However, Bai Qiushui (Xiao Wenqiang) did not overtly display her emotions, as plant spirits communicated through plant-based means, and as an animal spirit, she logically should not have been able to hear them.
The Great Banyan Tree and the Peony Flower were both sentient plants, though they had not yet cultivated inner cores and thus could not transform into human form to move. However, their leaves and petals could scatter far and wide, and their roots could extend downwards, connecting with the roots of other plants, which allowed them to be quite well-informed.
"By the way, Little Peony, have you heard about the strange event that recently occurred in Hexi Village at the foot of the mountain?"
"What is it? My petals haven't drifted that way recently!"
"I heard it from Grandfather Ginkgo Tree. He said that for five consecutive days, a child has gone missing each day. The oldest is ten, and the youngest is only six."
"What's going on? Could it be human traffickers in Hexi Village?"
"It doesn't feel like humans. No strangers have entered the village. And it's said they disappear out of thin air, just as if when adults look away, the child is gone."
"Could it be demons? That's unlikely! With two great demons, Jiao Long and Tao Yaoyao, guarding this area, no foolish demons would dare cause trouble here, would they?"
"If it's not demons, do you think it could be demons from the Demon Realm?"
"Didn't the demons retreat from our lands a hundred million years ago after their defeat? It's been a long time since any demons have appeared in our vast lands!"
"Let's hope so! I just feel like the days haven't been peaceful lately. I hope I'm just overthinking things."
This novel divides the world into three major realms and six categories. These are the Star Realm and Divine Realm, inhabited by immortals and deities; the vast lands of the demon and human realms, inhabited by spirits and mortals; and finally, the chaotic lands of the Demon Realm and Underworld, where demons and monsters reside.
A hundred million years ago, beings from all realms lived together. Later, due to issues with spiritual energy resources, a war broke out. The victorious immortals and divine races went to the Star Realm, which possessed the densest spiritual energy. The demon and human races, who had always been on good terms with them, were granted the vastest territories but with relatively weaker spiritual energy, the vast lands. The defeated demons and underworld races were confined to the chaotic lands, where the living conditions were relatively harsh.
As Bai Qiushui (Xiao Wenqiang) listened to their conversation, she mused that the perpetrators were likely from the Demon Realm. In the original novel, "Peach Blossom Blossoms," the Demon Realm was indeed showing signs of a resurgence around this time.
Knowing the general direction of the plot, Bai Qiushui (Xiao Wenqiang) quickly returned to find Tao Yaoyao. "Yaoyao Sister, I heard from the little animals that demons might have appeared at the foot of the mountain in Hexi Village. Shall we go down and take a look?"
"Qiushui, don't worry unnecessarily. The demons are far from us!" Before Tao Yaoyao could speak, Jiao Long scoffed, "You've only just transformed, so you might not be familiar with the situation on our continent. The demons are confined to their chaotic lands and wouldn't dare come to our vast lands."
Tao Yaoyao also didn't believe demons would suddenly attack, but she patiently comforted Bai Qiushui (Xiao Wenqiang), saying, "Little Qiushui, we have the protection of the immortals from the Star Realm and Divine Realm, so there's no need to worry. By the way, where did you hear about demons?"
Bai Qiushui (Xiao Wenqiang) naturally couldn't say she overheard the plant spirits chatting, so she made up a story about a passing Shiba Inu telling her. "I heard that five children have gone missing for five consecutive days, and people suspect it's the work of demons."
Although Tao Yaoyao didn't believe demons had appeared, she was very concerned about the missing village children at the foot of the mountain, so she said, "I'll go to Hexi Village tomorrow morning to take a look. Perhaps it's some other demon causing trouble."
Jiao Long quickly chimed in, "Yaoyao, I'll go with you! The spirits in this area should know that we're in charge here. If they dare cause trouble, they're clearly not respecting us."
"Then I'll go too!" Bai Qiushui (Xiao Wenqiang) also raised her hand. Even though she knew the disaster was imminent and had warned them in advance, she couldn't change the outcome. Moreover, with her current weak demonic power, she couldn't be of any help and could only focus on protecting herself.
In the original book, the White Rabbit Spirit didn't go along, and later, when demons appeared on the mountain, the original owner was severely injured before escaping with Jiao Long and Tao Yaoyao. It took a long time for her to recover.
At midnight that night, a black mist suddenly erupted from the well of a household in Hexi Village, instantly engulfing the entire village.
When Tao Yaoyao, accompanied by Jiao Long and Bai Qiushui (Xiao Wenqiang), went to investigate the next morning, they discovered that all 284 residents of Hexi Village had their vital energy drained in their sleep, leaving behind desiccated corpses.
"Yaoyao, I've just checked. There isn't a single survivor, not even the stray dogs or the chickens the villagers raised. They all died the same way." Jiao Long looked at the village that had been full of life just yesterday, now reduced to a scene of corpses, and found it difficult to accept.
Tao Yaoyao's eyes welled up with tears. The villagers who had greeted her just last time were all dead today. She found it truly hard to accept. After examining the bodies one by one, Tao Yaoyao stood up and said, "Perhaps Qiushui was right. This method resembles the work of demons. And I can feel demonic energy from these corpses."
"What do we do now?" Bai Qiushui (Xiao Wenqiang) felt a churning in her stomach, seeing so many dead people for the first time, her small face pale as she looked at them.
Tao Yaoyao and Jiao Long knew the situation was serious. The demonic energy detected was from a powerful demon, and the three of them were no match for it. After exchanging glances, Jiao Long said, "The return of the demons to the vast lands must be reported to the high immortals in the Star Realm."
"Qiushui, Brother Jiao is right. We must leave here quickly." Tao Yaoyao agreed.
"What about the little spirits on the mountain?" Bai Qiushui (Xiao Wenqiang) asked.
"There's no time. Let's hurry and go! I'll notify the other spirits through the root system. Whether they can escape will depend on their luck." Tao Yaoyao immediately closed her eyes and performed a complex hand seal. "Alright, I've sent the notification. Let's go!"
Thus, Tao Yaoyao led Jiao Long and Bai Qiushui (Xiao Wenqiang) to seek out the high immortals of the Star Realm who could deal with the demons.
The vast lands were the largest, and Jiao Long and Tao Yaoyao were only great demons of this particular region, having never ventured beyond it to see the wider world. After ten days of traveling through wind and rain, the three of them finally arrived at a place called "Yanzi Ridge."