Since the disappearance of the Bronze Tree, the Cangshan region has gradually returned to normal.
Chishe, humanoid trees, and other peculiar creatures have faded into obscurity, and ordinary, harmless flora and fauna have reclaimed the mountains and forests. The trees that had grown to dozens of meters tall also reverted to their normal size over time.
About two weeks later, the area had completely returned to its pre-anomaly state.
Song Shuning harbored some questions about the camera's inexplicable and sudden demise, but seeing Zhang Qiling, the muscle of the group, battered and covered in wounds, he dismissed his suspicions.
The research institute attempted to ascertain the situation in the depths of the forbidden land and the whereabouts of the mysterious source, but Wu Tianzhen and Pangzi managed to fob them off.
Everyone knew that Wu and Pangzi's accounts were somewhat embellished, but after the dangers in Cangshan had subsided, they had ventured in to investigate. All that remained were the hollow Snowman Peak and a deep, terrifying chasm on the ground.
They tried to use technological means to explore the bottom of the pit, but each time the feedback screen would descend to eight hundred meters before displaying a garbled mess of static and ear-piercing noise. Fearing potential hidden dangers, they ultimately abandoned their quest for answers and instead sealed off Snowman Peak.
Zhang Qiling had always been a man of few words, and after this ordeal, he became even more taciturn. Wu Tianzhen and Pangzi found several classic television dramas for him to watch, hoping that the intensely catchy theme song from "The Temptation of Going Home" would drive out any lingering negative thoughts from his mind.
The Black Gold ancient sword, now a blunt blade, was meticulously cleaned by Wu Tianzhen and then placed in a secret room, where it was reverently enshrined. He even thoughtfully covered the sword with a small quilt when the weather turned cooler.
Pangzi mocked Wu Tianzhen's sentimentality, but after a quick visit to the secret room himself, a stack of coriander canned goods appeared on the pedestal in front of the sword. Pangzi had even bought the cans from different manufacturers, ensuring that no flavor was missed.
Zhang Qiling was initially bewildered when he saw them, but he soon recalled his experiences in the Changbai Mountain forbidden land.
...At the time, he had simply chosen the lesser of two evils by opting for coriander canned goods, and then persevered through eating them to maintain his image. Could they have believed he genuinely enjoyed coriander canned goods because of this?
His feelings were complex, but for some reason, seeing the stack of coriander canned goods, so contrary to his actual preference, brought him a strange sense of comfort.
...Regardless, they were ultimately different.
No one was born to be a shadow of another.
The three of them spent nearly twenty days in this somber atmosphere. Song Shuning, busy with the agenda of "Whether Cangshan Can Be Reopened," did not come to disturb them.
Then, one day, as Wu Tianzhen was about to enter the secret room again with a soft cloth to wipe the sword, a booming "Holy shit!" echoed from within!
The secret room door was ajar, and his exclamation was like a clap of thunder from a clear sky, startling even Zhang Qiling, who had been staring blankly at Lin Pinru battling Ai Li, causing him to straighten up instantly.
Pangzi, who was busy figuring out how to make coriander stewed chicken butts, was startled by the shout and nearly cut his hand with the cleaver. He set down the glistening chicken butts, wiped his hands haphazardly on his apron, and grumbled as he walked over.
"What's with the fuss, Tianzhen? You're at home, aren't you?" he said, peering into the room as he reached the doorway. He could only see Wu Tianzhen's back.
Little Wu was standing in front of the sword pedestal, blocking it from view.
Pangzi didn't understand what was happening and asked, "What's up? Don't tell me you secretly ate my coriander canned goods?"
"Who would steal your coriander canned goods?!" Wu Tianzhen replied, his mind in a chaotic jumble, wondering who else besides Little Brother would like coriander canned goods. His voice gradually took on a tearful quality.
"Pangzi..." He turned to the side, revealing the sword pedestal.
"That Black Gold ancient sword, it's gone!!!"
The revealed pedestal was indeed empty, with only the black sword rack remaining to prove that a sword had once rested there.
Pangzi: ...
Just as Zhang Qiling had managed to concentrate and learn a few lines of Hong Shixian's scoundrel quotes, he heard another booming "Holy shit!" from the direction of the secret room, this time from Pangzi.
Zhang Qiling: ...?
He left the sofa, picked up the Black Gold ancient sword he was maintaining, and entered the secret room. He saw Wu Tianzhen and Pangzi rummaging through everything, as if desperately trying to find a hidden mouse in the gleaming secret room.
