Chapter 45: The Tree Demoness Lady Willow, Unmatched Orator of the World

The sudden display of weakness from the tree demon left Zhang Kai momentarily unsure of how to respond. It was a lack of experience, really, but also—when someone humbles themselves like this, continuing to bully them brings a strange sense of shame.

“So? If you think it’s not enough, you can keep bargaining. Haggling is practically a favorite pastime of your kind, isn’t it?” the tree demon continued, determined to carry this transaction through to the end and showing no inclination toward conflict.

“Wait, let me straighten things out. What were we discussing just now?” Zhang Kai asked.

“You wanted these few weasels, and you want me to swear an oath,” the tree demon reminded him.

“No, earlier than that.”

“You wanted to do me… Oh, I see. Well, go ahead, whatever position you prefer, I’ll try to accommodate. Though, let me offer a suggestion: my kind thrives best in the old tree’s tangled roots—that’s my most natural state.” She fluttered her eyes at Zhang Kai, her gaze alluring.

Zhang Kai’s face darkened.

Damn it, screw you.

This creature really isn’t human—utterly shameless.

“Forget it, let’s talk about something else. What’s your background, exactly?” Zhang Kai asked directly.

She replied, “Me? I’m a spirit of a thousand-year-old willow, isn’t that obvious? My name is Willow Lady Second, because the one who planted me was Willow Lady First, so I consider myself the second—perfectly reasonable. And just so you know, in my formed shape, I have nine-tenths of my elder sister’s beauty, an unmatched radiance. Back then, countless monsters coveted my looks, even some gods sought my hand, but I refused them all. Now, you’re the lucky one—if you decline, there won’t be another chance.”

“Be serious,” Zhang Kai said, irritated.

“Serious? Ha! I’ve seen more men than you’ve eaten meals, and you want me to be serious? Those words were invented by men as a veil for their own shame. Don’t you know what you all really want?” The tree demon looked at him with contempt.

Zhang Kai was speechless.

All right.

This woman has lived for millennia and is far too experienced.

He knew not to get tangled in this conversation—it would never end otherwise.

“Is there really only one anomaly in the hundred-mile radius of Beard Mountain?” Zhang Kai steered the topic.

“There’s only me left now. There used to be a mountain god, but he left, who knows where. And there was a snake spirit, that fool had dragon blood but a broken mind—an utter idiot. Thought that if he could transcend calamity, he’d be saved, tried to force his way through a tribulation, and died horribly. I pitied him, so I buried his bones beneath my roots—at least it gave him a resting place,” she answered.

Zhang Kai’s mouth twitched.

You call compost a resting place?

“What about you? This doesn’t look like a forbidden ground; how did you manage to escape the heavenly calamity and preserve your true form?” Zhang Kai pressed.

With pride, the tree demon answered, “That’s where my cleverness comes in. Over a thousand years ago, when the laws of heaven suddenly changed, I sensed something was off—this calamity was worse than the Five Decays of Heaven and Man. Even the gods and buddhas of the three realms would be hard-pressed to survive. So, while others still reveled in their power and freedom, I began to walk the world, doing good deeds, accumulating virtue, and seeking evil souls to forge the Ten-Thousand Souls Binding Array. In the end, my virtue shielded me, and the evil souls avoided calamity, which is why I’m still here. It proves that virtue truly works; without it to protect my spirit, those evil souls would have turned on me, and I’d be nothing but a dead tree.”

Zhang Kai listened, impressed.

He had to admit—even heaven wouldn’t take this creature—not just because it was shameless, but because it was genuinely shrewd. Preparing for disaster over a thousand years in advance—such a mind, wasted as a tree demon.

But what captured Zhang Kai’s attention most was her mention of the change in the laws of heaven.

Just hearing those words made him feel it was related to the dissipation of spiritual energy.

He pursued, “The change in the laws of heaven—what happened? What was it like?”

She was silent for a moment, then said, “I can’t tell you in words. It’s something you can only sense, not explain. That day, the laws of heaven underwent a dramatic upheaval. All living things—even the dullest beasts—felt the world shift. But in the midst of it, one strange thing happened, and I’ve never understood it.”

“What was it?”

“At that moment, I seemed to hear a sound echoing through heaven and earth. It said many things, but only two words were clear to me: ‘Ding-dong.’ Then came a string of incomprehensible syllables.”

“Ding-dong? Might as well be QQ,” Zhang Kai muttered, bewildered.

The tree demon said, “Don’t make that face. That’s exactly what happened. I believe, if ancient records survived, they’d mention this event. As far as I know, afterward, ‘ding-dong’ was judged by the mighty ones as the herald of calamity—a real taboo. Best not to repeat it, or you might attract disaster and die without knowing how.”

Zhang Kai was speechless.

Just two words—could it really be so terrifying?

“Well, that’s all I know and all about my origins. Now it’s your turn. You can’t expect to take everything from me and give nothing in return, can you?” The tree demon looked at him again.

Zhang Kai’s face darkened.

How did I take everything from you?

This woman really knows how to drift—her skills are legendary.

“My background is nothing special. I’m just an ordinary villager at the foot of Beard Mountain,” Zhang Kai replied with a smile.

The tree demon responded with a knowing “heh-heh.”

“But I did have some lucky encounters. In these early days of spiritual energy revival, I’m one of those who got a head start,” Zhang Kai continued, deliberately withholding the full truth.

The tree demon’s expression showed she expected as much.

“Well, it seems destiny has decreed—I belong to you now. You must take responsibility for me.” Her gaze was heated, fixed on Zhang Kai.

He was stunned. “Why should I be responsible for you?”

The tree demon explained, “In any era, there’s always a child of destiny—especially in matters of cultivation. There are no coincidences. With the revival of spiritual energy, I’ve only felt a slight awakening, but you’re already rising and possess formidable power. If you’re not chosen by fate, who is? And for me to meet you before you soar, that means we’re tied by fate. I felt drawn to you at first sight, eager to give myself to you, to serve you night after night—I can’t control such feelings. Isn’t that proof enough? I have virtue in heaven and earth, and in this new era of cultivation, heaven has favored me, bestowing me upon you. Master, you cannot refuse destiny’s arrangement.”

At the end, she decisively changed her tone, her voice brimming with heat and anticipation.

Zhang Kai was completely dumbfounded.

This woman, she really knows how to seize every opportunity—even without a stick, she’ll make one just to climb it. Unmatched.