Li Qingxian did the math. Only twenty percent of the more than thirty thousand people were left, meaning roughly twenty-five thousand had died. That was horrifying—over twenty thousand Seventh-Grade Cultivators. To make an inappropriate comparison, it was like over twenty thousand Seventh-Grade County Magistrates dying. Although... that way of putting it seemed easier to accept.
"Mother, what are your thoughts on this Cyan Cloud Examination?" Li Qingxian asked, his face wreathed in a brilliant, obedient smile.
"What would a woman like me know about examinations? However, you aren’t the only one with Treasures; others have them too. Some Treasures are quite troublesome. You must be careful."
Everyone thought of the Glazed Tile and the Living Character Token.
The Deceitful Mother continued, "Your Treasure..."
The Deceitful Mother’s voice suddenly cut off. After a moment, she spoke again, "Your Treasure... keep it safe. Do not use it unless it is your absolute last resort. And that shattered Glazed Tile is a fine Treasure as well. Think carefully about when to use it. Used well, they are Treasures. Used poorly, they are scrap."
"I will remember," Li Qingxian said.
The Deceitful Mother added, "Your uncle serves as a Guard in the palace. He can’t help you with the examination, but if you see him, show him your Rattle. He will recognize you. Oh, and your grandmother is sometimes away and sometimes resides in the palace. From now on, don’t disturb her unless you absolutely have to. Do you understand?"
"I understand."
The others listened in a fog, feeling both envious and stressed. ’The relationships between Deceits are so complicated,’ they thought.
"Look at my memory, I’ve forgotten the most important thing. Someone, bring the watering can," the Deceitful Mother said.
A legless woman floated to the door and gently set down a watering can with a sprinkler head.
"Your tree is still planted in the rear courtyard. Don’t forget to water it in a bit. When the fruit ripens, keep it on you. Eating the fruit will allow you to return to the base of the tree."
"Then I will go now."
"What’s the rush? Sit down, let your food digest, and chat with your mother for a while," said the Deceitful Mother.
"Yes." Li Qingxian’s half-risen rear end settled back down.
Songg Baige kept shooting glances at Li Qingxian. After a moment’s thought, Li Qingxian said, "Mother, have we taken control of this Myriad Phenomena Map?"
The Deceitful Mother snorted. "Those old fossils from the Celestial Fate Sect are still quite formidable. We can’t touch the best things; they can only be opened with the Celestial Fate Sect’s Great Inheritance or a Great Fate Artifact. You lot can forget about it. Unless you’re a successor of the Celestial Fate Sect, you’re not qualified to open it. And even if they do, they’ll do it furtively, without letting us know."
Li Qingxian gazed at the black curtain, feeling as though his mother was staring right at him.
"Indeed. We just want to escape... I mean, complete the Cyan Cloud Examination. As for any Treasures from the Celestial Fate Sect, there’s no need to compete with those Great Cultivators and Human Sons. Safety first," Li Qingxian said.
"My son is clever. Fight when you should fight, but for things you shouldn’t fight for, just let others have them. It’s not like they’re anything special. Once you enter the Inner City, all sorts of things might just fall from the sky. If you can get your hands on them, go for it. If it’s too difficult, just forget it. It’s not worth the trouble," the Deceitful Mother said.
The others secretly took note. ’It seems there will be good things to get in the Inner City.’
"What sort of things, specifically?" Li Qingxian asked with a smile.
"How would a woman like me know?"
Li Qingxian felt helpless. ’This "woman like you" seems to know everything.’
Li Qingxian thought for a moment and said, "Mother, is there anything else you wish to instruct me on?"
"Instructions..." The Deceitful Mother’s gaze swept over the group, and each person felt a chill run through them.
"Spend less time mixing with those stinky things," the Deceitful Mother said, her voice turning slightly cold.
The group was puzzled, but Luo Jing felt a faint sense of discomfort.
Li Qingxian looked at Fangfang, who giggled and said, "I know what the stinky things are! When we find them, I’ll point them out to you."
Li Qingxian planted a big kiss on his little sister’s chubby cheek, and Fangfang giggled endlessly.
