This place must be comfortable enough to let a pine become a spirit. Now that the old Taoist priest is buried here, he must be living comfortably. He didn't enjoy much fortune in his life, but in death, he should at least get to enjoy some bliss!
She thought it over and found herself in a bind,
"You're so big, how can I take you with me?"
She surely couldn't shoulder a log and walk out of the mountain, right?
The Pine Tree Spirit was overjoyed at her words and hurriedly replied,
"That's easy, just find something to split my body open, and I'll be able to come out... After I'm out, you can put your master in here... That will save on a coffin..."
That's a Tree Coffin!
Indeed, it was perfect, economical and environmentally friendly—a millennium-old Tree Spirit as a coffin, even emperors in the secular world didn't have such luxury!
Gu Shi Yi went back, found an axe, and split the large pine tree, which was too big for two people to embrace. As she did, a green light shot out, whirling around Gu Shi Yi. She gathered some mud in a broken pot, and the green light dived right in, transforming into a small sapling. The Pine Tree Spirit flexed its new form and said,
"It's a bit cramped in such a small space, and I won't make things difficult for you. I know there's nothing good on this mountain. After we go down the mountain, find me a bigger place..."
Gu Shi Yi rolled her eyes and said without enthusiasm,
"Got it!"
So, Gu Shi Yi spent another day hollowing out a space in the pine tree, just large enough to accommodate a body. She then went down the mountain to buy funeral clothes, dressed the old Taoist priest herself, and sealed him inside the Tree Coffin. As she nailed the coffin shut, she cried, sealing her own master in the darkness of the tree trunk forever.
After doing all this, Gu Shi Yi returned to the temple, feeling as if she had been completely drained. She entered the hall, sat on her bed, and stared blankly at the empty bed in the corner. It was only after a long while that she lay down, exhausted, and fell asleep.
As soon as she fell asleep, all that was left were the little Mud Man on the table and the green, sprightly sapling in the broken pot, having a silent stare-off,
"Hey, I've seen you before. Gu Shi Yi brought you here..."
After thinking for a moment, the sapling said,
"She calls you Yanyan, doesn't she?"
The Little Mud Man nodded and replied,
"I am Li Yanyan. And you... what should I call you?"
When Gu Shi Yi had brought Li Yanyan to the mountaintop earlier, the Pine Tree Spirit had been too aloof to interact with this newcomer. Gu Shi Yi had called out for a long time without any response from it, and Yanyan had also not spoken to it, so its name was, at present, unknown. Considering age, the Tree Spirit had been alive for a thousand years. However, as Shiyi had said, the age of sentient plants and animals was counted from the day of their enlightenment. So by that logic, it was only about two years old.
Indeed, the sapling seemed confused for a moment before replying,
"I don't have a name..."
Then it continued in a fierce tone,
"It doesn't matter whether I have a name or not. All you need to know is that besides Gu Shi Yi, I am the boss here!"
"Uh..."
Li Yanyan was a bit startled,
"Right! I'm older than you. You have to listen to me from now on. Don't fight me for territory, don't compete with me for sunlight, don't vie with me for water. Do you hear me?"
The Tree Spirit naturally tried to claim its territory.
The sapling in the broken pot shook its few leaves violently, as if threatening to leap out and smack the little clay figure if it disagreed. Yanyan found it somewhat amusing and thought to herself,
"Just like Shiyi said..."
Shiyi had told her that these trees, just like people, would vie for resources when growing on the same land, struggling for water, land, and sunlight. The old pine, having withstood the weathering of wind and sun on the mountaintop and absorbing nature's spiritual energy, had become a spirit. It was not the kind old pine grandfather often depicted on TV!
"Just look at the barren mountaintop without a single blade of grass, and you'll know it's no good!"
These were Gu Shi Yi's exact words. Yanyan, considering herself a person, wouldn't quarrel with a tree, so she nodded and agreed,
"Alright, I won't compete with you..."
After all, she had no use for sunlight or water!
The Pine Tree Spirit was instantly pleased with her understanding and, after a moment of thought, asked her,
"Who gave you your name?"
Li Yanyan replied,
"My parents gave it to me..."
The Pine Tree Spirit was a bit troubled,
"I don't have parents... Who will give me a name?"
It couldn't even explain its origins. Yanyan thought for a moment and then said,
"You were born from nature's spiritual energy, nurtured by heaven and earth, so it's like you are naturally raised. You can pick your own name!"
The Pine Tree Spirit was elated and, after thinking for a while, asked Li Yanyan,
"What do you think of the name 'Big Boss'?"
Li Yanyan was stunned,
"That... name..."
If some mountain tiger or lion had turned into a spirit, calling itself Big Boss would be quite fitting. But a pine tree named Big Boss... wasn't that a bit odd?
"What's the matter... do you think it's a bad name, or do you think I'm not worthy of being called Big Boss?"