Because of a business trip, she brought along two of her family members. Business details: Unknown.
Ever since those two fruits made known of their existences that one time, they no longer voiced out again, as though everything that happened that day was just her imagination. Zhu Yao however worked even harder in her cultivation, in order to find an opportunity to help the two of them.
Zhu Yao suddenly thought of Sesame, as he had accompanied her through several resurrections as well. After heading to the Higher Realm, she allowed him to return to the spiritic continent, and no longer summoned him. Now that there were two more human-shaped summon-able beasts, she really couldn't get used to it.
All she hoped for, was that her resurrection wouldn't impact her master or Yue Ying in any way. As Zhu Yao worried about this matter, she worked hard to absorb the surrounding spiritual energy.
Another few months passed, and she faintly sensed that she was on the verge of gaining the ability to transform. The spiritual energy within her was overflowing and her entire tree body felt light. Zhu Yao was excited. After being stuck in the same position for so long, she was finally able to move. For a moment, she was in high demons! As she continued to absorb spiritual energy, she wondered just what kind of awesome pose she should take when she transforms.
At the very least, she must appear with a domineering entrance.
Suddenly, someone walked over from within the forest. It was a man wearing a green robe, his facial features were clearly indistinguishable from a mob character's. As he walked, he constantly let out deep sighs. He seemed to have gotten tired from walking, as he stopped beneath Zhu Yao's feet, and sat down. Suddenly, as though he recalled some sad matters, taking a deep breath, he began to wail out while hugging onto her, his tears and snot flowing.
Zhu Yao, who was plastered with snot and tears out of nowhere: "…"
"Master, this disciple has let you down!"
The one you're letting down is me. My domineering and awesome image…
He however cried even harder than before, his tears and snot flew all over, and his sweat and saliva mixed. After that, he even pulled down one of her bright green leaves to wipe his face. Zhu Yao instantly felt her fury surging right up.
However, the man did not stop there. After flailing about for a while, he actually began to untie his waistband…
The hell, what is this idiot trying to do? She could put aside his uncivilized actions, but was he planning on doing a vile act right now? He already looked so much like a mob character, just what kind of face did he think he have to do such a thing, huh?
The man gritted his teeth, and said with a solemn voice. "Master, don't worry. This disciple of yours will definitely not shame your school!"
You have already shamed him, hey. Stop rubbing your snot on my body, hey. I'm just a tree, please let me go.
"I shall die right here, and ensures your name stays unsullied!"
What? He's thinking of committing suicide?
The man gritted his teeth. Domineeringly, he pulled out his waistband. Taking one of its ends, looking unafraid of death, he swung it towards one of her branches, and had it looped over to the other side.
He's, going, to, strangulate, himself!
The hell, and it was even on my body!
The man pulled the two ends and tied a dead knot. Then, he shouted out without any fear of death. "Master, please forgive this disciple for being unfilial."
Zhu Yao simply felt her heart skip a beat.
She watched as the man grab onto the tied waistband with a saddened look, and with a forceful tip-toe…
Shuaa!
His pants dropped…
Zhu Yao felt her eyes had taken 1000 damage.
The man seemed to have realized it as well. Strangling himself to death with an exposed buttocks did not seem to suit his present loyal image, and hence he released his hands from the waistband. Bending down, he pulled up his pants. Then after, with one hand grabbing onto the top of his pants, he grabbed onto the tied waistband with the other.
In order to prevent this world from being destroyed… Ah pui. In order to prevent her eyes from taking damage a second time, Zhu Yao silently raised her own tree branch.
Although she had yet to be capable of transforming, she had after all gathered spiritual energy for so many days, so things like moving her branch a little were still something she could do.
The man was unsuccessful after reaching out his hand to grab it several times, and had no choice but to try jumping. The moment he leapt, the pants in his hand once again proved the importance of gravity, as it began to slip. The man had no choice but to bring down his other hand, and with both hands, grabbed onto the two corners of the top of the pants. Making a knot, and confirming that it wouldn't drop again, he began to exert his energy to reach for the waistband in the air.
