CH 167.3

Six years later, seeing familiar faces again, the gray rats embraced each other warmly. They temporarily forgot about the humans they had left behind. It had been a long time since most of them had experienced the warmth of family, but this reunion allowed them to feel joy and happiness once again.

After a long and joyous embrace, the gray rats remembered the humans they had forgotten. The procession of the Shui Jing Gong resumed, and they returned to the small valley.

To be honest, after getting used to life in the Shui Jing Cheng, they found the valley a bit cramped now. However, it was strangely comforting, exuding a sense of peace. Here, there was no bustling and prosperity of the Shui Jing Cheng, but it had the warmth of home. This was the eternal sanctuary for the people of the Shui Jing Gong, a place they would never forget. It was the first place that had provided them with shelter and warmth.

The gray rats had taken good care of the valley, and the large number of spirit trees they had planted before leaving had already matured. These towering trees provided the valley with ample shelter, ensuring its survival over the past six years.

Throughout the day, from their entry into the valley until late at night, the group didn’t discuss the topic of the apocalypse. They let the joy flow freely within the valley and enjoyed this hard-earned moment of peace.

It wasn’t until late at night, after everyone had rested, that the valley was filled with hushed whispers.

People who were sleeping turned over, subconsciously tilting their ears to listen, but they only heard the sound of the wind rustling through the leaves. So, they fell back into their slumber.

The rustling sound came again, and the creatures in the valley remained in their excitement.

“Daddy, Daddy! I saw Daddy!” This was someone who couldn’t wait.

“I saw him too.” This was someone calm and composed.

“Daddy looks even more handsome now, both Big Daddy and Little Daddy!” This was someone praising with rainbows and hearts.

“There are so many people, shy… Will they come to sit under the trees for shade tomorrow?” This was someone anticipating.

“Daddy, Daddy!” This was someone whose spiritual wisdom had developed later, and they had just learned to speak.

“It’s Daddy! Or maybe Papa!”

“Crawl, butterfly.”

“Daddy!”

“Baba.”

“…”

The soft discussions blended into the rustling evening breeze, barely audible, like a lullaby.

The next day, everyone woke up spirited and remembered the important task of their journey. After six years, they had developed a strong understanding of each other, and before coming here, they had already drafted a greening plan.

Following the original directions, the team set out with the spirit tree saplings, leaving behind the trees that had hoped to enjoy their shade. Those trees were quite disappointed. They had been drinking dewdrops diligently to make their shade cooler, and they were making every effort to spread their leaves as wide as possible!

The disappointed trees seemed to droop their leaves a bit, but soon, they regained their spirits because the two heavyweight dads didn’t leave. Instead, they stayed in the valley, communicating with the gray rats.

From the White-Bearded Gray rat, Shu Shuishui learned about the situation over the past six years. Shortly after the Shui Jing Gong left, the water level had risen to a terrifying level. The southern hemisphere, with its naturally lower terrain, had no exposed land left except for some higher-altitude mountain ranges.

Most of the bases that remained behind had suffered from the impending disaster. In this situation, some of them turned their sights towards the Shui Jing Gong. Even though there was an impenetrable protective array, they were undeterred.

The mutated gray rats were fierce, but they couldn’t stand up to the crazed humans. As the situation worsened, humans neared the brink of collapse and finally launched an attack on the Shui Jing Gong. They bombarded it with advanced weapons as if they couldn’t allow the gray rats to go unharmed even if they couldn’t acquire them.

The gray rats were terrified, fearing that the protective array might not hold. After all, those spirit trees had only recently been planted and couldn’t yet provide energy to support the protective array.

But at the critical moment, a massive tornado suddenly struck, sweeping through the various bases outside the valley, and sending people and equipment flying. Many were thrown off, and their weapons and gear were destroyed.

After this unexpected event, it took a while, but the bases reassembled. However, another tornado struck, devastating them once more.

The bases finally realized that these tornadoes were no accidents. They investigated for a long time but couldn’t find the cause, and eventually, they became afraid. It happened to be the end of the rainy season, so they left the Shui Jing Gong. Afterward, they disappeared without a trace. Rumor had it that many bases were preparing to migrate that year, and some even moved to higher-altitude mountains.

