A thought became clearer and clearer in her mind. Zhao Zhao didn't know why she suddenly felt a bit flustered. So she shook her head, trying hard to shake those thoughts out of her mind and suppressing the impulse to dig deeper.
She didn't know the reason. She just had a premonition that it would be very painful after figuring everything out.
And she instinctively resisted this pain.
When she looked over again, Su Yuan had already had his wounds treated by the vines. He sat back against the tree trunk again and closed his eyes.
After a long, silent stillness, Su Yuan suddenly said, "This is the prettiest flower I've seen today, though it's not as good as yesterday's."
The tree branches swayed as if responding to his words.
Su Yuan didn't see it with his eyes closed, but his hearing was extremely sharp. The corner of his lips curled slightly, and he asked the tree, "Speaking of which, many trees can bloom. Can you bloom?"
Of course, he didn't expect an answer, so he continued to talk to himself, "Forget it. It's better not to bloom. The world is too chaotic these days. Although the land where you're rooted is still within the protected area for now, no one knows when it might be breached. If you bloom beautiful flowers, you'll just invite trouble for no reason. It's not worth it."
As he was talking, he casually pulled out a blade of grass around the tree roots and idly put it in his mouth. He looked unrestrained and completely different from his solemn self on the battlefield before.
"If one day you grow up and take on a human form, then leave the Great Wilderness. You can go anywhere you like."
After saying this, he closed his eyes again as if on many other days before. He didn't need to hear the little tree's answer to him.
Or perhaps he did need it, but as time passed, he gradually understood how difficult it was for all things to take shape. He could only wait.
He didn't know if there would ever be a day when he could wait for that...
However, unexpectedly, Su Yuan suddenly heard a clear voice of a young girl, "Why?"
He didn't react for a moment. After a short pause, he then sat up straight and turned to look at the little tree behind him, looking a bit surprised. "You're a girl?"
It was a pity that the tree, which had just been able to speak, actually didn't understand what a girl was. She was more concerned about the word "leave" that Su Yuan had just said.
Although she couldn't express her thoughts in language like a human before, she had actually already developed spiritual awareness. She gradually understood the words Su Yuan had said to her day after day and also learned some of the "human world" rules.
But there were some things that Su Yuan had never mentioned, and to her, they were completely unknown.
"Why do you want me to leave the Great Wilderness? Are you afraid that I'll be killed?"
She stubbornly wanted to get an answer. Su Yuan calmed down at this moment. He let out a couple of soft laughs but didn't answer her. He just perfunctorily said, "It's nothing."
"You can talk now. It seems that the day when you take on a human form isn't far away." There was a trace of unfathomable emotion in Su Yuan's tone, seemingly a bit melancholy and a bit lost.
Fortunately, the little tree didn't get entangled in the answer to the question. She then started a new topic, "Why do you always have so many wounds every day? Have you been fighting? I know there's always fighting over there, but it's not good..."
Su Yuan then sat cross - legged on the ground instead of leaning against the tree trunk as before. He was silent, not knowing what he was thinking.
After a long time, he finally said in a low voice, "I don't like fighting either."
"Then why...?"
"There's nothing I can do. If only I were a carefree tree like you. Only when all this ends can I truly have peace."
The tree didn't understand such profound words. However, Zhao Zhao, who had witnessed the great war thousands of years ago that Su Yuan had participated in, knew what he was talking about.
Sure enough, Su Yuan then said to the tree, "I made a deal with a god. I help him fight a few battles, and he'll grant me one wish."
"What wish?" The tree, full of curiosity, asked.
However, Su Yuan didn't say a word. He closed his eyelids, looking a bit tired. He motioned for the spiritual tree beside him to be quiet for a while. He needed to rest.
The word "rest" seemed very rare for Zhao Zhao when it came to Su Yuan. She had seen his vulnerable appearance after suffering from the karma, but she had never heard him say that he needed to rest.
Like a ghost, Zhao Zhao followed Su Yuan in this illusory realm and witnessed many things from the past that she could only glimpse from her master's words and ancient books before.
The past of humans and demons.
It was thousands of years of endless struggle. It was the thousands of years in which Su Yuan gradually changed from a high - spirited and unrestrained young man to the unfathomable Dragon Lord he was today.
She saw the relationship between Su Yuan and the tree develop rapidly. Sometimes they would talk a lot, and sometimes they wouldn't say a word, just silently accompanying each other.
Su Yuan still insisted on giving the little tree a flower every day and teaching her many things every day.
The little tree wasn't really little anymore. It grew even faster under the nourishment of Su Yuan's spiritual power.
Finally, on a night when the bright moon hung high, after Su Yuan fell asleep exhausted from another great battle, it took on a human form.
Her fair body glistened dazzlingly in the moonlight. Her long black hair reached down to her ankles. Her face was bright - eyed and white - toothed, elegant and otherworldly.
Zhao Zhao instinctively held her breath when she saw her. She was too familiar with that face. It was the face she saw every day in the water and in the mirror after she took on a human form on Wutong Mountain.
It was herself!
Something was about to come out. Zhao Zhao trembled and covered her mouth.
The little tree in human form curiously looked at her own body, but soon her attention was attracted by the sleeping Su Yuan.
She clumsily manipulated her body and walked in front of Su Yuan. She squatted down slightly, carefully looking at Su Yuan's face, and murmured softly, "You're so good - looking. You're even better - looking than the fresh flowers you give me every day..."
Su Yuan was probably really extremely tired, or maybe he was very relaxed beside her. Anyway, the usually sharp - witted him didn't wake up at this time.
The little tree just quietly accompanied Su Yuan without saying a word. Her blinking eyes always stared at Su Yuan so intently.
When the sky was just getting a bit bright, she changed back to her original form again.
Zhao Zhao watched from the side and guessed that she might have just learned how to take on a human form but hadn't mastered the knack yet, so she couldn't control the time of taking on a human form.
As soon as the sky was bright, Su Yuan had to go to the battlefield again. She seemed very reluctant to part with him.
The vines hanging from the tree branches wrapped around Su Yuan's long spear. Su Yuan seemed to see her little thought and gently stroked the vine to comfort her. Soon the vine retracted shyly.
"I'll bring you a camellia today. I saw it on my way back the other day, but it hadn't bloomed yet. It should be just right today."
The little tree didn't say yes or no. She asked Su Yuan, "Your name is Su Yuan. I've heard that many people and demons have their own names. Then do you think I should also have my own name if I take on a human form in the future?"
Su Yuan nodded in agreement.
She then said, "Then Su Yuan, what do you think I should be called?"
Su Yuan's hand that was tidying up his battle robe paused for a moment. After a short while, a smile appeared on his face. He whispered softly, "Zhao Zhao. Call yourself Zhao Zhao."