Chapter 234
“Lu Yan stepped away for a while.”
Tang Yu’an wasn’t sure whether Lu Yan had hidden on purpose or if he had left for something else, so he could only say this.
The green-haired young man gave a slight nod.
“Who are you? What’s your name?” Tang Yu’an asked.
“I… I am…”
The green-haired young man blinked, then shook his head. “I don’t remember…”
His voice was still hoarse, and as he spoke, his expression turned lost and uncertain.
Seeing that his confusion didn’t seem fake, Tang Yu’an felt puzzled.
Had he spent so much time as a tree that he forgot what it was like to be human? Tang Yu’an glanced at Zhou Qi, feeling a bit worried.
Zhou Qi stood motionless in place.
He was wearing a protective suit, and apart from his burned hands and a hole in his mask, the rest of his body was covered.
However, from the exposed areas, it was clear that his body had turned wooden.
Not only was his skin rigid with visible tree grain patterns, but his hair had also transformed into sprouting branches, growing out and piercing through the protective suit.
Just like how he had turned into a stone after devouring the Earth Spirit Bug, he now seemed to be transforming into a tree.
Tang Yu’an couldn’t help but sigh.
If they had known in advance that Lu Yan’ companion had been devoured by spirit bugs and turned into a giant tree, they would have been much more cautious when coming here.
But now, it was too late.
And in this situation, Tang Yu’an didn’t dare take Zhou Qi to another dimension.
Teacher Gu had taught them the principle of the Five Elements’ interdependence and counteraction. Right now, Brother Qi had absorbed the Wood Spirit Bug, and the Giant Wood Forest was filled with Wood, Earth, and Water energy—the exact elements that the Wood Spirit Bug thrived on.
Taking Brother Qi to another dimension wouldn’t help him; it might even strengthen the Wood Spirit Bug and increase his danger.
The element that countered Wood was…
Tang Yu’an thought for a moment and took out several Fire-element crystals.
These were crystals he had taken from Chi Hao earlier. In other dimensions, they had mostly found Water, Earth, and Wood-element crystals, while other types were rare.
He stuffed the Fire-element crystals into Zhou Qi’s pocket and placed several Flame Stones around him.
Hopefully, this would help.
After finishing everything, Tang Yu’an turned back to the green-haired young man on the ground.
The young man was also staring at Zhou Qi, his expression puzzled. Then, as he kept watching… he suddenly shut his eyes and fainted.
Tang Yu’an quickly caught him. Thanks to his White Swan Gloves, it was easy to hold him.
Now back in human form, the young man was completely bare. Tang Yu’an cast a purification spell on him, then took out a set of new clothes.
Fortunately, with the White Swan Gloves, dressing him was easy even though he was unconscious. Once clothed, Tang Yu’an carried him to the vehicle.
He pulled out the sofa bed, placed the green-haired young man on it, covered him with a blanket, and then left the vehicle to return to Zhou Qi’s side.
In just the short time he had been away, Zhou Qi’s head had sprouted branches that now reached his shoulders, covered in small green leaves.
Tang Yu’an felt worried, but seeing that Zhou Qi’s status bar only displayed “Spirit Bug Infestation” without showing any critical injuries, he barely managed to relax.
He stayed by Zhou Qi for a while, but seeing that there was nothing more he could do, he forced himself to focus on something else.
Checking the map, he saw that Lu Yan was still hiding in the abandoned building, completely motionless. Whatever he was doing remained unknown.
Tang Yu’an stood up and walked toward Lu Yan’ location.
Inside the collapsed building, Lu Yan was crouched in the shadows. At the sound of approaching footsteps, his body tensed slightly.
But soon, he relaxed again.
Hidden in the darkness, he blended seamlessly with his surroundings.
Lu Yan was confident he wouldn’t be found. This was his territory, and he knew every perfect hiding spot that outsiders would overlook.
However, the footsteps kept coming closer. Closer.
Until they stopped right beside him.
He lifted his head—only to see that strangely dressed human standing at the entrance of the abandoned building, peering in curiously.
Through the transparent lenses of his goggles, their eyes met.
“…”
This place was always covered in thick, green toxic mist, limiting visibility.
But for some reason, today the poisonous fog had disappeared from this area, leaving everything shockingly clear.
Clear enough that he could see the young man’s curious gaze through the goggles.
The moment their eyes met, Lu Yan let out a startled yelp and instantly bolted, dashing toward another exit.
He didn’t even know why he was running.
Maybe… he was afraid of seeing fear and disgust in those eyes.
When he reached the edge of the protective barrier, Lu Yan hesitated as he looked at the green mist outside. Then, after a brief pause, he turned back and found another hiding spot.
Even though he knew that if he fled farther, that strange human would never find him again…
The truth was—Lu Yan didn’t like the mist.
