The Wood Elves drew in, gathering around the Elder.
Some supported their injured companions, while others sheathed their long staffs.
The giant earth spider had already closed in to just over ten meters away, raising its front legs, poised to strike.
Yinzhi suddenly grabbed Qimeng's wrist, pulling her toward the circle.
Qimeng currently had no mana; there was no way she could outrun an Intermediate Rank magical beast on foot alone.
Thus, there was no point in blindly resisting, so she went along with Yinzhi's pull.
Xiaomi followed closely behind.
Once more, the Elder slammed her withered wooden staff against the ground.
A thick green light surged up from between the tree roots, enveloping everyone's ankles.
The silhouettes of the trees in her field of vision began to blur, and the scenery stretched out before her.
The next second, Qimeng felt her body being violently yanked by a sudden force.
The light before her eyes vanished, only to brighten again an instant later.
Her feet stepped onto solid soil once more.
The breeze that blew past carried a damp, moist scent.
Qimeng blinked, finding herself standing in the middle of a quiet clearing.
The surrounding trees towered into the clouds. Looking through the gaps in the canopy, the sky had darkened; it was already dusk.
The young Wood Elf girls emerged one by one from the fading green light.
They bent over, panting heavily as they began to check their companions' injuries.
The giant earth spider had indeed not followed them.
Qimeng glanced down at her ankles, where the residual green specks of light were slowly dissipating.
The sensation felt somewhat familiar; it was likely a spell akin to Tree Vein Guiding.
Directly pulling people through the mana connection between tree roots was certainly convenient.
“Perhaps my tree form will be able to do this in the future as well.”
She raised her head and looked ahead.
Before her was a valley surrounded by giant ancient trees.
The trees here were massive, each requiring several people to wrap their arms around.
Wooden platforms and rope ladders were built along the trunks.
Vines draped down from the canopy, hanging alongside wooden cabins.
Numerous small wooden cabins were scattered among the trees.
Faintly glowing herbal lanterns hung here and there, and drying herbs and fabrics could be seen everywhere.
In the very center of the valley stood a massive ancient tree.
However, not a single green leaf remained on it; only bare, charred branches reached toward the sky.
This was the Wood Elf tribe that had lost the Spirit of Nature.
Qimeng stood at the edge of the valley. Exhausted to the point of collapse, Yinzhi leaned directly against her.
Xiaomi, slightly wary, fluttered back down to stand in front of her.
Behind them, the young Wood Elf girls all looked over.
Their gazes held both wariness and curiosity.
Qimeng met their gazes and narrowed her eyes.
Tch, it looked like she really wouldn't be able to return to her territory anytime soon.
But considering these little ones had just saved them, she didn't feel too annoyed.
Xiaomi whispered from the side,
“Master, what should we do next?”
“What else can we do?”
Qimeng curled her lip.
“First of all, let's see how these guys plan to host us. If they don't even feed us a proper meal, I won't stand for it.”
Upon landing, Yinzhi immediately stepped forward to speak with the silver-red-haired girl and the Elder who had just cast the spell.
Seeing the Spirit Maiden return safely, the panic on the girls' faces subsided significantly.
Then, Yinzhi turned and walked back toward Qimeng and Xiaomi.
She personally escorted the two outsiders, guiding them deeper into the tribe.
Passing through the outer defensive perimeter, they entered the valley enclosed by the massive ancient trees.
This was a small tribe.
The Wood Elves had clearly put a lot of effort into it.
Bit by bit, they had woven this valley into a well-structured defensive network.
The treehouses here were quite low; some were built into the hollows of the trunks, while others hung from thick branches, with dried flowers and herbs decorating their entrances.
However, the roofs of these dwellings were generally lower than Qimeng's height.
Walking along a wooden plank path, she glanced at a clothesline hanging nearby.
The tiny clothes drying on it were much shorter than the leaf dress she usually wore.
Many of the Wood Elves she saw along the way were not even a meter tall.
“They're so tiny,”
Xiaomi remarked, looking around.
“Master, everything here is so low.”
“Yeah, I noticed.”
Qimeng took a step forward, passing by an open window of a treehouse.
Inside, a little Wood Elf girl was standing on her tiptoes, trying to reach a wooden bowl on a shelf.
After failing twice, she pattered off to fetch a low stool.
Qimeng glanced at the stool; it barely reached her knees.
She watched for a moment, then withdrew her gaze and continued forward.
“Are all your people this small?”
Qimeng asked Yinzhi, who was walking beside her.
Yinzhi barely reached her shoulder.
And she was already on the taller side compared to the other Wood Elves Qimeng had seen so far.
“Before we lost the Spirit of Nature, we weren't like this.”
“What's the reason?”
“Let's get you settled first,”
Yinzhi sighed wearily.
“I'll come find you later and explain everything.”
They were subsequently settled in a treehouse on a large tree at the edge of the tribe.
The inside of the treehouse was lined with clean hay and broad leaves.
A clay pot filled with fresh water sat in the corner.
In front of the treehouse was a small platform enclosed by a woven vine railing.
Standing there, one could overlook the entire tribe.
The treehouses, the wooden walkways, the drying fabrics, and the little girls squatting by the roots to pick mushrooms.
The massive dead tree in the distance was particularly striking.
Its bare branches stretched toward the sky.
Qimeng sat down at the entrance of the treehouse.
With her back against the doorframe, she stretched her legs out.
Her feet reached the very edge of the platform, almost dangling off the side.
A few passing Wood Elf girls couldn't help but steal a few extra glances at her.
They probably hadn't seen someone so tall in a very long time.
Xiaomi landed on the railing.
“Master, everything is so low here.”
“You already said that.”
“I mean, you stand out so much sitting here.”
Indeed, although there was still some space between the top of her head and the doorframe, her long legs almost completely blocked the walkway opposite her.
“Whatever. It's not like we're staying here permanently anyway.”
Just then, Yinzhi came out of the treehouse.
She held a bowl containing some sort of mushy substance.
She placed the bowl directly beside Qimeng.
“Did you make this?”
“No, my people provided it.”
“Your people are quite hospitable.”
“They are just curious about you.”
“Curious about what?”
“They're wondering how you grew so tall, and if you might be a spiritual seed left outside by the Wood Elves.”
Qimeng picked up the bowl and took a sip; the texture was similar to thick congee.
“Thank them for their curiosity on my behalf, and let them know I'm not a half-elf.”
“Okay.”
“So, what exactly is a spiritual seed?”
“Wood Elves who can cast spells are spiritual seeds,”
Yinzhi sat down beside her.
“With everyone dropping in rank, only spiritual seeds and the Spirit Maiden are unaffected by the shrinkage.”
“In our tribe, being taller means being stronger.”
Yinzhi sat up straight, seemingly wanting to continue the conversation.
However, a series of footsteps echoed from the other end of the walkway.
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