After chatting for a while longer, Li Qingxian used watering the tree as an excuse to leave the room. He picked up the watering can and walked out, with the others following him.
Once they were out of the East Courtyard, a series of long, drawn-out sighs of relief rippled through the group.
"That was close."
"My heart was in my throat the whole time. I felt like it could leap out at any second."
"Ye Han is incredible, to be able to..."
"Stop, stop! Let’s go water the tree."
"Right, right..."
The group continued on, circling around the main hall and entering the rear courtyard.
A familiar feeling washed over them. A pebble path divided the rear courtyard, with a black-and-white-streaked rockery standing to the left and a pond lying to the right.
To the north of the pond stood a tall ginkgo tree, thirty or forty feet high.
The ginkgo leaves were a brilliant gold. Those that had fallen to the ground, illuminated by the midday sun, looked like molten gold.
In front of the great tree sat a robust young man in a cross-legged position. His clothes vaguely resembled the style of the Night Guard, but his entire body was protected by Armor woven from tree branches, leaving only his face and hands exposed.
His hair was also encased in dry branches, as if he were wearing a helmet made of twigs.
The robust young man’s eyes suddenly snapped open and fixed on Li Qingxian, a flash of excitement in them.
"Sunshine Boy? No... Ye Han?"
Li Qingxian took a closer look. This was one of his teammates from the last visit to Deceit Village. His original name was Chen Sanwa, but he was later called "the Blacksmith" and had been chosen as the Tree Guardian.
In the end, when choosing Deceit Names, Li Qingxian had picked the Wooden Token carved with "the Blacksmith," but he had crossed out that name and written "Ye Han."
He had thought that Chen Sanwa, like the others, had been afflicted by a Deceit and died.
Before this trip, he had even visited the Chen Family and received a Peace Knot from Chen Sanwa’s mother, which he had intended to burn as an offering for him.
He never expected that the man was still alive, and had even called out two of his names.
"Should I call you ’the Blacksmith,’ or Chen Sanwa?"
The man froze for a second, his eyes clouding over. An instant later, they cleared, and the rims of his eyes turned red.
"Chen Sanwa!" the man replied.
Warmth flooded Li Qingxian’s heart. He walked forward, taking out a string of crimson Peace Knots and placing them in the man’s hands.
Hot tears streamed from Chen Sanwa’s eyes. He cradled the Peace Knots in both hands, his lips trembling as silent tears traced paths down his cheeks.
"Before I left, I paid a visit to your home..." Li Qingxian recounted the whole story.
"Thank you... Thank you..." Chen Sanwa choked out, unable to speak through his sobs.
The others had vaguely guessed some of what had happened and looked at Chen Sanwa with sympathy.
"What has happened to you here?" Li Qingxian asked.
Chen Sanwa wiped his tears and began to recall the events carefully. "After you all left, I was in a daze. I couldn’t hear clearly, but I remember the Deceitful Mother weeping and saying she had lost her son. Her daughter was comforting her. Later, the Deceitful Mother and her daughter would occasionally come here and look at the ginkgo tree with very complicated expressions. They were actually very good to me. The Deceitful Mother said that since I had received this great fortune, I must cherish it. It’s strange, but I haven’t practiced Cultivation at all. I just sat here in a daze, yet my True Essence kept increasing. I’m inexplicably at the Eighth Grade now and could break through to the Seventh Grade at any moment. Also, my True Essence has changed... it feels like it has Deceitful Power in it..."
Chen Sanwa slowly recounted his experiences.
As he listened, Li Qingxian analyzed the information in his head. He faintly realized that after he had crossed out the name "the Blacksmith," Chen Sanwa, the Tree Guardian, had transformed into a strange life form—something between a human and a Deceit.
When Chen Sanwa finished speaking, Li Qingxian looked up toward the center of the enshrouding branches.
A crimson, fist-sized fruit rested there. At first glance, the front of the fruit looked like an enlarged, wrinkled walnut. Upon closer inspection, however, the lines on its surface formed the face of an infant, one that bore a slight resemblance to Li Qingxian, and also a slight resemblance to Hao Yunsheng.