Among them, the former Zone B, the instigators of the attack on the Shui Jing Gong valley, had the most tragic fate. They seemed to strongly resist moving northward as if they considered it a defeat to do so. Therefore, they harassed bases at higher altitudes, attempting to secure a place for themselves. However, each time, the tornadoes came to their ‘rescue’!

The strange tornado, as if it could think, followed Zone B wherever it went. It didn’t actually kill people, but rather knocked over some tents, blew away a few houses, carried off a couple of individuals, and scattered some food and supplies. It made life in Zone B extremely difficult.

Finally, unable to bear the nuisance, they decided to migrate. However, luck was still not on their side, as they encountered a storm on the way, and very few survived.

With no more harassment from other bases, the Shui Jing Gong Valley finally became peaceful. Coupled with the improving environment each year, the rodents in the Shui Jing Gong Valley gradually ventured outside. They knew that Shu Shuishui placed special emphasis on planting and greening, so they took extra care of the vegetation growing outside.

After listening to the explanation from the White-Bearded Gray rat, Shu Shuishui had a speculation about the source of the tornadoes.

Seeing Shu Shuishui deep in thought, the White-Bearded Gray rat stroked its long beard. “Do you have any more questions, Shui Shui?”

Shu Shuishui raised his paw obediently. “Yes, I want to ask, is your beard natural or dyed? It’s such a beautiful color!”

The White-Bearded Gray rat: “…”

Learning that it wasn’t dyed, Shu Shuishui felt a bit disappointed, but he knew that the main thing was to focus on the task at hand. Shu Shuishui and Gu Langu set off to the mountain range where they had previously discovered a large number of simulators, in search of the naturally born spiritual herb in this world: Tornado Grass.

When Shu Shuishui and Gu Langu arrived in that mountain hollow, they indeed found a Tornado Grass. The spiritual herb resembled a tornado in shape but could differentiate into numerous green leaves. At that moment, some leaves were digging soil while others were curling around sweet potato sprouts, about to plant them.

The Tornado Grass spotted Shu Shuishui outside the mountain hollow. It immediately dropped the hoe and sweet potato seedlings and happily rode the wind up. It approached affectionately and, before reaching Shu Shuishui, was caught by Gu Langu.

The Tornado Grass struggled a bit but found it couldn’t break free from Gu Langu’s grasp. It became infuriated, and the normally gentle winds around it immediately grew restless. After a moment, a massive tornado formed, centered around this spot.

The Tornado Grass seemed to have control over the tornado, as Shu Shuishui, who was also in the vortex’s center, remained completely unaffected, while Gu Langu’s clothes fluttered intensely, yet he stood firm. The Tornado Grass appeared somewhat surprised and stubbornly increased the wind’s intensity. The enormous tornado turned black, with sparks of electricity forming due to friction, but it still couldn’t lift Gu Langu off the ground.

Realizing that its most powerful ability had failed, the Tornado Grass was at a loss. However, a clean white hand reached out and gently grasped its green leaves. “When the sweet potatoes cover the ground, can we be friends?”

The violent tornado surrounding them instantly dissipated and disappeared. The tree leaves and grass that had been lifted into the air fell back to the ground. The familiar words resounded once again, and the Tornado Grass happily waved its green leaves up and down, shaking hands with Shu Shuishui.

“Chirp!” A sudden, sharp birdcall rang out, and a tiny emerald green hummingbird emerged from Shu Shuishui’s hair.

The Tornado Grass raised its green leaves, seemingly examining the newcomer, named Cui Cui.

Cui Cui chirped crisply again, greeting its new friend.

Guided by the Tornado Grass, Shu Shuishui, Gu Langu, and Cui Cui entered the mountain hollow. In fact, on their way here, they had already noticed that this mountain range had become a spiritually rich Feng Shui treasure due to the presence of the Tornado Grass. And within this Feng Shui treasure, sweet potatoes were grown everywhere!