Even though he had lived here since he was little, this place was barren, with nothing but poisonous plants and venomous insects. No other creatures could survive here.
Lu Yan remembered that he hadn’t always been here.
Sometimes, he dreamed about his childhood.
A small version of himself, living on a mountain, foraging for wild vegetables with the adults.
Then, he was taken away by a group of grown-ups.
They built a fire in the woods. He didn’t remember what they said, only that he was terrified—so he ran.
And ran.
When he finally woke up from the dream…
He was already in this green mist.
He had once wanted to leave, to live in the outside world.
But out there—people always saw him as a monster.
They chased him, attacked him—only stopping when he fled into the mist.
Because if they entered the mist, they would die. But he wouldn’t.
For a long time, he lived alone in the green fog, hiding at crossroads, secretly watching the occasional passerby.
Just seeing them made him happy.
Curled up in the shadows, Lu Yan was enveloped by loneliness and sorrow.
The big tree was leaving too, wasn’t it?
The merchants had sent their men—they would take the big tree away, wouldn’t they?
The big tree never truly belonged here. It had been carried in by the flood, a gift from the heavens.
It hadn’t died upon touching the poisonous mist. After eating many blue fruits, it managed to survive for several days.
In the end, it turned into a tree—but Lu Yan didn’t mind at all.
The big tree was his only friend.
It had once said… that his Lu Yan (Green Eyes) were beautiful.
Remembering this, a faint smile appeared on Lu Yan’ sorrowful face. Those were the happiest days of his life.
But the smile quickly faded.
Now, the big tree had turned back into a human.
He was going to leave, wasn’t he? He couldn’t survive in the green mist—he had to leave to live…
“Lu Yan?”
A clear voice pulled him back to reality.
He looked up in shock. The stones above his head had been moved, and that strange-looking person had somehow found him again!
Why did he keep coming after him?
Wasn’t he afraid of him?
“Are you hungry? Do you want something to eat?” The person reached out his hand, holding a round, white object.
Lu Yan froze when he recognized what it was.
“Ah… Ah… Ahh…”
He wanted to say that he had eaten this before—that he had once found one at the roadside and it was the best food he’d ever had.
But in his urgency, he couldn’t get the words out.
“Here, it’s for you.”
Tang Yu’an tossed the bun toward him.
Lu Yan was clearly avoiding him, so Tang Yu’an didn’t want to climb into his hiding place and risk scaring him.
Seeing the bun fly toward him, Lu Yan frantically caught it.
It was warm, fresh from the steamer, much softer than the dry ones he had eaten before.
Holding the bun, he hesitated and glanced at Tang Yu’an.
“Go on, eat it. It’s called a bun, and it’s delicious,” Tang Yu’an encouraged.
Only then did Lu Yan lower his head and take a bite.
The soft dough carried a hint of sweetness, and the red bean paste inside was rich and sugary.
So good!
The previous ones he had eaten had no filling—this was completely different.
His eyes lit up.
“Good, right?” The boy’s light laughter rang in his ears.
As he ate, Lu Yan couldn’t help but look at Tang Yu’an.
He stood in the light. Even though his face was obscured, his eyes were visible through the goggles—bright, kind, and smiling.
No one had ever smiled at him before…
No one, except the big tree, had ever been this nice to him…
“G-good… Good…” he struggled to say.
His voice was no longer as rough and grating as when he first appeared in the dream, but since his treatment had been interrupted, it still wasn’t fully restored.
Tang Yu’an observed him closely.
He seemed young—probably under twenty. His long, messy black hair was matted with dried green liquid, the same shade as the toxic mist outside. It must have stuck to him from prolonged exposure.
For some reason, even though he was clearly human, he wasn’t afraid of the poisonous mist. Perhaps it was his special ability?
But just because he could survive in the mist didn’t mean the poison hadn’t affected him.
His skin was severely corroded, with no intact patches visible on his exposed areas—it was a shocking sight.
Despite his terrifying appearance, one look into his eyes was enough to tell that he wasn’t a monster—just a poisoned, wounded, pitiful soul.
Remembering their encounter in the dream, Tang Yu’an became even more certain that Lu Yan wasn’t a bad person.
Besides, he had been able to enter the protective barrier. Even when they intruded into his home uninvited, he had shown no hostility.
That thought softened Tang Yu’an’s heart.
“Let me clean you up, okay?” he asked gently.
Lu Yan stared at him in confusion.
It had been too long since he had lived among people. He could only understand simple words, and Tang Yu’an’s sentence was beyond him.
So Tang Yu’an carefully reached out. A soft glow appeared—though he had exhausted his light-element abilities, his system still allowed him to use purification spells.
The light shone into the ruins, as if driving away all darkness.
Lu Yan was captivated.
Dazed, he watched as Tang Yu’an cast the small ball of light.
It floated toward him, landing gently on his body.
