Arthur was famished. Having a body with no spirit, he was nothing but a normal human. So, he had to fill his stomach before he collapsed from hunger.
But he didn't know what to do. While he wasn't keen on returning to Kingdom Yulan, where the imperial army was still looking for the host, he couldn't leave the territory either.
Night had fallen, and being powerless, he was an easy prey even if he had the Shadow Wolf.
What if other spirit beasts attacked him?
Even if he could bind them to him, he couldn't rule out the danger they brought with them.
Moreover, what if he encountered bandits- human bandits, to be precise. He couldn't buy them using spirit stones.
Arthur shook his head and stared at the Shadow Wolf, which was gazing at him.
"Do you know a place where I can hide for the night?"
The Spirit Wolf nodded and, as if asking him to follow it, it lightly pulled his robes.
Arthur's legs got moving, and he followed the Shadow Wolf into the forest again, only this time they were taking a different route than before.
Arthur frowned when he saw how deep they were going. The moonlight couldn't pass through the tall trees. So, the luminous pearl was his only source of light.
However, that only added more to the mystery around him. Since he couldn't see anything except a few feet around him, his heart pounded madly, hoping he wouldn't encounter anything dangerous.
But he didn't stop following the Shadow Wolf even once. Since it was now bound to him, he trusted it wholeheartedly.
They walked for quite some time before the flora started decreasing, until it was mostly rocks and boulders.
Arthur vaguely heard the sound of water falling from nearby, and his eyes lit up.
The Shadow Wolf led Arthur to an empty den just a few boulders behind the falls. It even nudged him inside as if welcoming him into its dwelling.
Arthur smiled to himself and entered the den, the luminous pearl lighting up the place instantly. He noticed that the den was cleaner than he had expected. There were no bones or smell of raw meat or carcasses lying haphazardly.
Instead, the den smelled fresh and seemed like a good place to hide for the night.
Patting the Shadow Wolf in appreciation, he looked around and thought for a moment.
"Can you lead me to some food? Fruit, perhaps?" he asked, unsure if the beast understood him.
He wasn't looking for animal meat, for he didn't have fire to roast them, and he had no idea how to light one just by using stones. So, he could only settle for some fruits.
The Shadow Wolf left the den with Arthur right behind. They followed the small stream before the Heavenly Pavilion suddenly went berserk again.
"Master, Master, it is the Verdant Riverfruit. It is a Verdant Riverfruit," it cried in joy.
"Okay, what's Verdant Riverfruit?" Arthur asked, his brows knitting in confusion.
"Master, it is a fruit that can reduce pain, heal wounds, burns, and help eliminate toxins in the body. One Riverfruit tree bears only twenty to twenty-five fruits every hundred years."
Arthur nodded, impressed by the fruit's healing abilities.
"Master, it is one of the few fruits without any spirit root, but extremely beneficial to humans and cultivators alike. Only that it has different uses depending on who consumes it."
"I see."
"When infused into a pill or elixir, it can stabilize qi deviation and reconnect broken meridians over time. But how can it appear here?" the Heavenly Pavilion asked doubtfully.
"Why? Is there a problem?" Arthur couldn't comprehend why the Heavenly Pavilion suddenly became skeptical.
"The Verdant Riverfruit does not have a spirit root. So it needs to be nourished by spirit-rich rivers or water bodies. But I do not sense any river of that sort nearby."
Arthur frowned lightly. But he didn't delve deep into it and followed the Spirit Wolf, deciding to think about it later.
The spirit beast led him to a tree whose bark was scorched black, but its leaves shimmered with iridescent firelight.
From afar, the tree looked like it was on fire.
There were thirteen fruits, each smooth, blood red, and the size of a plum, with streaks of glowing gold running through it like veins.
There was no particular smell around it. But it looked exotic, and Arthur was tempted to take a bite.
Curious to know how it tasted, he plucked one. Arthur was surprised to see how warm the fruit was, as if someone had roasted it.
Fascinated, he took a bite and immediately, a slightly sour taste exploded in his mouth.
Arthur cringed when the sourness hit him. But soon, the taste turned sweet. The juicy fruit made him forget about everything, and he munched on it until there was nothing left but the seeds.
"Umm... Heavenly Pavilion?"
"Yes, Master?"
"Why do I not feel any difference in me? My legs were aching previously, and they continue to ache even now."
"Master, that I...."
The Heavenly Pavilion was stumped for words. It couldn't quite comprehend why the Verdant Riverfruit had no effect on its master.
"Should I wait for some time? Will it take some time for the effect to kick in?"
"Perhaps, Master. Let us wait for some time."
The Heavenly Pavilion did not dare say that the Verdant Riverfruit's effects were instant. What if it irked its master? It did not intend to offend him more than it had the entire day.
Arthur plucked the remaining twelve fruits and even handed one to the Shadow Wolf as a reward.
He then stored the remaining in the Heavenly Pavilion, deciding to eat them later.
"Heavenly Pavilion?"
"Yes, Master."
Arthur noticed the slight tremble in its voice when he called it. But he ignored it for the time being.
"Did you say that the Verdant Riverfruit needs to be nourished by spirit-rich rivers?"
"Yes, Master."
"If there are no spirit-rich rivers nearby, how did the tree grow here?" he asked, looking around curiously.
Although it was still dark, the moonlight aided his sight. He saw a small stream flowing a few feet behind the tree.
There wasn't anything strange about the stream, except it looked ethereal in the night as it reflected the moonlight, giving out a faint glow.
The Heavenly Pavilion remained silent for some time before it gasped in surprise.
"Master, I think... I think I know how it was able to grow here without any spirit-rich water body around it."
"Oh, do enlighten me." Arthur folded his hands, waiting to see what kind of bomb the Heavenly Pavilion would throw at him next.
"Master, the Verdant Riverfruit can only survive without a spirit-rich water body if the seed the tree grew from is nourished with Phoenix Heartblood."