Chapter 351

Chapter 351: Persuading Little Hong

"My name is little Hong. I come from—ah, just right here~" Little Hong sat on a rock, eyeing Fang Lie warily while asking curiously, "The place you come from… is it called Mo Sect?"

"Yes~" Fang Lie nodded.

"Such a weird name. Is it fun there?" Little Hong tilted her head playfully.

"Well~" Cold sweat formed on Fang Lie’s brow. He hadn’t anticipated these naive creatures asking such unexpectedly pointed questions.

Struggling between laughter and frustration, Fang Lie mumbled vaguely, "It’s… decent enough!"

"Do you have giant trees and playmates there too?"

"We’ve got plenty of trees, but besides forests, there are grasslands, farmlands, mountains, lakes, rivers – all sorts of landscapes," Fang Lie explained. "As for companions, Mo Sect has over a million disciples. If we count mortals, tens of millions!"

"Waaah! You’re so amazing! I don’t understand any of that~" Little Hong clasped her hands in wide-eyed admiration.

"…" Fang Lie’s face darkened. He couldn’t muster a response.

Having dropped her guard, Little Hong’s natural curiosity bubbled forth as she bombarded him with questions.

"Does sunlight visit your home often?"

"Every day? How lucky! Here the mist only parts every half-moon for brief sunbeams!"

"Do hunters stalk your lands?"

"None? What paradise! Here, evil scoundrels appear regularly to snatch us away. Last time they took my friend Little Flower, before that my baby brother, and earlier my elder sister." Her voice trembled. "Those captured never return. That’s why I hid here, thickening the mists… yet you still found me!"

"Thank the stars you’re kind and won’t take me! Fang Lie…" She bit her lip nervously. "Can I call you Brother? You… truly won’t capture me?"

Fang Lie sighed helplessly. "If you name me Brother, how could I seize my own sister?"

"Yippee!" She sprang up, twirling joyfully.

"Now then," Fang Lie chuckled, "I can’t accept ‘Brother’ without giving a present."

"Present! Present!" She hopped like an excited sparrow. "After centuries, my first gift! Thankyouthankyou Brother! Quick, show me!"

"Here~" Heart melting at her antics, Fang Lie produced an emerald pill. "The Wood Element Essence Pill, refined from spirit herbs. Excellent for Flower Demon cultivation."

"Mmm~ heavenly scent!" Snatching it, she danced about sniffing ecstatically. "My very first gift! A fragrant treasure!" Her pink tongue darted out for a tentative lick. "Divine! Brother, what magic is this? Such deliciousness!"

Fang Lie smiled knowingly. This spirit pill, crafted specifically for wood-element demons like his companion Little Peach Red, held immense potency. For a mere third-rank demon like Little Hong, its effects would be transformative.

"It’s a spirit pill – medicine made from spirit herbs, tailored for wood demons. I actually have a peach tree demon companion named Little Peach Red who receives these regularly."

"Oooh! She gets these whenever she wants?" Little Hong’s eyes shone with envy.

"Naturally!" Fang Lie puffed his chest. "Those under my care want for nothing. Such pills are trivialities!"

"Trivial? What greater wonders does she receive?"

"Dao magic! Magical treasures! Exotic delicacies! Freedom to roam the world!" His arms spread wide. "Little Hong, this place is but a flawed small secret realm with incomplete Heavenly Dao laws. Here, your growth is stunted. Out there, you’d grow powerful, long-lived, witnessing countless marvels!"

"Aiya~" She wrung her hands, torn. "Your words make my heart flutter… but how could I abandon my home?"

"Hey~" Fang Lie sighed helplessly. "You’re just leaving temporarily, not forever. Once you’ve learned great skills outside, you can return. This place reopens every dozen years—you know that!"

"Can I really come back?" Little Hong asked with wide eyes.

"Of course!" Fang Lie chuckled. "I need you Flower Demons to tend the spirit pills in the herb fields. Just care for the plants properly, and you’ll have freedom to roam or focus on cultivation. I’ll ensure your safety and liberty. If you ever miss home, I’ll have a flying ship dispatched to bring you back!"

"Is this true, Brother?" Little Hong’s voice quivered with excitement. "If I manage those spirit pills well… I’ll get more of these sweet pills to eat?"

"Not just pills—other delicacies too! Do well and I’ll provide fine cave dwellings, cultivation materials, even treasures!" Fang Lie raised his palm. "I swear by my ancestors!"

"What’s ancestors?" She pouted. "Swear by your roots instead! If you lie, may your roots rot!"

Fang Lie grimaced at the plant demon’s logic. "Fine! If I deceive you, let my roots rot!"

"Wait!" Little Hong jabbed a leaf at him. "Humans don’t have roots! You’re cheating!"

"You forced that oath!" Fang Lie groaned. "My ancestors are what matter!"

"But I don’t know ancestors!" She stamped her root-feet. "Little Yellow says humans value their ‘little chicken’ most! Swear by that!"

Fang Lie’s face darkened. "Who taught you such nonsense?!"

"Little Yellow did! The Ten-thousand-year-old Yellow Essence!" She tilted her flower-head. "What is a ‘little chicken’? Show me yours!"

"Absolutely not!"

"Mean Brother!" Her petals flushed crimson. "If it’s so precious, swear by it! Then I’ll believe you!"

"By the heavens!" Fang Lie clutched his temples. "Since when do sprouts talk like tavern drunks?!"

As he considered abandoning negotiations, Little Yellow suddenly shrieked, "Brother! Little Yellow’s been caught! They bit off his leg! He says RUN!"

Tears streamed down her stem—wood element demons clearly shared some secret method of communication Fang Lie couldn’t detect.

He seized the opportunity. "Who dares harm him? I’ll save him!"

"Really?" She brightened instantly. "Save Little Yellow and I’ll go with you!"

"Deal! Where is he?"

"That way!" She pointed northeast. "Two hours’ walk!"

"Walking’s too slow." Fang Lie swept her into his arms. "We fly!"

His wings snapped open, launching them skyward. Little Hong squealed, then gasped at the sprawling landscape below. Were circumstances less dire, she’d have danced midair.

Half an hour later, she tugged his sleeve. "There! I sense him nearby!"