And in an instant—He was enveloped in light.
Lu Yan had never felt such warmth before. Bathed in the light, his heart became calm and clear, yet tears streamed uncontrollably from his eyes.
When the purification light faded, the black-green toxic liquid that had clung to him for as long as he could remember disappeared as well.
The constant burning pain, the sensation of countless insects gnawing at him—pain he had grown so used to that he became numb—was gone.
The feeling of being completely at ease, his body lighter and more comfortable than ever, left Lu Yan bewildered.
He had endured that torment for over a decade—he had long forgotten what it felt like to be free of pain.
Hurriedly, he raised his hands. As the movement pulled at the once-festering skin on the backs of his hands, a faint sting spread through his nerves. Only then did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.
This pain—this was what he was used to.
Tang Yu’an didn’t know what was going through Lu Yan’ mind. Seeing the toxic green sludge disappear from his body, he let out a breath of relief.
Purification magic could cleanse filth and dispel evil.
Those toxic fluids—perhaps they counted as filth, too?
Tang Yu’an handed Lu Yan a bottle of intermediate healing potion. “Drink this. It’ll heal your wounds.”
Lu Yan still didn’t understand, but this time, he didn’t shy away. Hesitantly, he reached out and took the bottle.
Tang Yu’an made a drinking gesture.
“Drink it all.”
Lu Yan imitated him, obediently drinking the entire potion.
“Good job.”
After finishing the potion, Lu Yan stared at Tang Yu’an with his wet, glistening eyes. Tang Yu’an couldn’t help himself—he reached into the hole and gently patted Lu Yan on the head.
Instinctively, Lu Yan flinched, but soon realized that Tang Yu’an wasn’t trying to hurt him.
He froze in place. Only when Tang Yu’an withdrew his hand did he exhale slightly.
Then, as if recalling the sensation, he hesitantly raised his hand and touched his own head.
The big tree had patted his head like this before, too.
But back then, the moment it did, its palm had festered and rotted.
At this thought, Lu Yan anxiously grabbed Tang Yu’an’s hand, inspecting it carefully—only to find it still clean and unscathed.
After touching him, however, the white gloves of the protective suit were now stained with pus from his healing wounds.
Lu Yan panicked and quickly let go.
“It’s okay, this is a protective suit,” Tang Yu’an reassured him with a smile.
He still didn’t dare remove the suit just yet. The lingering green stains on the ground and buildings proved that the protective barrier hadn’t fully eliminated all toxins.
It was likely similar to how rainwater only got expelled once it accumulated past a certain threshold.
The remaining toxins weren’t deadly, but they would undoubtedly still cause skin damage.
Suddenly, an idea struck Tang Yu’an, and he opened his system’s inventory panel.
Since this entire area was covered by the protective barrier, technically, it fell under the jurisdiction of his “Safe Zone Grocery Store”…
Sure enough, in the inventory, an entry labeled “Unnamed Toxin” appeared.
Tang Yu’an’s eyes lit up. He immediately used his inventory function to transfer all the toxins into storage bottles.
One glass bottle wasn’t enough. In the end, he used two one-liter milk bottles to contain all the toxins.
The surrounding greenish filth vanished instantly, leaving everything pristine and clean. Not a single drop of poison remained.
Tang Yu’an ran an identification check. Looking around the area within the protective barrier, he found no more toxic indicators.
Finally, feeling reassured, he removed his protective suit.
Taking in a deep breath of fresh air, he let out a satisfied sigh.
“Ah… Ahh…”
Lu Yan, seeing the young man’s reaction, grew excited again. And when he got too excited, he found himself unable to speak properly.
Tang Yu’an thought for a moment before asking, “Are you trying to say that we met before, at the crossroads?”
Back when they had passed through the three-way junction, they had heard strange, terrifying sounds. Grandpa Li had warned them that those noises belonged to a monster lurking in the toxic mist—that they must never approach it.
At that time… Lu Yan must have been watching them, right?
“Met… before…” Lu Yan nodded.
Tang Yu’an grinned. “Then it must be fate.”
Lu Yan stared at him, looking confused again. Then, he yawned involuntarily, suddenly feeling drowsy.
“The healing potion is probably kicking in. Do you want to sleep in my truck for a while? When you wake up, your wounds should be much better.”
“Your friend is also in my truck. Do you want to see him?”
Lu Yan shook his head vigorously and retreated further into the corner. He curled up… and before long, he fell asleep.
Tang Yu’an watched him curiously, not quite understanding why he insisted on hiding.
Since Lu Yan clearly didn’t want to come out, Tang Yu’an didn’t force him. Instead, he pulled out a blanket from his personal inventory and draped it over him before turning away.
He returned to stand guard over Zhou Qi.
After their previous experiences, Brother Qi should be able to handle the parasitic spirit bugs more smoothly this time, right?
