A golden flame rose three zhang high, accompanied by a tearing sound in the air.

There was a subtle sensation on the sword, as if cutting through a swamp. Then, something fell on Shi Jingzhi—it was cool and soft, feeling very much like raw meat. At the same time, it was extremely light and did not hurt Shi Jingzhi when it landed.

With one strike, Sect Leader Shi nimbly flipped over and knelt on the ground, with golden flames forming a complete circle around him.

"General Yin!" he called out loudly, deliberately using the honorific. "I just saw clearly, the other human flesh root is connected to this thing!"

In an instant, Yin Ci leapt out from the bushes, treading on the wind as he approached. His left eye socket was embedded with a jade eye, with blood still oozing from it, like endless tears of blood.

Through his blood-stained vision, Yin Ci could see everything clearly.

The pair of giant hands hung in mid-air, their spider-like fingers stopped moving, clearly caught off guard. Shi Jingzhi's strike had been precise and steady, cutting off one of the thing's slender fingers.

The finger tumbled to the ground, rolling twice before its joints bent slightly.

Unlike his own condition, the giant hand's wound sprouted fine red roots, but a new finger did not immediately form—the severed finger also extended fine roots, as if trying to reattach itself.

Yin Ci did not hesitate. He flew forward, his fingers touching Shi Jingzhi's skin.

At the moment their skin made contact, bare branches stood tall, and the giant hand floated. Shi Jingzhi glanced at the threads between the fingers, his gaze as cold as ice.

The two merely brushed fingertips, and as soon as they separated, the anomaly in front of Shi Jingzhi disappeared.

However, one glance was enough.

The severed finger had barely reconnected halfway when Shi Jingzhi cut it off again. The golden flames on the Hanging Shadow sword blazed fiercely, almost white. Although they couldn't destroy the roots, they were enough to slow their growth.

Yin Ci was not idle either. Taking advantage of his superior vision, he constantly used his body to collide with the giant hands, adjusting them to more convenient positions for striking. If Shi Jingzhi's movements went astray, he would swoop by on the sword wind, their skin touching like skimming dragonflies. The other side of the world flashed by in an instant—ordinary people wouldn't even be able to react, let alone find a target.

However, the Desire Child was no ordinary person.

Neither of them stopped. One came and went like the wind, as fast as lightning, with swift and nimble movements. The other circled around the invisible enemy, his sword techniques intricate and fierce. They occasionally brushed past each other, adjusting their vision, like fallen flowers and butterflies in a gale.

Shi Jingzhi kept cutting at the same spot over and over. The unknown entity seemed unwilling to be restrained and finally sought another path—it abandoned that troublesome finger and quickly regenerated a brand new one.

The thin, elongated severed finger was abandoned, gradually revealing its form. Even without Yin Ci's assistance, Shi Jingzhi could see it clearly. If one ignored its overly slender shape, it was even beautiful.

The severed finger had smooth skin, intact nails, and was full of vitality. It lay quietly on the grass, slightly longer than an adult man's leg.

They had it.

However, Shi Jingzhi did not immediately show any signs of greed. He kicked the finger away, seemingly uninterested in it, and raised his sword to continue attacking. Yin Ci didn't pause for a moment either. The two pressed on step by step, as if they wanted to force that thing to reveal itself by cutting it bit by bit.

As they had expected, seeing that the Desire Child was quite interested in this situation, the entity did not leave immediately.

In Yin Ci's eyes, the pair of giant hands transformed back into lumps of flesh. Dark red fine roots covered them as it changed shape again. Like an embryo in the womb, it curled up into a ball, gradually taking on a human form.

The person was tall and dressed in white. He was facing away from Yin Ci, looking at Shi Jingzhi with a faint smile on his face. The latter immediately took a step back—this "thing" had been expressionless when it first formed, but in an instant, it changed its face, becoming very human-like. Although its expression was now lively, it truly sent chills down one's spine.

The golden flames around Shi Jingzhi suddenly flared higher, but this entity did not speak to him. It smiled at Shi Jingzhi for a while, then turned around to face Yin Ci, who was not far away.

Yin Ci's entire body shook uncontrollably.

Even knowing that the Shi Rou would control puppets, seeing that familiar yet strange face still left him shocked and dazed.

"General Yin, it's been three hundred years since we parted, hasn't it?"

Its voice was clear and pleasant, with a hint of liveliness.

"My dear brother, I hope you've been well."

...What a greeting.

Yin Ci froze in place, his face ashen, his blood slowly turning to ice.

