Chapter 40: Like Seeing a Ghost

Thus, the process of gathering went on for more than an hour.

As she picked, Yu Yan began to sense something was amiss.

Turning her head, she saw three pure white Fu Zhu—two large and one small—standing behind her, each with four crystal-clear antlers atop their heads. Six bright eyes stared at her, full of wariness and tension, as if afraid she would strip the tree of all its fruit.

Yu Yan: "..."

She glanced at the Wenjing tree. Only a few scattered fruits remained. Sure enough, not many were left.

It was... rather awkward.

She felt like a thief who had nearly emptied a house, only to be caught just as the owners returned. Yu Yan stammered, "Um, sorry about that, I got carried away... ahem!"

"Duoduo, stop picking, let's go."

Speaking, Yu Yan gently released her "Windstride" ability and descended to the ground.

"Okay!"

Yun Duo'er had clearly noticed the three Fu Zhu hiding in the nearby underbrush. Her almond-shaped eyes sparkled with excitement. "Little deer, little deer, do you want to eat some dates? I'll let you have some if you let me pet you, how about it?"

As she spoke, Yun Duo'er picked the largest, bluest Wenjing fruit and stretched out her arm, offering it in her palm.

Yu Yan couldn't help but laugh. "Duoduo, they won't..." She didn't finish the sentence before her eyes widened in astonishment. The smallest Fu Zhu scraped its dark hooves on the ground, clearly struggling inwardly.

It looked at the other two Fu Zhu, then, hesitantly, took a few tentative steps toward Yun Duo'er.

Unbelievable!

Fu Zhu were notoriously vigilant and elusive. The group who had cleared out the Howling Boar Forest had only glimpsed a Fu Zhu from afar. Before they could get close, the creature had vanished without a trace. Never had she heard of a Fu Zhu willingly approaching people!

"Little deer, you're so cute. I really like you," Yun Duo'er crooned, holding her hand steady so as not to startle the little Fu Zhu nibbling the fruit. With her other hand, she carefully reached to touch its head—the little Fu Zhu looked up at her, a glimmer of... delight?... in its large eyes.

Then, like a pampered pet, it nuzzled affectionately against Yun Duo'er's palm.

Damn!

It was actually happening.

Half an hour later, Yu Yan and her daughter appeared at the entrance of the thicket, trailed by the little Fu Zhu.

Yu Yan's expression was dazed, somewhat bewildered. Even now, she could hardly believe the little Fu Zhu had actually followed them back.

Not only had it followed them, but as they were leaving, it even led them to another Wenjing tree, only half as tall as a person.

Before the replica world merged with the greater world, spaces like the Plant Spirit Realm remained self-contained and couldn't be opened or used inside. At best, she could use her hands to toss in lifeless objects or already dead plants and animals.

Yu Yan could only place the newly-dug Wenjing sapling into the Lotus Mirage space for now.

Fortunately, the Lotus Mirage was vibrant with life; the Wenjing tree could stay there for ten days or half a month without losing a trace of its spiritual energy.

There was just one issue... Yu Yan glanced at the little Fu Zhu sticking closely to Yun Duo'er.

The Lotus Mirage was merely a portable space, with limitations when it came to living, moving creatures. For now, the little Fu Zhu couldn't be stowed away, making its constant presence by their side a bit inconvenient.

"Giggle~ Little deer, don't nudge me, it tickles~ hahaha!"

But hearing her daughter's delighted laughter, Yu Yan smiled and quickly dismissed her concerns.

"Boss."

Tang Yan spotted the returning mother and daughter and quickly stood to greet them.

His eyes lingered briefly on the Fu Zhu behind them, showing no particular emotion. Just a prettier deer, he thought. It was normal for the boss to bring back anything unusual.

Tang Siqi sidled up to Yun Duo'er, full of envy. "Duo'er, what is this?"

She had never seen such a beautiful deer, with four antlers, each as clear as ice crystal! The Fu Zhu shrank behind Yun Duo'er, clearly uncomfortable with being surrounded, but to Yu Yan's surprise, it didn't flee back to the forest.

"My mom says it's a Fu Zhu. I like to call it Little Deer," Yun Duo'er said, eyes crinkling with joy. "Mom says as long as I like it, we can keep it."

Tang Yan silently memorized the Fu Zhu's appearance. This deer looked special—he doubted he could catch another exactly like it. Still, since his daughter liked it, maybe he could find a similar one for her as a pet. When it came to doting on his daughter, he only admitted Yu Yan was slightly better than himself!

"Boss!"

Zhang Quan hurried over, curiosity burning in his heart about the deer behind Yun Duo'er. He did his best to suppress his urge to ask. "Are we heading back now?"

"Yes," Yu Yan nodded. After a moment's thought, she said, "Hold out your hand."

Without hesitation, Zhang Quan extended his hand, muttering, "What is it, boss, you want me to—" Three pale blue, gently glowing fruits appeared on his palm.

"What are these?"

They looked a bit like dates—were they edible?

"Eat them. They'll do you good," Yu Yan replied, not bothering with Zhang Quan's conflicted expression. She silently recited, "Leave the replica," and immediately chose, "Team leave." The group, including Song Xiaoqing and Hao Guangming, all reappeared at the dungeon entrance.

"Tang Yan, let's go."

"Um, boss..."

Yu Yan turned, "Something else?"

"Ahem, just to clarify, I'm not trying to kick you out, boss, please don't take it the wrong way! It's just, there are plenty of rooms in the villa, and you said you'd use it for three days. Well, the three days are up... so what do you think?"

Zhang Quan hoped to move back into the villa.

It wasn't that he couldn't stand the hardships outside, he just wanted to be closer to the boss.

If nothing else, listening to the boss "lecture" a few times was incredibly beneficial! After all, just last night, thanks to her guidance, he'd learned how to improve his own strength. Admittedly, just thinking about it, he knew it would not be easy.

"I don't like too many people around," Yu Yan said after a pause. "I'll stay here one more night. After tomorrow, you can arrange things as you like. As for tonight, if you want to move back into the villa, you can—just bring two others at most."

"That's enough, that's enough." Zhang Quan grinned, then sighed, "Boss, you're leaving tomorrow?"

"The villa is really comfortable, and the area is relatively safe. Can't you stay a bit longer? Or just live here? I'll hand over the leader's position to you!"

Yu Yan smiled as well. "No need. I have things I must do."

"Oh." Zhang Quan opened his mouth, feeling a pang of loss.

He might look imposing as the villa's leader, but deep down, he was uneasy about the arrival of the replica world. With no one to confide in, and even Lu Hao, the only one with some brains, knowing less about the replica world than he did.

Only during these few days, when Yu Yan stayed in the villa and he slept in the backyard, did he feel a strange sense of security. The conditions, of course, weren't as comfortable as the villa's soft beds. But somehow, he just felt at ease. With Yu Yan around, he was filled with confidence, no longer afraid of this damned replica world!