Tang Yu’an remained by his side. Other than retrieving floating bottles from the dream realm, he never left again.
When night fell, he finally summoned his pets.
Just like in the otherworld, Yin Bi returned to its true form, letting Tang Yu’an sleep on its soft, fluffy belly.
Wang Cai curled up beside him, draping its bushy tail over Tang Yu’an like a blanket.
Yuan Bao and Black Pearl, still in their puppy and kitten forms, nestled close, keeping watch over him as he slept.
Ruby soared through the sky once before landing atop Wang Cai’s head, curling into a tiny furball.
Surrounded by his pets, Tang Yu’an finally managed to fall asleep.
By the next morning, Zhou Qi had yet to recover, though the green leaves on his branches had increased.
Tang Yu’an cast another healing spell, reinforcing his lifeline.
On the fifth time he cast the spell, Tang Yu’an heard movement from the RV and quickly ran over to check.
There, he saw the green-haired young man from yesterday—whose name he still didn’t know—finally waking up. The young man seemed to be trying to stand and walk, but for some reason, he had fallen.
“Are you okay?”
Tang Yu’an hurried forward to help him up.
Supporting his weak body, the green-haired young man sat down on the couch. He looked at Tang Yu’an and said, “Thank you.”
“How are you feeling?” Tang Yu’an asked.
The young man examined his body. The wounds left by the poison had completely healed, but… his gaze fell upon his legs. “I think… I haven’t walked for too long. I don’t know how to anymore.”
Was that why he had fallen just now?
“Can you still feel your legs?” Tang Yu’an asked quickly.
“Yes.”
“Then it’s fine,” Tang Yu’an reassured him. “You just need to go through some rehabilitation training.”
The young man nodded and thanked him again.
Tang Yu’an studied his delicate features and couldn’t help but ask, “Yesterday, you said you couldn’t remember your name. Does that mean you don’t remember anything else either? How long were you a tree?”
“…It must have been several years.”
The green-haired young man thought carefully before adding, “Oh right—where’s Lu Yan? Where is he?”
After becoming a tree, his consciousness had been hazy for the longest time. In his blurred memories, the only clear figure that remained was that person—the one who had always been by his side.
During those long and lonely years, it was because of him, because of his presence and need, that he had been able to hold on.
Recently, his withered tree body had suddenly regained life, and his awareness had become much clearer.
He had felt Lu Yan’ embrace. He had finally heard his words.
It was then that he learned Lu Yan’ name.
Thinking of this, the green-haired young man attempted to stand up again. “Where is he? Can you take me to him?”
His speech was noticeably smoother than yesterday, and his voice no longer sounded so unfamiliar.
But his legs were still too weak. The moment he took a step, he nearly collapsed again, forcing Tang Yu’an to catch him and sit him back down.
“Don’t rush it. He’s outside,” Tang Yu’an said before pausing.
“What is it?” the green-haired young man pressed.
“…He’s hiding. He doesn’t seem to want to come out.”
The green-haired young man let out a relieved sigh. “He’s probably just shy. I’ll go see him…”
Seeing him about to stand up again, Tang Yu’an quickly stopped him. “Wait a second!”
He took out a wheelchair, then carried the green-haired young man out of the RV and carefully set him down in it.
The entire time, the young man stared at him in shock, as if he couldn’t believe Tang Yu’an was this strong.
Tang Yu’an just grinned and casually pushed the wheelchair to the abandoned building where Lu Yan was hiding.
“He’s in that hole,” Tang Yu’an said, handing him a pair of crutches.
The green-haired young man forced himself up and, wobbling slightly, made his way to the hole. Leaning against the wall for support, he peered inside.
The moment he stuck his head in, Lu Yan jolted awake from his sleep.
Dazed, he turned toward the sound. Upon seeing the green-haired young man, he froze for a moment. Then, as if suddenly realizing something, he quickly covered his face and shrank deeper into the hole.
He let out panicked cries, his voice full of fear.
The young man was startled. Only then did he realize—Lu Yan wasn’t just shy.
He was hiding from him.
But… why?
“Do you not remember me?” the young man asked softly, his voice tinged with sadness.
Lu Yan stopped making those strange sounds. Through the gaps between his fingers, he peeked at the figure at the entrance of the hole, his eyes filled with both pure joy and… hesitation.
He didn’t know how to express himself. He just… didn’t want to be seen as a monster.
Leaning against the entrance, the young man quickly concealed his sorrow.
In a gentle voice, he said, “It’s okay if you don’t remember me. We can get to know each other again.”
Then, as if suddenly realizing something, he looked a little frustrated. “I can’t remember my own name…”
Lu Yan slowly relaxed.
And then, he heard his tree say, “It’s fine. Since you’re called Lu Yan (Green Eyes), then… from now on, I’ll be called Lu Fa (Green Hair). How about that?”
