Chapter 20

The little guy placed the writing board on the coffee table, carrying a marker pen that was taller than himself, and walked onto it with a “heave-ho” effort.

Cheng Hui glanced at the marker pen, which was taller than the little guy, then at the little guy himself.

Emmm… alright then.

He asked first, “How about telling me your name?”

Upon hearing this, the little guy immediately puffed up his cheeks in displeasure.

Cheng Hui: ??? Seriously, I can’t even ask for a name?

Seeing that Cheng Hui wasn’t changing the question, the little guy pouted, reluctantly carrying the marker pen to write the characters ‘Xiao Tong’ on the writing board.

Cheng Hui: …

Isn’t that a nice name? Why is he unhappy? I don’t get it.

“Xiao Tong, what’s your relationship with this space?”

Xiao Tong blinked, seemingly not understanding.

Cheng Hui decided to change his approach: “Do you know how to control this space? Does it have any special effects? Like adjusting the flow of time or having a spiritual spring or something?”

Xiao Tong thought for a moment, then shook his head.

Shaking his head?

Cheng Hui’s heart sank. Oh no, does this space not have any of the standard features? Could it just be a basic storage space?

“Do you know if there’s anything special here?” He was still hopeful.

This time, Xiao Tong nodded vigorously, and Cheng Hui was overjoyed. Can you take me to see it?

Xiao Tong tossed the marker pen aside, and both the writing board and marker pen disappeared into thin air. Then he ran to Cheng Hui, grabbing his sleeve and trying to climb up.

Cheng Hui found it amusing and quickly grabbed him by the back of his neck, lifting him up and placing him on his shoulder.

Xiao Tong was initially a bit confused, but once he realized his position, he broke into a big smile and… continued to climb up Cheng Hui’s hair.

Cheng Hui: …Well, he’s quite ambitious.

He didn’t mind the little guy climbing onto his head and even helped him up by lifting his feet.

Once Xiao Tong stood up, he let out a cheerful cheer, running around on Cheng Hui’s head like he had conquered some great peak.

“Is it really that exciting?” Cheng Hui couldn’t help but find it funny, feeling that Xiao Tong was like a little kid.

After running around for a while, Xiao Tong finally got his fill of fun, standing on top of Cheng Hui’s head, grabbing a lock of hair on each side to guide him.

Pulling left to turn left, pulling right to turn right, pulling both to go straight, Xiao Tong successfully turned Cheng Hui into his mount, leading him to a nearby snowy mountain.

Following Xiao Tong’s guidance, Cheng Hui quickly found a cave. Passing through it, he arrived at a valley. As soon as he entered, he was stunned by the sight.

In the center of the valley stood a tree that would captivate anyone at first glance.

It was a magical tree, with its trunk and leaves glowing with a faint light.

Countless streams of light swirled rapidly around the tree, and whenever one landed on it, it would merge with a leaf, forming a brief black hole.

The tree was covered in countless black holes, and Cheng Hui found himself unconsciously drawn to them.

It was as if he could see through the black holes into wondrous worlds, each with its own unique development. Just as he wanted to explore further into that universe, he suddenly felt a tremendous sense of danger, as if facing death itself.

Cheng Hui: ???

Before he could react, he felt a massive force hit his forehead.

In an instant, it was like thousands of hammers were pounding his head. He let out a scream and fainted on the ground.

“Ah!”

Xiao Tong exclaimed in surprise, falling down as well. It took him a while to climb out of Cheng Hui’s hair.

He looked around in confusion, then at the unconscious Cheng Hui, stunned for a moment before panicking. He scrambled onto Cheng Hui’s face, patting it hard, but got no response, leaving him troubled.

He lifted one of Cheng Hui’s eyelids, but it fell back down as soon as he let go.

Xiao Tong: …

He pouted, looking pained, then reached into the air and pulled out a white porcelain bottle.

Opening the bottle, he took a deep breath, enjoying it, but quickly snapped back to reality, struggling to pour out a pill and shove it into Cheng Hui’s mouth.

The pill melted instantly, turning into a refreshing stream that quickly merged into Cheng Hui’s body.

After a while, Cheng Hui slowly woke up, looking at the clear sky above, momentarily confused about the time and place.

Fortunately, he soon regained his senses, standing up and looking at Xiao Tong with a complicated expression: “Is this the special feature you mentioned? Special enough to almost kill me?”

Xiao Tong guiltily averted his gaze, then confidently pointed at the bottle, indicating he had tried to remedy the situation. How was he supposed to know Cheng Hui would be so foolish, trying to explore the universe beyond the black holes with his divine sense? It was a stroke of luck he wasn’t killed when the black holes collapsed!

