Chapter 6: The Juice of the Ziziphus Tree

  With a full basket of Lianyou's gifts, Shen Bailong set off immediately to return to Ju Chao country. The old man and the others saw that the Li Xiang Cao had been brought back, and they hastily crushed it and applied it to the injured parts of several small monsters, and the frostbite was greatly relieved. He Biao and the other monsters couldn't help but smile, and each took their children home without mentioning it again.

  He Huan and the others soon recovered, using a medicinal paste made from lychee grass, their injuries improved day by day. However, just as several small demons on this side were fine, Shen Qing was lying in bed on the other side.

  Seeing her mother's body getting worse with more and more eddies, Shen Bailian naturally didn't have the heart to go play by the lake anymore. She had to serve soup and medicine in front of Shen Danqing's bed every day, and at night she would sleep on a low couch in her mother's room. However, despite this, Shen Danqing was getting weaker and more haggard day by day.

  On this day, He Yi and Hua Hongyan brought several little monsters to Shen's house to thank Shen Baiying. Who would have thought that Shen Danqing was furious with his son due to his poor health in recent days, and poured all the herbal medicine on Shen Baiying's clothes? When Shen Baiying opened the door, her sleeves still had brown medicinal stains, which were seen by them, and she couldn't help but look a little embarrassed.

  "In the silence, He Xiu cleared his throat and said in a pretentious tone: 'Cough... Bai Ying Ge, I heard from my mother that you specially went to the mainland to pick herbs for us, and even got hurt on the way back. We're all better now, so we came to... uh, thank you.'"

  "We thought and thought, but didn't know what to bring as a gift. In the end, it was that stinky little kid He Yi who came up with something!" Hua Hongyan laughed, pointing at He Yi with her tail, "Your mother hasn't been feeling well lately, we've all heard about it, so we found some tonics and brought them over. Not sure if they'll be useful or not, but it's our good intention anyway, just take it!" As she spoke, she handed over a lotus leaf tube.

  The lotus leaf tube felt heavy in his hand, and inside it seemed to have the sound of rushing water. Shen Bailian asked curiously: "What kind of tonic is this?"

  Upon hearing this question, He Yi beamed with delight and said: "This is indeed a rare elixir in the world... That wonderful medicine, just give it to your mother to take, and I guarantee that as soon as the medicine takes effect... her illness will be cured!"

  "Pshaw! You're bragging again!" Huā Hóng Yàn bluntly exposed his hypocrisy. "Bǎi Yīng brother, this is the juice we extracted from that ancient juniper tree on Bǎi Yīng Island. My father said it's been alive for thousands of years, absorbing who-knows-how-much essence from the earth. Ordinary demons would be more than satisfied with just a tiny bit, and I'm sure it'll do wonders for Auntie's body. Don't decline it!"

  Shen Bailian half-believed and half-doubted, and took down the juice of the Zuo Sang tree. That night, she soaked the medicinal herbs in it to absorb all the liquid, and then presented it to her mother to take. Unexpectedly, the tree juice really had some unusual effects - Shen Danqing not only had more color on her face, but also had some energy in her hands and feet, and was even able to sit up from bed, and spoke a few words with Shen Bailian in a rather calm tone.

  The tree sap was used up in just a few days, and Shen Bailian felt relieved. He had to find He Rui again. The little alligator spirit was quite straightforward and promised to accompany him to find medicine for his mother after hearing the news. With great enthusiasm, he set off with Hua Hongyan, and the three little demons quietly left their nest country and arrived at Lake Bailian's beach.

  Bai Ling Zhou is located in the heart of the lake, hidden deep within the dense fog, and is not visible to ordinary people. However, for the small demons of Ju Chao country who float up and down without a fixed shape, it's a great place to have fun. Shen Bai Ling, due to her mother's strict discipline, had never played with other little demons together, but she had seen them from afar several times.

