"Wei Yuanzhong! Do you know who I am?"
The voice suddenly exploded in the quiet house, terrifying Wei Yuanzhong so badly his legs nearly gave out and he almost collapsed to the floor.
Lin Jue was also pulled from his thoughts.
"I... I don't know..."
Wei Yuanzhong was both terrified and confused, completely at a loss.
"Thunk!"
Another wooden knot was tossed out, landing on the wooden floor with a dull thud and rolling a few times.
"You still don't know?"
The voice grew sharper.
"I don't know... I really don't know..." Wei Yuanzhong nearly knelt down to kowtow. "I don't know how our Wei Family offended you, but I beg you, elder, just give it to me straight!"
"Smack..."
Another wooden branch was thrown from the wooden wall.
This branch was thin, perfectly matching the welts on Wei Yuanzhong's body. It was clearly the weapon the spirit used to whip them.
"How about now!?"
The voice was even sharper, but beneath that harshness, one could almost hear a trace of bitterness.
Wei Yuanzhong remained utterly bewildered.
"Are you, by any chance, that tree stump in the courtyard?" Lin Jue asked, unable to watch any longer and deciding to guess for him.
"Ah?"
Wei Yuanzhong immediately looked up, turning pale with fright.
He never would have imagined that the tree in his own courtyard, which had accompanied him since childhood, had become a spirit.
"Hmph..."
A cold scoff echoed from the wall.
It was a form of admission.
In his terror, Wei Yuanzhong dropped to his knees with a heavy thud. He cried out to "Lord Peach Tree," babbling about how he never should have chopped it down.
Lin Jue watched from the side, silently tucking the Firewood Chopper behind his back without saying a word.
"If an ordinary family merely chopped down a tree, no one could say anything. But I grew in your family's courtyard for nearly a hundred years. It was your great-grandfather who planted me, watered me, and nurtured my growth, but for the century that followed, I deliberately spent my time repaying you all."
The voice in the wall carried a deeper sorrow.
"Before I became a spirit and gained awareness, I lived in ignorance. Let's not count those years. But once I awoke to consciousness, I redoubled my efforts, driving my roots ever deeper to find nourishment.
"I noticed that your father loved to eat peaches, so I strove to bear more and larger fruit. Enduring the pain, I thinned my own blossoms, stopped growing unnecessary lower branches and leaves, and secretly drove away the birds.
"When you and your older brothers were little, you were far more mischievous than your father and loved climbing the tree to pick peaches. It was dangerous, but the sweetest fruit always grew at the very top. I intentionally grew the most peaches up high, picked the best spots, and whenever they ripened, I bent my branches down to make it easier for you to reach them.
"Afraid that sweeping fallen leaves would trouble you, I always made my leaves drop in concentrated piles, or picked the right moments when the autumn winds blew fierce to let the gales sweep them away.
"Twenty years ago, when your family fell on hard times and had to rely on selling peaches to survive, I didn't hesitate to damage my own cultivation to pack every branch full of fruit. That was how I helped your family weather the storm.
"Your ancestors always treated me with great courtesy. Even now, I still remember you brothers swinging under my branches as children. Your father even taught you that I had accompanied your family for three generations, telling you to take good care of me when you grew up. I never imagined I'd meet a generation of ungrateful wretches like you!"
Wei Yuanzhong couldn't stop himself from trembling violently.
The voice from the wall continued to echo:
"When your father fell gravely ill, it was bad enough that you didn't care for him on his deathbed and bickered all day long. But right after he died, you were so eager to split the inheritance that you actually chopped me down over a measly few hundred copper coins! How could I possibly accept that!?"
Lin Jue frowned as he listened, though he remained silent.
If what the spirit said was true, this family had indeed owed a great debt to the peach tree, and the tree had sacrificed a great deal. However, the Wei Family didn't know it had become a spirit, nor were they aware of its painstaking efforts. They likely just thought the peach tree naturally grew that way, chalking it all up to coincidence, which was why they chopped it down after splitting the estate...
To call their actions right would certainly be false. Even if it had just been an ordinary peach tree, chopping down a century-old heirloom passed down through generations would earn a scolding from the neighbors.
