worried at her unusual behavior: “Your face… ah? It’s a bit red. Are you sick?”
“Ah! I know!” Feiyan exclaimed: “Sister Qinghe must have fallen for Brother Yun Che!”
“I… I haven’t!” A faint dawn blush suddenly turned into a brilliant sunset, spreading all the way down to her jade-colored neck. She lowered her head even more, then suddenly stomped her foot lightly and ran off like a startled butterfly… never daring to look at Yun Che once.
“Wahaha! I’m right!” Feiyan laughed triumphantly, then stared directly at Yun Che: “Brother Yun Che, you shamed Qinghe into running away. You have to take responsibility!”
“Uh…” Yun Che rubbed his nose in embarrassment.
Wood Spirits carried the purest natural power, so females were gentle and charming, and males were extremely handsome, but they often lacked masculinity. For Wood Spirit girls used to seeing male Wood Spirits, Yun Che’s masculinity, along with the sharpness and aloofness honed by countless storms, once approached and aroused curiosity, could be lethally attractive.
He Lin didn’t laugh. Even before Yun Che said his name, he had been staring at him blankly, his lips slowly biting tighter and tighter.
When Yun Che noticed his strange behavior, He Lin suddenly knelt heavily before him.
“Ah? Young patriarch!” Feiyan and Qingzhu were greatly startled.
“He Lin, what’s wrong?” Yun Che quickly reached out to help him up.
But He Lin stubbornly remained kneeling, looking up with trembling eyes: “I… I don’t want to call you Brother Yun Che. I… I… I want to call you Master.”
Yun Che: “…”
“Master! Please be my master, okay? I want to become as strong as you… I… I will work hard. I can endure hardship. No matter how great the hardship, I can bear it. Please accept me as your disciple.”
He Lin wasn’t asking; he was begging… begging with too intense a desire.
“He Lin.” Yun Che placed his hand on the boy’s small shoulder: “You are a Wood Spirit, and I am human. We are similar, but our powers are different. So I can’t be your master.”
“No! Master can teach me. We can use profound power in the same way humans do. My parents told me so themselves,” He Lin insisted. “Because my parents were very strong. They defeated many, many powerful villains and protected countless clansmen. I want to be as strong as Master. I want to protect my people like my parents did. I… I will listen to Master. I can do anything for Master. Please accept me, Master.”
“…” Yun Che crouched down, his gaze soft, the kind he only showed before family: “He Lin, one person’s power is ultimately limited. Even if you become ten times stronger than me, you cannot change the fate of the Wood Spirit race. That requires the joint effort of the entire clan.”
“You are the young patriarch of the Wood Spirit race. But don’t forget, you are still a child. You don’t need to bear such heavy pressure on your own shoulders. What you most need to do is grow up safely and securely under the protection of your clansmen. When you grow up, then use your mature wings to protect your people. Okay?”
“I… I know…” Two tear tracks slowly slid down He Lin’s cheeks: “I know that even if I become very strong, I can’t change the fate of our entire race. But… at least one day I can leave here, find my sister, and protect her. I promised my parents I would protect my sister. But… but I can’t find her anymore. I don’t know where she is, whether she’s been bullied by bad people. I… I miss her so much… I want to find her, I want to protect her so she’ll never be bullied again… but… but…”
Yun Che’s hand on He Lin’s shoulder tightened slightly. He was speechless.
When he was He Lin’s age, his profound veins were crippled. He was mocked and cold-shouldered. But he had Xiao Lie’s meticulous care and protection, Xiao Lingxi’s constant companionship, Xia Yuanba to laugh and play with. He could freely go where he wanted, do what he wanted. He had no idea what fleeing and fear were, let alone the burden of an entire race.
Compared to his peers, he was pitiable with his crippled profound veins.
But compared to He Lin, he was undoubtedly living in heaven.
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[This chapter was extremely, extremely, extremely hard to write, but…]
[Spring Festival busy as a mess… What day is it even today~!@#¥%…… Forget it, let’s sleep first.]