Bai Xi frowned as she looked at the tree before her and the scene surrounding it.
At this moment, three men were kneeling before the trunk of the tree, their chests pierced by branches that resembled fangs and claws. Simultaneously, another man approached. This man was none other than Xue Yi.
Xue Yi was dressed in a suit and tie, though dust had settled on him from his fall from a high place. He walked slowly, step by step, much like a regular zombie from Plants vs. Zombies, stumbling and moving with an eerie gait.
Bai Xi frowned and said, "Don't go any closer."
The bald man, however, seemed not to hear. His eyes were vacant, like a walking corpse. He appeared oblivious to Bai Xi's voice and continued his steady steps towards the great tree.
Bai Xi frowned, remaining silent.
The man then knelt piously at the base of the tree, murmuring, "It's true, I deserve to die. My existence is nothing but a curse, a burden. I wish to die."
He repeated this, over and over.
Just then, the tree, which should have been motionless, suddenly moved. Its branches shot directly towards the man's chest. Without a doubt, if struck, he would have been impaled like the three men who had already died, his chest pierced, blood flowing freely, and his very blood becoming the best fertilizer for this leafless tree.
In a flash,
Bai Xi acted, thrusting a lollipop forward. She forcefully broke off the branch, rendering it incapable of further attack.
She stepped forward, grabbed the still expressionless Xue Yi from the ground, and tossed him aside.
She had initially thought that those trapped in the illusion had sensed the tree's presence and impaled themselves on its branches, seeking death. She hadn't expected the tree itself to be the aggressor!
As she was thinking, a branch reached out towards Bai Xi, as if targeting Xue Yi, determined to drag him into its attack range and kill him to become its fertilizer.
Seeing this, Bai Xi produced a dagger and decisively chopped off the approaching branch. She then grabbed Xue Yi from the ground and quickly moved away.
Only after they were five hundred meters away from the tree did the branch slowly retract. The entire tree returned to its previous calm, as if it had never moved.
Bai Xi frowned, looking at Xue Yi, whom she had tossed around like a sandbag. She furrowed her brow slightly.
Xue Yi, at this moment, still seemed oblivious. Despite Bai Xi's rough handling, he remained unaware of his surroundings.
Undoubtedly, Xue Yi, like her moments ago, was trapped in an illusion and unable to escape. If she had succumbed to the voice's temptation and wished to die, she would likely have ended up like Xue Yi now.
As Bai Xi pondered, Xue Yi, with a blank expression, got back to his feet on his own, his face filled with a somber silence, and continued to walk towards the leafless tree as if a moth drawn to a flame, without hesitation.
Bai Xi frowned and shouted, "Mr. Xue, Xue Yi!"
However, the person before her remained vacant-eyed, devoid of any expression, as if seeing and hearing nothing.
Bai Xi, no longer wanting to waste her energy, raised her hand to strike Xue Yi at the nape of his neck, intending to knock him out.
But it had no effect on the man before her. He didn't even blink.
Bai Xi looked back at the tree, her expression turning cold and sharp.
What was this thing that could turn a living person like Xue Yi into a manipulated puppet? He seemed to have no senses now, only one objective: to risk his life for this strange, leafless tree.
Bai Xi looked at the eerie, leafless tree.
This tree must possess some ability to lure people to their deaths, using their flesh and blood as fertilizer.
Without hesitation, Bai Xi acted. She bound the man's hands and feet and pushed him into a crevice in the rocks, immobilizing him. She then took out her flashlight and began to inspect her surroundings.
The entire second floor had collapsed. If her guess was correct, Han Mo, Xuan Feng, and Han Rui should also be here.
She didn't know how many of these trees there were. If they waited here, and if there wasn't just one tree, they would be in danger. Therefore, she had to find them as soon as possible to ensure their safety.
Bai Xi moved quickly, searching for the three in the darkness with the beam of her flashlight. Just then, she saw Han Mo moving through the darkness.
At this moment, Han Mo, like Xue Yi, had become a puppet controlled by the tree, walking step by step towards the leafless tree, repeating the same words as Xue Yi.
"Xi'er, I'm sorry, it's all my fault, my fault for not being able to protect you. I'll go down and be with you now."
"Xi'er, I'm sorry, it's all my fault, my fault for not being able to protect you. I'll go down and be with you now."
"..."
In Han Mo's illusion.
He was holding Bai Xi, who had taken a sword for him and died in his arms.
She was dead, gone forever.
The pain was excruciating.
He regretted not returning sooner, regretted that even though he knew Han Luo was not as gentle and kind as everyone perceived, he had still allowed her to choose the one she loved.
If he had a choice, he would rather she hated him, hated him her whole life, so they could be together every day, him enduring her scolding and anger, rather than losing her like this.
It was alright, he could accompany her.
No matter where, he was willing to be with her.
His life had been saved by her anyway, so returning it was no trouble.
With that thought, he embraced the person in his arms and walked resolutely towards the nearby water.
Bai Xi immediately stepped forward and grabbed his hand, "Han Mo, Han Mo!"
Unfortunately, the person before her, like Xue Yi, seemed lost in a deep fantasy.
What should she do?
She hesitated for a second, and a voice suddenly echoed in her mind: "Ah Mo, yesterday my father was teaching combat response strategies in the training hall. There was a question: even if you have superior martial skill, you can't guarantee you won't be ambushed, so you must guard your tongue and be wary of hidden traps. So, if I were drugged and my mind was clouded, how would you save me?"
Han Mo's cold eyes met hers, "I would stab you."
Bai Xi immediately became angry, "Heh, while I admit your martial arts are good, you're far from it. At that time, it might be hard to say who would stab whom!"
Han Mo said calmly, "Miss Bai is indeed skilled, unmatched in Shengjing. But you are careless, while I train daily. The current me might be able to defeat you. As for that stab, it was merely to use pain to stimulate you and bring you back to your senses."
Bai Xi raised an eyebrow and suddenly smiled, "If you were to stab me, once I recovered, I would definitely beat you up. If you truly want to save me, why don't you learn from the divine physician and learn how to use acupuncture needles? If you used needles on me, I'd reluctantly accept and not beat you. At worst, you could consider biting me!"
Han Mo raised an eyebrow, "This method... is excellent!"