Chapter 32: Eradicating Future Troubles and the Deceit of Words

“So it was you, little creature, causing trouble.”
Ye Chen sighed. He had not forgotten this golden bamboo seedling; perhaps it still harbored some last resort of the spirit bamboo. If he could not act against Wu or lacked the confidence to succeed, the bamboo seedling might have escaped disaster for now—after all, it was best not to provoke Wu unnecessarily, lest suspicion arise and lead to complications.
Yet who would have imagined the bamboo seedling would dare to act out? For it to be so restless, it would be better to crush it now. Ye Chen had tampered with Wu’s memories, which affected the interests of the spirit bamboo. Clearly, the golden bamboo seedling was unwilling to accept this outcome. Unfortunately, with the spirit bamboo already destroyed, there was no intelligence left in this lingering seedling.
At least for now, the golden bamboo seedling acted purely on instinct. Otherwise it would have hidden itself away, rather than daring to show its head—such boldness was tantamount to dancing atop the King of Hell’s crown, courting death itself.
If the golden bamboo seedling hadn’t acted out, Ye Chen would not have taken action so soon. With the spirit bamboo gone, any remaining contingency would serve no purpose.
If the golden bamboo seedling truly matured in the future, and Ye Chen had not grown stronger by then, so much so that this little seedling could threaten him, he might as well find a slab of tofu and bash his own head in.
Ye Chen summoned streams of divine power, pouring them toward the golden bamboo seedling. It resisted with all its might, but to no avail. As the divine power swept through, refining the seedling, wisps of golden mist rose from within it, converging in the void to form a stalk of spirit bamboo, vivid and lifelike.
The spirit bamboo, the moment it appeared, was terrified. Its branches flailed wildly, as if seized by a sudden fit, desperately trying to escape.
Alas, Ye Chen’s hand showed no mercy. With a sweep of divine power, he conjured a divine flame that reduced the spirit bamboo to ash.
The golden bamboo seedling finally settled down. After a moment’s thought, Ye Chen decided not to take it away, but rather left it where it was.
This golden bamboo seedling was actually quite remarkable—still worthy of being planted, with great potential. Should it one day awaken intelligence again, the process would be much easier. Of course, it would no longer be the same spirit bamboo as before.
For Ye Chen, it held little attraction; he was not interested in making things more complicated.
Wu’s memories continued to twist and distort. The alteration of the original node triggered a cascade of changes, so that Wu’s past no longer featured only the spirit bamboo, but also the spirit butterfly as companion.
At first, Wu’s bond with the spirit butterfly was shallow. But after the butterfly became a totem, breaking free from the seven-day limit, it spent nearly every day perched on the spirit bamboo’s branches, receiving the tribe’s offerings together.
The people of the Bamboo Tribe welcomed this. As long as the spirit bamboo did not object, the more totems, the better.
With the endless influx of incense and devotion, both the spirit bamboo and the spirit butterfly grew extraordinary.
Rather than calling it a distortion of Wu’s memories, it was as if Ye Chen was weaving a dream.
As time went by, a subtle estrangement grew between the spirit bamboo and the spirit butterfly.

There was no other way—Ye Chen had to twist Wu’s memories like this, or the later confrontation between the spirit bamboo and spirit butterfly would make no sense.
After all, if they had once been close, some explanation was needed for why they would so suddenly turn against each other.
“I can’t make this part too drastic; let them gradually develop differences. The fewer changes I make, the less impact there’ll be, and the less likely Wu’s subconscious will notice.”
He had failed once before, and had no desire to waste his efforts again.
“It’s still that my strength is lacking—I can’t afford to act recklessly.”
Ye Chen felt the pruned memory was still a little stiff. If Wu reflected on it carefully, he might sense something amiss.
Still, Ye Chen was not overly concerned. Under normal circumstances, who would suspect their own memories might be faulty?
Having twisted Wu’s memories, Ye Chen needed to edit the matter of Dream Butterfly. He could not allow Wu to suddenly have a flash of insight and realize the truth—that would be disastrous.
Aside from Dream Butterfly, it would be nearly impossible for Wu to deduce, merely through speculation, that his memories had been tampered with.
Ye Chen had invested so much effort; he did not wish for things to end in open hostility after all.
When the shroud of divine power finally faded from Wu, Ye Chen lowered his eyes and studied Wu carefully. Everything that needed doing had been done; he could only hope nothing would go wrong.
All in all, things had gone smoothly—there had been no backlash, thanks in part to Ye Chen’s increased strength. Otherwise, he might not have been so fortunate.
Of course, it also helped that he had not made drastic changes to Wu’s memories. With a well-chosen point of intervention, only minor adjustments were needed and the overall impact remained small.
“In the future, perhaps I can do the same to the chieftain.”
If there were no great risks involved, Ye Chen wouldn’t mind subduing the entire tribe.
But for now, there was no need—the chieftain was still rather obedient.
Wu felt his head heavy, as if a boulder weighing hundreds of pounds pressed down on his neck, his muscles aching, eyelids almost too heavy to open.
“He’s about to wake.”
Not only Wu, but the rest of the tribe were emerging from the illusory realm as well.
This was their first time being put through such rigorous training. Who knew if they would all be so sore the next day that they could barely get up? Best to take it easy for now.

If there was no major problem, these tribespeople were in for good fortune.
Wu awoke feeling as if he had fallen apart. It took great effort to catch his breath, and there was a trace of melancholy in his expression. He felt utterly drained, as if he had spent the night hauling bricks on a construction site.
After a moment’s silence, Wu slowly walked to the window and gazed outside.
The sky held scattered stars and a waning moon. The night breeze was gentle. Wu, lost in thought, gradually sorted through his memories—each past event clear as day. The tribe was quiet now, devoid of its former bustle, and regret crept into his heart.
Wu was filled with indignation at the spirit butterfly’s actions.
“If only I’d known, I would never have let you remain. Why did you and the spirit bamboo have to become mortal enemies?”
He muttered to himself, his voice tinged with bitterness. In Wu’s eyes, both the spirit bamboo and the spirit butterfly were totems of the tribe. When the tribe teetered on the brink of peril, for them to turn on each other was nothing short of foolishness.
There was a sense of disappointment as well—he resented the spirit butterfly’s ruthlessness and shortsightedness.
Ye Chen remained silent, but his mood was good. Wu’s reaction suggested the distortion had been a success.
Wu’s bitterness was telling. If there had never been any emotional investment, if he were truly an outsider, he would have felt much calmer.
At the very least, Wu no longer saw Ye Chen as an outsider. This was now only an internal dispute. Though he had struck hard and left Wu deeply disappointed, there was still hope for reconciliation.
In the night, a spirit butterfly danced, its wings trailing light, radiant as fire.
Ye Chen said in a low voice, “You don’t understand. Precisely because the tribe is in decline, we must fight all the harder.”
He was searching for a reason to persuade Wu. Though the outcome was already settled and the transformation of Wu was complete, even a forged bond needed careful nurturing. Otherwise, it was nothing but a sandcastle—impressive in appearance, yet easily toppled. Wu’s perception of him still mattered greatly.
Of course, even if Ye Chen did nothing now, things were already much improved. With emotion as a bond, there was no longer any fear that Wu would be driven to desperate measures.