017 Wildlife Exploration

The forest had become my second home over the past few months. Ever since the village incident, I’d thrown myself into exploring the forest properly with boots on the ground instead of relying solely on the bird’s-eye view I’d grown used to. The difference was stark. From above, the canopy looked like a vast green ocean; down here, every root, every moss-covered stone, and every twist of vine told its own story. I carried a sketchbook with me now, its pages already half-filled with rough maps, notes on terrain, and drawings of plants I couldn’t name.

Today, I’d found a particularly strange flora. It was broad, heart-shaped leaves with silver veins that shimmered faintly when the light hit them just right. I crouched beside it, pulling out the charcoal pencil Xing Ning had made for me. The young man had taken to woodwork with surprising dedication, and this little tool was one of his first proper gifts.

I turned the pencil in my fingers, admiring the smooth wooden casing he’d carved and the thin strip of bark wrapped tightly around the charcoal core to keep my hands clean. “Not bad at all,” I murmured with a small smile. “Fits my hand better than anything I’ve used before, and it draws smoother than expected. You did good, kid.”

While the sketchbook itself had come from the village, the pencil was purely Xing Ning’s work. I sketched the plant quickly, capturing the way the leaves curled at the edges and the subtle pattern of the veins.

“Nice,” I complimented my own sketch once I finished, tilting the page to catch the dappled sunlight. My stats were still doing most of the heavy lifting when it came to accuracy and detail, but I was getting real practice in observation and patience. It felt… grounding.

My routine had shifted completely. These long, quiet strolls through the trees now consumed most of my days. In between, I practiced my druid abilities whenever the opportunity arose by turning passive skills into active ones, testing the limits of spells by carefully recalling their flavor texts and experimenting in safe clearings. Some abilities responded better than others, but each small success made the forest feel a little more like an extension of myself.

By the time I returned to camp, there was still plenty of daylight left. What had started as a simple campsite was slowly evolving into something more permanent. The treehouse I’d grown with my powers still stood above us, but Xing Ning had built a sturdy workshop on the ground that doubled as his sleeping quarters. It was a simple wooden structure, surprisingly well-made for someone who had only recently taken up the craft.

Sharing the space with him still felt a little strange, even after all this time. In the earlier days, Xing Ning had been living inside the treehouse with me. We slept in adjacent beds that I had grown from the living wood itself—two simple platforms with mossy bedding, side by side under the same leafy canopy. It was honestly weird when I stopped to think about it: two dudes sharing such close quarters. I could have easily sprouted an entirely separate treehouse for him, but at the time it hadn’t crossed my mind. Building a treehouse felt like a permanent commitment, something that would root him here for good. His stay was temporary, so I couldn’t even be bothered. On top of that, keeping him close had seemed like the safest option.

I still didn’t fully understand what kind of dangers a xianxia-style forest could hide, but after everything I’d been through, I’d loosened my old security habits. I roamed on foot more often now, trusting my instincts and powers instead of constant vigilance.

Still, old habits died hard. Just to be safe, I raised my hand and summoned more of Thorn Whips around the perimeter of the camp. The thorny vines slithered out from the earth, forming a living barrier that would alert me to any intruders while gently discouraging smaller animals.

The elderly woman, Li Qing, probably wouldn’t mind me occupying this part of the forest… but then again, I really should ask for proper permission at some point. I had no idea how land laws worked in this world. Murder and theft were obviously bad, that much was universal. Admittedly, I’d done plenty of the former recently, but it had been in defense of others and tied to whatever dormant druidic duties I apparently carried. Still, claiming territory like this might be stepping on someone’s toes.

“Nah. I’d think about it later.”

Procrastination had always been a virtue in my book. Anyone who’d survived a soul-sucking nine-to-five would understand.

A faint rustling sounded from the periphery of the camp. I frowned. The Thorn Whips should have detected anything unusual and either deterred it or alerted me immediately. Curious, I walked toward the noise, pushing aside a low branch.

There, squatting with his pants down and his butt fully exposed to the forest, was Xing Ning.

He froze mid-motion and stared up at me with wide, mortified eyes.

“Excuse me,” I said flatly, already turning on my heel and walking back the way I came.

I didn’t think he’d be handling his business a la naturale right there in the open. It was very… druid of him, I supposed.

On the topic of bodily functions, I honestly hadn’t needed to relieve myself since arriving in this world. No urination, no defecation… nothing. It probably had something to do with my druid-elf demi-god physiology as a Level 999 lifeform. My body simply processed everything perfectly, leaving no waste. That was likely why I’d completely forgotten something as basic as building an outhouse.

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Behind me, I heard a frantic scrambling sound followed by hurried rustling of clothes. I kept walking, pretending I hadn’t seen anything, and headed back toward the workshop area.

Some things were better left unacknowledged. Especially when your companion was basically a teenage boy trying to survive in a cultivation world while living with a ridiculously overpowered forest druid who didn’t even need to poop.

I sighed quietly and opened my sketchbook again, flipping to a blank page. Maybe I’d draw the treehouse next. Or perhaps add a small note about the importance of privacy barriers.

Yeah. That sounded like a good use of the remaining daylight.

A few minutes later, Xing Ning came running from the opposite direction, dragging a small wooden cart behind him. He greeted me with his usual bright energy, acting as if the earlier awkward encounter had never happened at all.

“Senior, look what I got from the village!” he called out cheerfully.

Xing Ning had basically become my personal errand runner these days. He went back and forth between our camp and the village, trading the excess meat, fruits, vegetable, and materials I gained from the local wildlife. I couldn’t exactly eat everything that was sent my way and certainly not with my druid-elf physiology turning me into something closer to a walking forest spirit than a normal human, so the surplus became useful currency.

I glanced up from my sketchbook. “Did you manage to get what I requested?”

He nodded eagerly and reached into his pockets, pulling out a handful of small cloth pouches. “Here, Senior. Seeds from the herbalist.”

I took them but paused, eyeing his hands. “Did you wash your hands first?”