Chapter 428: Chapter 424: Charlie, Master Loves You

After the group scurried away with their tails between their legs, the Bull Demon King grumbled, "Master, why did you let them go so easily? I should have just killed all those bastards."

Tu Xiao’an gave the Bull Demon King a huge eye-roll and said nonchalantly, "Why so bloodthirsty? It’s not like we have some deep-seated grudge against them."

Normally, Tu Xiao’an was a pretty agreeable person. Besides, they had just come over to ask for some meat. Killing fifteen people over a minor conflict was a bit too demonic.

He wasn’t a petty person. If they had just asked nicely instead of acting all high and mighty, he wouldn’t have minded giving them some meat.

But did they have to act so tough?

One Rank Three creature and a group of High-Rank, Rank Two Martial Cultivators might have seemed like a formidable lineup, but in Tu Xiao’an’s eyes, they were nothing.

"Let’s keep eating. We’ll leave after we’re done."

After that small interruption, Tu Xiao’an and the Bull Demon King began to feast heartily once more. The two of them had bottomless stomachs, and they actually managed to devour the massive one-horned wild boar, leaving nothing but a skeleton behind.

Just as Tu Xiao’an stood up, completely satisfied, he suddenly froze, looking a little dazed.

"Ding... Congratulations! Your Battle Companion, the Super Class Evolved Variant, Three-headed Snake, has successfully been promoted to Level 23."

A system notification chimed in Tu Xiao’an’s mind, and his eyes instantly lit up.

’Looks like my Three-headed Snake finished Devouring that Two-headed Black Flood Dragon. Its Level actually skipped, jumping straight from twenty-one to twenty-three. Not bad at all.’

This was excellent news. The Yaoling Mountain Range really was the perfect place for his Battle Companions to raise their Levels, as it was teeming with Awakened Creatures and overrun with Demons.

If you were a stock with potential, you were destined to rise. If you were a junk stock, you could only serve to bolster the ones with potential.

"Ding... Congratulations! Your Battle Companion, the Super Class variant Golden Pupils, has successfully been promoted to Level 23."

’What? Golden Pupils jumped two Levels as well? What kind of High-Rank Awakened Spirit Monster did that little guy eat?’

’To jump two Levels, its opponent must have been at least as strong as the Two-headed Black Flood Dragon.’

With the ferocity of a tiger and the presence of a lion, Golden Pupils was like a fish back in water here in the Yaoling Mountain Range. Its power was so immense that it was always the one starting trouble; ordinary Spirit Monsters wouldn’t dare provoke it.

Just then, another notification sounded.

"Ding... Congratulations! Your Battle Companion, the Super Celestial Peacock, Azure Owl, has been promoted to Level 22."

Good news from Azure Owl had arrived as well. It hadn’t skipped a Level, but Tu Xiao’an was still very pleased.

This place was their battlefield. Tu Xiao’an had completely let them loose, allowing these three little guys to run wild.

As for the Blackbird, Tu Xiao’an couldn’t be bothered to manage it, not that he could anyway. He had no idea where it had run off to fool around.

But one thing was for sure: that Blackbird was cunning as hell and would never let itself be taken advantage of.

Its Curse Power was an incredibly overpowered Skill. Below Rank 3, it was practically invincible.

At that moment, there was another stir in Tu Xiao’an’s system, but it wasn’t a notification. It was...

With a thought, a lush, dense tree appeared out of thin air before him. Immediately, a plaintive voice whined, "Master, how could you forget about Charlie?"

The others were all out, leaving the Tree Spirit alone in the system. It was lonely, bored, and cold.

Tu Xiao’an gave an embarrassed laugh. He really hadn’t thought about the tree, having been focused on letting his Super level Creatures raise their Levels.

However, whether this tree’s Level increased or not seemed rather irrelevant to Tu Xiao’an.

If he got into a fight, he couldn’t just summon a tree, could he? That didn’t seem particularly appropriate.

Of course, that wasn’t to say the Tree Spirit was unimportant. On the contrary, it was now Tu Xiao’an’s "Money Tree." The fact that it could drop a Second Class Spirit Fruit meant its value was no less than that of a Super Creature.

