He struggled to sense. In which direction is the nearest blessed place? He "saw" a blur of light and shadow a hundred miles away. That is a blessed place. Hundreds of miles. He is just a tree and cannot move. Winter is approaching, and the Black Ni storm will come soon. He was trapped here, waiting to die. Despair. Bone-deep despair engulfed his consciousness.
He couldn't move. He is just a tree. A tree waiting to be destroyed.
In desperation, a faint sound reached his "ears". Someone.
He tried to focus his perceptions. The voice came from not far away, with heavy breathing. He "saw" a group of figures. An old man and three mature men. Their clothes were in rags and their faces were haggard. The old man's hair was gray and his face was wrinkled, like dried tree bark. His name is Yu Laosi.