How could Zhu Yao allow things to go as he wished? The branch nudged. Purposefully making it look as though it was being blown by the wind, she shook the hanging waistband onto another branch.
Great. This time, he was completely unable to grab onto it. Time to celebrate!
The man looked at the waistband above his head, and was a little dumbfounded for a moment. After being stunned for a while, his eyes once again began to turn red and the corner of his lips trembled, looking as though another outbreak of a flood was about to happen.
Zhu Yao simply felt her heart skip a beat, sensing a bad premonition.
"Wuaah…"
As expected, comparable to the unstoppable flood of the Yellow River, the man's tears constantly poured out.
"Heavens, could it be that I'm not even allowed to die?"
You can, just don't die right in front of me!
"I, Fu Lukang, had been brilliant for my entire life, yet now, I have to suffer such humiliation. The heavens are truly not watching over me."
I merely kept your waistband away from you, just how is that shaming you?
"I have let down my ancestors, let down my master's school, and have even more so let down my master!"
That's why, don't add me to the list of people you're letting down too.
The man took in a fierce breath, casually grabbed onto a green leaf, and aimed it straight at his tear-filled face…
Zhu Yao's eyes greatly widened, and she felt fury surging from within her. With a nudge, she charged right towards his chest, and roared out loud. "Beast, let go of my leaf!"
The man was stunned, and simply felt his vision suddenly whitening out, as something was pulled away from his hand. Right after, the large tree in front of his eyes instantly disappeared, and what replaced it was a young girl dressed in a green robe who was staring at him with a cold gaze.
One second of silence passed.
"Ah—–!" A miserable cry instantly pierced through the skies.
He even shocked Zhu Yao who had just transformed.
The man however, was already acting like a headless housefly, squirming all around. "Demon—!! Master, master… Save me, save me… Ahh—!!"
Zhu Yao: "…"
Losing his senses due to panic, he ruthlessly struck his head onto a small tree at the side, and then fell on his buttocks.
Three-Inch-Tall Tree, you have worked hard.
"Hey!" The corner of Zhu Yao's lips twitched, as she looked at the man who was already trembling with fear on the ground. "As a practitioner, why the hell are you afraid of a demon."
"Who… Who told you practitioners aren't afraid of demons?" The man weakly glanced at her. "Don't… Don't… Don't eat me. I'm… not tasty."
"Who would want to eat you?" If there was anyone who had the appetite to eat his tears and snot filled face, then she would give that person her proper respect.
"My master once said, sp… demons eat people, other… other than plant-types. You… Which kind are you?"
Didn't he see her transform earlier?
"Tree demon."
"Tree? You're that tree earlier…" The man blanked for a moment. Raising his head, he realized the large tree earlier had disappeared. Glancing at her, he instantly heaved a long sigh of relief. "Say so earlier. So you're a tree demon. And here I thought you wanted to eat me?"
Zhu Yao's face darkened. "Didn't you want to die?"
"Oh right." The man blanked, as though he just recalled his purpose of being here. Instantly, sadness filled him once again, and his tears began to flow. "Little tree demon, did you turn into a human to persuade me?"
"…" She just did not want him to plaster her face with his tears and snot.
"Haah. Little tree demon, you don't have to persuade me, this Fu no longer has any ties to this world. Just let me scatter with the wind, and be freed… Ehhh! Little tree demon, where are you going?"
"…" Zhu Yao couldn't care less, and instead, hastened her pace.
"Don't go, finish hearing what I have to say!" The man pounced forward, and hugged onto her legs.
He actually even became dependent on her?
"Let go!"
"I'm already so miserable, do you still bear to leave me here like this?"
"I do."
"…" The man blanked. "Didn't they say that all plant demons are the purest and kindest? Little tree demon, how can you act in such a way?"
