Could it be that the Heavens have truly opened their eyes?
An object of legendary caliber lay there quietly, nestled amidst a cluster of flowers.
San Dong peered cautiously for a long while—surely this was something dropped by a human?
It was such a tiny piece; surely picking it up wouldn't cause any trouble?
No, no!
With a powerful exertion of will, San Dong turned away, lifting its small feet and walking with even greater caution.
This must be a trap!
How could so many good things be waiting for it in a single night?
It was definitely bait for flower spirits; it must not pick it up, no matter what.
The same old saying applied—its little life was important; San Dong wanted to live for a long, long time.
San Dong walked away without a shred of regret. San Dong only needed the Moon Essence to cultivate; everything else was a threat to its life.
After taking a hundred steps or so, San Dong stopped again.
Was today San Dong's lucky day for training?
Not far away, a tiny Essence of Moon Essence lay hidden within the flower bushes.
If San Dong hadn't been so acutely sensitive to Moon Essence, it likely wouldn't have noticed it.
This... was this bait for flower spirits too?
It was hidden so secretly; if San Dong hadn't taken this specific path, it absolutely wouldn't have perceived it.
To go to such lengths—was this still considered bait for flower spirits?
San Dong's expression was incredibly conflicted. That piece of Moon Essence was very, very small, smaller than a human's fingernail, yet it was enough to equal three winters of cultivation for San Dong.
To become a more powerful flower spirit, this Essence of Moon was the shortcut.
San Dong's thoughts raced and struggled—was this a shortcut for cultivation, or a shortcut to the end of its life as a flower spirit?
It had cultivated diligently until now and had never taken any shortcuts.
Naturally, it wasn't that San Dong didn't want to, but rather that it had never had the opportunity.
As a flower spirit, San Dong found it difficult, by instinct alone, to resist this kind of temptation.
But the fear of that sea of fire from that night was unforgettable, impossible to let go.
San Dong pursed its lips...
Moon Essence was born of heaven and earth, for all to share. Spirit stones were similar, though they could arguably be considered mined by humans, so San Dong didn't dare touch those.
That Wood Spirit Crystal wasn't even worth mentioning—that was purely bait for flower spirits.
But this Essence of Moon... and such a tiny Essence of Moon at that.
An Essence of Moon so small it was almost imperceptible surely couldn't be someone baiting flower spirits, right?
All the good things in the world couldn't simply default to belonging to humans.
San Dong's gaze cautiously swept the surroundings, then it circled the Essence of Moon once to investigate.
It sensed the area carefully again and sniffed the air for a long time.
It confirmed there was no one around, nor any other creatures.
This Essence of Moon seemed to be something accidentally created by the Heavens, a reward for itself, a flower spirit that cultivated hard and harbored good intentions!
Nevertheless, caution was still necessary.
San Dong first hid far away, then picked up a small pebble and tossed it at the tiny Essence of Moon.
The pebble hit the Essence of Moon with unerring accuracy.
San Dong also vigilantly hid itself away.
A long time passed, yet everything remained calm. No one approached, and no strange scent drifted over.
San Dong carefully stood up, observed the area once more, and circled around again.
Only then did it dare to move closer to the Essence of Moon.
San Dong's small hand reached gently toward the Essence of Moon, while simultaneously preparing to flee at any moment.
Its small hand made contact, and that pure, ultimate Essence of Moon flowed into its hand.
San Dong narrowed its eyes in comfort.
See? The world is vast.
San Dong had no objection to superlative things belonging to the human race.
But such a small, inconspicuous Essence of Moon—occasionally letting it belong to San Dong should be fine, right?
Just as San Dong, smiling, sought to take the tiny Essence of Moon away, the moonlight illuminating it from behind instantly vanished without a trace.
Panic spread through San Dong's entire body in an instant. Under the light of the moon, the figure of a human woman was clearly revealed to San Dong.
Regret and fear instantly flooded San Dong's heart.
It really was bait for flower spirits!
Such a tiny piece of Essence of Moon had actually managed to hook San Dong!
It would have been better to have just thrown itself at the initial Wood Spirit Essence.
To die over the smallest item possible—San Dong felt it had suffered a crushing loss.
Why was its life as a flower spirit so plagued by bad luck?
How would the humans eat it?
Swallow it whole, or roast it in a fire?
San Dong was afraid of fire... but it was also afraid of being eaten raw...
But if forced to choose, being eaten raw was slightly more acceptable.
San Dong struggled to turn its trembling legs, looking back at the human female cultivator behind it.
A human cultivator who could conceal their presence to this degree, only being discovered when they were behind it illuminated by moonlight.
Surely this wasn't someone San Dong, a flower spirit who had never fought a battle, could defeat.
Trying to escape was probably impossible.
San Dong turned with effort and finally saw the human female cultivator behind her—exquisite features, a gentle smile on her face.
"Is... is this yours?" San Dong held out the Essence of Moon in its arms, its voice trembling slightly.
"San Dong just saw this just now... was curious and wanted to look, didn't plan to keep it. San Dong will give it back to you... can you let San Dong go?"
Li Yingling did not reach out to take it; she merely looked at San Dong with curious eyes.
This was the first time she had seen a proper, living flower spirit. She had read about them in books before, but the illustrations hadn't been very good; she hadn't expected one in human form to be so cute.
Li Yingling spoke with a soft tone, trying her best not to frighten the flower spirit, considering it hadn't even spoken yet.
The flower spirit was already frightened enough to start breathing heavily.
Li Yingling said, "Consider it a gift for our first meeting. San Dong? That's a nice name."
"San Dong doesn't want it..." San Dong's small expression instantly crumpled, and it pleaded, "San Dong wants to go home... go home alive."
"I don't intend to take your life." Li Yingling used the gentlest tone she could muster. "I just have a few questions to ask you. Once I'm done, you can go."
As she spoke, Li Yingling took out the previous Wood Spirit Essence and a large Spirit Stone, placing them before San Dong, whose legs had begun to shake again.
"As long as you answer well, these will be your payment, and you can take these things home."
San Dong silently swallowed a mouthful of saliva.
Because besides this Li Yingling.
Xie Lingyu and Zhang Miaoyu were also closing in from the other two directions.
This time, escape was truly impossible.
San Dong nodded stiffly:
"You... you can ask. San Dong doesn't know anything..."
San Dong paused in its words, then hurriedly corrected itself:
"San Dong will tell you everything it knows."
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