The Flower Of The High Mountain Turns Into A Cat And Is Picked Up By A Human Chapter 22

This kind of thing was unheard of, leaving the villagers’ hearts feeling as if they were laid out in the fields, scorched and tormented.

The Daoist priest said that the Mountain Guardian Azure Lord had been forgotten for many years and would only lend aid if he saw the sincerity of the villagers.

They held a grand sacrificial ceremony.

The letter did not elaborate on that ceremony.

After the sacrifice, however, heavy ears of wheat hung from the stalks.

Feng Chengji’s grandfather, Feng Junmao, also encountered it.

Regarding it, his grandfather only said that they met in the mountain forest, as if guided by fate. On a bright, full moon night, he discovered a plant emitting faint silver light.

He took it back and nurtured it, using the experience gained from poring over countless agricultural books, until the autumn harvest.

During the harvest season, the plant actually spoke, informing his grandfather: “The village is stained with karmic debt. You must not plant grain crops. If you seek a livelihood… plant flowers. This land should not mistreat the people who have lived here for generations.”

Immediately afterward, it vanished.

Along with it, the wheat ears, which carried the villagers’ hopes, also disappeared from the fields.

Having endured ups and downs, and with their minds clouded by anger and fear, the farmers no longer trusted the Mountain Guardian Azure Lord. They grabbed their farming tools, went to the Daoist temple, and smashed it to pieces.

Feng Junmao followed its advice and tried planting flowers.

The land, which had previously failed to grow anything alive, now bloomed with vibrant flowers.

Since then, the village became covered in bitter chrysanthemums, was renamed Kuju Village, and the state built a winding mountain road, allowing the village to take on tourism business and become a tourist destination.

“I have a question.”

After listening to the flower shop owner’s description, Heng Yuze had a question he desperately wanted answered.

Feng Chengji replied, “Please ask.”

“According to that great demon, any flower could be planted in this land, so why specifically bitter chrysanthemum?”

Zheng Lang added, “Bitter chrysanthemum is indeed easy to grow and can be used as medicine, but there might be flowers with greater economic value, perhaps more beautiful or with more novelty.”

Feng Chengji actually knew the answer to this question.

“I do know the reason for this. My grandfather passed away when I was very young. Before he died, in a moment of confusion, he told my father and me that the true form of that demon was precisely the bitter chrysanthemum.”

After hearing all this, some of the confusion in everyone’s hearts temporarily dissipated, and they were moved by the bond between the demon and the flower shop owner’s grandfather.

Bai Chendeng listened to these past events, and combining them with the strangeness of the Daoist temple, he began to speculate about the truth.

While he was lost in thought, Feng Chengji seemed to have made up his mind. He slowly approached the white cat, looking at its non-ordinary appearance. What flashed through his mind was the scene from that night, where the moonlight shimmered and the chrysanthemum petals moved around it.

“Moon Cat, would you like to see the wooden box my grandfather left behind?”

Bai Chendeng snapped back to attention, looking at Feng Chengji with slight surprise, as if truly seeing him for the first time.

As a flower shop owner, he lacked any merchant air. This person relied entirely on family patronage to sustain his business.

However, his passion for plants was extraordinary, and his professionalism was high. He was more suited to be a research scholar than a boss.

“Meow.”

Alright.

Bai Chendeng climbed onto his shoulder.

Feng Chengji offered an apologetic smile to the others, then left with the cat.

“The person left, and the cat left. Why do I feel like your soul also flew away?”

Zheng Lang muttered a low complaint.

Heng Yuze finally withdrew his gaze and smoothly changed the subject.

“Brother Zheng, do you think that Daoist priest was good or bad?”

The man who was asked fiddled with the Grapevine, which gave him a light, non-painful flick.

“I don’t know. Anyway, he died long ago. The current Daoist temple is just an empty shell. Does it concern us?”

Heng Yuze thought of Chendeng, who had been acting strangely since returning from the temple. He instinctively felt that this matter ran deep. Fortunately, as Brother Zheng said, the past was over; they only needed to deal with the tree spirit.

It was a pity that the small drum was useless against the tree spirit…

Not long after, Feng Chengji returned.

He appeared before everyone alone, causing Heng Yuze to frown and ask, “Boss, where did Chendeng go?”

Feng Chengji gave a wry smile and explained, “After seeing the relic, the Moon Cat walked straight out. I wanted to stop it, but I didn’t dare.”

“Chendeng left?”

The Grapevine climbed up to Heng Yuze’s hand and patted it soothingly.

Relax. Boss has always done things his own way. If he wasn’t forced to act in his true form, would he be this well-behaved?

Making it this long before disappearing shows great consideration for the group.

Bai Chendeng returned after waiting for about an hour.

The white cat elegantly jumped onto the table, holding a folded piece of paper in its fur.

A group of people gathered around, looking at the delicate handwriting on the paper, exchanging bewildered glances.

…

The next day, the off-road vehicle drove along the road, about to enter the winding mountain highway.

Inside the car, Heng Yuze held the white cat, with green vines faintly visible in its fur. Zheng Lang drove with full concentration, ready to deal with any sudden situation.

When they reached the spot where they were previously blocked, they only saw broken branches and mud, no giant tree, indicating it had been removed.

Zheng Lang said solemnly, “We are about to pass through here. That tree spirit hasn’t made a move yet.”

