Chapter 126: Chu Ran’s Bad Day

Chapter 126: Chapter 126: Chu Ran’s Bad Day

The two disciples immediately stopped what they were doing and nervously turned toward the voice. They had been certain that no one else was around, so who had spoken? They exchanged a wary glance before searching their surroundings, eventually discovering the source of the interruption.

Hovering in front of them was a small, unfamiliar creature with fluffy white fur, a pair of golden wings, and two little horns on its head. Its round body looked soft and harmless, while its large golden eyes stared at them with unmistakable indignation. However, what caught their attention most was the half-eaten fruit clutched between its tiny paws.

Chu Ran and Disciple Leng immediately recognized it.

Wasn’t that a Spirit Jade Fruit?

Their eyes widened as they stared at the little creature, which was casually munching on a treasure that countless cultivators would desperately fight to obtain. Yet the little beast seemed completely unconcerned, as though eating such a precious fruit were no different from snacking on an ordinary piece of fruit.

Before either of them could say anything, the little creature puffed out its cheeks and pointed an accusing paw at them.

"Oh! So it’s you two bad people!" MuMu declared indignantly. "You even dare to do something bad behind this almighty MuMu’s back? MuMu won’t allow it!"

Chu Ran immediately recognized the little creature as Sui Sui’s spirit beast. Her eyes narrowed as she glanced around the courtyard. Had Sui Sui actually left this little thing here to guard the tree? And even allowed it to eat the precious fruits so casually?

She had no idea what species this little beast belonged to, but judging by its small size and seemingly harmless appearance, it was probably nothing more than an ordinary low-grade spirit beast. Even so, Sui Sui must treasure it quite a bit, or he wouldn’t have brought it along as his companion.

A cold smile crept onto her lips.

Since they had already decided to sabotage the tree, they couldn’t afford to leave behind any witnesses. If she could get rid of this little beast as well, she would not only eliminate another potential source of trouble but also deal a painful blow to Sui Sui. After all, losing a beloved spirit beast would hardly be a pleasant experience.

With that thought, Chu Ran turned toward Disciple Leng and ordered, "Senior Brother, go catch that little beast for me."

Disciple Leng immediately understood what she meant. As her accomplice, he knew they could not afford to let anything go wrong now. If the little beast escaped and reported what it had seen to Sui Sui, their entire plan could be ruined.

Without another word, he moved toward MuMu, preparing to capture it.

And so, the quiet courtyard descended into chaos as a rather ridiculous chase began.

"Waaah! You big bullies! MuMu is going to tell Sui Sui about you!" MuMu cried, flapping his golden wings as fast as they could go. His fluffy little body darted through the air, weaving between the branches of the Spirit Jade Fruit Tree with surprising agility.

"Get back here, you little beast!" Disciple Leng shouted.

He thrust out his hand, sending a spell shooting toward MuMu. A flash of spiritual light cut through the air, aimed directly at the little creature’s round body. However, just as the spell was about to hit, MuMu suddenly tilted sideways and slipped past it with ease. The attack struck a nearby tree trunk instead, sending a shower of leaves fluttering to the ground.

MuMu glanced back at him and stuck out his tongue.

"Too slow! Too slow! You can’t even catch MuMu!"

"YOU—!"

Disciple Leng’s face flushed with anger. He immediately launched another spell, then another, sending streaks of spiritual light chasing after the little beast. Yet MuMu was far more nimble than his appearance suggested. He zipped around the branches, ducked beneath the leaves, and occasionally swooped just close enough to make Disciple Leng think he had finally caught him, only to flap away at the last possible moment.

Every time Disciple Leng reached out, he caught nothing but air.

Watching the spectacle, Chu Ran grew increasingly impatient. She stood beneath the tree, her gaze darting between her senior brother and the little beast as the minutes slipped away.

"Senior Brother, hurry up! We need to finish before anyone comes back!" she urged sharply. "How difficult can it be to catch a mere spirit beast?"

"I’m trying!" Disciple Leng snapped back, narrowly missing MuMu as the little creature darted past his head. "This thing is ridiculously fast! I can’t catch it!"

MuMu immediately puffed out his cheeks, looking thoroughly pleased with himself.

"Hehe! MuMu is super fast! You can’t catch MuMu!"

Then, as though he suddenly remembered something, he glanced down at the half-eaten Spirit Jade Fruit still clutched in his paws and took another enormous bite.

"Mm! Delicious!"

Disciple Leng nearly choked on his own anger.

They were trying to catch the little beast, and it was still leisurely eating fruit right in front of them!

What none of them realized was that their commotion had already disturbed something far more dangerous than they had expected.