Moreover, among those below Rank 3, the Tree Spirit had the highest Level, having reached Level 25.

Tu Xiao’an suddenly thought of a key point. The Tree Spirit was currently Rank Two and dropped Second-class Fruit. So what about at Rank 3?

Would it start dropping Third-grade Fruit?

’Thinking about it this way,’ Tu Xiao’an felt it was absolutely necessary to cultivate this Tree Spirit. It was a priceless treasure, a goose that could lay golden eggs.

Tu Xiao’an had never tried a Third-grade Fruit, but just imagining its effects was enough to know how valuable it would be.

"Charlie, Master just finished eating. Drop a fruit for me."

The Tree Spirit was dumbfounded. ’Why didn’t he invite me to eat? And now he’s asking me for a fruit right after he’s full? So shameless!’

"Why?" it still asked weakly.

Tu Xiao’an said shamelessly, "Haven’t you heard the saying? Eating fruit after a meal is good for your health. It aids digestion."

’Dammit...’ The Tree Spirit was bewildered upon hearing this.

Of course, Tu Xiao’an didn’t actually expect the Tree Spirit to drop a fruit on its own. It needed a little "help." So, he shot a look at the Bull Demon King.

The Bull Demon King understood instantly. A wicked grin spread across his face as he approached the Tree Spirit with a Flying Knife in hand.

"What are you doing?" The Tree Spirit was instantly on alert. It shuddered at the sight of the cicada-wing-thin Flying Knife, its leaves rustling down like falling snow.

The Bull Demon King said shamelessly, "Baby, I love you."

SHNK... SHNK... SHNK...

He stabbed the Flying Knife into the Tree Spirit again and again, doing so with a savage glee, as if the Tree Spirit and the Bull Demon King shared some deep, mortal hatred.

"PAIN... PAIN... PAIN..."

The Tree Spirit began to wail like a banshee. It tried to run, but the Bull Demon King had already grabbed one of its branches with terrifying strength.

"Master, you can’t do this to Charlie!" The Tree Spirit was losing it. ’Why did I have to come out here and offer myself up for slaughter? Staying in the system was actually pretty good.’ 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

’Carefree, with no one bothering me.’

’I was just asking for it, wasn’t I? Couldn’t stand the loneliness.’

"Charlie, Master loves you too. Just bear with it. It’ll be over once the fruit drops," Tu Xiao’an comforted the Tree Spirit gently.

The Tree Spirit really wanted to curse. ’Fuck me, do you two have some kind of misunderstanding about the meaning of the word ’love’?’

’This is clearly hate, okay?’

"PAIN, PAIN, PAIN! Damned bull, stop stabbing! You’re going to kill someone!"

The Bull Demon King just clicked his tongue and continued his frenzied stabbing. "You’re a tree. No one’s going to die. Don’t worry."

"Why are you doing this to me, Charlie?! Why am I always the one who gets hurt?" The Tree Spirit really just wanted to die.

Tu Xiao’an continued to gently comfort the Tree Spirit from the side. He wasn’t actually afraid the Bull Demon King would stab it to death. This Tree Spirit possessed a magical Healing ability.

You could almost say it was an immortal existence. Besides, Tu Xiao’an had tested it before. Not only could the Tree Spirit quickly heal itself, but it could also perform Healing on others.

For example, if you were cut by a knife, the Tree Spirit could instantly apply Healing, and the wound would cease to exist.

Of course, it couldn’t reattach severed limbs.

However, Tu Xiao’an imagined that if the Tree Spirit broke through to Rank 3, even that might become possible.

Thinking about it on a deeper level, this tree was an incredible treasure. Tu Xiao’an felt like he had hit the jackpot.

Besides, Tu Xiao’an didn’t actually have the heart to treat the Tree Spirit this way. But who could be blamed when this tree was so bizarre? It would only drop a fruit when its emotional state reached a certain point.

While Tu Xiao’an could have made it drop a fruit by making it deliriously happy, the problem was that he had no interest in telling jokes to a tree.

This method was the most direct. Simple, violent, and highly effective.

"Charlie, Master really does love you."

Tree Spirit: "..."