It was a tree.

Jian Xingyi stared up at it in awe; to be precise, it was an ancient tree so enormous it defied belief.

As he looked up, he couldn’t see where it ended; he could only make out the dense tangle of branches and leaves sprouting from its crown.

The trunk was so massive that Jian Xingyi estimated it would take ten people to encircle it; consequently, the branches sprouting from it were also far thicker than those of an ordinary tree. If one were to fall, it could likely crush two Jian Xingyis to death.

But aside from the tree’s staggering size, what truly astonished Jian Xingyi and caught his eye were the multicolored ribbons hanging from its branches.

Logically, seeing such ribbons in such a deep, secluded setting should feel eerie and spooky, but strangely, because the ribbons glowed with a faint, subtle light and were surrounded by fireflies, they weren’t scary at all; instead, they blended with the surroundings to create an even more romantic atmosphere.

Shanhai said, “This is a famous attraction in the rainforest—the Lovers’ Tree. Legend has it that if a couple writes their names on the same ribbon, they’ll receive the Tree Spirit’s blessing to grow old together.”

“Huh?!” Jian Xingyi blinked, “Really? If there’s a blessing, is there a reward too?”

As a seasoned farmer, Jian Xingyi immediately wondered why Shanhai had brought him here. His first thought was… Holy cow, there might be resources to scoop up!

After all, Jian Xingyi was quite superstitious these days. After all, he had actually been blessed by the Fire God, the Snow Mountain Spirit, and the Holy Son, and had reaped immense benefits from them. Now, upon hearing about the Tree Spirit, Jian Xingyi immediately realized that the Tree Spirit was a faith system built into this map. Who knows, maybe paying respects or writing their names down might actually yield some rewards.

Shanhai said, “Rumor has it that if you truly love each other, writing down your names will trigger a random reward. Many players have tried it, but it’s hard to say if it’s real—the rewards might just be a result of probability refreshes.”

In other words, most people treat this as a blessing they happen to receive while passing by, and for many, it’s just a bit of good luck.

Jian Xingyi nodded.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds.

“……!!”

Jian Xingyi stared blankly at Shanhai.

Huh?!

So that’s why Shanhai brought him here…

Shanhai gazed intently at Jian Xingyi, solemnly plucking one of the empty ribbons and handing it to her. “Xingyi, I want to ask you formally: will you be with me?”

Jian Xingyi froze in place.

Shanhai said softly, “I’m sorry it took me so long to tell you this, and I’m sorry I spent so much time dealing with my own cowardice and hesitation. But from the very beginning, there hasn’t been a single moment when I didn’t like you. I… like you—more than you could ever imagine.”

“You…” Jian Xingyi couldn’t believe it.

Ever since the flowers bloomed in the temple, Jian Xingyi had known that his relationship with Shanhai had long since transcended friendship. Their ambiguous connection hadn’t just started a day or two ago, but Jian Xingyi had always felt that they were two people accustomed to loneliness who, because they clicked and had a mutual fondness for each other, had simply let the relationship develop naturally.

He enjoyed adventuring with Shanhai and treated him like family, and since Shanhai didn’t object to being with him, they clicked instantly.

He had imagined Shanhai might seriously ask him if he wanted to formalize their relationship and take it to the next level.

But he had never seriously imagined that Shanhai would speak to him so solemnly about “liking” and “loving.”

Like…

Love…

Jian Xingyi carefully savored these words, so light yet so heavy.

Seeing the look on Jian Xingyi’s face, Shanhai lowered his gaze and said, “It’s not because we’re settling for each other. It’s because… I truly like Xingyi. It wouldn’t work with anyone else.”

Just as plants instinctively grow toward the sun, for survival, is dictated by their genes, it is inexplicable.

In fact… he harbors even darker thoughts.

He wants to possess him, to be rough with him…

But he couldn’t. Afraid of hurting Jian Xingyi, Shanhai found himself held back, scared to make a move, even worried that hugging him too tightly might reveal his darkest side.

Jian Xingyi was at a loss. “Oh, I—I see…”

Shanhai met Jian Xingyi’s flustered gaze. “Do you like me, Xingyi?”

Jian Xingyi grew even more flustered.

Of course, he likes him! He definitely does!

Ever since deciding to summon Shanhai at the temple, he’d been certain he liked him—though back then, it was because he thought he was an AI. After spending time with the real person, Jian Xingyi had gradually grown accustomed to it.

