Only three seconds? He's already the Lord of All Realms, so it doesn't matter.

Chen Qinghe stood in front of Ye Xuan, feeling the warm spiritual energy suddenly surging into his body, and for a moment he didn't know how to speak.

"I……"

A voice, barely audible, finally escaped the child's lips as he mustered his courage and spoke:

"I want to go with the adults!"

These words sparked a murmur among the villagers watching.

Chen Hong rushed forward, trying to pull his son back to his side, but was stopped by Ye Xuan's raised hand.

Ye Xuan gazed at the father and son, recalling how a month and a half ago he was trapped in a bottle by the Willow Immortal in the Realm of Immortality, and how he finally managed to escape as a willow sapling and descend upon the Chen family's backyard...

He thought of the child in front of him, whose talent and effort were better than anyone else in the village since he started cultivating.

Chen Qinghe's temperament became more stable, and his progress in cultivation was the most solid.

"Why do you want to come with me?" Ye Xuan asked.

Chen Qinghe took a deep breath, his voice gradually becoming firm:

"I want to see the outside world!"

Ye Xuan remained silent for a moment, then glanced at the villagers present.

In recent days, more than a hundred people in Shuitian Village have received the teachings of the Immortal Willow and had the Immortal Seed planted in them. More than half of them have already begun to feel the presence of spiritual power within their bodies.

Although they were still far from truly entering the Qi Refining stage, most of them were worried about the future after hearing about the risks and hidden dangers from Chen Hong and Li Laosi.

Ultimately, the people of Shuitian Village are all farmers who have never seen the outside world and are very timid.

If it weren't for the fact that I hadn't been blinded by temptation when I first learned of the existence of the Immortal Willow, there would probably be far fewer worshippers in the village.

But the child in front of me was different; besides a touch of innocence, he also possessed a rare and precious character.

Ye Xuan walked slowly to Chen Qinghe and stroked his head with his right hand. If he were nurtured, he would surely become a great man in the future.

"Alright, you can come and train alongside me."

Chen Qinghe's face immediately lit up with joy, and he quickly bowed in gratitude:

"Thank you, sir!"

……

In contrast, in Lanzhen, there was a rice shop on the street.

Chen Hongfang sat on a low stool in front of the rice shop, took a bite of the rice cake in his hand, and then lost his appetite.

He looked at the few pedestrians coming and going on the town street, having already heard about what had happened in Shuitian Village in the past few days.

First, it was said that the people of Shuitian Village were hiding treasures. Then, the guardian of the ancestral hall disappeared without a trace. After this matter was reported to Changning County, it caused a great disturbance, and the county magistrate and the guardian of the county also disappeared without a trace.

The town was filled with fear. Some people said, "Shuitian Village is haunted; all the officials have been killed!"

Some curious people went to Shuitian Village, only to find that the mountain behind Dahu was engulfed in flames, and strange celestial phenomena were spreading everywhere.

Chen Hongfang wasn't too concerned about these rumors, which were a mix of truth and falsehood. What he was thinking about was whether his elder brother's family in the village had also been involved.

But he dared to go to Shuitian Village, because the most talked-about thing in the town now was that there was a man-eating willow tree in Shuitian Village.

The willow tree cast a secret spell on the villagers, which could make them look energetic for a while, but at the cost of their own lifespan. Afterwards, they would explode and die, which was terrifying.

I heard that the town's protectors and the officials from the county all died tragically at the hands of that willow tree.

While Chen Hongfang was still lost in thought, he was awakened by a familiar voice in his ear.

"Fangzi, give me two rice cakes."

A man who looked a few years older than Chen Hongfang rushed out from beside the rice shop. He was Wang Bai, one of Chen Hongfang's few buddies in town.

Upon seeing Wang Bai arrive, Mi was so startled that he dropped the rice cake he was holding. He immediately said:

"We don't sell rice cakes; the rice shop only sells rice."

Picking up the rice cake that had been partially eaten from the ground, blowing off the dust, Chen Hongfang glared at the blacksmith with some resentment.

