Ginkgo seeds!

  A-Liao held the fshlight and stumbled along the path.

  Mo Bai said that all yaokais in the world must face a heavenly tribution at least once in their lives. If they cannot avoid it, it will be a dead end, leading to total destruction of body and spirit. Fortunately, in ancient times, a great master left behind a mysterious book—"Yaokai Spirit Longevity Formu."

  As long as one follows the prescriptions inside to gather various rare medicinal materials and combines them with the yaokai's own essence, they can create a colorless and tasteless divine medicine—Longevity Elixir. If taken on the day of the heavenly tribution, it will ensure a safe passage. The bird that died beneath the ginkgo tree was unable to gather the necessary ingredients, so it couldn't produce the Longevity Elixir for its kind, and it couldn't survive its tribution, losing centuries of cultivation in a single night, its miserable life coming to an end on its fateful day.

  Liang Yudong was a thousand-year-old ginkgo tree spirit. Mo Bai said that his day of reckoning would come in three days.

  A-Liao couldn’t be without her master.

  She ran faster and faster, determined to help her master find this st medicinal ingredient. There were so many ginkgo trees in the forest; she would be able to gather plenty of ginkgo seeds.

  On the summer night mountain road, the grass gave off a faint fragrance, and the sounds of insects filled the air. The stars in the night sky twinkled like eyes, watching the girl who was racing below.

  The mountain path was too dark, and she was running too fast. A rock tripped her, sending her crashing to the ground. Her palms and knees were scraped and bleeding. It hurt, but A-Liao held back her tears as she got up, only to find her way blocked by someone.

  "I knew you would run off," Liang Yudong said, breathing slightly heavier as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. "I really can't do it anymore. Even the trick of teleportation is becoming difficult."

  "Master, I'll help you get the ginkgo seeds!" A-Liao looked up at him, her eyes filled with an unwavering determination she had never shown before.

  Liang Yudong bent down, instinctively patting her head. "Silly girl, you can’t get the ginkgo seeds."

  "I can!" A-Liao grasped his hand tightly. "I know it's not the season for the ginkgo seeds yet, but there must be ginkgo trees that bear fruit early. I′ll search for them one by one!"

  "A-Liao..."

  "Haha, it won't take any effort to get them. That cat yokai's barrier is in vain."

  A gust of wind swept through the forest, and behind a ginkgo tree, two middle-aged men in bck robes jumped out, their fierce presence startling a flurry of fallen leaves. The lean man with a goatee pointed at Liang Yudong and said, "Yaokai, we've been chasing you for twenty years. Today, you shall have no way out!"

  Liang Yudong sneered, pushing A-Liao behind him.

  The other bald man calcuted with his fingers, then whispered to the goateed man, "Senior Brother, the ginkgo tree yaokai's end is near; he has almost no magic left. It's regrettable we let him escape twenty years ago; otherwise..."

  "Although capturing him and refining him into elixirs is of little use to our power now, he is still a thousand-year-old ginkgo. Consuming him will surely grant us immortality." The triangur eyes of the goateed man gleamed with greedy and sinister light.

  Two longswords appeared in the hands of the two men as if by magic, their cold light gleaming like snow, exuding an intimidating aura.

  Liang Yudong pushed A-Liao behind him and leaped into the air, engaging the brother duo in a barehanded struggle. As the swords cshed, several wounds opened on Liang Yudong's arms and back, green liquid flowing from the wounds, glowing faintly in the night.

  A-Liao seized an opportunity, lunging forward to grab the bald man's leg and biting down hard. She had never felt such a strong dislike... such a strong dislike for these two sword-wielding men.

  The bald man screamed in pain and retaliated with a palm strike to A Liao's chest. She flew backward like a kite with a broken string, finally nding in a soft embrace.

  "You foolish girl, so stupid." Mo Bai held her as they fell to the ground, pointing at her nose, "Stay here and don't move!" Her agile body darted into the battle like a bde, moving at an imperceptible speed.

  After several exchanges, the two Taoists bore multiple bloody wounds on their faces, while Mo Bai was also covered in injuries.

  "You yaokai, you were already defeated during the day, yet you dare to struggle in your death throes!" The goateed man bared his teeth, touched his bloodied face in anger, and pulled out a yellow talisman, igniting a burst of fme between his fingers. "You're asking for death!"

  Before his words fell, the fme shot out, rapidly expanding into a fireball that fiercely rushed towards Mo Bai and Liang Yudong.

  "You can't handle this spell! Get back!" Mo Bai pushed Liang Yudong away with one palm and soared forward, both hands extended. With a loud shout, blood-red veins instantly spread across every inch of her skin.

  "Mo Bai!" Liang Yudong, who was lying on the ground, cried out in distress.

  With a loud boom, a dense "rain" suddenly fell from the sky, extinguishing the fireball that sought to burn everything.

  White smoke hissed out from the bodies of the Taoists, and they cried out in pain. The goateed man covered his eyes and rolled on the ground.

  A-Liao touched her face, now wet and covered in blood.

  "Let's go!" Liang Yudong rushed over, wrapping one arm around Mo Bai's waist and grabbing A-Liao with the other.

  For a moment, her mind went bnk, and the sound of rushing wind filled her ears.

  When A-Liao came to her senses, she found herself on the mountaintop, with the small town below faintly visible, its lights twinkling.

  "You used blood curse techniques when your skills weren't sufficient—you're being reckless!" Liang Yudong said, holding the bloodied Mo Bai, trying to appear calm. "Hang in there; I'll go find medicine."

  "Stop doing useless things," Mo Bai said, pulling him back, her lips as white as rice paper struggling to move. "I originally thought… I could gain longevity from you… haha… Even if I can't live forever, living a few more years is still good."

  A-Liao panicked and rushed over to hug Mo Bai, shouting, "Mo Bai, what's wrong with you?"

  Mo Bai slowly turned her head to focus on A-Liao, smiling: "I just dislike how good you are to the people around you… I didn't want to let myself like you… I'm afraid I might end up like that idiot..." She gnced at Liang Yudong, "I hate people who act on their feelings the most."

  "Feel free to hate all you want," Liang Yudong said with a smile, holding her a little tighter.

  "Live well… you silly girl…" Mo Bai let out a long sigh, and the only smile she would ever give A-Liao in this life remained etched on her exquisite face.

  A-Liao stared bnkly as Mo Bai's body gradually shrank until it became a tiny white cat, finally transforming into a ring of light that vanished in Liang Yudong's embrace.

  "Master... Where did Mo Bai go...?” A-Liao stared bnkly as she stroked the dirt on the ground with great force. “Where did Mo Bai go?”