Chapter 325: I'm Doomed, I'm Doomed!
The Qifeng Wutong Tree looked like nothing more than a massive withered tree with little to distinguish it.
In a world where spiritual plants were a common concept, such an ordinary object shouldn't have garnered much attention. Its status as a symbol of Qifeng City was likely due to various legends passed down through countless generations, whose origins were now lost to time.
Otherwise, this so-called Wutong tree bore little resemblance to an actual Wutong tree and lacked any discernible mystical traits. As a withered tree, it didn't seem to have anything noteworthy about it.
'But for it to survive countless years in its withered state and grow to this size… something's definitely off.'
Luo Wusheng stared at the scene before him, his mind lost in thought.
Unfortunately, his Ancient Phoenix Essence remained completely unresponsive.
With a flicker of his gaze, Luo Wusheng raised his hand, which held three red strings.
These strings had just been purchased from an old woman selling them under the tree by the two young girls accompanying him.
It seemed that the two felt it wasn't right for him to always pay for things along the way, so they had insisted on doing it this time. He had waited in the clearing while they quickly returned with the three strings.
After taking a bit of time to mark their chosen strings, Lu Yuliu and Bai Xiaoyao handed all three strings to Luo Wusheng, asking him to tie them to the tree.
This small task was something Luo Wusheng naturally didn't refuse. However, he couldn't help but feel the gazes of the people around him were growing a bit peculiar.
Yet the two small hands still tugging at his robe drew his attention back. He followed their example, leaving his own mark on the red string he had, then infused his spiritual energy to send all three strings up onto the tree.
Since tying red strings wasn't a scheduled activity, most people who wanted to do it had already done so. With their arrival coinciding perfectly with a lull, there were many passersby but no one else currently tying strings besides their group of three.
Selecting a high, empty branch, Luo Wusheng followed the method used by others and used his spiritual energy to fasten the three strings securely.
However, the moment he tied the strings, his movements suddenly paused.
A faint sense of unease flickered in his heart, but it disappeared as quickly as it came.
'...The Sword Emperor's Broken Sword again?'
Luo Wusheng instinctively checked his connection to the sword. Frankly, by now, he wouldn't be surprised if that mischievous broken sword had caused some kind of trouble again.
Not long ago, he had deciphered the latest message from it:
[I'm doomed, I'm doomed!]
Those four simple characters immediately filled Luo Wusheng with a sense of foreboding.
Especially since he suddenly noticed that his broken sword wasn't flying straight back to him. Instead, it was taking a bizarre, winding route...
Almost as if something were chasing it?
Luo Wusheng now felt that the real question was just how big of a mess the sword had gotten itself into and whether he should prepare to cut ties with it.
'Huh? No message? Was I imagining things?'
Checking his connection to the Sword Emperor's Broken Sword and finding nothing unusual, Luo Wusheng froze in confusion.
Before he could ponder further, the two young girls tugged at him.
"All done, Senior Brother! Now that we've seen the Qifeng Wutong Tree, let's go check out some other places, shall we?"
"Ye–yes! I-I think the Phoenix Mist Monument is just down this path. Why don't we head there next?"
Bai Xiaoyao and Lu Yuliu spoke one after the other, interrupting Luo Wusheng's train of thought.
For a moment, Luo Wusheng didn't know how to react.
Previously, the two girls had explained the places they visited in great detail, but this time, it seemed they were moving through the locations rather hastily.
Was it because there wasn't much information prepared about the Qifeng Wutong Tree, and they had already covered everything earlier?
'The strange feeling from earlier has faded… Could it have been an unusual sensation caused by the tree? But the Ancient Phoenix Essence didn't react…'
Luo Wusheng still wasn't sure.
After thinking for a moment, he spoke slowly.
"Alright, let's head to the next place."
Then he added, "By the way, since we're here, let's stop by Xiaofeng Mountain later. Maybe we'll get another chance to catch one of those unique spiritual chickens."
Xiaofeng Mountain was still the most likely place to be connected to his goal. Regardless of the circumstances, it was a destination he had to check out.
As for the strange feeling… If Xiaofeng Mountain turned out not to be the place where he could plant the Ancient Phoenix Essence, then it might be worth coming back here for another attempt.
"Hehe~ Whatever Senior Brother says," Bai Xiaoyao agreed with a laugh. "But if we really catch one, we might end up going back to Phoenix Perch Tower again. Today alone, we may end up eating more than we've had in the past few months combined!"
Her teasing remarks made the two others recall their earlier cravings that hadn't been satisfied, leaving them with slightly awkward expressions.
"It probably won't be that easy," Lu Yuliu muttered softly. "Not to mention we still haven't confirmed if that spiritual chicken is really the special one from Xiaofeng Mountain's legend. Even if it is, a creature like that wouldn't just fall from the sky."
<+>
Time passed slowly.
As it turned out, Luo Wusheng's thinking had been correct all along.
The other historical landmarks and scenic sites ultimately didn't give him the feeling of being the place he was looking for.
Still, he enjoyed his time exploring them with the two girls.
After all, his goal today wasn't just to plant the Ancient Phoenix Essence—he also aimed to build a stronger bond with his companions.
Landmarks like these were full of unique local vendors selling specialty items and hosting fun little games. Along the way, there were even street performers—most of them Qi Refining cultivators—using their tricks to draw crowds of onlookers.
Amid such a lively atmosphere, the three of them found it impossible to feel bored.
Well, for Luo Wusheng, simply being in the company of two beautiful girls made everything enjoyable— Of course, he wouldn't say that out loud.
After such playful exploration, he could clearly sense that the bond between him and the two girls had deepened.
'If only things could always remain this peaceful…'
Thinking of the various events he had gotten entangled in recently, Luo Wusheng shook his head and shifted his gaze forward.
Ahead of him lay a moderately-sized hill, covered mainly in bamboo. Numerous stone-paved pathways meandered through the vegetation, their sides decorated with stone carvings of phoenix-like birds, giving the area a tranquil beauty.
However, this serenity was occasionally disrupted by the sharp crowing of chickens echoing through the bamboo forest, breaking the peaceful atmosphere.
This, of course, was Xiaofeng Mountain—the place Luo Wusheng held the most suspicion about at the moment.