  Upon arriving at the lake shore, three little demons walked a short distance on the soft yellow sand, turned several times and arrived in front of a small hill. Wearing crimson clothes, Shen Bailong dripped water all along the way, but he didn't have time to pay attention, only looking up with his eyes wide open. He saw that behind the hill, the mist gradually dispersed, and as far as the eye could see, it was all a deep green, with ancient trees reaching the sky. A huge island was hidden behind a giant tree. The canopy of the giant tree was like a magnificent umbrella, with layers upon layers of leaves, some as large as boats on Lake Tai, stretching out endlessly.

  He Qiuhe and Hua Hongyan had already climbed up a thick old root with their hands and feet, surrounded by several people. Shen Bailian, who was still standing there with his mouth agape, shouted: "Bailian, come on up!"

  This mulberry tree has been on Baiyong Island for thousands of years, its roots are like a dragon that emerges from the ground, entwining and wrapping around the island. The old roots are knotted together with countless gaps, some of which are several feet long and wide, and if you're not careful, you'll fall into them.

  Shen Bailian borrowed the strength of He Yi to climb up a treetop with great difficulty. The branches below were as thick as the thigh of a grown-up strong demon, but on this old tree, they seemed as small as a single hair on an ox's body. Bailian had never been to such a high place before and felt that her buttocks were empty and swaying, looking down made her feel dizzy, so she hurriedly grasped the trunk tightly.

  "Hurry up, hurry up! The eagle demons of Bai Feng Zhou are very petty, if we're discovered stealing their tree sap, the few of us will be in big trouble!"

  "Must the tree sap be fetched from such a high place?" Shen Bailian was somewhat acrophobic, and couldn't help but glance down at the ground from time to time, looking very worried.

  "He said, 'Those eagle monsters are very protective of the trees and treat them as treasures. They wouldn't easily give away the best sap from the heart of the tree. They dug a hole at the top of the tree and collected some sap inside. The ones we gave to Aunt were scooped from there.'"

  Just then, the branches suddenly swayed violently, a strong gust of wind swept up from below, covering the entire island, and the white mist on the island was blown away in an instant. The sound of the wind was deafening, and the rustling of the leaves above sounded like thunder. Meanwhile, countless strange birds let out long, mournful cries, making even the demon's heart tremble with fear. Shen Bailian felt her heart pounding wildly, using all four limbs to hug the tree trunk tightly, but on her face, she struggled to maintain a calm and composed expression, refusing to show even a hint of cowardice.

  The wind gradually subsided, and Bai Feng finally calmed down a bit, loosening his grip on the tree trunk. Just as he was about to catch his breath, a strange gust of wind came from behind him, accompanied by a burst of eerie cackling, almost blowing Bai Feng off the treetop.

  "Hum, you few little demons, dare to covet our divine water, how detestable! I, Zhu Yu, have heard everything clearly, don't think you'll get away with it!"

  Bai Ling turned her head to look back. She saw a red-clothed child with wings on his back standing on a branch not far away, sneering at the three of them with a slanted gaze. The little face was indeed chubby and cute, but a pair of eagle-like eyes shone brightly, adding a few points of evil spirit.

  "Ah, you little scoundrel!" Huahong Yan angrily said, "You're also a little devil yourself, how dare you speak of us?"

  The red-clothed child looked at her with a straight eye, and after just one glance, his face changed color. He shouted in a sharp voice: "No wonder there was a stench in the wind today! It turned out to be you, this smelly snake, and you brought two smelly fish along!"

  "You stink, you little bird!" Flower Hong Yan's anger flared up, and she didn't bother to look for the tree sap anymore. Instead, she immediately got into a fight with the eagle demon Zhu Yu.

  Shen Bailian's eyes widened in shock, and she couldn't help but ask in a low voice: "They... what deep hatred do they have?"

