Chapter 97: Ch92.1 - Pineapple Flavored Beastman Gong (10)

Pineapple Flavored Beastman Gong (10)

Translated by Hua Li ^_~

The red moon hung in the sky, and the Treefolk Forest was quiet in the deep night, with only the sounds of the wind rustling through the leaves. The land and the forest lay in slumber, unaffected by the recent argument between the two beasts.

Inside the tree hollow, Gou Liang huddled in a corner, resisting Meng Hao’s approach.

Both of them were wide awake, and Meng Hao, growing increasingly agitated, swished his tail back and forth. He watched Gou Liang, who had his face buried in his knees, his expression filled with an anxious helplessness.

“I like you, Meng Hao.”

This voice kept echoing in his ears, and no matter how Meng Hao tried to block it by covering his ears, it still found its way in.

Meng Hao couldn’t quite describe what he felt at that moment. Perhaps there was some joy, but more than that, there was a profound sense of anxiety, much like the feeling when he was once bitten by a Black Crocodile Beast. It wasn’t just his life at stake, but the life of his weak younger brother as well. That situation had made him incredibly tense and alert.

So, when Gou Liang repeated this declaration, he responded sternly, “Shut up. It’s in your best interest to dismiss this idea right now!”

“I won’t.”

Gou Liang’s expression was stubborn, yet his eyes were filled with fear. He kept shedding tears.

Meng Hao clenched his fist, feeling an overwhelming urge to embrace Gou Liang, to grant his every wish, and to stop him from crying. But a sharper sense of reason than this impulse prevented him.

Gou Liang didn’t want to cry either.

He wiped away his tears and looked up at Meng Hao. “You should be the one dismissing the ridiculous idea of me being bonded with Meng Hui. I won’t bond with him, Meng Hao. Even if you reject me, I won’t choose anyone else.”

“Lang Xi, you’re not a five-year-old child anymore.” Meng Hao’s voice was firm and paused for a moment before he continued, “You should be responsible for the things you’ve said and done.”

“I can’t remember what I said a long time ago. How can I be responsible?” Gou Liang retorted.

“Furthermore, I’m certain that I don’t like Meng Hui. If I ever liked him enough to bond with him, as you claim, why do I feel nothing for him now? I have feelings of intimacy and trust for you, for Ga’er, for my father, and even for Lang Fei, but I don’t have those feelings for Meng Hui.”

“Doesn’t that prove that I never loved him? And if I don’t love him, how can I make a lifelong commitment to him?”

“If you compel me to be with him, will it truly make Meng Hui happy? Are you willing to sacrifice your brother’s happiness for the sake of a foolish promise? Making him marry someone who doesn’t love him, would he not live in eternal torment?”

Meng Hao’s expression turned as cold as iron.

“Yes, your proposal to him back then might not have been out of affection. But a promise is a promise, and you must adhere to it, whether you remember it or not.”

“Meng Hao, you obviously like me too. So why are you saying this?” Gou Liang questioned.

“I don’t like you.”

Meng Hao said it decisively.

But was he truly as certain as he claimed? Meng Hao wasn’t sure, but Gou Liang was keenly aware because…

[Ding, target favorability updated, current favorability: Data unstable, undergoing precise calculation.]

****

“You don’t like me. Why are you doing things that confuse me?” Gou Liang’s voice suddenly spoke up.

“It’s a misunderstanding.”

Gou Liang raised his head, his swollen eyes looking at the stiffened Meng Hao. He struggled but couldn’t break free. Angrily, he said, “Didn’t you say you don’t like me? Meng Hao, what are you trying to achieve? Do you want to play with my feelings?”

“Roar!”

Meng Hao roared.

“Let go of me!”

“Roar!”

Meng Hao leaned over, pressing him down on his back, and his resistance was in vain.

With a few struggles that didn’t get him anywhere, Gou Liang lay flat and sighed with exhaustion. “Meng Hao, what do you want?”

“Roar…”

“Speak plainly!”

“…Sleep. We’ll talk about this when we return to the tribe,” replied Meng Hao.

“I’m not going back!” Gou Liang shouted in frustration. “You can go back on your own! I know that if we return, you’ll force me to fulfill some promise. I’d rather you just leave me in the Treefolk Forest now, and I’ll never go back!”

“That’s impossible—”

“Child, are you serious about what you’re saying?”

Suddenly, a voice that didn’t belong to either Gou Liang or Meng Hao cut in abruptly.

Meng Hao roared, straightened up abruptly, and used his tail to hold Gou Liang firmly. He immediately went into battle mode.

But before he could open his wings and leave the tree hollow, the tree roots that formed the structure of the hollow suddenly uprooted themselves, coiling into a cage, and shot up from the ground, rolling swiftly towards the depths of the Treefolk Forest.

“Roar!”

Meng Hao moved Gou Liang from his back to his belly, lowered his body to protect him tightly, and roared as he tore at the tree roots with his sharp claws and teeth. But as soon as they were torn, new roots immediately grew, making the cage as solid as steel, with no gaps.

“Meng Hao…”

“Roar!!”

Hearing his voice, Meng Hao’s actions became even more ruthless. Gou Liang struggled hard, but couldn’t break free. He managed to say through the turbulence, “Meng Hao, they don’t mean any harm… don’t resist…”

“Roar?”

