“It’s just that, according to our agreement before entering the secret realm, now that you’ve lost, you should fulfill the bet from ten years ago. And by the way, your chastity should also belong to me…”
The lively atmosphere was filled with people.
After making Ruoning’s face adorably flushed, Yino could still let Yuebai out for a stroll. He happily squeezed the slim waists of the two little foxes in his hands from time to time.
However, the journey this time was not very far. Due to the theft at the Ancient Tree Sprite, the Azure Forest announced that the secret realm would close early. So before Yino could leave through the main entrance, he first had to go in the opposite direction west to rendezvous with Liuli and Lily at the agreed upon location. To be honest, Yino really had no idea how Liuli had freely moved through the secret realm before.
By all rights, the secret realm restricted cultivation. It made sense that Yuebai could hide in a ring to enter, but Liuli was also at the Nascent Soul stage. How had she snuck in?
“Master, hold my hand…” Arriving at the edge of the Azure Forest’s western barrier, Yino locked eyes with the bandaged girl in a red and white ceremonial dress on the other side.
At some point, Liuli had re-covered the features revealing her treant nature, including her emerald green left eye and the intricate green totem patterns across half her body, with creamy white bandages.
“Hold your hand?” Yino asked, half doubtful and half confused. He tentatively stood at the edge of the secret realm and reached out his hand.
Liuli grabbed Yino’s hand and pulled him out from the inner part of the secret realm with a forceful yank. “How does this work?!” Yino exclaimed, feeling incredulous. He looked back to see Yunjin and Jinyue still trapped on the inside of the secret realm’s barrier. Even if he reached out, the air wall of the barrier blocked him.
“In essence, this so-called barrier is an enhancement of the Azure Forest’s innate one,” Liuli flatly explained, glancing back at her little sister. “Because Liuli used to be the guardian spirit of the Azure Forest…she can still pass through the barrier by resonating with the treants’ true forms and the earth itself.”
Compared to Liuli, the fallen guardian spirit, Lily’s emerald green totem appeared several times more pristine and unblemished.
“Brother Yino…” Lily walked up and lightly took Yino’s hand. Her eyes sparkled with expectation. Even without speaking, Yino could tell from the longing in the little sapling’s gaze that she was still thinking about the promise Yino made when they parted ways.
“Don’t worry, the Azure Forest will be fine. I already spoke with the righteous elders. They said that since the Azure Forest no longer has Lily, to prevent its spiritual energy from being exhausted, they plan to close it for several years. Only after finding a new method will it reopen,” Yino said, crouching down in front of the little girl. He confidently gave his explanation while also remembering to rub Lily’s soft, rounded face that was no less cute than Little Deer’s.
The two were quite similar, both gentle little creatures. But Lily’s body always carried a faint milky scent. Yino could clearly sense that despite her petite, loli-sized figure, Lily’s adorable face, filled with concern for the entire forest ecosystem, gave off a motherly impression.
“I see, that’s great… If it can close for several years without those cultivators coming to plunder and destroy, then even without Lily, the Azure Forest will gradually recover its vitality…” Lily nodded vigorously, a small hand pressed to her chest as she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Yino happily pinched the little girl’s cheeks. “You see, your brother didn’t lie, right? The Azure Forest will be okay.”
Lily nodded seriously, the little sapling on her head swaying along with the motion. “Okay, it’s getting late. The Azure Forest is about to close. Later, I still has other matters to take care of. Lily, you should go back to the Western Region with your sister first. Listen to her, okay…” After a few simple instructions and a final rub of the little one’s face, Yino stood up and glanced at Liuli, their eyes conversing silently about future plans.
But this time, before Liuli could speak, the girl beside her tugged on his clothes in a slight panic, preventing him from leaving. “Wait! I still have something to say!”
Yino lowered his gaze, looking puzzled. Facing everyone’s uncomprehending stares, Lily finally mustered her courage and stated her recently made life decision – “Brother… Lily also wants to form a contract with you, like the little deer!”
When this statement came out, Liuli wasn’t surprised. Lily had already told her before. Now Liuli only felt it was somewhat surreal. She had been pressed against the barrier in the secret realm and righteously fallen by Yino in front of her little sister. Ironically, not only was her little sister unaware that her Sis had been branded with Yino’s demonic mark, she even wholeheartedly believed Yino was a kind and gentle person. Now, what made Liuli feel most ironic was that her little sister also wanted to form a contract with Yino. This way…weren’t the sisters completely fooled?
One was branded with a demonic mark to be servant, while the other signed a spirit pet contract to be Yino’s little potted plant.
On the other hand, although Liuli already knew, Yino and the others were hearing this for the first time. They couldn’t help but stare in amazement. Lily was not a small guardian spirit like Wangxue who no longer had territory. She was the properly recognized guardian deity worshipped by all the plants and animals of the Azure Forest!
“Brother…is it not okay…?” Seeing Yino remain silent, the treegirl tugged on his clothes, her small hand gripping even tighter.
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Through the barrier, Lily could faintly hear a certain little deer getting worked up, her face red as she shouted something. But the two girls behind the fawn firmly blocked her, not letting her charge over and ruin the mood.
Yino lowered his gaze, feeling quite distressed. “It’s not that I can’t form a contract with you, it’s just that recently, I may need to interact with the elders of the righteous cultivation sects.”
“You see, if I form a contract with you today and bring you back to Wuji Sect, what if those righteous cultivators discover your existence? Won’t our actions in the Azure Forest be exposed then?”
In the end, Yino shook his head somewhat regretfully. Lily listened carefully, her grip on Yino’s hand gradually loosening. She was not a willful child. She naturally understood this reasoning.
“But Lily, don’t be too upset. Today, you’ll go back to the Western Region with your sis first. In a while, I will go to the Western Region too. We can still play together when we meet up in Western Province City, okay!”
“Really?! We can still meet up?!”
“Of course, pinky promise.”
“Wait a moment! Since it’s like this, Lily also has something to give Brother——”
The tree spirit girl excitedly spoke and actually plucked the small white flower on her chest in front of everyone.