They went back, retracing their steps all the way to the island's shore. Li Meirong called for Cai Huise, the resident Cat Spirit mount she had once befriended, and was pleasantly surprised to discover that he had promptly answered her call. His only response was; "I told you I'd come over when you call my name."
Li Meirong and her spirit pets departed the island without looking back.
Unbeknownst to any of them, out of Liang Rou Yan's corpse, a single sapling began to sprout. It grew out at an alarming, unnatural speed, until it reached full maturity. The tree developed long and thick roots, encasing Liang Rou Yan's dead body from head to toe.
Ultimately not a single trace of the dead captain from Bestiary Division could be seen anymore.
The tree's branches were like lightning forks, each carrying multitudes of small budding flowers that instantly bloomed and produced a scattering of pink blossoms. Eventually the tree turned heavy with bulbous, ripe fruits.