Meng Hao stopped, “What is this?”

“I don’t know, but I can sense that they don’t have any ill intentions.”

Meng Hao looked puzzled as he followed the rolling tree roots, which had finally come to a stop.

Meng Hao spread his wings, remaining in an attack posture, while roaring and observing his surroundings. He was very familiar with the Treefolk Forest, but he had never seen this place before. Judging by the speed and time it took for the tree roots to move, they hadn’t left the boundaries of the Treefolk Forest, but this location was entirely unfamiliar to him.

Here, the vegetation was lush, and life thrived. Even though it was night, green bioluminescent lights floated everywhere, completely obscuring the moonlight, making it as bright as day.

A colossal tree stood before them, its canopy overshadowing the moonlight, and its trunk was so massive that even in his beast form, Meng Hao seemed as small as an ant.

“Roar!”

“Hehe, little beastmen of the Winged Wolf tribe, the Treefolk tribe has an eternal friendship with your tribe. There’s no need to be afraid. I won’t harm you.”

“Roar!!”

“I’m not here to do anything to your little female either, just asking for his help.”

“Roar!!”

“If you want me to come out, you should release the little female in your arms first, otherwise, he’ll suffocate.”

The voice of the self-proclaimed Tree Man said.

Meng Hao was startled, and he promptly set Gou Liang free.

“Cough, cough, cough…”

Because Meng Hao had protected him too tightly, Gou Liang had indeed been suffocated. His face was bright red.

“Lang Xi!”

Meng Hao used his tail to support Gou Liang, who couldn’t stand up, and he coughed violently, causing Meng Hao to panic.

A Tree Man with hair as black as tangled roots and long green tendrils that dragged on the ground, roughly the size of a newborn beastman, floated over on a giant tree leaf. He reached out and touched Gou Liang’s head, and a cool energy flowed through him, instantly relieving Gou Liang of his discomfort.

“The way you treefolk invite people is really unique!”

After regaining his composure, Gou Liang immediately retorted.

“You frightened them, child.”

The old Tree Man held a small Tree Man about the size of his palm on top of his head. While soothing him, he continued to speak with a smile, “I apologize sincerely. The location of the Treefolk tribe cannot be revealed to outsiders, so we had to be cautious.”

The young tree man’s eyes were not as squinted as the old tree man’s. He had a petite face with a pointed nose, sharp eyes, and tiny ears. He had a single pair of large eyes. At this moment, he timidly regarded Gou Liang and Meng Hao. Behind the old tree man’s hair and beard, thousands of small, almost transparent tree people peered out, their eyes filled with a mix of fear and curiosity.

Gou Liang glanced at them curiously, then seated himself on Meng Hao’s tail and inquired, “So, you mentioned you needed my assistance?”

“Yes, young one from the Winged Wolf Clan.”

“I go by the name Lang Xi.”

“Oh, Lang Xi, the son of the Winged Wolf Clan’s patriarch.”

The old tree man’s smile grew even warmer. “Fear not, Little Lang Xi, I harbor no ill intentions. Many years ago, I encountered a priest from the Winged Wolf Clan, and we made a pact. It was agreed that if the descendants of the Winged Wolf Clan ever entered the Treefolk Forest, I would not only refrain from harming them but would also shield them from the dangers posed by strange beasts.”

“The priest told us this story.”

“Is he still alive?”

“No, the priest who made the contract has long since returned to the embrace of the Beast God.”

The old Tree Man nodded, “I’ve slept for too long… The Beast God granted our Treefolk tribe longevity, but unfortunately, we cannot stop the passage of life for other species. Child, the mischievous one who woke me up just now heard that you have the power to pray. Is that true?”

“That’s right, I do have the power to pray. Did you bring me here to ask for a favor from the Beast God?”

The old Tree Man chuckled, his smile even more benevolent, “Oh, I just want you to comb my hair again. It’s gotten terribly tangled.”

“But I don’t know how to do that.”

“You can do it, child, as long as you sincerely make a wish to the Beast God.”

Gou Liang: “…”

Watching the smiling old man, Gou Liang patted Meng Hao’s tail, asking him to send him to the old man. He raised his hand and touched the old man’s sturdy tree-root-like hair, looking somewhat hesitant.

[Gou Liang: Xiaosi, is there this kind of item available in the system’s store?]

[System: Don’t doubt your memory, dear master.]

Is there such an extraordinary item in the store?

[System: Master, the main system has received our request for assistance and is now initiating emergency countermeasures. Please stall for time.]

Gou Liang said, “Let’s make it clear that if I don’t do a good job, you should also send me and Meng Hao away from here. Don’t make things difficult for us.”

The old Tree Man smiled and said, “Of course.”

Then Gou Liang began to make his wish.

“Merciful Beast God, my name is Lang Xi. I now wish to comb the hair of the immortal Tree Man. I don’t know if you are listening to the humble request of your subjects…”

As he recited the amateurish wish, Gou Liang felt the approach of the primal power of the world of beastmen. The long, immortal tree leaves, tinged with a shiny green hue, began to swirl around him. The old Tree Man widened his eyes in astonishment; this was an incredibly powerful prayer power!

Gou Liang also felt it—he could actually harness this primal power, and he felt an unusually close connection to it!

[Gou Liang: Xiaosi, what’s going on?]

[System: Master…]