But to call it a grievous wrong didn't seem quite fitting either. Visit g.com for the full chapter.
Then again, the peach tree had devoted a century of effort, managing the rare feat of attaining the Dao, only to be inexplicably chopped down by the very children it had watched grow up. Its deep resentment was completely understandable.
With a matter this complicated, there was no need for him to pass judgment.
So Lin Jue stayed silent and let them hash it out.
He only had one doubt left: just how had this peach tree convinced the City God, going so far as to "win its case" in his court?
He quickly got his answer.
"You unfilial descendants neglected your father and cared only about dividing the estate! Even the City God specifically authorized me to whip you for one hundred days. Not a single day less will do, and it doesn't matter who you call for help!"
So that was it.
Lin Jue understood.
Of course. In this day and age, filial piety, brotherly duty, and ritual propriety reigned supreme. Even most emperors couldn't escape their binding authority.
Unfilial conduct was a crime.
Lin Jue had known this, but his knowledge was superficial, limited to mere awareness rather than deep understanding. After all, he hadn't fully grown up in this environment to the point where it felt as natural as water to a fish.
Hearing it put like this brought a moment of sudden clarity.
This, too, was a facet of the current world.
As for whether the City God was truly just, or whether his moral framework aligned with Lin Jue's own, overthinking it seemed entirely pointless.
He only knew that if this story spread, it would surely serve as a sweeping cautionary tale to persuade the masses toward filial piety, family harmony, and self-reliance.
Having pondered this, Lin Jue watched the scene unfold before him—one side sobbing for mercy, the other persistently hurling curses—and felt a pang of pity for the peach spirit.
Though it lacked a tolerant and benevolent temper, it was by no means an inherently evil monster. It vented its anger, avenged its wrongs, and repaid its debts. All things considered, it was probably better than most people in this world. Cultivating to the point of becoming a spirit inside a mortal residence likely wasn't an easy or common feat; otherwise, tales like this would be flying everywhere. Yet now that it had been chopped down, it was uncertain if its cultivation could even continue.
Feeling regret for its plight, he voiced his thoughts.
"It could not have been easy for you to attain the Dao within the city. For you to be chopped down by descendants through a twist of fate is truly a pity. Is there any way to save you?"
As soon as he spoke, the voice in the wall fell silent.
It seemed he had struck a painful nerve.
Hearing this, Wei Yuanzhong reacted as if he had caught a lifesaver. "Yes, Lord Peach Tree, is there a way to remedy this?" he hurriedly asked.
"Even if I die, I will still beat you until your flesh splits!"
Despite the harsh words, it proved there really was a remedy.
At the same time, its tone had softened just a fraction.
"It is our fault! We were wrong! We know our mistake now. Tomorrow, we will kneel before our father's grave and confess our sins, but we cannot ruin the cultivation you worked so hard to build!
"Please, give us a chance to atone..."
"..."
Wei Yuanzhong begged bitterly.
The tree spirit inside the wall finally let out a sigh.
"You chopped down my stump, nearly destroying all my cultivation. I can no longer grow back in this courtyard. Remedying this will not be easy."
"Please give the order, Lord Peach Tree! We will do everything we can!"
"Two hundred li from here, in Luosu County, there is a Temple of the Azure Emperor. The Azure Emperor governs all vegetation and the arrival of spring under heaven. If you can beg a Talisman from the temple and dissolve it in water, I might be able to sprout anew. However, after what happened, I can no longer stay in this city. Even if you get it, you must transplant me to the mountains outside."
"Two hundred li! We'll go beg for it right now!"
"You must go with absolute sincerity if you hope to reach the Azure Emperor, and you will have to spend some wealth to move the temple keeper."
"We'll go right now! Right now!"
Having said this, Wei Yuanzhong felt he had no face—and no courage—to stay here any longer before completing the task. "I'll head out overnight and speak to my family," he added. "We'll strive to take a carriage to Luosu before dawn to beg for what Lord Peach Tree needs." The source of this chapter is novelping . com.
After speaking, he turned to look at Lin Jue.
Lin Jue thought for a moment before saying, "It's the dead of night. Please allow me to finish my sleep, Lord Wei."
