Chapter 19: Helian's Scheme

  The wolf not only had strong strength, but also a surprising recovery ability. In just a few days, the little wolf was back to its normal self, lively and energetic, without any signs of having been injured recently. Hereno, who had absorbed the wolf's milk, wasn't as quick to recover as the little wolf, but he could at least walk on his own now. However, Heren reminded him repeatedly that he still couldn't engage in strenuous activities for the time being. Hereno didn't dare disobey, so he spent his days wandering around the cave entrance, feeling increasingly restless and uncomfortable. Moreover, he couldn't shake off the memory of the Jade Phoenix Tree and the mysterious little girl, and was constantly thinking of finding an opportunity to sneak out.

  The opportunity soon arrived, on this day, the adult Tianlang went out to forage, and Helian Shou also went out hunting. As soon as Helian Nu saw that the big Tianlang cave was empty, she immediately excitedly woke up the little Tianlang who was still sleeping soundly, and quietly walked in the direction of the Jade Phoenix Tree.

  Having learned from the previous experience, neither of them rushed along the road like they did in the first two times. Instead, they carefully remembered the characteristics along the way to prevent getting lost again. Even Hurennao, who was usually careless, secretly left marks on the road. He knew that deep within the Youyue Forest, there were countless dangers hidden, and if he wasn't careful, he might encounter another life-threatening situation like last time, and he couldn't always rely on good luck to wait for rescue.

  Because of his serious injury, Helian had to slow down his pace to prevent the wound that hadn't fully healed from splitting open. After a long time, Helian finally saw the Jade Phoenix Tree again. Without resting, Helian panted as he circled around the big tree searching everywhere, but still couldn't see the little girl's figure. Since she had experienced unpleasantness last time, the little girl wouldn't come here recently.

  Disappointed, Helianno couldn't find the little girl and his enthusiasm had dissipated halfway through the journey. He still remembered that he owed the girl some Jade Phoenix Liquid, so he reluctantly climbed up the tree to search for it with all fours. However, Xiao Tianlang didn't help him this time, instead chasing after butterflies near the Jade Phoenix Tree, playing and having fun. There were many butterflies here, which added a lot of joy to the lively little wolf.

  Just as they were having fun, the little wolf heard a loud crash from the tree above, and one of the branches of the Jade Phoenix Tree shook violently, causing petals to flutter down and cover Little Wolf's body. He shook off the petals on his head and looked up at the tree in confusion, only to see his companion Hurenno punching the trunk with his fists, while the wooden cup that was supposed to hold the Jade Phoenix liquid sat alone and tilted on a branch, clearly empty.

  The little wolf understood, and Hurenno, who couldn't bear the fruitless search any longer, was now venting his anger on an innocent tree trunk. The little wolf looked up at him with a low growl, trying to get his attention. Hurenno stopped abusing the tree when he heard the little wolf's voice and looked down, only to see the little wolf staring back at him with a warm expression, trying to comfort his partner. Unfortunately, the flower petals that had just fallen stuck to his face in a messy array of colors, making him look like an ugly woman from a past life smearing various things on her face to beautify herself. The comical scene completely ruined the warm atmosphere the little wolf was trying to create, and Hurenno couldn't help but burst out laughing. "Dunzi, your wolf face is so beautiful it's attracting butterflies to collect nectar! Hahaha!"

  As expected, at this moment, several spotted butterflies were fluttering around the fluffy head of Xiao Tianlang, apparently attracted by the flower petals on his head. He Lianuo laughed and suddenly seemed to remember something, excitedly shouting: "Wait, butterfly!", He Lianuo's eyes lit up with a smile, "Yes, butterfly! That little girl will choose the rarest Yu Huang liquid to collect, won't butterflies and bees go to collect it too? Collecting nectar is originally an instinct of butterflies and other insects. I suppose they will find the Yu Huang liquid much faster than humans. In this world where strength is respected, only the king of butterflies should have the qualification to collect the Yu Huang liquid. Then, if I can find the most beautiful butterfly, won't I be able to find the Yu Huang liquid by following its trail?" He Lianuo was inspired by his own thoughts and couldn't wait any longer. He picked up the wooden cup and jumped down from the giant tree, starting to search for the most beautiful butterfly along the direction of the extended branches.

  He Helian was still a child after all, having died young in his past life. Although he had lived two lives as a human, he hadn't seen much of the world and didn't have much experience to speak of. He simply assumed that butterflies could gather nectar faster than humans, but he hadn't thought about how long the nectar in just a few hundred flowers would last if butterflies were really that fast, or how a little girl like her could possibly collect it all.