Wu Tianzhen was currently lifting a small porcelain jar and peering inside. Although the jar was not much larger than his head and it was impossible to fit the Black Gold ancient sword into it, in his desperation, Wu Tianzhen had lost ninety-nine percent of his rational thinking.
"It's gone..." he slumped to the ground, unable to find it anywhere. Overwhelmed with emotion, he was on the verge of tears.
"...It's nowhere. The sword was materialized, and now it's gone..."
"He, he hasn't truly, completely disappeared—"
"No," Zhang Qiling interrupted his self-inflicted terror.
He had already seen the empty sword rack, and at that moment, he felt as if his heartbeat had momentarily stopped.
They had always comforted themselves with the idea that perhaps the Bronze Tree's light circle led to a new dimension, and that he might still be alive. But now, his sword was gone.
...Could it be that nearly a month after the Bronze Tree's disappearance, everything that had been materialized by it was also being erased from this world?
His emotions surged, but he quickly realized the flaw in his reasoning.
He raised the Black Gold ancient sword. A new tassel had been added to the hilt, gently tapping against the blade as he moved, producing a crisp sound.
The tassel was soft, but it was intricately tied to a sharp, black, thorn-like pendant.
This was the cat's thorn he had kept.
It was still there.
The moment Zhang Qiling raised the sword, Wu Tianzhen and Pangzi understood his implication. Seeing the intact thorn pendant, they both breathed a sigh of relief.
But then Wu Tianzhen's brow furrowed in confusion.
"The cat's thorn is still here, so the materialization hasn't been undone. Then why..."
"Damn it!" Pangzi slapped his thigh and stood up. "Don't tell me your secret room isn't secure, and a thief broke in one night?!"
"??? What? Pangzi, are you serious?" Wu Tianzhen was momentarily speechless, wanting to say many things, such as what thief would ignore antiques and steal a blunt sword, or that his secret room was high-tech and couldn't possibly be insecure, or that he slept in the newly prepared guest room right next to the secret room and surely he wouldn't have heard nothing...
But in the end, all his words condensed into a simple, understandable gesture.
Wu Tianzhen waved his hand to get Pangzi's attention, then stepped back, perfectly revealing Zhang Qiling behind him.
Zhang Qiling still held the sword, its sharp edge feeling capable of slicing through the Eiffel Tower.
Pangzi: ...
"Forget I said anything," he sat back down. "With Little Brother here, even if Godzilla came to be a thief, we'd wake up in time to stop him from stealing the Black Gold ancient sword to save his life."
Wu Tianzhen sighed and sat down as well, both of them looking so dejected they might sprout mushrooms.
Zhang Qiling glanced at them and walked directly to the sword rack.
Wu Tianzhen and Pangzi checked it every few days. The sword had actually disappeared only recently.
He reached out and gently stroked the sword rack. The expensive dark wood still held a faint residual aura of the sword's sharpness.
...It had recovered.
Only its owner could make a self-destructing sword shine again.
He had taken his own sword.
Zhang Qiling didn't know how it had happened, but the joy in his heart was irrepressible, and his long-dimmed eyes were once again illuminated.
Wu Tianzhen and Pangzi only saw Zhang Qiling stand by the sword rack, and after a while, as if sensing something, he even managed a rare, faint smile.
"Little Brother..." Wu Tianzhen slowly stood up, a bold guess forming in his mind.
"Could it be—"
"It was him."
Zhang Qiling nodded in affirmation, his face soon returning to its expressionless state, but the subtle aura of sorrow that had surrounded him was gone.
Pangzi and Wu Tianzhen, having received an answer they dared not imagine, were instantly overcome with elation. They hugged and cheered for a while, then Pangzi suddenly made a treacherous move.
"How can we not celebrate such great news properly?!"
Pangzi nimbly scooped up all the coriander canned goods into his arms.
"Since Little Brother probably won't eat these canned goods anymore, come on, the three of us will share these cans today, this is celebrating with the people!"
Wu Tianzhen: ...
He swallowed, and quietly took a step back, pushing the stunned Zhang Qiling forward.
"Uh, I'm not very hungry. Don't you like them, Little Brother? Eat them all, I won't fight you for them!"
Zhang Qiling looked at Pangzi's expectant eyes, then at the mountain of coriander, and the hand holding the Black Gold ancient sword trembled slightly.