The Spirit Jade Fruit Tree, which had been standing quietly in the corner of the courtyard, was beginning to awaken.

As an old tree that had cultivated its own consciousness, it naturally possessed its own temperament. Normally, it preferred to remain quiet, absorbing spiritual energy from its surroundings and basking peacefully in the nourishment it received. Ever since Sui Sui had begun taking care of it, its mood had improved considerably. The spiritual energy flowing through its roots was cleaner, its branches were healthier, and even the fruits growing among its leaves seemed to have become more vibrant.

Today, however, something had gone terribly wrong.

First, the spiritual energy in the soil had suddenly become unpleasant. The pure nourishment it had grown accustomed to was now mixed with murky, impure energy from the low-grade Spirit Stones Chu Ran and Disciple Leng had buried around its roots. To the tree, it was as though someone had secretly mixed something foul into its favorite food.

Then there was the incessant noise.

The two intruders had been making a terrible racket beneath its branches, while their repeated attacks sent waves of spiritual energy crashing through the courtyard. Some of the spells even grazed its branches, shaking its leaves and disturbing its peaceful rest.

The Spirit Jade Fruit Tree was not pleased.

Not pleased at all.

How utterly disrespectful!

Its leaves began to rustle, though there was no wind in the courtyard. Deep beneath the soil, its roots stirred, and a faint tremor traveled through the ground. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, countless green vines began emerging from the earth. They crept across the clean paths and wound their way around the base of the tree, spreading toward the two intruders without making a sound.

Neither Chu Ran nor Disciple Leng noticed a thing.

They were far too busy trying to catch MuMu, who continued flapping around the branches and taunting them with his usual enthusiasm.

It was only when Chu Ran suddenly felt something cold and slippery brush against her ankle that she finally realized something was wrong.

She lowered her head.

A green vine had quietly curled around her foot.

"What—"

Before she could finish speaking, the vine abruptly tightened.

"AHHHHH!"

Chu Ran was yanked off the ground so suddenly that she barely had time to react. In the blink of an eye, she was hanging upside down, her robes falling toward her shoulders as her long hair cascaded toward the ground.

Her scream shattered the silence of the courtyard.

Disciple Leng immediately turned toward the source of Chu Ran’s scream, only to find her dangling upside down in midair, one leg tightly wrapped in a thick green vine. Her body swung helplessly beneath it, and she struggled to keep her balance, her long hair hanging toward the ground as she kicked and twisted in an attempt to free herself.

For a moment, Disciple Leng was completely stunned.

What in the world was happening?

He hurriedly moved toward her, intending to help pull her down. However, before he could take more than a few steps, he suddenly felt something cold slither around his own ankle.

His heart lurched.

He barely had time to look down before the vine tightened and yanked him off his feet.

"AHHH!"

A second scream rang through the courtyard.

In the blink of an eye, Disciple Leng found himself hanging upside down beside Chu Ran, his robes falling toward his shoulders as he flailed helplessly in the air.

"Senior Brother! What the hell is this?!" Chu Ran shrieked, twisting desperately as she tried to pry the vine from her leg. "Do something! Get this thing off me!"

"I’m trying!" Disciple Leng shouted back, grabbing the vine wrapped around his ankle with both hands. He pulled with all his strength, but the thick stem barely budged. "These vines are too strong! I can’t even pry them apart!"

He tried channeling his spiritual energy into his hands, hoping to force the vine to loosen its grip. Yet the moment his spiritual energy made contact, the vine seemed to tighten even further, leaving him swinging helplessly in the air.

Chu Ran’s face flushed with panic and anger.

"How can this be?! I’ve never heard of anything like this in the records! Why would a Spirit Jade Fruit Tree suddenly grow vines that can attack people?"

She struggled harder, kicking and twisting, but every movement only made her swing more awkwardly beneath the branch.

"I don’t know either, okay?!" Disciple Leng snapped, his own panic finally overcoming his patience. "Do you think I’d be hanging upside down if I knew what was going on?!"

The two of them continued struggling and shouting at each other, their earlier confidence completely gone.

Meanwhile, MuMu, who had been busy fleeing from Disciple Leng just moments earlier, finally realized that no one was chasing him anymore. He slowed down midair and cautiously glanced over his shoulder, only to discover that Chu Ran and Disciple Leng were no longer running around trying to catch him.

Instead, the two of them were hanging upside down from thick green vines, struggling desperately to free themselves.

MuMu blinked.

Then he burst out laughing.

"Pfft—HAHAHAHAHA!"