But… Jian Xingyi wasn’t sure if his feelings of “liking” matched what Shanhai meant by “liking.”

He hadn’t thought that deeply about it; he just wanted to keep living with Shanhai in the same home, going on adventures, and eating meals together.

He wasn’t even sure if they’d still be together after leaving the game.

After hesitating for a moment, Jian Xingyi answered honestly, “I don’t know.”

After speaking, he looked down at his feet uneasily, afraid Shanhai might be upset by his answer.

But Shanhai’s gaze remained gentle. “But Xingyi, you’ve allowed me to kiss you and hug you.”

Jian Xingyi’s ears turned bright red.

Because he, too, liked being close to Shanhai.

“Then does Xingyi allow me to do something even more daring?” Shanhai took a step forward, and Jian Xingyi felt as though he were completely enveloped in the man’s towering, unusually assertive shadow.

Jian Xingyi’s brain went completely blank. He stammered, “I, I…”

“It’s okay.” Shanhai didn’t press the matter further. Instead, he reached out and ruffled the top of Jian Xingyi’s hair. “We have plenty of time. There’s no rush to answer right now.”

Shanhai wrote his name down anyway and hung it up.

Nothing happened. No reward, no reaction.

Jian Xingyi muttered to herself, “Looks like we aren’t that lucky after all… Hmm, I feel like it’s my fault. Why am I so unlucky even at a time like this? Waaah…”

Shanhai silently lowered his head.

What he didn’t tell Jian Xingyi was… the rarity of the rewards might be random. Some couples had only received a single stone here, while others had directly triggered S-rank items or even dungeons.

It’s incredibly mysterious; to this day, no one has figured out the pattern. After all, it’s impossible to experiment with or verify, because how can true love be quantified?

But while the rarity can’t be verified, its existence certainly can.

For example, if Shanhai came here with Bai Jie, Kele, or others, there would absolutely be no reward. But if Heiye and Baizhou came, something would definitely appear.

Even couples who have broken up or divorced might receive rewards—after all, they once loved each other. In other words, the system’s verification method is nothing more than a rigid calculation of love.

Because it’s so rigid, Shanhai didn’t feel discouraged by it.

The heart doesn’t lie; he could naturally sense Jian Xingyi’s affection and kindness toward him, and that mattered more than the Sacred Tree’s judgment.

Shanhai said, “But Xingyi, can you give me a chance?”

He would make Jian Xingyi change his mind, see him as a real boyfriend, and even get the Sacred Tree to reward them—provided, of course, that… he had the chance.

“Huh?”

Shanhai said, “My question from the beginning—will you agree?”

Jian Xingyi paused.

“—Will you be with me?”

Jian Xingyi swallowed hard, his face flushing crimson. “I will.”

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have kissed Shanhai right in front of the zombie horde.

“Good. It’s nice to meet you, my boyfriend, Xinghe.” With that, Shanhai leaned down and captured Jian Xingyi’s lips. Jian Xingyi could feel his lips being parted; Shanhai pressed one hand against the back of his head while wrapping the other around his waist, like a predator savoring its freshly caught prey.

Though passionate, it wasn’t rough.

Jian Xingyi was kissed into a daze, instinctively leaning his entire weight against Shanhai.

His hands rested limply on Shanhai’s shoulders; he didn’t even realize when Shanhai had lifted him up and pressed him against the tree trunk to kiss him. He could only feel Shanhai’s breathing growing heavier and heavier, while his own mind grew increasingly hazy.

Jian Xingyi’s feet left the ground as their kiss grew more and more passionate.

So passionate that Shanhai began to wonder if that damn Sacred Tree had malfunctioned.

What on earth was the reason it wasn’t giving them a reward?

Unequal feelings?

Not meeting the standards?

That doesn’t make sense either…

Come to think of it, even if, for the sake of argument, most of Jian Xingyi’s love was akin to that of a family member, the fact that they were kissing meant there was at least a little bit of romantic love in there, right?

Even if it’s just a tiny bit, surely they deserve at least a lousy rock as a reward?

But why didn’t they get one?

Shanhai furrowed his brow slightly.

If the system gave them a lousy rock, it would suggest their love wasn’t that deep, but not getting even a single lousy rock was a bit unusual.

He sensed something was off, but since he couldn’t come up with a reason right away, he let it go.

After they stood apart, Jian Xingyi’s face flushed crimson. He leaned against a tree trunk, panting heavily, and took a moment to catch his breath before asking curiously, “The places we’re heading to next… are there really Water Mangrove Zones and Spider Zones there?”

