Although these wooden monsters are only human-waist-high, they have complete features, with hands and feet – strictly speaking, they are like small wooden people.
They surrounded Yu Su and Lu Yan. The leading wooden monster held a wooden staff, appearing to be the chief mage of the wooden monster group. He spoke, "You claim to be guided by Lord Qing Ze. What evidence do you have?"
Yu Su was surprised to hear them speak, not expecting wooden monsters to communicate.
He extended his hand, revealing the mark left by Qing Ze on his hand.
The chief wooden monster mage, upon seeing the mark, exclaimed, showing admiration. Other wooden monsters gathered and began discussing:
"It's indeed the mark of Lord Qing Ze!"
"Why did Lord Qing Ze give his mark to this human?"
"It's been so long since Lord Qing Ze visited us."
"Let's snatch his mark, and then Lord Qing Ze's mark will be ours."
...
Yu Su immediately withdrew his hand. He couldn't believe they were openly discussing taking his mark.
The wooden monster chief mage coughed, silencing the others, and said to Yu Su, "Since you were guided by Lord Qing Ze, we won't drive you away. What does Lord Qing Ze want you to do?"
Yu Su: "I came to see the Tree of Life."
The wooden monster chief mage asked sternly, "You want to see Lord Tree God? For what purpose?"
Yu Su: "I have some matters to discuss with him."
The chief wooden monster mage scrutinized him for a while, then said, "Wait."
After saying that, he led the wooden monsters away, seemingly going to consult the Tree of Life.
Yu Su and Lu Yan stayed put, waiting for the wooden monsters to return.
After about twenty minutes, a wooden monster approached and asked them to follow.
Yu Su and Lu Yan got up, following the wooden monster toward the center of the island.
As they walked deeper, the wood spirit became denser, and exotic flowers and plants became more abundant. However, Yu Su refrained from looking around too much, respecting the rules of the Tree of Life's territory.
Perhaps satisfied with Yu Su and Lu Yan's behavior, when they reached the canopy of the Tree of Life, they were greeted by a gentle aura.
Under the canopy, they saw the wooden monsters' homes, constructed around the Tree of Life, stacked and intertwined, creating a beautiful scene.
Looking up, it seemed like the structures extended to the canopy above the trunk.
When sunlight filtered through the canopy, casting warm green and golden hues on the buildings, it created a mesmerizing halo.
Yu Su was amazed, deeply impressed by the architectural craftsmanship.
"It's beautiful here," he couldn't help but praise.
The guiding wooden monster snorted, "Of course, we, the wooden monsters, are master builders."
Perhaps Yu Su's compliment pleased the wooden monsters, as the guiding wooden monster's tone improved when they reached the main trunk of the Tree of Life. "Go ahead; Lord Tree God is waiting for you. Also, show respect and no rudeness to Lord Tree God, understood?"
Yu Su nodded, "I understand."
Yu Su and Lu Yan approached the main trunk of the Tree of Life, offering a bow.
"Hello, Lord Tree God. I am Yu Su, the witch doctor of Yu Village, and this is Lu Yan, the leader of our Yu Village's Five Elements Warriors. Guided by Lord Mountain God, we have come to visit you."
The trunk of the Tree of Life displayed the visage of a benevolent old man. It looked at Yu Su and Lu Yan, finally focusing on Yu Su. Its voice was deep, "You carry the pure power of wood spirit and the aura of Qing Ze; indeed, you are the chosen one. It wouldn't lead humans here without reason. Speak of your purpose."
Yu Su explained, "I have a request from you. I've come to seek a treasure of wood spirit."
The Tree of Life responded, "The treasure of wood spirit is my essence. Why should I give it to you, especially when you burned the water snake that guarded my premises? I tolerated you because of Qing Ze's face."
Yu Su was puzzled; the snake was guarding the Tree of Life?
