She did not, in fact, check out Old Ping’s part of the woods the following day.

  Maple was quite cross that Willow had eaten her share of dessert before dinner, even after the girl complimented her sister on how tasty it was. So as punishment she had to help out with far more of the household chores after she was done with her usual ones. Willow didn’t mind too much, getting to eat the cake while it was hot and fresh was worth it in her mind. Though it did mean that she had to put off checking out Old Ping’s home until the day after.

  Oh no. The horror.

  Her spirits, aside from Eos, were actually surprisingly resistant to the idea, despite them all being eager to find a new friend.

  “This Emerald Bloom of yours is a powerful spirit beast, child.” Harmony warned, starry eyes dim with caution. “It is not wise to trespass in their territory without need.”

  “But Maple and Da say we have a deal with them, so it should be fine if we take a look around.” Willow argued.

  “And we don’t know the details of that deal, friend.” Chimed Change. “Who knows what could violate the terms, and what the consequences of such violations could be.”

  “Which is why I’ll be doing the harmonizing thing when we go there.” The girl explained once more, confident her master plan would work without issue.

  “There is not even a guarantee that we shall find an earth spirit in that area!” Harmony harrumphed.

  “We’ve checked everywhere else! Besides, you guys are the ones pushing me to find the spirits faster. This is our only option right now besides jumping down a well.” The girl said while sending the thought of a disapproving look to Change’s internal space.

  “The well would probably be safer.” Pouted Change.

  With everyone now fully and completely on board with Willow’s genius plan, the girl started making her way over to Old Ping’s part of the clearing. Her hut was all by itself at the edge of the treeline, half claimed by the surrounding nature.

  The girl crept up to the dilapidated structure and Harmonized herself before taking a peek through the window. The inside was as she had seen it last, medicinal herbs hanging from shelves and the ceiling. Every other available surface is covered in tinctures and potions, and the various apparatuses required to make such concoctions.

  However the ancient resident of the hut was nowhere to be seen.

  “That’s weird.” The girl sent to her spirits while dispelling her harmonized state. “I thought she was sickly, so what’s she doing out of her home?”

  “I mean, she’s the one bound to the Emerald Bloom right? So she probably has some obligations to them no matter how out of sorts she is.” Change conjectured.

  Willow hummed in thought. She hoped the old woman was all right despite how much she personally gave the girl the creeps.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  She left the hut behind and began exploring the woods behind the small home. As she went she would harmonize herself whenever she heard an unfamiliar noise or felt an odd presence with her spiritual sense. She was glad that Harmony had suggested this little expedition be done before her daily core exercises or Willow was unsure she’d have the stamina to keep going.

  She had noticed an enormous presence within this section of woodland almost immediately upon entering, but was making a conscious choice to circle around it initially. However after having no luck in the surroundings she decided to head directly towards the presence of the guardian of the Vale. Harmonizing herself as she got closer.

  Willow was told that she had been shown to their guardian when they had first arrived, but for the first time in her memory she laid eyes on the Emerald Bloom.

  The trees surrounding the clearing the giant flower resided in had their branches woven together in a canopy hiding the space from aerial view. With the one exception of a hole directly above the gargantuan plant in the middle, letting sunlight in for the massive spirit beast alone. Despite this there were a myriad of flowers blooming all throughout the clearing, creating a riot of color that was only interrupted by the beast's massive roots.

  Willow couldn’t actually see the titular Emerald Bloom as it was bending away from her current vantage point. However there was something she could clearly see with her spiritual sense that she had been trying to ignore, due to the implications it held.

  The source of the rot she had been sensing in Old Ping and some spots of the surrounding woods was the massive creature before her. The parts of the plant that were visible to her were sickly and rotting, but there was still a putrescent vitality that suffused its being. Meaning their guardian wasn’t dying, it had somehow been corrupted.

  Her father had told her that the Emerald Bloom was a being of vibrant growth, and was what supplied the excessive amounts of wood qi to the vale. Willow knew her spiritual sense was better than most, but she also knew her father wouldn’t be this fundamentally incorrect about the nature of their protector.

  Harmony quietly sent from inside her space. “Child, we should leave.”

  “Not yet, we still haven’t found Old Ping.” The girl said, their original purpose for being here forgotten as concern for another overwrote it.

  She began moving through the trees surrounding the clearing as slowly and quietly as she could. Her core ached a bit from the prolonged use of Harmony’s technique, but the girl knew she could go on for a while longer without issue.

  Eventually she made it to a vantage point that gave her a clear view of what the Emerald Bloom was doing. The giant viridian flower was currently enveloping the top half of Old Pings body. Through her senses Willow could tell the woman was alive, but she was in great pain.

  Energy was cycling between the two of them in a manner that was unfamiliar to the girl, but when she commented on it to her spirits, they seemed disgusted.

  “What your so-called guardian is doing goes against the natural order.” Change muttered darkly. “Forcing dual cultivation like that…”

  The girl was somewhat familiar with the term due to the stories of Calypso, but according to her sister it was something to only be done with someone she loved and trusted. To hear it was forcibly being done sounded… wrong. She started to move into the clearing.

  Before she could take a single step into the domain of the beast Harmony spoke out. “Child, all you can do now is flee and warn your elders about what has become of their protector.”

  Eos projected agreement and thoughts of safety towards her, which ultimately swayed the girl's mind.

  It went against Willow's instincts to help, but deep down the girl understood this was too big for her to handle. With a heavy heart she began moving in the direction of home, only dropping her harmonization after she passed the old woman’s hut.

  As she started running to her small house she tried to think of what she should tell her family, and came to the uncomfortable conclusion that she would likely have to come clean about everything so that she would be believed.

  She was gonna be in so much trouble.