191: Part 2
Wu Yu said, “This thing is valuable as long as there’s one piece. I’d rather trade it for something important to me.” He glanced meaningfully at Chen Shao.
Chen Shao walked away, cigarette in hand.
Zhuang Yao shouted, “Let’s go. The sooner you leave, the sooner you’ll be back. No matter how Mu Fei tries to keep you, you must return within three days. The Puppet Jade must be entrusted to reliable individuals.”
“Don’t worry.” The two boarded the plane, temporarily bidding farewell to the group, and flew to the Devil Pine Forest. According to Cong Zhenzhong, Li Dao’ai had been ordered to head to the Devil Pine Forest to meet up with them and assist with the Puppet Jade.
Several hours later, the plane arrived at the Devil Pince Forest once again. In the distance, the towering Devil Pine stood proudly amidst the forest, just as majestic as they remembered. The transport aircraft landed beside the Devil Pine, which had received the message.
Hundreds of thick branches extended from the forest, entwining around the villa, and they released the chains from the plane. The villa was then cradled by the Devil Pine’s branches and carried into the forest. Given that the house might shatter upon landing, they had no choice but to transport it this way. Fortunately, everything went smoothly, and the villa disappeared from their sight, safely nestled within the forest.
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“Gb, Ya. Vkdl, kv’p clld y obkzl.”
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Cong Xia tightly held onto the root coiled around his waist and nervously asked, “Mr. Pine, what are you doing?”
“Taking you down.” Before he finished speaking, the root began rapidly retracting, plummeting toward the ground at high speed. From an altitude of over four hundred meters, it plunged into the forest below.
Cong Xia couldn’t help but scream; this was too damn exhilarating! San’er also followed suit, exclaiming, “Oh my god!” Even Cheng Tianbi’s face turned pale, although he endured without making a sound.
The entire freefall lasted only a dozen seconds, yet it felt like a century for them. The weightlessness, the fear, and the pain of being whipped by branches tormented them. While they were protected by energy armor and were in a bit of pain, they weren’t injured. San’er wasn’t as fortunate; he nearly fainted from being battered. The scariest part, however, was the ground rapidly approaching, about to collide with them.
Cong Xia closed his eyes resignedly, he dared not look. The descent abruptly stopped, and the bindings around their waists loosened. The three of them dropped to the ground. Cong Xia opened his eyes, trembled for a while, and couldn’t stand up immediately. If he weren’t young and strong, his heart might have given out from the shock.
Cheng Tianbi helped him up and asked, “Are you alright?”
Cong Xia trembled as he replied, “I’m… I’m fine.”
Mu Fei’s lively voice came from not far away, “Cong Xia, San’er, and the little guy who doesn’t talk!”
They turned to look, and there was Mu Fei, wearing a white cotton and linen robe, enthusiastically waving at them. Standing beside him was the Devil Pine, dressed similarly and with its long braid tied. It looked at them expressionlessly. Li Dao’ai and Zhao Zixiang had already arrived.
Cong Xia walked over with a smile, greeting each of them in turn.
San’er walked and whined, “Brother Mu Fei, I was almost scared to death.”
Mu Fei was surprised, “Ah? What happened to you?”
Zhao Zixiang chuckled, “It seems you’ve received ‘special treatment’ as well.”
San’er cast a resentful look at the Devil Pine, who stared back at him. He didn’t dare to say anything.
Mu Fei exclaimed excitedly, “This is fantastic! You’ve finally come. Cong Xia, thank you, really thank you. My house is finally back.”
Cheng Tianbi looked around, “Where’s the house?”
“It’s up there.” Mu Fei pointed overhead.
They looked up and indeed saw the villa about a hundred meters above them.
“I discussed it with Little Pine, we’re transforming it into a treehouse. Since most of the time we’re moving around in the trees anyway, I’m currently working on the design. I’ll be quite busy these days.” Mu Fei couldn’t contain his excitement.
Cong Xia laughed, “That’s great. By the way, we received the things you sent us. They’re all great items, and we’ve already consumed them. Thank you.”
“No problem, I’ve planted a lot. Follow me.” Mu Fei led them around the large pine tree, and they came upon a vast vegetable garden. “Take a look, we’ve planted all of this. The soil here is very fertile; whatever you plant, it grows. We can’t finish eating all of it. Recently, I’ve been designing a garden. I bought a lot of flower seeds. It’s not easy to plant in winter. When you come to visit next spring, it will be quite beautiful here.”
