Chapter 2889: with translation of chapter title

Seeing Hong Zun's pleading expression, Ye Zhangqing felt conflicted—how should he put this?

Noticing Ye Zhangqing's hesitation, Hong Zun didn't dwell on it and spoke urgently.

"Ye Zhangqing, what's the situation? Speak up."

"This……"

"It's fine, just say it straight."

"It thinks you're too ugly."

Seeing this, Ye Zhangqing simply spoke frankly; as soon as he said it, everyone present froze, eyes wide.

"This… this… is it really that direct?"

For a moment, no one knew what to say—was this tree ghost really that bold?

Hong Zun stared dumbfounded for a while; after regaining his senses, his gaze at the tree ghost turned icy.

"Bullying others to this extent! Thinking of me, Hong Zun, I've fought my way from the lower realm to the Immortal Realm, then from there to Beyond the Heavens—when has anyone ever spoken to me like this?"

"If a scholar can tolerate this, who cannot? If I don't regain my dignity today, Hong Zun will have no face left to live in this world."

"Old man, I'll fight you to the death."

Hong Zun roared and charged straight at the tree ghost.

The next second, he was whipped back by a branch.

"Junior brother, calm down……"

"Don't stop me; today I must fight it to the death—either it dies or I do."

"I'm not stopping you."

"Huh???"

Hong Zun was truly angry—why is it that others easily tame a tree pet, even the simpleton Zhao Zhengping has his own, yet here he encounters such a troublesome one?

His teeth gritted, but the tree ghost ignored him; if he dared to strike, it would fling him away, and as for anything else, don't talk to it.

They made a racket in the courtyard for over an hour, and Hong Zun was flung out several times.

Finally, truly exhausted, Zhao Zhengping and Xu Jie escorted him back to rest.

Ye Zhangqing couldn't help either; he had asked his own tree pet, which said it could be subdued, but what would happen later was uncertain.

In short, there was always a chance it would turn on its master.

Since it hadn't genuinely accepted him as master, and Hong Zun couldn't overpower it, keeping it was like holding a time bomb that could explode at any moment.

Moreover, he couldn't watch it constantly; forcibly helping it submit was actually harmful to Hong Zun, not beneficial.

It was up to Hong Zun himself.

He likewise went to rest with Bai Hua Xianzi; anyway, this tree ghost was no great loss, since everyone else had tree pets, and it posed no overall impact on the Dao One Immortal Sect.

In the Fire Room courtyard, only this lone tree ghost remained, yet it seemed utterly indifferent.

But as night fell and the midnight quiet settled, a shadow slipped furtively into the courtyard.

The intruder was none other than Hong Zun.

After returning, he fumed more and more—what kind of look was that, calling him ugly? Did they not know his daoist name from his youth?

That name had enchanted countless maidens.

Furthermore, a little inquiry revealed that all his fellow sect brothers, including many Inner Disciples, had tree pets—only he lacked one.

Who could tolerate this? It seemed he was the only useless one.

Thus, the unwilling Hong Zun came back under cover of night.

Gazing at the lone tree ghost before him, Hong Zun gritted his teeth, yet could do nothing.

He stepped forward and plopped down at the base of the trunk; the tree ghost made no move, perhaps simply too lazy to bother.

"If I had a choice, I wouldn't be wasting my time talking to you here."

"I, Hong Zun, am a well-known figure in the Dao One Immortal Sect; I entered the sect young and possessed Heavenly Pride talent—I've always looked down on others, never the other way around."

"You wretch truly don't know good from bad."

Sitting under the tree, Hong Zun muttered curses, though it was more like talking to himself, since there was no response.

When he grew tired of cursing, he took out a jar of wine to wet his throat.

He even poured a cup and asked.

"Care for a drink? This is fine wine."

He had expected no reply, as usual, but the next second the tree ghost actually extended a branch and snatched the bowl of wine.

Seeing this, Hong Zun grinned and swore.

"Virtue."

He didn't know how it drank, but when the bowl was set down, the wine was gone.

Moreover, this time it proactively made contact with Hong Zun, but it wasn't about acknowledging him as master—just two simple words.

"Pour wine."

"You're ordering me around now."

Hearing that, Hong Zun cursed irritably, yet he obediently poured another bowl.

Afterward, the man and the tree began drinking together in a strange fashion.

The tree ghost remained quiet the whole time, while Hong Zun kept swearing loudly and vulgarly.

"I'll tell you—being chosen by me is a blessing you cultivated over several lifetimes."

"Have you seen my few worthless disciples? Back then, every one of them begged tearfully to become my student; I, the old man, softened my heart, unable to bear the world's suffering."

"Except you—you don't know a good thing when you see it."

Perhaps weighed down by inner gloom, Hong Zun drank until he was tipsy; at the same time, the tree ghost he leaned against swayed slightly.

Its branches swayed loosely; I don't know why, but at a glance it looks like it's drunk.

From a single tree, I could actually see the posture of drunkenness.

One person and one tree just started drinking like that.

In the end, Hong Zun and this tree ghost didn't know what was happening; suddenly, Hong Zun naturally reached out.

Then, this tree ghost naturally recognized him as its master and directly entered Hong Zun's body.

Even then, Hong Zun was still cursing.

「Where the hell did you go? Come out and keep drinking—with this drinking capacity, you can't even keep me company. 」

Watching the tree ghost disappear, Hong Zun cursed, then feeling bored, he also left.

The night passed in silence; waiting until the next day, when Xu Jie brought Zhao Zhengping and the others to the Fire Room courtyard, they were dumbfounded.

「What about that tree ghost? 」

「I don't know; maybe someone else took it? 」

「Impossible—even Master didn't succeed, and this tree ghost isn't crazy; leaving Master unchosen, they picked someone else. 」

Master is indeed a bit ugly, but if you want to eat, our Dao One Immortal Sect is definitely the first choice.

If following them you can't even get this meal, then following others would be even more hopeless—surely you're not that stupid.

You know, Xu Jie and the others came here early this morning just to build the Fire Room, right?

The Fire Room was destroyed earlier; now that Ye Zhangqing has returned, we naturally need to repair it quickly, otherwise how will we eat?

But I never expected that, in just this one night, the last remaining tree ghost would be gone.