"Alright!" Wei Yuanzhong blanked for a second before hastily agreeing. "Then please rest well here, young sir."
"Clack."
The door quickly opened and shut, followed by the clattering sound of footsteps hurrying downstairs.
Before the sound of the downstairs door opening and closing could even reach them, Lin Jue turned back to the adjacent wall. Faintly, he could still see extremely blurry light and shadows—it was the vital energy flowing within the tree spirit. But before he could say a word, the tree spirit spoke first:
"I owe you my thanks today."
This spirit was indeed a reasonable one.
Lin Jue had once heard that spirits achieving sentience within human residences was tied to the moral character of the master of the house. He wondered if there was any truth to that.
"Why have you remained hiding inside the wooden wall?" he asked.
"My cultivation is still shallow. I haven't reached the stage where I can transform at will, and now that my true body has been chopped down, I'm left with nothing but my spirit and vital energy. Fortunately, as a plant spirit, I possess innate talents and am skilled at hiding and moving through other vegetation. Staying inside the wooden walls and doors makes me feel much more comfortable."
"Is this some kind of magical art?"
"I don't know if it counts as a magical art. I've heard that Daoist scholars in the Mortal Realm possess such a technique, known as the Five Elements Escape Method. Mine is an innate divine ability that doesn't require learning. The two might not be exactly identical, but the ultimate underlying principles are certainly connected." The tree spirit conversed with him quite naturally.
Only then did Wei Yuanzhong leave the courtyard downstairs, followed by the hurried thud of a closing gate.
"To be entirely honest, I've always been deeply fascinated by immortals, demons, ghosts, and the magical arts of cultivation. I've always wanted to experience more of them. Would you be willing to broaden my horizons?"
"Why not?"
In an instant, a section of the wooden wall bulged outward, faintly resembling a withered human figure.
With a twisting transformation, the already withered humanoid figure morphed back into the shape of a tree. The transition was incredibly fluid.
At the same time, it shifted from the right wall to the left. When in human form, it looked like a person walking inside the wall; when in tree form, it moved like a snake slithering through the wood.
During this process, Lin Jue could see the flow of vital energy, but it was blurry, and he felt no particular reaction in his heart.
"My true body has been severed, so I won't reveal myself. In the end, this is just a trivial skill," the tree spirit said. "You can't see much from this, but I can pull plants and even people into the wooden walls. If you're brave enough, you could give it a try."
"Why wouldn't I dare?"
"You must understand that pulling wooden knots and branches into the wall to throw them out works because they belong to the vegetation family. Pulling a person into a wooden wall is a method we use to deal with humans. Remember, a person cannot breathe inside wood; they will simply suffocate."
"The long night is incredibly tedious. If I can experience such a bizarre phenomenon, this night won't have been a waste."
Lin Jue found it fascinating, his mind brimming with possibilities.
Could a human body really hide inside wood?
What would that feel like?
If he learned this trick, wouldn't he be perfectly safe if he ever ran into bandits or wild beasts in the wilderness? He could just find a large tree and duck inside when they weren't looking.
"Are you really not afraid? You should know that suffocating is extremely painful. What's more, if I pull you in and loosen my grip, you'll be permanently stuck inside the wood."
"You aren't an evil spirit. Why should I be afraid?"
Lin Jue spoke without a shred of doubt in his tone.
"..."
The tree spirit in the wall stayed silent for a moment before finally agreeing. A thin branch slowly extended from the wooden planks, looking no different from that of an ordinary peach tree. "Grab the branch, relax your mind, clear your thoughts, and do not resist. I will only pull one of your hands inside so you can feel it."
"Alright!"
Both sides were indeed remarkably open.
Lin Jue immediately walked over, grabbed the peach branch, and followed its pull as he slowly drew closer to the wall.
With the two of them so close, it looked as though the spirit was pulling him into the wall, but in truth, he was gripping it tightly. A thought suddenly occurred to Lin Jue: while he was trusting the peach tree, wasn't the peach tree also trusting him?
It perfectly echoed the old saying—making friends requires a touch of chivalry, and living life demands a pure heart.