They went back, retracing their steps all the way to the island's shore. Li Meirong called for Cai Huise, the resident Cat Spirit mount she had once befriended, and was pleasantly surprised to discover that he had promptly answered her call. His only response was; "I told you I'd come over when you call my name."
Li Meirong and her spirit pets departed the island without looking back.
Unbeknownst to any of them, out of Liang Rou Yan's corpse, a single sapling began to sprout. It grew out at an alarming, unnatural speed, until it reached full maturity. The tree developed long and thick roots, encasing Liang Rou Yan's dead body from head to toe.
Ultimately not a single trace of the dead captain from Bestiary Division could be seen anymore.
The tree's branches were like lightning forks, each carrying multitudes of small budding flowers that instantly bloomed and produced a scattering of pink blossoms. Eventually the tree turned heavy with bulbous, ripe fruits.
The fruits were juicy and delicious looking, bearing an orange tint with a hint of blush to their round shape, resembling a baby's bottom.
A pair of identical fox twins, along with a young snow fox, had lingered to witness the strange occurrence. The trio stared at each other in evident confusion.
The fox twin goddesses, along with Bai Yu, who had all been ordered by His Lordship to protect Her Ladyship, had arrived at the island after tracking down Her Ladyship's scent of blood. They exchanged a few silent stares, thinking of what they had just witnessed.
They had arrived after what seemed to have been an intense battle which had taken place at the site, according to their assumptions, at least, especially after noticing the Tiger Spirit's carcass and the deep craters on the ground.
The trio of foxes were all about to rush to the rescue upon seeing Her Ladyship's lifeless body sprawled unconscious, when they had suddenly noticed, with much surprise, that Her Ladyship's aura had evolved! Li Meirong had successfully ascended into a higher stage in her cultivation and gained a golden core!
Now that they had known that Her Ladyship wasn't in any immediate danger, the fox subordinates had collectively chosen to stay back and study their future high lady, evaluating her worthiness as their superior.
Her Ladyship had woken up, surged to her feet, bloodied and adorned with tattered clothes, looking quite frightening, yet awe-inspiring at the same time!
Then, unexpectedly, it wasn't the towering Plant Spirit who made the next move, nor Her Ladyship herself, but the tiny fungus who had executed the human cultivator. Its spores had grown from inside the woman's organs until she had ultimately dropped dead.
It turned out to be one of those cases where the subordinates were completely useless. Her Ladyship hadn't needed their protection at all!
However, impressive as it was to witness that event, it had all made little sense to the three Celestial Foxes.
And what about that tree? Where the hell did it spring forth from?!
The tree branches lifted up to the sky majestically, its bark patterned with swirls and tinted with the colour of salt, adorned with rosy blossoms that sprinkled around it as a beautiful shawl, it was a breathtaking sight to behold.
The awed trio of foxes hesitantly crept towards the fast-growing tree, which, interestingly, generated blossoming flowers and bore fruits at the same time. Bai Yu climbed on it, snapping his small jaws on a single, fruit-bearing branch and dropping it to the ground.
One of the twin foxes, Xiao An Fei, changed into a human form, instantly shifting into a beautiful, young maiden dressed in shimmering silk. She dislodged the fallen fruit from the branch and quickly wiped it against the side of her dress.
She nibbled on the fruit and was met with a sweet, delicious flavour. It had an addicting, slightly tangy taste, the likes of which she had never experienced before!
Xiao An Fei hungrily devoured the remaining juicy fruit before reporting, "It's a peach! The tastiest peach I have ever eaten!"
Both Bai Yu and her twin, Xiao An Hua, frowned in response.
"I've never seen a peach tree with white bark… are you sure it's a peach?" Bai Yu asked.
Xiao An Fei glared at Bai Yu. "Try one yourself if you don't believe me!"
Thus, all three fox gods turned into their human form and quickly became bloated, gobbling dozens of peach fruits that morning.
A while later, the trio transformed back to their animal forms and were ready to follow after Her Ladyship, as they had originally intended.
As they were about to fly back to Forgotten Waters sect's island, Xiao An Hua curiously asked, "Former Second-In-Command, what should we tell Her Ladyship on His Lordship's behalf?"
Bai Yu thought for a moment before responding. His white, furry ears twitched as an idea came to mind. "His Lordship once told Her Ladyship that he has a terminal disease. We can just say that he had to go… to go find a cure!"