Chapter Seven: The Pearl of Lake Zhou

  The wind howled ceaselessly, Shen Bailian stood still in the darkness, his wet clothes unknowingly blown dry at some point, his sleeves puffed up high and fluttering loudly, when suddenly a corner of it was whipped up and slapped against his face.

  Shen Bailian suddenly woke up, rubbing her cheek in surprise and staring uncertainly in the direction of the wind. As far as the eye could see, it was pitch black.

  What a strong wind!

  Curiosity arose, and Shen Bailian unconsciously took a few steps in that direction. At this time, his eyes had adapted to the dim light underground, and he saw that although the front was also overgrown with old dry reeds, with long roots and large clumps of mud, there were some gaps among the dense and layered tree roots, which could be crawled through by a small child, like a winding underground corridor.

  That wind was gushing out from the gaps between these tree roots.

  The wind had subsided, and the gusts on his face no longer felt sharp as knives. Shen Bailian looked for a while, but couldn't bear the doubts in her mind, so she jumped down from the pile of dead leaves and walked towards the corridor covered with tree roots.

  In the tree hole, it's not as easy as walking on flat ground. Shen Bailian stumbled and staggered, several times failing to notice the old roots lying across the path that tripped her up. After about half an hour of walking, the small winding path in the trunk still seemed to have no end.

  He felt a growing sense of anxiety in his heart, and when he turned back to look, the place where he had fallen was already hidden behind thick tree roots. In front of him, except for the gentle breeze, there was only an indistinct and intangible darkness.

  Having come all the way here, how can you still turn back? Shen Baiying was not as physically strong as other little monsters, but she was very stubborn. She gritted her teeth and ran forward with big strides, determined to find the source of the wind no matter what.

  After walking for a long time, Shen Bailian was panting and his mouth was dry. He wasn't as strong as other demons like Kong Wu, and being small with short legs, he had already become somewhat tired after half a day of walking. Moreover, the tree roots ahead were becoming increasingly dense, no longer as easy to pass through as before. He sidled and crouched down, squeezing between two thick tree roots, unconsciously slowing his pace.

  At this moment, the wind in front suddenly became fierce again, like a huge wave rushing forward, if Shen Bailian hadn't relied on a row of old roots to stand firm, she would have been blown down by the strong wind. The row of roots hanging in front was also blown into disarray by the strong wind, pointing in all directions, and in the deeper darkness, a flash of light suddenly appeared.

  That faint light was extremely weak, like a dying incense stick that only flickered for a moment, but in the dimness it left a deep impression on Shen Bailian's eyes.

  What was that? As if she had found hope, Shen Bailian suddenly regained her strength and squeezed forward with force.

  When she once again parted the two intertwined rhizomes and drilled through them, Shen Bailian saw light again.

  This time it was clearer, although still a distance away, but already visible as a faintly glowing green mass. The mass of light suddenly grew brighter and then dimmer, illuminating the surrounding area in an eerie and mysterious way.

  What's even rarer is that the closer you get to this place, the stronger the wind becomes. However, not even a strong gust of wind can blow away these roots wrapped in green light. Those old roots are as sturdy as copper or iron, firmly rooted in the mud, without any sign of being shaken.

  This made Shen Bailian suffer, on the one hand enduring the wind blowing in his face with mud, and on the other hand trying his best to open a small path among the countless tree roots that were nowhere to be found. He kicked and stomped, his palms were rubbed sore, and his hands and feet were numb and aching, but he finally managed to get close to that green light.

  At this time, the green light suddenly dimmed, but what was in front of him became even clearer. Shen Baiying let out a sound of surprise and couldn't help but lean in closer, her face almost touching the thick tree root that wrapped around the emerald green sphere, only to see that nestled among the roots was a palm-sized, crystal clear pale green orb.

  The wind gradually subsided, and the tree hole was quiet. Only that small green bead, shining like a moon, clear as jade, flashing in the darkness, emitting an unparalleled light. Shen Bailian's face was illuminated by the green light, his eyes were starry, he stood still on the spot, looking at the round bead within arm's reach, and was slightly infatuated.

  Shen Bailian had already vaguely sensed that this bead was likely the source of the great wind, and he also guessed that it was a rare treasure. He thought for a moment, stretched out one hand, paused for a moment, but then reached out with complete stability, without even half a tremble, to grab that pale green bead.

  It turned out that the green bead was nestled in the roots of the tree, and Shen Bailian only stretched out his hand and easily picked it up without much effort. He paused for a moment, looking at the small hand that couldn't wrap around the green bead, and slowly felt a surge of joy in his heart. Shen Bailian lowered his head to admire the bead, feeling that it was even more smooth and round when viewed closely, with a hint of spirituality. The green bead seemed to know that it had been rescued by Shen Bailian from the constraints of the giant tree's roots, and its green light shone brightly, trembling slightly in his hand, occasionally sending out a few wisps of small whirlwinds that wrapped around his arm, but disappeared as soon as they touched him, completely unlike the fierce gusts it had released earlier.

  But in an instant, there was a rustling sound in the darkness. Shen Bailian initially only looked at the pearl smiling, until several tree roots beside her also started trembling, and she suddenly realized it, looking around in surprise.

  The originally dense and tightly packed tree roots suddenly loosened, like they had lost their mainstay. Just a moment ago, they were still tightly entwined, but now they seemed to be flying apart like separated lovers, as if they couldn't wait to separate by several feet. But this was happening underground, where the soil of Bai Ling Zhou was almost completely penetrated by the old roots of this ancient tree. How could such a commotion not affect the surface above? At first, only small amounts of dirt were falling from the top, but soon large clumps of earth and rocks the size of heads began to crash down.