But Wang Bai suddenly leaned close to Chen Hongfang's ear and whispered:

"You've heard, haven't you? The commotion in Shuitian Village these past few days..."

Aren't you from there too? Do you have any reliable information?

Chen Hongfang frowned slightly. "I don't know if it's true or not."

Apart from him, the rest of the Chen family lived in the village. The rice shop usually did a lot of business, so he was not only a little scared, but also genuinely too busy.

Wang Baize bluntly stated, "I think you're an absolute coward!"

"That Shuitian Village is your ancestral home. Your eldest brother's family is all there. If there really is some man-eating willow tree, aren't you worried?"

Chen Hongfang held the rice cake in his hand, his knuckles turning slightly white.

In most ordinary families in the short-lived world, by the time they reach their twenties or thirties, their parents are no longer alive. How could he not worry about his elder brother's family?

But he did have his own unspeakable difficulties, and could only say:

"What can I do? I can't leave..."

Seeing the conflicted look on his face, Wang Bai once again hit the nail on the head:

"Is it your wife who won't let you go? That's why I said you're such a coward, isn't it?"

He knew that Chen Hongfang was usually afraid of his wife, a complete henpecked husband. He would not only obey her every whim, but he would also never dare to have any disloyal thoughts.

Seemingly used to being teased like this, Chen Hongfang smiled helplessly, "Aren't you afraid of your wife?"

Wang Bai was speechless for a moment, touching the tip of his nose with his finger, but he couldn't suppress the restlessness in his heart.

"How about this..."

He leaned close to Chen Hongfang's ear and told him his plan.

"Let's sneak a peek at the village at night, without even entering it."

Let's sneak up to the high point on the back hill and see what that willow tree actually looks like, shall we?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Hongfang was somewhat tempted, but when he thought of his wife, a hint of hesitation appeared on his face.

"Can't you, a grown man, stop hesitating? Just listen to me!"

Wang Bai immediately grabbed his shoulders and shook him vigorously, "Hey, I'll go with you, I'll go with you!"

He slapped his thigh and exclaimed happily:

"That's right! Don't worry, I know you're timid, I'll definitely walk ahead on the night road."

We'll go quietly and come back quietly, without anyone knowing...

After saying goodbye to Chen Hongfang, the two met at the crossroads late at night when the town was quiet.

They walked briskly along the dirt road leading to Shuitian Village, with Wang Bai carrying a sturdy short stick in his hand, which he called "self-defense."

The closer Chen Hongfang got to Shuitian Village, the faster his heart beat. The surroundings were exceptionally quiet, and even the chirping of insects on a summer night seemed to have become much less frequent.

The two walked and stopped intermittently, following their plan, circling around to the side of the village and heading towards the back mountain.

Climbing up a high hillside, they finally saw the view below by the bright moonlight.

A tranquil lake sits in the valley, and on its shore stands a sturdy willow tree, ten meters tall, which Chen Hongfang recognized at a glance.

"It's the willow tree in my elder brother's yard, how come it's growing like this..."

On the hillside, Chen Hongfang couldn't believe it, but he was convinced that he hadn't misjudged the situation. After all, when he was a child, he had run around Shuitian Village and had never seen such a big willow tree by the lake.

Only Wang Bai, who was standing to the side, was unaware of what was going on, so he immediately explained it to him;

"I saw this willow tree in my elder brother's yard when I visited him before."

Wang Bai was shocked. "So, your elder brother is in cahoots with this man-eating willow tree?"

Chen Hongfang quickly covered his mouth and straightened his head, saying, "Take a closer look."

The willow trees rooted by the lake did not resemble the strange or eerie trees that the townspeople had described.

This is clearly just an ordinary willow tree. If there's anything unusual about it, it's that the scenery here is quite nice.

A vast, calm, azure lake, and a lush, verdant willow tree, bathed in the bright moonlight, their waters shimmering and branches swaying in the breeze…

Seeing it with my own eyes, I realized that those rumors were unfounded.