Heng Yuze looked out the window, “No rush. The mountain road is long. It will take us at least four hours to get out, and only half an hour has passed.”

Zheng Lang acknowledged this with an “Mhm,” fine beads of sweat forming on his palms.

At the same time, Feng Chengji, carrying a backpack and fully equipped, entered the mountain forest.

An hour later, as Zheng Lang was driving at a steady speed, a giant log rolled down ahead, forcing the vehicle to stop.

“Here it comes.”

Everyone immediately got out of the car.

The trees on the mountain were lush and dense, forming a continuous expanse. Hidden by the leaves, countless elm branches and leaves, which had been lurking for a long time, surged forward like snakes.

Heng Yuze held the white cat tightly. His heartbeat, separated by his inner shirt, clearly transmitted to the creature in his arms, yet the white cat’s eyes remained calm and composed.

Zheng Lang took out his gloves and put them on expressionlessly. The burly man with a face full of flesh exuded ferocity. The muscles on his face twitched imperceptibly, his expression solemn.

Memories flooded back, recreating the scene from before.

The two had received their respective tasks and began analyzing the difficulty.

“We fought that tree spirit before. It controls branches and roots for attack. The branches themselves are flexible and sturdy, but for some reason, Brother Zheng is particularly effective against them. The roots, however, are difficult to deal with. They are tougher and harder than the branches, and if they wrap around you, you gradually lose strength.”

“I’ll handle the branches. The roots will be up to Cat Immortal. Once it glows, those roots are shredded as if they were put through a meat grinder.”

“Meow.”

The recollection ended.

Branches covered the surrounding road surface, then rushed toward them all at once.

Zheng Lang forcibly recalled his life experiences from childhood to the present. His baleful aura surged, invisible to outsiders, but the branches sensed the threat and retreated from him.

Taking advantage of this, Heng Yuze stayed close to Zheng Lang, causing the branches to hover around them, eager but never daring to truly advance.

“Watch out for the roots…”

Zheng Lang threw out a warning, then sank into the indignant rage over his fate’s unfairness. In his spiritual vision, his entire body was enveloped in black energy that seemed to shoot toward the sky.

Bai Chendeng suddenly broke free from Heng Yuze’s embrace, catching sight of the roots shifting like swimming fish. The white cat extended a paw and lightly swiped. A silver light flashed, and the root snapped.

After destroying that section of root, the white cat immediately returned to Heng Yuze’s arms.

The current situation was not fatal for them.

In the stalemate, the air quietly gained the scent of tree sap.

After a closer sniff, it became dizzying and increasingly pungent.

Heng Yuze, sharp-eyed, saw that the branches were secretly oozing liquid and immediately warned them.

The methods of demons are usually related to their true form.

Some are good at fighting, others are not.

For example, Bai Chendeng, whose original form is a white cat, is swift as the wind and his claws are like sharp awls. After transforming into human form, he cultivated many techniques. Now, with his spiritual energy circulation blocked and unable to transform, he can still rely on the essence of the sun and moon to defend himself.

Another example is the Grapevine. Its vines are soft, its toughness is average, and it breaks easily when pulled. It does not cultivate techniques. However, this vine can bear fruit, which is full of spiritual energy and can replenish vital essence and heal injuries when consumed.

The true form of the Elm Demon, it was speculated, was likely somewhere in this mountain forest.

Kuju Village held a treasure. Tree-type entities, without accumulated spiritual energy, need a chance encounter to develop sentience, making it harder for them to embark on the path of cultivation than other plants.

Although there were many elm trees here, they lacked the accumulation needed to develop sentience. Therefore, the Elm Demon became a demon accidentally with the help of a treasure.

This kind of native, local demon has limited attack methods. Being able to use branches and roots is already an innate ability. The only thing to worry about is the treasure in the Elm Demon’s hands, and what kind of changes it might bring about.

The tree sap oozed more and more, completely soaking the branches, forming a layer of smooth, oily mucus on the surface.

They were surrounded, unable to escape, and could only watch as the branches, now coated in mucus, seemed to gain immunity to the baleful aura and slowly approached.

Zheng Lang punched the nearest branch, but his fist sank into the mucus, having no effect whatsoever.

“Damn it!”

He dodged a surprise attack from a branch and quickly retreated.

Dense, dripping branches attacked them simultaneously. Bai Chendeng’s entire body erupted in silver light, yet the usually invincible moonlight lost its intended effect here, being completely absorbed by the dripping mucus.

Just as the two people, one vine, and one cat were about to be submerged by the prison-like vines, a sound, neither fully human nor fully beast, exploded in their ears.

“Wuuu-ying—”

It was the same sound they heard that night in the residential area!

Heng Yuze looked toward the source of the sound. A short person wearing a black cloak had appeared nearby without them noticing. The face beneath the cloak was pale and thin, their eyes held a bestial quality, and a hint of crimson tongue peeked out from a cracked mouth, revealing a cruel smile.

Who… was this?

A sharp shriek announced the newcomer’s presence. The next second, a black shadow flashed. The person arrived in front of the two with incredible speed. The tips of their overly long fingers flashed with a sharp cold light, and then, the branches were severed cleanly.

Afterward, the person turned around and looked at Chendeng in Heng Yuze’s arms.

“Gulu…”

“I’m here…”