“I was just kidding.”

“……”

Shanhai said, “The Swamp Zone does indeed have those areas, but we’re taking a shortcut up.”

“A shortcut? What kind of shortcut?”

Shanhai’s “shortcut”… Jian Xingyi had a bad feeling about this.

If they took the official route—climbing slowly up to the surface via stairs and slopes, fighting their way through and killing the high-risk zombies and creatures in the swamp—it would take far too long. Shanhai decided…

“Let’s climb a tree.”

“Huh?”

Shanhai pointed at the Sacred Tree and said, “This ancient tree spans half of Rainforest Mountain, connecting the swamp zone to the surface and even reaching all the way to the mountaintop. So if we just climb up, we can get to the surface in a straight line.”

“……” Jian Xingyi gave a nervous laugh. “Um… you tell me—do you think I have the stamina to climb all the way up there? I can eat a watermelon if needed, but a watermelon probably won’t save a noob…”

Shanhai said, “I’ll carry you up.”

“……”

“Thanks.”

Whatever, he’s my boyfriend now. Might as well just go with it.

Giving up is actually pretty fun.

Before climbing the tree with Shanhai, Jian Xingyi also activated a skill on the Sacred Tree.

【Harvest Successful, Absorbed 【Essence】 x500】

……?

Huh?

How much??

The last time I saw that much essence was on a corpse… No, wait!

Even corpses don’t have that much!!!

Jian Xingyi was completely dumbfounded.

Alright, alright.

Truly worthy of a Sacred Tree!

He declared himself a devotee of the Tree God right then and there!

With these 500 points, plus the essence he’d gathered all along the rainforest trail…

766/7500

Rapid progress!

And…

【Harvest Successful. Congratulations to the player on obtaining a Purple-S-Rank Seed!】

Jian Xingyi: “???”

If anyone ever says the Tree God is no good, he’ll be the first to jump in!!

The Tree God—he’s forever his god!!!

Aaaaaah…!!

Shanhai sensed Jian Xingyi’s excitement and turned to ask, “What’s wrong?”

Jian Xingyi said with a trembling voice, “The Tree God has blessed me!”

Shanhai: “……”

He’s losing his mind.

But it’s no wonder Jian Xingyi is so excited. Strictly speaking… This seems to be the first time Jian Xingyi has obtained an S-rank seed from a map. Before this, all his S-rank seeds had been humbly acquired through various channels like quest wishes, the Savior’s Wish Pool, and Snow Mountain seed synthesis.

He rarely had such an opportunity—to randomly obtain a golden S-rank seed while gathering on a map.

Either it was because the Sacred Tree was simply too sacred to yield anything less than a high-value seed, or perhaps…

Jian Xingyi sighed to Shanhai, “Could it be that my luck has improved since I’ve been with you…?”

Like how opening a pot of sprouts could yield an SSR, and now opening a skill could yield an S-rank.

Shanhai said softly, “If I could, I’d gladly give you all my luck.”

Jian Xingyi: “……!”

Jian Xingyi’s cheeks grew warm. “Oh my, oh my… there’s no need for that! You’ve got to keep some for yourself—life would be miserable without any luck at all!!”

Shanhai shook his head. “Having you is my greatest fortune.”

As Shanhai spoke these words, his expression remained cold, and his tone was perfectly natural—so natural it made Jian Xingyi want to explode.

Oh my god…

Why does it feel like Shanhai’s attack power has become so overwhelming now that he has a title?!

Did this guy unlock some new skill or something? Is he trying to kill me?!

Jian Xingyi forced himself to push Shanhai out of his mind and, trembling, opened his historic S-rank seed.

Perhaps the further he progressed, the harder it became to unlock new entries—it had been ages since he’d collected a new seed on the map!

Jian Xingyi couldn’t wait to read the details.

【Variety: S-Rank Ginseng】

【Description: A blessing from the Tree God to His people, and a legacy from a thousand-year-old ancient tree.】

【Source: Rainforest Mountain God Tree】

Huh?

Why doesn’t it mention the effects?

Logically speaking, A-Rank seeds focus on recipe variety and flavor enhancement, while S-Rank seeds excel in providing effect bonuses.

But the information on this ginseng is all vague and cryptic, and it doesn’t seem to match the system’s usual descriptions.

Could this cryptic description be hiding something?