  Shen Bailian was terrified, one hand grasping the crystal ball and the other covering her forehead to avoid the falling debris. Suddenly, a brilliant green light burst forth from her left hand holding the crystal ball, a refreshing energy slowly rising along her left arm, and that emerald glow gradually enveloped her body.

  A strong gust of wind suddenly rose, gathering from all directions. Shen Bailian was both startled and delighted, feeling that the refreshing air had gradually spread throughout his body, cool but not cold, making him feel as if he had escaped into an ice cave on a sweltering summer day, extremely comfortable and refreshing.

  In the midst of the emerald light, a strong gust of wind had already enveloped Shen Bailian. The crimson clothes fluttered unceasingly, and Shen Bailian felt as if her feet had suddenly left the ground, yet she was now lightly suspended in mid-air.

  Before Shen Bailian could react, a green light suddenly appeared under his feet. A strong gust of wind swept through the entire underground tree cave at this moment, and Shen Bailian felt a powerful force pushing him upwards, causing him to float up into the air.

  Along the way, every tree root was violently shaking, and countless clods of earth came crashing down but were blown away by the strong wind to both sides. Suddenly, the darkness in front of him cleared, transforming into dazzling sunlight. Shen Bailian's feet touched solid ground, and the green light surrounding her gradually dissipated, and she found herself back on the ground. She saw the sky again, feeling a sharp pain in her eyes, and hurriedly closed them.

  "Baoyu, Baoyu, I've finally found you!" Not far away, the sound of He San's cheers came, "Hongyan, Hongyan - hurry down, stop fighting!"

  Shen Bailian narrowed her eyes and looked forward, only to see a short and stout figure jumping down from the tree and landing right in front of her. He Xilei gleefully shook the lotus leaf tube hanging from his neck: "Look, it's full! Those stupid birds didn't find any, hehe!"

  Shen Bailian was overjoyed in her heart and smiled: "He Yi, you really have your ways."

  Hehe, with a pleased smile, he said: "That's it, I'm not good at anything else, climbing trees to steal bird eggs is no problem. Now that we have Auntie's medicine in hand, let's slip away... isn't that great?"

  At this time, only the rustling sound of the tree was heard, and it turned out that Hua Hongyan was not seriously injured after being knocked down by Zhu Yu. Fortunately, she didn't fall from a great height, except for breaking off many branches, she didn't suffer any major injuries.

  Huā Hóng Yān struggled to get up from the ground, still seething with anger. Shen Bai Ling and He Yi couldn't leave her alone to fight that little eagle demon again, so they hastily supported her on either side and rushed back into the lake.

  Having obtained the sap of the mulberry tree, Shen Baiyun immediately soaked the medicinal herbs in the liquid according to the previous method and decocted them for his mother to take. Shen Danqing's body gradually improved day by day, and after a few days, she was able to get out of bed and walk around. Although she still couldn't avoid some minor ailments, compared to the previous few days, it was already a great improvement. Seeing this, Shen Baiyun also put his mind at ease.

  On this day, Shen Bailian went to the back house to retrieve medicine from the bronze cauldron where she usually stored herbs. As soon as her hand reached in, her fingertips touched a round object that was very smooth. She took it out and looked at it, and it turned out to be the green pearl she had obtained when she went to Bailianzhou with He Rongyu that day. It turned out that after Shen Bailian brought the green pearl back home, she was busy decocting tonic medicine for her mother, and casually put it in the bronze cauldron along with the remaining tree juice, and in the chaos, she had forgotten about it.

  At this time, Shen Bailian put the green pearl into her arms and reached out to touch the medicine. Who knew that after exploring again and again, the belly of the cauldron was empty. Because Shen Qing had been bedridden for several days, Shen Bailian didn't have time to go ashore to collect medicine. With nothing coming in and everything going out, the herbs in the cauldron were gradually taken away, leaving only a few residual leaves.

  Shen Bailian had no choice but to put on her lotus-leaf basket and leave the house again, fortunately Shen Danqing was recovering well, and there was nothing to worry about at home.

  When I finally arrived at the top of Chaohu Lake, all I saw was misty fog on the lake, and water flowing everywhere, swirling around in one direction. Even the vast white fog was twisted into whirlpools, which looked quite cute and playful at first glance, but soon dispersed again after a while.

  Shen Bailian had been walking for a while, and the mist in front of her gradually revealed layer upon layer of shallow shadows. A strip of green color appeared and disappeared, and soon the mist dispersed, revealing the sound of lake water lapping against the shore. A row of weeping willows became clearly visible, and it turned out that she had already arrived at the shores of Chao Lake.

  He hadn't been to this small grove for many days, but he missed it dearly. He walked familiarly into the woods and sat down on a large rock, casually plucking a blade of grass and putting it between his lips before rolling up his sleeves.

  The long shirt was soaked in the lake water and was very heavy, Bai Feng rolled up his sleeves high, revealing a pair of pale and transparent arms that had been soaked in water, pinched the grass leaf and licked his lips, then blew a small tune along the leaf.

  This tune was often hummed by his mother, with a long and slow melody, mixed with a sense of desolation. At this time, the wind blew through the grass, carrying the sound far away, drifting and disappearing without knowing where it went.

  Shen Bailian closed her eyes, following the memory to blow the leaves, and the pitch gradually became higher. Suddenly, she heard a "ding" sound, and the melody stopped abruptly. It turned out that the leaf was fragile and had broken.

  He lowered his head and chuckled, having no choice but to discard the remaining leaves. Just as he was adjusting the wide sleeves that had slipped down to his wrists, a palm suddenly landed on his back, followed by a clear and crisp voice exclaiming: "Shen Gege, I've finally caught up with you!"