  "Hehe, you don't know, Baifeng... Zhu Yu is simply the bane of Hong Yan's existence. Last time, Hong Yan found a black pearl on the lake shore, round and shiny, but that little bird saw it from the tree and insisted that Hong Yan give it to him, saying this was his territory, so the pearl naturally belonged to him too... wasn't he trying to drive Hong Yan mad? But even with Pu Jian and me, we three couldn't beat him, and he snatched the pearl away. Later, that little bird seemed to have set its sights on Hong Yan, no matter what treasure she got, it would come to snatch it, and whenever they met, they'd fight and quarrel, quite a spectacle! Hehe... but now, how are we going to get the tree sap?"

  Shen Bailian furrowed her brow, looked up at the top, and felt that the branches were lush and the trunk was straight into the sky. She didn't know when she could climb to the end, so she said to He Rui: "I'm not as good at climbing as you are. Take advantage of their quarrel, go up and fetch some tree sap from the other side. Zhu Yu won't be able to see you."

  He nodded hastily, took the lotus leaf tube and hung it around his neck, then shook his head and tail and crawled away. The movement was so agile that it didn't seem like a crocodile, but rather a mischievous monkey jumping up and down. Before long, he disappeared behind the dense foliage.

  Shen Baiyun turned back, and the scene in front of her changed again. She saw feathers flying everywhere, scales falling all over the place, a strange gust of wind from the east, and a stream of toxic liquid from the west. The eagle and the snake had already clashed in a chaotic battle.

  That Zhu Yu has transformed back to its original form, a majestic and powerful eagle. If it weren't for its young age, it would be even larger. Its beak is hooked and its claws are sharp, making it extremely fierce. Suddenly, it let out a loud cry: "Take another taste of my Crazy Wind Blade!" A strong gust of wind mixed with the sound of breaking air came straight at them, but it was slightly off target, heading towards Shen Bai Lian's face instead of Hua Hong Yan's.

  Shen Bailian was caught off guard and only managed to block with her arm, but her upper body leaned back, and she involuntarily flipped over and fell.

  "Ah, be careful!"

  "Ba Ling Ge——!"

  On the tree, Zhu Yu and Hua Hongyan shouted in unison.

  Shen Bailian only felt a gust of wind by her ear, her body rapidly falling, the scenery in front of her flashing by like lightning, leaving behind a blurred mess of colors in her pupils.

  Suddenly, everything before her eyes turned black, and the originally lush surroundings were reduced to a narrow line in front of her. Shen Bailian opened her eyes wide, and instantly found herself falling backwards onto the ground.

  He rolled on the ground, feeling a sharp pain in his back, but nothing else out of the ordinary. Just then, he heard a rustling sound, and it turned out that Shen Baiying had fallen from the treetop and landed in a crevice at the base of an old tree, on top of a layer of withered leaves that had accumulated there for years. The giant leaves had not rotted away, and today they served as a cushion, narrowly saving Baiying's life.

  Shen Bailian lay on his back on the pile of dry leaves, gradually feeling the pain in his back subside, but a new worry slowly rising in his heart. He had fallen into this tree hole, with only a sliver of light left above him, and he didn't know how to climb back up to the ground, nor did he know when River Yi and Hua Hongyan would find him. The little alligator spirit was probably still sucking on the sap of the tree, as for Hua Hongyan... she must be using the excuse of avenging herself to fight with Zhu Yu again, and it was another matter altogether when she would think of him.

  The more she thought about it, the more suffocated she felt. Shen Bailian decided to turn over and get up, looking around for any tree roots that could be climbed. It's better to rely on oneself than to wait for others, so instead of sitting here waiting in vain, she might as well think of a way to climb up herself.

  In the darkness, another strong gust of wind swept by, bringing with it the fragrance of mud and leaves that hit Bai Feng's face painfully. The sound of the wind was like a horse whinnying or a lion roaring, shaking the dry leaves beneath her feet to make crunching sounds, while the tangled tree roots above her head shook violently from bottom to top, causing clumps of mud to fall down with a rustling sound.

  Shen Bailian's eyes widened in disbelief, although he had heard the elder mention it before, that Bailian Island gathered the power of the wind spirits, and from time to time there were strong winds, which attracted a group of eagle demons. But only today did he realize that this wind was actually born from underground!