  Moreover, is this little girl who freely roams in the depths of this demon moon really just an ordinary human?

  Unfortunately, Helianno, who was not yet deeply involved in the world, couldn't think of these things at all. He was just proud of his own brilliant ideas and ran around to find the most beautiful butterflies. The jade phoenix tree was extremely large, but not tall, as if it had used up all its nutrients to expand its trunk area. The branches were intertwined, and the flowers were extremely lush, making it difficult to search for them. Helianno brought Xiao Tianlang to search for half a day before finally finding several unusual butterflies near a tree trunk. These butterflies were not only unusually large but also had extremely colorful patterns. Their wings had long, colored streamers at the back, and when they flew, they fluttered and danced like the sleeves of a fairy dancing in the flowers. When the sunlight shone on them, it gave the observer an illusion that they were among the flower fairies.

  He Lian Nuo couldn't help but admire the beauty of the butterfly, looking up at the flowers where they landed, climbing up the tree in a few swift movements, one hand holding onto the trunk and the other gently shooing away the butterfly. She lowered her head to take a closer look, and indeed, within the tightly closed petals was a pool of transparent, viscous liquid. As she leaned in for a sniff, a refreshing and elegant aroma wafted into her nostrils, exactly like the fragrance of the Yu Huang liquor she had drunk that day. Although she had only tasted it once, its unique scent had left an indelible mark on He Lian Nuo's heart, impossible to forget.

  He Lianuo was overjoyed to see his plan working, and he quickly picked up the wooden cup hanging from his waist. He slowly tilted the flower petals, allowing the Yu Huang liquid to flow slowly into the wooden cup. The flower itself was extremely large, and although several giant butterflies were sucking on it, there was still a lot of Yu Huang liquid left over. With just one flower, He Lianuo had collected nearly half a cup of Yu Huang liquid. He couldn't stop smiling, but in his heart, he blamed himself for making the wooden cup too small, which wasn't enough to hold all the liquid from these few flowers. However, his hands didn't slow down at all. In an instant, he flipped through the surrounding flowers that the giant butterflies had sucked on, and as expected, he didn't leave empty-handed. Before half a day had passed, he had filled up the wooden cup in his hand.

  As the sun was about to set, Helian Nu had a mind to continue collecting, but she feared that the situation of getting lost in the previous few days would happen again. Moreover, the wooden cup she brought this time was already full, and there were no suitable containers around her, so she reluctantly bid farewell to the Jade Phoenix Tree and called out to the little Tianlang who was sleeping soundly under the tree to head back on their way.

  This time the sky was still early, and there were special marks left to guide the way. He Lianuo quickly brought Xiao Lang back to the Tianlang Cave. From afar, He Liansheng was standing straight in front of the cave, seemingly anxious about his return after a long absence. He Lianuo couldn't help but feel warmth in her heart and walked up to He Liansheng with her head down, saying: "Young uncle, I'm back."

  He Lian Nu had intended to scold He Lian Nuo, but when he looked down, he saw that He Lian Nuo was already anxiously looking at him. The animal hide clothes on his body were also covered in dust, and there were several places where they were torn open. At this point, he couldn't bear to scold him again, and instead coldly said: "Hmph, I haven't seen your tracks all day, where did you go? Didn't the last time's matter give you enough of a lesson?"

  Khaleno glanced at her younger uncle's gaze on the torn part of her clothes and couldn't help but worry that if he asked about it, she wouldn't be able to answer. She couldn't possibly tell him that this was from when she climbed a tree to pick honey and got caught on a branch, could she? Hearing that her uncle didn't ask any further questions, she let out a sigh of relief and said in a soft voice: "I went to play with Xiao Lang nearby, we lost track of time and before we knew it, the sun was setting. We were also afraid of running into another accident like last time, so we rushed back home. Please don't worry, uncle, I'll be more careful next time." Khaleno didn't want to let her uncle know about the Jade Phoenix Tree incident, not because she didn't trust him, but perhaps this was just a common trait among children - they all hoped to have secrets that were their own and unknown to adults. Children need love, care, and protection, but at the same time, they also hope to have their own world.

  He Lian hummed and stopped talking to He Lian Nuo, turned around and went back into the cave to prepare dinner. He Lian Nuo, seeing that he had escaped questioning, mischievously made a face at Xiao Lang and quickly followed him back into the cave.