In terms of appearance, the thing before him was identical to Sun Wang, down to the tone of voice and little mannerisms. But Sun Wang's eyes always held a joyful expression, while this thing's eyes seemed covered by a layer of mist, completely empty inside.

Something had completely changed.

That was once the young master of the Sun family who would pick beautiful stones from blood-stained battlefields as gifts for his beloved wife. He was also the General Sun who struggled to learn writing under pressure, crying as he recorded the truth.

Now standing before him was perhaps only the "Marquis of Lie'an," a military figure of the latter half of his life, long celebrated in folk tales.

Yes, Sun Wang had once recorded this. But the clue was so small that neither he nor Shi Jingzhi had noticed.

Before the ceremony, He Cheng'an had entrusted some "good supplements" to Madam Sun.

At that time, Sun Wang was in an extremely poor state, only shutting himself in his room to cry and write letters, looking weak and unlike himself. The Sun and He families were sworn brothers, and Madam Sun, worried about her husband, didn't suspect anything—

She must have cooked the Shi Rou with her own hands and fed it to her beloved.

After that, Sun Wang's records came to an abrupt end. There was no more suffering General Sun in the world, only a "loyal minister devoted to Dayun".

One wonders how Madam Sun felt when she looked back on that day?

"Sun Wang" did not return to their hometown with her. Instead, he wielded great power and rose through the ranks. The Sun mansion became splendid and prosperous, with their children achieving success in their own right. Yet amidst all this glory, Madam Sun packed away the small stone balls she had cherished for half her life, sealing them in the statue along with Sun Wang's records.

Facing that rough statue, what was she praying for?

In Yin Ci's memory, Madam Sun was also a person who often smiled contentedly. After that, would she still smile like that?

Three hundred years had passed, and her corpse had turned to dry bones. Yet her beloved stood here, his hands stained with invisible blood, casually saying to him, "I hope you've been well."

...How was this any different from desecrating his friend's corpse? At the end of their hundred-year plan, would Shi Jingzhi also become like this?

Thinking of this, Yin Ci was furious, barely managing to suppress his emotions.

Seeing Yin Ci's face full of conflicting emotions, the entity continued to smile and said, "I was wondering why this generation's Desire Child had so many tricks up his sleeve. It turns out you were behind it all. As expected of General Yin, even breaking free from the Great Prohibited Formation of the Northwest... After so long, no one realised it. Truly, the affairs of mortals are unreliable."

"But for you to come alone and investigate the matter of the Desire Child to such an extent. It's true that after three days of separation, one must look at a soldier with new eyes."

The entity's tone was as if they were just chatting, showing no sign of panic about Yin Ci's escape.

Yin Ci slowly regulated his breathing, staring intently at those eyes that faintly glowed green: "Where is He Cheng'an?"

"Brother He?" The entity raised an eyebrow and laughed heartily. "Brother He is far away in Luojiu, safe and sound."

"I see. If it's convenient, please arrange a meeting," Yin Ci said, seemingly casually, his imposing manner undiminished. "Three hundred years have passed, and I have a belly full of questions to ask him."

"I'm afraid that's not possible. Brother He has long since gone deep underground, nourishing a new Suspended Tree with his body."

Yin Ci clenched his jaw.

This bluff had indeed revealed something. What sage, what hundred-year plan? It's likely that when He Cheng'an found Xu Li and helped him become king, He Cheng'an had already eaten the Shi Rou.

All the previous displays of affection and loyalty were nothing more than echoes of "He Cheng'an" from when he was alive.

"Interesting. The Desire Child is right here, yet you speak without reserve," Yin Ci laughed coldly. "Eating the Shi Rou and becoming a puppet of that demon tree... the Suspended Tree, doesn't sound very appealing. As far as I know, there was a Desire Child who would rather die than accept the Shi Rou."

"That Yan Budu was naturally gloomy and suspicious, always imagining absurd things. He pretended to agree to take the Shi Rou but killed the messenger I sent. That messenger's eyeball is now embedded in your eye socket."

The entity answered lightly.

"This time, with me personally taking care of things, the Desire Child naturally won't misunderstand. You should stop this talk of puppets."

Then, it turned around gracefully and extended a hand towards Shi Jingzhi, who was a few steps away.

"A person lives but one life, merely to live freely and contentedly. Immortality will eventually become tedious. If you eat the Shi Rou, you can freely roam this beautiful land. When you tire of living, you can simply bury yourself in a place of scenic beauty—and before you grow weary, the Suspended Tree can keep you free from illness and injury, able to command wind and rain. Even if you want to be emperor for several hundred years, it can be done."

