43: Conquer the Willow Tree

Zhang Xiaoli watched Qin Shilei staring blankly with the Spirit Awakening Bead, then prepared to pull her hand back. "Brother Qin, why don't you absorb this spirit bead? The system didn't say that spirit awakening couldn't be done twice. Maybe you can activate two treasured physiques."

Qin Shilei immediately grabbed her wrist and placed the Spirit Awakening Bead into her hand. "If I said it's yours, then it's yours. Do you want to eat it here or go back to your room to eat it?"

"Are you hoping I eat it right here so you can watch over me?" Zhang Xiaoli asked with a sweet smile.

Qin Shilei righteously replied, "No, An Qian can watch over you."

"You're so duplicitous," Zhang Xiaoli snorted lightly and turned to enter the room.

An Qian teased, "It seems I'm getting in your way. I can only help you by watching over her."

She also turned and followed into the room.

"Ah!"

After swallowing the Spirit Awakening Bead, Zhang Xiaoli let out a cry of pain, then fainted.

Not long after, a two-inch-tall sapling emerged from her chest.

Crack.

The Wood Spirit Bead in her pocket instantly shattered into four or five pieces, then transformed into a stream of spiritual energy that drilled into Zhang Xiaoli's body.

Nourished by this pure wood spiritual energy, the small sapling took root and sprouted, quickly growing into a small tree about two meters tall.

The small tree swayed without wind, absorbing all the surrounding spiritual energy.

Then, a emerald green light shot towards Zhang Xiaoli.

Under the illumination of this light, the not-yet-fully-healed knife wounds on Zhang Xiaoli's back rapidly closed.

In less than a moment, her back became pure white, with no trace of the knife wound.

Half an hour later, the small tree slowly shrank and then drilled into Zhang Xiaoli's body.

It left only a vibrant green sapling tattoo on her left chest.

After Zhang Xiaoli woke up, the first thing she did was check her clothes: "Why aren't my clothes damaged?"

An Qian quipped, "It seems someone really wanted to be seen naked."

"Looking for a beating," Zhang Xiaoli made a move to hit An Qian.

Qin Shilei looked at Zhang Xiaoli, who was walking out from their playful banter, and felt that her fresh and ethereal aura had become even more pronounced.

She was as elegant and charming as a lotus emerging from water, as pure and unsullied as a lotus in high mountains.

Zhang Xiaoli, whose beauty was originally rated at 85 points, transformed into a stunning beauty with this aura.

Qin Shilei withdrew his amazed gaze and asked, "What kind of wood-attribute physique did you activate, and what's special about it?"

Zhang Xiaoli smiled and walked forward, taking Qin Shilei's right hand.

Qin Shilei immediately felt a warm current flow from her palm, all the way to his back.

Then, the wound on his back began to tingle and itch.

Before long, the wound that had been faintly aching no longer hurt at all.

"Healing?" There was a hint of surprise in Qin Shilei's tone.

"Mm."

Zhang Xiaoli nodded and replied, "I can also command all plants, but I don't know the specific details."

"Then you'll be a healer from now on."

Qin Shilei said happily, "As long as your 'milk' is enough, I'll never be afraid of getting hurt again."

After speaking, he unconsciously glanced at her chest.

"Pervert," Zhang Xiaoli playfully chided, "Be careful, I might not 'milk' you."

"Stop flirting here, we still need to rush back to Ningan City."

An Qian rolled her eyes at the two of them, but felt a touch of disappointment in her heart, always feeling like an extra person.

"Then let's go now."

Qin Shilei apologized to An Qian with a nod, "We'll go to the west side of the village now to see if that big willow tree has also mutated."

When they arrived at the west side of the village, they saw Zhang Qiang and Xie Haimei looking solemnly at the poplar and willow tree in front of them.

Zhang Qiang still had several obvious whip marks on his body.