Never mind. I’ll just plant it and see what happens. Maybe I’ll figure it out once it grows.

Even if I still don’t understand it after planting it, I’ll find out when I need it in the future.

Jian Xingyi cleared two empty plots of land and planted them.

Now, as a hardworking farmer, he had two things to look forward to.

One was waiting for his rice—which had shown no signs of growth so far—to mature, and the other was waiting for the ginseng to mature.

Seeing that Jian Xingyi had finished his preparations, Shanhai took out an iron hook, flicked it upward, and hooked it onto a branch.

Then Shanhai had Jian Xingyi hang onto him while he used both hands to grip the rope and his feet to brace against the tree trunk as he climbed upward.

Jian Xingyi looked at him with admiration. “You climb so fast.”

It felt like they’d shot up a good distance in the blink of an eye!

Shanhai paused, a suspicious flush spreading to the tips of his ears.

To Jian Xingyi, he looked just like a little puppy, which left him feeling a bit… overwhelmed.

“Thank you.”

After climbing for a while, Jian Xingyi suddenly gasped, “Wait a minute…!”

“Hm?”

Jian Xingyi glanced at the glimmering light inside the tree trunk and asked uncertainly, “Can I chip away at this tree trunk? I feel like there might be something inside…”

Shanhai then had Jian Xingyi sit on a nearby branch, while he hung from the spot Jian Xingyi had indicated and began chipping away with a shovel.

Not knowing if it would be dangerous once they pried it open, Shanhai didn’t want Jian Xingyi to join him.

“Thud! Thud!”

After tapping the tree trunk with the shovel for a while, a crack finally appeared.

Jian Xingyi watched as the glimmer grew clearer, her heart racing faster and faster.

This sacred tree could grant him 500 essence points and an S-rank seed—whatever was hidden inside… had to be something valuable, right?

“Crack!”

A section of the tree’s bark finally split open under Shanhai’s blows, revealing a cavity of moderate size behind the bark. Inside lay a bundle of scrolls.

Shanhai sat down next to Jian Xingyi and handed him the scroll.

After Jian Xingyi opened it, the two heard the system’s notification sound.

【Player 【Shanhai】 and Player 【Xinghe】 have unlocked the achievement 【Minor Blasphemy】, rewarding 6,666 dawn coins and 2 Special Items 【Hand of the Tree God】】

Jian Xingyi: “?”

Shanhai: “?”

Jian Xingyi looked at the Sacred Tree and gave a dry laugh. “Sorry, Sacred Tree.”

But… what exactly is the Hand of the Tree God? It sounds kind of creepy.

After pondering it for ages and still not figuring anything out, Jian Xingyi simply stowed it in his backpack.

Jian Xingyi glanced at the scroll. There was no text inside—only illustrations depicting two rows of plant species.

Jian Xingyi couldn’t identify any of these species; they all looked oddly shaped to her.

Some resembled four-leaf clovers, others resembled carnivorous plants, and there were… well, just all sorts of strange plants.

Shanhai reminded him, “There’s text on the back.”

“Oh…?”

Jian Xingyi flipped it over to take a look.

【The Blasphemy Project】

【By Botanist Domini】

Huh…?

Jian Xingyi asked in confusion, “What do these plants have to do with blasphemy? And who is this botanist Domini?”

Shanhai thought for a moment, then opened his terminal and searched the Grapevine Peak guide page for a while before confirming, “Dominic is an NPC on Rainforest Mountain. His profession… is indeed a botanist. He might have an item in a hidden side quest on the map.”

“But we haven’t received a system notification that a quest has been triggered, and so far, no one has discovered any quests related to Dominic.”

After all, no one else could have found a scroll hidden as deeply as Jian Xingyi did.

“Oh… then let’s just keep it for now. We’ll probably only figure out what this scroll and any special items have to do with the Tree God’s hand once we officially receive the quest.”

The two continued climbing upward.

Including a rest stop along the way, they climbed for three hours before finally reaching the ground.

Along the way, Jian Xingyi had collected quite a bit of essence from the tree’s fruits. This sacred tree was not only lush and leafy but also bore plenty of fruit. However, Shanhai advised against eating them—after all, those crystal-clear fruits were perfectly intact, yet their colors looked eerily vivid, giving the impression they weren’t meant for consumption.

In any case, Jian Xingyi wasn’t exactly starving, so he obediently followed his advice.

Finally reaching the surface, Jian Xingyi let out a sigh of relief.