Shi Jingzhi held his breath, neither stepping forward nor retreating.

"What this person told you was probably some nonsense about 'the Suspended Tree will control your mind.' You've been near death twice, so you must have some awareness. It doesn't even have its own consciousness, how could it control someone's mind?... Do you think my appearance and behavior could be imitated by a tree?"

Shi Jingzhi's gaze flickered, seeming to be somewhat moved.

Yin Ci immediately shouted angrily: "All nonsense! I—"

"'The Sun Wang I knew would never do such things.' General Yin, you've lived for three hundred years, yet you're still so stubborn—people's hearts change easily. After I ate the Shi Rou, my perspective broadened considerably."

The entity cut off Yin Ci's words with a grin.

"This concerns the Desire Child's life, so I naturally must be honest with people—Shi Jingzhi, the price you have to pay is merely being influenced by the Shi Rou to cherish and feel close to the Suspended Tree."

Shi Jingzhi pressed his lips together without speaking, looking even more shaken. However, hearing these words, Yin Ci strangely calmed down.

"Do you still remember Cuicui?"

"What if I do?" the entity retorted, "A mortal woman, not worth mentioning. Young brother Shi has no family or relatives, which means even fewer troubles."

It stood there openly, its tone perfectly calm, seemingly certain that these two could do nothing to it. Shi Jingzhi's face was full of struggle, while Yin Ci's face was dark, his mind rapidly calculating.

The current situation matched their discoveries one by one.

[I have deciphered some information about the Shi Rou.] Shen Zhu had given them a long letter. [The Deity Summoning Formation summons the demon tree's fierce root, which can drain a person dry in an instant. The spell on it that connects to the demon tree was inspired by the Shi Rou. And the Shi Rou is not a true divine object, it cannot grant superhuman abilities, and its effects are not very complex.]

[First, it connects a person to the demon tree as one, living and dying together.]

Rather than living and dying together, it's more like the Suspended Tree unilaterally nourishes the person who has eaten the Shi Rou, making them immortal and indestructible.

[Second, it grows fine roots throughout the person's body, able to control their mind. The effectiveness is yet unknown.]

According to that entity's words, the effect seems to be "especially cherishing and feeling close" to that demon tree. When it mentioned Cuicui, there wasn't even a ripple on its face, showing that the effect is unusual—looking at it this way, the effect of the Shi Rou seems somewhat similar to a slave.

With thousands of roots penetrating, Sun Wang probably viewed the demon tree as a precious child, doing everything in his power to protect it.

Perhaps Sun Wang was still "alive," but could it still be called "Sun Wang"?

[Third, it plants its seeds in the human body, carrying them to distant places.]

Plants that use birds and beasts to eat their fruit and carry away their seeds are countless, and the Suspended Tree is not special in this regard. However, this entity talks about "dying when tired of living," but the reality is hard to say—parasitic black worms lead praying mantises to streams, and cordyceps instruct young insects to burrow into the ground, which also looks like "voluntary choices" on the surface.

But there was excellent news hidden within.

Even for an "immortal" who could cooperate with the Suspended Tree, as they had guessed, this entity's perception was still limited. Even with Yin Ci running around with a flesh root connected to him, it couldn't detect anything amiss without getting close.

Very good.

"Young brother Shi, come with me. There's no need for further complications."

The entity, unaware of Yin Ci's calculations, smiled ever more brightly and amiably.

"General Yin is merely dissatisfied and wants to vent through you... You are my descendant, with Xu Li's bloodline. How could he not harbor resentment towards you?"

"You're just being used by this person."

Shi Jingzhi was stunned, the look of wavering on his face extremely obvious. He struggled for a moment, his initial momentum long since dimmed by half. Finally, he spoke with relative respect: "Burying General Yin under the Great Prohibited Formation of the Northwest is indeed somewhat..."

"The Great Prohibited Formation of the Northwest is based on him. For three hundred years, it has prevented sandstorms, defended against external disasters, and kept the people of the region safe and prosperous. General Yin claimed he could fight for the masses and die for Dayun. We merely let him achieve his aspirations. What's wrong with that?"

The entity's gaze was calm and unwavering, as if stating something self-evident.

"Moreover, this has nothing to do with you. The Desire Child's lifespan is limited, and now I can still keep you from dying. When your natural lifespan is up, even I will be helpless... You're a smart person, you know how to make the right choice."