The Tornado Grass had been diligently following Shu Shuishui’s words, striving to cover the entire mountain range with sweet potatoes. Unfortunately, sweet potatoes were too delicious, and as they were planted, they would often be eaten, so they never truly managed to cover the mountains completely.

In these six years, the Tornado Grass could have left this mountain range, but it had a deep affection for this place and chose not to depart. However, this didn’t stop it from protecting the Shui Jing Gong Valley, where it sensed Shu Shuishui’s presence, or occasionally causing some trouble for Zone B. Sadly, Zone B also left later on, rumored to have been blown away by a storm. Oh well, humans, they just don’t know how to cherish things. Not all winds are as gentle as itself. The Tornado Grass couldn’t speak, so it tried to communicate with Shu Shuishui through its spiritual connection.

When Shu Shuishui left the mountain range, the Tornado Grass danced in the air, accompanying him all the way to the mountain’s edge, reluctant to part. Shu Shuishui comforted it, saying that he would be back here for a long time, and it could come to the Shui Jing Gong Valley anytime it wanted to play.

On the way back to the Shui Jing Gong, Shu Shuishui and Gu Langu were filled with emotion. “Gu Gu, I never expected that the Southern Hemisphere would have its own guardian spirit. It’s quite a fortunate coincidence. With the support of the Shui Jing Gong Valley and the Tornado Mountain, the protection array in the Southern Hemisphere will definitely be secure.”

“It’s probably because Shui Shui is so adorable that his luck is so good.” Ever since he tasted victory, Gu Langu had switched from his self-confident mode to rainbow-poop mode. This resulted in everyone not only having to eat dog food but also being subjected to various forms of rainbow flattery on a daily basis.

Shu Shuishui nodded. “Indeed, and it must be because Gu Gu is equally adorable.” They entered a mutual admiration mode, even though there was no one else around to appreciate it.

“Chirp! Chirp!” Don’t forget about me, the adorable one!

Originally, on the Cang Zhan Star, the Southern Hemisphere had a harsher environment than the Northern Hemisphere due to the influence of electromagnetic storms. Along with years of continuous flooding, the vegetation in the Southern Hemisphere was severely damaged. Greening the Southern Hemisphere should have been more difficult. However, the seeds unintentionally planted in the Shui Jing Gong Valley by the gray rats had grown into towering trees under their care, capable of standing alone.

The Shui Jing Gong Valley and the unnamed mountain where the Tornado Grass was located had become the pillars of spiritual power in the Southern Hemisphere. While they had worked hard to transform the Cangyu Mountains in the Northern Hemisphere, the Southern Hemisphere had naturally given birth to the Fairy Herb, the Tornado Grass. This was a favored child of Cang Zhan Star, uniquely blessed. With the synergy between the Shui Jing Gong Valley, they had surprisingly created a peaceful land.

As Shu Shuishui and Gu Langu returned to the Crystal Valley, before even entering the valley, an anxious and watchful gray rat quickly approached them, chirping urgently.

“What! Someone wants to cut down the trees?!” Shu Shuishui was startled.

“Chirp! Chirp!”

“And they want to cut down all the trees! Isn’t it the same group that entered the valley yesterday? When did they enter?” The successive pieces of information they learned were confusing, and even Gu Langu’s eyes showed signs of puzzlement.

The protective array of the Shui Jing Gong Valley was not just for show. How had an outsider entered it? And why were they cutting down the trees once inside?

The two of them hurriedly returned to the valley, only to find it in chaos. The gray rats were chirping and gathering together, forming a cluster in front of the spirit trees, seemingly blocking someone. Following their gaze, they saw a figure in flowing white robes.

A tall figure, flowing long hair, and an otherworldly aura.

Shu Shuishui’s eyes lit up. Even though it was just a back view, he immediately recognized who it was. Despite the distance, Shu Shuishui couldn’t help but shout, “Da Bai! Da Bai!”

The person in white robes, resembling Gu Langu greatly, heard the call, turned to look at Shu Shuishui with that familiar face, then indifferently turned back, continuing to stand there, facing the wind.

