The maple forest was ablaze with fiery red. Under the silvery moonlight, it revealed a hint of eeriness. A gentle, cool breeze blew through, causing the leaves to rustle.
Such a breeze was an inescapable probe for every tree in the forest. A strange sense of unease welled up in Zhao Zhao's heart, and she couldn't help but shiver.
Su Yuan, whose eyes had never left Zhao Zhao for a moment, keenly noticed this subtle movement of hers. He took off his coat and covered her with it.
"Are you cold?"
Zhao Zhao shook her head blankly. She wasn't actually cold, but there was something odd about this breeze.
The young man wearing a mask, holding a small sapling in his hand...
For some reason, just thinking about this scene made Zhao Zhao feel short of breath and her fingertips tremble.
"So I really don't know what's going on with that formation... Please, let me go. I'm willing to exchange all my wealth for my freedom! Please..."
The sobbing and pleading voice of Zhuang Tingzheng came over. Zhao Zhao came back to her senses and looked at his ugly appearance. Rarely, she felt a bit of weariness and disgust.
She could feel that since she had merged with the fragment of the tree spirit's heart, many strange emotions had been constantly emerging. These were emotions that were strange and incomprehensible to her.
She didn't even know what these emotions meant...
"No amount of wealth can atone for the sins you've committed. Everything will receive a just judgment when you reach the underworld."
Zhao Zhao said to Zhuang Tingzheng expressionlessly. Then she walked straight past him and stood in front of Liang Yueshu, reaching out her hand. "Stop being foolish. Give me the fragment. I will definitely help Zhuang Ming solve the formation."
Meeting Liang Yueshu's tear - filled eyes, she paused for a moment and then continued, "Go to the underworld peacefully. Cut off the cause and effect, and you'll have a next life."
"No..." Liang Yueshu tightly clutched the fragment in her palm. Her spiritual body couldn't bear the powerful spiritual energy on the fragment, and her hands were almost dissipating. Her brows were tightly furrowed, and tears were streaming down her face. "I can't bear to part. Mingming is still so young... And my poor daughter, she didn't even get a chance to see this world. It's not fair!"
"..." Looking at the gradually crazy woman in front of her, Zhao Zhao sighed silently. She gently tapped Liang Yueshu on the center of her brow, and a puff of black mist dissipated.
"Don't be controlled by hatred. It will ruin you." Zhao Zhao withdrew her hand and said softly.
Her excited emotions gradually calmed down. Liang Yueshu suddenly lowered her head, shrugged her shoulders, and let out a bitter laugh. "In my life, I enjoyed all the love in the first half, but I was blind and couldn't recognize people clearly. I ended up like this and even harmed my own child."
Zhao Zhao didn't know how to comfort her. She wanted to tell her that it wasn't her fault, but no matter how many times she said it, it wouldn't help.
"Mommy!" A childish voice sounded. Everyone turned their heads and saw Zhuang Ming riding on the back of Taotie, galloping towards them.
Zhao Zhao was extremely surprised to see Zhuang Ming, who shouldn't have been here. The formation on him hadn't been solved yet. How did he get out of the neighborhood?
Before she could ask, Zhuang Ming had rushed over and crashed into his mother's arms. Crystal tears welled up in his eyes, showing his deepest longing for his mother.
Zhao Zhao moved her lips but finally chose to remain silent.
At least at this moment, it was better not to disturb them.
"Mommy, I miss you so much..." Zhuang Ming hugged his mother affectionately and acted coquettishly.
Liang Yueshu was stunned by the unexpected surprise. She hugged her son blankly and gently patted his back, just like she had done countless times when lulling her beloved baby to sleep when he was a child.
Looking at this warm and touching scene, Zhao Zhao's heart softened. She suddenly missed her master.
However, before her longing could fully develop, the next moment it was interrupted when Taotie tugged at her sleeve.
"Hey! Stupid master, I've made a great contribution this time. You must give me a reward."
Zhao Zhao looked up at the sky speechlessly. She knew it!
"Okay, I'll buy you forty family buckets this time."
With the promise of delicious food, Taotie happily wagged its tail.
"However..." Zhao Zhao's tone changed. She squatted down and stroked the fluffy and soft fur on Taotie's head. "How did you bring Zhuang Ming here?"
Having its head stroked obviously violated the "dignity" of the fierce beast Taotie. It pushed away Zhao Zhao's hand angrily and grumbled, "Lu Chukong asked me to bring him here. I was just about to go back to sleep when he brought this kid and said it was you who asked me to do it."
Me? Zhao Zhao was completely confused. She didn't ask for it...
"Where is he then?"
"He said he had to go find some great emperor, the one who is in charge of a bunch of little ghosts. He said he would ask that person to help you all."
Zhao Zhao was full of doubts. How did Lu Chukong know so much?
"Zhao Zhao," a clear voice sounded above her head. Zhao Zhao looked up and saw Su Yuan reaching out his hand to her. "Send her off. If she stays any longer, she'll be completely gone."
A new sun was faintly emerging beside the crescent moon on the horizon. Zhao Zhao blinked. Was today a day when the sun and the moon shone together?
Liang Yueshu hugged Zhuang Ming and gently coaxed him, swaying as if singing the lullaby she had sung countless times before.
The birds on the horizon return to their nests, and the little fish in the sea blow bubbles.
Sleep, sleep, my dear baby.
The clouds on the horizon fly over with love. My baby, go to sleep quickly...
Zhuang Ming closed his eyes under his mother's soothing. In a daze, he still managed to fight off his drowsiness and express his longing. "Good night, Mommy. I love you."
A blood - red thread ran through the maple forest. The next moment, Zhuang Tingzheng, who was lying prostrate on the ground, twitched all over and instantly turned into a cloud of blood mist, dissipating in the air.
"Mingming, I'm sorry. Mommy loves you."
Zhuang Ming, who should have been fast asleep, opened his eyes at this moment, and a tear quietly rolled down from the corner of his eye.
He would never have his mommy again...
Liang Yueshu calmly took Zhuang Tingzheng away at the last moment at the cost of her own disappearance. She gave up her next life and didn't ask for justice. She just wanted to remove the last hidden danger for her child.
"How could she..." Zhao Zhao was stunned to see this scene and didn't know what to do at all.
She instinctively turned her head to look for Su Yuan. Every time in such situations, she urgently wanted to confirm Su Yuan's presence. Su Yuan was the source of all her firmness and sense of security.
A large hand reached out and gently squeezed her palm. Su Yuan brushed a wisp of loose hair behind her ear.
"Our Zhao Zhao has done a great job. You're amazing." You're the most amazing little tree, Su Yuan added silently in his heart, with a gentle smile twinkling in his eyes.
"We can't make choices for her. People are very complex. They come from somewhere and go somewhere. It's not your fault."
Zhao Zhao knew it wasn't her fault, but she still felt sad...
The person who had suffered so much finally chose to end it in such a way. The suffering wasn't repaid, and there would never be such a person in this world again.
Su Yuan said people come from somewhere and go somewhere. She used to think she came from Wutong Mountain and would eventually return there. She hadn't thought about things further in the future. Now, she wasn't so sure.
The fragments, the memories, the goddess... Where exactly did she come from? And who was she?
The fragment of the tree spirit's heart she had lost was lying quietly on the ground. Zhao Zhao suddenly had a strong urge to go to the Wuhuang Valley and find her origin.