Cheng Hui, unaware of Xiao Tong’s internal complaints, looked at the tree with lingering fear, quickly averting his gaze.

Until he figured out what this thing was, he wouldn’t dare approach it lightly.

“Ah!” Xiao Tong puffed his cheeks in dissatisfaction, clearly displeased with Cheng Hui’s reaction.

He tugged on Cheng Hui’s finger, signaling him to follow.

Cheng Hui hesitated but eventually followed.

He knew nothing about this space, and Xiao Tong was the only one who could help him. If Xiao Tong wanted to guide him, he was willing to take the risk.

Otherwise, wandering around without Xiao Tong might be even more dangerous.

Xiao Tong didn’t lead him astray, taking him directly to the tree. Every time Cheng Hui tried to look at the black holes, Xiao Tong would promptly remind him not to.

After being unconsciously drawn several times, Cheng Hui became more cautious about the tree.

It wasn’t that the tree was inherently bad, but the things it involved might be too advanced for him. With his current strength, it wasn’t wise to engage with it lightly.

“Ah!” Xiao Tong led him to the tree roots, where he noticed several fruits growing.

The fruits varied in color and shape, but they all exuded a mysterious, vast aura.

“Is this what you wanted me to see?” Cheng Hui didn’t reach out to pick them. The previous lesson made him acutely aware that things in the cultivation world weren’t easy to obtain. Without sufficient strength, even good things might not be safe to use.

“Ah, ah!” Xiao Tong pointed to the fruit closest to the roots, gesturing to Cheng Hui.

After observing for a while, Cheng Hui barely guessed that Xiao Tong wanted him to pick the fruit, eat it, and then go somewhere to bring something back.

Cheng Hui: ???

He refused.

No way, he didn’t even know what this thing was, and he wasn’t going to eat it!

Even if Xiao Tong had no ill intentions, he wasn’t going to eat it.

What if Xiao Tong misjudged his strength? Good intentions gone wrong happen all the time. Until he figured out what this tree was, he wouldn’t eat it!

Xiao Tong pouted, seemingly realizing Cheng Hui’s firm stance, and sulked on the side.

Cheng Hui rubbed his little head with a finger, comforting him: “Don’t worry, once I’m stronger, I’ll help you find the stuff.”

“Ah!” Xiao Tong nodded, raising a hand for a high-five agreement.

Cheng Hui had to extend a finger for a high-five, then watched as Xiao Tong ran to the tree roots, rummaging through fallen leaves until he found a relatively intact leaf.

He ran back with the leaf, placing it in Cheng Hui’s hand.

“For me?” Cheng Hui was a bit flattered. He had just refused Xiao Tong’s proposal, yet Xiao Tong was still giving him a gift.

Xiao Tong nodded, indicating for him to place the leaf on his forehead.

Cheng Hui did as instructed, and the leaf quickly transformed into a silver stream, merging into his body.

He felt a clarity in his mind, as if a star had bloomed somewhere.

Instinctively, he used his divine sense to touch the star, and suddenly felt an itch in his throat. Reflexively coughing, he spat out a small flame that landed on Xiao Tong’s face.

Xiao Tong: …

Betrayed! Σ( ° △°|||)︴

“Sorry… cough, cough… sorry… cough, cough…” Cheng Hui couldn’t stop coughing, each one accompanied by a small flame, until he finally calmed down.

Xiao Tong stared blankly at Cheng Hui, mouth agape. He conjured a mirror, looking at the soot-covered, singed-haired little guy inside, tears welling up before bursting into tears again.

Cheng Hui: …

Just… feeling quite guilty.

He quickly offered comforting words, soothing Xiao Tong for a long time until he finally stopped crying.

Xiao Tong sniffled, wiping away his tears, then conjured a screen to hide behind.

Cheng Hui then saw clothes hanging on the screen, the same shirt and shorts Xiao Tong had worn before, followed by the sound of water.

Cheng Hui: … Quite well-prepared.

Once Xiao Tong finished tidying up and changed into a clean little suit, he finally emerged from behind the screen, though his singed hair remained unchanged, turning his once cool hairstyle into a head of curls.

Cheng Hui: … Hold it in! Don’t laugh! I’m a professional!

Xiao Tong glared at him, and Cheng Hui suddenly noticed that the once slightly chubby Xiao Tong had returned to normal. Had he digested the magic fish gold??

“Ah!” Xiao Tong was about to say something when he suddenly frowned, angrily pointing outside and pushing Cheng Hui.

Cheng Hui was momentarily stunned, then his expression changed drastically, immediately leaving the space.