Shu Shuishui: ??? What’s wrong with Da Bai? “Gu Gu, what do you think is happening with Da Bai?”

Gu Langu contemplated for a moment. “I guess it’s because it’s been so long since we’ve seen each other, it feels a bit unfamiliar. No worries, a good meal will fix it.”

Shu Shuishui: “…” Although Gu Langu said that, the smile in his eyes betrayed his true mood.

However, as Shu Shuishui and Gu Langu passed through the dense forest, approaching Da Bai, a loud and organized chorus rang out in the valley. “Daddy!”

Shu Shuishui and Gu Langu both stumbled. The voices came so suddenly, and there were many of them. Moreover, they sounded well-trained, shouting in perfect unison. Shu Shuishui looked around in bewilderment. “Gu Gu, I hear so many voices calling for Daddy.”

Gu Langu’s gaze swept across the numerous spirit trees in the valley. “It’s probably an illusion.”

This statement was like poking a hornet’s nest, and the valley was immediately surrounded by various voices.

“Both daddies don’t want us anymore, sob…”

“Turns out the white person is the real son; we’re all just foundlings…”

“I’m so sad; I even washed my leaves yesterday, thinking of giving Daddy some shade.”

“Sob…”

“Go ahead and cut me down; I’m just an unloved little cabbage…”

Dumbfounded gray rats: “…” Why didn’t they know all these trees could talk after such a long time!

Dumbfounded few who remained in the valley: “…” Did they plant these trees before they left? Did they leave behind a son and come back to harvest a forest of sons!

Da Bai, who was holding an axe ready to chop down some trees in frustration: “…” These things are more scheming than that little jiaolong! How annoying!

Shu Shuishui and Gu Langu were also in a state of bewilderment. So, this valley was truly a feng shui treasure trove! The spirit trees they had planted had actually gained sentience!

The grand reunion turned into a chaotic scene when Da Bai, who had crossed over through the Shui Lan Ring, happened to arrive at the Shui Jing Gong Valley. Imagine Da Bai’s feelings when he reached the valley, entered the protective array, and heard the forest of trees planning to recognize their dads.

Luckily, the gray rats were alert; otherwise, it could have turned into a major disaster!

After a lot of hustle and bustle, the chaos at the dad-recognition scene finally calmed down. The tree sons were easily appeased. As long as the two daddies didn’t reject them, they were happy to show off their charm. However, they did develop a psychological shadow toward their big brother. Even when Da Bai later took on a bookworm form, he remained an insurmountable mountain in their hearts for a long time.

Da Bai’s sudden appearance indicated that the connection between the Shui Lan Ring and the Spacetime Channel of the Huanxing Continent had been established at a preliminary level. With the passage of time, the Spacetime Channel would become more stable, allowing even those whose power was not as formidable as Da Bai to traverse it. However, it was still not possible in the next two years.

“Da Bai, where’s Xiao Jiao Jiao?” Shu Shuishui, after soothing the many whining tree sons, returned to their temporary residence and casually inquired since he hadn’t seen the jiaolong.

Da Bai huffed arrogantly. “Why don’t you ask about me!”

Shu Shuishui responded, “Because Da Bai is right in front of my eyes, and you’ve also become plump and cute, not to mention more handsome.”

A faint smile tugged at the corner of Da Bai’s lips as he lifted a teacup and took a sip to hide his emotions. “I’m doing fine.”

Shu Shuishui didn’t dare to ask whether it was about Xiao Jiao Jiao doing fine or Da Bai himself. However, he presumed that poor Xiao Jiao Jiao was still on the Huanxing Continent. After all, Xiao Jiao Jiao had become the Lord of the World and couldn’t easily leave or enter other dimensions.

Gu Langu’s emotions were much steadier now, and he casually praised, “Your cultivation has improved significantly.”

Da Bai’s mouth almost stretched to his ears, but he maintained a composed demeanor. “It’s acceptable.”

Shu Shuishui and Gu Langu exchanged glances. Whose personality did this child inherit, exactly?