Informed by the all-spirit, Yu Su discovered, "Master, the Tree of Life has an issue in its aura. I scanned it and found its roots are decaying. It is sick."
Surprised, Yu Su looked up and saw some slightly yellowed leaves. Normally, the Tree of Life wouldn't shed leaves unless it approached the end of its life.
Thinking for a moment, Yu Su asked the all-spirit, "Is there a way to cure it?"
The all-spirit explained, "The disease is caused by a type of bug similar to the white bullworm. Unlike the white bullworm, which eats decaying roots, this bug feeds on fresh ones and secretly consumes spirit power."
"These bugs are natural enemies of all spirit trees, buried deep underground. Even the wooden monsters can't deal with them. Though the Tree of Life is rare, it is helpless against these enemies. The solution is simple – use a pesticide targeting plant roots."
"..."
"Pesticide?"
"Sure, I have the formula, and the materials are easy to find. Let's go ashore and make the medicine."
The all-spirit provided the formula to Yu Su, who sighed in relief. The materials were indeed easy to find, even on the plain.
Addressing the Tree of Life again, Yu Su apologized, "Lord Tree God, I didn't know the water snake was a beast guarding your premises. As compensation, if I can cure your illness, I hope you'll consider granting me the treasure of wood spirit."
The Tree of Life questioned, "How do you know I'm sick?"
Yu Su replied, "Some of your leaves are turning yellow."
The Tree of Life countered, "Even so, you don't know what disease I have."
Yu Su smiled, "I've raised spirit trees; I understand the situation. Your surface seems fine, so it must be an issue with the roots. This island's underground likely has a spirit vein, continuously supplying you with spirit power. The problem shouldn't be a lack of power. It's probably these bugs that specifically gnaw on spirit tree roots. I can prepare a pesticide."
The Tree of Life's gaze changed. These bugs had troubled it for a long time. It tried to repel them, but as a living being, it had its own natural enemies, and these pesky bugs were among them.
Facing these enemies for centuries, especially now that they had infested its main roots, it was on the verge of succumbing to the decay of its roots.
Originally, it thought this was its destiny, and it had come to terms with it. Unexpectedly, this human claimed to have a solution.
Reluctantly, it agreed, "Fine, if you can truly cure my illness, I won't blame you for killing the water snake. I'll even grant you the treasure of wood spirit."
Yu Su excitedly thanked, "Thank you. I'll go ashore now to find the materials for the pesticide. Once it's prepared, I'll come back."
The Tree of Life warned, "Don't get too excited. If your medicine fails, I won't make a deal with you."
"I understand. Please await my good news,"
Yu Su said before bidding farewell to the Tree of Life and heading back to the shore.
On the other side, after Yu Su and Lu Yan left, the wooden monsters gathered around the Tree of Life, watching it with concern.
"Lord Tree God, can they really cure your illness?"
"Let's wait and see. I believe Qing Ze won't deliberately harm me."
"May the heavens show mercy. I hope they can truly heal you."
The wooden monsters, filled with worry, embraced the Tree of Life, shedding tears.
The Tree of Life, with an expression of disdain, thought to itself, "If only these were not my own people, I would have thrown them away."
...
Yu Su and Lu Yan returned to the wooden boat, rowing back to the shore.
Lu Yan asked, "Where should we find the materials to make the pesticide?"
Yu Su replied, "We should be able to find them on this plain. Let's explore around here."
Those bugs were natural enemies of spirit trees, but their resistance was low. With the right pesticide, they could be easily eliminated. So, finding the materials wasn't a difficult task.
Lu Yan nodded.
The two retraced their steps from the water area and explored various places to gather the remaining materials. Then, they began studying how to make the pesticide.
Luckily, Yu Su's spatial storage contained many items, making the process convenient.
After a few failed attempts, they finally produced a qualified insecticide.After passing the examination by the all-spirit, Yu Su, accompanied by it, returned to the water area with Lu Yan.