Zhang Xiaoli watched Qin Shilei staring blankly at the Qi Ling Pearl, ready to withdraw her hand. "Brother Qin, why don't you absorb this spirit pearl? The system didn't say we couldn't perform Qi Awakening twice. Maybe you can awaken your Precious Body twice."
Qin Shilei grabbed her wrist and stuffed the Qi Ling Pearl into her hand. "If I said it was for you, then it's yours. Do you want to eat it here, or eat it after we get back to the room?"
"Do you want me to eat it here so you can keep an eye on me?" Zhang Xiaoli asked with a charming smile.
Qin Shilei replied righteously, "No, An Qian can watch you."
"You say one thing and mean another," Zhang Xiaoli snorted lightly and turned into the room.
An Qian teased, "It seems I'm hindering you. I'll just go and keep an eye on her for you."
She turned and followed them into the room.
"Ah!"
After swallowing the Qi Ling Pearl, Zhang Xiaoli let out a cry of pain, then fainted.
Not long after, a sapling about two inches tall appeared on her chest.
Crack.
The Wood Spirit Pearl in her pocket shattered into four or five pieces, then transformed into a spiritual energy that drilled into Zhang Xiaoli's body.
Nourished by this pure wood spirit energy, the small sapling took root, sprouted, and quickly grew into a small tree about two meters tall.
This small tree swayed without wind, absorbing all the surrounding spiritual energy.
Then, it emitted a verdant light towards Zhang Xiaoli.
Under the illumination of this light, the still-healing knife wound on Zhang Xiaoli's back rapidly healed.
In less than a moment, her back became smooth and white, with no trace of the cut.
Half an hour later, the small tree slowly shrank and drilled into Zhang Xiaoli's body.
It only left a vibrant green tree tattoo on her left chest.
When Zhang Xiaoli woke up, the first thing she did was check her clothes: "Why isn't my clothes damaged?"
An Qian joked, "It seems someone was really hoping to be seen naked."
"You're asking for a beating." Zhang Xiaoli feigned a move to hit An Qian.
Qin Shilei watched Zhang Xiaoli emerge from their playful scuffle, feeling that her fresh and refined aura had become even more pronounced.
She was as elegant and charming as a lotus emerging from water, as pure and noble as a lotus in the mountains.
Zhang Xiaoli's original score of 85 for beauty was instantly transformed into that of a captivating beauty under the enhancement of this aura.
Qin Shilei withdrew his admiring gaze and asked, "What wood attribute body did you awaken? Are there any unique characteristics?"
Zhang Xiaoli walked forward with a smile and took Qin Shilei's right hand.
Qin Shilei immediately felt a warm current flow from her palm, all the way to his back.
Then, his back wound began to tingle.
Before long, the wound, which had been subtly aching, felt no pain at all.
"Healing?" Qin Shilei's voice held a hint of surprise.
"Mhm."
Zhang Xiaoli nodded and replied, "I can also command all plants, though I'm not sure of the specifics."
"Then you'll be a healer from now on."
Qin Shilei said joyfully, "As long as your healing is sufficient, I'll never be afraid of getting hurt again."
He then unconsciously glanced towards her chest.
"Pervert," Zhang Xiaoli said coyly, "Be careful I don't heal you."
"Don't you two flirt here anymore, we still need to get back to Ning'an City."
An Qian gave them a sidelong glance, but felt a pang of loneliness, always feeling like an outsider.
"Then let's go now."
Qin Shilei nodded apologetically at An Qian. "Let's go check the large willow tree on the west side of the village to see if it has also mutated."
When they arrived at the west side of the village, they saw Zhang Qiang and Xie Haimei looking at the willow tree ahead with solemn expressions.
Zhang Qiang still bore several clear whip marks on his body.
"Brother Qin, I just wanted to retrieve my brother's corpse, not to steal a kill," Zhang Qiang explained proactively, referring to the whip marks from the willow branches.
Although this willow was also a hundred-year-old tree, it wasn't as massive as the old locust tree.
The tree trunk had a diameter of nearly two meters, stood twenty to thirty meters tall, and its branches covered an area of only thirty to forty meters.
More than a dozen dried corpses hung from the willow tree. Three of them, from their outlines, could vaguely be identified as Zhao Peng and his two companions.
Just then, a flock of small birds flew past the willow.
The willow branches, which had been swaying gently in the breeze, instantly seemed to awaken like ferocious beasts, transforming into countless lightning bolts that lashed out at the flock of birds.
Before the flock of birds could even react, they were instantly entangled.
"Chirp chirp."
The birds only managed to let out a few screams before the willow branches squeezed them into a pulp, then absorbed every drop of their blood and flesh.
"Such speed," An Qian's eyes widened slightly. "Should we set it on fire now?"
Qin Shilei turned to Zhang Xiaoli and asked, "Can your command of all plants control this willow tree?"
Zhang Xiaoli replied with some uncertainty, "I don't know. But to control it, I need to get close to the willow's trunk."
"Wait a moment, I'll go test the willow's strength."
Qin Shilei said, then charged into the range of the willow branches.
Sensing prey, four or five nearby willow branches whipped towards Qin Shilei on the ground like flexible whips.
A flash of cold light, the Seven Star Sword became an afterimage, slashing at the willow branches.
"Poof."
The willow branch swayed, deflecting the force of the blow, preventing Qin Shilei from breaking it with a single strike.
"Brother Qin, be careful. These willow branches have astonishing resilience and are difficult to break,"
Only then did Zhang Qiang manage to warn him, "Don't go too deep. Once you're entangled by too many branches, it'll be hard to escape."
Qin Shilei dodged the whipping branches as he maneuvered, using skillful force with his Seven Star Sword. With a few slashes, he severed those branches.
He took another step forward, penetrating another meter.
More willow branches lashed out.
Qin Shilei was immediately overwhelmed, and after great effort, managed to cut down three or four branches, only to narrowly avoid being entangled.
With no other choice, he retreated.
"Brother Qin, why don't you bring out your water pump?" Zhang Qiang advised.
Qin Shilei shook his head. "Let's try again."
He turned to Zhang Xiaoli and said, "Get ready, we're going to try and subdue the willow tree."
After she nodded in agreement, Qin Shilei embraced Zhang Xiaoli's willow-like waist.
One-Punch Man.
A gust of wind surged, and Zhang Qiang watched in stunned silence as Qin Shilei's afterimage slowly vanished.
In less than a second, Qin Shilei was beside the willow tree's trunk.
Zhang Xiaoli's hand immediately pressed against the willow tree's trunk.
Instantly, the entire willow tree began to shake, and countless branches descended towards Qin Shilei and Zhang Xiaoli.
Qin Shilei stomped his foot, and in an instant, countless afterimages of him appeared within a five-meter radius.
His sword swept out, and numerous willow branches fell around them.
Five seconds later.
Qin Shilei took a moment to look at Zhang Xiaoli. He saw that her eyes were tightly shut, her brows furrowed, and her face looked somewhat pale.
"Let me lend you a hand again."
This time, Qin Shilei didn't just cut the attacking branches. While ensuring their safety, he swiftly struck at several thick trunks.
In the last two seconds, seeing that Zhang Xiaoli still hadn't managed to subdue the willow tree,
Qin Shilei hardened his heart and chopped down the thickest main trunk, leaving only a smaller branch.
Just as he was about to chop down the last branch, Zhang Xiaoli finally opened her eyes and said with joy, "It's done."