Mu Fei passionately introduced his vegetable garden and flower beds. The Devil Pine stood quietly nearby, listening. It seemed that it was gradually accepting Mu Fei’s way of life, just as Mu Fei had embraced growing old in this forest with it.
“Oh, Mu Fei, what about that cat of yours?”
Mu Fei clapped his hands and shouted, “Muddy!”
A meow came from the treetop, and a small black cat, about half the size of a person, darted down from the hundred-meter-high tree. It moved with extraordinary agility, as if it were running on flat ground. It arrived before them in an instant, rubbing against Mu Fei’s thigh.
Cong Xia chuckled, “It’s mutated too.”
Mu Fei patted its head, “Yeah, but its growth rate isn’t that fast. It’s been half a year and it’s only grown this much. It’s far behind Abu. It seems that each animal’s genetics are different. Actually, I hope it doesn’t grow any bigger. If it does, I won’t be able to lift it anymore.”
The Devil Pine interjected, “Is there any way to prevent it from growing bigger?”
Cong Xia shook his head, “No, we can’t control that.”
The Devil Pine glanced at Muddy, “Never mind, we don’t lack food for it.”
Muddy leaped onto the Devil Pine, hugging its waist and rubbing its head against its chest. The Devil Pine frowned, “This creature is really troublesome, even more so than you.” While it said this, it didn’t push Muddy away. It allowed the cat to keep rubbing against it.
Mu Fei chuckled, “Looks like it loves you.”
The Devil Pine snorted and turned its head away.
In the evening, they set up a campfire beneath the roots of the Devil Pine. Mu Fei collected a complete set of cooking utensils and hummed a tune while preparing meals for them. He even brought out rare winter fruits and his own homemade wine to treat them. As they savored the delicious food, they gathered around the warm, crackling fire and chatted.
Cong Xia vividly described their experiences in Kunming, captivating the listeners. Mu Fei, with a touch of envy, remarked, “I can’t believe the place I used to live has become the mantis’ home. I really want to go back and take a look.”
Li Dao’ai chuckled, “You all have been incredibly fortunate. Things were resolved so smoothly.”
Cong Xia burst into laughter, “Absolutely, it’s almost unbelievable.”
San’er chimed in, “Deng Xiao’s mom must be really handsome, huh? Wow, a mantis over three meters tall!”
Cong Xia laughed, “Not just handsome, but exceptionally beautiful, both fierce and stunning.”
San’er was filled with admiration.
They chatted about various topics, from one end of the earth to the other. The six individuals and a cat spent a warm and pleasant night around the campfire in the frigid temperatures of negative thirty degrees.
Early the next morning, Mu Fei knew they were in a hurry to leave, and he felt a bit downcast. From his pocket, he took out the Puppet Jade and handed it over to Cong Xia with a touch of disappointment, saying, “I really wish you could stay a few more days.”
Cong Xia held the Puppet Jade tightly and earnestly said, “Mu Fei, thank you. Because of you, many lives were saved. You understand the significance of the Puppet Jade to us. Without you, it wouldn’t have been so easy for us to obtain it. If it were possible, we’d like to stay here longer. Your way of life is truly enviable, but we have more important matters to attend to.”
Mu Fei patted Cong Xia’s shoulder, “I’ve heard that Qinghai is very dangerous. You must be careful. I’ll be waiting for you to come back. Next spring, come find me. I’ll show you my new home and garden. You must come.”
Mu Fei’s voice choked up slightly as he finished speaking. In this turbulent era, no one knew if this separation would be permanent. Even though he didn’t want to part with some people and things, he could only watch them leave with a sense of sorrow and helplessness that left him at a loss.
Cong Xia managed a forced smile, “Don’t worry, we’ll definitely come back next spring.”
Mu Fei extended his arms and hugged Cong Xia tightly, who also gave his shoulder a firm pat.
The Devil Pine pouted slightly, a subtle expression of discontent on its face, albeit a small one.
Zhao Zixiang transformed, carrying the four individuals on his back. Concerned, Cong Xia asked, “Zhao Ge, can you handle carrying all four of us?”
“We’re not far, so it’s no problem.” He finished speaking and took off, carrying the four people with him.