Shi Jingzhi glanced at Yin Ci, his eyes still hesitant. Seeing Yin Ci's gaze turn cold, he hesitated on the spot for a long time, but still didn't commit to an answer: "You two are old acquaintances, both with godlike abilities, each holding to your own words. I... I need to go back and think this over carefully."

As he spoke, Shi Jingzhi's handsome face twisted slightly.

"I apologize for my earlier rudeness to the Marquis of Lie'an."

The entity showed no sign of displeasure, instead appearing quite magnanimous: "Being cautious is a good thing, I certainly won't rush you. If you were the type to sit on the fence, this Shi Rou wouldn't have fallen to you. If it weren't for Yan Budu's suspicions ruining things before, and my old friend here interfering, I wouldn't want to create so many complications."

Shi Jingzhi glanced at Yin Ci once more, finally lowering his head under that piercing gaze and bowing: "Farewell, immortal."

With that, he waved his hand, and a blinding Yang fire rushed towards that finger segment. Instantly, a patch of grass turned into a charred pile of ash, emitting billowing smoke.

Seeing this, the entity looked at the furious Yin Ci with an enigmatic smile.

"I hope General Yin remembers his duty and doesn't go back on his word."

With that, it turned into flesh paste and slowly disappeared into mid-air. Apart from a patch of scorched earth, the place was still clear and sunny, full of spring vitality, with only a gentle breeze blowing.

An incense stick's time passed, and the two still stood silently in the grass.

"Is it gone?" Shi Jingzhi cautiously spoke up.

"...It's gone."

Hearing this, Shi Jingzhi sprang into action. He rushed to the recently burned grass, rolled up his sleeves, and quickly dug out that finger—the finger was already light, and had just been blown away by the hot wind, rolling from its original spot, then immediately covered by grass ash and smoke, appearing as if it had been completely burned by the golden fire.

Though the logic was simple, Shi Jingzhi still broke out in a sweat. The entity's pressure had been intense earlier, and he had to precisely control the golden fire with his hands while not showing any signs on his face. He had nearly trembled all over.

Only after confirming that the finger was safe and sound did Shi Jingzhi breathe a sigh of relief. He happily hugged it and moved to Yin Ci's side, as if showing off: "Zizhu, how was my acting just now?"

"Very good, I couldn't find any flaws," Yin Ci patted the grass ash off him, smiling with some difficulty.

Not to mention the unexpected appearance of a "familiar face", Yin Ci's heart was extremely heavy. Even though he and Shi Jingzhi had agreed to act, Shi Jingzhi was inevitably influenced by that entity's words. The desire of a Desire Child was so intense, like a suffocating person craving air, not something that could be resisted by willpower alone.

Shi Jingzhi appeared relaxed on the surface, perhaps just not wanting to worry him further.

"Jingzhi, if you truly have doubts, you can discuss them with me anytime."

"Doubts?"

Shi Jingzhi's motion of caressing the severed finger paused.

He walked up to Yin Ci, leaned in slightly, and gently removed the jade eye. With the foreign object removed from the eye socket, Yin Ci's eyes opened again, his beautiful pupils restored to their original state.

"Zizhu, you're still too detached—on one side is the necessity to be loyal to the Suspended Tree, to be used by it. Counting the time spent bustling about, it's just earning a bit more life. On the other side is accompanying the one I love, living freely for the rest of my life. Comparing the two, is there even need for doubt? I'm the greediest Desire Child, how could I possibly choose?"

"I want both life and you. Let's continue according to the plan. Your disciple is very clear-headed now."

A thousand miles away.

Su Si mounted the black horse, with Lord Bai tied to his chest: "Hey, I'm leaving."

Shen Zhu glanced at him. She didn't say anything, but Su Si read "Get lost quickly" from her face.

"Look, we at least have some fellowship, hailing from the same sect. This time I'm off to do something big, shouldn't you at least say a few words?"

Su Si clicked his tongue, his face looking quite pitiful.

"Ah, my San-zi is still more agreeable. Let's go, Sixty-Seven Taels, we're heading back to Red Hook."

With that, he pulled the reins and rode off on the black horse named "Sixty-Seven Taels", quickly becoming a speck of dust on the horizon.

Shen Zhu rolled her eyes and weighed the two glass jars in her hand. One contained the Shi Rou, the other held the prepared fruit pieces. She placed them in a thick stack of papers. When everything was ready, Shen Zhu finally tugged at her stiff lips.

"'Doing something big', huh?"

She gently stroked the packed cloth bag, as if caressing a lover's skin.

"This moment, I've been waiting for over twenty years."