Chapter 16: Yin Fire Heap and Deceitful Tree
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As the Skeletons methodically stored each item, a series of system prompts chimed in Gu Su’s mind, continuously updating his resource statistics:
[Collected a few vines. Can be converted into 1 unit of Wood.]
[Collected some weeds. Can be converted into 1 unit of Wood.]
[Collected a rusted car hood. Can be converted into 1 unit of Metal.]
[Collected a shelf bracket. Can be converted into 2 units of Metal.]
[Collected a ceiling fan blade. Can be converted into 1 unit of Metal, or handled separately.]
[Collected a rusted shopping cart. Can be converted into 41 units of Metal, or handled separately.]
[Collected a large piece of glass. Can be converted into 1 unit of Stone.]
[...]
As the materials were continuously counted and stored, small to medium-sized wooden and iron chests gradually piled up on either side of Gu Su’s tent.
Apparently, the number of collected materials exceeded the tent’s storage limit, and this was the physical manifestation of them being temporarily stacked outside.
The Skeletons, following his default commands, automatically sorted the materials that could be converted directly.
They set aside the items marked for separate handling—the ceiling fan blades, intact plastic crates, and a long row of shopping carts—and arranged them neatly to one side.
Gu Su walked over and glanced at the resource statistics panel. Excluding the special materials he planned to modify or use separately, this expedition had yielded a total of 19 units of Wood, 21 units of Metal, and 5 units of Stone.
Including the Gold Coins and Gemstones from the Treasure Chest, his current total resources were clearly displayed:
[Gold Coins: 382, Yin Qi: 9, Wood: 42, Stone: 5, Metal: 50, Gemstones: 2, Crystal: 0, mercury: 0, Sulfur: 0].
This haul was within Gu Su’s expectations. It wasn’t amazing, but it was enough to support basic repairs for the Graveyard Demon and a minor strengthening of his Undead Team.
But what truly interested him were the special items that couldn’t be quantified as basic resources.
Gu Su took the pale yellow Rat Bezoar from his pocket, rubbing its hard surface with his fingertips. He then turned and walked toward the Yin Fire Heap in front of his tent, which was barely maintaining a faint flame.
This item was one of the materials needed to repair the Yin Fire Heap. Now that the Corroding Mycelium had recovered, it was the perfect time to activate the Yin Fire Heap as well.
He raised his hand and tossed the Rat Bezoar into the Yin Fire Heap. The moment the pale yellow stone fell into the fire, it was enveloped and consumed by the ghostly blue flames.
The next second, the translucent, ghostly green phantom of a rat slowly rose from the heap, hovering above the flames. It let out a few soft squeaks before transforming into a wisp of green light and merging with the fire.
The originally faint Yin Fire suddenly surged, and its color gradually shifted from its normal hue to a faint, ink-green.
The flames flickered with increasing stability, and a dense but not pungent Yin Qi slowly spread out, lingering around the Yin Fire Heap.
[Yin Fire Heap repair complete. Yin Fire Heap status: Intact. Level upgraded to Level 1. Can produce 500 Yin Qi every 24 hours.]
Gu Su held his hand over the flames, feeling the Yin Qi emanating from them, his eyes filled with satisfaction.
The Yin Fire Heap was now mass-producing Yin Qi, and the Corroding Mycelium could expand his territory and convert resources. With the Graveyard Demon’s two core functions fully activated, his undead forces could finally begin to develop steadily.
After the Yin Fire Heap was restored, Gu Su turned and headed toward the Deceitful Tree.
The Deceitful Tree still had the same withered, dark, and gnarled appearance, its branches twisted and tangled.
Before, only a bare, black trunk remained, completely lifeless.
Gu Su took out the iron box containing the melted Corpse Oil from his pocket and was about to bend down and bury it at the base of the Deceitful Tree.
But then he noticed the Deceitful Tree’s branches begin to stir. A withered, black branch slowly turned toward him, seemingly more interested in something he was carrying than the Corpse Oil before it.
Gu Su paused, stunned. Following the direction the branch was pointing, he looked down and realized the Deceitful Tree was indicating the six white seeds he had casually brought with him.
These were random seeds he had obtained from the supermarket’s Treasure Chest. He had been carrying them around but hadn’t had a chance to examine them yet.
’Could it be that you want these?’ Gu Su wondered. He decided to simply place the six seeds one by one on the ground near the Deceitful Tree’s roots.
"I can’t identify what kind of seeds these are either. Take a look for yourself. Keep any that are useful."
The instant the seeds hit the ground, the earth trembled slightly. Two small fissures silently cracked open, directly swallowing two of the seeds before quickly closing up and returning to normal.
The remaining four seeds lay quietly where they were, completely still, clearly not what the Deceitful Tree wanted.
Understanding the situation, Gu Su bent down, carefully collected the four unidentified seeds, and picked up the iron box of Corpse Oil again. He prepared to dig a hole and bury it among the Deceitful Tree’s roots to nourish it.
But just as he bent over, a crisp, cool breeze suddenly swept past. It carried the faint scent of plants and grass, completely different from the usual cold, grim air of the graveyard.
Immediately after, countless tiny things drifted down from the air, landing on his shoulders and the ground.
"Paper Money?" Gu Su raised his hand and pinched one. It was as light and thin as paper, with a faint, grayish-white color. Filled with astonishment, he abruptly looked up at the Deceitful Tree.
The sight left him completely stunned. The Deceitful Tree, which had been nothing but a withered black trunk just moments before, had sprouted new leaves.
The leaves mostly grew in clusters of three. They were a tender green tinged with a hint of ink-black, their veins clearly visible. From time to time, they would slowly rotate on their own, each turn creating a faint breeze—the very same cool wind he had just felt.
And amidst the twisted branches hung palm-sized fruits with dark brown skins.
When the wind blew, they would crack open, and the things resembling Paper Money were actually seeds drifting out from the fruit.
A gentle breeze rustled, sending Paper Money fluttering through the air. The new leaves adorning the withered tree instantly enveloped the once-desolate graveyard in a bizarre yet fitting atmosphere, a mix of solemnity and fantasy.
Gu Su stood stunned for a moment. When he came to his senses, he immediately spun around, rushed back to his tent, and frantically searched the item Explanations next to his quest panel, wanting to figure out the seeds’ origin.
Information about the Deceitful Tree’s transformation quickly appeared on the panel, clearing up his confusion.
Of the two seeds swallowed by the Deceitful Tree, one was called [Gentle Wind Grass]. It resembled a mini-fan in shape and could continuously produce a gentle breeze, with the wind growing stronger as their numbers increased.
Now that it had been devoured by the Deceitful Tree, it enhanced the tree’s ability to clear foul impurities from the air and purify the graveyard’s environment.
The other was [Big Leaf Lily]. The plant itself was slightly toxic, but when its seeds split open, they would transform into countless thin flakes resembling Paper Money and drift away.
It was a rare specialty plant that could enhance the graveyard’s atmosphere, perfectly matching the Deceitful Tree’s growth traits and the graveyard’s environmental needs.
That was why the Deceitful Tree had directly swallowed these two seeds, adding their abilities to its own.
From this, it was also clear that these white seeds were actually quite potent.
This also made Gu Su even more eager to find someone to study the remaining four seeds and determine what they were.