Mu Fei waved vigorously at them, “Make sure to come back in the spring!”
“Definitely!”
Zhao Zixiang flew out of the forest towards the direction of the airport.
Cong Xia turned back and saw a thick and sturdy tree root extending from the forest. At the tip of the root, it split into two, with the Devil Pine and Mu Fei each floating on a part of the root, silently watching them depart.
Cong Xia was filled with endless emotions but eventually forced himself to turn away.
Cheng Tianbi held his hand and spoke with a steady voice, “We’ll come back next spring, don’t worry.”
Cong Xia lightly scratched the palm of his hand and chuckled, “I know, what’s Qinghai? We’ll definitely bring the Puppet Jade out.”
Cheng Tianbi glanced at him with a gaze that was both gentle and determined.
Cong Xia smiled at him with a trusting expression.
After returning to the airport, two planes were waiting for them and Li Dao’ai respectively.
Cong Xia took out two Puppet Jades from his pocket and handed them to Li Dao’ai, saying, “Officer Li, the larger one is from the Devil Pine, and the slightly smaller one is from Wu Yu. After you return, give them to Professor Cong. Please take good care of them.”
Li Dao’ai responded calmly, “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to deliver them to Professor Cong. Take care of yourselves, and we’ll be waiting for good news from you in Beijing.”
Cong Xia smiled and said, “Till we meet again, till we meet again.”
After seeing Li Dao’ai and Zhao Zixiang off on the helicopter, they bid farewell to San’er and Commander Sun as well. Then, they boarded the transport plane and returned to Kunming.
By the time they reached Kunming, it was already dark. They decided to set off for Qinghai early the next morning.
This was the last night Deng Xiao and his mother spent together. No one had the heart to disturb them. Even the food that had always been so enticing to Deng Xiao seemed lackluster in his eyes. The two of them chatted throughout the night, talking until dawn.
Just like the mother and son who had reunited after a long separation, not a single person managed to find peaceful sleep that night.
Cheng Tianbi and Cong Xia held hands, imagining various scenarios in Qinghai. They tossed and turned, finally greeting the first rays of morning sunlight with open eyes.
After breakfast, everyone started packing their belongings.
Deng Xiao looked at his mother with teary eyes, his heart filled with endless reluctance.
Deng Jieyun patted his head and choked, “Alright, behave like a man and go on.”
Cong Xia approached them, “Little Deng, sis… Sister Deng.” He took out a jade piece from his pocket and whispered, “Sister Deng, I crafted an energy armor in the past couple of days. We’re taking your son with us. I hope this can offer some protection for you.”
Deng Xiao sniffled, “Brother Cong, thank you.”
Deng Jieyun had already heard about this item. She accepted it and said, “Go with peace of mind. I can protect myself. I hope you’ll continue to look after this foolish son of mine.”
“Definitely.” After releasing the energy armor, Cong Xia left, giving the remaining time to the mother and son.
Half an hour later, everything was ready. Tang Tingzhi stood in place, lost in thought for a moment. Then he took a deep breath and declared loudly, “Let’s depart.”
One by one, the group boarded the transport plane. Deng Xiao bid farewell to his mother with tears in his eyes. He wiped his tears away and walked onto the plane without looking back.
Deng Jieyun stood in place with tears in her eyes, watching the plane slowly ascend and disappear from her sight.
Deng Xiao sobbed throughout the journey until they were nearing Qinghai, when he fell silent.
Cong Xia patted his back, comforting him silently. Eventually, even Abu mimicked Cong Xia, using its meaty paw to pat Deng Xiao’s back. Its watery purple eyes never blinked as they stared at Deng Xiao, emitting a soft, delicate sound. Abu could sense Deng Xiao’s emotions but couldn’t lick his face with its tongue, which frustrated it.
Tang Tingzhi’s voice came through the intercom, “We’re over Qinghai now. Prepare for landing.”
Deng Xiao lifted his head, wiped his face, and chuckled hoarsely, “I’m fine now. No matter what monsters and demons are in Qinghai, we’ll definitely make it out alive!”
Every person on the plane shared Deng Xiao’s resolve, driven by an intense survival instinct. They had gone through countless trials of blood and tears, and they were the bravest warriors. This time, they would face Qinghai—the very source of all challenges—with even stronger determination.
The plane landed.
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