His laughter rang throughout the courtyard, loud enough for the two captives to hear every bit of it. He even flapped his golden wings excitedly as he circled them, looking as though he had just stumbled upon the most entertaining spectacle in the world.

Chu Ran’s face darkened the moment she spotted him. Seeing the little beast floating around so leisurely while she and her senior brother dangled helplessly from the tree only made her blood boil.

"You just wait, you little beast!" she snarled, glaring at MuMu with murderous eyes. "Once I get out of here, I’ll deal with you myself!"

MuMu immediately flew a little farther away, making sure to stay well beyond her reach. He tilted his round head, then began singing in a deliberately exaggerated, taunting voice.

"Catch me if you can~! Catch me if you can~! Bad, bad people! Hehe!"

"YOU!"

Chu Ran nearly choked on her own anger.

Disciple Leng, meanwhile, was desperately trying to find a way out, but no matter what they tried, however, the vines remained firmly in place. They were astonishingly tough, and the more violently the two struggled, the tighter the stems seemed to coil around them.

After several failed attempts, Chu Ran finally lost her patience. She reached into her storage pouch and pulled out a sharp dagger. By this point, she no longer cared whether she damaged the Spirit Jade Fruit Tree. Her only concern was escaping from this humiliating predicament and getting rid of the little beast who had been laughing at her from the sidelines.

"Let’s see how tough you really are!"

She raised the dagger and slashed at the vine wrapped around her leg.

Clang!

The blade struck the thick stem, producing a sharp sound as though it had hit something far harder than an ordinary plant. The vine shuddered, but the cut was surprisingly shallow.

Chu Ran stared at it in disbelief.

What was this thing made of? Why was it so tough?

Hadn’t the records described the Spirit Jade Fruit Tree as a delicate spiritual plant that required careful nurturing? How could its vines be this ridiculously durable?

Unwilling to accept the result, she gritted her teeth and slashed again. This time, the blade finally broke through the outer layer of the vine, leaving a narrow gash in its surface. A bead of translucent sap immediately welled up from the wound, glistening faintly before slowly dripping down the stem.

Chu Ran barely paid it any attention but the sap landed on her exposed arm.

At first, she felt nothing unusual. She continued hacking at the vine, leaving several more shallow cuts across its surface as more sap oozed out and splattered against her skin. It wasn’t until an intense itch suddenly spread across her arm that she finally paused.

She frowned and glanced down.

A patch of angry red rash had appeared where the sap had touched her skin.

"What is this?"

Before she could make sense of it, another wave of itching spread across her body. She instinctively reached up to scratch it, only to discover that more red patches were beginning to appear along her skin.

Her expression changed.

"AHHH! WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME?!"

Disciple Leng, who had been struggling nearby, turned toward her at the sound of her scream. The moment he saw her face, his eyes widened.

"Junior Sister! Your face! It’s turning completely red!"

He stared at the spreading rash in alarm before noticing the translucent sap clinging to her arm.

"Don’t touch the sap!" he shouted urgently. "It seems to be causing a reaction! Stop cutting the vines!"

Unfortunately, his warning came far too late.

Chu Ran had already slashed the vines several times, and who knew how much sap had splattered onto her body? By now, the itching had spread across her arms, neck, and face. The more she scratched, the more irritated her skin became, until she was practically squirming in midair.

"AHHH! WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?!"

She was furious, humiliated, and now covered in an unbearably itchy rash. It was difficult to decide which part of the situation was more infuriating.

MuMu, who had been watching the entire spectacle, burst into another fit of laughter.

"HAHAHA! Bad person! Bad person! Now you’re itchy! Hehe!"

Chu Ran’s eyes nearly bulged with rage.

She swore that if she ever got her hands on that little beast, she would skin it alive!

Unfortunately, she was currently hanging upside down, unable to free herself, with a spreading rash covering her skin and a smug little creature flying just beyond her reach.

It was, without a doubt, the worst day of her life.

What Chu Ran didn’t know was that the strange reaction was partly her own doing. The low-grade Spirit Stones she and Disciple Leng had buried around the tree’s roots were among the poorest quality available, saturated with impurities.

Chu Ran hadn’t considered was that the impurities would be absorbed almost immediately. This was because Sui Sui had only recently finished purifying the Spirit Jade Fruit Tree, leaving it in a phase where it eagerly absorbed spiritual energy to replenish itself. As a result, the contaminated energy from the low-grade Spirit Stones entered the tree before it had a chance to filter it properly, causing an unexpected mutation.

Under normal circumstances, the tree’s sap would never have been this irritating. However, the mutation had altered its properties, making the sap highly irritating to the skin.

On top of that, the tree itself was already angry, so it was only natural for it to retaliate like this.