Phew…

The light had finally returned, and the swamp’s eerie stillness and oppressive atmosphere had completely vanished. Although the trees remained densely packed all around, with roots still protruding to block the path, the green grass and the faint glimpse of the sky were far better than what lay below.

Jian Xingyi stretched and looked around. “Where should we go next?”

Shanhai stroked his chin. “If you’re in a hurry to get to Peaceful Mountain, we’ll just follow the mountain path eastward. If you’re not in a rush, we can head to the mountaintop. Rainforest Mountain is different from other maps—the lower you go, the more monsters there are, so the mountaintop is the safest place. You might even find a plot of land there that you’d like to buy. However, the journey to the mountaintop isn’t easy; we’ll have to cross quite a few areas and encounter all sorts of beasts and rare plants. Maybe we’ll even find that… ‘plant essence’ you’ve been talking about?”

“It takes three days to reach the summit, but the advantage is that you can take the suspension bridge from the summit straight to Wave Mountain—no need to come back down.”

Jian Xingyi nodded. “Oh…”

After a moment’s thought, Jian Xingyi said, “Then let’s head to the summit. Going to the summit sounds like a good deal!”

“Alright.”

Just then, Shanhai received a message from Bai Jie.

Bai Jie: 【Have you and Xinghe arrived at Rainforest Mountain?】

Shanhai: 【We’re here.】

Bai Jie: 【It seems my guess was right. Could I ask you for a favor? Do you remember 【Yu Shen】?】

Shanhai: 【A member of the Human Liberation Project and Guild President of the 【Rain Never Stops】 guild on Rainforest Mountain.】

Bai Jie: 【Yes, Yu Shen is our only contact on Rainforest Mountain, but… he’s gone missing.】

Shanhai: 【?】

Bai Jie: 【That’s right, he’s gone missing. We haven’t been able to contact him since the second zombie tide, but his ID is still online, which means he’s not dead. Maybe he’s run into some trouble. So, could you help find him on this trip?】

Shanhai: 【Sure.】

Shanhai showed the chat log to Jian Xingyi.

“Yu Shen…?”

Shanhai said, “Yeah, he’s a T1 player and a scholar of biology and botany in real life. That’s why he stayed at Rainforest Mountain—to look for a way to leave the game by studying biology and botany. The Sacred Tree is also a key focus of his research.”

Jian Xingyi looked puzzled. “A T1 player, and the Guild President… I remember this guild used to rank at the top of the damage and survival leaderboards. How could he suddenly go missing?”

“That’s why we need to go investigate.”

“Oh…”

Jian Xingyi said, “Then let’s put the mountain peak on hold for now. We should hurry and find him first. Given the situation… maybe we should go ask at the 【Rain Never Stops】 guild base first?”

“Yeah.”

There wasn’t much traffic between regions to begin with, unless they were right next to each other. For example, even the mighty Shanhai guild had never been to Wave Mountain or Peaceful Mountain, and they’d only briefly visited Rainforest Mountain a few times to run dungeons.

And since everyone entered the game without an anchor point, this problem became even more severe. Connections between regions grew weaker; aside from messages on the general chat, it was nearly impossible to know what was happening in distant areas.

However, the system applied priority to general chat messages. This meant players in the Peace Mountain region would see messages from their own area first, with priority increasing for closer regions. Consequently, messages from areas like Rainforest Mountain were mostly filtered out by the system.

The harsh environment of Snow Mountain acts like a massive barrier, separating the eastern regions—Peace Mountain, Lava Volcano, and Flag-Raising Mountain—from the western regions—Rainforest Mountain, Wave Mountain, and Peaceful Mountain.

Generally speaking, players from the east don’t venture to the west, so information rarely flows between them.

That is why Bai Jie and her group needed Yu Shen to serve as their liaison and report back to them.

But Yu Shen had gone completely silent after the zombie tide ended. A week has now passed, which is an unprecedented occurrence.

The 【Rain Never Stops】 guild base was located halfway up the mountain. After confirming the coordinates, the two began their ascent.

Biologists and botanists…

Jian Xingyi thought to himself, if they really have the ability to find people, perhaps he could ask them to take a look at that scroll and see what the 【Hand of the Tree God】 is all about.

After all, the scroll says it was drawn by the botanist Domini; since they’re all botanists, maybe they can make sense of it?

Jian Xingyi always felt that anything involving rare and exotic plants… he couldn’t let it slip by.