"Let go!"
"I'm not letting go. Unless you finish hearing what I want to say."
"…" Take a deep breath, don't be angry. It's such a nice weather we're having today, it won't be good to feel this irritated. Not good, not good. Fists, be obedient, go back.
She finally understood that this idiot didn't actually want to die, he simply wanted to drag someone over to hear his complaints. Otherwise, why would a practitioner of all people use a rope to strangulate himself when it wasn't a viable method to kill himself in the first place?
"Speak!" Otherwise, this old lady here will bash you up.
"I'm Fu Lukang, disciple of Dee Kline Sect…" The man sighed, and began to describe his sad history.¹
This man was 'Flunk', while the sect he's under was called 'Decline'.
These names were a little too creative, weren't they?
The origin of this matter was really simple. To summarize it into three words: He was dumped.
He was a chamber disciple of the Sect Master of a deity sect, and was engaged to the disciple of another sect's master since young. This matter had long been decided, and their practitioner-pair ceremony would be held when he reach the Foundation level. In the end, when he finally managed to build his Foundation, he headed over to bring her back as his wife, but the lady instead went back on her words. She had rather die than be wedded to him.
"You failed at love just once, as a man, do you have to cry in such an unsightly manner?" Don't you feel ashamed? Zhu Yao scornfully took a step away.
"You just don't understand. If this marriage doesn't go successful, Blue Parasol Sect will not dispatch their disciples to support our Dee Kline Sect. Then, during the next beast wave, we will decline into a third-rate deity sect." He said with an ashen look. "Before my departure, my master had reminded me thrice to make this marriage happen."
"Oh…" So it was a marriage of benefits.
"And, this marriage was set by my grandmaster. My grandmaster once aided the Sect Master of Blue Parasol Sect, but who knew after grandmaster's fall, they actually wouldn't admit to owing this favour."
This was normal, right? Since it was a marriage of benefits, then the benefits would definitely come first. If there's no benefits to be reaped, then they would naturally turn away.
He wiped his face, and sniffled. Suddenly, as though he thought of something, he said with an infatuated gaze. "Although that junior-martial sister Yi Ling has an appearance that looked like a sparkling bright pearl in the middle of the night sky, that could make the moon shun away from her, and flowers will feel embarrassed in front of her… But… I'm not marrying her just because of her appearance. Heheh."
The corner of Zhu Yao's lips twitched. You definitely must have caught sight of her because of her appearance, right?
"But… But… Putting aside the fact that she rejected my proposal, she actually called me ugly." Tears welled up in his eyes. "Which part of me looks ugly? Just where? Where?"
So that's the part you're actually concerned about!?
Zhu Yao silently looked at him with narrow eyes, and jabbed him with another blow. "She wasn't wrong."
Fu Lukang blanked, and he fiercely widened his eyes. "Little tree demon… You… You actually think so as well. Then… I'm not going to live anymore…" He looked as though he wanted to seek death by banging his head into a tree.
"Go well, I won't be sending you off!" Zhu Yao waved her hands.
"…" Fu Lukang stopped his feet. He couldn't bash into a tree, nor couldn't he not bash into one. In the end, he had to come up with an excuse for himself. "Everything will be over for me once I die, but if I don't marry Ling'er, what will happen to the sect?"
"You can find another sect to make a marriage pact with." Zhu Yao suggested.
"No way!" He stood right up, and looked at her with a stern look. "How can you say that? My heart for Ling'er is as clear as the sun and moon, and it will never waver. If there's something to blame, then it's that we are not fated for each other in this lifetime…"
Alright, she was concerned for nothing. Do whatever you want, I don't care anymore.
¹Fu Lukang's original given name is Kuang Piao (况朴), which is a pun for the phrase with the same syllables: 哐瓢, meaning 'flunk'. Similarly, the original name of the sect is Poluo (泊珞), which is a pun for the phrase with the same syllables: 破落, meaning 'declining'.