"Brother Qin, I just wanted to get my brother's body back, not to steal the monster, okay?" Zhang Qiang proactively explained why he had whip marks from the willow branches on his body.

Although this willow tree was also a century-old tree, it was not as massive as the Old Locust Tree.

Its trunk was nearly two meters in diameter, it was twenty to thirty meters tall, and its willow branches only covered an area of thirty to forty meters.

More than a dozen mummified corpses hung from the willow tree, three of which could vaguely be identified as Zhao Peng and his two companions from their outlines.

Just then, a flock of small birds flew past the willow tree.

The willow branches, which had been gently swaying with the breeze, instantly seemed to awaken like fierce beasts, transforming into countless streaks of lightning and lashing out at the flock of small birds.

Before the small birds could react, they were instantly entangled.

"Squeak, squeak."

The flock of birds only let out a few cries of agony before being squeezed into a pulp by the willow branches, and then absorbed, blood and flesh, by the willow branches until nothing was left.

"Such speed," An Qian's eyes showed some surprise. "Should we set it on fire and burn it to death now?"

Qin Shilei turned to Zhang Xiaoli and asked, "Can your 'command all plants' ability control this willow tree?"

Zhang Xiaoli replied with some uncertainty, "I don't know either, but to control it, I need to get close to the trunk of the willow tree."

"Wait a moment, I'll go test the willow tree's strength."

After Qin Shilei finished speaking, he rushed into the attack range of the willow branches.

Sensing flesh, four or five nearby willow branches lashed out at Qin Shilei on the ground like flexible whips.

A cold light flashed, and the Seven Star Sword transformed into afterimages, slashing at the willow branches.

"Puff."

The willow branches swayed, actually deflecting the force of the blows, preventing Qin Shilei from cutting them off in one strike.

"Brother Qin, be careful, these willow branches are incredibly tough and hard to cut through."

It was then that Zhang Qiang managed to warn him, "Don't go too deep; if there are too many willow branches, you'll get entangled and it'll be hard to break free."

Qin Shilei moved nimbly, dodging the whipping willow branches, and skillfully used the Seven Star Sword in his hand, slashing and severing those few willow branches with several swift strikes.

He took a step and advanced another meter.

More willow branches lashed out.

Qin Shilei was temporarily overwhelmed, expending a great deal of effort to cut off three or four willow branches, but almost got entangled by them.

Helpless, he had no choice but to retreat.

"Brother Qin, you should still bring out your water pump," Zhang Qiang advised.

Qin Shilei shook his head, "Let's still give it a try."

He turned and said to Zhang Xiaoli, "Get ready, we're going to subdue the poplar and willow tree."

After she nodded in agreement, Qin Shilei put his arm around Zhang Xiaoli's slender waist.

One-Punch Man.

A gust of strong wind rose, and Zhang Qiang watched dumbfounded as Qin Shilei's afterimage slowly disappeared before his eyes.

In less than a second, Qin Shilei arrived beside the willow tree's trunk.

Zhang Xiaoli's palm immediately pressed against the trunk of the willow tree.

Suddenly, the entire willow tree began to shake, and countless willow branches enveloped Qin Shilei and Zhang Xiaoli.

Qin Shilei kicked off the ground with force, and in an instant, countless afterimages of him appeared within a five-meter radius.

The sword's edge swept through, and countless willow branches fell all around.

After five seconds.

Qin Shilei took a moment to glance at Zhang Xiaoli, only to see her eyes tightly closed, her brows slightly furrowed, and her face somewhat pale.

"Let me give you another hand."

This time, Qin Shilei no longer merely cut off the whipping willow branches; while ensuring their safety, he quickly struck several large tree trunks.

In the last two seconds, seeing that Zhang Xiaoli still hadn't managed to subdue the willow tree.

Qin Shilei hardened his heart and cut off the thickest main trunk of the willow tree, leaving only a smaller branch.

Just as he was about to cut off the last branch, Zhang Xiaoli finally opened her eyes and said with delight, "It's done."