"You monster! Let me out! I am the Immortal of the Peach Blossom Spring! I can make you immortal!" Seeing no way to escape, Peach Fruit Person began to babble for mercy, his voice hoarse and unpleasant.
"Shut up." Retsu frowned. Seeing the large mouth full of fangs chattering away, he had a thought.
A slender branch immediately grew from the tree trapping Peach Fruit Person, wrapping around his mouth like a rope. He was instantly silenced, only able to make muffled "wuwu" sounds.
"Are you someone who escaped from the bonsai?"
Just then, a weak voice suddenly drifted over.
Retsu looked toward the source of the sound. While he was dealing with Peach Fruit Person using Wood Release, Kikyo had already walked under the man-faced fruit tree. She was currently pointing her bow and arrow warily at a monster planted in a ceramic pot under the tree. The voice just now had come from there.
Kikyo was also sizing up the other party. It was a dwarf peach tree planted in a ceramic pot. There were only a few withered yellow leaves on the branches, but a massive peach blossom was in bloom. In the center of the flower's pistil, an old man's head with white hair and beard had actually grown out. It looked incredibly eerie.
Hearing the question, Kikyo didn't answer nor did she approach. Instead, she tightened her bowstring, the arrow pointing directly at the head. She asked warily, "Who are you? Are you an accomplice of that man from just now?"
"I'm ashamed to say, but I am Peach Fruit Person's former master." The head spoke slowly, its voice weak.
"Peach Fruit Person? That... thing covered in death energy is called Peach Fruit Person?" Kikyo was somewhat surprised, but she still didn't lower her arrow. "You are his master?"
"Indeed, it is quite shameful. I am his master, the Immortal of the Peach Blossom Spring, the Peach Immortal." Peach Immortal sighed.
Hearing his words, Kikyo's expression turned cold. Pointing her bow and arrow at him, she said coldly, "As an Immortal, you taught such a monster and caused the deaths of so many innocent people!"
"It wasn't me who turned him into an Immortal; it was the man-faced fruit tree," Peach Immortal explained slowly.
"What do you mean? Explain clearly." Retsu walked to Kikyo's side, his eyes sharp as he stared at Peach Immortal.
Seeing him arrive, Kikyo slowly lowered her bow, but she remained vigilant, gripping the bow tightly.
"That was a month ago." Seeing the two standing not far away and looking at him warily, Peach Immortal spoke slowly, recalling the past. "At that time, Peach Fruit Person found a shard of the shikon jewel under the man-faced fruit tree and accidentally dropped it onto the tree."
"Having obtained the shard, the man-faced fruit tree's Demonic Power increased greatly. It spoke and enticed Peach Fruit Person, making him eat a human face fruit."
"After eating the human face fruit, his mind was controlled by the man-faced fruit tree, and he became its puppet. Afterward, following the tree's instructions, he turned me into nourishment for the human face fruits so it could bear the fruit of immortality."
"And then?" Seeing the old fellow stop there, Retsu urged impatiently, "Weren't you turned into fertilizer for the human face fruits? How are you still alive?"
Seeing the two unmoved and still looking at him warily, a flicker of indiscernible obscurity flashed in Peach Immortal's eyes, which he quickly concealed. He continued, "To truly achieve immortality, that fruit alone is not enough. The fruit needs to be brewed into medicine, and I am the only one who knows the method."
"So that's how it is." Retsu nodded, an ambiguous smile appearing on his face as he stepped toward the ceramic pot containing Peach Immortal.
Kikyo glanced at him but didn't follow. She remained where she was, her bow and arrow still in hand, ready to strike at any moment.
"That's right. Thank you both for defeating Peach Fruit Person." Peach Immortal watched Retsu approach, forcing a smile onto his face, though his eyes were involuntarily tense.
The man before him had a gentle smile, but his eyes were completely calm without a hint of warmth, making him feel an inexplicable palpitation. "There is a path down the mountain on the other side of the cliff. You can leave by following that path."
"Then what about you, Immortal? Do you want me to save you?" Retsu crouched in front of the ceramic pot, looking directly into Peach Immortal's eyes and asking in a flat tone.
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